Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Mazaruni Prison is a hell Guyana’s underground economy accounts for $188B hole for wardens and inmates Based on a study he conducted over the period 2001 to 2008, prominent local Economist, Dr. Clive Thomas has found that the underground economy yields a size of approximately $188B or US$940 million. He said that the new administration, A Partnership for National Unity plus the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) really needs to concentrate a lot of its efforts towards this worrying area, so as to demonstrate its commitment towards reducing corruption. He explained that Guyana’s underground economy refers to corrupt transactions that are prohibited by law and/or are undertaken by unauthorized providers. It has two main drivers: tax evasion and regulatory non-compliance. The Economist said that operators, ranging from individuals to highly organized criminal enterprises such as those trafficking narcotics, persons, arms and gold. While he appealed last week for the new administration to make efforts to recover public assets stolen during the rule of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), he is also calling for an investigation into billions worth in procurement frauds which occurred under the previous administration. He estimated that the public procurement frauds, which took place under the PPP, amount to about $140billion. This he said was calculated from estimates provided by none other than Guyana’s former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran in Part 11 of a series on public financial management. He said too that government needs to also place special attention on two other areas of significant illegality and corruption in Guyana, which generate massive economic hemorrhaging; namely, illicit capital flight and the criminal underground economy. Dr. Thomas explained that in Guyana, Illicit capital flight refers to assets, whether legally obtained or otherwise by residents, which are
- Dr. Clive Thomas
Economist Dr. Clive Thomas intentionally transferred, smuggled, or sent abroad without the knowledge of the Guyana Revenue Authority and other oversight authorities. These he said are not generally intended to yield proceeds that will be returned to the country. Because these transactions are illegal, they are kept secret. “Therefore, when capital flight occurs, the capital disappears from Guyana’s financial/asset records, even though it might turn up in records elsewhere.” He told Kaieteur News, while discussing his thoughts on the subject, that he firmly believes that this has occurred by the billions under the PPP/C and stressed that as the new government pursues all its forensic audits, this aspect should also be given attention. “During the 1980s and 1990s, capital flight was widely acknowledged as a major problem confronting Guyana. During the 2000s however, it has been barely referenced by the Authorities. During that time, capital flight resumed with a vengeance. This took place because the previous ruling political elites promoted collusion, through mutually-supporting networks, with criminal endeavours seeking to evade the regulatory and oversight functions of the state,” Dr. Thomas said. He added, “As I have argued elsewhere, this presently constitutes the starkest reminder of the ongoing criminalization of the state...” While the drivers of the
collusion between state officials and criminal operators were too many for him to mention, Dr. Thomas cited some of the key ones: the realization of the gains from crime, ranging from individual raiding of state coffers to the transfer of organized crime proceeds, the evasion of political and economic uncertainty and most importantly, fears caused by bad governance. The Economist said that these drivers reveal that illicit capital flight is deeply intertwined with other criminalities such as procurement fraud, money laundering and the criminal underground economy. He then made reference to data accumulated from two international sources responsible for annual tracking and reporting on aspects of global capital flight, including Guyana. One is the United Nations, and the other is the Global Financial Integrity (GFI) founded in 2006. Dr. Thomas noted that for the years, 2010-2012, Guyana’s illicit financial flows had averaged US$443million or about $90billion. Although these flows do not fully account for total capital flight, he said that they provide an order of magnitude for that sum. He said that by any standard, this is a humongous amount that has risen rapidly during the 2000s. “Retrospectively, the20102012 average compares to US83 million back in 2003.This had doubled to US$173million by 2006, and doubled yet again by 2010 to US$575million. The recorded growth in capital flight therefore, has been explosive during the 2000s,” he added. The new government he said, if committed to good governance, should carefully milk this potential windfall for the benefit of Guyana’s poor and hither to powerless.
What is supposed to be an arm of the Criminal Justice System in Guyana is now being described as “The Devil’s playground”. This description is being touted by both inmates and wardens alike, who have painted a gloomy picture of what is being passed off as a penal institution that is supposed to reform those who transgress the law. Within recent times several persons have been coming forward with tales of mistreatment and other violations of basic human rights with the hope that the new Minister of National Security Khemraj Ramjattan will reverse the trend. One officer pointed out that while some favour the current system because some people are like the “dog that fetches the stick every time they throw it”, “others are being victimized for asking questions.” The latest reports are coming from the Mazaruni Prisons where there are claims of ill treatment and calls that “it is time for a board of investigation to deal with pending issues of unfair treatment of prisoners”. The accusations are numerous. There are reports of the torturing of prisoners, of female officers being forced to offer sex to gain promotions and false information being placed in the personal files of officers.
“Under the system, is only the senior members can enjoy the benefits…Officers are forced at some level to take matters into their own hands because of the level of victimization…,” said one former officer, who resigned rather than face further victimisation. He referred to the change in the leadership of the prison service, which he said has seen the organisation taking on a different approach, much to the frustration of wardens. “The rules and everything became just like the Guyana Police Force and that created a hostile environment,” the officer added. “The Director never visit the prison, no regular checks are made to officers, nothing at all… you cannot speak out at all of some incidents you may witness,” he noted. There are also some instances whereas persons who do not have the qualifications to run certain Divisions are given the position because of family ties and various other reasons. Back in 2012, inmates of the Mazaruni Prison cultivated crops as not only a means of “recreation” but in an effort to eat what they produce. However their hard work passes for nothing as the grown crops are being reportedly sold in Bartica for
pocket money for the administrators of the prison. This was according to 20year-old Ronald Charles, an inmate who explained that making complaints are a waste of time, since all the persons in authority are related to each other. In another instance an inmate related that “Split peas, black eye, channa, and all kinds of other peas are all we getting with rice”, no greens. He also lamented that the cooks would give the prisoners milk mixed with flour to drink. The young man who was incarcerated in December of 2014 for a simple larceny charge, is calling on the authorities to look into the situation as soon as possible, since he has been abstaining from food for a few days now, as the peas gives him “burn stomach”. “Even a prisoner like me doesn’t deserve this; we are people too. And I am only in here because of circumstances”. A visitor to the facility, Sabrina, spoke of the harassment meted out to persons who visit relatives at the prison, “forcing them to reduce the number of visits, since standing in the rain outside for hours and the disrespect shown to them are enough to frustrate anyone into staying away from the ‘hell hole’.”
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Kaieteur News
KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
RESTORE THE CITY’S CANALS The rains came and within hours parts of the city were literally under water. When things like this happen one must either believe in global warming because over the decades that people had been living in and around Georgetown they could not recall flooding to such an extent. The weather patterns must be changing so that more water comes from the skies. There are those who point to the prolonged hot spells with temperatures reaching record levels and say that the place is hotter than it ever was. On the other hand there are those who talk about cyclical behaviour. These are the people who say that there were such temperatures in the past but actual recording of weather patterns back then was unheard of. However, in Guyana, the most likely reason for the floods is poor engineering and even worse development planning. Our leaders inherited a city that was crisscrossed with drains and waterways. The capital had some large drains and canals that were deep to the point where people named them ‘Forty-foot’. All of these canals led to either larger canals or to the Demerara River. Prolonged rainfall meant nothing to the city but some inconvenience. The water would be collected by the inter lot drains, which would flow into the canals and other waterways, which actually served as reservoirs when the tide was high. At the fall of the tide the kokers would open and the water would flow into the Demerara River. On East Coast and West Coast Demerara these canals flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. In the past the government through the Village Councils ensured that these were always cleared. Flooding was almost unheard of. Today, flooding is as common as taking a taxi to some location in the city. As soon as it rains there is this accumulation of water on the streets. Homes are not immune and for the visitors to the country who queried the type of construction that saw the houses on stilts they can now understand. Houses built according to the North American standards are often flooded. Because of the collapse of the City Council— and the view is that the previous government was encouraging the collapse by starving the municipality of funds—the small inter lot drains are no longer cleared to the extent that they have become useless. Even the small waterways are clogged. Development in the form of Styrofoam and plastic has not helped. There is a view that the city fathers may wish to reconsider reintroducing the large canals that they had closed some years ago to cater for the growing population and traffic. Where those canals once existed are now car parks and malls. In some cases roads have been built there. People must now decide whether they are prepared to live among fish or whether they will sacrifice some of the roads in the city. In any case, some of these roads are impassable because the City Council simply cannot repair and maintain them. There is another aspect to this situation. Dr. Roger Luncheon, the former government’s chief spokesman had blamed the flood on the squatting along the reserves. Many people resorted to squatting along the canals and pretty soon there was no passage for the heavy equipment to clear these canals when they became desilted. In recent memory, one still remembers the hostility on the part of some people who were squatting along a canal in La Penitence when the government tried to move them to clear the outfall channel. People behaved as though that was their birthright. To this day the outfall was never properly cleaned. Those areas are relatively new housing areas when compared to Georgetown where the canals existed and to their credit they do have wide outfalls. So the real problem is in the heart of the city. It is there that we need to restore the wide canals.
Monday June 01, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
The PPP’s racial fear mongering is the greatest obstacle to a vision of national unity DEAR EDITOR, In mid March 2015 when I personally distributed pro APNU+AFC leaflets in the traditional PPP strongholds of Parika, Leonora, and Vreed En Hoop, I found that Indo Guyanese enthusiasm for the PPP was poor and I thought then that the Coalition would have won the elections by at least 60% of the votes. As it turned out, it won by less than 5,000 votes in the general elections, and by less than 3,000 votes in the regional elections. It meant the PPP managed to rally its core base and won 49% of the votes. How did the PPP manage to turn around its campaign? The answer lies in Bharrat Jagdeo once again deciding to publicly engage in naked appeal to racial instincts and fear mongering. Make no mistake about it. Jagdeo did what Cheddi and Janet Jagan did at the bottom house meetings for decades in successfully holding their base. After Jagdeo started his race baiting and fear mongering, there was a noticeable turn out at PPP rallies across the country, so much so that I predicted on social media a very close election in which one seat
would separate the winner and loser. Although the PPP lost the elections, Jagdeo’s use of racial fear mongering proved to be an effective tool in holding the core base of the PPP, although it must be noted that around 10% of Indo Guyanese voted for the Coalition while another 10% did not vote at all, thereby ensuring the defeat of the PPP. It must be noted too that had the AFC’s Moses Nagamootoo conducted a systematic and sustained campaign in PPP strongholds the Coalition would have won more Indo Guyanese support. I think too that had David Granger spent more time in Indo Guyanese communities he would have won over many PPP supporters. Racial fear mongering by the PPP will be the greatest obstacle to President Granger’s vision of national unity. In opposition the PPP will continue with this tool in order to hold its base and in this regard it will be assisted by the old PNCites who will try to intimidate and discriminate against innocent perceived PPP supporters. This will cause those Indo Guyanese who voted against the PPP to return to the base
thereby increasing PPP support. The PPP will continue with its old tried and tested narratives of PNC hatred of Indo Guyanese. Already the rewarding of Hamilton Green with the Order of Roraima has caused much consternation amongst Indo Guyanese who don’t support the PPP so just imagine what were its effects on supporters of the PPP. At this point I must admit that the PNC also has its narratives and so we have the 2 main parties with their versions of our history. These narratives only serve to cement the racial divisions that were caused by Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham in their struggle for personal power in the early 1960’s. Forty nine years after Independence, the cause for Jagan and Burnham’s power struggle, we are still a divided nation as was evidenced by the 2015 election results. The PPP is bent on racial divisons in order to hold its base. We have in President Granger a historian with a vision for racial unity. I think we all would like to see some concrete steps in that direction by the time we celebrate our 50th Independence Anniversary.
One such step should be a Truth and Reconciliation Commission with the starting point being the year 1945 when WW2 ended and Britain was quite willing to part with her Colonies, the political situation in British Guiana, the introduction of Communist ideology by Cheddi and Janet Jagan, the Jagans siding with the USSR in the Cold War, universal suffrage and the 1953 elections, the suspension of the Constitution in 1953 and the split of the PPP in 1955 along mainly ideological lines that got blurred by racial support of the 2 leaders, the PPP’s cause of social unrest in the 1960’s due to its obsession with Communism, the Socialist drive of the PNC and the PPP up to 1985, elections rigging to keep out the Communist PPP, the anti PNC struggle by the African dominated WPA, the Hoyte era of 1985 to 1992 when he dismantled Socialism and returned to democracy, the PPP era of 1992 to 2015 of narco trafficking, money laundering, massive corruption, debauchery, and theft of public property. The findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Continued on page 23
I laud GECOM’s CEO for his vigilance that thwarted efforts to insert fake statements of poll DEAR EDITOR, Having read the latest Release of Commissioners Gunraj, Mangar and Shaw, I am replying posthaste to avoid the public falling prey to their attempt to misrepresent, mislead and misinform. I will respond point by point notwithstanding their convoluted ten points. Before I do so, may I point out that the core issue is whether GECOM compiled and published results based on fake and or falsified statements of poll? The answer categorically is NO. The results of the Returning Officers (ROs) were cross referenced with the political parties and found to be identical. The PPPC, at the level of District 4, did raise some objections but never presented their statements of polls, at that level, to support their contentions, although they were requested , and given an opportunity, to do so. However, the subsequent submission of statements of polls by a PPPC delegation provided an opportunity for the issue, of the alleged compilation of results, in District 4, based on falsified statements of polls, to be determined. It was determined
that the statements of polls presented by the PPPC, as the original/authentic statements, were no different tothose used by the RO in her compilation. The aforementioned, alone, gives credence to the results that GECOM declared and should bring closure to the matter.However, for the benefit of the public. I will proceed to respond to the ten points, although these exchanges are of little value in determining a matter that, at this stage, can only be determined by the court. Their first point states the following quote: “‘it was determined in the hours leading up to the final declarations that GECOM had to deliberately discard several documents from its own Information Technology (IT) Department. This was because of emerging evidence that all was not right with those IT result and that some fake Statements of Poll (SOPs) somehow entered GECOM’”. That quote is nowhere in my statement which was carried verbatim as a letter. That is their first misleading representation. Since I never sought to
identify where the fakes originated, it is therefore a moot point, in response to my missive, to seek to clarify that no fakes could have originated from IT. Further, what IT received or did not receive is irrelevant to the results declared since as I stated that pathway was abandoned, as a part of the process of the tabulation of the results, when found to be corrupted. It was clearly decided to bypass that pathway but the antagonists commissioners seem bent on keeping the irrelevant IT Department in the picture for reasons best known to themselves. Any report emanating from IT was therefore a non-issue but the antagonists requested one and were presented with the obviously faulty and incomplete document, which the Chairman quite rightly withdrew. What should be noted is that the CEO never intended, or sought, to table that document, since it had its origin in a pathway that was known to be corrupted and had been abandoned. The second point is of nuisance value. No bases were given for the requested recounts thus the ruling of the
ROs brought the matter to an end. The Representation of the People‘s Act clearly states: “ A duly appointed …, may request the returning officer to have the votes recounted or again recounted; but the returning officer may refuse such request if in his opinion it is unreasonable.” (Section 88) GECOM was in the business of producing credible result rather pandering to baseless requests. There is no new point in three. I did state that fake statements were discovered and reported on by the CEO, hence my use of the phrase “should have been”. The fourth point continues to ignore the fact that the corrupted pathway was abandoned and that as an exigency the pathway of the ROs was resorted to, as agreed. While, the law required the CEO to do a tabulation it never indicated that IT was to be its mandatory source. An electronic report was mandated and the CEO attested to the electronic nature of one of the reports he presented. He also attested to the cross checking Continued on page 23
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
The Way GT&T Operates DEAR EDITOR, The citizens of Turkeyen, and Cummings Lodge woke up on Sunday morning to find there was no telephone service. We don’t know what the cause was, since it was raining heavily and apparently citizens didn’t go out to ascertain the fault. One assumes that the cause was the heavy rains. I called a number 0488 which is listed as “Customer Support Call Centre” at about 9:25 hours. The woman on the line told me that GT&T does not have an emergency service. I explained the problem but she said for her to contact the relevant department I have to describe the fault. I suggested to her it was an emergency since the two areas were without service. She said all she can do was register an individual fault of mine, not the two areas and it
would be attended to in three working days. If anything was nonsense this was. Hundreds of people are without service and all she can do is register and individual fault call. She refused to give me her name saying that if I write about it I can refer to her first name, Anthea. I don’t know if that is her real first name. About an hour after, we found the cause. A driver ran into the GT&T junction box at the corner of the UG Road and the Railway Embankment. It uprooted the large box with all the wires exposed. This was the nerve box that serves the area. I got hold of a number that deals specifically with these matters. This was around 10:00hrs. I was told the matter has been reported to the person in charge of that kind of operations.
Six hours after I made that report about the junction box, I visited the damaged structure. The cover was lying in the trench and all the thousands of wires were exposed to the rain. From 10:00 hrs to 16:00hrs no one from GT&T came to cover those wires. At 18:00 hrs I went back. Still no one came. Once the rain came that Sunday night those wires would be permanently damaged. This is the attitude of a company whose CEO is paid almost three million monthly and recently applied for rate increase and has a monopoly. I doubt we would get service back in five days time. One of the residents in my community is Yog Mahadeo, former CEO of GT&T. A monopoly is certainly a dangerous thing. Frederick Kissoon
A difficult task for the PPP if Jagdeo remains its de facto leader
DEAR EDITOR, As a PPP/C candidate at the recently concluded general and regional elections, I have had many opportunities to observe and to interact with several members regarding the party’s inner workings and infrastructure. By the time I joined the campaign, it was obvious that former president Jagdeo was the party’s central figure and one easily got the sense that he was the man leading most, if not all, the party’s political and campaign strategies. From this observation, I believed this election for the PPP/C was “Jagdeo’s” to win or lose, considering the central role he played in the campaign and in formulating its strategies. After the party lost the elections, many in the party
seemed to be at a loss about the party’s direction and the apparatus literally stopped functioning for a day or two after the elections coupled with an information blackout.The Freedom House party headquarters was a ghost town and little was being told to any party candidate or supporter. During this time, many party members, junior or senior, reflected on why the party lost, ready to put the blame squarely on Jagdeo’s shoulders. There was no place where I turned that I did not hear party members and supporters whisper and angrily criticize Jagdeo’s divisive campaign rhetoric. The general belief was that under his presidency the party lost its way from being a “wholesome” political organization, which attracted
Let the young people design the architecture of their own development DEAR EDITOR, I would rather take a break from activism after eighteen years. I believe deep down in the inner recesses of my being that the Government of Guyana will bring about significant positive changes that will benefit Guyana in the first five years of governance. I would rather now spend time facebook posting songs that would solicit two or three Likes, as I slink into virtual oblivion. A weekend in France is also on the cards. But it would be remiss of me not to respond to a few very serious concerns, coming from a number of young people, that have bombarded my inbox. Permit me to register in the strongest possible terms that
the greatest symbolic act that should be recognised, honored and celebrated in our recent historic change is that of the rise of a nation of young people who became aware, aroused and connected to a revolution that saw them sweeping the Granger Administration to victory. They empowered themselves and with a wave of electrifying energy brought hope and glory to a battered and bruised nation. They literally designed and led the revolution. If one of the first significant acts of HE President David Granger is to put the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport as a “sub” ministry under that of the Ministry of Education, then a
clear message is transferred that does not auger well in relation to truly empowering young people and giving them the leadership roles where their independence is seen and respected and allowed to flourish through their own vision and ingenuity, albeit with some guidance and advice from the Government. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport MUST be returned to one that is separate if not distinct from any other overarching ministry. President David Granger with all his good intentions must allow genuine consultation with young people and let them have a major say in how his Administration crafts such
decisions. The era of master leader was destroyed by the power of young people in Guyana, just about two weeks ago. It must not raise its head again, much-less, this soon. Further, the composition of the Cabinet can in no way reflect that there has been any genuine trust or confidence in the leadership qualities and abilities of our young men and women. Many of these young people have returned qualified from studying abroad in a wide range of disciplines that are in tune with the realities of progress in a modern world. Many at home have crafted their own cultural paradigms in sync with that which is confined to
their progressive outlook of how they wish to shape their own future and destiny. They must be allowed to fully expand in that regard. I therefore call on the Government of Guyana to reassess their approach in relation to the recent handling of the highest decision making body of our youths. I call on His Excellency President David Granger to reverse that decision and free up the young people and let them design the architecture of their own development and progressive outlook of the future that belongs to them and generations to come. Young people being the future must not just be a political rhetoric. Norman Browne
many friends and allies to becoming one where perceptions of impropriety and corruption had created ominous clouds over the party’s image. For many within the party, while the loss was disappointing, it also presented an opportunity for rebirth, redemption and change in the way in which the party operates. It justifiably should have been the start of a complete break from the politics of Jagdeo and his loyal circle within the PPP. The election loss engendered paradoxical feelings of being dejected but yet hopeful simultaneously. Unfortunately, this never happened. Instead, Jagdeo took charge of the party, insistent on shaping the postelections narrative and was firmly back in command. This did not – and still does not – go down well with many members. Many whisper behind his back or choose their words carefully when addressing any forum where he has been included, but none would dare say to him directly how they felt. As I write this, the displeasure that he is still firmly in charge of the party does not sit well with many. However, for reasons I still cannot comprehend, many are reluctant to call him out and challenge him visibly or publicly. It will be a difficult task for the party if it continues on the current path with Jagdeo as de facto leader. Moreover, it would be difficult to attract, and in my case retain, the type of people who can help reinvent the party. Plainly stated, the party has to move on without Jagdeo if it is to ever recapture its former political prestige. Clinton Urling
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Kaieteur News
Monday June 01, 2015
Home owners in custody after killing ‘burglar’ A Kaneville, East Bank Demerara resident and his wife are now subjects of a murder investigation after the man stabbed and killed his wife’s cousin, who they are claiming attempted to burglarize their home early yesterday morning. Ramatar, also known as Jason Edwards, was stabbed to his neck and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). His attacker was identified as his cousin-in-law, was taken into custody along with his wife, hours after Ramatar was murdered. The incident took place a few corners away from where Ramatar lived. According to the police, at about 03:00 hours yesterday, Ramatar, a miner of Lot 723 Third Field, Kaneville, East Bank Demerara (EBD), along with four other men, is reported to have attempted to break into a home at Kaneville. The police said that during the burglary, Ramatar was stabbed to his throat and a male resident of the home is assisting the police with the investigations. The dead man’s immediate family is adamant, however, that he was murdered during a confrontation at the detained couple’s residence, where there was a party. Two individuals claiming to be eyewitnesses alleged
Dead: Darson Ramatar that Ramatar was at the party when he became involved in an argument with a man over the purchase of alcohol. A scuffle broke out and the man stabbed Ramatar to the neck. Afterwards, the assailant reportedly told other guests to tell the police that the 24-year-old was slain while attempting to break into the house. When police arrived at the scene, they reportedly found Ramatar lying in a crouched position in the eastern side of yard, with injuries to his throat and lips. They also observed that a lock at the southern door on the house appeared to have been tampered with. When Kaieteur News visited the scene yesterday afternoon, most of the neighbours were at a lost as to what could have transpired. They said the
cousins were earlier eating and imbibing together at a small party held for the assailant’s wife. Kaieteur News understands that there were about six persons, including the home owner, his wife, children and another person, in the house at the time of the alleged attempted burglary. Jimmy Thomas, who was also at the house at the time, told this publication that they were celebrating a birthday but later retired to bed. He said a few hours later, about five persons invaded the property. According to him, they cut the electrical wire leading to the property and the telephone lines. He claimed too that two window meshes had been removed. Thomas told Kaieteur News, however, that they were aroused by a commotion outside. By the time he and the homeowner got out, most of the gang had scurried away. He said that the homeowner managed to corner Ramatar as he attempted to scale the fence. “Me brother-in-law catch one of them and bore him straight to he throat and kill he,” Thomas added. Thomas said that they later realised the deceased was his cousin. He said they had not been able to see the faces of the other men, since the house was plunged into darkness. “Is rob he come to rob this place. Look at the windows,” he said, pointing to the window mesh that lay on the ground. Thomas was sure that the homeowner was at the time uncertain of whom it was that he attacked. He said that he
and Ramatar had just returned from the interior but “He does follow bad company. They influence he to come and rob, they probably think we got the load.” Meanwhile the dead man’s aunt, Felice Edwards maintained that it was an act of coldblooded murder and not a burglary attempt as her other relatives had claimed. She said that earlier that evening, she had gone to the party. “It was a lil family gathering and the men were drinking,” Edwards said, adding that she subsequently left and went home. She stated that later that morning she received a call from her niece who claimed that Ramatar had cut the electricity lines, scaled their fence and tried to break into her house. “She said you better come and move him right now. I want you come and move him from here right now because them boys beat him up bad. She never tell me them stab him to his throat.” Despite the downpour at the time, she went to her the couple’s house. “When I reach there, her husband come to the gate with a brown handle knife in he hand. He brother-in-law come and he had a black handle knife in his hand and I know they murder my nephew.” As she explained how Ramatar ’s grief-stricken reputed wife and the rest of the family are, Edwards said “My nephew is not that person. My nephew don’t thief. He is not, never, ever.” She said that her daughter who left the party at 01:30 hours reported that Ramatar
One of the windows that was allegedly tampered was already in a drunken state but despite efforts to take him home, he did not want to leave the party. “You know what the neighbours them say? The neighbours them say they had on the music loud and then there was screaming in the house, big screaming, fighting and cussing and so. Then they turn off the music, that
is when it done happen. That is why I saying they murdered my nephew.” She believes that Ramatar was killed in the house and then “they dragged him and put him out there like he is a bandit.” The woman is contending that her nephew was drunk at the time and could not have attempted any robbery.
High level of failure at Nursing school to be addressed shortly Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton has committed that the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance for Change Government will address issues that are causing the high level of failure at the Georgetown Nursing School. While expressing great concern regarding the high failure rate, Minister Norton noted that, “we will do everything that is possible to better the pass rate that we have, and also to increase the quality of the nursing profession that we’re now having here.” He said that the failure is as a result of multiple factors, noting that more efforts need to be made to ensure
- Minister Norton technology is available to the students. “… we are also concerned about the number of lecturers we have, and the quality. Teaching is a dynamic process, where you have to do your refresher courses, you have to change concepts regularly and so on,” the Minister explained. With the changing world of medicine, he said, one cannot expect that the same tutors will be doing the same courses for the past decade, and would achieve the kind of end product that will help to better the health situation in Guyana. (gina)
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
Six powers agree way to restore U.N. sanctions in push for Iran deal – sources
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, speaks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, prior to a bilateral meeting for a new round of Nuclear Talks with Iran at the Intercontinental Hotel, in Geneva, Switzerland, Saturday. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP) NEW YORK/PARIS/ANKARA (Reuters) - Six world powers have agreed on a way to restore U.N. sanctions on Iran if the country breaks the terms of a future nuclear deal, clearing a major obstacle to an accord ahead of a June 30 deadline, Western officials told Reuters. The new understanding on a U.N. sanctions “snapback” among the six powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - brings them closer to a possible deal with Iran, though other hurdles remain, including ensuring United Nations access to Iranian military sites. The six powers and Iran struck an interim agreement on April 2 ahead of a possible final deal that would aim to block an Iranian path to a nuclear bomb in exchange for lifting sanctions. But the timing of sanctions relief, access and verification of compliance and a mechanism for restoring sanctions if Iran broke its commitments were among the most difficult topics left for further negotiations. U.S. and European negotiators want any easing of U.N. sanctions to be automatically reversible if Tehran violates a deal. Russia and China traditionally reject such automatic measures as undermining their veto power as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. As part of the new agreement on sanctions snapback, suspected breaches by Iran would be taken up by a dispute-resolution panel, likely including the six powers and Iran, which would assess the allegations and come up with a non-binding opinion, the officials said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would also continue regularly reporting on Iran’s nuclear program, which would provide the six powers and the Security Council with information on Tehran’s activities to enable them to assess compliance. If Iran was found to be in non-compliance with the terms of the deal, then U.N. sanctions would be restored. The officials did not say precisely how sanctions would be restored but Western powers have been adamant that it should take place without a Security Council vote, based on provisions to be included in a new U.N. Security Council resolution to be adopted after a deal is struck. “We pretty much have a solid agreement between the six on the snapback mechanism, Russians and Chinese included,” a Western official said. “But now the Iranians need to agree.”
Another senior Western official echoed his remarks, describing the agreement as “tentative” because it would depend on Iranian acceptance. A senior Iranian diplomat said Iran was now reviewing several options for the possible “snapback” of Security Council sanctions against Tehran. It was unclear exactly how the snapback mechanism would function, and the officials did not discuss the precise details. It was also unclear how the proposal would protect the United States and other permanent Council members from a possible Chinese or Russian veto on sanctions restoration. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power has made it clear that Washington does not want Russia’s and China’s recent slew of vetoes on resolutions related to Syria to be repeated with an Iran nuclear agreement. France’s Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud said in Washington last week that, under a French idea, sanctions would be reinstated automatically in the event of noncompliance, avoiding the threat of a veto. Under that idea, which Araud said had not to date been approved by the six powers, the onus would be on Russia or China to propose a Security Council vote not to re-impose sanctions. Russian and Chinese officials did not respond immediately to requests for confirmation that they signed off on the snapback mechanism. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva on Saturday. They discussed progress and obstacles to an agreement in the Iran nuclear talks a month before the deadline for a deal aimed at reducing the risk of another war in the Middle East. Restoring U.S. and EU sanctions is less difficult than U.N. sanctions because there is no need for U.N. Security Council involvement. For their part, Moscow, Beijing and Tehran have wanted assurances that Washington cannot unilaterally force a sanctions snapback - a risk they see rising if a Republican wins the U.S. presidency in 2016. A senior Iranian diplomat confirmed that discussions of specific snapback options were underway. He told Reuters Tehran was preparing its own “snapback” in the event the Western powers fail to live up to their commitments under the agreement.
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Kaieteur News
Monday June 01, 2015
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Old may be gold but the young are around There was a time when politics was the vocation of the young. Both Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan were young men when they became involved in politics. Both men were politically active before they made their entry into ministerial positions and legislative politics respectively. Forbes Burnham was thirty years old when he became Guyana’s Minister of Education. Cheddi Jagan was 29 years when he was elected to the Legislative Council. Both had been active in
politics years before. Both Burnham and Jagan, when they were together, were criticized by those who were against the change the two leaders were forcing on the country. These leaders were described as enthusiastic but inexperienced young men. These were the labels that were pinned on them. In other words, they were seen by the colonial authorities as reckless Young Turks who needed experience. They did not do too badly. They led the country to
political Independence. Politics was like a bottle of tonic. It invigorated the nation. That did not last too long though. There came a time when our young people became so fed up with politics that they opted out of it. In the late seventies and early eighties, politics was a frightening experience for opposition supporters. The fear, the repression and the violence scared many a young person from dabbling in politics. That situation began to
Dem boys seh...
Soulja Bai get flood out Old people got a saying; “Man does appoint but God does disappoint. Soulja Bai seh that he gun live a simple life. In fact, he announce big and bold that he ain’t want no big salary and all he want is a simple pension. That is a good thing because he know that he will not be like some people who even when dem lef office dem gun live off de people. Dem gun tek more money that dem paying more than 100 old people as pension every month. Anyhow, people want he go and live in State House but he seh that he is a simple person and he happy wheh he live. Well yesterday morning he get up and he cuss. He see he security people standing pun some drinks box. One man did climb pun a shed. And Soulja Bai? He did sleep through all de rain but is when he get up and step from he bed into a pool of water that he realize that he can’t live in a simple place. When he foot hit de cold
water he holler so hard that he shock he security. One of dem fall off de drink box. De truth is that Soulja Bai get flood out. All he shoes get wet. He had to go to church in slippers. Dem boys wondering wha he gun wear to wuk fuh swear in Basil. Of course, some people rush to clear de drains which was clear anyway. Dem now planning to grade down Mandela Avenue because it more high that Soulja Bai yard and water always running off de road. Some people from
Lodge go to he house fuh move he out but he tell dem that he is a simple man and no water gun chase he from wheh he live. That is why dem boys love de man. Up to last night he was sunning out he shoes. Why he don’t go to State House? He claim that Jagdeo use to sleep deh and he refuse sleep in de same room wid Jagdeo. Donald didn’t have a problem wid that and he lost de elections. Talk half and line up fuh help Soulja Bai bail out water from he house.
change with the return to democracy. The PPP returned to office in 1992. By them most of the older generation of leaders had died. Most of the then leaders were middle aged but this did not stop the party from investing in young people. Bharrat Jagdeo was just over thirty when he became a Minister and he was below thirty five years of age when he became President of Guyana. Both Irfaan Ali and Robert Persaud became Ministers of the Government at a pretty young age. The PPPC has also appointed a number of young persons as Permanent Secretaries. In fact there were a number of young men who were appointed Permanent Secretaries by the Peoples Progressive Party. They did not do too badly administratively. Any criticism of them had nothing to do with their ability to administer their ministries. No one suggested that they were too young for their jobs. I am therefore at my wits end to understand why the
APNU+AFC coalition is saying that some young ministers are understudying their senior counterparts. There is no need for this. Throw these Ministers into the deep end of ministerial work just as how Burnham and Jagan were thrown into politics at a young age. These young Ministers do not need to understudy anyone. The only way they will learn is by being on the job. In Guyana’s heady political environment, everyone learns quickly. The fact that someone is young should not be used as an excuse for them being made a Junior Minister. In fact, this is a disrespectful label to call any Minister. Young people have a lot of energy and therefore more of them need to be made Ministers. There is nothing wrong with having experienced persons as Ministers. There is nothing wrong with having elderly persons as Ministers. So long as these older folks can keep their eyes open eight hours during the day, they should qualify to be
Ministers. You do not want Ministers who are nodding off all the time. We saw a lot of that in the last parliament. Old may be gold but the young are all around. With age comes wisdom and experience. Some of that is needed. But also needed are youthful exuberance and drive. Young people have to be given a chance because a government is supposed to reflect the population. The bulk of Guyana’s population is comprised of young people. They need to see themselves reflected in the government If you look at the present Cabinet you will find that the average age of this Cabinet is pretty high. Perhaps, it may be the government with the oldest average age in the Caribbean. And to think that it is the young people that brought this government into power.
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
Holding of Local Government Election now a real possibility As the International community continues to advocate for the holding of Local Government Elections in Guyana, Charge’ d´ Affaires of the United States Embassy, Bryan Hunt has indicated his belief that the new government has a real interest in the holding of such. Guyana has not held Local Government Elections since 1994 even though it is supposed to be held every four years. In the lead up to the General and Regional Elections of 2011, the People’s Progressive Party administration promised to ensure the holding of Local Government Elections by 2012. However, after the Party formed the first minority government in Guyana, the then President Donald Ramotar decided that it was “risky” to hold Local Government Elections while his party had such a political standing. At that time, David Granger, who was the then Leader of the Opposition, led several picket exercises calling for the holding of the
- US Envoy Local Government Elections. He had promised that he will hold Local Government Elections when he got into office. Granger now heads an APNU+AFC coalition government. During a recent interview at the United States Embassy, Hunt said that Granger, in his private discussions as well as public statements, has made it clear that he thinks Local Government Elections should be priority for Guyana. “So I am quite confident his government will move in the direction of getting this done,” Hunt added, “Obviously there are logistical things that have to be done to meet the requirements under the law in order to hold them (Local Government Elections) but I would say it is going to be something that we see in the not too terribly distant future.” Touching on the fact that the previous government and the United States of America
had a slight fall out over the non-holding of Local Government Elections, Hunt said, “It was not so much a disagreement with the previous government as much as it is was a basic premise of democratic governance that you need to have regular elections at all levels. Guyana hasn’t had Local Government Elections in more than two decades and that is a problem.” Recently, the Carter Center released a report on its observer mission to Guyana during the 2015 General and Regional Elections. The Center said, “Guyana has not held Local Government Elections since 1994, and the repercussions for development and the ability of government to serve its people are visible at the local level throughout the coastal region. The government should recommit to holding Local Government Elections utilizing the legislation that was approved in the last parliament as the foundation for a new consensus law.” (Abena Rockcliffe)
FLASHBACK: David Granger and supporters protest the non-holding of Local Government Election by the PPP/C government.
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Carter Center report says…
Media were partisan in elections coverage Weeks after Guyana’s General and Regional elections concluded and saw high participation by international observers, the Carter Center has opined that the country’s media showed bias during the elections coverage. The Center surmised that generally the media in Guyana were partisan in their elections coverage. The Center added, “The tone of some coverage was sensationalist, often seemingly aimed at reaffirming the narrative of a particular party. While there was a diverse range of content and opinion across the media, very little of this was neutral and unbiased.” The Center also said that daily newspapers carried multiple pages of advertisements from political parties each day. The report also raised allegations which stated that the state media were biased in favour of the ruling party, the PPP/C. In its report on the recently concluded elections in Guyana, the Center noted the international obligations related to the media and elections. These obligations, the Center said, include freedom of expression and the right to seek, receive and impart information through a range of media. It went on to say that the media play an “indispensable role” in democratic elections through the conveyance of information to voters and political parties about major issues. Although the Center admitted that it did not conduct a “systematic analysis” of the media during its time in Guyana, the mission noted several
key aspects on the overall media framework. The Center further said that freedom of speech was generally respected across Guyana in the lead-up to the May 11 elections, as candidates campaigned actively. However, although six parties participated in the elections, the two largest parties – the PPP/C and the APNU+AFC coalition – received almost the entire attention of the media, the report said.
“The smaller parties’ campaigns were largely invisible, with very low levels of activity. The two main parties, by contrast, were extremely visible,” the Center said. Meanwhile, the Center opined that the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) required “much room for improvement”. According to the Center, GECOM operated the MMU to facilitate the maintenance of a media environment conducive to the democratic processes. However, the Center
noted, the MMU lacked the power to sanction or discipline the media in any w a y, a serious shortcoming. The Center’s concerns are ones that have been previously reiterated, particularly when politicians make explosive statements during the campaign trail and these statements are in turn published in the media. Although the monitoring unit would publish reports during the elections period which called out media houses on their shortcomings, not much can be done beyond this naming and shaming game. Further, media practitioners signed a self-regulatory media Code of Conduct which aimed to contain media excesses and to assist in leveling the political playing field by facilitating equitable, balanced and fair coverage of the parties’ campaigns. However, this code was breached several times during the course of the 2015 elections, MMU reports indicated. Meanwhile, the Center noted that civil society organisations were “largely invisible” during the election campaign, “as very little space was afforded to them in the media”. Nonetheless, the report said, these organisations were able to use social media to share their messages, encouraging both participation and peace for the elections.
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Kaieteur News
Monday June 01, 2015
USA, Guyana collaborate to ensure oil wealth does not land in private pockets By Abena Rockcliffe With promising indications that Guyana will soon become an oil producing country, the newly inaugurated government has begun talks with the United States of America (USA) with an aim to adopt the most suitable measures to secure the wealth that will be derived. This was made known by United States Embassy Chargé d´ Affaires, Bryan Hunt during a recent exclusive interview with Kaieteur News. Hunt explained that the USA wants to ensure that Guyana, “as a matter of priority,” becomes a candidate country for the Extracted Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The EITI is intended to ensure that all oil deals are transparent and the public is kept up to date with the wealth generated from such deals. Hunt told Kaieteur News that his country has had preliminary discussions with the Granger government on how Guyana might transparently manage the financial resources generated, not only from oil and gas but from minerals
President David Granger and timber as well. The Envoy said that the new government as well as the previous government was spoken to about the “need” for Guyana to become a candidate country for the EITI. The EITI, as explained by Hunt, is the global goal standard by which governments can ensure that its country’s financial inflows from natural resources extractions are transparent to the public. “In this way everyone knows what you (government) are receiving, everyone knows the terms of
the contract and then civil society can be able to hold the government accountable to make sure that those resources flow into the state coffers and not into private pockets. So getting Guyana into the EITI is something that needs to happen on a priority basis,” said Hunt. The US Envoy indicated that, in this regard, the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration had done some preliminary work with the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) “and some (work) with us.” He said that the USA is prepared to continue to work with Guyana through the current government to put together a submission to the EITI for candidacy. However, the Chargé d´ Affaires explained that the process for Guyana to become a candidate will be a very involved one as the country will have to demonstrate that it has adopted the right laws and the right stakeholder groups and so forth. “But we are going to work with them on a priority basis to move that ahead,” he said. Also, the USA is advocating for Guyana to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) which President
David Granger has already signaled his intention to do. With regards to the SWF which President Granger spoke about establishing while he was in election campaign mode, Hunt said that the USA, as well as the broader International community, is supportive of this intention. The USA representative said that this is the goal standard, not for the transparency of the inflows like the EITI will provide, but for the transparency of the management of the outflows of cash from oil generated wealth. Hunt explained that with a SWF, all the revenue that is derived from whichever industries selected to be covered—weather oil, timber or gold—flows into this single fund. He said that instead of spending this money immediately, government can then use that money in a sustained way to ensure that there are enough funds to govern the country not just immediately but for the long term. Hunt noted that this fund comes in handy as the natural resources, which are always going to be finite, begin to run out.
United States Embassy Chargé d´ Affaires, Bryan Hunt The Envoy explained that a SWF guarantees a predictable budget stream over a long term period. He noted as well that it also guards against the Dutch disease which is when the public sector inadvertently crowd out the private sector by dumping huge amounts of capital into the country. “So I think it is important, and President Granger has the right approach in the principle that Guyana needs a sovereign wealth fund and I think we will all from the international community, agree with that basic premise,” said Hunt.
Hunt explained that all does not end with the agreement that Guyana needs such a fund, as the government now has to decide which structure will be used “because there is not one single model for a sovereign wealth fund, there are different models.” Hunt explained that the different models will have different rates of expenditure. Different models can hold money onshore or offshore. “Also sometimes you have multiple SWF; one for long term investment and one for short term growth. So there are a number of models that the government will need to consider.” Hunt said that he is quite sure that the International community is prepared to work with the Granger administration to help explore the various options “as there is not a so called right answer to this question. It’s a policy choice that the government will need to make in the best interest of the country.” He said that the US hopes that there will be public forums to ultimately decide on and adopt a model that “people believe will work best to ensure the long term sustainable management of resources here in Guyana.”
Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
The issue of race has come to the front burner again DEAR EDITOR, It is a dawn of a New Era. I’m so proud of where we’ve reached as One People, One Nation, One Destiny. I can now breathe a fresh breath of air. However, the issue of race has come to the front burner again. There are days that go by when I wonder what our ancestors must be saying. They toiled this earth to make this place their home but they are a few among us who are still trying to divide us. The now opposition party has started it by way of a former President’s remarks and thus causing other persons to now play the race game. Let’s not be fooled by such statements and remarks that the now opposing party and its party candidates are making.
We must first recognise that we were all born and bred here on this land and the doctors or nurses that delivered us could have been either an East Indian, an African, a Chinese, an Amerindian, a European or a Portugese. Or maybe we were fortunate to choose the race of the doctors or nurses that attended to us to administer medical treatments! To go even deeper, let us examine it from an Education point of view. We were not allowed to choose what race of teacher taught us and brought out the best in us to make us stand proud as men and women of good social standing. I can name quite a few members of the now opposition party, who are now choosing to take part in the race game, who were taught
by another race. To go on further, let’s examine the aspect of blood donors. When there’s an accident and the patient is in urgent need of blood, do we get to choose what race the blood should come from? No! All we need at that point is to do whatever is necessary to save that life. Think of the above mentioned points and make your own assessment about the Race Card Issue. Should it be played? I can go on and on and on but I shall stop here for now. My dear fellow Guyanese, please think carefully before you condemn one another. I therefore issue a wake-up call to everyone, to open your eyes and see the now opposition party’s views on politics. It may just be “politricks”. Let’s all remember that despite the colour of our skin, the blood running through our veins will always be one standard colour, “Red”. Let’s join hands and live as One People, One Nation with One Destiny! Forbes Prince
The New Government is not Jesus Christ DEAR EDITOR, We have lived for a very long time with oppression. Now that we have been delivered from it, the euphoria of being indeed free could go to our heads, as power went to the heads of the past administration. The new administration is not infallible and they will make mistakes, but we must not be unreasonable and expect the impossible within a short period of time; although it is our right to ensure that they are held accountable for their actions. However, we may be expecting too much too soon from the new administration. We have to remain levelheaded and give them a chance to settle into their new position and to determine the best way forward. We should not try to make the new administration pay for what we allowed ourselves to endure silently for the last two decades under the immediate past administration. The economy was on the brink and it will take much thinking outside the box to bring us back to a decent state where it is no longer dependent on the illegal drug
trade for survival. It is difficult for people who were abused to behave rationally, but we have to be rational. It is understandable that we will now be somewhat paranoid, but we have to heal ourselves and make our contributions constructively so that we do not hinder the new government in their efforts to create an enabling environment for us to help ourselves. Yes, we have to help ourselves, and help the new government! It is heartening to see some of us beginning to do just that in the cleaning exercise that is ongoing. The saying ‘where ignorance is bliss, is folly to be wise’ came to mind recently while speaking to one of my friends, who was driven to anger in her encounter with someone she regularly buys from in the market. The vendor, apparently a supporter of the immediate past administration, was unreasonably and irrationally attempting to put the blame for the current plight of GuySuCo and its sixteen workers on the new administration. In the vendor’s voluntary blindness, she could only see what she wanted to see. It
mattered not to her that the new administration assumed office about two weeks ago. It would be mind-shattering for her and others of like mind, to believe that the people she supported for so long, and for whom she had to lie to herself, in order to continue her support, could be guilty of the blatant acts that took place in this country over the last two decades. Blindness is the only way that disturbed minds can bear these revelations. That is why it is important that as the atrocities come to light, the affected parties play their part in solving the problem. There should be no easy pass. There are lessons to be learnt here. It is the only way to bring light to minds that are in darkness. It is good to be reminded that in pointing the finger, four are pointing back at you, and it may not be at all surprising, to learn that those claiming fraud, maintained their previous position by such actions over the last two decades, but luck ran out this time around, in spite of all the gifts and money that were thrown at the disempowered simple-minded. Perhaps that is where our money has gone! Rosemarie Terborg Davis
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
Two new bridges for critical sections of Linden/Lethem road
Minister David Patterson, along with engineers of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, inspects the temporary bridge at Mile 1. Government says it has ordered that two bridges capable of withstanding heavy traffic be built along critical sections of the Linden/ Lethem road following recent erosion due to heavy rains. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Minister David Patterson on Thursday inspected the temporary structures built to facilitate traffic flow in the Miles 1 and 12 areas- from Annai heading towards
Lethem. Commuters had been forced to erect a makeshift bridge along a section of the road. “During his observation and assessment of the structures, Hon. Patterson reiterated the need for more resilient structures to withstand the weather and traffic. To this end, he has given his approval to construct robust structures in the two sections.”
Work is scheduled to begin in another four weeks, the Ministry said. The Linden/Lethem road is a critical link to several Amerindian communities, gold mining and logging concessions and Lethem, a village that borders with Brazil. The previous administration had been planning to construct a highway in place of the road, in collaboration with Brazil.
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GAPSO disturbed over disappearance of liquor from GRA warehouse Expressing displeasure at the news of the alleged disappearance, of approximately $6 million worth of foreign liquor from the Guyana Revenue Authority, (GRA) Eccles Warehouse Facility, the Guyana Association of Private Security Organizations (GAPSO) has stressed the need to stamp out corruption from among private security officers. On Thursday during a routine check at its Eccles Warehouse Facility, GRA reported missing approximately $6million worth of foreign liquor. The discovery was made by officers of the Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LIED) and as a result, an investigation was launched and it implicated security officers from a private security firm. In a press release, GAPSO, an organisation involved in promoting the highest ethical standards in the operation and management of security
services within Guyana, noted that the allegation describes an unappetizing culture of greed and betrayal that continues to cast the private security industry in a negative light. “The general public rightly expects security officers to hold themselves at a higher standard,” GAPSO stated. “This alleged action is an erosion of the public’s ability to trust private security personnel who have taken a promise to protect against such egregious, criminal activity,” it added. Stressing the importance of security officers performing their duties with honor and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe, GAPSO said that it will not tolerate corruption, abuse or criminal activity within the security industry. GASPO expressed optimism that its members and non-members within the industry will fully cooperate with any criminal or
administrative investigations of alleged misconduct by any of private security personnel, on or off duty. The organization said that it is pleased to learn that Professional Guard Services (PGS) is supporting this ongoing investigation, so the members of the public can continue to trust in the vast maj o r i t y o f s e c u r i t y officers who respect their pledge and are committed to duties and responsibilities of the private security industry. GAPSO represents members in virtually every industry in the public and private sectors, and organisations of all sizes. GAPSO provides exceptional member service, on-going education, and advocacy and business solutions for its members. The company strives to advance the needs of members under a collective voice in those matters that relate to legislation and business activities that affect its members.
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Kaieteur News
Monday June 01, 2015
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Rice industry not as rosy Police Complaints Authority as it seems - stakeholders gets own investigative team - Retired cops, former Army captain appointed
...new markets must be pursued Although there are projections that the rice industry will reap a record breaking harvest for the year 2015, millers and farmers are maintaining that something must be done by the Government to ensure that more markets are found for Guyana’s best performing crop. Dr. Turhane Doerga, former CEO of Alesie Group called for the Government to have professionals brought in to determine the way forward with the rice industry. Otherwise, he said, the price for paddy, which is currently hovering at $2800 per bag, could very well drop to $2000 per bag by the next crop. “The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C) told us to buy for $3000 per bag, we have markets. It seems the PPP/C had no (major buying) markets, save for Venezuela.” According to him, if market shortage is not addressed urgently, Guyana would be left with 200,000 tonnes of paddy in the system, with a further 500,000 tonnes expected to come in with the next crop. He noted that while the past administration would have been deceitful about available markets, the millers know that there are enough markets in the world. Martin Persaud of Caribee Rice also noted that the Government ought to consult with millers and the exporters. However, he also pointed out that current import/export levels, market price and consumption were all factors that had to be taken into account before new markets could be explored. According to him, initiatives undertaken in the rice industry could no longer be done ‘willy nilly’ as before,
but must be arrived at through careful and professional planning. Guyana’s rice production has already exceeded its first quarter target. Initial figures from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) were that 2015’s first quarter harvest, as of late last week, stood at 94.7% completion with 355,000 tonnes already harvested, in excess of the initial target of 313,000 tonnes by some 42,000. This is a trend that has repeated itself each year since 2013, when the country’s overall rice production surpassed 500,000 tonnes, the first time such a feat had occurred. The year before, 2012, rice production had also peaked at 422,058 tonnes, thus making the 2013 figures representative of a 27% increase. Venezuela is by far Guyana’s largest overseas market for rice, courtesy of the Petrocaribe, ‘oil for rice’ agreement. Under the agreement, Guyana purchases Venezuelan oil at the market value for five to fifteen % up front, with a grace period of one to two years. In return, Guyana supplies rice and uses some of the outstanding oil money to pay local farmers through the Ministry of Finance and the GRDB. Guyana also exports rice to countries within the CARICOM and European markets. Meanwhile, farmers are calling on the Government to take appropriate measures to limit the damage that Guyana’s rainy season has been known to do to rice crops. Essequibo rice farmers recently received a flood
Ministry of Agriculture excavators have been working to desilt the clogged outfall canal in Windsor Castle and Capoey over the past week.
Dr. Turhane Doerga advisory from the Region Two Administration. They were warned to prepare for three days of high intensity rainfall. In an interview with Kaieteur News, one rice farmer described the scenario as a very bleak one. According to him, Anna Regina to Golden Fleece, Essequibo Coast was in the throes of heavy rainfall, coupled with the inadequate drainage system. In addition, he said, many farmers have been forced to incur additional expenses by acquiring their own pumps at a cost of $215,000 each. He lamented that this was a yearly occurrence and that the previous administration would normally wait until the flooding situation was truly abysmal before stepping in. He also provided insight into the price per bag of paddy. According to him, the price during the last crop was a dismal $2200 per bag, when expenditure is always uncertain and farmers are looking for at least $4000 per bag to clear expenses. He compared this with the price of fertilizer which he tagged at $5000 per bag. This he said was a situation whereby all a farmer’s returns were being reinvested in fertilizer alone.
The Police Complaints Authority now has its own team of investigators to probe complaints against police ranks. Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority Justice Cecil Kennard disclosed that three retired policemen and a retired Army captain have been appointed as investigators. He identified them as Senior Superintendant of Police (Ret.) Fred Caesar; Chief Inspector (Ret.) Sidney Charles; Police Inspector (Ret.) Gladwin Hercules; Guyana Defence Force Captain (Ret.) Cecil Ramnarine. They were appointed on April 1. “My investigators will do investigations and if there is evidence, persons will be charged,” Kennard said. Justice Kennard said that
the Disciplinary Forces Commission, set up in 2003, had recommended that the Authority have its own investigators. “Last year, (former Home Affairs Minister) Rohee had asked my opinion (on this) and I had said that this matter is pending for a long time. I have been pressing for this for several years.” He said that the number of investigators may increase as time progresses. Kennard had explained some time ago that prior to having its own investigative team, each complaint had to be forwarded to the Commissioner of Police for an investigation and report, and that this often took some time. Where a complainant has not heard from the Police Complaints Authority after lodging a complaint, he/she should get in touch with the
Cecil Kennard Police Complaints. He/she would then be informed of the status of the complaint. The Telephone Numbers Are: 226-1399 and 226-2095. The Police Complaints Authority cannot deal with a matter where a complaint has not been lodged with it. The Police Complaint’s Authority can only entertain complaints against members of the Guyana Police Force from the ranks of Assistant Commissioner of Police to a Constable.
Businessman granted bail after large cocaine find Fish trader, Mohamed Ali was on Thursday released on $600,000 bail on a drug trafficking charge by Magistrate Rushell Liverpool, at the Lenora Magistrate’s Court. Ali, 51 a father of three, who resides at Lot 11 La Jealousie, West Coast Demerara is accused of being in possession of 51.626 kilos of cocaine on May 10, at Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara, for the purpose of trafficking. At his first court appearance on May 13 before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry Ali was denied his pre-trial liberty because his lawyer Bernard Da Silva had failed to advance special reasons. The matter was then transferred to the Leonora Magistrate’s Court. The attorney renewed his bail application on Thursday before Magistrate Liverpool and advanced several special reasons to secure bail for his client. The attorney explained to the court that Ali is a diabetic and hypertensive patient. He said the defendant had recently suffered from a heart attack and during his incarceration at the Georgetown Prison he had to be kept in the infirmary. Finally, the lawyer opined that Ali would not be given a fair trial within a reasonable time, which would result in a breach of his constitutional
right. Ali was ordered to lodge his passport and report to the Narcotic Branch at Eve Leary, every fortnight on Mondays. He is scheduled to make another court appearance later this month. According to the police’s facts, on May 10, the cocaine was transported to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) by an employee of Ali. It was concealed in 40 boxes of shrimp. Whilst his employee was at the airport, Ali made contact with him and ordered that he cancel the arrangement and return with the boxes, which caused a level of suspicion by ranks of the narcotic branch of the Police Force. The ranks then searched the boxes and the cocaine was retrieved from them. The drugs were intended to be loaded on to a Caribbean Airlines Flight. DaSilva based his defence under Section 94, Chapter 10 of the Narcotic Act. He argued that his client was never in possession of the alleged narcotic. The lawyer
contended that the shipment of shrimp left in a Canter truck and was supposed to make its way to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Timehri. However, he said that on the journey, the vehicle stopped at Pouderoyen for a prolonged period of time. DaSilva explained that two of his client’s employees were scheduled to go to the airport, but one of them was missing. Further, he advanced that the truck arrived at the CJIA with two additional employees unknown to his client, who were reportedly picked up at Herstelling. Counsel detailed that the shipment was only identified by shipping documents bearing his client’s name. He said, too that the documents were not prepared by his client but by a shipping broker. DaSilva argued that the prosecution has to prove the elements of knowledge and control. He even put forward that the police admitted that Ali only had constructive possession of the alleged drug.
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Kaieteur News
Monday June 01, 2015
$150M CJIA expansion project…
Bank of Guyana report shows…
Construction of new terminal must be justified
Increased foreign exchange transactions in 2014
- Approval of the expansion project will be hinged on a successful resolution of land disputes - Public Infrastructure Minister
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson (second from right) speaking to CJIA officials Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson has made it clear to the management of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) that while the new administration is not opposed to the expansion of the airport, some aspects of it need to be justified. He made this comment following a tour on May 29, last where he was briefed on the design of the new terminal building and the relocation of individuals occupying lands near the CJIA. The Minister told CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramesh Ghir, Officials of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and engineers from his Ministry and CJIA that the information provided to him “was a lot to contemplate.” Be that as it may, the Minister pointed out that
“Government has no issue with the extension of the runway, but tangible justifications must be provided for the construction of a new terminal building since it hinges on the final cost of the project.” Given Patterson’s concern for persons occupying CJIA’s land, he was informed of some relocation options, including the establishment of a housing scheme at Yarrowkabra, Linden Highway. The Minister intimated however that the concern has to be addressed as a social issue and charged the stakeholders to arrive at an acceptable solution, since the approval of the expansion project will be hinged on a successful resolution of this matter. As such, the team has undertaken to submit a
comprehensive report of the Airport’s expansion project to the Minister by Friday. This document will afford the Minister an opportunity to familiarize himself with the project before discussing it at Cabinet. The airport expansion project was conceptualized under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C) administration and a contract was inked with China Harbour Engineering (CHEC) in 2011. Key components of the expansion project include: The extension of the runway from 7,500 to 10,800 feet – to accommodate the BOEING 747-400 aircraft; Doubling of Aircraft Position from four to eight; installation of eight Passenger Boarding Bridges; and the fortification of the CCTV system with approximately 300 cameras.
The ‘Clean up Guyana fever’... (From page 17) had disclosed that measures were being put in place to have Litter Wardens, who would ‘’police’’ the streets in efforts to help eliminate or at least alleviate the problem of littering. Gordon had also posited that residents have to change their attitudes towards the environment and stop littering. He had further pointed out that the garbage situation in the community was a real challenge to the usually cash strapped municipality. Linden businessman, Clifton Lyken declared, “I love what is happening here today, and I really hope that it will
continue, and that we will also maintain it, because it would make no sense if we clean today and then people start littering tomorrow. We need to have the Litter Wardens in place so that people would be charged who dispose of refuse wantonly.” At Plaisance, residents came out in their numbers and clear one of the main drainage canals which had been clogged up for several months. The obviously enthusiastic residents also removed debris from behind the Plaisance Market. And in Berbice residents of New Amsterdam began
the” Clean UP My Town” initiative which saw over 100 persons participating in the exercise. Persons participating in the activity were drawn from a number of organizations including the Guyana Police Force, The Guyana Prison Service, the Guyana Fire Service and a number of other oganisations including civil society. The exercise on Sunday concentrated mainly on Main Street and Strand New Amsterdam. For now the exercise will be conducted every Sunday until the entire New Amsterdam is cleaned.
The recently released 2014 report of the Bank of Guyana (BOG) has shown that the year registered an increased volume of exchange transactions, taking the total up to US$6.6B. The 152-page report takes an in-depth look into Guyana’s economy and makes comparisons on the economy’s growth over the years. According to the 2014 report, the total volume of foreign exchange transactions increased by 4.6% or US$292.8M from 2013 and amounted to US$6,672M (US$6.6B). In 2013, the country had recorded a total of US$6,379.2M (US$6.3B). Purchases and sales in the market were US$3,314.8M (US$3.31B) and US$3,357.2M (US$3.3B) respectively. The report further showed that the market was particularly impacted by increases in foreign currency accounts balances and hard currency transactions segments. The Guyana dollar was depreciated against the United States dollar by 0.12%, taking it to G$206.50 due to relatively higher net sales. This depreciation in the weighted mid-rate reportedly occurred at the end of 2014. Based on the rates of the three largest commercial banks’ turnover, the unweighted mid-rate depreciated by 0.24% to G$205.25. Meanwhile, the average buying and selling rates for commercial banks cambios were higher during the reviewed period, the bank’s report showed. The average buying rate increased to G$206.97 from G$203.97 while the average selling rate moved to G$210.03 from G$206.79. For the non-bank cambios, the rates were also higher; there, the average buying and selling rates increased to G$205.12 and G$209.32 from G$201.39 and G$205.60 respectively in 2013. “In the cambio market, foreign currency transactions were mainly in the United States dollar, which accounted for 93.9 percent of the total trades.
The Canadian dollar, Pound Sterling and Euro market shares were 1.8 percent, 2.2 percent, and 2.1 percent respectively,” the report said. Furthermore, the licensed cambios, which accounted for 54.8 percent of the total volumes, recorded a 5.7 percent decrease in turnover to US$3,018.2M (US$3B). For the six bank cambios, the combined transactions reported were US$2,795.5 million (US$2.79B). This indicated a decline in activities of US$309.3 million or 9.9 percent compared with 2013, the bank said. The bank cambios accounted for 92.6 percent of cambio turnover and 41.9 percent of the total market volume. Interbank transactions totalled US$70.7M in 2014, an increase of US$46.0 million or 186% compared with US$24.7M for the preceding year. For the 12 non-bank cambios, transactions amounted to US$222.7M, an increase of 135% or US$128M. In 2014, the Bank of Guyana reported that it sold US0.3M to non-bank cambio dealers compared to
2013’s US$0.65M. The Bank also sold US$3.4M to commercial banks, representing a decline of US$159.6M or 98%. The Bank’s share of all transactions reduced slightly to 17.9% as against 2013. Over the past five years, the Bank of Guyana recorded increase in its total foreign currency transactions except for in 2013 when the total declined by 5.8%. In 2010, the total transaction had been approximately US$5.1B and this total increased in 2011 to $US6B. Further increases were seen in 2012 when the figure moved to $6.7B. It dropped in 2013 to $6.4B before increasing once more last year to approximately $US6.7B. Meanwhile, the Bank of Guyana expects the exchange rate of the Guyana dollar to the US dollar will stabilise. The bank opined that this stabilisation may be due to reduction in oil prices. Foreign exchange flows to the market are also expected to adequately cover imports and support a stable exchange rate.
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 21
DANCING ON THE CEILING We often hear that the “female of the species is deadlier than the male”. Instead of reaching for a cigarette or some other herbal relaxant, female tarantulas devour and eat their male sex partners, a case of having dinner after rather than before. While this is a joke, some of my male friends believe that it typifies the extreme determination typical of women, a trait that is extremely well developed and applied in most situations that require true bloodthirstiness. The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After all of the background checks, interviews, and testing were done there were three finalists, two men and a woman. For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun. “We must know that you will follow your instructions, regardless of the circumstances. Inside the room, you will find your wife sitting in a chair. Kill Her!!!” The man said, “You can’t be serious. I could never shoot
my wife.” The agent said, “Then you’re not the right man for this job.” The second man took the gun, went into the room and after five minutes returned crying. “I tried, but I can’t do it,” he blubbered. Then it was the woman’s turn. She was given the same instructions and the gun. Shots were heard, one shot after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and said, “This gun is loaded with blanks. I had to beat him to death with the chair.” In this sense, some celebrities were lucky to remain alive. Abraham Lincoln for instance. According to Michael Burlingame, a history professor at Connecticut College and the author of “The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln”, Mary Todd used to beat the hell out of Abe Lincoln. Apparently, one time, Abe didn’t put enough wood on a fire, so Mary Todd
hit him with a log. Another time, Abe didn’t buy the right kind of meat for breakfast, so Mary Todd smacked him in the face and drew blood. Bobby Brown was accused of hitting Whitney Houston, but in an interview with the Associated Press, Whitney said, “Contrary to belief, I do the hitting, he doesn’t. He has never put his hands on me.” There are many women who would love to put their hands on Browne to complete what Whitney started. Movie tough guy, Humphrey Bogart, was stabbed in the back by his third wife, Mayo Mathot. Christian Slater’s wife threw a glass at him in a Hard Rock café. It shattered on his neck and needed twenty stitches. It is not true she said she wished that the Hard Rock café had really hard rocks. It is said that Hillary Clinton made up for the public loss of face by scratching Bill Clinton’s after a visit to the White House by Barbara Streisand of “Funny Face” fame. Lionel Richie’s wife, Brenda Harvey, ended up
being charged for spousal abuse. Seems he was dancing on the ceiling with another woman. The one that really hit me was a recent case in Arizona where a woman got three-anda-half years in prison for running over her husband with the family car because he failed to vote in the 2012 presidential election. Holly Nicole Solomon, 31, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of aggravated assault under a plea agreement with prosecutors over an incident at a parking lot in Gilbert, a south-eastern suburb of Phoenix. Police said Solomon was upset with her husband, Daniel Solomon, in the days following the Nov. 6 reelection of U.S. President Barack Obama and believed the family would face hardship from his winning another term in office. The 36year-old man suffered a fractured pelvis from being run over following a wild chase on Nov. 10, 2012, that left him pinned beneath his wife’s Jeep. Police said witnesses told them the
couple was arguing in the parking lot before the fight began to escalate. Solomon then chased her husband around the lot with the car, yelling at him as he tried to hide behind a light pole, police said. He was ultimately struck as he attempted to flee. Many people thought the man was lucky that the incident took place in Phoenix. It could have well been Tombstone. It could soon be repeated in Trinidad and Tobago where the election silly season has started and already the household temperatures have risen as some husbands and wives do not agree on which party would be best for the country. I plan, in a later column, just in case to provide tips on how to disable cars. You can never be too careful especially if you have a Cougar. Of course not every man takes it lying down. Some do stand up for their rights like this married man who left work
early one Friday afternoon and instead of going home squandered the weekend and his salary partying with the boys. When he finally returned home on Sunday night, he ran into a barrage of abuse from his wife. After a couple of hours of shouting and threatening, his wife asked “How would you like it if you didn’t see me for a couple of days?” “That would suit me just fine!!!” the man, wrong, strong and loud, shouted. Monday went by, and the man didn’t see his wife. Tuesday went by with the same result. Wednesday went by with the same result. Thursday, the swelling went down a bit and he could see her a little, just out of the corner of his left eye! *Tony Deyal was last seen saying that despite his wife’s objections he bought a boat and tried to placate her by telling her she could name the boat. She named it “FOR SALE”.
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Kaieteur News
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Advertisements; Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 6831312, 627-3206 Your Dream Yard Today! Stunning designs, Assortment, colourful plant choices, Professional Landscapers Tel: 219-0468/ 648-1821 Balloon decorating for birthdays, weddings, anniversary etc, make your event extra special! Tel Maya: 642-6664 R E PA I R S AT L O W COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS - CALL: 6294946 OR 225-4822 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building visadocumentsgy@yahoo.comCall: 225-6496, 662-6045 Eagle’s fridge re-gas - $8,000 & washing machine repairs. Phone: 697-2969, 646-0966
Live in waitress between ages 18-25yrs- $60,000 monthly, boarding & lodging free. Tel: 610-3974 Female worker wanted sound secondary education, computer literate- Tel: 612-1607
Private homeschooling for CXC English and all SSEE subjects –Call now:696-7467 Computerized Accounting 4 Courses @ $30,000: POS Quick Books, Excel 2013, Peachtree. Micrographics Vreed-en-Hoop -Tel: 264-3057 Super Deal for CXC 2015 Students: 9 Course in Computer studies -$30,000 @ Micrographics –Tel: 2643057 WANTED Taxi Drivers wanted at Princess Hotel - Tel: 616-5419
Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
Caldina Wagon PMM 753 Call: 613-1286
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 12 Offices @ 220 South Road G/Town –Tel: 227-1042, 6013369
1 Mechanic to work in the Interior must know about Cummings & Perkins Engine. Tel: 691-6260
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Five bedrooms house, 107 Lamaha Gardens & Large Parking; AC Rooms Hot & Cold, Purified Water System Call: 661-8908, 335-3590
1 Maid to wash and clean in the interior-Tel: 691-6260 Live in waitress to work in a bar – Call: 604-6606 Waitress to work at bar, East Coast - Tel: 612-2522 Washbay Attendant - Tel: 646-8748 Joiners & labourers - Tel: 592-619-9966, 592-6199671 Contract cars & experienced drivers –Contact: 227-1721 or 660-6102 One mature and knowledgeable, live in maid, preferably from the country areas. Phone: 691-7790
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Three bedroom bottom flat to rent -$45,000 per monthTel: 672-7194 or 692-7377 Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: office, storage bond or other business. Call: 680-9905 Hall for wedding, all occasions, seawall view @ 44 Public Road Kitty –Tel: 231-1908/12 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE- CALL: 675-0767, 627-5098 One 3 bedroom upper flat apartment for rental in 5th Avenue, Diamond H/Scheme E.B.D. Tel: 662-9335 New spacious 2 bedroom apartments with kitchen, bath, camera, grill, fenced, secured yard, Vreed-en-Hoop - Call: 6825230; 628-9596
Receptionists, bar attendants (shift work), live in handyman, apply in person. Tel: 223-6284 Experienced cashier: must know point of sale (shift work) @ Fortune House Restaurant, 98 Sheriff Street. Live in domestic must know to cook Indian dishes, salary $70,000 monthly - Tel: 610-3974 Female to work in prodcution department - Call: 644-5151 One live-in person to care for an elderly man in Georgetown- Call:223-9888 1 family to work & live in for an elderly man & living @ Timehri (living accommodation free) - Call: 223-9888
1 Toyota Hilux Vigo 2003, 1 Lexus IS200 – Call: 610-3707 Unregistered fully loaded, Toyota IST $2M - Call: 6917475
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Staff for plant shop, Located in Georgetown, Plant knowledge an advantage. Tel: 643-4049
Private customs brokerage training certificate course. Starting 29th June 2015. Register now and save! Call: 223-1506; 681-7567; 6948322
VEHICLE FOR SALE
WANTED 1 Maid, 40years and older to work in SurinameContact: (+597) 322-5442; (+597) 651-6666
Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665.
EDUCATION
SALON
1 L-Touring Wagon, excellent condition - A.C Alarm & Remote start, flair kit, CD player, 16" mags, price $1.3M - Tel: 626-2884 Minibus BKK Series; price$950,000, owner leaving country –Tel: 222-6628 or 692-2602
Monday June 01, 2015
VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota Prado, Price$4.4M Neg. Call: 643-2403 1 Toyota Premio (PNN Series) in immaculate condition. Including: mag rims, HID lights, alarm. $2M negotiable- Call:679-9800 One Toyota Allion 2004 Model & 1 new & unregistered Mazda Axela, excellent condition -Tel: 649-0956 2 Ford F350 2006 model, extended cab 4X4, 6" lift kit, 35" tyres, diesel, auto, excellent condition - Tel: 610-5370 V8 Titan (2005) KIA SPORTAGE 2003 - Call: 275-1230
Cheapest: manual & automatic buses, Rush, Hilux, canter, Model M Truck, front veiw property in Bougainvillea Park – Call: 616-7635 Star Cars Auto Sales: In Stock, Premio, Vitz, Bluebird, IST, Alteeza, Benz C200, Spacio –Tel: 679-3140
04 BMW 318I (MYSTIC BLUE) M SPORT PRR 9445 , DVD DECK, REMOTE STARTALARM, REVERSE CAMERA -$3M. CONTACT FARAD: 619-4544
1 Noah BSS excellent condition-$1750, 1 Noah recently registered, blue bird Sylphy 2006 (unregistered) – Tel: 652-0709; 614-4777
170 Carina PFF Series recently overhauled, needs some work, asking price $420,000 negotiable. Call: 667-7337
Noah and Voxy Unregistered. Call: 668-0000, 603-7900
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TO LET Prime office space @ lot 239 Quamina Street, Central Georgetown, parking available in Private yard. Tel: 592-227-2913, 592-689-3033 Two bedroom apartment & studio @ Eccles – Call: 6447000, 233-3133 or 233-2369 One three bedrooms top flat L.B.I East Coast - Call: 2267585 Church to let @ 180 Charlotte St. Bourda -$150M negotiable- Call:227-6817 or 624-7341 One bedroom apartment at Mon Repos, no ChildrenTel: 662-9043
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WANTED Experience female accounts clerk- 4 years working experience. Apply in person @ Alabama Trading Georgetown Ferry stelling Stabroek
FOR SALE/RENT 1 Three Storey building, established business- Call: 227-1042; 601-3369 Continued on page 23
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
I laud GECOM’s CEO for his vigilance that...
From page 4 of his electronic report with the ten declarations. The antagonists accused me of being omniscient but they are the ones who seem so since they are aware of all that was done or not done in every department, although Commissioners were not omnipresent. No doubt the ROs declarations and that of the CEO are separate but only sequentially so. That the ROs‘ declarations are legal dictates that the CEO‘s can only differ if corrections are done to the ROs‘ but in the finally analysis the CEO‘s declaration is summative of the ROs‘. It should however be noted that the authorized abandonment of one pathway necessitated the use of the ROs pathway in a manner not previously contemplated. That the antagonist refuses to recognize that decision and the need for such a decision is cause for concern. What is of greater cause for concern is their attempt to deem the CEO‘s action illegal when the Representation of the People‘s Act specifically states: “The Chief Elections Officer shall, after calculating the total number of valid votes of electors which have been cast for each list of candidates, on the basis of the votes counted and the information furnished by returning officers under section 84 (11), ascertain the result of the election in accordance with section 97 and 98. (section 96 (1) (author‘s emphasis). That is exactly what the CEO did. The fifth point about the Media Centre is irrelevant to the core issue, although, if not more than anyone else, I was a protagonist in 2011 and
again in 2015 for the publicity of results in a more detailed and transparent manner. The media results were however never intended to be official and have no standing in this issue. Six is indeed the gravamen of the matter. It has already been pointed out above that the statements routed to the ROs were not corrupted and the evidence in that regard presented. It is not a matter of Mr. Alexander‘s knowledge. It is a matter of ten reports emanating from a legitimate process. The reports were received by all and no one questioned them, not to mention the open, inclusionary and transparent process that produced those reports. I find the malicious contentions in six despicable and disingenuous. As for seven, I have repeatedly explained that at the level of the RO no evidence was submitted. I have also said that the evidence produced at another level when checked did not contradict the ruling of the RO. Eight will remain a matter of dispute; suffice to say that I tabled the proposal on the way forward and no counter proposal was proffered by anyone else. It was the only logical approach for the efficient determination of a credible result in the circumstance, while investigating the apparent systemic problem, which had been isolated. It was also an approach which adhered to section 96 (1) as quoted above. That the antagonists did not recognize or sought not to recognize my reference to all of the various discrepancies in the fake statements of polls, which the CEO discerned and the
Heavy rains swamp... (From page 16) frequent opening of kokers, cleaning of canals regularly, and ensuring that the pumps be in proper functioning order. The Ministers assured the residents that their suggestions and recommendations will be taken into consideration. Minister Ferguson, speaking to one resident in Alexander Village, said, “We ask you to bear with us, we are the government and it is our duty to ensure that this problem be fixed, so come 2016, you won’t be faced with this type of situation.” Speaking on behalf of the A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, she apologised to the nation and gave commitment to addressing the issue of flooding in the City. Meanwhile, Minister Brooms was very empathetic
and noted that the (APNU/ AFC) recogonised the problems and that “change is here,” the release stated. But despite the discomfort, Kaieteur News observed many of the Sunday faithful stepping on planks placed over pools of water to enter their respective places of worship. A newly-wed couple, their bridesmaids and other guests posed for photographs around the National Independence Monument. And near Homestretch Avenue and the 1763 Monument, which had taken on the appearance of a lake, small boys frolicked in the water. Oblivious to diseases such as the life-threatening leptospirosis, boys could also be seen swimming in canals in Albouystown. The disease resulted in an estimated 16 deaths during the ‘Great Flood,’ in 2005.
commissioners attested to, is merely a deflection that adds nothing to the substantive matter. They were all nullified by the decision to abandon the affected pathway. Nine has already been answered so many times and in so many ways that it would be useless to answer to it as it is, in itself, tautological. As to ten and the requests for recounts, accounts were requested at three different stages. The first request was administered, although the legal requirements were never met. They proved futile. As for the second set of requests, they were turned down for the want of bases, given the district verifications that were conducted and not contested except for District 4, the basis for which was dismissed. As I said in my previous statement I know of no provision in law for the third request for a national recount in addition to the fact that the basis was either evidentially deficient or already dismissed.
As for the requested information that matter is wrongly addressed, suffice to say that the PPPC has all of the official statements of polls but wishes GECOM to provide information to further validate its declaration rather than them providing information to support their case. As for the gazetted declaration, GECOM washandicapped by the nonsubmission of the legally required submission of the names of the candidates, which were to be extracted from the lists. On this, the law is quite explicit. Section 99 of the Representation of the People‘s Act states that:” As soon as possible but not later than fifteen days after election day the Commission shall publicly declare the results of the election and shall cause to be published in the Gazette a notification thereof, specifying(a) …; (b) …; (c) …; and (d) the names of the persons who, as a result of
The PPP’s racial fear... From page 4 Commission would then become the bench mark by which the youths would gauge the narratives of the PPP and the PNC and so make informed decisions at elections time. It would serve as deterrence to the PPP’s racial fear mongering, return of Indo Guyanese historiography to that community, shatter the PPP’s mythologies of victimization, expose the PPP as the cause of social unrest in the 1960’s due to it placing the interest of Communism above that of Indo Guyanese and all of Guyana. Most importantly it could be used to educate the youth voters who could comprise the swing voters, who would not blindly support governments, who could force a change in our political culture, and who could change government at every election. Even today, after the loss of the elections, the PPP, rather than placing the interests of Indo Guyanese and all Guyana above that of the Party’s, has refused President Granger’s offer to form a Government of National Unity and is bent to resorting to its old ways of racial divisiveness in order to hold its core base. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a necessary first step in defeating the PPP’s racial fear mongering and to start uniting our country. Malcolm Harripaul
election, have become members of the National Assembly;” The non-submission of those names, in a timely manner, is the reason for the delay in the publication of the results. Hopefully, it will better the performance of2011 when elections were held on November 28 and the results gazetted on Jan 11, 2012. May I conclude by saying that the place for redress is the court. I doubt whether any substantive basis can be found to nullify the wok of GECOM and I anxiously await the findings with regard to the culprits who produced and inserted faked statements into the system. I laud the CEO for his vigilance that thwarted their efforts. Here ends my fumigations as my statement has been deemed to be by the musketeers but otherwise deemed informative and educative by those who seek the truth. Vincent Alexander GECOM Commissioner NB. Please note that I am a GECOM Commissioner and not a PNCR or APNU or any such commissioner.
PROPERTY FOR SALE Property for sale, Grove $18M neg. Tel: 625-5461. Property at Covent Garden E.B.D, serious inquiries – Call: 265-3586 Property at Leonora New Scheme –Tel: 678-9851 Property at Kersaint Park LBI, price $13M negotiableContact:664-1865; 698-5713 Property for sale or rental located in Eccles. Contact: 602-8703 Flat concrete house, 3 apartment’s good location, Friend Ship, East Bank$9.5M negotiable -Tel: 6618700; 671-2689
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VACANCY Hire Car drivers to work with taxi service –Tel: 611-1018 or 622-0722 For a nursery and green house attendant: able bodied and experienced – Contact Eustace: 678-3859 Cutter/straight stitch/ button tack/hole operators. Call: 222-2541 (8:00am4:00pm Mon-Fri) Hostess, Porters, B a r t e n d e r s , Wa i t r e s s e s apply 16 Mudlot Kingston, Tel; 223-5274 Cashier, helpers & commission sales person, apply with written application @ Sachi General Store, 136 Regent Street – Tel: 227-2472 Cashiers & supermarket helpers apply in person with written application at Nirva Supermarket @ 49, Sheriff & Craig Street C/ Ville –Tel: 227-5771 Customer Service Representative for food court apply in person to Dixielee, Lamaha Street. Sales Clerk to work in a Bond send application to rtilak@adamantiumholdings. com Accounts Clerk must have CAT level 2/CXCMaths and Accounts apply rtilak@ adamantiumholdings.com One female clerk - Call: 2315171 PROPERTY FOR SALE Property at William St Campbellville, 2 family – 3 bedrooms over 2 bedrooms, 3 Baths 50FTX100FT lot. Call Cheryl: 226-8915 (9am4:30pnm) & Winston (917) 202-7444
Residential lots ad houses for sale at Eccles, E.B.D $7.5M. Tel:592-227-2913 or 689-3033 1 Flat concrete house 20X38 feet, land space: 100X200 feet. Tel: 694-1090 or 661-6073 Transported concrete property for sale at Lot 458 Block “8” Mon Repos, E.C.D, Top flat 2 bedrooms, bottom flat 2 bedrooms -$20M. Tel: 625-1514 Property @ Lot 63 West Ruimveldt, Estate Housing Scheme Georgetown – Contact Mark: 618-9744
LAND FOR SALE Land at Farm East B a n k Demerara Call: 668-0000, 603-7900 10 Acres Kuru Kuru, High Way Roadside for Resort Business –Tel: 601-3369 or 227-1042 Commercial lots available at Eccles E.B.D $14M - Tel:592227-2913 or 592-689-3033
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China, U.S. tone down rhetoric but far from South China Sea solution SINGAPORE (Reuters) After a months-long row over Beijing’s island-building in the South China Sea, the United States and China were relatively restrained at Asia’s top security forum this weekend, but no closer to any solution. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the ShangriLa Dialogue in Singapore that China was threatening security in the region with its maritime construction work, but acknowledged other claimant countries to the disputed sea were also at fault. “There’s no progress in the South China Sea (dispute), but the atmosphere has calmed a bit, thanks to reasonable consideration by all parties,” said Major General Jin Yinan of China’s National Defense University, a delegate at the conference. “The U.S. has adjusted its stance a little.” Admiral Sun Jianguo, a deputy chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army who headed the Chinese delegation, refrained from singling out the United States for criticism in his address and emphasized China’s commitment to peaceful relations. “China has always kept in mind the larger interests of maritime security,” Sun said, reiterating that his country’s “indisputable” claims over the waters were based on legal and historical evidence. Nevertheless, Washington is under huge pressure to respond forcefully to the Chinese land reclamation, with Republican Senator John McCain, one of the participants at the dialogue, suggesting that U.S. ships and aircraft ignore the 12-nautical mile zone
Ash Carter
Jin Yinan
around the artificial islands. “If we respected a 12-mile zone, then we would be making a mistake of enormous proportions because that would be de facto recognition of Chinese sovereignty,” said McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. If U.S. vessels enter the zone, tensions would escalate sharply and there is no saying how Chinese forces based there would respond. “If you look at the rhetoric, they are going to fight back,” said Jia Qingguo, Dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University. “If you look at their interests, they may opt for rhetoric instead of action. But here the danger is of an accident-led conflict.” Admiral Harry Harris, newly appointed chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters his forces would continue to operate in the region “without limitation and in accordance with international law.” But he also said he wanted increased military-tomilitary ties with China, including the U.S.-led Rim of
the Pacific (RIMPAC) joint naval exercises in 2016. McCain and other critics of the administration have said China should be barred from RIMPAC to show U.S. disapproval of its actions. China also signaled it was not considering declaring an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which requires overflying aircraft to identify themselves, around the disputed islands anytime soon. Such a move, which some U.S. military experts have seen as increasingly likely, would be viewed as provocative by Washington. Sun said a decision on an ADIZ would be taken after an assessment of the security situation and taking “extensive factors” into consideration. Jin, the major general, told Reuters Beijing was not planning such a move, although he added: “It’s not a permanent promise, it’s just China is not considering it at the moment.” Other countries participating in the dialogue warned the row could spiral out of control and called for responsible action.
Holness calls for state intervention in relationships between older men, children The Gleaner - Opposition Leader Andrew Holness says the time has come for the State to intervene in circumstances where older men are living with underage girls. Holness says the broader issue of “own account” children requires more than increasing legal penalties for child abuse. He was addressing school leaders at the Robert Lightbourne High School and residents of the surrounding Trinityville community in St Thomas at a town hall meeting organised by the school under the JN Foundation’s iLead programme. Holness, who is chairman
of the iLead Project Advisory Committee, says the situation appears to affect more rural communities than urban areas. He says communities must accept that relationships between older men and underage girls are wrong and should not be tolerated. He suggested that tolerance for illicit relationships may be contributing to the high levels of teenage pregnancy in rural parishes such as St Thomas, which continues to be a problem although the national birthrate has been declining. The JN Foundation iLead project chairman says St
Thomas communities need to address the problem of men having initimate relationships with children, if the parish is to improve its educational outcomes. St Thomas, which is ranked as the poorest parish in the country, is also cited by the Ministry of Education as among the weakest performing. The iLead programme was implemented by JN in partnership with the education ministry last year to assist with improving leadership in schools in St Thomas, St Mary and Portland and consequently, strengthen performance.
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Ombudswoman blasts Zuma International effort rescues over exoneration in spending scandal 5,000 Mediterranean migrants
Johannesburg (AFP) The South African public official who led a probe into allegations that President Jacob Zuma spent millions of public money upgrading his home yesterday blasted a report clearing the embattled leader of any wrongdoing. Zuma was last week exonerated by the police minister over the longrunning scandal and will not have to repay any of the $24 million spent on improvements at his rural homestead, which included a swimming pool, an amphitheatre and a cattle enclosure. Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, the country’s ombudswoman, had originally ruled in March last year that Zuma and his family had “benefited unduly” from the work on his home in Nkandla in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province She told South Africa’s City Press in an article published Saturday that Zuma should still be made to pay and lashed out at “shortcomings” in the police minister’s report. She conceded the wording she had used in her own report was too soft. “I should have said he benefited improperly and
Thuli Madonsela
Jacob Zuma
unlawfully,” Madonsela said. “The president must pay, I have already said that.” The amount spent on Zuma’s home would buy several luxury homes in the economic capital Johannesburg or on the scenic Cape coast. The lavish spending has angered many in a country where poverty remains widespread 21 years after the formal end of apartheid. Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko, who Zuma himself had tasked to determine how much the president should pay back, said Thursday that the upgrades were all necessary for security reasons, and described the pool as a “firepool” needed to fight any blaze at the homestead.
Madonsela blasted Nhleko’s report as full of “half-truths, inaccuracies and distortions”, saying he should have costed all nonsecurity items and then agreed on what was “humanly fair and reasonable” to be paid by Zuma. The main opposition Democratic Alliance last week described the police minister’s findings as “an insult to the South African people” and said it would consider legal action. Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu, regarded internationally as a moral authority, also accused the government of “humiliating” South Africa by allowing Zuma to get away with the spending.
ROME (Reuters) - The corpses of 17 migrants were brought ashore in Sicily aboard an Italian naval vessel yesterday along with 454 survivors as efforts intensified to rescue people fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. More than 5,000 migrants trying to reach Europe have been saved from boats in distress in the Mediterranean since Friday and operations are in progress to rescue 500 more, European Union authorities said yesterday. In some of the most intense Mediterranean traffic of the year, migrants who left Libya in 25 boats were picked up by ships from Italy, Britain, Malta and Belgium, assisted by planes from Iceland and Finland, the EU’s border control agency Frontex said. Naval and merchant vessels involved in rescue operations also came from countries including Germany, Ireland and Denmark. The 17 corpses found on one of the boats arrived in the Sicilian port of Augusta aboard the Italian navy corvette Fenice. Italian prosecutors are investigating how they died. Frontex is coordinating an EU rescue mission in the Mediterranean known as Triton, which was stepped up after around 800
migrants drowned off Libya in April in the Mediterranean’s most deadly shipwreck in living memory. “This is the biggest wave of migrants we have seen in 2015,” Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri said in a written statement. “The new vessels that joined operation Triton this week have already saved hundreds of people.” Italy has so far borne the brunt of Mediterranean rescue operations. Most of the migrants depart from the coast of Libya, which has descended into anarchy since Western powers backed a 2011 revolt that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. Calm seas are increasingly favoring departures as warm spring weather sets in. The migrants saved over the weekend are all being disembarked at nine ports on the Italian islands of Lampedusa, Sicily and Sardinia and on its southern mainland regions of Calabria and Puglia. The latest wave of more than 5,000 arrivals will take the total of those reaching Italy by boat across the Mediterranean this year to more than 40,000, according to estimates by the United Nations refugee agency.
Migrants wait to disembark in the Sicilian harbour of Augusta, Italy, Saturday. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello
Venezuela opposition march draws thousands
No end to Hong Kong political battle as last-ditch meeting fails
The marchers held up photographs of their leaders in prison uniform Thousands of Venezuelans have held a peaceful march through the streets of the capital Caracas, calling for the release of opposition leaders who have been in jail for more than a year. They include two former mayors, Leopoldo Lopez and Daniel Ceballos, who are being held on charges of inciting antigovernment protests last year. President Nicolas Maduro has blamed them for the 43 deaths that resulted. Both men started hunger strikes in jail. The protesters were also calling for the release of the former Caracas mayor, Antonio Ledezma. On Friday, Venezuela blocked two former
Latin American presidents from visiting Mr Lopez and Mr Ceballos. Leopoldo Lopez has been held at the Ramo Verde military prison outside Caracas since he was arrested in February 2014 on charges of inciting the violence that led to the deaths of 43 people and wounded hundreds of Venezuelans who took to the streets. Mr Lopez filmed a video in jail last week urging demonstrators to go out “peacefully” to demand an end to political persecution and censorship and for a date to be set for upcoming legislative elections. President Maduro has said his country’s judiciary is independent and that those in jail are criminals. (BBC News)
Hong Kong prodemocracy lawmakers said yesterday they would “definitely” veto the government’s planned political reforms after a lastditch meeting with Chinese officials failed to reach any agreement. The package unveiled in April for the semiautonomous Chinese city would for the first time allow all voters to elect Hong Kong’s next chief executive in 2017. But critics deride the proposal as “fake democracy” because it sticks to a ruling by China that candidates must first be approved by a loyalist committee. Beijing’s restrictions, announced last August, sparked more than two months of mass rallies that brought main roads in parts of the city to a standstill late last year. Democratic lawmakers
said Sunday they had made no progress after meeting top Beijing officials in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The meeting was widely seen as the last chance for compromise before Hong Kong lawmakers vote on the political reform package in June. It needs a two-thirds majority to pass and prodemocracy lawmakers make up more than a third of the legislature. “We came here... trying to find a way out of the impasse,” Civic Party leader Alan Leong told reporters after the fourhour meeting, which was attended by 14 out of 27 prodemocracy lawmakers as well as 40 pro-Beijing legislators and the city’s current leader Leung Chun-ying. “We are left with an unequivocal conclusion that the Central People’s Government is not going to
yield,” Leong said.
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Trinidad PM says Jack Warner has nothing on her and puts matter in lawyer’s hands PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Insisting that her hands are clean, Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar has put the matter of Jack Warner’s “slanderous” statements against her, following his release from jail, in the hands of her lawyers.But she says she is not worried about any of the revelations which Warner says he will make about her. The 72-year-old politician, who is facing extradition to the United States to face corruption charges related to his 15 years as vice-president of football’s world governing body, FIFA, has insisted PersadBissessar got money from him to fund her election campaign and made other allegations. “I did get a copy of what Mr Warner actually said and I have placed his slanderous statements in the hands of my lawyers. There is absolutely no truth in the words I heard him speak in an interview and from his platform. It is in the hands of my lawyers, the statements are totally untrue and go beyond untrue and are slanderous and defamatory statements,” Persad-
PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar Bissessar told reporters Saturday. Warner has accused the government of being behind the charges and has declared “the gloves are off”, promising to expose the prime minister. However, PersadBissessar said Saturday: “Some people say, and I’m not of that view, but some people are saying they agree that the gloves are off and that he may be clearing the way for the handcuffs.” She also dismissed
Warner’s threats. “If you recall every single year and even before I became prime minister, the gentleman has threatened – if you want to use those words. I don’t see it as threats, I see them more as ranting and raving. He has always threatened about having files, then he comes and says he has no files, now he says he has more files,” she said. Warner is among 14 people – current and former FIFA officials and sports marketing executives – charged with with racketeering, bribery, wire fraud and money laundering, stemming from a scheme, dating back 24 years, that involved $150 million in bribes and kickbacks being paid to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments. On Wednesday, hours after the indictment was unsealed in a federal court in Brooklyn, he appeared in court in relation to the US authorities’ attempt to have him extradited. He is out on TT$2.5 million (US$394,601) bail and will return to court on July 12.
Monday June 01, 2015
Suriname president’s party protests election results Paramaribo, Suriname (AFP) - Suriname’s ruling party National Democratic Party (NDP), led by president Desi Bouterse, has disputed results in several districts of the capital, were to be recounted yesterday, authorities said. The NDP alleged there were problems with polling at 20 stations, its spokesman Winston Lackin told reporters Saturday. Unofficial results from last Monday’s general parliamentary elections give the NDP 26 seats, a small margin of the majority in the 51-seat National Assembly. Of those 26 seats nine are likely to be awarded in the capital, which is the largest electoral district. Bouterse, 69, will have to muster another eight votes to guarantee his own re-election, since the president is chosen by a two-thirds majority of parliament. Though the NDP wants to rule alone with its small majority, it needs more support in case a lawmaker drops out and they need 34 votes to re-elect Bouterse. A two-time coup leader and former international
Desi Bouterse fugitive, Bouterse has long loomed large over Suriname, whether in his military fatigues and sunglasses, his sharp presidential suits or the Che Guevara T-shirts he favors as leisurewear. He seized power in 1980 as a 34-year-old sergeant major. His regime put down two counter-coups and rounded up and executed 15 opponents in 1982, an event known as the “December
killings.” He stepped down in 1987 under international pressure, but returned to power in 1990 in a second, bloodless coup. After leaving power a second time, he was indicted and court-martialed for the December killings, but his coalition passed a controversial amnesty law in 2012 that aborted the trial. His top rival for the presidency is Chan Santokhi, a former police commissioner who led the investigation of the December killings and has vowed to repeal the amnesty law if elected. The new parliament should have its first meeting within 30 days after being elected and the new president should be sworn-in before August 12, 2015. The Netherlands convicted Bouterse in absentia of cocaine smuggling in 1999, but he remained free because Suriname does not extradite its citizens. Earlier this year, a Dutch court rejected his third bid to have the conviction overturned.
St. Lucia welcomes visaGovernment prepares to repatriate free travel to Europe
Dominicans of Haitian descent
Lener Renauld PORTAU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lener Renauld says the Government is prepared to repatriate Dominicans of Haitian descent once the deadline to “regularize
foreigners” expires. Renauld presented a list of proposals during a recent meeting with officials from the Dominican Republic. “Some criteria for deportations have been suggested to coordinate the reception of their citizens such as points and departure times. We are prepared to discuss what the Dominican Republic has done to defend human rights and defend immigrants, while enforcing our laws,” said Dominican Foreign Affairs Minister Andres Navarro. In early May, the Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad held a meeting with Haitian officials about the reparation process of the deported and denationalised citizens, unable to regain their Dominican citizenship. “Our situation worsens
because although there is a law, because the people who’ve been able to get their card and certificate are a minority,” said Elena Lorac, who was born and raised in Dominican Republic to Haitian parents. Last Monday, Lorac joined the Denationalized People’s Solidarity Committee to urge the Government to use “maximum restraint and
precaution to prevent deporting those born in the country of undocumented foreign parents.” The tentative deadline to register for the National Plan to Regularise Aliens is June 17. Dominican Haitian advocates are working to extend the deadline to give more people time to apply for citizenship.
Petrobras considers selling Gulf of Mexico assets – newspaper BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) is considering selling some of its assets in the Gulf of Mexico as part of a divestment plan to shore up its finances, local daily Folha de S.Paulo reported yesterday. Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, has hired BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) to study the possible sale of its stake in off-shore oilfields in the region, which are worth about $8 billion, the newspaper said without citing sources. Officials with Petrobras and BNP Paribas were not immediately available for comment. Facing a corruption scandal that has dragged down its market value, Petrobras, one of the world’s most indebted companies, said in March it plans to sell as much as $13.7 billion in assets this year and next to reduce debt and protect cash. In 2013, Petrobras had trouble selling fields in the Gulf of Mexico as the value of those assets fell at the time.
CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – St Lucia has welcomed the decision of the European Union to allow St Lucians as well as nationals of Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago and two other ACP countries to enjoy visa–free travel to 26 countries of the European Union. This follows the signing of an Agreement between the EU and representatives of the seven ACP countries at a ceremony in Brussels. In a statement Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony said the agreement is wonderful testimony of the friendship between Europe and the Caribbean and will undoubtedly strengthen the bonds of co-operation between our states. “The decision will deepen contact between the citizens of Europe and the Caribbean. It is a wonderful way to confirm the friendship that exists between Europe and the Caribbean. Europe is to be applauded for this decision. It will certainly help to build trust and confidence in our future relationship with Europe.” Anthony said the Agreement is particularly
Dr. Kenny Anthony pleasing when it is considered that “other countries have chosen to close their doors to our nationals. Our diplomatic representatives in Europe deserve our thanks and commendation for their efforts to secure this Agreement.” Under the Agreement, St Lucians and other specified Caribbean nationals can travel to the EU for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180day period without a visa. The identical rights are granted to citizens of the European Union who travel to St Lucia and other signatory states.
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
Europe should weigh World Cup boycott to oust FIFA’s Blatter - UK says LONDON/ZURICH (Reuters) Britain said Europe should consider boycotting future World Cups if Sepp Blatter doesn’t quit as head of soccer’s governing body over a corruption scandal, while Swiss authorities denied they would soon question the newly re-elected FIFA president. The Swiss-born FIFA chief complained on Sunday he had been shown “zero respect” in recent days, revealing how he had rejected advice from one of his main critics, the head of the European governing body, to quit at last week’s FIFA congress. John Whittingdale, the British government minister with overall responsibility for sport, renewed calls for Blatter to step aside on Sunday, saying all options should be considered when it came to pressuring him to resign, including boycotting the World Cup - something that could split the sport and be calamitous for the tournament. Blatter, 79, won a vote on Friday to serve a fifth term as FIFA president even though the U.S. Department of Justice has charged nine soccer officials with corruption and Swiss authorities are conducting their own criminal investigation. He has played down the impact of the scandal on one of the world’s most powerful sports bodies, which takes in billions of dollars in revenue from TV marketing rights and sponsorships. Blatter is not accused of any wrongdoing personally and has implied that the United States timed news of the charges to try to scupper his re-election. Asked how he had coped with the criticism in the past few days, he told the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick: “Let me put it this way: I’ve been shown zero respect.” Blatter’s future could yet depend on the reaction of FIFA’s major sponsors and stakeholders such as CocaCola and McDonald’s, who have been dismayed by the arrests and U.S. prosecutors announcing indictments of officials and companies. Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper reported Swiss prosecutors would question Blatter, who has led FIFA for nearly 20 years, as part of a criminal investigation into votes to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively. A spokesman for Switzerland’s attorney general dismissed the
possibility of immediately calling in Blatter as “nonsense”. “The president of FIFA will not be questioned at this point in time,” the spokesman told Reuters. However, he added: “If need be, he will be questioned in the future.” Russia and Qatar deny wrongdoing in their bids. “A GIGANTIC PARTY” The Sunday Times reported Blatter would be the last of 10 FIFA officials to be questioned. Michel Platini, the president of the European governing body UEFA, and Vitaly Mutko, the Russian sports minister, would also be interviewed, it said. In the Swiss newspaper interview, Blatter described a meeting he had on Thursday with Platini, when the former French international star encouraged him to quit with a fanfare. “He said in all seriousness: ‘Sepp, hold the congress and at the end say you’re stepping down. You’ll have a gigantic party thrown for you, and you can keep your office here at FIFA’,” Blatter said, adding that he had refused Platini’s invitation to have the conversation over a glass of whiskey. Blatter comfortably won the FIFA vote with strong support from developing nations, which have received generous funding from FIFA to develop the sport under Blatter’s leadership. Britain - which has been one of Blatter’s fiercest critics, especially since England lost a bid to host the 2018 World Cup - stepped up the pressure on Sunday. “Michel Platini has talked of European nations boycotting future World Cups if Blatter refuses to stand down. No options should be ruled out,” Whittingdale, who is Britain’s Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, wrote in the Sunday Times. Member associations of UEFA will meet before the European Champions League final in Berlin on Saturday to discuss its next step. Before Blatter’s re-election, Platini said they would be “open to all options”. But asked about a boycott, he said on Thursday: “I honestly don’t wish that.” In any case, achieving consensus at UEFA may be hard; French media reported that the president of the country’s federation, Noel Le Grat, voted for Blatter. Seven senior soccer officials were arrested in a
dawn raid before the FIFA congress in Zurich, and U.S. authorities have said altogether nine officials and five sports media and promotions executives have been charged in cases involving more than $150 million in bribes over a period of 24 years. The indictment mentioned two payments cleared by Standard Chartered. “We are looking into those payments and will not be commenting further at this time,” a spokesman for the Londonbased bank said. Other banks named on the indictment, including Britain’s Barclays, are making internal checks on their involvement and cooperating with the authorities, banking sources told Reuters. Barclays declined comment. A CLEAR NEW START British Prime Minister David Cameron and Greg Dyke, the chairman of England’s Football Association, have urged Blatter to quit. Prince William, who lobbied for Britain to host the 2018 tournament along with star player David Beckham, has also spoken of the need for FIFA to reform. The government of Germany, the reigning world champions, also called for change. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that soccer brought people around the world together. “That should be the real legacy of FIFA. I have serious doubts, whether FIFA is up to this great task without a clear new start,” he said. Many soccer experts regard a European-led boycott as unrealistic proposition believing that if it went ahead it would be a disaster for a sport that has avoided the kind of splits which have weakened others. Boxing for instance is now governed by four world bodies. Dyke said it would be “ridiculous” for England to boycott the next World Cup in 2018 in protest because it would not have an impact. “It’s got to be done by enough nations to have an impact, if it’s done,” Dyke told BBC TV’s Andrew Marr show, saying any kind of action needed to be with others. Later he told BBC Radio that any boycott needed the support of “10 large countries” to have an impact, adding that the Dutch and Germans were also demanding change.
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Sprint queen blazes to world-leading 10.81 seconds Jamaica Observer WORLD and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann FraserPryce has sent a warning she will be hard to beat in the defence of her IAAF World Championships 100m title later this year after clocking a world-leading 10.81 seconds (1.7m/s) to win the Diamond League race at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Saturday. A number of fast times were run at the meet that traditionally showcases middle to long-distance events, threatening to turn it into a festival of speed with Justin Gatlin running the 200m with a personal best equalling 19.68 seconds (0.9m/s) and Grenada’s Kirani James winning the men’s 400m in 43.95 seconds. Eight world-leading performances were done over the two days of the event that started Friday evening with six women running under 10.90 seconds in almost perfect sprinting conditions at Hayward Field. After a disappointing fifth place in her most recent Diamond League outing in Shanghai, China, FraserPryce appeared close to her devastating best as she used her bullet start to get a lead on the field before holding off Murielle Ahouré of the Ivory Coast, both given the same time with the Jamaican being given the nod by 2,000th of a second, the width of a thread on their uniforms. American Tori Bowie, the fastest woman last year, was in third place in 10.82 seconds, just off her personal best of 10.80 seconds, while Nigeria’s Commonwealth Games champion Blessing Okagbare was fourth in 10.87 seconds, her season’s best. Minutes earlier, Elaine Thompson, the surprise package of the season so far, was just edged to the line by American World Championships finalist English Gardner, both timed in 10.82 seconds, but separated ironically by the same 2,000th of a second as the other race. Thompson had come into the event with the worldleading 10.92 seconds she had run at the UTech Classic in Kingston, but lost out the race when Gardner just dipped at the line ahead of her. Brazilian Rosangela Christina Oliveria Santos was third in 11.04 seconds. Gatlin, who leads the men’s 100m ranking, continued where he left off last season, powering his way to the top of the ladder in the 200m in his first race over the distance this season, equalling his personal
Shelly Ann FraserPryce... appeared close to her devastating best (OBSERVER FILE PHOTO) best set last year. South Africa’s Anaso Jobodwana ran his personal best 20.04 seconds for second, beating Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade, who was third in 20.18 seconds, his season’s best. His countryman Julian Forte was fifth in 20.41 seconds. In the 100m, American Tyson Gay ran a fast 9.88 seconds (1.5m/s), third fastest so far this year to win in his first individual race of the season. Mike Rodgers was second in 9.90 seconds, beating China’s Bingtian Su, who set a national record of 9.99 seconds, the first Asian under 10.00 seconds. He did the same time as 39-year-old Kim Collins, while Jamaica’s Nesta Carter was fifth with 10.02 seconds. Commonwealth Games champion Stephenie Ann McPherson ran a season’s best 50.40 seconds for third place in the women’s 400m
which was won by American Alyson Felix in her first onelap race of the season. Felix got off to a fast start and came off the last curve in front, running away to win in 50.05 seconds, second fastest in the world so far to Sanya Richards-Ross, who was second in 50.29 seconds, her second successive runner-up spot in the Diamond League series. McPherson, who improved on her previous best of 50.93 seconds that she ran in Doha two weeks ago, finished strong, while Novlene Williams-Mills was sixth in 51.89 seconds and Christine Day eighth in 52.29 seconds. Andrew Riley, the Commonwealth Games champion, ran a season’s best 13.28 seconds (1.5m/s) for sixth place as France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde ran a worldleading 13.06 seconds to upset the field. World record holder Aries Merritt, who is coming back from injuries, was second in a season best 13.12 seconds, while World Champion David Oliver recovered from a poor start to pace third in 13.14 seconds. World junior champion and national junior record holder Jaheel Hyde had a rough introduction to the senior ranks as he finished seventh in his first major senior outing in the 400m hurdles. The 18-year-old Hyde, who covered himself in glory on the same track nine months ago when he won the World Junior Championships, struggled around the track and clocked 50.80 seconds, well off his personal best 49.02 seconds done at the ISSA Boys’ Champs in March.
Allyson Felix (left) powers ahead of Sanya Richards-Ross (right) in the 400m.
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Monday June 01, 2015
MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo BJ WATLING CENTURY secures third successive win GIVES NZ CONTROL
Jorge Lorenzo secured his third successive MotoGP win with victory at Mugello. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - Jorge Lorenzo secured his third successive MotoGP win with victory at Mugello to boost his world title hopes. The 28-year-old two-time world champion beat pole sitter Andrea Iannone and championship leader Valentino Rossi, who finished third. Defending champion Marc Marquez, fourth in the standings, crashed with six laps remaining. Britain’s Cal Crutchlow also failed to finish, crashing out from fifth with three laps to go. Lorenzo is now six points behind Rossi in the championship standings. “I’ve been in this form in the past,” said Lorenzo. “I’ve won three races in a row before but now I want to make it four [Catalunya in a fortnight].” The Spaniard dominated from the outset, moving into the lead on the first lap and
powering ahead of rivals, at times lapping over a second quicker than anyone else. Marquez had battled superbly to climb from 13th to third but his late crash provided a huge dent to his title hopes. He is fifth in the standings, 49 points behind leader Rossi. World Championship standings 1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 118 points 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 112 3. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Ducati 83 4. Andrea Iannone (Italy) Ducati 81 5. Marc Marquez (Spain) Honda 69 6. Bradley Smith (Britain) Yamaha 57 7. Cal Crutchlow (Britain) Honda 47 8. Pol Espargaro (Spain) Yamaha 45 9. Maverick Vinales (Spain) Suzuki 36 10. Danilo Petrucci (Italy) Ducati 32 11. Aleix Espargaro (Spain) Suzuki 31 12. Yonny Hernandez (Colombia) Ducati 26 13. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 23 14. Scott Redding (Britain) Honda 18 15. Hector Barbera (Spain) Ducati 16
Accused ex-soccer official cites newspaper spoof in FIFA’s defence WASHINGTON (Reuters) A former FIFA executive accused of soliciting bribes in the corruption case brought by U.S. authorities against world soccer officials, wants to know why the United States is hosting this year’s World Cup if it dislikes soccer’s governing body so much. Former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, who is from Trinidad and Tobago, has denied the charges against him and was granted bail after surrendering to authorities in his home country on Wednesday. In a video posted on his Facebook page, which has now been taken down, Warner holds a newspaper and says FIFA “has frantically announced” the United States is holding this summer’s World Cup. “If FIFA is so bad, why is that the USA wants to keep the FIFA World Cup?” asks Warner, who maintains the charges against him and other FIFA officials stem from U.S. frustration over the country’s failed bid to host the event.
Former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner addresses the audience during a ceremony. (Reuters/Andrea De Silva) But Warner might want to check his sources. The next World Cup is not until 2018, in Russia, and the paper he holds up in the video is the Onion, a satirical U.S. publication. The paper ran a spoof last week about how “frantic and visibly nervous” FIFA officials held an impromptu news conference after the corruption charges were filed to award the World Cup to
America, beginning May 27. “At press time, the U.S. national team was leading defending champions Germany in the World Cup’s opening match after being awarded 12 penalties in the game’s first three minutes,” the paper reported. The suggestion was that nervous or corrupt referees would be keen to skew the match in the Americans’ favor by awarding multiple penalties.
BJ Watling outscored captain Brendon McCullum in a fifth-wicket stand of 121 in 32 overs. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - England face a huge task to win the second Test after an unbeaten BJ Watling hundred left New Zealand in a strong position at Headingley. Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum also made half-centuries as the Black Caps closed day three on 338-6, a lead of 338. That represented a fightback from 23-2, aided by England dropping three catches. England were earlier taken to 350 all out by a rapid 46 from Stuart Broad, as the firstinnings scores ended level. Broad’s strokeplay set the tone for an entertaining day which yielded 435 runs in 96 overs. Although he took the hosts to parity, Watling, McCullum, and a rapid stand of 99 between Guptill and Ross Taylor means England must complete t h e i r h i g h e s t Te s t r u n chase to win. England, who lead 1-0 in the two-match series, will rue mistakes in the field as their pace bowlers put in a performance much improved on the first innings, but were still unable to halt the free scoring of the tourists. After Broad found seam movement to have both Tom Latham and Kane Williamson caught behind, Taylor was given a life on six by Gary Ballance at third slip off James
Anderson. Later, wicketkeeper Jos Buttler missed a rising Watling edge from the offspin of Moeen Ali and midoff Mark Wood failed to get a hand on a McCullum drive at Joe Root. “We’ve played ourselves into a hole, but there’s still a lot of time left in this game,” England bowling coach Ottis Gibson told BBC’s Test Match Special. New Zealand made the most of their good fortune in conditions that were largely good for batting, in contrast to the clouds that greeted England early in the morning. Taylor and Guptill rattled along at almost seven runs per over, punishing any width and taking the singles offered by England’s deep-set field. When they fell to Wood in quick succession - Taylor driving loosely to extra cover and Guptill edging to third slip - New Zealand found themselves 141-4 and England had an opening. It was closed by a fifthwicket partnership of 121, with the usually aggressive McCullum watchful in support of the more expansive Watling. Barring a frenetic start, McCullum only occasionally sparkled with a handful of drives and one six over longon from Moeen. Watling, on the other
hand, scored heavily behind square on the off side and swept another maximum from the ineffective Moeen. After McCullum was lbw to Wood and Luke Ronchi made 31 from 23 balls, Watling completed his fifth Test century in the penultimate over of the day with a hook off Anderson. His efforts cemented a New Zealand rise to prominence that began with three new-ball wickets late on day two and was continued by more high-class swing bowling from Tim Southee on the third day. He struck three times in 17 balls, enticing a loose waft from Ian Bell and prodding defensive strokes from Buttler and Moeen in a total England collapse of six wickets for 29 runs. Broad, who had managed only 23 runs from his previous six Test innings, countered, taking advantage of an excess of short bowling with pull shots and flashes through the off side. He was supported by Wood and Anderson as England’s last two wickets added 83. Second Test, day three, Headingley Scores: New Zealand 350 & 338-6: Watling 100*, Guptill 70, McCullum 55; England 350: Broad 46; Southee 4-83. New Zealand lead by 338 runs.
Martin Guptill’s scores this series read 70, 0, 0, 70. (Getty Images)
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Rain halts Woodpeckers Products Ltd Junior National Squash action yesterday Heavy rainfall resulted in the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) postponing the final day of its Junior National Squash Championship, but it was Ben Mekdeci, Michael Alphonso and the Wiltshires who made it rain on Saturday when the penultimate day of the Woodpecker Products sponsored tournament, hosted by the GSA with the aid of its corporate sponsor Digicel continued with a day of exciting matches. Mekdeci, Shomari, Akeila and Larissa recorded victories unscathed, while Alphonso made it four wins in four matches, losing only one game along the way. Makeda Harding and Sarah Lewis produced the match of the morning session, which ending with a 3-2 result in favor of the 12 year old Harding. Harding took the first hard fought game 13/11, but lost the following two 11/9, 11/ 7, before regrouping to take the fourth game 11/9. She then dominated the deciding game with an 11/5 demolition of her opponent. Maya Collins hung on gamely against Rebecca Low despite a 3-1 defeat, managing to hold on to a 12/ 10 third game victory against the talented Low. Both Low and Sarah Lewis efficiently defeated newcomer Adriel Lachmansingh 3-0, while there were also wins for Paige Fernandes, Kirsten Gomes and Haley Carpenter in an extended morning session. In Boys results of the morning Ben Mekdeci and Shomari Wiltshire extended their unbeaten streak, each adding two more 3-0 victories to strengthen their hold on 1st places in the Under-17 and Under-13 categories respectively. The two continued their supremacy by winning again in the evening, as Mekdeci defeated Anthony Islam and Matthew Phang and Shomari defeated Gianni Carpenter, all 3-0. Nyron Joseph was clinical in his defeat of Alec Melville, displaying his skill in a high energy match which he controlled from start to finish with smarter use of the court. The powerfully built Melville managed to wrestle several points in each game with extravagant cross court shots but ultimately the shot selection of Joseph proved the deciding factor in a 3-0 sweep of the match. The contrasting skills of Akeila and Larissa Wiltshire saw them register 3-0 victories
over Sarah Lewis and Rebecca Low respectively. The younger, taller Larissa gradually eased into her stride in a game which she dominated with agility and gusto, using powerful shots from the backcourt to good effect. The elder Akeila showed her pedigree of shot selection as she employed the drop and cross court strokes against the younger Rebecca Low, who showed fight in several hard fought rallies and would have benefitted from the experience of playing against a more seasoned foe. In other games to round out the evening Abosaide Cadogan recorded a memorable 3-0 victory over Teija Edwards and Makeda Harding continued an impressive tournament with a 3-0 win over Madison Fernandes. With the capital city under siege by heavy rainfall the final stages of the tournament has been postponed until further notice. Results of Saturday morning matches were as follows. GIRLS: Paige Fernandes defeated Isabella Ramjohn 3-0 (11/4,11/ 4,11/3) Kirsten Gomes defeated Beau Fernandes 3-0 (11/1,11/3,11/0) Rebecca Low defeated Adriel Latchmansingh 3-0 (11/0,11/ 0,11/2) Sarah Lewis defeated Adriel Latchmansingh 3-0 (11/2,11/ 0,11/1) Haley Carpenter defeated Geovanna Dos Santos 3-0 (11/4,11/9,11/5) Makeda Harding defeated Sarah Lewis 3-2 (13/11,9/11,7/ 11,11/9,11/5) Rebecca Low defeated Maya Collins 3-1 (11/7,11/1,10/ 12,11/4) BOYS: Noah Rahaman defeated Wade Beckles 3-0 (11/9,11/ 9,12/10) Kamir Khan defeated James Mekdeci3-0 (12/10,11/5,11/7) Shomari Wiltshire defeated Lucas Jonas 3-0 (11/3,11/1,11/ 3) Matthew Phang defeated Alex Cheeks 3-2(11/5,4/11,14/ 12,6/11,11/7) Mohryan Baksh defeated Shiloh Asregado3-0 (11/3,11/ 0,11/2) Ethan Jonas defeated James Mekdeci 3-0(11/0,11/0,11/7) Shomari Wiltshire defeated Samuel Ince-Carvahal 3-0(11/ 1,11/1,11/4) Chad De Abreu defeated Noah Rahaman3-0 (11/1,11/ 3,11/3) Michael Alphonso defeated Demetrius De Abreu 3-1 (8/ 11,11/4, 11/4,11/6)
Abosaide Cadogan (left) serving en route to victory over Teija Edwards. Matthew Phang defeated Daniel Islam 3-2 (5/11,11/7,5/ 11,12/10,11/9) Louis da Silva defeated Shiloh Asregado3-2 (11/8,6/ 11,11/4,6/11,11/9) Jason Gomes defeated Garett Da Silva 3-0 (11/4,11/3,11/4) Dominic Collinsdefeated Gianni Carpenter 3-0 (11/6,11/ 9,11/2) Nathan Rahaman defeated Wade Beckles 3-0 (11/3,11/ 4,11/3) Zach Persaud defeated Kamir Khan 3-0 (11/4,11/5,12/10) Michael Alphonso defeated Gareth da Silva 3-0 (11/1,11/ 1,11/1) Ethan Jonas defeated Zach Persaud3-0 (11/4,11/3,11/3)
Chad de Abreu defeated Nathan Rahaman3-0 (11/8,11/ 7,11/7) Liam Carpenter defeatedMashalAllicock3-1 (12/10,11/6,12/14,11/4) Samuel Ince-Carvahal defeated John Phang3-1 (8/ 11,12/10,11/4,11/6) Ben Mekdeci defeated Daniel Islam 3-0 (11/4,11/2,11/9) Demetrius De Abreu defeated Liam carpenter 3-0 (11/5,11/ 1,11/2) Lucas Jonas defeated John Phang3-1 (11/3,5/11,11/5,11/8) Shomari Wiltshire defeated Anthony Islam 3-1 (11/3,12/ 14,11/6,11/1) Ben Mekdeci defeated Alex Cheeks 3-0 (11/1,11/4,11/6)
Saturday Evening: GIRLS: Abosaide Cadogan defeated Teija Edwards 3-1 (11/7, 7/11, 11/6, 11/7) Larissa Wiltshire defeated Sarah Lewis 3-0 (11/4, 11/5, 11/ 1) Kirsten Gomes defeated Aliyah Persaud 3-0 (11/7, 11/ 7, 11/2) Makeda Harding defeated Madison Fernandes 3-0 (11/ 0, 11/5, 11/0) Akeila Wiltshire defeated Rebecca Low 3-0 (11/5, 11/3, 11/1) BOYS: Zach Persaud defeated Liam Carpenter 3-0 (11/1, 11/1, 11/ 5)
Michael Alphonso defeated Kamir Khan 3-0 (11/3, 11/4, 11/ 1) Chad DeAbreu defeated Louis DaSilva 3-0 (11/3, 11/3, 11/6) John Phang defeated Dominic Collins 3-0 (11/3, 11/4, 11/2) Gianni Carpenter defeated Nechemiyah Levans 3-0 (11/ 7, 11/2, 11/1) Demetrius DeAbreu defeated James Mekdeci 3-0 (11/0, 11/ 0, 11/3) Nathan Rahaman defeated Mohryan Baksh 3-2 (3/11, 11/ 6, 11/6, 6/11, 11/8) Samuel Ince-Carvahal defeated Nechemiyah Levans 3-0 (11/2, 11/1, 11/4) Micheal Alphonso defeated Zach Persaud 3-0 (11/8, 11/6, 11/4) Shiloh Asregado defeated Wade Beckles 3-0 (11/8, 11/4, 11/3) Shomari Wiltshire defeated Gianni Carpenter 3-0 (11/3, 11/ 3, 11/3) Ethan Jonas defeated Demetrius DeAbreu 3-1 (11/ 1, 4/11, 11/6, 11/6) Ben Mekdeci defeated Anthony Islam 3-0 (11/4, 11/ 1, 11/4) Nyron Joseph defeated Alec Melville 3-0 (11/6, 11/3, 11/5) Ben Mekdeci defeated Matthew Phang 3-0(11/5, 11/ 4, 11/6)
Motherwell vs. Rangers: Police to investigate Fir Park brawl
Rangers defender Bilel Mohsni (No3) was at the centre of an ugly brawl. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - Police Scotland say they will review the fight that marred the conclusion of Motherwell’s Premiership play-off final victory over Rangers. Rangers defender Bilel Mohsni was at the centre of an ugly brawl on the final whistle at Fir Park. The Tunisian was pushed by Lee Erwin and responded
by aiming a kick and punch at the Motherwell striker, before tussling with Fraser Kerr. All three players were shown red cards by Craig Thomson after the match. Assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins said: “Police Scotland will conduct a full review of the circumstances and liaise with the appropriate partners, and decide how best
to take the matter forward over the coming days.” Rangers manager Stuart McCall said he missed the incident, but acknowledged such behaviour was “unacceptable”. Speaking after his side’s 3-0 loss at Fir Park, he said: “If he has thrown a punch that’s disgraceful. “But it’s safe to say he
won’t be at the club next season. He’s out of contract.” Motherwell boss Ian Baraclough said the scenes detracted from a great day for the Lanarkshire club, who triumphed 6-1 on aggregate to retain their top-flight status. “There’s been an outpouring of emotions, shall we say, and it’s gone too far,” he told BBC Scotland. “Scottish football doesn’t need it. There were two teams battling it out over 180 minutes, they gave it absolutely everything. “For one or two individuals to ruin it, tarnish it, is a shame.” Erwin appeared to shove Mohsni after the defender refused his offer of a handshake and describe his opponent’s reaction as “embarrassing” in a television interview, given with blood on his face. Motherwell fans spilled on to the pitch while the fight was going on and had to be ushered away by police and stewards as they goaded Rangers supporters.
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Monday June 01, 2015
NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE THREE-STAGE CYCLE ROAD RACE
John grabs third stage but FIFA’s Sepp Blatter victim of conspiracy, daughter says Hinds is overall winner
By Zaheer Mohamed Despite finishing third in the final stage, Orville Hinds was crowned champion of the 33rd National Independence three-stage cycle road race which concluded yesterday. Hinds clocked the overall distance of 171.5 miles (274.3 km) in six hours, 50 minutes and 32 seconds to claim the crown. He finished fifth in the first and took the runner up spot in the second stage. Michael Anthony who won the second stage grabbed the runner up position overall in a time of six hours, 52 minutes and 26 seconds. He was followed by Raul Leal whose timing was six hours, 54 minutes and 31 seconds, Geron Williams six hours, 54 minutes and 59 seconds, Alonzo Ambrose six hours, 57 minutes and 15 seconds and Marlon Williams six hours, 57 minutes and 19 seconds. Raphael Leung clocked six hours, 58 minutes, 49 seconds to take the junior category, while Jamal John finished second in seven hours, 00 minutes, 45 seconds and Romello Crawford third in seven hours, 07 minutes, 04 seconds. The veterans segment was taken by Ian Jackson in six hours, 57 minutes, 57 seconds ahead of Junior Niles six hours, 58 minutes, 35 seconds and Everald Mandy seven hours, 06 minutes and 04 seconds. Meanwhile, amid heavy down pour Jamal John won the third and final stage which commenced with 24 starters from the mining town of Linden and concluded at Carifesta Av e n u e i n G e o rg e t o w n instead of the water logged Homestretch Avenue. John finished the leg in 2 hours, 49 minutes and 57 seconds. Shaquille Agard, Hinds,
Overall winner Orville Hinds (left) collects his prize from Minister Dr. Rupert Roopnarine.
Corinne Blatter’s comments came as the head of the English Football Association called on Uefa president Michel Platini to unite Europe behind a collective boycott of the 2018 World Cup. And in further intrigue, South African newspapers reported on Sunday that the nation did pay $10m (£6.5m) to a football association led by a figure at the centre of the Fifa allegations, despite a week of denials. ‘NOT TAKING MONEY’ Corinne Blatter denied claims that the events of the last few days had left her father with no credibility. “All these things happened just to discredit him so that he would resign. But I can tell you in about [two or three] weeks no one will talk about it anymore. “Other news will be top and he’ll work normally, as he said yesterday at the press conference he had a great executive meeting and everyone is going to work together. He’s also the president of those who didn’t vote for him and they have to work together now.” And she denied again that Mr Blatter had taken any money. “All the money he earned he earned it by working and he is a hard working president. “All these people who say that he takes money I don’t know what kind of money he should take and he’s not the kind his character is not like that, he’s not taking any money.”
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beats Tomas Berdych
Third stage champion Jamal John accepts his prize from GCF head Cheryl Thompson. Marlon Williams and Geron Williams completed the top five in that order. Speaking at the presentation ceremony which was held at Carifesta Avenue Sports Complex, Minister of Education with responsibility for Sports D r. R u p e r t R o o p n a r i n e congratulated the riders and thanked all those who
assisted with the successful staging of the event. He assured that his ministry will continue to assist with the development of the sport. President of the Guyana Cycling Federation, Cheryl Thompson said that the event was keenly contested despite the absence of overseas riders.
Windies batsman Fletcher fined for possession of ammunition ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) – West Indies and Windward Islands batsman batsman Andre Fletcher has been slapped with a EC$2 000 (US$741) fine for possession of ammunition, after appearing in court here Friday. The 27-year-old Grenadian was arrested at the Douglas Charles Airport on Thursday after 50 rounds of .22 calibre ammunition was
BBC News - Fifa president Sepp Blatter is the victim of a conspiracy from “behind the scenes”, his daughter has told the BBC amid the corruption crisis gripping world football. “Nobody is without fault but (...) he’s not the person who is taking money,” Corinne Blatter said. Her comments come as key Fifa officials face a string of bribery charges. Mr Blatter, who has been re-elected as Fifa president, has not been implicated but faces calls to stand down. Asked whether she thought there was a conspiracy against Mr Blatter - who won reelection as head of world football’s governing body on Friday despite the current crisis Corinne Blatter said: “I wouldn’t say from the Americans and the British, but certainly people working behind the scenes, yes absolutely.” She added: “I don’t know if you want to call them dark forces but I mean they really tried hard, they tried in September, October last year. How can Uefa who is saying ‘we are the strongest confederation’, how can they not put up a candidate?” Mr Blatter beat rival Prince Ali bin alHussein of Jordan on Friday in an election that was overshadowed by arrests and corruption allegations. In September 2014, Mr Blatter had come under pressure to quit after rejecting calls for a report into alleged World Cup bidding corruption to be made public.
discovered in his carry-on luggage. Dominica News Online reported that the fine was paid and arrangements were being made for the player to leave the island, where he had been training in recent days. Windward Islands manager Lockhart Sebastien said there had been no intent on Fletcher’s part to commit a crime. “There was no intention of criminal
activities. He did not realize he had the ammunition,” said Sebastien. “It could happen to anybody.” Fletcher last represented West Indies earlier this year when he turned out in two Twenty20 International series against South Africa. He has played the last of his 15 One-Day Internationals five years ago, and has already racked up 60 first class matches.
BBC Sport - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was roared to a superb win by a home crowd as he beat Tomas Berdych 63 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 to make the French Open quarter-finals. Tsonga failed to serve out at 5-4 up in the third, but delivered two aces in the final game to oust the fourth seed. On a rain-affected day, Ana Ivanovic beat Ekaterina Makarova 7-5 3-6 6-1 to make the last eight for the first time since lifting the title in 2008. Roger Federer and Gael Monfils were one set all when play was suspended. The winner will go on to face Stan Wawrinka, who swept past Gilles Simon 6-1 6-4 6-2. Tsonga will play Kei Nishikori next after the Japanese fifth seed enjoyed a straightforward 6-3 6-4 6-2 win over Teymuraz Gabashvili. SUNDAY TO MONDAY The wet conditions put the day’s proceedings so far behind schedule that Maria Sharapova’s meeting with Lucie Safarova and Flavia Pennetta’s match against Garbine Muguruza - last on Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen respectively were postponed until Monday. BRITWATCH On a grim afternoon at Roland Garros, Jamie Murray and Australian partner John Peers saw their doubles
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Reuters)
campaign end in the wind and rain on Court Seven. The pair, seeded 11th, went down 6-3 7-5 to the experienced seventh seeds Nenad Zimonjic and Marcin Matkowski. “We had a lot of chances but they served well and it wasn’t easy conditions,” said Murray. “They were better than us today - returned better, served better. We didn’t deserve to win.” Katie Swan, 16, had a superb win over American Michaela Gordon in the girls’ singles, saving a match point and recovering from 1-5 in the final set to win 4-6 6-4 8-6. “I was struggling moving at the beginning; I was really nervous and I couldn’t find my game until 1-5 in the third,”
said the Kansas-based Bristolian. “I’m glad I managed to find it.” Fellow Briton Maia Lumsden went down 6-2 6-1 to Anna Blinkova of Russia. GAEL FEELS THE CHILL With the light fading at approaching 20:30 local time on Court Philippe Chatrier, Gael Monfils resorted to desperate measures. At 5-3 up in the second set, and after discussing the issue with the umpire at the changeover, the 13th seed marched over to the VIP box. So what was his request? A blanket from French tennis federation president Jean Gachassin. With not so much as a throw forthcoming, Monfils promptly dropped serve.
Monday June 01, 2015
Kaieteur News
Independence National long course Swimming C/Ships
Dominant Aleka Persaud breaks 2 more records yesterday
From left: Amy Grant, Aleka Persaud and Britney Van Lange By Sean Devers Aleka Persaud broke two more records on the penultimate day of the Independence National longcourse swimming championships yesterday at the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara to add to the three she set on the previous days of the event which is being used to pick a squad for the 2015 Goodwill games. Nine-year-old Persaud, swimming out of the Orca Speed Swim Club, bettered her previous best in the girls under-8 50 meters Breaststroke and the girls U8 100 meters Freestyle to post new championship records. The petite lass is .24 of a second short of breaking the Goodwill record in the 50 meters freestyle which stands at 33.52 in her age group and is among the favorites to capture Gold in next this year’s Goodwill Games. Amy Grant, the daughter of Guyanese musician Rudy Grant, was also in good form, winning 13-14 400 meters Freestyle and the girls 13-14
100 meters Butterfly races, while top teenage swimmer Britany VanLange, a Cadet officer with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) took first place in the girls 18 & over 50 meters Breaststroke in her last race before she leaves next month for a fouryear scholarship at the West Point Military Academy where she will study Engineering and also advance her swimming career. Grant, representing Silver Shark Aquatic Swim Club, won the 400 meters Butterfly in a time of 6:02.94 and the 100 meters Butterfly in 1:22.33 while Persaud, the only swimmer to set new records at these Championships, won her U-8 girls 50 meters Breaststroke in 47.56 and the 100 meters freestyle in 1:20.91. Twins Danielle and Jadyn George, Antonio Hussein, Paul and Kenita Mahaica, Liam Winter, Leon Seaton, Raddy Potter, Sekhel Tzedeq, Mario King, Satyanand Ramlagan, Hannibal Gaskin, Andrew Fowler and Sam Clarke were also in winner’s row yesterday.
The Championships began 30 minutes late because some of the Time Keepers were delayed by the flooding in city caused by torrential rain and the day’s proceeding began yesterday under angry looking dark clouds and slight showers. But as the day progressed the sun came out in all of its glory much to the relief of a fair size gathering of spectators which comprised mostly parents of the competitors, many of whom worked as ‘Volunteers’ for the GASA organized competition. Sixty swimmers will be selected from this Championship for the July 5th ‘Swim off’ after which a 40 member squad will be picked for the Goodwill games in Trinidad on August 14-16. Barbados, St Lucia, Suriname, Bahamas, T&T and Guyana will vie for medals and yesterday’s championships, which involved five top clubs, was sponsored by Banks DIH, Sterling Products Ltd, Raymond Haniff General Store, Star Party Rentals and Martin Brock from Corporate
& Executive. President of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) Ivan Persaud said he will seek assistance from Government with funding for the trip to the Goodwill Games since a lack of funds for travel leaves a heavy burden on parents to fund the cost of the children’s participation. “The previous Government never really supported us although we were representing Guyana. So now for the first time in 23 year we could be able to send a full contingent of 40 swimmers. Last year we only could send 30 swimmers to Suriname which was the most we ever sent,” Persaud lamented. He added that he is confident that Guyana will do better than any other year because we should start getting medals from our under-8 swimmers. “We will also be fielding relay teams which will benefit us because you get 18 points for a relay win,” Persaud concluded.
The George twins, Jayden & Daniellle along with Donna Carter leave the blocks in the 100 meters Girls 11-12 freestyle race.
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Chris Gayle hits unbeaten 151 but Somerset lose to Kent BBC Sport - Chris Gayle smashed an unbeaten 151 off just 62 balls but could not prevent Somerset losing to Kent by three runs in the T20 Blast at Taunton. Spitfires captain Sam Northeast hit his first T20 century, scoring 114 from 58 balls, and Daniel BellDrummond made 51 as their side posted 227-7. Gayle dominated Somerset’s reply and, after being dropped on 46 by Joe Denly, reached his century off 45 balls. But despite the West Indian hitting 10 fours and 15 sixes, they fell short. Gayle, who made 92 off 59 balls on his debut on Friday to hand Somerset victory over Essex, now has 15 T20 centuries, nine more than his closest rival, New Zealand
batsman Brendon McCullum. The 35-year-old, whose big-hitting resulted in three balls being lost, scored 20 or more runs in individual overs from Darren Stevens, Fabian Cowdrey and Matt Coles as he carried his bat through the innings. With the other eight Somerset batsman managing just 63 runs off 58 balls between them, Gayle - having also been dropped on 139 smashed his 15th six from the final ball of Somerset’s innings as they finished on 224-7. Five of Kent’s six bowlers went for more than nine runs per over but Mitchell Claydon’s superb figures of 2-23 from four overs proved the difference between the two sides as the visitors went four points clear at the top of the South Group.
Chris Gayle (Getty Images)
FIFA CRISIS: South Africa ‘admits $10M football payout’ BBC News - South Africa did pay $10m (£6.5m) to a football body led by Jack Warner, a figure at the centre of Fifa corruption allegations, local media say. Danny Jordaan, head of South Africa’s FA, is quoted as confirming that the amount was deducted from a Fifa payment to the country in 2008. A subsequent letter requested that money to be sent, instead, to the Caribbean Football Union, reports say. South African officials deny it was a bribe to secure the 2010 World Cup. But US prosecutors insist South Africa made an illegal payment after the government promised $10m to Mr Warner - then a Fifa vice-president in exchange for the “Rainbow Nation” becoming the first African country to host the World Cup. Fifa chose South Africa as host ahead of Morocco. Danny Jordaan could not
be reached for comment on Sunday, but he is quoted as insisting the money was paid to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) in 2008 as South Africa’s contribution towards their football development fund. The BBC’s Andrew Harding in Johannesburg says unnamed officials have confirmed that the payment was made to support football development among members of the African diaspora something which does make sense in the political context of the time. The latest reports come with Fifa - the governing body of world football - in crisis. Senior Fifa officials face a string of bribery charges. Its head, Sepp Blatter has not been implicated but has faced calls to stand down. He was re-elected as Fifa president on Friday.
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Kaieteur News
BCB congratulates Rajendra Chandrika on selection to WI squad The Berbice Cricket Board recently learnt of the selection of national senior opener Rajendra Chandrika to the West Indies 14 man squad to face the mighty Australians in the upcoming two test series. The board takes this opportunity to congratulate him on his achievement and wish him well in his international career. The board encourages Chandrika to stay focused and grab this opportunity with both hands. The release
Monday June 01, 2015
David Mohamad returned as President of Lusignan Golf Club
added that, Chandrika’s selection will surely motivate other young cricketers in Guyana and the Caribbean. Chandrika also played a few matches in BCB cricket competitions and was set to represent Bermine now Tucber Park in first division cricket in Berbice. The board also congratulates young and talented Barbadian wicketkeeper batsman Shane Dowrich and wish him and the entire team well.
Enterprise SC congratulates Chandrika
Rajendra Chandrika
Enterprise Busta Sports Club of East Coast Demerara has congratulated opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika on his call up to the West Indies side to face Australia. A release from the club stated that the entire village is proud of him and his elevation is a result of the hard work he has done over the years. Chandrika selection will surely motivate the youths in the area and the club wishes him well in his career.
FIFA: World Cup 2022 will remain a 32-nation tournament ZURICH, Switzerland (AFP) — The 2022 World Cup will remain a 32-team competition with no change to the share between the regional confederations, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Saturday after talks between football chiefs. Europe and South America had feared an attempt to cut their places, but Blatter said: “There is no change.” The decision taken by FIFA’s executive committee means that Europe will still have 13 places at the Qatar tournament, and Africa five. Asia and South America each get four places and a chance at a play-off. North and Central America get three places and a play-off chance, while the Oceania winner enters a play-off. Qatar will qualify automatically as the hosts. UEFA chief Michel Platini had said ahead of the meeting that remaining at 13 places was a “red line” for the European confederation.
Prince Ali bin al Hussein, who challenged Blatter for the FIFA presidency, had proposed increasing the number of teams. But Blatter said on Friday that the World Cup should “not be touched”. The FIFA executive also “confirmed” that the same continent cannot host the World Cup twice in a row, which definitively ruled out a Chinese bid for 2026. “In accordance with the FIFA Statutes... member associations from the Asian Football Confederation would not be able to bid for 2026,” said a FIFA statement. China had expressed an interest in 2026, but its football leaders said the rule made a bid unlikely as Qatar will host the 2022 edition. Wang Jianlin, one of China’s richest men, who has a stake in Atletico Madrid and also owns the Infront sports promotion agency, met with Blatter at the FIFA congress in Zurich this week.
In picture, (from left) standing - R. Persaud, D. Bissessar; (sitting from left) – C. Deo, H. Tewari, D. Mohamad, S. Ramroop, G. Griffith. A very good turnout of the members of the Lusignan Golf Club at its Annual General Meeting on Saturday last, resulted in David Nooranie Mohamad being returned unopposed as President for a second successive term. Some of the previous term’s executive members were also returned, but there were two new faces added. The
new executive is therefore President - David Mohamad; Vice President - Sham Ramroop (newcomer); Secretary – Guy Griffith; Treasurer – Haresh Tewari; Assistant Secretary Treasurer – Dino Bissessar (newcomer); Captain – Chatterpaul Deo; Ground Superintendent Rabindranath Persaud.
Contador clinches 2nd Giro title, Keisse wins final stage
MILAN (AP) — One down, one to go. Alberto Contador clinched his second Giro d’Italia title on Sunday, and immediately turned his attention to fulfilling his aim of becoming the first cyclist since 1998 to win the Italian classic and the Tour de France in the same year. “I overcame so many difficulties, but at the end I got the maglia rosa (pink jersey),” Contador said. “I don’t know how long it will take to recover but I think I’ll get back to work on Saturday. It was an emotional Giro. I already said it would be my last but you never know.” Contador had all but secured the win after Saturday’s 20th stage when he saw his lead cut in half but nevertheless headed into the final day — a mainly processional stage — with more than a two-minute advantage on closest rival Fabio Aru. Contador ended up winning by 1 minute, 53 seconds. The 32-year-old Contador has had to dig deep during a troublesome three weeks in Italy, after dislocating his shoulder in an early crash, and is likely to face stiffer competition in the Tour. “The Tour starts for me now,” the Spaniard said. “Tonight I will rest as much
Spain’s Alberto Contador kisses the trophy after winning the Giro d’Italia, Tour of Italy cycling race. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) as I can, tomorrow I will go to Spain and take three or four days before I start concentrating again on the Tour in complete isolation. “My rivals won’t have done the Giro, so the Tour could be more complicated because they won’t have the Giro in their legs.” A two-time Tour champion, Contador won the Giro in 2008 and was also triumphant in Milan in 2011 but was stripped of that title for testing positive in the 2010 Tour. “In 2008 my preparation was better but I didn’t know
the climbs,” Contador said. “In 2011 I rode after conscientious preparation but also after an intense start to the season. This year I’ve also raced in the first part of season but the Giro was the part of the double objective that I had set myself so I was calmer and more reflective including during the race. “There were days when I could have been more ambitious but I decided to ride tactically and it went well.” Contador, who has also won the Spanish Vuelta three times, joins French cycling
great Bernard Hinault as only the second rider in history to have won all three grand tours more than once. Aru finished second overall, with Astana teammate Mikel Landa third, 3:05 behind Contador, who took a total of 88 hours, 22 minutes, 25 seconds to cycle the 3,486 kilometers (2,166 miles) of the three-week race. Contador had a pink bicycle — the color of the winner’s jersey — for the final stage while his Tinkoff-Saxo teammates had pink handlebars on their bicycles and all were wearing pink socks. Team owner Oleg Tinkov had also dyed his hair pink to celebrate the occasion. Iljo Keisse sprinted to victory at the end of the flat 178-kilometer (110.6-mile) leg from Turin to Milan, edging out Luke Durbridge, who gave his break companion a congratulatory hug as they crossed the line. “I wasn’t expecting that at all, even if we had come up with a sort of plan for me to try and do something on the final curve.” Keisse said. “I’m a track specialist and I know how to take curves quite well. But then I saw there was a bit of hesitation at the start of the circuit so I attacked. ... It’s the best victory ever.”