Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Where your views make the news
Letters... Where your views make the news
Professionalism in the interest of progress DEAREDITOR, I am baffled, the Police list of promotions published, includes members who violated its citizens. It is clear there is a departure from professionalism and pursuit of justice. This lawlessness must end.No individual who has committed a serious crime against its citizens should be employed by any force responsible for upholding the law and moreso rewarded with promotions.The practice of advancing settlement out of court, whereby, citizens after being brutalised are offered a pittance in exchange for curtailing of judicial action, has allowed these misfits to remain within areas of service in our society without sanction. There is no way any member of the Guyana Police Force would have slipped through the promotion list without the blessings of the Commissioner of Police and the Police Service Commission. This is no mistake as some would like to believe. In fact, any out of court settlement for violations involving members of the Guyana Police Force, the Commissioner of Police is bound to take internal action in order to preserve the integrity of the force. All members of the force who brought discredit to the organisation can be disciplined. A charge of discreditable conduct can be instituted against any member of the force by a
higher ranking member. Why was this not done and if so, why do we have a situation of violators in uniform? Even if the uniformed perpetrator is charged and freed, the mere fact any member of the force participated in violating citizens is discreditable.An out of court settlement does not absolve anyone from the crime. It is merely an acknowledgement of guilt and a way to escape the sanction of the court. I call on all judges and magistrates to exercise your full independent functions. Any serious crimes committed within your jurisdiction by any members of Police, Armed services, Public Servants, quasi-government bodies, members of government and citizens, should see the perpetrators being held accountable for their crimes. If a witness does not appear in court, issue warrants and compel witnesses to appear before you. Crime is not a private matter. It is a crime against every citizen of this land to allow unspeakable, indictable acts go unpunished.No private settlement can replace the jurisdiction of the court. It is becoming the norm to supplant the halls of justice with the chambers of lawyers who author these innumerable embarrassing and questionable “settlements� allowing rapscallions to walk free. I would like to think there is no political interference in this controversy; however, I cannot
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make such a conclusion. If I were to do so I would be the lone proponent of such. I urge a return to professionalism in the interest of progress for all citizens of this land. This blind partisan agenda that has been visited upon our country is destructive. This abominable scourge has permeated all organs of government, and as a result, the citizens are deprived. Now is the time to rid our society of this menace. Louis Nestor
We encourage members of the public to keep calling our hotline DEAR EDITOR, We write in response to a letter appearing in your newspaper on 21st January, 2015. The Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) operates a 24hrs hotline that is manned by seasoned Childcare Officers. During the year 2014, we responded to four hundred and fifty six (456) reports of abuse that were received via the hotline. Every effort is made to attend to a case in 48 hours but due to the number of
reports received there are times we have to prioritize but we do attend to all the cases reported subject to us receiving accurate information as to the addresses and location. The incident described by the writer is most unfortunate and the administration of the CPA will be taking steps to investigate this matter to see what went wrong with the system of recording, but Human Services is such that much depends on the frontline workers - the
executioners of the service. In child protection there is no room for lapses and as such we thank the writer for bringing this incident to our attention. However, we wish to encourage members of the public to keep calling our hotline – 227-0979 to report incidents of suspected child abuse and to remind you that it is your responsibility to keep reporting the matter until action is taken. Childcare and Protection Agency
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Kaieteur News
Saturday January 24, 2015
EU confirmed compliance with grant EU withholds EURO $28.9M support for conditions since September 2014 – Govt. Subject: Budget support know about the result of the The Government of has noted with payments Steering Committee. sugar due to prorogued parliament Guyana To: Ashni Singh concern a press release Kind regards, The sanctions have begun…
Head of the EU delegation Robert Kopecký
UK High Commissioner Andrew Ayre
The government has been given its first clear sign of an international sanction for proroguing the Parliament. Yesterday, the European Union (EU) said that it has temporarily put on hold its two latest partial payments being, EURO $28.9M for Guyana’s sugar sector and EURO $14.8M for sea defences, until all eligibility criteria, including budget oversight, are “satisfactorily” addressed. The EU made clear that it has a long standing commitment to support development and poverty reduction in Guyana. In 2014, it said that EURO $34 million was allocated to Guyana
under the 11 th European Development Fund. EU aid is channeled through different modalities. Budget support is one of them. Just a few days ago, UK High Commissioner Andrew Ayre said that Guyana may be facing possible sanctions for operating without a Parliament. He had reportedly said as well, that UK taxpayers would more than likely object to its government providing budgetary support to a country functioning without any means of parliamentary scrutiny. This was followed by a firm retort from Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon. He had
President Donald Ramotar accused the EU and the British High Commissioner of conspiring to dishonour the longstanding budgetary support agreement between the EU and the Government of Guyana. Luncheon also hinted that the EU had reneged on an agreement with Guyana on budgetary support. “His attempts to damage Guyana’s credibility and its economic prospects are considered by Cabinet to be unpardonable…” Luncheon had said, in response to the UK envoy. Luncheon even deemed Ayre’s comments in relation to withholding development Continued on page 24
purportedly issued by the European Union Delegation in Guyana claiming that the EU had “temporarily put on hold” certain budget support grants “until all eligibility criteria, inter alia budget oversight, are satisfactorily addressed”. Government now wishes to make publicly available the attached communication from the same EU Delegation, dated September 8, 2014, indicating clearly that Guyana had met the eligibility criteria required to qualify for disbursements totaling •25,858,025, and that the same Delegation had recommended disbursement of this sum to the EU Budget Support Steering Committee in Brussels which was due to meet on September 17, 2014. In light of the Delegation’s attached written confirmation of Guyana’s qualification for disbursements totaling •25,858,025, the Delegation might now wish to correct the misinformation contained in the press release it issued earlier today, and also explain to the people of Guyana what exactly accounts for the failure to disburse the sums since September 8, 2014, especially bearing in mind that Parliament was not prorogued until November 10, 2014. Confirmation attachment appears below From: SANDKER Ewout (EEAS-GEORGETOWN) Date: Mon, Sep 8, 2014 at 4:07 PM
Cc: “KOPECKY Robert (EEAS-GEORGETOWN)”, “MADL Benedikt (EEASGEORGETOWN)”, Tarachand Balgobin, Sonya Roopnauth Dear Minister, This is to inform you that the Delegation has submitted a positive disbursement advice to its Headquarters with regard to the budget support tranches listed below. They will all be discussed for decision by our Budget Support Steering Committee on 17 September 2014. If I am not mistaken it is the first time that the budget support disbursement requests for Guyana have been submitted this early in the second s e m e s t e r, maximizing the chances for payments within the budgetary year (as they are always subject to a v a i l a b i l i t y of payment credits). I believe this is illustrative for the good cooperation between your office, the line Ministries involved and the Delegation, for which I would like to express my appreciation. I take the opportunity to thank you for providing us with detailed information on the non-legislative measures relating to CFATF recommendations, which I am sure our colleagues in Headquarters will find very useful and informative. As soon as we have been debriefed by our Headquarters we will let you
Ewout Sandker ************ 10th EDF Sea Defences: • Fixed tranche 2013: 2.8 Mio • - the Delegation recommended full payment based on fulfillment of general conditions • Variable tranche 2014: 3.5 Mio • - the Delegation recommended payment of 2.905 based on fulfillment general criteria and of specific criteria 1 and 2 (except for sub-indicator on the condition survey not reaching the required length surveyed). Sugar AAP 2012: • Variable tranche: 2. 784 Mio • - recommended for full payment based on fulfillment of general conditions and indicators 3 and 8 Sugar AAP 2013: • Fixed tranche 6.9 Mio • - - the Delegation recommended full payment based on fulfillment of general conditions • Variable tranche 12. 075 Mio – the Delegation recommended payment of 10,469,025 based on fulfillment of the general conditions and indicators 1,3,4,6,8. Indicator 5a was not considered fully met as the foreseen investment of the which system at Skeldon was not done during the foreseen time. Total: The Delegation recommended payment of 25,858,025 EUR.
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Yemen suffers power vacuum after president, premier quit
File photo: of Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi (CREDIT: REUTERS/MOHAMED AL-SAYAGHI/FILES) (Reuters) - Yemen drifted deeper into political limbo yesterday after President AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi resigned in exasperation at a Houthi rebel takeover of the country, a move that appeared to catch the Iran-backed group off balance. Hadi, a former general, blamed the Houthis’ control of the capital Sanaa for impeding his attempt to steer Yemen toward stability after years of turmoil and tribal unrest, deepening poverty and U.S. drone strikes on Islamist militants. His resignation on Thursday startled the Arabian Peninsula country of 25 million, where the Houthis emerged as the dominant faction by seizing Sanaa in September and dictating terms to a humiliated Hadi, whom they had held as a virtual prisoner at his home residence clashes with security guards this week. The Houthis and pro-democracy activists staged rival rallies on Friday. Thousands gathered in central Sanaa with placards calling for “Death to America, Death to Israel”, a slogan that has become a trademark of the Shi’ite Muslim Houthi group. “Hadi should have resigned a long time ago,” Al Sheikh Moghadal Al Wazeer, an elderly Houthi supporter said. “He should have done more and he should have run the country with more strength.” Earlier in the day, a small group of prodemocracy activists chanted “we are the revolution” as they converged on Change Square, the focus of 2011 protests which forced long-ruling President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down under a Gulf power transfer deal. “We’re here in rejection of the events that are happening. We came out to build a state and our demand is still to have a state,” said activist Farida al-Yareemi. “We went out against Ali Abdullah Saleh and he had all the weapons.” Washington, which has relied on Hadi’s cooperation to stage the drone strikes on the Yemeni branch of al Qaeda, said it was concerned by the departures of the president and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah, who also quit on Thursday. “The United States is troubled by reports of President Hadi and his cabinet’s resignation,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. “At this time, it is critical that all sides avoid violence.” The Yemeni parliament is scheduled to meet on Sunday to discuss Hadi’s resignation and can accept or reject it. Under the constitution, parliamentary speaker Yahya al-
Ra’i, who comes from Saleh’s General People’s Congress party, takes office for an interim period while new elections are organized. NO OFFICIAL HOUTHI POSITION Some Houthi officials have welcomed Hadi’s resignation but the group said an official position had yet to be taken. It urged the army to uphold its responsibilities and called on Houthi fighters to be on alert. Witness said Houthi fighters were seen surrounding the homes of a number of senior officials from Bahah’s government, including the defense minister, in Sanaa. A senior Yemeni official said the Houthis had proposed the creation an interim presidential council to run the majority Sunni Muslim country, but an alliance of parties rejected the idea. Officials said the Houthis were holding contacts with various political factions on what to do next. Hadi, who led a United Nations-backed attempt to make political reforms and bury the autocracy and graft of the past, stood down shortly after Bahah offered his government’s resignation, saying it did not want to be dragged into “an unconstructive political maze”. This was a reference to a standoff between the Houthi movement and Hadi, who had been held in his residence. Yesterday, Reuters witnesses said five allterrain vehicles belonging to the special forces were parked outside Hadi’s compound. Houthi fighters were not visible inside. In the southern city of Aden, three soldiers and two armed men were killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen on armored vehicles in the early hours of Friday, local officials told Reuters. Three explosions were heard in the port city during the attack, which was followed by the clashes, said one of the officials, who declined to be identified. The departure of Hadi, a southerner, has caused anger in Aden, where officials reacted by telling security officers to obey only orders issued in Aden, an implicit snub to institutions in the north, where Sanaa is. Earlier in the week, Aden closed its docks briefly in protest against Houthi militia attacks on state institutions in Sanaa, calling them an “aggressive coup on the president personally and on the political process as a whole”. Hadi’s decision marked an abrupt turnaround from Wednesday, when he said he was ready to accept Houthi demands for a bigger stake in constitutional and political arrangements.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday January 24, 2015
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
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BRING BACK TATA! Prices do not go down in Guyana; they go up. This statement has held true in Guyana for a long time— a very long time. People do not expect prices to decline. In recent times, one of the fastest rising costs for citizens has not been petrol. It has been labour. The cost of work done by a simple handyman has become extremely prohibitive. There was once a time, not long ago, when paying a carpenter or mason $3,000 a day was considered exorbitant. Today these guys are demanding six and seven thousand dollars per day. And while they are calling for more money, most of which is not declared to the taxman as income, the productivity of
these workers have diminished. This is why most citizens now have resorted back to pay per job rather than per day. If you pay per day, the workers will drag out the work. But if you pay per job, then they will work much quicker than usual. But generally productivity is very low. Now consider the plight of the sugar industry. More than half of the traditional workforce is no longer on the job. And the reason is that, for less strenuous work they can earn seven to eight thousand dollars per day in the construction sector. So why bother to cut cane? This is a relationship that those who are attempting to reverse the fortunes of the sugar industry have ignored.
If a cane cutter can earn six to seven thousand dollars per day doing labour work in home construction, then why would he want to return to the back-breaking cane fields? If there is more remunerative work outside of the canfields it is logical that there will be pull factors encouraging cane cutters to leave cane harvesting. Labour costs in the construction sector are hurting the sugar industry because more remunerative work is always available outside of the sugar plantation. The price of goods and the price of labour simply do not come down. Or so many persons thought until the invasion of the commercial sector by Chinese
Dem boys seh...
A big man mek a stamp fuh do Donald wuk Most people don’t know but in this country you got to be a certain age before you can marry. If you under age you parents got to sign fuh you. Jagdeo come of age yesterday and de Waterfalls boss man seh that he can now mek a serious proposal to de man without he friends and family asking too much question. De party was nice because everybody try fuh provide free food. But as dem boys seh when you live bad you got to frighten you own shadow. Jagdeo invite people fuh taste de food before he eat. One of de taste people eat something wid too much salt and he had to drink nuff water. Imagine Jagdeo security ask de man if something wrang wid de food. Well dem boys seh that two of de people do de same thing dem do last year. Somebody bring some fancy food and when one of de security guard eat de food he double over like if he belly hurting. De other one pick up de food and he friend and put dem in Jagdeo car because he seh that he
going to de hospital. Dem two men eat and sport better than Jagdeo and he friends. Food coulda mek people go to jail but then again, dem boys seh that Jagdeo tek so much and he ain’t gone to jail. But a man gone to jail fuh something he do and he vex. In fact, he get suh vex that he pelt de magistrate wid a bench. Dem boys seh that if de Guyanese people had dem own way dem would pelt Jagdeo, he friends and he family wid something other than a bench. It woulda stain and smell when it land pun dem. Donald is another one. He ain’t doing nutten. Dem boys seh that things get suh bad that a big man decide fuh forge de Ohh Pee stamp. When de man go in court he tell de magistrate that he see Donald ain’t doing nutten, he not even using de stamp he get fuh do de people wuk suh he decide fuh help out Donald. De poor man got to help heself in jail. Talk half and find wuk fuh Donald.
businesses. They have flooded the sector with cheaper imports and this has impacted positively on the consumers. What has happened in relation to Chinese goods can also happen in relation to labour. There are Chinese labourers working on major projects in Guyana. And their productivity, as witnessed in the record time that the Marriott Hotel went up, is simply astounding. There are many contractors in the construction sector in Guyana who would love to be able to employ Chinese labour. While the cost of the labour may not be cheaper, their productivity will ensure tremendous savings in constructions costs. In the long run, the use of foreign labour may even drive the cost of labour down, sufficient enough to encourage cane cutters who have left the fields to return. The government should
seriously consider allowing local contractors to import labour. It is the only way to bring greater competition to labour markets. Labour costs are spiraling out of control in Guyana. This has increased the cost of living in Guyana. Even the junkies want a jewel and a crown to do ordinary work. You can hardly afford to pay them for casual work. People are complaining about the high cost of labour in Guyana. I would not be surprised if the owners of minibuses and the hire cars use increased labour costs as a pretext for not reducing their fares. The private transportation operators have to find an excuse to refuse to lower their tariffs in the face of reduced costs of fuel. When fuel prices rose, these operators demanded an increase in fares arguing that a tank of gas was costing them far more. Now that that same tank of gas is costing less, they are the ones under
pressure to reduce the tariffs to consumers. Right now, the private transportation barons are stumped. They cannot yet find an excuse for not lowering their fares. They cannot claim that spare parts and tire prices have increased. This is not so. So in order to expropriate the surplus value that they will gain from the reduced fuel prices, their only resort will be to claim that labour costs are high. This will be their excuse. It is time to ask the China or the Indian to rebuild a railway in Guyana. It is time to bring some real competition to the local private transportation sector through water taxis, railways and big buses. Bring back Tata!
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Kaieteur News
Saturday January 24, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
The PPP requested guns, grenades, ammunitions and electoral resources I have long asserted that the world will know the truths and the facts behind the confrontations in the sixties between the PPP Government and the PNC and United Force when the archives of Russia and Cuba are opened up. The Cubans will not open their archives to Cuban academics pursuing independent and not progovernment research, much less to foreign scholars. No Russian scholar has researched the relations between the Jagan Government and the USSR in the sixties so we still don’t know what the contents of those relations were. But we are getting there. One of the world’s most prestigious research institutions, the Woodrow Wilson Centre, has just released a scholarly paper as part of its Cold War International History Project (CWIHP). Titled “Cheddi Jagan and Guyanese Overtures to the East:
Evidence from the Czech National Archives,” by Robert Waters and Jan Koura, the paper cited primary documents showing the relation between the communist world and the Chedd Jagan Government in the sixties. One of the original documents found in the Czech archives is a letter from Moses Bhagwan, at the time, leader of the youth arm of the PPP, requesting assistance from Czechoslovakia. Moses Bhagwan is one of the finest political activists to come out of this country. He was a founding member of the Working People’s Alliance. I admire and respect Moses. I sent him an e-mail asking him to confirm if he was in contact with the Czech Government. At press time, I didn’t receive a reply. Waters and Koura have actually produced the letter and quoted from it. Here is an extensive quote from just a paragraph from Waters’ and
Koura’s paper. The last important contact between the PPP leadership and the Czechoslovak Government came in July 1964 while British Guiana was in the midst of a violent pro-government sugar-workers’ strike. Jagan sent an Afro-Guianese emissary, George David, to meet with the Central Committee. The country faced another election, slated for some time at the end of the year, and David requested assistance to help the PPP get its message out, including two motorbikes, six loudspeakers for street agitation, twelve short films about Czechoslovakia, and a collection of Communist written materials. The Central Committee approved each of these requests. In a follow-up meeting shortly before he left Czechoslovakia for Cuba, David also asked for weapons: hand grenades,
Guyanese national killed in Antigua Antigua- A 51-year-old Guyanese national has become this country’s first road fatality for 2015. Murtland Bagot lost his life in a traffic accident on the Sir Sydney Walwyn Highway on Thursday. Bagot was one of a number of construction workers who were on their way to Crabb’s Peninsula to board the ferry for Jumby Bay, when the truck they were travelling in collided with a silver Suzuki van which was heading in the opposite direction. The accident, police reports say, took place shortly
after 8:00 am. According to an eyewitness, Bagot was violently thrown from the back of the vehicle where he was seated, and his body collided with the moving van before landing yards away from the scene. He was taken to the Mount St John’s Medical Centre (MSJMC) where he later succumbed to his injuries. Family members said the father of four was “fun loving and an avid sports fan.” Bagot has been living in Antigua & Barbuda for the past 19 years. (caribbeannewsservice.com)
Dead: Murtland Bagot
pistols, ammunition and small explosives. The Central Committee decided not to provide weapons because they considered the method David suggested – shipping them from East Germany with the delivery of Czechoslovak beer – “risky and unrealistic.” The Czechoslovaks informed Jagan of their decision through the Central Committee of the British Communist Party.” What this publication does is shine a light on the Cold War story in Guyana from a new perspective. A substantial body of literature has concentrated on the British/American conspiracy against Jagan without contextualizing the zeitgeist of the sixties. And that was because these writers did not have access to communist countries’ archives Colin Palmer’s “Cheddi Jagan and the Politics of Power,” (2010) and Stephen Rabe’s “US Intervention in British Guiana, a Cold War Story, (2005) do not cite even
a single source document from any communist country. This is where Waters and Koura become so valuable for Guyanese researchers. The question is why in the throes of a volcanic Cold War, did Cheddi Jagan want British Guiana to become part of the sphere of the Soviet Union, and the US and Britain smile and say, let him do his thing. Did Jagan say the same thing when the USSR invaded East Germany, Hungary and Czechoslovakia during the Cold War? The same Czechs that helped Jagan in the early sixties, Jagan became ungrateful and supported the USSR invasion of their country in 1968. Why should the West have remained neutral in the power struggle in Guyana when the PPP was fighting on the side of communism and the PNC was pro-West? The leader of this same PPP Government, Cheddi Jagan had given an interview to a Queen’s College student
magazine in the early fifties, praising Josef Stalin. Why in the Cold War heat in British Guiana, should the West not assist the PNC and United Force? Primary documents in the Czech archives reveal Jagan asked the communist government to help him get re-elected. For a researcher like me, the Waters/Koura’s paper is almost priceless. I have long argued that the Jagan legacy was built on shifting sand. Cheddi Jagan no doubt was a pleasant, decent human being at the inter-personal level, just like Forbes Burnham, but just like Forbes Burnham, his politics was far, very far, from being pleasant and decent
Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam) has already recorded five deaths by suicide for this month. There are reports of four other attempted suicides registered at the Suddie Public Hospital. Those patients hospitalized are said to be in critical conditions. They ingested poisonous substances. The alarming figure has prompted debate among Essequibians. A Partnership for National Unity councillor, Wazeer Latiff, argues that more religious teaching should be
done in schools and teachers. Latiff also believes that poisonous substances should not be sold to young people. Recently, a 21-year-old miner took his own life. Lima Sea Dam, Essequibo resident, Leroy Cornelius, was discovered by his sister, Tracie Cornelius, in a fowl pen. Reports indicate he was experiencing problems with his friends. Meanwhile, a former Abram Zuil Secondary School student ended his life after his parents allegedly upbraided him about his behaviour.
Earlier, however an 88-yearold Golden Fleece pensioner was discovered hanging from a beam in her bedroom by her sister. The elderly woman apparently became frustrated living away from her relatives who lived overseas. A father of three was discovered dead aback of his Golden Fleece residence. He too, had ingested a poisonous substance and subsequently died. Moreover just before the New Year, a Devonshire Castle father of two ended his life. He was said to be an alcoholic.
Frederick Kissoon
E’bo records five suicides in January
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Trio remanded for TV licence application for Region Ten gets acknowledgement burgling Chinese store
After two years
By Jacquey Bourne The television licence for Region Ten has been acknowledged by the Government Board after two years. In a correspondence addressed to the Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon dated December 17, last, the application has been acknowledged, but according to the General Manager of the National Frequency Management Unit, Mr. Valmicki Singh , the requested Channel 13 which was initially requested by the Regional Board is no longer available. A disgruntled Chairman said that he has prepared two bits of correspondence to the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority and to the President. “This issue is not one between the Region and the Broadcasting Authority. It was an agreement signed between the Region and the Government. The agreement specifically stated that within 14 days the Channel 13 transmitter along with the dish and a few other things would be handed over. The Region broke down the old structure that was there to accommodate the television station. The building is about 95 percent completed. It is painted, tiled and the washroom is installed. The electrical fittings would be finished soon and the building would be completed. Solomon said that everything was done, except the Government officially handing over the channel. He also noted that the Fire
Service was contacted to clean the dish and preparations are being made to construct a guard hut. According to Solomon a board of five members is in place and an Information Management Committee (IMC) is also in place. Two other members of the community are to join the existing five. Solomon noted that Mr. Tony Vieira was contacted for technical advice. “In principle, the signing of the agreement is that we would have our CH 13 back and all that we have done we would not be able to get CH 13 and that is where our problem is.” Solomon’s letter to President Ramotar clearly states, “ Region Ten Democratic Council wishes to strongly register its dissatisfaction with the handling of this matter which defends the fundamental rights of the people of Linden, Region Ten, one of the most sanctified being protection of freedom of expression in Article 146 of the Constitution. “It has been more than two years since the RDC and Central Government signed the August 21, 2012 Agreement of which a commitment was given to return to the people of Linden and Region Ten VHF CH 13 transmitter.” This agreement was also signed by APNU and AFC thus, the advice by Mr. Singh is perplexing since it is in the agreement the original CH 13 was assigned to Green Construction who gave it to
Linden and the people of Region Ten. The said channel now in the possession of the Government of Guyana under the management of NCN, is to be returned to the people of Linden and Region Ten as agreed on August 21, 2012. This agreement said that the dish and transmitter would be transferred to the Region in 14 days of signing, which should have been no later than September 4, 2012. Further, it was agreed that Region Ten would apply for a Broadcasting Licence and the Government would facilitate the granting of that licence. The Region has honoured its commitment to the agreement by applying for the licence consistent with the agreed understanding, this would set in place the formality for the return of CH 13 to the people of Linden and Region Ten, Solomon said. “Mr. President this is a matter of grave national importance borne out of a political struggle soaked with blood, sweat and tears. This matter has political ramifications and is therefore outside of the scope of the NFMU and the GNBA. “The roles of NFMU and the GNBA in this matter are administrative, which means that if Central Government respectfully Sir, as designated as Minister of Information honour the Government side of the agreement, yet the NFMU would not be obliged to execute. “In the absence of Government honouring (its) Continued on page 24
John Helliger Three men accused of breaking into a Regent Street Chinese store and making off with over $8.3M in jewellery, clothing, footwear and other items were remanded to prison when they appeared in court yesterday. John Helliger, 21, a labourer of Lot 333 Meadowbrook Gardens, Georgetown, Ingram Williams, 59, a labourer with no fixed place of abode; and Steve Jordan, 40, a carwash attendant of Lombard Street, Werk-en-Rust, were not required to plead to the indictable break and enter and larceny charge. The three men were jointly charged with one count of break and enter and larceny. The court heard that between January 20 and January 21, last, at Alexander and Regent Streets, they broke and entered Yi Zhen
Steve Jordan
Ingram Williams
Trading Store and stole 800 watches, 1300 bracelets, 500 wristlets, 20 handbags, 10 boxes of female slippers, 100 jeans, 1000 pieces of female clothing, 200 skirts, 400 torch lights, 100 male slippers and a television (TV) set. The case was prosecuted by Corporal Renetta Bentham. She said that about 17:00 hours on Tuesday, Zhen closed her store, leaving everything intact and went to bed. Bentham said it was around 03:00 hours the next morning that the store owner was awoken by a cellular phone call. The caller, the Prosecutor said, informed her that her store had been broken into. When she arrived there, she noticed that the glass door was shattered, the steel shutter was prised open and her goods had been ransacked.
According to Bentham, the police caught the men with some of the articles and they were taken to the Alberttown Police Station where charges were subsequently laid. Two of the defendants (Williams and Helliger), were easily identified by the Magistrate who recalled that they were recently brought before her on different charges. Bentham objected to bail citing the serious nature and prevalence of the offence. She said the trio confessed to the burglary. The Prosecutor added that Wi l l i a m s and Helliger have no fixed place of abode, that given the gravity of the charge, they would not return for trial if granted bail. The Magistrate remanded them to prison and ordered that they reappear in court on January 30 for report.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday January 24, 2015
Three-day strike action at UG Paediatric heart surgeries starts Monday - Unions to commence soon at GPHC
Industrial action at the University of Guyana (UG) is set to commence on Monday. This is according to a joint statement issued by the UG workers’ unions – the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) and the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU). The statement outlines that both Unions have notified Vice Chancellor, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, of the impending industrial action at the University; and went on to advise staff that “the University will be on a sit-in strike from Monday January 26 to Wednesday January 28, 2015.” ‘A sit-in’ is a form of industrial action` where employees occupy their assigned positions/offices but refuse to work or perform assigned tasks. This therefore means that staffers, including lecturers, are expected to be present on campus at their desks or in the classrooms, but will not be engaged in teaching and/or providing services. This therefore means that classes at the tertiary institution will be disrupted. The Unions’ statement that was issued yesterday, also served as a means of notifying that the strike action was one that was based upon a decision taken by staff at a joint union meeting on Monday January 19th, to proceed on industrial action, if there was no positive response to a number of demands outlined by the Unions. “Colleagues I know that none of us takes this action lightly. We are aware of the
possible implications of our actions on our students and the University as a whole. Our aim is not to make the students or the University suffer. We are encouraged by public statements that indicate some support for our cause from the UG student leaders. Please help our students to understand that we are simply insisting on better standards and conditions at the University which will be beneficial to them as well,” the joint statement highlighted. The statement, which was signed by Vice President of the UGSSA, Dr. Melissa Ifill and President of UGWU, Bruce Haynes, said that “we have been suffering for a long time from starvation wages and an extremely poor and oftentimes dangerous working environment.” Notwithstanding the fact, that staffers are already grossly underpaid for the work they are already tasked with, it was noted that they are now experiencing a dictatorial administration that seeks to impose even more work and duties. “We have acted in good faith and sought to negotiate with the Administration since May 2012. Just when we appeared to be making slow but somewhat promising progress in our wages and salaries negotiations, the Council intervened, cancelled a scheduled negotiation meeting and halted the process on the grounds that no remit was given and questioning the credentials of the UGSSA [when the administration was directly responsible for our non-
certification],” added the Unions’ statement. This tactic has moreover been described as “simply the latest of a myriad number of excuses we have been given over the past 30 months. It is time we said, ‘enough’! As such, the Unions are calling on all staff members to join in the industrial action as any benefits derived from this process, will be received by all. “Please join us on Monday January 26th between 12-1pm in the Senior Common Room (SCR) as we weigh our options and decide on the way forward. Please be assured that the executives of the two Unions will not embark upon any action without your support and guidance,” the Unions have assured. Attempts to contact the Vice Chancellor yesterday regarding the decision taken by the Unions were futile. However, Professor Opadeyi had earlier this week said that he wasn’t aware of any resolution between the Unions and the University Administration, even after the Unions had threatened industrial action following collapsed salary and other benefit negotiations. Because of this development, the unions – the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) and the University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) – in a strongly worded statement last week said that “we must be prepared to take other drastic steps including shutting the University down if Continued on page 21
Very soon children who are desperately in need of heart surgeries will no longer have to travel to another country to get medical attention. In fact, plans are currently being made to have this treatment available at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) free of cost. The hospital in a press release said that this decision was made following a meeting with officials at the health institution, the Ministry of Health and the International Children’s Health Foundation (ICHF) also known as the Baby Health Foundation. The meeting took place two years ago. Kaieteur News understands that the GPHC is now trying to modernize existing facilities to conduct the surgeries which will be done by ICHF, a charitable organization. Following the meeting in 2013, the GPHC formed the Guyana Paediatric Cardiology Steering Committee. That group was tasked
GPHC
with identifying and prioritizing children who need surgery countrywide. The foundation, according to the press release, will also provide medical training to nurses, physicians and surgeons at the GPHC so that the hospital will eventually have the expertise to perform such operations. This newspaper understands that since the collaboration, 13 babies have been sent to Honduras and the Dominican Republic for heart operations. The Three Rivers Foundation facilitated the airfares. Director of the Echocardiography Education Programme at GPHC, Dr. Debra Isaac said that she has been in touch with Paediatric Cardiac Surgeon at the ICHF, Dr. Rodrigo Soto, and has given him the names of 30 children who need surgeries. Kaieteur News was told that a team from the ICHF is expected in Guyana for two weeks in May to perform some 20 operations.
Director of the Echocardiography Education Programme at GPHC, Dr. Debra Isaac Dr. Isaac said that the team will visit the hospital four times a year to operate on children and also to train medical personnel. Currently, the Dr.Balwant Singh’s hospital is the only medical institution in the country that performs such operations but, the cost is about $1M, which for the average person can be difficult to obtain.
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Almost 100 homes built by Food For the Poor in 2014
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Corentyne man charged with attempt to commit murder
Members of Food For The Poor installing solar panels through the charitable project Food For The Poor (FFTP) Guyana successfully carried out its 2014 mandate of assisting the poor “with high level professionalism and intensity”, with 556 individuals benefitting from the organisation’s charitable projects. According to FFTP, the organization completed the construction of 94 homes under their Housing Program and Community
Development Projects. Fifty Eight homes were built in theWhite Water and Akawani Communities with the remaining 36 completed under the organisation’s General Housing Program. For 2015, the organisation is looking to continue its services to more underdeveloped communities around Guyana, with a community center currently under construction at Bara
Cara, Berbice. The White Water Primary school in the North West District, will receive upgraded flooring and a new library. In addition to building construction, FFTP managed to provide solar panel kits to 220 households. The distribution was made through the organisation’s Rural Solar Electrification Project, for families who lacked access to the national electricity grid.
Three-day strike action at UG starts... From page 12 necessary.” The Unions are advocating for a hike in wages and salaries and improvement of other benefits. In a previously publicized statement the Unions disclosed that the Vice Chancellor in a formal response to the Unions’ demands is “woefully inadequate, takes matters no closer to a solution and has therefore been rejected.” It was pointed out too, that contrary to the statement attributed to Professor Opadeyi by an online publication, ”NO concrete salaries and benefits proposal to any category of worker was offered by the Vice Chancellor in response to their demand for a 60 per cent salary increase payable from March 2015.” It was noted that as it relates to salary increases, “the VC makes in his letter absolutely no offer of any percentage. He merely states that “negotiation has to wait until the University Administration has completed its work on how the increase will be funded”. For the VC to create an impression that an increase is
somewhere around the corner is a deliberate attempt to deceive. “We repeat: the VC has made no offer to pay any increase to UG workers. There is absolutely no mention of these issues in the VC’s written reply,” added the joint statement. It was also pointed out that the Vice Chancellor has also failed to make an offer on duty free concessions and increased allowances. Further still, it was noted that there has been no withdrawal of the UG Administration’s workload policy from Council although
a consultation schedule was proposed, “which we accept, under the condition that the policy would not be approved by the University Council prior to the conclusion of consultations and the revision of the document.” Moreover, the Unions said that they will remain united in their approach to salaries and benefits’ negotiations and reject the efforts by the Administration to divide workers by offering to negotiate separately with the UGWU but not the UGSSA.
A man who brutally chopped a woman and wounded her husband then injures a student is now facing the courts on a charge of attempted murder. The melee occurred in a minibus. The man Leon Thomas, 46, a labourer of Manchester Village, Corentyne, Berbice, is charged with attempting to murder Meena CrawfordMorrison of West Canje, Berbice on Wednesday January 21, at Number One Road, Corentyne, Berbice. He is also charged with wounding Glen Morrison. More charges are pending He was not required to plead to the first charge and pleaded not guilty to the second. The accused told the court that he and the woman were in a relationship and that she had stolen his gold and money. In opposing bail Police Prosecutor Sergeant Althea
Solomon told the court that Crawford-Morrison is still hospitalized in a serious condition. The prosecutor stated that the issue is one of domestic violence and as such bail should be refused. She added that the accused
was previously charged for a similar offence and the matter is ongoing. The couple had also taken out a restraining order against Thomas three months ago in which he was Continued on page 24
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Kaieteur News
SALON Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257 CAR RENTAL VACANCY Admin Assistant, within the vicinity of E.B.D & W.B.D. Must be well spoken & have 5 CXC subjects including: Maths & English. Email: snow198390@hotmail.com International Cruiseline Purser officers, waitresses, waiters, cooks, receptionists, storekeepers, cleaners, electricians, carpenters, plumbers, cosmetologists etc – Tel: 231-6296, 650-9880 24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl, office assistant & handyman- Call: 695-9880; 669-4755 Accounts Clerk, must be capable of preparing payroll and monthly vat – Call: 6144358 One Brazilian cook needed to work at a new grill – Call: 661-8814; 651-3544 Security guard/handyman to work night shift only @ Cool Square Inn; 635- Dairy Street Ruimveldt – Tel: 2257407. One manager @ Hotel /Club @ Essequibo Coast, knowledge in hotel field & promotional skills, accommodation provided – Contact: 226-9768 Work from home: Earn $5,000 to $20,000 daily, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday - Call: 233-6517/ 638-0595 or www.jobfairworldwide.com Bond attendant/Porters, evening shift cashiers. Apply with written application & passport size picture @ Survival, 173 Sheriff St. 227-5286/9 Do you want to become an Avon Rep? Then Call: 6890863 One Diesel Mechanic to work in the interior, must have experience – Contact: 226-9768 Experienced hairdresser & sales clerk @ West Shore Plaza, 15 Public Road, Ruimzeight W.C.D – Call: 269-1524 or 656-3561 Junior office clerk/assistant, must have Maths & English, Accounts would be an asset – Contact: 226-0772 or rambarransenterprise @gmail.com HEALTH Money Back guarantee; cleaner, clearer younger looking skin in two weeks, also flatter stomach - Call: 684-9409; 699-4211
PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL: CARS & SUV FOR RENTAL-$4,000&UPPERDAYCALL: 643-5122, 219-3900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
Certificate in: Cosmetology, nails, wig designs, early child care/ care for elderly classes commence February Call: 666-5241/ 619-7603 Bleach-Blue for body, face & hair, available in 1 lb bags for $4,000, discount for larger volumes – Phone 264-3310; 600-3927
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Whole Sale Offering: Happy Bull, Upper Leather Shoes, 50 pairs on sale @ $3500 each – Tel: 655-1341 Lincoln 500 AMP diesel welders with Perkins 4 cylinder engine - Tel#650-0402 Mill Cut Lumber Kabukalli, Silverballi, Etc – Call: 6539752; 688-6579
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.
PANEL/FANCY GLASS DOORS @ HADCO IN BAGOTSTOWN PUBLIC ROAD, NEXT TO HARBOUR BRIDGE MALL CALL: 233-6743 FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Two bedrooms flat, upstairs furnished @ Diamond E.B.D Tel: 216-0644; 668-8403
Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206
One apartment for rent @ Lot 10 Mon Repos ECD, First Street - Call: 220-7330
Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 6626045
Properties for rent for business purposes only @ 23 Saffon Street Charlestown & 164 Alexander Street Kitty - Call Devon: 663-1876 & 678-5721
REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS-CALL: 6294946 OR 225-4822
Five bedrooms house, 107 Lamaha Gardens & Large Parking; AC Rooms Hot & Cold, Purified Water System – Call: 661-8908, 335-3590
Services & repairs to gas stoves, washing machines, electric stoves, deep fryers Call: 688-0183 HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING AND ESTIMATES FOR ONLY $15,000- CALL:6949843/227-2766 Vyper Sound System/Studio: Hire, all events, recording of songs, building of Rhythms, etc - Tel: 265-3586, 603-9074 Need professional counselor & social worker- Tel: 6863421 Commercial and domestic building design from $10,000 estimates and electrical works available – Contact us: 667-2189 Repairs to plasma, Led television etc – Call: Abdul Electronics: 225-0391 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar: 2310655, 683-8734 FOR SALE/FOR RENT American Pool Table – Tel: 277-0578
Self contained rooms in Prashad Nagar weekly & monthly rates – Call: 2272993. GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, (SALE) & MORE, JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW - CALL: 675-0767, 667-2535 Fully furnished & unfurnished apartment with TV, Air- Condition, hot & cold, cable in South. Call: 6895877 Barber shop space to rent located @ Diamond Scheme – Call: 655-1829. Prime Banquet Hall & Catering Service for weddings/parties/graduation etc @ Cotton Club, 44 Public Road Kitty – Tel:231-1908/12; 693-3946
Plastic shipping Barrel$6,000; XBOX One $100,000; Nintendo DS $15,000; PSP - $20,000 - Tel: 603-8643/ 621-7497 PSP games $800, Computer games $1000 & over 1200 titles. Contact:675-2239; BBM 7FF1557E Cat 320 CL 2005 only 3800HRs sold as is, cash offer only, must go – Contact Azim: 660-3235 XBOX 360: 250GB, 2 Controller 3 games, 4Gb, 2 controllers, 3 games & kinect Call: 683-8386 Dell/Hp computers with 19" LCDs - $55,000, CPU $35,000, laptops - $65,000 @ Fututetech-231-2206 Games for PS2, PS3, XBOX360, WII, consoles also available – Call: 6722566, 265-3232 Land 135’X80’ with 2 storied building 80’X60’ Suitable for business – Soesdyke Highway - $85M, serious calls only- Phone: 653-8754 Rubberized Tarpaulins for sale 20X20 - $20,000, any size available – Tel: 657-2304 1-250 KVA Generator $3.6M, 1-110 KVA Generator - $1.8M, 1-9 KVA Generator $700,000 – Call: 223-8161 Complete Snapper Boats for sale – Excellent Condition – Contact: 6486815; 670-4459 Game Shop Equipment for sale - Call: 610-0808 One complete music Set Tel: 253-3070; 686-0322
DRESSMAKING
Bedford M 4X4 - $3M, Tohatshu 18HP, long foot, outboard engine - $300,000 – Tel: 693-2237
Jean offers courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral, cake decoration @ Barr Street Kitty - Call: 6702653; 618-1706
Truck Trailer – 52 wide 72 l o n g - $ 1 2 5 , 0 0 0 . Tw o Perkins dredge engine One 6 & One 4 cylinder $300,000 & $400,000 – Tel: 693-2237
Saturday January 24, 2015
LAND FOR SALE 1500 Acres Transported Land @ Bartica 2 ¾ miles River Front, Virgin Rock, Quarry Resort – Call Mark: 704-4652222/603-1266 House Lots in 1 of Guyana’s top luxury gated communities @ Eccles, 60X100 - $7.5M. (Special prices) - Call: 2272913; 683-3033 Eccles: Commercial lots for sale at Eccles – Tel:227-2913. Cell: 683-3033 1. Parika, Peter Street; 2. Blankenburg, behind gas station lot size: 75’X76' (3 parcels)= Contact 650-0402 Located in Republic Gardens, Peters Hall, E.B.D. Interest person – Contact: 231-5359 or 672-7189 Eccles - $3.8M, Providence $4.5M, Tuschen - $3M, Parfaite Harmonie - $1.4M & $3.5M, House with land $2.5M - Call: 675-7292
VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota Prado, Price$5.5M Neg. Call: 643-2403 Toyota Voxy to register in ‘B’ fully loaded never registered - $2.1M - Call: 6172891 Nissan Titan for sale; immaculate condition, owner leaving country - Call: 641-4556 Toyota Tacoma 4X4, stick shift, AC, crash bar, immaculate condition – Call: 442-3311; 616-4115 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma - Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms - Call: 680-3154
Riverside land for sale Upper Demerara River, 90 Acres, Please Call: 678-1575 or 223-5890 2369.664 Sq/ft of land @ Victoria village, E.C.D- Call: 255-3437; 698-3678
1 Honda 600RR, Toyota 212, 192, 170, Allion, Vitz, Starlet, AE100 Sprinter, Honda CRV Tel: 644-5096; 697-1453 New Arrivals @ OJ’s Auto Imports: Allion 2008, IST, Fielder, Allion 2003, Premio. Tel: 609-2815
CAR RENTAL
One Toyota Marino with A Race Ready 4Age siloer top engine - $1.1M Neg. - Call: 676-8023 1 Pitbull minibus, stick gear, BPP series, mag rims- $2.2M neg. Call: 673-7652
DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security - Tel: 698-7807; 690-6494
CATERING Catering for conference, retreats, weddings, re-union, family fun day and special events. Phone: 264-2946-8 CAKES & PASTRY Enroll Now! Classes for cake decoration, floral arrangement, cakes & pastry – Classes start February 9th 2015 – Contact: 612-4193; 6728768; 223-3303 Made to order: cakes & pastry, egg ball & Pholourie, etc – Contact Maria: 2180734; 685-8332 FOR SALE Whole Sale!! Sandals, St John Bay - $5000, 40 pairs Dockers - $5000 – Tel:655-1341 Original pools table cloth, balls, pocket cuestick, rubber, coinshute, chalk spring, chalk holder, coins– Call: 669-9927
Two Nissan Frontiers 2 wheel drive, never registered, Excellent conditions, price negotiable. Call: 677-6070. Double cab Tacoma – Tel: 623-9761 Mitsubishi Lancer car (lady driven) owner leaving country - Call: 638-3203 1 Hino Canter long base excellent condition; down payment available – Call: 696-5660 One Toyota Tundra - Tel: 602-3585 Trade in: T/Alteeza Benz C200, Sale! Spacio, Used T212 – Tel:679-3140 Spacio 2004, Body Kit, rims, camera, spoiler, dark interior, crystal light, new shape (unregistered) – Tel: 617-5536 Avensis & AT110 Corolla Call: 645-0078; 603-0078 One Toyota Alteeza, excellent condition, spider, mag rims, flair kit – Price $2.75M neg – Tel:648-0494; 642-0786 R1 Motorcycle (red) under 1,000 miles- Call: 227-5500 7-250 4X4; off road tyres – Call: 227-5500. Toyota Noah BPP 9164 – Contact Sunil Ramesh: 6146014 (Continued on page 23)
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news
CCJ celebrating 10th anniversary despite achieving very little DEAR EDITOR, I was surprised when I received a Media Release from the Caribbean Court of Justice that it is arranging activities to celebrate its tenth anniversary. I do not think that the Regional Court has achieved much to warrant a year-long celebration. The Release stated that “the CCJ has come a long way over those ten years. As compared to the solitary case that was filed and heard in 2005, last year the Court delivered 21 judgments, six of which were from Barbados, four from Belize and 11 from Guyana. Twenty-six matters were filed in 2014. It is for our stakeholders (lawyers, courts throughout the region, academia, the general public) to assess critically, the jurisprudence the Court has fashioned over those years, but the judges and administrative staff of the Court are extremely proud that for the last decade we have been afforded the opportunity to serve the region in implementing the historic mandate of the Court and in furthering the development of Caribbean jurisprudence”. The Release added that throughout the calendar year, the Court will be embarking on a variety of activities to commemorate the 10th anniversary. Is there need for celebration when only three countries have abolished appeals to the Privy Council? More efforts should be made to convince the other governments, especially Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, to sever ties with the London-based Privy Council. These two countries were in the forefront in the formation of the CCJ, and I am at a loss as to why they have changed their minds. It is because of Trinidad’s involvement from the inception that the Court is headquartered in Port of Spain, and Jamaica under the leadership of Edward Seaga was advocating for the
regional court, and moreso it is contributing the most annually for the administration of the Court and it is unfortunate that it is receiving very little benefit. The latest report is that a Bill has been tabled in the Jamaican Parliament seeking approval to abolish appeals to the Privy Council, but that Bill will have to get the support of the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) before the change can be initiated, because there was a Privy Council ruling that three-quarters of the parliamentarians have to agree to remove the Privy Council as the final court. Trinidad and Tobago seems to be interested, the current Prime Minister wanted to go halfway abolished criminal appeals only - but she changed her mind and said that she will seek a referendum from the electorate. This is election year in the twin-island republic. I do not know what the delay for Dominica going on board is, because Britain gave the green light and the local Parliament passed the required legislation more than six months ago. The Grenada government has indicated that it will seek a mandate from the electorate by a referendum sometime this year. The St. Lucian government is also willing to sever ties with the Privy Council, but no positive step has been taken to do so. Perhaps I should state that the CCJ in its original jurisdiction interprets treaties and dealt with an application filed by a Jamaican woman who was harassed and refused entry into Barbados. The Regional Court ruled in favour of Shanique Myrie and awarded damages and costs in her favour. I sincerely hope that before the end of the year at least two countries will join the Appellate Division and there will be good reason for a celebration. Oscar Ramjeet
A definitive determination of the election date is yet to be made
DEAR EDITOR, The Honourable President and his learned Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs must be advised that, contrary to their delusionary understanding and the expressions of approbation by the political opposition and other well-wishers, a definitive determination of the election date within the meaning of Article 61 of the Guyana Constitution is yet to be made. According to Article 61 such a determination requires:
(a) appointment of the election date by the President by proclamation, that is, an appropriate gazettable instrument in writing; (b) such appointment to be made only after the dissolution of Parliament and not before nor during its prorogation. In the premises, no constitutionally valid election date has been determined up to the time of writing. Professor Justice Duke Pollard, Department of Law, University of Guyana
VEHICLE FOR SALE One 170 Carina “As is, where is” - $500,000 – Call: 678-0111; 616-3492 AT 170 Toyota Carina – EFI, AC, Alarm, Mags - $650,000 Neg. – Call: 673-7652 AE 100 Sprinter, fully loaded, price - $600,000, excellent condition – Call: 667-2377; 664-0853 1RZ Minibus GHH Series – Call:604-9400; 667-4178 Toyota Premio and Toyota Spacio (new model) never registered. Contact: 227-5950, 681-7117 ACCOMMODATION Harmony Inn Apartments: comfortable & clean apartments & rooms - $5000, $6,000 & $7,000 – Tel:6680306; 218-1400; 694-7817. Your luxury hideaway…… Aracari Hotel 24 HRs: AC, Cable, Wi-Fi, Restaurant & Bar, Pool & Gym, Salon & Spa & more. Rates from $45 – Call: 264-2946-8. Inner Retreat Hotel Restaurant & Bar, Retreat Road Parika. Indoor /Outdoor bar in Picturesque setting – Phone: 260-4504; 685-6934
TO LET Three bedrooms upper flat concrete building, parking $70,000 monthly @ Block 8 Agriculture Road E.C.D – Call: 687-1050 5 Bedrooms 2 storey unfurnished building @ Bel Air Park - Call: 2252562; 660-4481 Fully Furnished vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours – Call: 227-1218 New 2 bedrooms and 3 bedroom apartment Grove E.B.D - Tel: 613-3522 after 4:00pm 2 Bedroom Bottom flat to let located in Eccles - Tel: 2332252; 662-3837; 670-0878 One 2 bedrooms bottom flat on East Coast Demerara – Call: 678-4008; 601-3248; 2222307 2 Bedroom apartment @ 2290 Section C Block X Diamond New Scheme Tel:676-2406 Furnished 1 & 2 bedrooms apartments: AC, grilled, parking (walking distance to Caricom & UG) – Call: 6233404 or 222-6708 One two bedrooms house – Phone Joy: 218-1285; 6278562
Earn a certificate in cosmetology or nails alone. Call Miss Jenny: 225-5360; 625-7844; 687-7566
WANTED The public is looking for a delivery man, must have own motorcycle - Call: 6476072 Live in maid – Tel: 675-5256 General handyman – Call: 227-5500 Experienced driver apply with written application @ Hacks Halaal Restaurant, 5 Commerce Street.
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
WANTED One mechanic to work in the interior, must have experienced with Perkins & Cummins Engine – Call: 6916260 One couple to work on live stock farm, one live in cook Tel:614-2464;612-2057;225-1276 Experienced dispatcher and taxi drivers at Princess Hotel @ Providence – Tel: 2657076; 616-5419 Presser / Clipper, straight stitch/over edge machine operators, cleaner – Call: 2222541 (8:00am-4:00pm) (MonFri). Musicians to play in a Bar at Parika, Bass guitar, rhythm guitar, head guitar and vocals – Phone: 685-6934 BOND CLERK- Must have 4 CXC subjects including Math & English. Need police clearance & reference – Call: 231-8344 Waiters/ Waitresses, apply in person to Aracari Resort, West Bank Demerara. One female to work in sackette & bar, must know to cook, age 20-35yrs – Call: 647-7432, 223-5798 Female janitors between ages 25-40yrs – Call: 225-8066
EDUCATIONAL Balloon Decorating Classes. January 31st – Call: 225-3133 or 613-7513 for more information & registration
(From page 22)
Urgently needed; attractive waitresses - Tel: 686-3116 Porters wanted to work at grocery stalls @ Stabroek Market – Tel:226-9800 Salesgirls & porters; apply with written application at Best Buy Food Supplies @ Lot 1E Dennis & Middleton Street Campbellville. 1 live in domestic to work in Mahaicony River & driver for tractor, must know about rice Call: 644-6905; 225-6571
Live in caretaker for sawmill at Linden Highway – Tel: 2612553
Experienced Roti/Puri Cooks, Pastry makers, cleaners apply @ Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce Street.
Urgently needed one house lot to buy in Parfaite Harmonie – Tel:675-7292; 6522018
One barber, nail technician & hairdresser – Call: 225-5360; 625-7844; 687-7566
Salesgirls and porters – Call: 225-7417
Hairstylists and Braidists needed at salon in Tortola. 5+ years working experience. Emailbvisalonowner @gmail. com or call 1-284-543-6822 Sales clerk to work @ Nanda’s Boutique 223 Camp St. Next to Shell Gas Station, apply with application
PEN PAL Companion for retired gentleman 38yrs+. Reply with photo to bobbyother@yahoo.com
Bus driver for Sophia, must be over 40yrs old – Tel: 6932237 One nanny to work Monday – Friday (8hrs), must be living in G/Town and able to work shift – Call: 611-1981
PROPERTY FOR SALE Land with small concrete house; for sale in Grove over 8,000 Sq. Ft. Call: 612-4030; 216-2759 Property at Kersaint Park L.B.I, E.C.D – Contact: 6641865; 698-5713 Transported Property @ Grove/Diamond, 3 bedrooms, 1 self-contained, concrete fence, grilled store room & Shed, (45X26) – Call: 660-1353, 216-4338 Double lot property 33A Lamaha Street, Newtown Kitty – Just off Vlissengen Road –Contact: 231-4691 Corner Property, Grove Public Road - $29M Neg. Call: 613-5645 One concrete two storey building; nine bedrooms @ Samatta Point, Grove E.B.D Tel: 602-3585 Houses & house lots for sale in 1 of Guyana’s top luxury gated communities, located @ Eccles E.B.D Tel: 227-2913; 683-3033 1 incomplete house & land @ 128 Canaan Gardens, Land of Canaan E.B.D, Price $4.8M Neg. Call: 603-1845; 603-8714 House in Lamaha Gardens: 2 self contained rooms, fully concreted – Call: 227-2027 2 Storied concrete house with 3 bedrooms at 8th Street Foulis Housing Scheme – Call: 256-3360; 685-8485 2 Bedrooms wooden high house with land in Parfaite Harmonie, land & water available - $2.5M – Call: 6757292 Thomas Street: ideal for Doctors nurse, good location, 3 stories large land – Call: 2272027. House & Land @ Cemetery Rd. Helena No.1 Mahaica E.C.D. Land (65FTX150FT) $13M- Tel: 689-0820, 674-3902 Front House/ lot for sale @ 30 Ketley Street Charlestown – Tel:625-1031 Paradise, E.C.D: Concrete modern 2 storeys, 4 bedrooms- 2 masters. Concrete fenced large lotCall: 255-3437; 698-3678 3 Haslington, E.C.D: Building ‘A’, concrete/ timber modern 2 storeys, 7 bedrooms, grilled & fenced. Building ‘B’, 3 apartments, fenced- Call: 2553437; 698-3678
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Kaieteur News
Saturday January 24, 2015
EU withholds EURO $28.9M support for sugar due to prorogued... From page 6 aid as “most dastardly” and added that Government eagerly waits to see the departure of the “pariah.” Dr. Singh at his last press conference was asked to comment on this and whether
it was discussed at Cabinet, given Dr. Luncheon’s subsequent views. But he declined to venture into this realm. However, Dr. Singh had subsequently challenged the Union to say why it is holding
back the payments approved. He said that Guyana had met its obligations regarding the budgetary support payments due to it by the EU. He said that this is confirmed in a written agreement between the two.
A large percentage of the EU funds received over the years would go to the sugar industry, but Guyana has been failing to meet all of the indicators to secure the funding. The Finance Minister said that almost all
of the indicators were achieved and based on those, Guyana qualified for the disbursement of EURO $25M. He had said too, that Guyana has an ongoing engagement with the Union and it never presented any “credible reasons” why government has not received the monies to date. He later qualified the actual reasons given to be “spurious”. The Finance Minister had also said that the Head of the EU delegation in Guyana, Robert Kopecký has written to the body in relation to the payment being made.
To date, Guyana has received over $31B since the execution of the Guyana National Action Plan (GNAP) in 2006 on Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol Countries alone. But the ailing sugar industry has been unable to meet all of the indicators, thereby making it incapable of qualifying for full funding under the GNAP. A report at the 51st meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) disclosed that Guyana only received 70 percent of funds allotted from the accompanying measures.
From page 21 ordered to stay 100 feet away from them. According to information, the couple Meena, 40, and Glen, 43 of New Budhram Housing Scheme, West Canje, Berbice were in a minibus around 08:00 hrs on their way to the Corentyne when they were confronted by the man who was also in the same vehicle. During the melee a student from the J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School also sustained injuries. She was chopped on her left hand. Meena CrawfordMorrison is currently at the New Amsterdam Hospital. However, her husband Glen Martin Morrison and a 16year-old of No. 19 village sustained minor injuries and were treated and sent home from the Port Mourant Hospital. According to information the accused started to taunt the couple accusing Meena
of stealing his jewelry. The couple at first ignored the man, but after a while an argument ensued. The suspect subsequently pulled a cutlass from a bag he was carrying and started to fire chops. Meena sustained injuries to her head, ears shoulders and hand while her husband was wounded on his neck and hand. The student was injured on her left hand. After the commotion started the bus came to a halt and the passenger fled. Thomas also fled from the bus, but was pursued by resident and nabbed in a yard. He was given a sound thrashing before being handed over to the police. Bail was refused and he was remanded to jail until February 6. The suspect who is well known to the authorities has been charged on several occasions before with matters of similar nature.
Corentyne man charged with...
TV licence application for... From page 11 obligation, the RDC is placed in a position to view this latest move as an attempt to further deny the people of Linden and Region Ten their fundamental rights. The RDC once again urges the Central Government and the Opposition to take
note of the continued violation of the agreement.” Solomon claims that the matter is on the verge of concluding with the exception of the Government honouring fully what they have committed to and urged them to up the ante.
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 25
‘Chatree’ threats to innocent reporters enough - Nagamootoo to unseat government The atrocities the People Progressive Party (PPP) administration inflicted on the people of Guyana such as condoning a rogue Attorney General will result in a serious backlash for the Party at the General Elections. That is the view of the Alliance For Change (AFC). The Party is remaining optimistic that even though the PPP is miles ahead as it relates to resources to contest elections, the fact that it has left a bad taste in the mouth of many Guyanese will result in a loss of power. This was told to the media by AFC Vice-Chairman Moses Nagamootoo as he spoke at the Party’s most recent press conference. Nagamootoo told reporters that victory at the polls would be like a “fairytale. “We are out resourced by powerful machine (PPP) but people are conscious of the gross atrocities committed by the PPP government.” “So powerful they are that they hurt others. Guyanese heard of the threat of a slap to a young Amerindian teacher, they heard the story of the powerful and mighty Chatree threatening mayhem against journalists and may have heard about what played out in Paris.” Nagamootoo was drawing reference to the similarity between the warning issued by Attorney General Anil Nandall to a Kaieteur News reporter that innocent people” working at Kaieteur News could be killed as a result of the types of stories the newspaper has been carrying- and the murder of twelve persons including journalists, at a Parisian Magazine recently – when gunmen stormed the premises and began shooting indiscriminately. Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, in the profanitylaced recording, said he was a “Chatree” and the newspaper was wrong to
cross his path.” Nagamootoo told reporters, “So in this elections, we may be out managed as it relates to resources but the PPP will not be able to beat the feeling among people that there is an outrage being perpetrated against them and they would have no more of it; that is why I am saying that it will be a fairytale victory… they themselves won’t understand.” Nagamootoo was at the time backing up his colleague within the AFC, Cathy Hughes, who was responding to questions on how the AFC will manage getting its message out with limited resources and barred access to the state media. Hughes referred to a statement made by President Donald Ramotar to the effect that he is committed to free, fair and transparent elections and the fact that former President and PPP executive member Bharrat Jagdeo who recently headed the commonwealth observer mission to Sri Lanka prepared and presented reports on the minimum standards for elections, that can be categorized as free fair and transparent. Hughes said that the travesties that Jagdeo outlines in Sri Lanka have become a norm for elections in Guyana but “I will be holding them to their word, I am happy that they have been informed and hopefully now they have learnt things will be different.” The Member of Parliament said that in this regard she hopes that when she presents a programme to the state-owned National Communication Network (NCN) next week, “we will get nothing but acceptance as advertising is a minimum standard in free and fair elections.” Hughes told media operatives that that the response of NCN next week if not positive will demonstrate that the PPP government has no interest in democracy, fairness or transparency “but
we hold the people of Guyana responsible and we know they will do the right thing.” The AFC should be able to, like any other political party, go to NCN to get airtime The AFC executive Member said that for five consecutive Fridays she has gone to NCN with a programme and advertising insertion order, but was always turned down. Hughes said that on one occasion she spoke to NCN Production Manager Wendy Hermanstine, “I had asked if
there is any time during any day of any week of any month, any time at all in the 24 hours of the day, that the AFC can be allocated half an hour, and her exact response was ‘that is very tight.” Hughes said that the AFC is finding it a challenge to get its word out “It is not fair play. It means that the AFC has to put people in all these communities walking up and down. We are competing with a government that is going to use all the state resources… all the jeeps, all the ATVs,
everything that belongs to the state will be used to campaign for the PPP”. She said that Guyanese in the interior locations are at a disadvantage but AFC will try its best to reach out. Hughes said that for a government to say it won fair and square “would be to ensure that all parties had equal access, so at the end of the process no one can c o m e say we didn’t win because we could not have gotten on NCN . So the onus is on the govt.”
AFC Vice-Chairman Moses Nagamootoo
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Kaieteur News
Saturday January 24, 2015
Parliament dead but budget Female GPHC patient preparation ongoing - Luncheon jumps to her death Office of the President has dismissed the possibility of Government recalling Parliament, but yesterday disclosed that it is continuing with its preparation of the 2015 national budget. Answering questions during his weekly postCabinet press conference, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, said that it is inconceivable that Guyana would want to eturn to the days of the 10th Parliament. “I do believe I can speak reasonably, that is, by concluding that the 10th Parliament is history,” the official said yesterday. Rather, the government is already looking in another direction…the May 11 date for national elections as announced by President Donald Ramotar on Tuesday. He also said that the government is continuing work to prepare the national budget for this year, with the intentions for it to be passed after a new Government
would have been installed after elections. Since the President’s announcement on Tuesday, there have been a host of criticisms over the nondissolution of Parliament. Legal minds, Opposition parties and other civic groups argued that Parliament should have been dissolved before the naming of elections. The Guyana Human Rights Association, the National Independent Party which will be contesting, and even the Guyana Trade Union Congress have all made it clear that Guyana is sailing in uncharted waters. There were speculations that the administration was contemplating recalling Parliament to pass the budget. However, this is an impossibility, Dr. Luncheon said yesterday. The 10th Parliament, installed after Ramotar was sworn in as a minority President in late 2011, has been a highly troubled one with the Opposition, boosted
by their one-seat majority, used their voting powers to block a number of controversial projects, including the US$850M Amaila Falls hydro project, among others. Last year, in the face of a no-confidence motion, President Ramotar used his powers to prorogue Parliament. The suspension would have ended in May, but growing from local and international bodies, including the diplomatic missions saw the President announcing Tuesday that polls to choose a new Government will be held on May 11. The date would clash with exams of the Caribbean Examinations Council. However, Dr. Luncheon yesterday assured that arrangements are being made so that students writing the exams would not be affected. Traditionally, the polling places are mainly at public schools.
New Saudi king seeks to reassure on succession and policy
A Meten-Meer-Zorg resident, who had been a patient of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) since last year, ended her life last evening around 20:30hrs by jumping to her death. Dead is 39-year-old Sheniza Farouk. The woman, who was suffering from Chronic Renal Failure jumped head first from the top floor of GPHC’s three -story new wing. Reports are that Farouk was quite determined to end her life. Kaieteur News was told that other patients in the Female Medical ward tried to stop Farouk as she attempted to jump. However, the woman strongly rejected those efforts even biting patients who tried to stop her. It was their screams that alerted nurses that something was terribly wrong. No one could have said, definitively, what was the driving force behind Farouk’s decision to take her own life. Farouk was admitted to the health institution on December, 20 last year. Up to press time last night, none of Farouk’s relatives had made their way down to the hospital.
Onlookers view the spot where Farouk landed head first.
Suspected bandit remanded for Linden robberies
Mourners gather around the grave of Saudi King Abdullah following his burial in Riyadh, January 23, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman pledged continuity in energy and foreign policies yesterday and moved quickly to appoint younger men as his heirs, settling the succession for years to come by naming a deputy crown prince from his dynasty’s next generation. King Abdullah, who died early yesterday after a short illness, was buried in an unmarked grave in keeping with local religious traditions. By appointing his
youngest half-brother Muqrin, 69, as Crown Prince and nephew Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, as Deputy Crown Prince, Salman has swiftly quelled speculation about internal palace rifts at a moment of regional turmoil. Oil prices jumped in an immediate reaction as news of Abdullah’s death added to uncertainty in energy markets. Salman, thought to be 79, takes over as the ultimate authority in a country that faces long-term domestic
challenges compounded by the plunging price of oil in recent months and the rise of the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria, which vows to toppled the Al Saud ruling family. Salman must navigate an intense rivalry with Shi’ite Muslim power Iran playing out in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Bahrain, open conflict in two neighboring states, a threat from Islamist militants and bumpy relations with the United States.
A technician fingered in a spate of robberies in Linden, was remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday. Marlon De Freitas, called “Natty,” of Lot 261 One Mile, Wismar, Linden, who was wanted for months on four counts of break and enter and larceny, and for larceny from the person, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was remanded. The court heard that between September 14 and September 18, last, at Jordan Road, Silvertown, Linden, “Natty” broke and entered Michelle Jackman’s house and stole a $70,000 Android cellular phone, a $40,000 BlackBerry Bold and a $97,000 Hewlett Packer (HP) laptop. It was also alleged that on
July 18, 2013, De Freitas broke into Quincy Forde’s house and stole his $20,000 Samsung cellular phone and $60,000 BlackBerry smart phone. And between June 8 and June 9, last at the Mackenzie Municipal Market, he broke into Sherry Fraser’s business place and stole $200,000 worth of groceries and a $15,000 compact disc (CD) player. The police also said that between October 9 and October 11, 2014, at Amelia’s Ward, Linden, De Freitas broke and entered Ronette Albert’s house and stole an Acer laptop, two gold chains and pendant, two pairs of earrings, two cellular phones, two bottles of skin cream, a pair of garden gloves and a reel of duct tape. De Freitas was also charged with stealing a
Samsung Galaxy S4 from Tushi Small at Wismar, Linden on August 27, last year. In court he denied the charges. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant did not present the facts in court but he opposed bail due to the nature, gravity, prevalence of these crimes and the penalty the offences attract. He told the Court that the police in Linden are investigating other matters in which De Freitas may be implicated. Grant suggested that De Freitas was a flight risk since he had been evading the clutches of the police for some time and was only arrested on Tuesday. The Chief Magistrate refused bail and the case will be called at the Linden Magistrate’s Court on January 27.
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Islamic State deadline on Japanese captives passes with no word on fate (Reuters) - Japan said yesterday it was still trying to secure the release of two Japanese hostages held by Islamic State militants after a deadline to pay ransom for their release passed and there was no immediate word on their fate. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government considered whether planned legislative changes would give it the legal basis for a military strike on the Islamic State militants and concluded it did not, according to a briefing document reviewed by Reuters. The capture of two Japanese citizens in Syria represents an “unacceptable act of terror,” the document said. But it concluded the situation would not meet the legal conditions for the dispatch of Japanese forces, whose activities abroad are constrained by the pacifist, post-war constitution, even under planned changes to the current interpretation of the charter. In an online video released on Tuesday, a blackclad figure holding a knife stood between journalist Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa, threatening to kill them if Tokyo did not pay Islamic State $200 million within 72 hours. Abe has said saving the men’s lives is paramount but that Japan will not bow to terrorism. Japanese officials have declined to say if they would pay any ransom, a move that would put Tokyo at odds with close ally the United States. “Despite the fact that the situation is severe, we are continuing to seek cooperation from all countries, tribal leaders and religious representatives who might have contacts with an aim to secure the early release of the two Japanese,” chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters. Goto’s mother pleaded for his release just hours before the deadline passed. “My son Kenji is not an enemy of the people of the Islamic faith. I can only pray as a mother for his release,” Junko Ishido told a packed news conference, choking back tears. “If I could offer my life I would plead that my son be released, it would be a small sacrifice on my part. “He only went to rescue his friend. He has always looked out for weaker people, he was always helping weaker
children than him,” she added. Abe has ordered his government to make every effort to secure their safe release, setting off a flurry of activity among Japanese diplomats.However, sources familiar with the matter said Japanese diplomats had told the families of the two captives prior to the video’s release that no ransom would be paid. The captor in the video, which resembles those showing previous Islamic State captives, said the ransom demand matched the $200 million in aid that Abe pledged to help countries fighting Islamist militants. Japan in 1977 paid $6 million to Japanese Red Army hijackers in Dhaka, with thenPrime Minister Takeo Fukuda saying “the lives of hostages outweighs the earth”. The government hardened its official stance after the 1996 hostage taking at the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Peru, when it refused to pay ransom. HUMANITARIANAID Abe made the pledge during a multi-nation visit to the Middle East earlier this month. Islamic State militants have seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, and beheaded several Western captives. Japan has stressed that its donation is for humanitarian aid, such as helping refugees, and insisted that it will not bow to terrorist threats. In an address at Friday prayers at Tokyo’s most prominent mosque, the Tokyo
Camii and Turkish Culture Center, the imam, Muhammad Rashid Alas, called for the “immediate release of the two Japanese hostages,” quoting from the Quran on the need to show mercy. The center had earlier posted a statement saying Islamic State’s actions are “totally against Islam and have a serious impact on Muslim communities all over the world and put Muslims in a precarious position”. Abe’s handling of the hostage crisis - he must appear firm but not callous will be a big test for the 60year-old, but he appears to have few options. Few Japanese are likely to blame Abe if the two captives are killed, but there could be questions raised over why he singled out countries battling Islamic State for the aid when it was known the group was holding two Japanese nationals. “Just when they held hostages and considered what they should do about them, Mr. Abe offered something that would, in their (IS’s) logic, raise the hurdle (for resolving the situation),” said Motohiro Ono, an opposition Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker who is a Middle East expert. Yukawa, aged around 42 and who dreamed of becoming a military contractor, was captured in August outside the Syrian city of Aleppo. Goto, 47, a war correspondent with experience in Middle East hot spots, went to Syria in late October to try to help Yukawa.
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Saturday January 24, 2015
Haiti picks election council to get back on democratic path
Haiti’s Prime Minister Evans Paul, Haiti’s President Michel Martelly and Martelly’s wife Sophia (L-R) stand together during a ceremony in Port-au-Prince January 19, 2015.CREDIT: REUTERS/JEANTY JUNIOR AUGUSTIN (Reuters) – Haiti yesterday installed a Provisional Electoral Council in a key step toward averting a constitutional crisis after weeks of protests and political uncertainty. The swearing in of the nine-member council representing different sectors
of society took place at the Supreme Court shortly before a United Nations Security Council mission was due to arrive in Haiti. “It’s a new step for the country on the road to democracy,” said Prime Minister Evans Paul, referring
to the new electoral body. “Democracy does not work without elections,” he said. Haiti’s parliament was dissolved last week after the failure to elect new members, leaving President Michel Martelly running the country by decree.
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Normal service returns World Cup-bound for sharp Sharapova Joel Wilson honoured MELBOURNE (Reuters) Maria Sharapova proved her second round scare against Alexandra Panova was no more than a blip as she destroyed Zarina Diyas 6-1 6-1 to charge into the Australian Open fourth round on Friday. The statuesque second seed was forced to save match points against fellow Russian Panova on Wednesday but roared back into form against the hapless Kazakh, who was completely outgunned in the baseline duels. “I think I rebounded really well. I had a good hit yester-
day,” the five-times grand slam champion told reporters. “Just kind of thought a little bit about what I wanted to try to achieve tonight no matter who I played. “Of course, I focused a little bit on myself more than anything else. “Just tried to be a bit more aggressive, concentrate. I thought I did a good job of focusing well.” Sharapova blasted 22 winners against the 31st seed and sealed the match with an ace in a tick over an hour. The Russian will next play Peng
Shuai for a place in the quarter-finals, with the 21stseeded Chinese taking on the mantle of retired champion Li Na with a second trip to the last 16 in Melbourne. “I think she’s always a tough player to play against because she’s really solid,” Sharapova said. “She’s quite powerful. I know she’s gone through a few injuries in her career. Having that start-stop type of career is never easy, because sometimes you don’t feel like you can actually get a routine and a groove.
Saturday January 24, 2015 ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 19): Your abundant energy is evident for everyone to see; you’re determined to visit greener pastures. Taking a long journey could bring about some profound changes for you. Changing a legal, educational or philosophical system will take on an increasing importance. *************************** TAURUS (APR 20 - MAY 20): A powerful sexual attraction transforms your life from drab to fab. It may be impossible to keep your mind on work, because you’re so busy thinking about your next meeting. *************************** GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN 20): If you’re single, be sure to go out for a night on the town with your friends. You just might bump into somebody who turns your whole world upside down. *************************** CANCER (JUN 21 - JUL 22): Finding new, improved work methods will help you up the ladder of success. Don’t be afraid to challenge old traditions that no longer have any practical application. *************************** LEO (JUL 23 - AUG 22): Exploring unknown territory could inspire a creative masterwork. It doesn’t matter whether you take a walk in another part of town or travel halfway across the world. The important thing is to put yourself in a place that is utterly unfamiliar. *************************** VIRGO (AUG 23 - SEP 22): Becoming more resourceful is as simple as making a list of your true priorities. If you want to buy a house or retire early, you can set plans in motion today. Put yourself on a budget that allows for occasional luxuries.
LIBRA (SEP 23 - OCT 22): You have deep insight to a close associate’s true motivations. Although this person says one thing, their actions suggest something else. It’s up to you to decipher the code. Perhaps this person needs more reassurance than you initially believed. *************************** SCORPIO (OCT 23 NOV 21): A desire to acquire more material resources could prompt you to find extra work. Put your earnings into a savings account, where you won’t be tempted to spend it. *************************** SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 - DEC 21): Your powerful personality attracts attention wherever you go. If you’re looking for love, cast your eyes about for a dynamic athlete who enjoys stirring up trouble. The two of you will fuel each other’s fire. *************************** CAPRICORN (DEC 22 JAN 19): Sorting through mementoes could trigger some powerful memories. Incidents you haven’t thought of for years could come flooding back. Suddenly, you’ll view facts in an entirely new light. *************************** AQUARIUS (JAN 20 FEB 18): Powerful friends and group associations can help spread the word of your expertise. If you’re looking for a job, let your pals know about it. *************************** PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20): A strong drive to succeed prompts you to find new ways to boost your bank balance. Whether you come up with a brilliant marketing campaign or develop a new product line is immaterial.
Trinidad Express - Port of Spain, Trinidad - Top Trinidad and Tobago umpire Joel Wilson said he is both honoured and humbled to be chosen by world cricket’s governing body to officiate at the upcoming ICC World Cup to be jointly staged by Australia and New Zealand. Wilson, 48, will become the first T&T umpire to participate in an ICC World Cup when he joins the elite group of officials for the competition and his historic accomplishment has not gone unnoticed by the T&T Umpires and Scorers’ Association (TTUSA). On Wednesday the organisation staged a cocktail
reception for all match officials participating in the current Nagico Super50 regional one-day 50-overs tournament being staged in Trinidad and Tobago. Among those attending the function in the hospitality suite of the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain were president and secretary of the TTUSA, Parasram Singh and John Lewis respectively and several leading local and regional umpires, fourth officials and match-referees. Wilson said that over the past few weeks he has been preparing for the big assignment by participating in a series of ICC organised pretournament exercises,
including a training regimen designed to fine-tune the skills of the umpires picked for the World Cup. He said he has been taking part in a specialist “eye-gym” programme and other exercises to improve his reflex time, brushing up on his knowledge of the laws and regulations of the game, as well as familiarising himself with the hot-spot and Snicko technology. Another important area that Wilson is devoting a lot of time to, is the Decision Review System (DRS), which will be used at the World Cup which he could be called upon to adjudicate in two matches when he sits as the third umpire.
Inept WICB Directors Destroying... From page 31 blamed for the Indian Tour withdrawal. The WICB must take the blame as they have displayed a high level of irresponsibility and a callous attitude towards the Caribbean people. They manage players from the U-15 level to the Test level and therefore the players are ultimately what the WICB produce. Their handling of the entire matter of the Indian Tour is akin to bullyism, which is unheard of in any modern, decent arena of treatment to persons by a parent body. I unequivocally submit and support the call for President Cameron and his entire Board of Directors to resign immediately, or be dismissed and ostracized by the entire Caribbean people. Alternatively they could proceed to Tortola “where the WICB was incorporated” and practice their vengeance management there. After all it is time for us to take back our cricket from this incompetent group of Directors who are just as culpable as their leader, Dave Cameron, whom they blindly support. After they are removed I recommend that the leaders of the Six Territories along with Caricom representatives come together and appoint an interim body to oversee the restructuring and reorganizing of the WICB and the territorial boards. After all, since we have decided to rebuild our on-field WI cricket team we should also rebuild our inefficient cricket administration at the same time thereby making a fresh start. Suggested names could include: Clive Lloyd, Deryck Murray, Courtney Walsh, Desmond Haynes, Norman
Mc Clean, Darren Ganga, Andy Roberts, Anand Goolsarran, Donna Simmons, Sir Vivian Richards, Clyde Butts, Dinanauth Ramnarine, PJ Patterson, Ann JohnBrown and Tony Cozier. Our cricket is experiencing its worst-ever period.
Only the media, the players and the Caribbean people as a whole could save our beloved game from the present inept WICB. Regards, Claude Raphael Former Director WICB
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Saturday January 24, 2015
New sponsors ready to replace old say beleaguered FIFA LONDON (Reuters) FIFA have rejected suggestions that major
sponsors were cutting their ties with the organization because it was a “toxic
brand”, saying on Friday that they were in advanced negotiations with new
sponsors eager to replace the old. Britain’s Daily Telegraph revealed on Friday that three
major sponsors, Continental, Castrol and Johnson & Johnson, were not renewing
their contracts with world soccer’s governing body. Emirates Airlines and Sony announced last year that they were also severing their ties with FIFA. But FIFA’s marketing director Thierry Weil told Reuters on Friday that those companies contracts with FIFA were always due to expire at the end of last year and new ones were negotiating to take their place. “Rotations at the end of a sponsorship cycle are commonplace in the sports industry and have continuously occurred since the commercialisation of the FIFA World Cup began,” Weil said. “It is natural that as brands’ strategies evolve they reassess their sponsorship properties. The contracts were always planned to run until the end of 2014. “As in previous FIFA World Cup cycles, we are now in advanced negotiations with a number of companies related to sponsorship agreements in all three of our categories. TOXIC BRAND But not everyone is convinced that FIFA, who have been buffeted by one crisis after another over the last few years, is still a name sponsors want to be associated with. Damian Collins, the British MP and the guiding light behind the pressure group New FIFA Now which was launched in Brussels on Wednesday, said he believed sponsors were cutting ties as a result of the scandals and controversies that continually surround FIFA. “FIFA is a toxic brand,” Collins was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph. “I think that’s why companies who care about their reputation don’t want to be considered with it.” Sponsors bring in at least $1.5 billion in revenue over each four-year cycle. Castrol had been a World Cup sponsor since 2008, Continental Tyres since 2010 and Johnson & Johnson signed a deal for a single cycle in 2011. Meanwhile the sportswear company SKINS, whose chairman Jamie Fuller was a delegate at the launch of New FIFA Now, launched a lighthearted “non-sponsorship” relationship with the governing body. In a statement on Friday the company said: “The nonmulti-million pound, announcement allows the company to highlight unshared brand values and confirms SKINS’ contempt for an organisation which has been constantly shrouded in allegations of corruption and controversy, yet is potentially preparing to re-elect its President Sepp Blatter for an unprecedented fifthterminoffice.
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
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GCB issues press Inept WICB Directors Destroying Caribbean Cricket statement on AGM Letter to the Sports Editor
Cricket Fans must urgently rally together for their immediate removal Dear Sports Editor, After reading with interest the comments and opinions of various distinguished West Indian personalities on the subject of West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) governance woes, I feel obliged to add my views. Apparently the recent withdrawal of the players from the Indian Cricket Tour along with the unethical reversal of WICB’s agreement not to victimize those players proved to be the final straw that broke the back of even the “die-hard” always forgiving – “tortured “ West Indian Cricket populace. Enough is Enough, it quite understandably seems, for, in spite of all the explanations from the WICB, their action reeks of malice. Tony Cozier, Tony Becca, Pat Rousseau, Charles Wilkins and the Hon Dr. Ralph Gonsalves among others have severely criticized the Dave Cameron led administration, or rather mal-administration, for destroying West Indies Cricket. The President himself seemed to be the target for his attitude of continued arrogance and lofty insolence. Mr. Cozier and the others have all made serious, constructive contributions which in my view should have been made some years ago when the “WICB private club” was initiated by then President of WICB Dr. Julian Hunte, and payment of “Directors fees”/salaries was instituted, with the lawlessness of perks for votes. The supposed annual cricket development disbursements were carefully utilized as inducements for favours from directors of Territorial Boards since (in Guyana) no monitoring of the funds was done and consequently no development of cricketers or cricket ensued. The Berbice Cricket Board, the East Coast Cricket Board and the Georgetown Cricket Association have been organizing their cricket and producing cricketers for the past five or six years without a penny from the GCB which is the recipient of all funds disbursed by the WICB. An investigation of the East Bank Demerara, West Demerara and Essequibo Cricket Boards would easily highlight that no development has happened within those areas. So where have the development funds been utilized? President Cameron and his Directors which include Guyanese must explain. Meanwhile, President
Cameron promoted his “private club” to a higher level by giving to the Directors of the WICB private ownership of the so called Regional Professional/ Franchise Cricket for the four-day and fiftyover versions. The Directors are being paid US$45,000 per territory per month to run the Franchise as their own private businesses. It is amazing that the WICB would pay individuals to run a franchise, which certainly is not the case with the T/20 Tournament, where the owners paid for their franchise. Checks at the Court Registry show that the WICB Directors and their associates own the Guyana Cricket Board by changing the previously illegally-registered DEB essentials to the present Cricket Guy Inc. Why have they been allowed to get away with this farce whilst the following level of inefficiency and lawlessness continue: 1. The Cricket Academy has been improperly set up, with no territorial satellite stations and therefore cannot serve the current needs of our cricketers/cricket. 2. There is still no school cricket relationship between the WICB and the territorial authorities, despite years of promise. 3. Our youth cricket programme is still in a mess with the youngsters being denied the opportunity to play enough competitive cricket. (a) The 2014 Regional U15 Cricket Tournament was reduced from a two-day to a one-day affair. (b) The 2014 Regional U19 Cricket Tournament saw six (6) team being divided into two zones with the winner of each zone playing off in the final. (c) There is no youth cricket tournament for women. 4. Ladies cricket does not benefit from any domestic tournaments in the various territories and the Regional Ladies Tournament is a lackluster, poorly-organized appeasement. 5. The promotion and organization of the Professional League/Regional Tournaments have been poorly initiated, badly structured and improperly implemented, with the respective Territorial Directors running the Tournament with WICB funds while they earn the dividends (profits), all in an atmosphere of secrecy with the public being kept in dark.
6. The continued disbursement of development funds to Territorial Boards when there is no proper development programme nor monitoring of funds disbursed lacks of any serious accountability and smacks of corruption. 7. The recruitment of a highly paid “Cricket Supremo” who seems too lazy to visit the various Territorial Bodies – particularly Guyana (as far as I know), where there has been ongoing cricket turbulence for the past five years, and where eight (8) of the thirteen member Guyana Cricket Board Executives, accused the minority (5) of: (a) Administrative lawlessness (b) Financial improprieties and (c) Fraudulent elections among other misdemeanors. As a result of this action one of the eight executives was burnt to the face with acid after a stormy Executive Meeting. The allegations were then properly documented and circulated widely to all including ICC, WICB Territorial Boards, Caricom, the media, the Guyana Government Opposition Parties etc. but despite every effort not a single voice of concern was offered. All cries fell on deaf ears, and although they constituted the majority of the GCB Executives, the WICB only recognized their five (5) friends. Friendship took precedence over principle. All it required was for the WICB to mount an impartial investigation but no one seemed to care, until after two years when the Government of Guyana eventually intervened.
I make the point to illustrate the fact that a six wheeled coach (like the WICB) could never function properly and effectively if three, two or even one of its wheels is broken. It is necessary to keep all of its wheel are functional. We must be our Brother’s keeper; insularity and greed must be eradicated from our cricket. With the spiteful withdrawal of cricket from Guyana by the WICB, Dominica and Barbados gleefully accepted the games totally unmindful of the harm it was doing to the people of Guyana and the Young cricketers particularly, unless and until we could call a ‘spade a spade’ as Dr. Gonsalves recently told media personalities, cricket cannot prosper. One must be able to look the other in the eye and tell him or her when he or she is wrong. As I said before, the major woes of our cricket began within the reign of Dr. Hunte but was taken to a greater height of insolence and inefficiency by a group of powerdrunk Directors who do not even understand their role, in the activity and the responsibility of developing West Indies cricket. Dr. Gonsalves surprisingly seemed not to have noticed the problems during his countryman Dr. Hunte’s reign being so close to his dear friend. He might also have missed Mr. Cozier’s notice at other times when he was in the broadcasting booth communicating on cricket. Nonetheless, I wholeheartedly agree with and accept their expressions of concern and strongly feel that the players are not wholly to be (Continued on page 25)
Clarke resigns as Pacesetters Chairman Long-standing Trinity Grid Holdings (TGH) Pacesetters Chairman, Dennis Clarke has tendered his resignation from the club for unknown reasons, stating merely that he is doing so against the backdrop of bringing the club to prominence with Robert ‘Bobby’ Cadogan. Clarke said that he was instrumental in securing the sponsorship from Courts for the Club as well as the support from TGH. He said that he has been part of the outfit since 1980. His resignation comes on the heels of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Elec-
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) issues a press statement on its scheduled AGM fixed for tomorrow at the GCC Pavilion, Bourda. Here is the full text of that statement: “GCB wishes to formally announce that its constitutionally mandated Annual General Meeting is scheduled to be held on Sunday, January 25th 2015 and, in accordance with its constitution appended to the Cricket Administration Act (CAA) of 2014, the requisite notice for this meeting was published in December, 2014.” “Also, in accordance with the said Act, the GCB is in receipt of the list of delegates from two of its
County Boards, namely, Demerara and Essequibo. The GCB notes that the Berbice Cricket Board has blatantly breached the CAA on several fronts even though these breaches were highlighted to them by the GCB and they were given an opportunity to correct this situation. All Members are reminded to submit their Administrative and financial reports.” “The GCB will be hosting a Press Conference following its AGM on Sunday at the GCC Members Pavilion at 12:30pm where a full statement would be issued and a question and answer segment would be reserved for the press.”
Smith happy to be back, Welshman elated to be invited By Franklin Wilson The Golden Jaguars continued their training session yesterday afternoon at the Guyana Defence Force ground having held their morning session at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. Joining the team yesterday was the Canada based duo of defender Jamaal Smith and first timer, Emery Welshman. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport at the GDF ground, Smith said he was happy to be back, “It’s been a long time, it’s nice to see all these familiar faces again and with Shabazz back in the fold I know that things are going to be in order, back to where we were when we were excelling”, the tall defender shared. Given his vast experience since his last outing with the Golden Jaguars over two years ago, Smith believes that his experience will be valuable to the team which has a number of young players in the squad. “I’m going to definitely give any information I can and help in any way that I can.” Welshman said that he was excited to be here and looking forward to the chal-
lenge of playing for Guyana. Commenting on how he became interested in playing for Guyana even though he could have chosen Canada, Welshman stated that one of his dad’s friends, Garth Nelson made initial contact with him and asked if he was interested in playing with the Golden Jaguars. He said that he was interested but was a bit hesitant to come after hearing that the GFF under the previous administration did not want any players from overseas. ”Even though I still had the chance to play for Canada I felt that coming to Guyana was the right choice to play for my parents’ country at this juncture of my career. Currently I am play for Sigma FC in the Canadian Division One but I am still looking at a few tryouts with MLS clubs after these trials.” Welshman who played for Major League Soccer side Toronto FC and the Portland Timbers FC paid his own way to come to and try out with the Golden Jaguars and is confident that he would be able to bring his experience to bear with the Golden Jaguars.
Gyan gives Ghana...
Dennis Clarke tions that is to be held tomorrow at Duke Lodge, Kingston.
(From page 30) might have been more red cards than shots, but somehow Bentaleb, Ishak Belfoldil and Emmanuel Badu all escaped without punishment after the three were involved in an ugly bout of shoving. Quality continued to be in short supply after the break, but at least Ghana began to show some attacking intent. However, Gyan could not direct a difficult diving header on target and dragged another shot well wide and Ghana striker Jordan Ayew flicked over an improvised volley at the near post. At the other end Bentaleb fizzed a low shot wide of the right post after being played in by Brahimi. It proved to be a costly miss for Algeria as Gyan ran on to a long ball over the top by substitute Mubarak Wakaso and sent a scruffy shot into the bottom left corner.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday January 24, 2015
Nadal avoids Federer’s Guyana Jaguars face T&T Red Force fate with comfortable win in NAGICO 50 overs final tomorrow MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal reached the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-1 6-0 7-5 win over Israel’s Dudi Sela on Friday, avoiding the fate that befell great rival Roger Federer who had earlier lost to Andreas Seppi. Third seeded Nadal had himself narrowly avoided an early exit when he took five sets and more than four hours to beat American qualifier Tim Smyczek in the second round as he battled illness, but had no problems against Sela. The matchup, later in the evening, suited Nadal, who suffered from dehydration, an upset stomach and cramping during the marathon against Smyczek. The 14-times grand slam winner said he had recovered well enough from the experience that he had described as
one of the worst he had felt in his career. “I was still a little bit dizzy yesterday,” Nadal said. “I think I lost lot of fluids the other night. But in general I was not very, very bad. “Knowing that I was going to play tonight ... I thought I going to be ready for tonight (and was) happy the way I was physically on court.” Nadal, whose 2014 campaign was upset by injury and illness in the second half of the year, had been concerned he might not be ready for an assault on a second title at Melbourne Park, having beaten Federer in the 2009 final. The third round match was a work in progress for the Spaniard as he dominated physically, but was also made to work hard against the diminutive Israeli, who is listed by the ATP as being 1.75m
and 65kgs. Such is the physical disparity between the pair - Nadal is 1.85m and 85kg anyone watching may have believed the Spaniard was playing someone from the junior tournament. Sela was overpowered but he showed impressive touch, varied his pace on return, worked the angles and earned a massive cheer when he won his first game in the third set, ending a nine-game run by the Spaniard. Nadal said he felt the match had helped him continue to work out any kinks and he was feeling the rhythm of his game back. “When you are on the confidence, you feel that shots come without thinking,” he said. “If I want to have chances to keep being competitive in this tournament, I need to play this way.”
Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o R e d F o r c e booked their place for a date with Guyana Jaguars tomorrow in the final of the NAGICO Regional 50 overs cricket tournament being played in Trinidad and Tobago. The Twin Island Republic team turned back the challenge of the CCC Maroons in t h e s e c o n d s e m i f i n a l l a s t evening in the rain affected game, which was reduced to 32 overs, by 41 runs using the Duckworth Lewis method. Scores: T&T Batting first: 159 All Out (31.3/32 Overs) Lewis 0, Solozano 37, D Bravo 13, D Bravo 0, Mohammed 48, Pollard 10, Cooper 2, Katwaroo 7, Narine 11, Emrit 10, Rampaul
1 were the principal contributors. CCC Bowling: K Mayers 5.3-0-37-2, C Powell 7-0-22-5, R Austin 2-0-12-0, K Hodge 7-0-26-0, R Powell 4-0-37-0, K Cottoy 6-0-22-2. CCC Maroons Batting in reply: 114 All Out (30.4/32 Overs) (Target 156 on D/L method) Thomas 5, Palmer 37, Hope 2, Walton 20, Hodge 7, Burton 20, Mayers 2, R Powell 5, C Powell 5, Cottoy 3, Austin 0. Bowling for T&T: Dwayne Bravo 5.4-022-3, R Rampaul 6-0-17-3, S Narine 6-0-20-2, R Emrit 3-0-24-0, K Cooper 7-0-13-2, J Mohammed 3-0-17-0. Result: RED FORCE WIN BY 41 RUNS! T&T Red Force face Guyana Jaguars!
J’can swimmer fends off stereotypes, racism in white dominated sport
League conducts nearly 40 interviews into ‘deflate-gate’ (Reuters) - The NFL said on Friday it has conducted nearly 40 interviews as part of its investigation into whether the New England Patriots used illegally deflated balls during a blowout victory that clinched a Super Bowl berth. The NFL said evidence thus far supports the conclusion that under-inflated footballs were used by the Patriots in the first half but were properly inflated for the second half of their 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts on
Sunday. “The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action,” the league said in a statement. “We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence.” The growing storm over
the Patriots’ alleged use of illegal balls, which is being referred to as ‘deflate-gate,’ has so far dominated the buildup to the Feb. 1 Super Bowl showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. The NFL also said the Patriots have pledged their full cooperation and have made their personnel and other information available upon request. Patriots quarterback Brady threw three touchdown passes during Sunday’s game in wet conditions where a firm grip on a slippery ball could have helped.
Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson is sandwiched by Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte (left) and The Netherlands’ Moniek Nilhius at the medal ceremony of the 100m breaststroke at the Short Course World Championships in Doha, Qatar last December. Atkinson won the gold medal in a record time. Jamaica Observer - ALIA Atkinson has been the darling of Jamaica’s swimming for some time. Following her record-equalling 100-metre women’s breaststroke win at the Short Course World Championships in Doha, Qatar last December, she has become a prominent standard-bearer for black swimmers across the globe. The time of 1:02.36 seconds tied the record of Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, which the teenager set in 2013. It is natural that much responsibility has fallen Atkinson’s way. After all, the World Championships show, most significantly, saw her become the first black woman to win a world swimming title. Still, in a sport dominated by white swimmers and burdened by stereotypes, there have been the far too frequent challenges of racism. “I was very shy growing up considering I was in a sport where the odds were
already against you. It made me feel very insecure and I didn’t have much confidence when I was younger swimming internationally,” Atkinson said as she addressed a recent Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange. “I didn’t [feel confident] because everybody was looking at you like you never knew what you were doing, and eventually you feel like maybe you really don’t. As I got older they knew me so they knew not to play like that.” The 26-year-old, whose training base is in Florida, United States, pointed to instances she has witnessed at international events. “I went to the Commonwealth [Games in 2010] in India and the lanes were set about where you have 10 lanes or eight lanes. The outside lanes are for starts and then every lane in between is for warm-up or warm-down. “So I went to one of the lanes and was about to do a start. He [a pool attendant]
said no, you can’t do starts, So I went off and as soon as I turned around a white swimmer came up... [and was allowed]. It was very weird and it was the little things like that.” But why would there be racial discrimination in the pool? “We have Caribbean swimmers that are good and can compete with anybody in the world. And then you have other nations who are starting to develop. I’m not sure if they just saw a black face and thought I couldn’t swim, but that was one of the myths I wanted to break. “They didn’t even take the time to find out where you’re from. They see a black person and think they come from Africa. That’s not a bad thing, but Africa is developmental and they automatically think those from Africa can’t swim,” said Atkinson who placed fourth in the finals of the 2012 London Olympics 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:06.93.
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
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BCCI issues ultimatum to WICB ESPNcricinfo - The BCCI has issued an ultimatum to the WICB, asking the board to furnish the requisite $41.97 million as damages borne out of West Indies’ “sudden, arbitrary withdrawal” from the India tour last October. In a letter addressed to WICB president Dave Cameron and the inter-governmental Caribbean community (CARICOM) secretarygeneral Irwin LaRocque, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said that failing to respond within a week from receipt of his letter would force the Indian board to file legal proceedings in Indian courts. In a two-page letter, a copy of which is in possession of ESPNcricinfo, Patel said that the BCCI had “acquiesced” to the CARICOM request last November which stated the WICB be given a grace period of 40 days to respond to the BCCI’s original claim. Patel had sent that letter on
BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel had called the pullout carried by Dwayne Bravo and his team-mates as a “monumental disaster” © BCCI October 31, wherein he had broken the damages into various components. Calling
the pullout carried by Dwayne Bravo and his team after the fourth ODI in
NBS lends support to Young Warriors Mash Cup fundraiser
Dharamsala as a “monumental disaster”, Patel asked the WICB to respond within a period of 15 days from the receipt of that letter. The BCCI had earlier already said that it had cancelled all future bilateral engagements with West Indies pending resolution to t h e m a t t e r. “ W h e n CARICOM intervened in the
dispute and requested BCCI to hold off on its claims for a period of 40 days from the deadline stipulated in its claim letter, the BCCI acquiesced to the same in the hope that an acceptable resolution would be achieved through CARICOM’s able mediation,” Patel wrote in his second letter, dated January 20. “However, it is
with regret that the BCCI finds itself in a position where its expectations have remained wholly unfulfilled, with there being no progress in finding a solution that is acceptable to the BCCI, despite the 40-day time period having long since elapsed.” LaRocque had sent a letter to Patel on November 14, a day before the original deadline would expire, expressing WICB’s inability to compensate the BCCI and requested more time. But Patel stressed in the letter that even CARICOM would understand the BCCI’s annoyance considering Cameron had failed to present any workable solution. “The BCCI cannot any longer hold off from pursuing its claims against WICB in the appropriate forum being the courts in I n d i a . We t r u s t t h a t CARICOM will understand our position,” he wrote. “If the WICB fails to comply with the requisitions contained in our letter dated 31st October 2014 within a period of 7 days from receipt of this letter, the BCCI shall initiate legal proceedings in the appropriate forum against WICB without further intimation.”
Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao meet to discuss potential fight
Bryan Baker of NBS New Amsterdam hands over sponsorship cheque to Hubern Evans in the presence of other staff members. Once again the New Building Society has supported the YWCC annual fundraiser, Mash Cup 2015, the third edition. This eagerly anticipated day of action and fun will take place on Monday 23rd of February, 2015, a national holiday, and will be of five overs aside. It will involve eleven teams from the No 19/Canje area. The defending champion is Yo u n g a n d R e s t l e s s . Proceeds from this event will also be donated to fulfill a small project of a mandir,
mosque and church within t h e a r e a . At a simple ceremony held recently at the New Amsterdam Branch of the Society, Bryan Baker, Supervisor, said that the Society is always charitable and believes strongly in giving back to the community in which they operate to improve the lives of the less fortunate. He added that Society always make significant contributions to the development of sports in the country, referring to the
Georgetown Cricket Association and the Berbice Cricket Board NBS Sponsored Second Division Cricket Competitions a m o n g o t h e r s . In response, Hubern Evans, Senior Coach of the YWCC thanked the NBS and promised that their help is well noted and will truly make a difference in the lives of many. He promised good publicity for all sponsors and a well organised tournament. He encouraged other businesses and private entities to follow suit.
BBC Sport - Amir Khan met with Manny Pacquiao in London on Friday to hold talks over a potential fight at Wembley Stadium. The British welterweight, 28, trained alongside the former pound-for-pound champion for several years under ex-trainer Freddie Roach and always maintained they could never fight. But both are now open to meeting and spoke at Fitzroy Lodge Boxing Club. However, the 36-year-old Pacquiao’s priority remains securing a fight with Floyd Mayweather in May. “Even though we have that friendship, if it makes sense then it’s a fight that can certainly happen between us,” Khan said. “I want to fight the biggest and best names out there and Manny is definitely among them.” Khan and Pacquiao have both sought a bout with the world’s top fighter in recent years without success. Mayweather’s team spoke with Khan’s last year before
Amir Khan (right) met with Manny Pacquiao (left) in London yesterday. (PA) opting to fight Marcos Maidana twice, while Philippine great Pacquiao is yet to meet the 37-year-old American despite years of wrangling. However, on arrival at Fitzroy Lodge, Pacquiao told the Daily Mail: “I think now that Floyd and me is going to happen. It looks like it.” P a c q u i a o ’s a d v i s o r Michael Koncz added: “Just in case Floyd doesn’t come through we regard Amir as the best possible alternative.
“He and Manny would make for a very exciting fight and Manny would be more than happy to do it at Wembley Stadium. We are looking at that possibility and also Abu Dhabi.” Khan delivered arguably a career-best performance when he won a landslide decision victory over American Devon Alexander in December. Pacquiao defeated Chris Algieri on a unanimous points decision in his most recent fight in November.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday January 24, 2015
Golden Jaguars visit Ruimveldt Children Aid Centre -interactive session deemed a success G u y a n a ’s f l a g s h i p football team, the ‘Golden Jaguars’ is not all about playing football but there is a humanitarian side to the team that has brought this nation tremendous glory in the footballing world. Yesterday, the humanitarian side of the team was in full f l o w w h e n Te c h n i c a l Director Claude Bolton along with three players, Christopher Nurse, Vurlon Mills and Daniel Wilson held an interactive session with children of the Ruimveldt Children Aid Centre (RCAC). O rg a n i s e d b y Normalisation Committee Member, Stuart May, the 45 minute session saw the children going through a number of fun drills led by TD Bolton. May informed that the session forms part of the Golden Jaguars Community Outreach Programme with the aim of pushing the excitement of football though the children as well as some of the disciplines in
NC Member Stuart May showcasing some of his skills to some of the kids from the Ruimveldt Children Aid Centre with the Golden Jaguars in the foreground. life through it. ”Like you can’t expect to become a good footballer unless you practice, unless you train and hopefully help with the idea of nutrition from an early age that if you want to be successful here are the role models, here are the Golden Jaguars, they can watch them train, they can see how they do it and start transferring some of these disciplines to their other
aspects of life.” May also noted that educational pursuits in life also need a high level of discipline being practiced by the kids in order for them to succeed. He pointed out that the session was also designed to help the children understand that they too can achieve, regardless of the background they have come from. ”We want to give them
the focus to realizing that they are no different and that all of us started somewhere and came up through sport, business or whatever but you have to practice what you do, you have to attention.” He opined that sleep is vital for development noting that with all the various computer games around, including Xbox can be a distraction, explaining that you have to take care of yourself in order to attain your goals. Another Normalisation Committee Member, Dr. Karen Pilgrim was also on hand to support
the initiative. Nurse encouraged the children to be positive and to never let anyone tell them they cannot achieve what they want to in life noting that the Golden Jaguars are all Ambassadors for Guyana which they represent throughout the world. The Ruimveldt Children Aid Centre is an after school center that provides for the needs of the kids drawn from the Ruimveldt, Alexander Village and its environs. Vice President, Ms. Ismay Murray noted that they have
about six programmes that they do at the facility including a feeding every day, recreation on Friday’s, psychosocial counseling, literacy and numeracy daily, religious education on Sunday’s, dancing and music where the kids are benefitting from steel pan and guitar lessons compliments of the Tina Insanally Foundation. Murray noted that they strive to work with the kids in the areas they are gifted in encouraging them to be the best they can be. ”Next month we will be starting a tiling programme for the women in the area because we have a lot of single parents in the catchment areas and we want to teach them to become independent and this would be sponsored by GT&T.” On a daily basis, the Ruimveldt Children Aid Center would look after between 35 – 50 children and are dependent on donations from organizations and members of the public and overseas in order to sustain themselves. Persons desirous of contributing to the center can do so at their Ruimveldt location through their Administrative Assistant, Ms. Gloria Sagon or on tel. # 227- 2092.
FIFA Regional TDO visits Guyana Gyan gives Ghana victory over Algeria
F I F A’ s R e g i o n a l Technical Development Officer (TDO) of the South East Caribbean Mr. Anton Corneal visited Guyana for two days of discussions with the Technical Director of the Guyana Football Federation Mr. Claude Bolton. The discussions centered on the design and implementation of a technical development programme for Guyana that is in keeping with FIFA’s technical programme and objectives. Mr. Bolton said the engagements were informative and will aid his vision for a short and long term development plan. “It is so very encouraging to see the support, guidance, and commitment that FIFA has for its Member Associations to succeed. On behalf of our players and Guyana, I would like to thank Mr. Corneal for reviewing our plans and aiding us with a road map to success.” FIFA is clear that the foundation to a sound development programme
The moment Gyan scored for Ghana and handed his side a tournament lifeline.
Anton Corneal (left) and Claude Bolton greet each other.
that will have a positive and long-term impact on the footballing future of Guyana must focus on Grassroots, Yo u t h D e v e l o p m e n t ,
Women’s Development, and Coaching Education. Bolton added that, “This too, will be our driving force for the good of the Game in Guyana.”
BBC Sport - Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan struck a dramatic late winner to keep alive his side’s hopes of reaching the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. In a game of very few chances, Gyan snatched an unlikely victory when he latched on to a long ball and angled in a drive in stoppage time. Algeria missed the only other clear chance when Nabil Bentaleb side-footed well wide from 12 yards on 20 minutes. The game had looked set to remain goalless until Gyan’s late strike. Gyan missed Ghana’s opening match loss to Senegal because of a bout of malaria and although he was understandably lacking sharpness on his return, he persevered until the very end to rescue his team. The striker has now scored in each of his last six games for the
Black Stars, who did not make life easy for their talisman as they toiled to create chances in a scrappy game. Ghana failed to muster a single effort at goal in the opening period as the Algerian defence, well marshalled by returning captain Madjid Bougherra, easily coped with a succession of hopeful punts forward. Yet Algeria fared little better, managing only two efforts, both of which were wayward. While Faouzi Ghoulam’s early attempt was purely speculative for Algeria, Bentaleb’s side-footed shot from inside the box was a waste of an excellent opportunity forged by clever interplay between Yacine Brahimi and Aissa Mandi. In an overly physical first half, there (Continued on page 31)
Saturday January 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 35
Hong Kong Sevens line-up released T
he line-up for the 2015 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has been announced with the tournament retaining its status as the largest on the HSBC Sevens World Series. Twenty-eight men’s teams will compete in Hong Kong – 16 in the core team competition and 12 in the S e v e n s Wo r l d S e r i e s qualifier – as the worldfamous tournament celebrates its 40th anniversary. Over 120,000 people are expected to attend over the weekend of 27-29 March, with a 12-team women’s invitational tournament and numerous social and youth competitions running alongside the 71-match men’s programme. Reigning champions New Zealand and fellow core teams Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Japan, Kenya, Portugal, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, USA and Wa l e s a r e j o i n e d b y tournament newcomers Belgium in the sixth round of the World Series. In accepting an invitation to take part, Belgium becomes the 57th country to compete in Hong Kong since 1976. The 12-team line-up in the qualifier comprises two teams from each of World
R u g b y ’s s i x r e g i o n a l associations. The winner will earn core team status for 2015-16 and replace the lowest ranked side at the conclusion of the current series. Japan won the qualifier in Hong Kong last year to join the series. Russia and Spain are the representatives from Europe, Papua New Guinea and Tonga from Oceania, Zimbabwe and Tunisia from Africa, Mexico and Guyana from North America and the Caribbean, Uruguay and Brazil from South America and hosts Hong Kong and Korea from Asia. World Rugby’s General Manager Sevens Avan Lee said: “Hong Kong is going to be very special for lots of reasons in 2015, not least because in the tournament’s 40th anniversary year the organisers will be pulling out all the stops to make their event even more special than it always is for the players and the fans. “There is the excitement and drama that the World Series qualifier brings for those teams aspiring to join the top level, and of course the current series will be ticking past the half way stage in Hong Kong. With only the top four guaranteed an Olympic place in Rio 2016 at the end of the season each series
The successful NACRA Sevens champions following their return last year. point in crucial so there is a huge amount riding on every match.” The official tournament d r a w f o r b o t h m e n ’s competitions will be held on 16 February. Meanwhile, the GRFU has called the following players for 7s training on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 4:00 p.m – 6:00 p.m and Sundays, 9:00 a.m 11:00 a.m and game practice on Saturdays, 4:00 p.m – 6:00 p.m, at the National Park Rugby Ground; Ryan Gonsalves, Patrick K i n g , Av e r y C o r b i n ,
Godfrey Broomes, Dwayne Schroeder, Blaise Bailey, Rickford Cummings, Carl Lewis and Lancelot Adonis. The Union has explained that the 7s Squad are required to train with the 15s Squad while undergoing special fitness training in preparation for 7s competition. And the Guyana Rugby Football Union has also announced the names of players called to training practice in preparation for the NACRA 15s Championships, 7th March in Barbados; the World
Rugby Sevens World Series, Hong Kong, 27th – 29th March and the NACRA 2016 Olympics Qualifier Championships,13th & 14th June, North Carolina. The following players will be involved in the 15s training practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 4:00 p.m – 6:00 p.m and game practice on Sundays, 4:00 p.m – 6:00 p.m, at the National Park Rugby Ground. Filon Thompson, Akeem Fraser, Terrence Daniels, Delroy Gordon, Cyon Kitt, W. Hutson, Ryan Dey, A.
Jarvis, Jason DeFrietas, Allan Crawford, Kevon David, Osei McKenzie, R o n d e l l M c A r t h u r, Theodore Henry, Ryan Gonsalves, Jason Tyrell, P. Joseph, Avery Corbin, Jacques Archibald, K. Mars, Dwayne Schroeder, Lancelot Adonis, Leon Greaves, Rickford Cummings, Jermaine Prowell, Troy Bascom, Patrick King, Rawle Cole, Grantley Williams, Godfrey Broomes, Christopher Singh, Randy James, Blaise Bailey, Jamal Angus, Jose Felicien and Carl Lewis.
West Side leg of Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ set to kickoff tonight To n i g h t w i l l m a r k another historic moment in football on the West Side when the Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Futsal Competition commences, at the Pouderoyen Tarmac, starting at 19:00 hrs. Following the hosting of successful zone competitions in various communities across the country, the organisers have now made good on a promise to exhibit the format on the West Demerara area and according to Co-organiser Travis Bess the early response is that the fans are eager to witness the exciting brand of football that has captivated scores of supporters from the various communities that competitions were held previously. A total of eight games
will kick-start the tournament this evening at the Pouderoyen Tarmac, with the organisers promising that action will commence at 19:00 hours sharp. Golden Stars and Brother United will have the honour of setting the tone for the remainder of the competition when they clash in the opening game. This will be followed by Dekenderen against Vergenoegen All Stars and Patentia Street Ballers versus Raiders. The other matches will see Majee Street versus Demerara Speedboat Service, Young Warriors against Jetty, West Side Ballers versus Pouderoyen Showstoppers, Admiral United against Den Amstel and Uitvlugt versus Showtime.
According to Bess, the teams have been placed in four groups of four, with the top two from each group at the end of the round-robin phase advancing to the quarter-finals. From the knockout stage, Bess informed that several exhibition games will be played as they seek to showcase the talents that exist in the West Demerara area. The competition, which will conclude on February 7, will see the champion team becoming $300,000 richer. The losing finalist will pocket $150,000, while the third place will collect $100,000 and fourth $75,000. There will also be Fair Play cash award of $50,000. The top two teams will gain automatic entry into the
(Flashback) - Action in the Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Competition. national playoff. Matches will be played at the Pouderoyen Tarmac and the Vergenoegen Rice Mill Tarmac, with action starting at 19:00 hours on each night. This will be followed by zonal competitions for teams on the East Coast of
Demerara and Berbice during February and March. Meanwhile, the Linden leg will also be contested this year, culminating during the Town Week celebrations. The top two teams from each of the five zones will earn the right to contest the
national playoff, set for early May, with a dozen teams set to compete for top honours. The champion team will earn the right to represent Guyana at the Guinness Caribbean Street Challenge scheduled for Trinidad and Tobago in June.
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Golden Jaguars visit Ruimveldt children Aid Centre -interactive session deemed a success
GFF TD, Claude Bolton, Golden Jaguars Chris Nurse, Daniel Wilson and Vurlon Mills along with NC Member Dr. Karen Pilgrim and RCAC VP Ms. Ismay Murray pose with the children after the session.
Nadal avoids Federer’s fate with comfortable win
Smith happy to be back, Welshman elated to be invited
Rafael Nadal. REUTERS-Issei Kato
Andreas Seppi. Reuters/ Athit Perawongmetha
Guyana Jaguars face T&T Red Force in NAGICO 50 overs final tomorrow
Emery Welshman (left) and Jamaal Smith before their practice session at GDF yesterday afternoon.
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