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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

For Dignity There is a hidden force within us so powerful that it can affect the way we feel about ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us. Donna Hicks, an expert in conflict resolution advises that that force is our common human yearning to be seen and treated as worthy of dignity. While we all have a deep and abiding desire to be treated well and to be recognized as worthy, our lack of awareness and understanding of the many ways we routinely violate each other’s dignity is wreaking havoc on our lives and our relationships. Unfortunately, these indignities have become an acceptable way of life in the workplace, marriages, families, and communities. Continued neglect of the damaging impact of everyday indignities keeps us trapped in a survival mode of being together in the world, where we are consciously or unconsciously protecting ourselves from the possibility of being harmed. A little knowledge about dignity could go a long way in helping us live more consciously, more aware of the affect we have on one another. Dignity plays a significant role in societal conflicts. When the political issues are stripped away, and the human experience of conflict is laid bare, what remains is a common yearning for dignity-to be treated as if they mattered. Human beings have powerful emotional reactions to having their dignity violated. Our emotional responses to the way people treat us are hardwired within us and define our shared humanity. When we’re treated badly, we get angry, feel humiliated, want to get even, maybe seek revenge; often without being aware of how much these primal reactions are driving our behaviour. We also have a knee-jerk reaction to withdraw from those who do us harm, even if we physically remain together. Fearing another assault is reason enough to shut down healthy lines of communication and trust. But often people feel that they cannot afford to leave a relationship because they are dependent on it; this happens all the time in the workplace, in marriages, and in families. Even though the relationship doesn’t end, there is a cost: openness is replaced by resentment, and it loses one of the most satisfying aspects of the human experience-the freedom to be together without fear of being harmed or humiliated. The injuries we endure by being treated badly are psychological, not physical. Unlike a physical assault, where bones are broken or blood appears, there are no visible signs of a wound. It is an internal matter, where the harm is felt on the inside. But what exactly gets injured? It’s our dignity. We feel the injuries at the core of our being. They are a threat to the very essence of who we are. What is worse is that people get away with it. And these injuries usually go unattended. Recent research in neuroscience has shown that a psychological injury stimulates the same part of the brain as a physical wound. There is nothing imaginary about the painful effects of assaults to our dignity. They linger inside, often stockpiling, one on top of the other, until one day, we can’t take it anymore and we erupt into a rage or a depression, or we quit our job, get a divorce, or foment a revolution. What is at stake is no small matter; it is our capacity to evolve and flourish together as human beings. If we continue to ignore the truth and consequences of these violations, we will remain in an arrested state of emotional development, enslaved by the most primitive aspect of who we are as human beings. On the other hand, there is no doubt that we are capable of overcoming this critical human challenge to our development. Dignity is a human phenomenon. Recent findings in neuroscience tell us that we are biologically predisposed to connect to one another. It is a false state of alienation we are living in. The quality of our lives and relationships could be vastly improved if we learned how to master the art and science of maintaining and honouring dignity.

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

Can a diplomat help the PPP rebuild its tarnished image? DEAR EDITOR, Amongst the thorns of the Jagdeoites at Freedom House she is viewed as naïve and inexperienced with a distinct and separate flair that would not fit into the mold of PPP propaganda and dirty race-bait politics. She is not a politician but a proud diplomatic who has served Guyana well. We are speaking of Mrs. Elizabeth Harper who has given up her position as the Director General of Foreign Affairs and years of experience in diplomacy to

become the Prime Ministerial candidate of the PPP. Though new to politics, Mrs. Harper has aligned with the most vindictive and immoral regime ever. It will be very difficult for her to defend the PPP achieving the status in the perception of the majority of citizens as being the most corrupt, arrogant and depraved regime ever, and in politics perception is reality. Why would a decent and well respected diplomat like Mrs. Harper join the PPP? Was she not thinking

clearly? Was she afraid to say no to the Jagdeoites at Freedom House? Or was she captivated with the little power that comes with the office of the Prime Minister? Whichever it is, she is likely to lose her pristine image and her immaculate reputation as a diplomatic and will not be smelling like a rose after the election is over. For the PPP to select Ms. Harper, and not Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues, shows that there was a major power struggle between the Jagdeoites and the Old Guard at Freedom

House to find a consensus candidate. The choice of Ms. Harper confirms that the PPP is desperate and is in a leadership crisis. Ms. Rodrigues has a constituency among the Amerindian Communities, but Ms. Harper does not and as a result, she will have no impact on the election. The PPP is too mired in scandals, corruption, wrongdoing and illegal acts for anyone to give them legitimacy. It will be a laborious task for the (Continued on page 68)

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A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to extricate the nation from five decades of racial animosity DEAR EDITOR, At the announcement of the ‘Cummingsburg Accord’ on Valentine’s Day, Brig. David Arthur Granger declared, “There is no time to lose”. Those six words stand out among other significant statements in that momentous announcement for their historic parallel to what Dr. Martin Luther King preached in his iconic “I have a Dream’ sermon over 50 years ago at the historic Civil Rights March on Washington D.C. In that speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, Dr. King called for an end to racism in the United States and spoke of ‘the fierce urgency of now’. I have no doubt that this May 11 election is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Guyanese to finally extricate the nation from five decades of racial animosity and political slumber. With the APNU/AFC coalition, a sleeping giant has awakened. The short and long term priorities for the first 100 days have been pronounced in the form of a 10-point program for democracy, development and national unity. They include the announcement of a date for the long overdue Local Government Elections as well as Constitutional Reform. These are indeed urgent priorities of a general nature. However, I sincerely believe that one golden opportunity which specifically and uniquely presents itself to the nation as an immediate

springboard for national unity, is what I would call ‘The Guyana Golden Jubilee Project’ - Guyana at 50! In 2016, there will be only two nations in the entire Commonwealth, which shall be commemorating their 50th Anniversary of Independence from Great Britain: Guyana (May 26) and the African nation of Botswana (Sept.30). The Botswana celebrations are already underway, with a three-year countdown to 2016, which began in September 2013. Unfortunately, the current Caretaker Minority Government of Guyana spent the last three years trampling upon and making a fool of Democracy in Guyana. It is said that a fool at 40 is a fool forever! Now that Guyana is about to achieve that significant milestone of half a century, we must let the world know that we are no fools at 50! The fighters for Guyana’s independence were men and women of substance and full of wisdom. They did not struggle to establish a foolish nation. It is now APNU-AFC’s opportunity to secure that rich legacy. There is much we can emulate from Botswana, which has benefitted

tremendously from our teachers and nurses who were aggressively recruited by the Botswana Government to work there in the 1990’s. My brother Eustace Williams (Industrial Arts) and cousin Grace Hale (Art & Craft) spent six years each teaching in that country. With a GDP per capita of about US$70 per year in late 1966, when that country achieved its independence, this landlocked nation has transformed itself into one of the fastest growing economies in the world, now boasting a per capita of about $16,400 per year (2013 statistics). Its high gross national income gives the country the highest Human Development Index GHI of continental SubSaharan Africa. Compared to Botswana, Guyana’s GDP in 1966 was five times higher at $348.00. According to the 2013 statistics, however, Guyana’s GNI is $8,500 –just about half that of Botswana’s $16,400. Interestingly, the President of Botswana, Lt. General Sereste Khama Ian Khama served as Commander of Botswana Defence Force before entering active politics and becoming President of one of Africa’s most stable democracies in 2008.

In launching ‘Botswana Day’ (Botswana 2016) President Khama declared, “This celebration must be used to reflect on what it means to be Botswana. It must be observed in every settlement, every village, every town and every Region.” The name ‘Khama’ should be familiar to many Guyanese, who remember the historic State visit to Guyana in the 1970’s of the first President of Botswana, Sir Sereste Khama and Lady Khama. Sir Sereste’s visit was part of a long list of distinguished Heads of State who graced these shores shortly after independence, starting with Shrimati Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India in 1968, followed by a stream of Nonaligned leaders including Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Prime Minister of Zambia and the late Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, the then Vice President of India in 1988. The late Sir Sereste, who led Botswana to Independence in September 1966, was the father of Lt. General Sereste Khama Ian Khama. Our commemoration activities must commence with an APNU-AFC victory on May 11, 2015. This historic coalition is a

blessing to Guyana. By divine intervention, the nation has been bequeathed two 21st Century leaders bearing1st Century names: David and Moses. The epic stories of King David and Prophet Moses are stories of bravery, heroism and ultimate redemption. David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo have been ordained to redeem this nation and propel it towards the goal of a good life for all. According to Philosopher Francese Torralba, “The art of commemoration of independence is the perfect grounds to deepen our collective essence, our

national identity and richness of intercultural contact.” The Guyana Golden Jubilee Project should not only be a part of the APNU-AFC 2015 Elections Manifesto, it must be a clarion call to each and every Guyanese to embrace the Guyanese essence. The Guyana Golden Jubilee Project should be dignified, solemn, rejuvenating and memorable. It must restore national pride and patriotic fervor. It must demonstrate what it means to be truly Guyanese. It must commemorate our oneness and deepen the Guyanese collective essence. Standhope Williams

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The PPP has made a fine art of blacklisting my employment and threatening existing clients DEAR EDITOR, In response to Ms. Ryhaan Shah’s latest letter. Ms. Shah says:: “Mr. Johnson writes hopefully of a new dispensation where writers and artists would be free of fear from victimization intimating, perhaps, that he has been so victimized. I am no proponent of the current government, but could he say when and how this occurred, especially given the fact that he won his two Guyana Prizes under the PPP administration.” First of all, I won two Guyana Prizes despite the PPP administration, not because of it. If there is anyone I have a depth of gratitude to, it should be Desmond Hoyte, who insisted upon mitigating political or other interference in judging the work by creating a jury structure in which three of the judges are based overseas and two locally. The system is not perfect but I am the last person that could be said to have benefited from those imperfections. There isn’t enough space to detail all the victimization I’ve been faced with, but I’ll provide some highlights of the most public. In 2003, the year I won the Guyana Prize, I was refused a place on the CARIFESTA delegation because as a young reporter at Chronicle I sent an internal memo criticizing Office of the President’s interference in the newsroom. In 2006, I was invited to meetings with the Ministry of Culture to plan for CARIFESTA IX that year in Trinidad. I criticized their selection process and insisted that they expand the spaces for writers from two to four and that selection be open and transparent. The result was my being kept off of that delegation. I went on my own under the

consultancy work I was doing with CARICOM. In 2008, I provided the Ministry of Culture with a report on the flaws of CARIFESTA IX in Trinidad, so we as host country for CARIFESTA X would not repeat those mistakes. While I was ‘allowed’ to launch my book at the Festival, I was never invited to officially participate. In 2013, I received an invitation to participate in the Inter-Guianas Cultural Festival (June) and CARIFESTA (August) – according to persons on the planning committee, my participation was vehemently opposed by senior government officials. I was kept off IGCF and if I had not made my own way to Suriname, I would have missed CARIFESTA altogether. When I won the Guyana Prize in September, 2013, the entire Cabinet boycotted the event. Outside of public scrutiny, the PPP has made a fine art of either blacklisting my employment locally or threatening existing clients. In 2013, when I first raised the issue of Frank Anthony’s daughter being published with the Caribbean Press, I was sent a letter threatening suit. When I refused to apologise, not only was a major client targeted, but a senior government official I was dating at the time was pressured to rein me in and give me the choice between speaking out and a continued relationship. When I criticized the Minister of Culture in January of 2014 for his deliberate misdirection on several issues, an attempt was made to sabotage a lecture I was scheduled to give at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Not a week goes by without some slanderous anonymous column being published in both the PPP controlled Guyana Times and the Guyana Chronicle. Secondly, Ms. Shah writes: “I would advise new writers to have personal

integrity, an extremely rare commodity in Guyana, and to stand above it all and take their time to think, write, review and reflect then rewrite, and when their work is good and ready, and is the best they can do, then they submit it. They should have their own standard of excellence since Guyana has none.” I agree that writers should seek their own standards of excellence, but this does not preclude them from being an example of excellence being possible despite a stultifying environment. From 2013 to now, in addition to wining the Guyana Prize, I have won the Small Axe literary award in both Fiction (1st place) and Poetry (2nd place), the only time in the competition that has occurred. I have undertaken presentations and readings in both Germany and the Netherlands, and served as curator for the Read My World Literary Festival in Amsterdam last September. Last year, I was awarded

a Prince Claus Fund grant to further the work I’ve done on cultural policy, work I will be concluding in the upcoming weeks. Fictions has been preselected for consideration for this year’s Grand Literary Prize of the Association of Caribbean Writers, scheduled for April in Guadeloupe where I will be presenting as both writer and publisher. After Guadeloupe I will be in Trinidad to conduct a writing workshop as well as attending the Bocas Literary Festival launch for a Peepal Tree-Akashic Books anthology of contemporary Caribbean poetry in which I am featured. While I insist on publishing my work under Janus Books in Guyana, I have been approached and am in negotiation for an anthology of some of my selected short stories to be published in the UK and North America. In October, I am scheduled to present a paper on creative industries in Amsterdam. Currently, I am being interviewed for two

publications, a European academic journal and an American monograph. In all that time I have not once been asked to speak at the University of Guyana and when I volunteered to do a workshop last year for the Rights of the Child Commission my name was withdrawn and someone else asked to undertake it. Thirdly, Ms. Shah writes. “Either way, this is more than enough reason to scrap the prize and mount an investigation. Since Mr Johnson has written to the media on so many occasions to hold government accountable, I am sure he too will insist on this investigation by whoever forms the next government.” While I disagree that the Prize should be scrapped, not only would I insist on an investigation into the management of the Prize, but I intend to spearhead a comprehensive managerial and financial audit of every aspect of government’s intervention in culture, particularly over the past ten

years. When this happens, I will personally ensure that Ms. Shah has an open forum to voice her concerns because I believe that they are valid and necessary, as are others. The Guyana Prize, the Caribbean Press, the hosting of CARIFESTA X as well as participation in other CARIFESTAS and overseas cultural festivals, expenditure on the National Museum, UNESCO support, the National Drama Festival, the National Sports and Arts Development Fund – every single one of these has attracted questions and controversy over the years. Perhaps the question Ms. Shah should be asking is how it is that – despite my consistent harping upon accountability, and her position that at least one aspect of cultural expenditure needs investigation – there seems to be resistance by even the independent media and other stakeholders to undertake that task. Ruel Johnson Janus Cultural Policy Initiative

Chaotic conditions were created by traders operating outside St. Swithin’s Church DEAR EDITOR, This is a letter that we, the representatives of the Church of St. Swithin, wrote to the Chairman of the Best/Klein Poudriyen NDC at Poudroyen, West Bank Demerara, regarding the presence of traders at the entrance of our church. This missive was written following a visit to the NDC office on Thursday, 29 January, 2015. Dear Sirs, We were there to express our profound dismay regarding the unpleasant, dangerous and unhealthy conditions created by a group of TRADERS operating on a fulltime basis, at the entrance to the church and on the roadway leading to the junction. Our visit on this very serious matter lasted approximately three hours, having first made courtesy visits to the Regional Chairman Mr. Julius Faerber and the A.R.E.O. Mr. Hardat. At the NDC we gave an extensive briefing to the Environmental Officer, Mrs. June Nedd, and her assistant, Ms. Lynnell Graham, on what we consider CHAOTIC conditions created by the TRADERS: 1. They command a position at the road entrance

(some 12 feet from the bridge - the tarmac) inhibiting safe entrance or exit through lack of immediate vision of conditions (path - entrance bridge - gate - road/traffic) by churchgoers on foot or vehicles, leading to a LOG of complaints having to be created in recent months, regarding incidents and various grievances by Parishioners, as well as visitors to the Church. These include the inability of some drivers to easily and quickly see and gauge the position of the entrance, much less to see the gate to the enter churchyard, thus often creating friction with other road users on that busy and ever increasing traffic roadway. On one occasion recently, the aid of the Police had to be sought for materials for the construction of a tomb to enter the churchyard. It is envisaged that should the CHURCH, LOCAL AUTHORITIES, POLICE or powers-that-be, not take early remedial action, serious injury to persons and damage to vehicles will result. In the meantime, the CHURCH suffers 3. In an effort to ease conditions and maintain a clear path at the entrance, the Church Authority placed two temporary poles on each side

as a guide for persons on foot and vehicles to see and enter the gate, but lo and behold, these poles soon became an integral part of the stalls for boxes and produce, thus making it even more difficult, not only for vehicles to enter/ exit, but the elderly and infirm, who are often supported by walking sticks/canes. 4. The residue of trading materials, i.e. garbage, is often disposed of into the now shallow drains along the church’s fence and on occasions within the fence, all contrary to the LAWS OF CLEANLINESS, which we teach our young. The area often reeks of the residue of human waste. The drains created in recent years by the Local Authority are now clogged with garbage. 5. The church’s fence and Parish Hall gate are being used to support structures of stalls/stands, and trade vehicles often bridge the drains and brace the fence walls. Various organisations within the Church, example Youth Group, Mothers’ Union Men’s Brotherhood and others, will require free and ready access to and from the PARISH HALL, through the gate now being blocked by Traders. 6. We recall that Minister

Benn and his adviser Mr. Walter Willis, visited in 2010 regarding a similar situation and in quick time had all the Traders’ stands and fixtures removed. The drains were cleaned and there was freerunning water into the western run-off trench leading toward the High School. 7. It is VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE that our CHURCH RECORDS show that two tombs lay beneath the SACRED GROUND being desecrated by TRADERS. They were interred in the early years 1827 — 1900. The CHURCH is making no claims to this area, but would suggest it be maintained in a pleasing (to the sight) condition with easy pedestrian access and possibly for temporary vehicle parking, as done on the opposite side of the roadway. The Church will do its part in rendering and repainting the fence as previously done. Mr. Chairman, we do request early consideration and hopefully some successful action that would end the current impasse of Market Traders surrounding the entrance to the Church Of St Swithin at Vreed-en-hoop. Representatives of the Church of St. Swithin’s Anglican Church

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A review of the Neesa Gopaul Murder Trial to date The Prosecution last Friday closed its case in the trial where Bibi Shareema Gopaul and her lover, Jarvis Barry Small are indicted for murdering Gopaul’s 16-yearold daughter, Queen’s College student, Neesa Gopaul. It has been nearly a month since the trial got underway before Justice Navindra Singh. The Prosecutors brought 26 witnesses to the stand. The teen’s body was found on October 2, 2010 at Madewini along the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway tucked inside a suitcase that was partially submerged in a creek. Following intense investigations, the teen’s mother and her then lover, Small were arrested and charged for her murder. CONCERTED CRIME Last Thursday, the State’s star witness, Simone De Nobrega gripped a packed courtroom with vivid details of the murder. The State witness who is also known as “Simone King,” is the former cellmate of Gopaul and claimed that the woman had confided in her that she sat and watched as Small first strangled and then bashed her daughter’s skull before disposing of her body in a creek on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway. The victim’s five-year-old sister, De Nobrega had said, was sleeping in the car while Gopaul remained unmoved as her teenage daughter begged for her life. De Nobrega had met and befriended Bibi

Gopaul during a period of incarceration at the East La Penitence Police Station lockups. De Nobrega said that Gopaul told her one night “It wasn’t me. Barry killed Neesa.” Gopaul told her that she met Small, a gym instructor, after she started to attend the gym and they began having an affair. According to the witness, Gopaul said that some time later, she told her lover that she was not comfortable with her marriage and she wanted to be with him because he made her happy. De Nobrega said that the woman told her that she had moved out of her matrimonial home, but returned for the sake of her two daughters, Neesa and a five-year-old, and was hopeful that the marriage would get better, but instead it got worse. She said that the victim’s mother had related that Small told her that the only way they could be together was if her husband was out of the picture. According to the cellmate, Gopaul’s lover had encouraged her to poison her husband and he gave her rat poison to add to his meals over a period of time. This eventually led to Javed Gopaul’s demise. He was buried a matter of hours after he died. Gopaul reportedly related that two weeks after her husband’s death, Small moved into her home. At this point, the witness related that Gopaul told her that her daughter Neesa had

become very rude and disrespectful to her. She related that the teen started skipping school and staying out late. The court heard that the accused had also revealed that Small had told her that Neesa had confided in him that she overheard a telephone conversation between her mother and another person; she overheard her mother telling the person on the other end of the line about how she had poisoned her father. He said that Neesa told him that her father had left them a lot of money. The court heard that Gopaul also related that Small told her that they needed to get rid of Neesa because she would cause trouble. Gopaul reportedly drove for a mile down a trail and stopped at Emerald Towers Resort, “Neesa’s favourite place” where she stopped the car and Small got out. According to DeNobrega, Gopaul’s lover took Neesa out of the car as she was panting for breath. Gopaul stood outside to ensure nobody else was around while Small took Neesa around the car and she fell on her knees and began to call out to her little sister. Small, she said, then took a piece of wood from the car’s trunk and began lashing Neesa repeatedly at the back of her head. He hit her until she was laying face down on the ground, the witness recalled being told. De Nobrega said Gopaul

MURDERED: Neesa Gopaul

MURDER ACCUSED: Jarvis Barry Small

MURDER ACCUSED: Bibi Shareema Gopaul

recalled that the last sounds she heard from her daughter sounded like groans. Shortly after, Neesa stopped making the noise and Small picked up the teen, dumped her in the trunk and they returned home. The following morning, Gopaul reportedly awoke and went to check to ensure Neesa was “really dead.” She didn’t want to touch the body with her hands; she poked it with a stick. Gopaul reported her daughter missing and Small instructed her to wrap the body in a sheet and place it in a suitcase with the girl’s passport and Early Saver’s bank card to make it appear as if she had run away from home. They reportedly took the weightlifting dumbbells which she had at her house and later used it to attach to the suitcase to keep it under

water. She said that they returned to the Emerald Tower Resort where they dumped the body in a creek. The witness said that Gopaul recounted that Small thereafter instructed her to pack their bags and that they were going to leave for Suriname but as she was in the process of doing so the following day the police came to the house. The police told her that they had found Neesa’s body and she needed to go with them to identify it. FLOATING HEADLESS IN A BAG Lance Corporal of Police, Germain Laundry who was part of the team of policemen who visited the crime scene, said that he had noticed a black suitcase floating in the (Madewini) Creek situated north to south along the Emerald Tower Resort. The suitcase, the witness noted, was partly submerged in the water and when he checked there was a human hand hanging out of the bag. Upon further investigation, the policeman noted that there was a red rope tied around the bag which seemed to be attached to something which was acting as an anchor. The witness said he got in, decided to cut the rope and brought the bag ashore with the assistance of another rank. He said that the body of a female, a black gown and a Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry, (GBTI) Early Savers card, a GBTI Bank Book and a Guyanese passport in the name of Neesa Gopaul were unearthed. The female‘s head, Laundry recalled, appeared to be bashed in. Head of the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) in the case, Corporal Floyd Hossanah related too that a female’s body was found inside the black suitcase recovered at the scene. The body, he said, had no head,

No plans to reintroduce No. 69 Village watchman vanishes property tax - Kamla Kamla Persad-Bissessar

...co-worker in custody Relatives of a Number 69 Village security watchman are becoming worried over a watchman who has been missing for nearly two weeks. Anil ‘Singer Man’ Etwaroo, 45, of Number 69 Village, Corentyne, an excavator watchman, for Contractor, Budhur of Number 69 Village, left home as usual on the morning of February 17, last to venture out in the Number 66 Village backdam to work. He left with his co-worker named Rohan. According to Etwaroo’s son-in-law, Ryan Ramdass, the man’s boss, Budhur, visited the site on February 24 (last Tuesday) only to be told by Etwaroo’s co- worker that, “[Etwaroo] tried to hang himself.” “The boss then came out

and asked me if my father-inlaw is by me and I told him he was not,” Ramdass told Kaietuer News. Additionally, he said that a search was made for Etwaroo at the worksite, but to no avail. On Friday, police arrested and placed in the Springlands Police Station lock- ups, Etwaroo’s co- worker. He is being held for questioning into the man’s disappearance. “They knew each other for a good while,” Ramdass said. Ramdass was unable to say whether Etwaroo and his coworker had any issues with each other. Etwaroo lived alone. His wife, Shameena Khan resides with the three children, Shivanie, Yashodra, and Bhavanie, at Number 76 Village.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (Trinidad Expressed) — The Government has no plans to introduce or reintroduce any system for the collection of Land and Building taxes or any form of property tax during this current parliamentary term, Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar said Friday. She was responding to a question from Chaguanas MP Jack Warner during Prime Minister’s Question Time in

Parliament, Tower D, International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain. It means that the population would have paid no taxes on property under the People’s Partnership Government, which had come to office on a promise to “axe the tax”. The Government had repealed the infamous Property Tax Act passed by the last People’s National Movement (PNM) government. But it created nothing in its place.

was barefooted and had a black and blue mark on the arm. He confirmed that the items were found. FORENSIC ANALYSIS Police Forensic analyst, Steven Greaves told the court that he had collected samples from the corpse and swab samples from her mother, grandfather and sister for the purpose of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing. He later took them to the Barbados Forensic Sciences Center (FSC) for testing. On February 19, last Lorraine Alleyne, a Forensic Scientist in DNA attached to the FSC testified via an audio/ visual link (Skype). She confirmed that the DNA test conducted on samples of the remains, which were provided by a member of the Guyana Police Force belonged to the murdered Queen’s College student. She explained that the samples of human organs taken from a female corpse were a 99.98% match to samples from her mother’s Buccal swabs. Following the analysis she prepared a DNA certificate and analysis with her results and findings. PHOTOS Twenty- five photographs which were taken at the scene where the remains of murdered Queen’s College student were discovered were tendered as part of the evidence on February 5, last when Police Constable Leon George, attached to the Police Crime Lab, took the stand. He presented shots of the scene at Emerald Tower Resort, Linden/Soesdyke Highway, the remains of a female contained in a bag, and the black, red, and white dumbbells which were found at the scene. Police Corporal Lancelot Wittington also took the stand. The policeman told the court that he had taken photographic exposures of the teen’s body, during the PME. His photographs were tendered as evidence. Several other persons testified in the matter. During the course of the trial, the court heard testimonies of confrontations conducted with the two accused and several other persons. The case continues tomorrow.

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Mediation programme aims to reduce backlogs in CARICOM courts BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — The Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean (IMPACT Justice) project is implementing its activities for increasing the use of mediation to assist courts in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries with reducing their case backlogs. The five-year, justice sector reform project funded by the Canadian government, commences a two-day mediator refresher training programme in conjunction with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) for courts in the OECS. These training sessions kick off from tomorrow, in Dominica. Professor Velma Newton, regional project director, IMPACT Justice pointed out that the project seeks to encourage greater use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms, including mediation towards enhancing access to justice. “The idea is to use mediation as a means of settling disputes at an early stage and without court intervention. When people

Professor Velma Newton go to the courts they want their cases resolved. If it takes too long for a resolution, it creates a defeatist situation,” she said. “Mediation supplements the judicial system. We need to have trained mediators to help reduce the backlog of cases already before the courts and to stem the flow of new cases going to the courts.” She highlighted that between 2003 and 2013, over 20 mediators in Dominica were

trained and some of them were chosen for inclusion on the Court-Annexed Mediation Roster established by Practice Direction 1, 2003 of the ECSC. “These mediators will be given an opportunity to upgrade their skills through the mediator refresher training programme,” she explained. As part of the training, facilitators Francis Compton, OECS regional mediation coordinator and Lenore St Croix, office manager, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court headquarters in St Lucia will reinforce the basic concepts associated with courtconnected mediation and hone the mediation skills of participants by exposing them to advanced and “real-life” practical exercises. Other countries scheduled for this first round of mediator refresher training include Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Training in Grenada takes place from March 11 to 12, 2015, while the dates for St Vincent and the Grenadines are still to be determined.

US HOPES TO REOPEN CUBA embassy before Americas Summit Caribbean News.Net The US government is optimistic about the prospects of reaching an agreement with Cuba to reopen embassies before April’s Summit of the Americas in Panama, Washington’s chief negotiator in talks with Havana said Friday. “I do think we can get this done in time for the Summit of the Americas,” Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson said Friday after discussions in Washington with a Cuban delegation.

The gathering in Panama could be the occasion for the first meeting between President Barack Obama and Cuba’s Raul Castro since the two men announced in December an agreement to restore bilateral diplomatic ties after a break of more than 50 years. Friday’s talks at the State Department were “productive and encouraging”, Jacobson told reporters after her second encounter with Havana’s representative, veteran diplomat Josefina Vidal.

Cuba moved Friday to eliminate one obstacle to an early reopening of embassies, as Vidal said Havana was not making its removal from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism a precondition for progress toward normalisation. Even so, she suggested the removal was needed before the formal restoration of diplomatic relations. “It would be very difficult to explain that Cuba and the United States have established normal diplomatic relations when Cuba is kept on this list,” Vidal said. Secretary of State John Kerry said earlier Friday that the issue of the list was not on the agenda for the discussions between Jacobson and Vidal. “The state-sponsored terrorism designation is a separate process, it is not a negotiation. And that evaluation will be made appropriately and nothing will be done with respect to the list until the evaluation is completed,” Kerry said. The process of removing a country from the list requires a formal notification from the president to Congress, which then has 45 days to consider the matter.

Sunday March 01, 2015

Dem boys seh...

Jagdeo de best thing Donald Duck gat Jagdeo do this country de gods and when he done he even mek Donald Duck couldn’t win a parliamentary majority. But instead of being once bitten, twice shy, Donald Duck hug de man again like how a man does hug he wife when she go way fuh couple morning. Jagdeo undertake de biggest project Guyana ever see— de Skeldon plant. He tell this nation he spend US$200 million and de factory can’t wuk till now. As a matter of fact, it does grind cane at double de price of de old factory. De second largest is de Cheddi Jagan Airport. Again, he seh that de project gun cost over US$150 million. Dem boys don’t expect more planes fuh come to Guyana. He was so quick to sign that contract. De ink didn’t dry pun de agreement and he done sign it. And this contract had 69 toilet at $452,000 each when people can get one at Gafoor fuh $6000. This is de man that Donald seh is de smartest person in Guyana to oversee development. De third largest investment Guyana see under Jagdeo is the US$100 million cable, transmission line to move Guyana into de technological age. De cable can’t come and a police station can’t link up to this day. Fourth, Jagdeo invest in excess of $75 million fuh a Marriott that only de Creatah, he Jagdeo and Brassington know who hands this building gun fall in. Jagdeo had de largest airline in de world, Delta, operating in Guyana. Dem boys seh it was de best de country ever had and could ever get. Jagdeo run dem out fuh bring in Easy Come Easy Go who sitting in jail right now while Guyanese are stranded, punishing and frustrated at dem airports. This same Jagdeo spend how much hundred million fuh install a programme that keep de accounts of de government and de taxpayers dollars straight or intact. That smart man Jagdeo install all de programme, including de one that does record de cash coming in but lef out de one wha does keep track on how much you spend, wheh you spend and who you spend with. Jagdeo couldn’t even find a proper market fuh Guyana rice and sugar, de two biggest pillars of de economy that thousands of Guyanese depend on when de day come. Instead, rice farmers and cane cutters crying. He plan de biggest project before he left office. Now he pushing Donald Duck to carry through wid it. This one gun cost four times all wha dem boys talk about just now and it gun lef all de Guyanese men wid hydro seed. Dem boys ain’t certain wha dem woman gun lef wid. Is de Amaila Falls, de hydro falls. Dem boys want know if Guyana gun sit back and allow Jagdeo fuh come back and pretend to develop Guyana. Talk half and tell Donald Duck fuh rethink he decision bout Dr Jagdeo.

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Venezuelan Government worried over “coup” plot The Government of Venezuela is convinced that measures are afoot to overthrow it. In this regard the Government through its Embassy has circulated a communiqué detailing what it believes are the unfolding plans to “overthrow the legitimate Government of President Nicolas Maduro.” In an accompanying missive, Ambassador Reina M. Arratai D. of the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela located here in Guyana, said that the intent of circulating the document is “to show the world the continuous and planned manner in which this coup plot has been carried out.” And it is believed that the plot is one being orchestrated not only by opposition forces but with the support of powerful international players. At least this is based on the information coming out from the Embassy. It was stressed by the local Embassy that Venezuela denounces the continued coup attempt against the Bolivarian Government. Efforts were made to pinpoint the opposing players including the Ve n e z u e l a n r i g h t w i n g opposition and named international allies. Outlining the potentially crippling steps that constitute what was described as the “continued coup attempt”, the information seen by this publication details strategies such as a Terrorist Plan being

— claims to have dismantled tactical operation dubbed “The Exit”; a Media War characterized by a media campaign against Venezuela; an Economic War whereby there is hoarding/shortages of food and medicines; a Rightwing agreement for Government transition; “Jerico” a tactical Military Operation; and international interference in the Venezuelan International Affairs. The Government of the neighbouring territory is therefore convinced that there are multiple purposes for the forgoing strategies which will not only help to overthrow it but even more worrying to assassinate President Maduro too. It is also believed that there will be attacks on civilians even as efforts are made to provoke chaos and massive social disruption thereby creating conditions for international intervention in the Spanish-speaking South American country. According to the information reaching this publication from the local Embassy, the ‘Jerico

Operation’ led by active and retired members of the Bolivian National Armed Forces and members of the Opposition was disrupted and dismantled early last month (February 11 and 12, 2015). It was revealed that the plot was intended at bombing and attacking targets including offices of the executive, legislature, judiciary and the media “not caring for the loss of civilian and military lives that would have resulted from those attacks.” The dismantling of the tactical operation was credited to the “joint action by young officers of the motherland, youth in suburbs, organs of intelligence and counterintelligence and security.” Because of the collaborative effort several involved in the tactical operation have since been imprisoned and investigations are reportedly ongoing to disrupt other plans aimed at bringing down the Government. It is believed that some of

those involved in the coup attempt had previously carried out similar operations. The ultimate goal of the coup plot, the Venezuelan Government believes, is to deploy a de facto Government by the use of force and violence with the support of national and international rightwing sectors. This approach, it believes, will lend to the breakdown of democracy in Venezuela and the resources belonging to the nation. Sharing what it believes is extensive proof of interference aimed at d e s t a bilizing sectors in Venezuela, the Government is certain that t h e “ f i r m objective is to break the constitutional order of the country.” It is insisting that the situation is one that calls for “an open and global analysis at a series of events and actors, which have developed and are present in multiple places, exercising their joint efforts…”

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Sunday March 01, 2015

Sacked Magistrate to challenge JSC’s decision Days after being issued marching orders by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Attorney-at-Law Geeta Chandan-Edmond, has said that she plans to fight back against the decision. She views the decision as an act of injustice. Chandan-Edmond, who had been dispensing matters at the busy Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, received a dismissal letter from the relatively new Commission on February 20, last. Through her lawyer, Nigel Hughes, at a press conference on Friday, she told reporters that she will be filing a High Court action seeking prerogative relief next week. Breaking the silence on the allegations she faced, Chandan-Edmond said that she was made to answer several allegations by the JSC, dating back to some six years. She said on February 13, last, she received a package from the JSC inviting her for a hearing on February 18. Two days later she was dismissed. She explained that allegations include her absence from an optional Magistrates’ meeting,

medical leave during the period June 5-7, 2013, absence of record due to sick leave, inability to deliver a decision in at least 19 matters, loss of minutes book, failure to respond to queries by immediate functional supervisor, Chief Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry and departure from Guyana on January 20, 2013 without approval and consequential absence from a Magisterial engagement. Chandan-Edmond discussed each of the allegations with the media, reasoning that there was no solid basis for her dismissal. “These are the only allegations that I had to answer...There were no allegations of corruption or illegality leveled against me. I gave the nation ten years of service with dedication.” The former Magistrate told members of the media that she finds the JSC decision highly unusual and unfair. Her lawyer said that the Judiciary, a fundamental pillar of society, has a rather fragile reputation for protecting the rights of the citizens and even more fragile reputation of being insulated from political

From left: Attorneys-at-Law Nigel Hughes, Geeta ChandanEdmond, Joel Edmond and James Bond at the Press Conference influence. “I believe the time has come where we perhaps need to look at the constitution of the Judicial Service Commission,” he said. According to Hughes, the society continues to move from crisis to crisis and the institution of the Judiciary is the one least expected to face allegations in the form of influence. “The facts will speak for themselves but I certainly think that it is a little more than passing strange that the day that the high official’s son was due to be sentenced, the Magistrate had her services terminated for allegations dating back to 2009,” Hughes said. He noted that of concern was the JSC which comprises two of the highest ranking members of the judiciary acted both as the complainant and adjudicator of the allegations against Chandan-Edmond. He likened that to asking the police to investigate, prosecute and judge in a matter. “The time has come where the termination of services of Magistrates or Judicial officers ought to be conducted by a body other than the JSC or by a differently constituted JSC.” Hughes lamented that the

fears of protection of the rights of persons accused of infractions have clearly been challenged. Hughes told members of the media that they will be filing court action next week. “We intend to pursue that action all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice because we believe that’s where it will be properly determined.” He lamented that the fact that two members of the JSC determine the promotion of Judges, they suspect that the CCJ will be their best shot at a fair ruling. Asked about the action they intend to file, Hughes said they are seeking after the prerogative relief. He explained to members of the media that the application is basically one to review the decision of the JSC on various grounds, one of which was that she did not have a fair hearing. “There was only one person who was leveling the allegations against ChandanEdmond and that person was part of the body that ultimately sat and was going to determine her fate,” he said. Hughes went on to say that there were several other fundamental and procedural difficulties that were breached

in the proceedings against the former Magistrate. He explained that the only body the JSC does not influence is the CCJ and they, in that light, expect a result that would be fair. Also present at the press conference was Attorney-atLaw, James Bond, who said that the allegations outlined by Chandan-Edmond and the way she addressed them showed that the adjudicators in the matter have used those allegations to make it appear that she is guilty of serious misconduct. Bond said that that smacks disrespect to the office Chandan-Edmond held. “Magistrates, are the most hardworking people in the judiciary,” he said. The lawyer added that there is no reason given that he or any member of the legal fraternity would say that warrants her immediate dismissal. He emphasised that some of the matters are there since 2009 and questioned how she could be dismissed at this point on those allegations. “We think this smacks of disrespect to our Magistrates,” he said. Citing the fate of Attorneys-at-Law Omeyana Hamilton, Leslie Sobers, Octave Hamilton and

Chandra Sohan who all sat on the bench but were removed, Bond told members of the Media that Chandan-Edmond is not the only Magistrate who had been dealt with a “high and capricious hand” by the judicial powers. Bond opined that the listed Magistrates were all fired for reasons that did not warrant dismissal. Bond called on the members of the legal fraternity, the Bar Association, Women Lawyers’ Association, the Magistrates’ Association, and Judges’ Association to stand up and support the members of the legal fraternity: the Magistrates. Also responding to reports that he had appeared before his wife, the former Magistrate’s husband Attorney-at-Law Joel Edmond said that at no point had he ever done so. “I have never appeared before my wife, the then Magistrate, in any court,” he emphasised. He said there are persons asking whether that is the reason his wife was dismissed, though his name was ever mentioned in the allegations leveled against her. Chandan-Edmond served ten years as a Magistrate prior to her dismissal.

Sunday March 01, 2015

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Rice industry at boiling point The rice industry is facing a deep crisis with no markets for a significant quantity that will be generated in the coming crop. The situation may even cause millers to reduce purchases of paddy and definitely affect the price being offered to farmers, says Dr. Turhane Doerga, senior official of Alesie Rice. Doerga, a fierce critic of the way the rice industry is being managed, issued the warnings during a press conference on Thursday at the Georgetown Club. He is part of the Rice Producers Association Action Committee (RPAAC), a breakaway faction of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA). Also there was RPAAC’s official, Jinnah Rahman, a rice farmer from West Demerara. Guyana has been breaking production records in recent

- farmers ready to endorse Opposition – Alesie

Agri Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy (right) and GRDB’s GM, Jagnarine Singh years, with more than 630,000 tonnes of rice produced in 2014. A record-breaking 500,000 tonnes was exported last year.

But according to Doerga, more than 150,000 tonnes was left over from last year. With another 400,000 tonnes of paddy coming in within a

fortnight, the situation is dire. RPAAC said it is now preparing to endorse the Opposition with the message to be taken to farmers countrywide, Doerga vowed. Last week, while admitting that the industry was in for setbacks because of late payments to millers, Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, denied that there was a huge surplus. He said that in January, the stock was depleted when 40,000 tons was shipped with another 35,000 tonnes exported in February. “With shipments in March expected to be around 40,000 tons, the remaining amounts of rice and paddy from 2014 would be fully depleted

GINA head silent on cost of NY newspaper

GINA’s Head, Neaz Subhan The Government Information Agency (GINA) has launched a New York newspaper but local officials have refused to confirm that they spent tens of millions of dollars to set up the project. The 32-page fortnightly edition- The Guyanese –is distributed free in the New York area. It has no

Two recent editions of the New York newspaper prepared by GINA. advertisements. Its banner said that the newspaper was established with the intention of “Keeping The Diaspora Informed”. The Editor-in-Chief is Shanta Goberdhan while the Editor is Henry Singh. Ye s t e r d a y, G I N A’s Head, Neaz Subhan, confirmed that he heads the NY paper which carries

not only news of Government but comments criticizing the Opposition. There is no news from any Opposition officials. Yesterday, Subhan remained silent on the reported cost of $250M to set up the project. He said that the money is coming from GINA’s budget. He did not want to discuss

details of the printing but did say that the newspaper was started back in October. About 5,000 copies are being printed every fortnight, he said. The newspaper is prepared in Guyana, using materials from GINA with a point person collecting and distributing it in New York.

meeting local demands.” Doerga told reporters Thursday that the industry is nearing boiling point with protests ongoing in the regions. While the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has advanced a number of millers money to pay off farmers, these millions of dollars went to friends of the government. Doerga said that GRDB has moved from being a regulator to a trading company deliberately positioning a number of close friends to benefit from the Venezuela oil-for-rice deal. “In their quest to make as much money as possible, they siphoned off billions of dollars and reduced the farmers’ price by more than 50 percent.” He said that the industry will need billions of dollars to bail out farmers as millers will be dropping their prices because of the situation. Within the last few weeks, there have been protests in Anna Regina, Region Two; and in Black Bush Polder, Region Six. In dollar amount, paddy sale by farmers last year would exceed US$45M, with export earnings of over US$250M. “This impeding crisis has been created as a result of the unnecessary control of the industry by the Minister of Agriculture, Leslie Ramsammy, and his PPP cronies at the Guyana Rice Producers Association, a front-organisation of the PPP and the Guyana Rice Development Board. The rice industry is the only private sector entity that is legally controlled by the state through an Act of Parliament,” RPAAC said in a statement last Wednesday. It said that the “muchadvertised” PetroCaribe deal with Venezuela was offered to families and friends of the ruling PPP to the detriment of the industry, as a whole. “Rice farmers in Berbice and Essequibo Coast are still owed a huge sum of money from the previous crop. Both Berbice and Essequibo rice farmers have taken their anger to the streets - burning tires and other materials to highlight their financial crisis and their inability to pay their debtors and look after their families.” In his reply, Minister Ramsammy said Wednesday, that the rice industry of Guyana continues to re-write the record books and create new success stories.

Rice Miller/Farmer, Dr. Turhane Doerga “In spite of the doomsayers, the industry has grown phenomenally. There are some simple truths about the Guyana rice industry that no one can dispute with any credibility.” GRDB has been defending the problems the industry which was not so much as market but rather price. In addition to Panama, GRDB is now in negotiation to enter a key market in the Caribbean with a meeting set for this week. “That fact is that we have been exporting much more. We are no longer benefiting so much as a protected market. Rather, we are exporting to the world market. So it is an issue of millers waiting on payments.” But Doerga on Thursday warned that with that amount of surplus, Guyana should have started to look at establishing mechanisms to deal with the commodity markets. “They need experts. It is simple. You can’t have little boys running this industry at the detriment of poor farmers.” The Agriculture Ministry said Wednesday that this year, Guyana will add “sizable markets” in other countries, particularly African countries. “We are presently negotiating a supply of more than 70,000 tons to one African country. While we leave the private sector to service the market, the Government has been opening up these markets.” “Our international trading partners have requirements that necessitate a waiting period for payments. This situation has created hardships for the industry that has resulted in millers and exporters not paying the farmers on time,” Ramsammy said of the late payments. “The Government of Guyana has not been on the sidelines, doing nothing. Indeed, even though the cultivation, milling and processing and export have Continued on page 64

Sunday March 01, 2015

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Anxiety Disorder: The missed illness - explained by Dr Zulfikar Bux Our mind can be our greatest friend and yet it can become our biggest enemy. Persons who suffer with anxiety disorders tend to be fighting their minds more often than anything else in their lives. The reality is that we all get anxious from time to time; when speaking in public for instance or during a personal financial difficulty. We tend to worry and become stressed and depressed. Then we get over our worries and move on with our lives. Unfortunately, for persons with anxiety it’s not that easy. Their minds worry

Indeed the guns have come out and once more illegal drugs are the cause. A tainted drug deal led to the killing of a South Road man and the shooting of an expoliceman. Then came the retaliation, planned with deadly efficiency. The police know of these things but they are going to sit and watch the destruction until one of their own is actually caught up in fray. The fray will not end anytime soon, because

so often that it begins to take over their lives. How common is anxiety? We may think that it’s not a big deal and it’s not something we have to worry about. Anxiety is a true medical condition and affects 40 million adults in the U.S. That’s 18% of their population. I am quite certain that we are not that far off here in Guyana either. As common as it is in the U.S, only one third of those suffering receive treatment. My worry is that quite a number of persons in Guyana are not even sure that they

many others are involved. **** Some people in the interior are going to pray for help because of a rampage on which some gunmen will be. Of course the situation will

have an anxiety disorder. Either they are not sure of what’s going on with them and blame another medical condition, or they are bewildered by their anxiety and abuse medications, drugs, alcohol, others, or sometimes become so overwhelmed and commit suicide. SYMPTOMS/ SIGNS OFANXIETY Persons suffering from anxiety may have one or more of the following signs/ symptoms: Ï% Excessive worrying this is the hallmark of anxiety. Persons with anxiety disorder

determine some things, one of which will see people in the camp taking drastic measures to defend themselves. The police will find one of the criminals dead in a clump of bushes. **** Cars are useful but in the hands of irresponsible people they are weapons. One of them will crash into a concrete bridge killing one of its occupants. The headlines will not be the different.

tend to worry about everyday things, large and small, for most days of their lives. Ï% Sleep problems persons with anxiety tend to take their worries to bed regularly. They end up having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Ï% Muscle tension anxiety sufferers tend to have near constant muscle aches and stiffness and are prone to muscle and ligament injuries during activity. Ï% Chronic indigestionanxiety sufferers are at risk of having irritable bowel syndrome, a condition characterized by stomach aches, cramping, bloating, gas, constipation, and/or diarrhea. Ï% Stage fright - The fear of addressing a group of persons is so strong in some anxiety sufferers that it overwhelms them. Even if they end up addressing the group, they worry about the event constantly after. Ï% Self consciousness persons with anxiety disorder tend to feel like all eyes are on them, and they often experience blushing, trembling, nausea, profuse sweating, or difficulty talking. Ï% Constant panic attacks - a panic attack is a sudden, gripping feeling of fear and helplessness that can

last for several minutes, accompanied by scary physical symptoms such as breathing problems, a pounding or racing heart, tingling or numb hands, sweating, weakness or dizziness, chest pain, stomach pain, and feeling hot or cold. Persons with anxiety tend to have repeated panic attacks. Ï% Recurrent flashbacks - someone with anxiety may constantly relive traumatic moments of their life and get depressed over it. Ï% Self-doubt - Persistent self-doubt and secondguessing is a common feature of anxiety disorders. Ï% Feeling of not belonging - a person with anxiety disorder often feels they are different from everyone and can isolate themselves. Over time they may develop suicidal thoughts which if not addressed, can lead to them taking their lives during a stressful situation. We all may have one or more of the mentioned signs and symptoms from time to time. A person with an anxiety disorder has to repeatedly experience these episodes, which often overwhelms them. If left untreated, anxiety sufferers can become a victim of their mind and it can lead to catastrophic

Dr. Zulfikar Bux consequences for them and their loved ones. We will dwell into the management of anxiety in next week’s article. (Dr Zulfikar Bux is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Vanderbilt University and Medical Center and holds the position of Head of the Georgetown Public Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.)

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Lessons from the death of Russia’s BORIS NEMTSOV, A PUTIN FOE By John Lloyd (Reuters – Opinion) Midafternoon in Rome, early summer 1924, by the banks of the Tiber. A young socialist politician, who had recently delivered a searing speech in parliament against the Italian leader, Benito Mussolini, and his fascist majority in the chamber, was seized, beaten, bundled into a car and stabbed repeatedly with a sharpened metal file until dead. Mussolini probably didn’t order the killing of Giacomo Matteotti, though he may have been forewarned of it. The killers were arrested by the police: but the judges willing to prosecute were replaced with others friendly to the regime, an amnesty covered those convicted and the case was closed. The opposition deputies withdrew from parliament, hoping the Italy’s king would support them and dismiss Mussolini: instead, he confirmed his leadership. The threat of a reaction by an already weakened opposition receded. In a speech, Mussolini said he, and he alone was responsible for all

Boris Nemtsov

that happened in his name; he was acclaimed; and fascism tightened its grip, to rule for the next 20 years. It is important to find out — though we may never do so — if the trail for Boris Nemtsov’s murder on Friday leads to the top of the Russian government: yet in one sense it doesn’t matter. As in Rome 91 years ago, a bold and uncompromising politician defied fear and put on the record his belief that his country’s leadership was leading it to a disaster. As in Rome, some “patriots” decided that now was the time

to rid the country of one of its few prominent critics, on the day before he was due to lead a protest against the war in Ukraine. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which answers to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said it was following several lines of inquiry. As in Rome, most of the murdered man’s fellow citizens had not listened to, or if listened disliked, his message. Indeed, Moscow is now in a worse state, democratically, than Rome: for in the Eternal City, there was still then an opposition of

some size, a judiciary part of which was willing to judge on the facts and not on orders from above, a head of state — the king — who might have intervened against the fascists. No opposition of a similar size exists in Russia today; no bold judges willing to act and speak out against instructions from above; and no one is above Putin. And the same message has come out of Moscow as it did from Rome. The message is: we are set on a course which no internal opposition - Putin called such a force a “fifth column” a little before Christmas - can withstand. We are determined to hold Crimea taken from Ukraine, and to ensure that Ukraine stays weak, and in our power. We - at some level: who cares which? — are capable of removing anyone who attempts to get in our way. We are the leaders of those who stand against the democratic world: we, as for centuries has been the case in Russia, stand for one people united, behind one leader. There is a last hope. It is that Putin really is embarrassed by this: that it is

Vladimir Putin not in his name, as the murderers must have believed it to have been. That he had wanted to keep open the possibility of a renewed dialogue with the West — since, after all, his country’s economy is declining fast and even his allies among the other former Soviet states, such as Belarus and Kazakhstan, are uneasy with the direction he is taking. In an interview with the BBC, the recently retired chief of the British foreign intelligence service, MI6, Sir John Sawers, said that “We shouldn’t kid ourselves that Russia is on a path to democracy because it isn’t,” but added that “we don’t want to have a repeat of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 where we got to the brink of nuclear war. We need to be

able to address this through increased dialogue.” For an official as close to the center of power as Sawers was, his fear of a nuclear exchange shows how much it is a part of Western leaders’ thinking: and of Putin’s, who has several times reminded the world of its nuclear force. It also shows that, even if the belief that Russia would become a democratic state has proven to be an illusion, there is still official hope for a dialogue to relieve the pressure, to at least freeze the conflict in Ukraine and to find some basis for a relationship which cannot be friendly, but which might be - as it was for much of the Cold War - stable. It presently seems a s l i m h o p e ; i t ’s d o e s n ’t seem possible yet; but it’s all that’s left.

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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

‘I’M ASHAMED OF MY COUNTRY, MY PRESIDENT, MYSELF’ Once this caption catches the eyes of Ravi Dev, he will even refuse to take an urgent call from his boss, Bobby Ramroop, and will read it because it will give him racial propaganda against Freddie Kissoon. Dev will be disappointed. Those are not my words but of American Senator, John Mc Cain. He uttered those sentiments last week in reference to the American lack of military support for the Ukraine. Dev tried his propaganda stint on me when I wrote that after the 2006 election results I was ashamed to be an East Indian. He found an ally in the PPP who filled the Chronicle and Guyana Times letter pages with cries of “Freddie Kissoon is ashamed of his race”. Dev took my words completely out of context. He found partners among East Indian supremacists like Vassan Ramracha, Vishnu Bisram, Devanand Bhagwan, Annan Boodram (the “psychiatrist” who wrote in the Chronicle that I was mad)

whose boredom in their foreign lands comes immediately to an end when they see anything Freddie Kissoon writes. You can just imagine the mental resuscitation when they go to my page. Of course you ignore these group-think victims, because you know what naturally comes from being an activist and a commentator in Guyana if you are not supportive of the PPP and its Indian bandwagon. People like Dev know me well. I couldn’t be bothered even for a fleeting second what Dev and his Brahmin/Chatree acolytes think of me. Let me remind those who criticize me from their foreign homes. I am a first class citizen who feels no discrimination when I enter a restaurant or ride a mini-bus in my own country. No one in Guyana has ever insulted me yelling out that I should go back to India or called me a “Packie”. I am not from India or Pakistan. And the last time I checked I am still Guyanese with the self-imposed

description of a Caribbean man. Since time immemorial, public figures have declared they were ashamed to be part of a nationality that has let their nationality down with manifestations of egregious moral lapses. John Mc Cain made his statement days after many Chelsea football fans said they were ashamed to be Chelsea fans after a group of Chelsea supporters repeatedly pushed away an African-French citizen from entering the train in a Paris subway. When your race or your ethnic community behaves in disgraceful ways it stains the entire race group. I have read where Jews said they were ashamed to be Jews after horrible violence against Palestinians. I have read where prominent African-American civil rights activists say they were ashamed to be AfricanAmericans when sections of that community in the US descended to low conduct. Those words have absolutely nothing to do with

one’s rejection of one’s genetic make-up. It is simply a reassuring statement that people expect their own to preserve the dignity of their race and for members of that race to uphold their standards so high that they can be emulated by others. I wrote my East Indian statement in the context of the 2006 election results. I thought Indians should have shown disgust with Jagdeo’s performance and that of the entire PPP party and voted for issues rather than put race as their priority when they marked their ballot. Dev and those names I mentioned above would hardly understand the concept of the “issue” when voting. These people were born into a culture where race was supreme, even taking priority over God that they worshipped. Remember one of the Rwandan Archbishops who invited Tutsi refugees into his church then summoned the Hutu militia to slaughter them? He put race in front of God. We have been voting in

elections since 1957 on the basis of race. In that election, Dr. Jagan won the poll and history books can be consulted to show it was a straight ethnic consensus between the supporters of the PPP and PNC. That was 57 years ago. Since then there has only been one exception of race voting – 2006 when substantial numbers of African Guyanese balloted for the new multi-racial party, the Alliance for Change. The most brutal victim of race balloting in this country was the strangulation of the Working People’s Alliance in

Frederick Kissoon the 1992 poll. It was one of the most devastating electoral losses for a major party anywhere in the world. As we enter into a new phase of Guyanese history with the grand coalition between the AFC and APNU, it would be morally depraved for Guyanese to continue to vote for race rather than for issues.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

Waning presidency paralyses potent parliament President Donald Ramotar and the People’s Progressive Party paralysed and destroyed the Guyana’s promising, potent 10th Parliament. Parliament was brought into being by the democratically expressed will of the majority of the people and was meant to pass laws and implement budgetary and other measures in accord with their will. Ramotar, after

three years of subverting parliamentary democracy, prorogued parliament on 10th November 2014 and announced his intention to dissolve parliament on 28th February 2015. Ramotar, since the inauguration of the 10th Parliament in January 2012, has been resisting the will of the majority by trying to diminish the autonomy and authority of the National

Assembly. He withheld assent to bills and declined to implement resolutions; brought motions in the High Court against the Speaker and Opposition Leader and launched a fierce media campaign against members of the National Assembly. Ramotar ’s abuses and assaults on parliamentary democracy have already become notorious in Guyana’s parliamentary history. He brazenly announced, publicly, on 13th June 2012, that he had no

intention of supporting any bill piloted by the Opposition. He said, “…I am making it very clear that I will not assent to any bill that they carry unless it is with the full agreement of the executive and the full involvement of the executive.” As a result, assent to several bills, including three local government bills – the Local Government Commission Bill, the Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill and the Fiscal Transfers Bill – was delayed for three months and others, including the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, still had not been assented to when he ordered the notorious prorogation last December. Ramotar’s second tactic has been to resort to the High Court. Attorney General Anil Nandlall filed the first Constitutional Motion in March 2012 in the High Court seeking to overturn a parliamentary vote on the composition of the Committee of Selection. He then decided to move to the courts to have

the 2012 National Budget cuts reviewed and reversed. Ramotar’s third tactic was to try to shield his ministers from parliamentary scrutiny and sanction. The ‘Anilgate’ scandal involving vulgar and scurrilous statements made by the Minister of Legal Affairs during a telephone conversation in October 2014; the ‘Priyagate’ jeering of the Minister of Education after her vulgar ‘feral blast’ in July 2014 and the ‘Ashnigate’ vehicle accident scandal in February 2014 and referral of the Minister of Finance to the Committee of Privileges, indicate how little confidence the public has in PPPC ministers. Ramotar’s fourth tactic was the ‘lie direct.’ He solemnly announced his “intention to hold Local Government Elections in the Second Quarter of next year, 2015” knowing that he had no intention of doing so. It is now evident that his real intention was to have general and regional elections. Local government elections, like general and regional elections, are a constitutional entitlement, not a benefaction of the government. The announcement was designed to mislead the nation and make a mockery of the

Constitution. It was a denial of democracy. Ramotar’s last resort was the prorogation of parliament on 10th November 2014. This desperate move was an attempt to avoid the debate on the performance of his cabinet and his presidency. Prorogation was intended to paralyse the parliamentary process. The PPPC administration obstructed the reconvening of parliament for one month from 10th October to 10th November then promulgated the prorogation order. Donald Ramotar’s dreadful broadcast to the nation on 24th February that the 10th Parliament would be dissolved on 28th February, was the nadir of his troubled three-year tenure of office, and was a final insult to the people of Guyana. Donald Ramotar has destroyed one of the most important parliaments in Guyana’s history. He has smothered the voices of the people’s legitimate representatives in the National Assembly. He has misled the nation and drained whatever confidence the public might have had in the People’s Progressive Party Civic’s commitment to parliamentary democracy.

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

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MY COLUMN

Enjoying the good life, or riding on the backs of the poor? Someone leaked a detailed list of people who enjoyed funding from the government for medical procedures. Indeed, the nation was informed that the government would make advances or fund people to the tune of US$5,000 - those who needed medical interventions not readily offered in Guyana. There were more than 500 names and the period stretched from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013. The amount of money spent was a lot. Indeed, everyone knew that the government would help people, but the extent of the help and some of the people who accessed it boggled the mind. I was aware that Government officials are entitled to funding from the public coffers if there was a need, because contrary to what many people believe, those Government officials who live by honest means do not earn a lot. That is why when one sees a Government official suddenly begin to own property in large

numbers the first word out of the mouth is corruption. There were people whom I knew had nothing before they became Government Ministers. I knew the salaries, so when I saw that these people became multimillionaires I asked myself many questions. I saw former Ministers who are ordinary citizens and not millionaires. That nailed the lies about rampant corruption in the ranks of the former People’s National Congress administration. Richard Van-West Charles, the son-in-law of the late Forbes Burnham had to approach the Guyana Public Service Credit Union for a loan to build his house in Meadow Brook. The announcement that he secured $250,000 caused a hue and cry nationally. Today, ordinary people sell their newly constructed houses for $100 million. There is no record of them securing any loan whatsoever and no questions are asked. These things made me take a look at the list of people aided by the government and

not surprisingly, Government Ministers and officials accounted for the bulk of the money. The talking point was the Minister who spent $2 million on her teeth. On the same list there were people who needed $240,000 but the government only aided them with $40,000. One does not report on the ailment that one suffers, so some of the money spent to aid people could be understood. The cosmetic surgeries are another question. One Minister secured in excess of $4 million. We appreciate that the people who benefitted were doing nothing more than enjoying an entitlement. But in the same breath, people who had certain entitlements were denied those entitlements. People expected expenditures incurred by former President Bharrat Jagdeo, but there were no such records. This does not mean that he did not benefit from releases from Central Government. Rather, his releases came from other sources. Another thing that people

found disturbing are comments that the authorities are preparing to commission the Marriott Hotel. This is remarkable when one considers that none of the foreign funding that was supposed be invested in the hotel was forthcoming. We now question the source of funding to complete the hotel. From the inception there was the belief that certain rich people in Guyana were putting their money into the hotel, something that the people behind the hotel construction denied. The government through NICIL spent US$20 million. We have since noticed a massive loan from Republic Bank. The truth about the hotel construction may never be known, because the government never intended to come clean. People are talking. They are also talking about the vast sums that are floating around, and not in local banks. On one occasion the media questioned the source of funding for the Caribbean Premier League franchise

acquired by Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop. We found out that the money did not pass through the Central Bank. It must be that Dr Ramroop has sums of money in some external bank. To his credit, Anil Nandlall proclaimed that he was a rich man before he entered the government service. He could have funded anything he wanted, but he tapped the taxpayers for in excess of $4 million. There are many things of which people speak. There is the Bai Shan Lin arrangement. From the outset there were many questions about the concessions. Some of the most unsatisfactory answers were provided. Figures provided by the Guyana Forest Commission never matched figures provided by Bai Shan Lin. In fact, Bai Shan Lin declared more acreage as concessions than the Guyana Foreign Commission declared. Small loggers began to complain that their limited concessions were being reposed and given to Bai Shan

Adam Harris Lin. Questions went unanswered, but there was talk of money greasing palms to make things easy for the Chinese logging company. One particular Minister was fingered as the major beneficiary of the Bai Shan Lin largesse and he demonstrated all the assets of one who enjoyed funding from sources other than the public treasury. Perhaps he had a fairy godmother like so many others who are featured in that list of beneficiaries of taxpayers’ money, so to do their teeth-all $2 million of them. And while we are talking about the $2 million teeth we must also ask about the insurance on those teeth. They cost more than some cars, all of which have to be insured, if only to protect others.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

Does the AFC oppose the expansion of CJIA? A resounding NO! The AFC would not oppose any programme or project that will enhance the socio-economic development of Guyana and Guyanese. In the case of the CJIA, we believe that the time for a fullscale expansion of the airport itself is not now. Millions of dollars were spent around 2006 to rehabilitate the airport’s main building, the Air Traffic

Control centre and peripheral facilities at Timehri. The G$700 Million Doppler Radar weather system was also installed at that time. The PPP/C originally went to Parliament with a proposal to expand the runway at a considerable cost and it was APPROVED. The extended runway was going to be the beginning of a phased programme to further modernize the airport which would give a boost to Tourism. Our contention is that right now, the billions of dollars that the Government is paying ostensibly to rehabilitate the airport’s buildings, and in the

foreseeable future the billions of taxpayer dollars that will have to be repaid to the Chinese Bank on the loan for this project, would be better utilized to improve the lives of ordinary people. Right now, funding should be made available to increase Old Age Pensions; upgrade the facilities and salaries across the board at the University of Guyana; towards public servants’ wages especially for nurses, policemen, soldiers and teachers; construction, repair and maintenance of minor bridges and roads, access roads, community centres and other infrastructure in the hundreds of communities in

Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo and in the hinterland regions. Those funds should go towards returning Georgetown, the Garden City that we used to be so proud of, to a state of health and cleanliness AND KEEPING IT THAT WAY! It is impossible for any rational politician (or technocrat) to conceive of promoting Guyana as a viable destination for tourists from developed metropolitan countries, even the developed Caribbean and South American nations, when the city which boasts quite a few notable landmarks – the St. George’s Cathedral, the City Hall, Stabroek Market, and

Parliament Buildings – remains in such a deplorably decrepit state. The areas just outside of Georgetown on the East and West Bank and the East and West Coast of Demerara fare no better. The sorely visible piles of garbage are now a source of vexatious contention that is raised repeatedly by citizens, NGOs and business owners. Much as the incumbent government tries to avoid passing tourists through these eye-sores during their feeble attempts at promoting eco-tourism in the hinterland regions, visitors arriving at Timehri must travel along the East Bank corridor where the filthy odours emanating from

heavily silted canals and muddy swamps must besiege their senses. If they disembark at the Ogle aerodrome their experiences would be no different. The East Coast corridor displays too much squalor and evidence of citizens living in abject poverty. So we ask, which is more important, spending our own or borrowed money on structures that visitors spend sometimes one hour in, or upgrading physical infrastructure which citizens would derive immense benefit from for years? Do we need a more modern airport? Yes we do, but there are more pressing priorities!

Sunday March 01, 2015

Mrs. Elisabeth Harper. SUNDAY SPECIAL ELISABETH HARPER IS PPP’S CHOICE FOR PM The incumbent People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C) last weekend announced the person to run alongside President Donald Ramotar as the Party contests the upcoming elections. Should the PPP return to office following the May 11 General and Regional elections, Guyana’s new Prime Minister will be Mrs. Elisabeth Harper. Harper is currently the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Guyana’s Ambassador to CARICOM. Her appointment was made known last week Saturday when PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee, hosted a press conference at Freedom House. Rohee told the media that the Party’s Central Committee unanimously endorsed the single nomination for Prime Ministerial candidate presented by the Executive Committee. He said that in doing this, the committee reaffirmed the tradition established in 1992, whereby the Prime Ministerial Candidate for the PPP/ C would be a Member of Civic Society. He said that Harper brings to the PPP/C slate “that sparkle, that burst of freshness that will no doubt energize and inspire the electorate, our members, supporters, sympathizers and well wishers in general to work hard for the PPP/C’s victory at the poll on May 11, 2015.” Rohee praised Harper as a “proven and tested servant of the people of Guyana.” He said she is totally committed to placing—at the disposal of a future PPP/C government—all the invaluable skills and experiences she has accumulated over the years. K/NEWS TO SEEK CHINESE, INTERPOL HELP ON WEBSITE CYBER ATTACK The management of Kaieteur News is examining legal options after several in-

Kaieteur News

stances of its website coming under attack in recent weeks. According to the website’s host, the site has been experiencing large amounts of unusual requests, the majority from China. The requests are consistent with an attack designed to bring down the website. The cyber attacks come at a time when General Elections are to be held on May 11 and when the website, www.kaieteurnewsonline.com, has been showing significant increases in online readership in recent times. It is the most visited website in the country. The newspaper has been complaining of problems with uploading, and of significant technical issues. The newspaper is now preparing to seek help from the Chinese Embassy in Georgetown and the police. A request will be made to involve InterPol also. Significantly, the attacks were made around midnight on a number of occasions and according to logs made of the events by the server host which is based overseas. The logs of the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses will be among some of the records to be given to the local police and the Chinese Embassy.

ing allegations of sexual assault leveled against him, just days after he rejected President Donald Ramotar’s visit to his Village. George was placed in custody at the Lethem Police Station two Fridays ago, in relation to an allegation of rape of a minor. He was arrested less than three days after President Ramotar was forced to abort a campaign visit into Moco Moco Village, North Rupununi, after being informed that short notice was given to the Village Council. Toshao George had cited the country’s Amerindian Act, 2006 which stipulates that once a person is not travelling on official business for the government, they must seek the permission of the Village Council for a visit. He stated that since the Head of State was not on official Government business, but on campaign for the upcoming General and Regional Elections, he had to seek permission to enter the Amerindian community. George also noted that the Amerindian Act clearly states that in such instances, one week must be given for the visit to be approved.

MONDAYEDITION

UNLIKELYTHATMIGRATION IS MAJOR CAUSE OF GUYANA’S POPULATION DROP – US CHARGE D’AFFAIRES

ROBBERS ABANDON SAFE WITH $1.4M IN AGRICOLA Burglars on Friday carted off two money safes from Readymix Concrete Limited after breaking into the company’s Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara facility. But police subsequently recovered one of the safes, with $1.4M still inside, in a bushy area in Agricola. Indications are that the thieves were unable to get the safe open and decided to leave it in the area where it was recovered. It is unclear how many persons carried out the brazen act, but this newspaper was told that the individuals entered the compound from the back and somehow managed to make their way into the building. Kaieteur News was told that the thieves carted off two safes; one with some $1.4M and another with $500,000. Kaieteur News was unable to confirm whether the building is protected by surveillance cameras. TOSHAO VOWS LEGAL ACTION OVER RAPE ALLEGATION Moco Moco Toshao Mark George says he is contemplating legal action follow-

TUESDAYEDITION

It is unlikely that migration to the US has played a major role in Guyana’s declining population, said United States Charge d’Affaires, Bryan Hunt. The US Embassy official during a recent sit down with Kaieteur News was asked about migration to the North American country and the likely impact of visas being issued. There have been theories that Guyanese families have been leaving in droves to especially the US where thousands of Guyanese live, contributing significantly to a drop in population. However, Hunt was cautious. He pointed out that the final report of the 2012 household census has not been released as yet. Government has said the report which indicates details of the population is likely to be released by mid-year. The results of the 2012 census would give the final picture, he stressed. He said that the US Embassy has been serving on a weekly basis, an average of 25-30 families, whose relatives have applied for them to live there. This is a small number compared to the hundreds of applications that the US Em-

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bassy has to process daily for non-immigrant visas. There is no immediate evidence that persons issued with the non-immigrant visas are not returning home. Hunt does not believe that abscondees would be much, as the US Embassy is careful in screening applications for non-immigrant visas. The applicants have to prove ties to Guyana. THOUSANDS CELEBRATE REPUBLIC DAY Thousands of Guyanese turned out Monday to celebrate as Guyana observed its 45th Republic anniversary under the theme, “One People, One Culture, One Celebration.” Though rain initially threatened to dampen the festivities, the traditional Mashramani weather of bright sunshine eventually prevailed and Guyanese faithfully trudged out of their homes to enjoy the day. The Mashramani route was a sea of colour – not just clothing but also races. All the races were represented and even a few not indigenous to Guyana were represented in the form of tourists. These tourists would either stop every few feet and snap photos of the excitement or would shake along to the pounding music. Even before noon, people could be seen setting up camp along Church Street to catch the first glimpses of this year’s costumes. In fact, some business persons had begun setting up tents as early as Sunday afternoon in preparation for the huge crowds that would eventually flock their businesses. WEDNESDAYEDITION PARLIAMENT TO BE DISSOLVED SATURDAY - RAMOTAR SAYS DELAY TO AVOID DISENFRANCHISING VOTERS President Donald Ramotar ended speculation over the status of Parliament, by announcing on Tuesday that its dissolution is now set for Saturday, February28. Ramotar, in a statement, also defended the timing, saying that had it been done earlier, thousands of voters would have been disenfranchised. The Head of State pointed out that in November, he prorogued the Tenth Parliament of Guyana. ”As I explained then, that action was taken to allow the parties in Parliament additional opportunities to talk and hopefully resolve the pressing national issues that were confronting us.”

He said he wanted also to give the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) time to have another round of continuous registration to “enfranchise those persons, who, through no fault of their own, did not have the source document to be registered.” The period of claims and objections ended last Sunday. Ramotar said that failure by the Opposition to engage in dialogue had left him with no option but to call elections for May 11, 2015. ”I did not dissolve the Parliament at the same time because had I done so, the claims and objections period which also allows for transfers would have been truncated. Were the latter to have occurred, thousands of Guyanese voters who changed their place of residence would not have been able to obtain their transfers, and this could have led to them being disenfranchised.” IWOKRAMA CHAIRMAN RESIGNS AMIDST SEX SCANDAL Chairman of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, who gave former President Bharrat Jagdeo a doctorate in 2012, on Tuesday resigned as head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a result of a sex scandal. The high profile Indian climate scientist is being accused of sexual harassment by a female employee at his research institute in Delhi. The organisation will now be led by acting chair Ismail El Gizouli until the election for a new chair which had already been scheduled for October. ”The actions taken today will ensure that the IPCC’s mission to assess climate change continues without interruption,” said Achim Steiner, ex-

ecutive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, which is a sponsor of the IPCC, said a report in the theguardian.com. Pachauri, 74, is accused of sexually harassing a 29-yearold female researcher shortly after she joined The Energy and Resources Institute. Lawyers for the woman, who cannot be named, said the harassment by Pachauri included unwanted emails, text messages and WhatsApp messages. He was installed as the new Chairman of the Board for the Iwokrama Centre on November 26, 2012. THURSDAY EDITION STALLEDAMAILA FALLS HYDRO PROJECT…NORWAY’S ETHICS COUNCIL WARNS OF CORRUPTION WITH CHINESE COMPANY Watchdog body, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), has urged Government to hold public consultations before proceeding with a Chinese firm that has been awarded a contract to build the stalled Amaila Falls Hydro Electric project. Government had been signaling intentions to start the project before the end of this year, but there are emerging worries over the questionable track record of an associated company of that Chinese contractor which is embroiled in bribery scandals. The situation has reached the attention of Norway and a critical committee has recommended that no business should be done with China Railway Group Ltd (CRG). CRG’s subsidiary, China Railway First Group (CRFG), is the company awarded the US$506M contract to build the US$850M-plus project in Region Eight, (Continued on page 45)

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Sunday March 01, 2015

Sex taboo grinding against education efforts By Desilon Daniels A cry shatters the silence and her eyes instantly jerk open. Beside her, her blind mother stirs, but does not wake, as she quietly creeps out of the bed they share, towards her crying baby. With a breast to his mouth, she quiets him, her hands struggling to hold his tiny body as her eyes droop with sleepiness. For Vanessa (name changed), this is just another morning as a teen mother. At the age of 15, Vanessa became pregnant and now struggles each day to overcome all of the challenges of being a very young mother in Guyana. Now 17 years old and a mother to a baby boy, the young woman says that better sexual education and more dialogue about sex would have delayed her pregnancy and allowed it come at a time when she was better prepared to be a mother. In an interview with Kaieteur News, Vanessa explained that she had been a student of one of the top secondary schools in Guyana when she became pregnant. Her baby’s father, she said, was a minibus conductor in his early 30’s who actively pursued her until she gave in to him. “He used to hustle me, but I never tek he on. I don’t know what went in my head, but I finally decided to be with him and tek him on,” she said. She said the relationship quickly became sexual. The first time, she said, a condom was used, but the second and third encounters had been

Executive Director of the GRPA Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth (right) with GRPA Youth Coordinator Norwell Hinds with no form of protection. Vanessa relayed that she never understood why they had stopped using condoms and instead, she said, she had “just went with the flow”. She added that she did not go to a health centre for condoms because she was afraid her mother would “hear back about it”. Further, she said she was unaware of other forms of contraceptives at the time. Vanessa said most of her friends were sexually active and she would seek advice from the more experienced of the lot. She added she never wanted to speak to her mother about it as she did not feel comfortable about raising the subject. Further, she said, her older brother was very protective of her, “especially when it came to boys”. She explained her father had died when she

was 11 years old and her brother had been forced to drop out of school at the age of 15 to take care of their blind mother. “My mother also became pregnant when she was 14 so my brother really wanted me to avoid repeating the cycle,” she said. She admitted that she would have never spoken with him about sex. Vanessa noted that in Guyana views on sex were still outdated; many of her sexually active friends, she said, were just as scared as her to speak with their parents. “I had friends who were scared to talk to their parents; they would say how they afraid their mothers would kill them. Up to now I don’t think any of them told their parents about their sex lives,” Vanessa said. She added that teenagers

The GRPA, located on Quamina Street between Main and Carmichael Streets, offers a variety of sexual health services including counseling, pregnancy testing and laboratory services were pressured by parents who wanted to believe their children were “better than the rest” and who would wait for marriage until sex. Vanessa said even after she became pregnant the conversation on sex had not been opened to her and instead she had been swamped with negativity from multiple sides. Fortunately, she said, her family was surprisingly supportive though they were clearly disappointed in her. Their support was drastically different from the reactions of many persons, she said. Her baby’s father, in particular, had become hostile and shut her out. He eventually began avoiding her and to this day he is mostly absent from their son’s life, except through a monthly stipend paid through the courts, she said. His immediate reaction on learning of her pregnancy was to suggest an abortion. “When I told him I was pregnant, he told me to throw it away and he said he would give me a pill to drink,” Vanessa recounted. She admitted that in that moment she had wanted to take the pill and kill her baby, but the older man had never come through on the promise. “I wanted to get rid of the baby; I wanted to just drink the pill and get rid of it and my mom would never know,” the young woman said. A TABOO According to Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, Executive Director of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), Vanessa’s situation is not a new one as the subject of sex in Guyana is

still considered a taboo. “Guyana is old-fashioned, but that’s because we are still very much based on Victorian customs and norms, which are quite influential on how we think about sex and sexual behaviour,” the GRPA executive said. “Coupled with that, our religions…are still very much in a colonised form. We haven’t really been freed of this kind of framework in which we’re living or in which we find ourselves; we haven’t been emancipated from all of that…In many ways, it’s surprising and worrying that we are so steadfast on these principles,” she said. Sheerattan-Bisnauth further said that Guyana’s society was a dualistic one and the idea was backed up by GRPA Youth Coordinator, Norwell Hinds. Hinds opined that though Guyana’s culture was very sexualised, it did not facilitate open conversations with young people on sex. “So, there’s this paradox where young people are faced and exposed to sex and sexuality in their daily lives…and yet there isn’t a space or scope to discuss sex and sexuality. So this becomes a paradox and an issue,” he said. “It’s amazing in Guyana that we can think and prescribe that this is the right way,” Sheerattan-Bisnauth added. She continued, “We live in this kind of dualistic way, especially religious people. People are opposed to talking openly about sex because sex is very much a taboo and we are still holding very much to that.” She said there is a

misconception that talking about sex with children will make them more sexual. “People think that if we talk about sex – if you teach children sex education in a comprehensive way – they’re going to want to go have sex. So what do we do instead of talking about it? We keep it in a dark corner and hide it away. But that is problematic, as the whole society is highly sexualised – sex is everywhere! – yet there is no healthy place for teaching that would be helpful,” she opined. Sheerattan-Bisnauth emphasised that this “closed off approach” was dangerous, particularly for teenagers who are going through changes and who are still struggling to find their sense of self. “Who do they talk to about that? They really have to come up with their own understanding and they very much rely on social media and other forms of information; oftentimes, they get a lot of information from each other,” she pointed out. CHANGING THE CULTURE For Vanessa, being able to openly speak about her situation allowed her to grow and become a better person, though she still struggles each day with being a teen mother. Vanessa said she was forced to drop out of school and had fallen ill soon after she gave birth. She said too that she had to battle with depression and discrimination and began to seek solace in the comfort of her home. She quickly lost many of her friends, she said. “It’s really tough being a (Continued on page 32)

Sunday March 01, 2015

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Police Reform: A viewpoint - Part II By Dale Andrews Our previous discussion centered on a typology of resistance factors which impact on efforts to reform police forces, with a focus on the current reforms purportedly underway in the Guyana Police Force (GPF). Some 10 factors were examined briefly with consideration to the constraints of space, albeit with an attempt to align them contextually with the local experience. Interventions to reform police forces have been made manifest in a variety of ways. One of the primary objectives has been the drive to win the hearts and minds of the people who the police are mandated to protect and serve. What is noticeable in most of the reform scenarios is the fact that the community-policing philosophy was the main plank which guided all efforts. A word of caution is necessary at this juncture with respect to the concept of community-policing as practiced in Guyana and the model implemented elsewhere. The way community-policing was structured in this country involved the participation of residents in patrolling their communities as a crime prevention measure. This mechanism was considered necessary in view of the chronic shortage of regular police ranks and patrol vehicles, and in light of unabated calls for assistance. In other jurisdictions, this measure is rolled out with the active involvement of police ranks themselves working in cooperation with communities to solve problems, and as a principal way of doing business. Currently in Guyana there has been no serious attempt to link the local communitypolicing practice with the spate of social experiments that seems to be the new thrust of the GPF. Continued non-association of the two complementary policing methodologies can only lead to mismatching and underutilisation of perpetually scarce resources both in the community and the GPF. In discussing the relationship between the executive and the police, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) accepted that “In any democracy the ultimate responsibility for ensuring public safety and security lies with the people’s representatives, specifically the Home (Affairs) Minister.” This comment reflects the current dilemma faced by the Minister of Home Affairs as articulated by the CHRI

grouping that “A careful balance has to be struck between legitimate ‘supervision’ of the police by the political executive and illegitimate interference and influence.” Minister Rohee’s frustration at the obdurate posture on the part of the GPF executives in moving the reform process forward has to be seen in the context of the far-reaching implications with regards to citizens’ expectations of policing. The CHRI addresses that concern by stating that “… the police must always remain accountable to elected politicians for enforcing the law and to perform its duties in accordance with the law.” That view, which obviously takes into account the Minister’s responsibility for issuing policy directives for reform of the GPF, brings into the public spotlight the possibility that the GPF does not intend to function in an environment of accountability, and will resist all efforts to operate within such a framework. As mentioned early in Part I, there is no indication at present of how the GPF desires to see itself, or how it intends to operate, or expects to be perceived by the public whose general safety and security interests it is required to protect. The reform programme in whatever form must be substantive; outlining the expected outcomes or impacts, so that all can be reassured that serious thought has gone into the changes necessary for the GPF to recover its self-respect and be accorded the respect of all and sundry. To that end, all who come into contact with the reformed GPF must be assured of a police service that is accountable, politically autonomous, law-abiding, humane, closely integrated into and responsive to the civilian community, and is adequately trained, equipped, and rewarded. By adopting

the key concept of strategic planning, the GPF can achieve significant movement along a posture continuum ranging from reactive to proactive. The fact that the GPF has not defined its concept of reform makes it doubly difficult for the public to determine whether its expectations are being, or will be met. Moreover, it is highly unlikely that the police themselves know what those expectations are. For convenience, we will use the working definition of reform used by Tania Pinc Police Reform: a determinant of democracy’s development (2010) viz “police reform is defined as the change in police institutions in order to improve police performance and to make or maintain the performance under the law and the democratic principles.” Having attempted an understanding of the factors which lend themselves to reform collapse, we will now move on to what promotes reform success. In June 1992 John Eck, Associate Director of Research at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) declared that he “…also had the dubious honor of working with a few law enforcement practitioners who seem determined to sabotage innovation – that ugly monster of change – at all costs.” A cynical Eck was at the time giving 10 suggestions of how Police Chiefs, stuck in a traditional time warp, can undermine community policing. These make for interesting reading since with a bit of tweaking there are some strong similarities with what obtains in the relationship between the GPF and the concept in Guyana. (See w w w. p o l i c e f o r u m . o rg / helpful.html) During his tenure as Chief of North Carolina’s CharlotteMecklenburg Police

Department (CMPD) from 1999 to 2008, Darrel Stephens ensured that problemoriented policing elements were “incorporated …into performance reviews, the promotions process, departmental awards, and technology systems” as part of the process towards changing the organizational culture. As previously stated the GPF has not been forthcoming with its vision for reform, which, if available, would assure the Guyanese people of their seriousness of

intent. Ikerd and Trent suggest that the people need to know answers to the following: i. What do the officers and other ranks know about the reform? Reform has not been institutionalized if they are ignorant of the programme, or are unable to describe its basic elements; ii. What are the members’ attitudes toward reform? Again there is no institutionalising if they don’t like it, or are cynical about it because it is all talk but no real support for the

programme; iii. Do the members’ behaviour reflect the reform? This need not detain us; iv. Has the reform been incorporated into force policies and procedures? It goes without saying that without progressive policies and procedures to sustain reform the programme will not survive. The GPF remains reliant on virtually archaic Standing Orders; empirically these do not reflect any consideration for evolutionary management (Continued on page 32)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

Joyce Ormela Harris: Over 50 years of sweet singing By Nicholas Peters Growing up in the West Bank Demerara community of Good Hope Canal Number One, didn’t prepare Joyce Ormela Harris for the famed status she would have later in life. Despite that, the now Guyanese legend, has always recited her personal motto “Sweet is my name and singing is my game” to get her to where she is now. Remarkably enough, it was her personal motto and family’s support that kept Harris singing and performing, resulting in her widespread recognition that has been growing for the past 50 years. As a singer of chutney, calypso, soca and gospel, her music has reached the ears of a wide range of listeners. Given Guyana’s diverse culture, Harris has found that her success lies in her versatility as a vocalist. Born on October 28, 1948, Joyce Harris has always maintained that she has had a spiritual disposition that has helped tremendously in her singing career. “It (my spirituality) sinks into my singing, because I don’t write music in the conventional way. A song would come to me and I would come up with lyrics

Joyce Ormela Harris with one of her first records and a CD

straight from my head, in the moment.” She counts it as a blessing that has propelled many great moments in her life. SPIRITUAL GIFT “I’ve got the spiritual thing in me and the voice to go with it! People say I am gifted,” mused Harris. While she says her spiritual gift has always been with her since birth, Harris credits her vocal talent to her mother. The singer regaled tales of her mother’s voice, saying that she was her biggest inspiration. Even

when Harris could not continue her formal education both her parents continued to support their daughter’s voice the best way they could have. Although her education was discontinued, the ardent singer still made appearances at the community school as the feature performer. Moreover, her dynamic voice started to be heard outside school corridors, and more people sought to hire her for personal events. “I would go to school concerts, wedding houses and village shows. They

would all call me to perform!” related Harris, “and as I gained more exposure, I started to sing on the radio and the TV.” It was from there that a young star had essentially been born, and as Harris grew into adulthood her reputation grew with her. She first hit it big with her song “Taxi Driver” which was based off her husband, who was in fact in that line of business. The song was released in 1964, and was received with open arms as a Guyanese classic. To this day it can be heard on radio programmes, parties and wedding houses. “A lot of people know me for that song and they say it never gets old,” Harris reflected. She says that so many people have asked her to sing “Taxi Driver” that at this point it’s become a bit disconcerting. But just because Harris was known nationally for her voice it did not mean that she thought her life exceptionally glamorous. She considered her life in Guyana quite “ordinary” as she worked as a police officer at Eve Leary. NEW YORK CITY That ordinary life began to change when she left Guyana in 1980, for the Big Apple itself – New York City. In relating that new period of her life, Harris said that every experience there was new to her, but in many aspects there were similarities. While she was recognized in Guyana, it was nowhere near the same recognition she received in New York. Due to the huge influx of Guyanese to that part of the world, the once local celebrity found that she had a level of “international appeal” she had no idea existed. Harris would perform at special events for people in the diaspora, but her reach was now greater. “Over there has the whole world of people, which gave me even more exposure,” explained the performer, “I believe that I drew the crowds because of my background. Being mixed race and being Guyanese with a range of song styles, gave me wide appeal, so I was able to attract people from all over the place.” Her level of recognition even reached as far as India. One time, after performing at an event, Harris said that she noticed a man following her wherever she went. The man annoyed her so much that yelled at him “Why are you following me!” It turns out that the man was an Indian national who had heard Harris was performing and went around, with one of the singer’s albums, asking where he could find her. When he

One of Harris’s albums – a tribute to her son Vishal Lopes-Harris finally saw the celebrity, he could not believe she was the person he had imagined, and was nervous to approach her. After her outburst, one of Harris’s friends explained to her the man’s situation. The incident astonished her so much, that the singer felt ashamed of her actions and apologised profusely to her fan. But while Harris was adored by fans, fame did not provide the comfort she left back in Guyana. When the local celebrity left home, she also left her four children behind. In that time Harris committed herself to her work and craft, so that she could at least provide financial support for her children, if not be there for them. GREATESTCAREER DECISION AND TRAGEDY She recalls that her greatest career decision was when she became a member of the Performers Right Association of England, which guaranteed that she and her estate would receive royalties for her music. “Even when I die, my children will be taken care of,” Harris reflected. It wasn’t until 10 years after leaving Guyana, that Harris was finally reunited with her kids. Her son Vishal Lopes-Harris brought a special type of joy to her heart when she saw him again, as he was the one to continue her legacy of singing. Vishal was even featured a several of her tracks as he rapped along with his mother. However, tragedy struck the famed singer when her son died not long after their reunion. Vishal’s death proved a great sorrow to overcome, that even affected her music. “After his death, I hardly sang and it was a difficult time

for all the family to cope with,” related Harris. But as she couldn’t hold off her booking any longer, Harris returned to the stage in her classic way. Once again she performed at casinos and even made it as far as the world renowned Madison Square Garden. Recounting, that experience Harris said it felt as if she had died and went to heaven. “I could not believe it. I was seeing my pictures all over the city leading up to performing day. That was the first time I was truly pampered and treated like a celebrity. And the crowds there were not like the crowds back home.” WIDELYTRAVELLED From there Harris briefly recounted that her music career has taken her all over the Caribbean and North American region and has even led her to Europe. Although her travels have taken her all over the world, she always manages to come back to Guyana around the Mashramani season to satisfy her homeland’s demand for her music. Whether it’s through chutney, soca or gospel, Harris continues to charm her audiences even as many of her performing colleagues are now deceased. As the self-proclaimed queen of chutney/soca and one of the oldest Guyanese entertainers, Harris vows that she “will continue to perform and sing still my time comes”. “Most of the singers and big time promoters have died, but I will keep singing till I can’t sing no more,” the regal singer promised. So fans can expect from that famous singer of the songs ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Benjie Darling’, ‘Nanie Wine’ and so many of those Guyanese classics.

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Leishmaniasis in Guyana and Vector Control intervention - Agreement likely tomorrow themselves by staying

End in sight for UG strike Following on the heels of a call by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, for the Unions and Administration of the University of Guyana (UG) to put their egos aside in order to facilitate a resolution, the two sides yesterday met and signed an agreement. In a statement captioned “Light visible at the end of the tunnel” and signed by President of the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA), Dr Mellissa Ifill, and University of Guyana Workers’ Union (UGWU), Mr Bruce Haynes, it was revealed that the Unions and the Administration met on February 28, 2015 and verbally agreed to sign two agreements. The agreements signed were for (1) Terms of Resumption and (2) an Interim Salary Increase. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and according to the Unions “produced what we believe to be the final versions of both agreements.” While the Unions were advised that the contents of both were endorsed by the Ministry of Finance and the University’s Negotiating Team, it was revealed that they were not signed since the newly-installed ProChancellor, Bibi Shadick, was unavailable. “We expect that the agreements will be signed on Monday March 2, 2015 by the Unions, the Vice Chancellor, the Pro Chancellor and a Ministry of Labour official. This will clear the way for us to resume duties and classes to recommence in accordance with the terms of the agreement,” detailed the Unions’ Presidents in the statement. Moreover, all staff members are invited to a general meeting in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre at 09:00 hours tomorrow (Monday March 2, 2015) during which “we will discuss the terms and implications of the agreements.” The past week marked five weeks of industrial action by the University, which was the result of a breakdown in negotiations between the Unions and the University’s Negotiating Team. The workers through their union, during negotiations, had demanded a 60 per cent across the board increase along with other benefits and improved conditions. The Administration on the other hand had offered a five per cent increase for this year and 10 per cent per the following two years, an offer that was rejected by workers.

UGWU President, Mr Bruce Haynes

Dr. Mellisa Ifill

The Unions had since countered that offer by proposing, at the minimum, a 25 per cent increase. But Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, instead made a decision to withdraw the University’s offer insisting that the workers return to work before a resumption of negotiations. His call was supported by the Ministry of Labour. The workers had therefore vowed to continue strike action until a reasonable interim offer be proposed to them. In fact, Unions had suggested a minimum of 10 per cent increase. As per that suggestion the workers will be eligible for an interim 10 per cent increase in salaries payable from Janaury 1, 2015, across the board for all categories of staff, without prejudice to any across the board end-of-year Government payout. And based on the Terms of Resumption Agreement there shall be no victimization or harassment by either side that is, no dismissals, no demotion, no transfer, no loss of leave entitlement, etc, and there shall be no break in service. Added to this, the Agreement outlines that there shall be no loss of pay for strike days and no loss of work for the University, even as it was noted that “mutually agreeable arrangements will be put in place for staff to work back the time of the duration of the strike in order to complete the backlog of work and to meet all University deadlines.” It was also detailed that all salaries withheld for strike action shall be immediately released upon both parties signing the Terms of Resumption agreement. The Agreement states too that the parties will resume negotiations at the bi-lateral level within seven days of resumption of duties, and will first address allowances and other conditions of work in the memorandum of demands. The parties will then address the multi-year salary

agreement and should the parties fail to resolve their differences by June 30, 2015, the Ministry of Labour will conciliate in the matter. Further it was noted that agreements reached on any individual item in the memorandum of demands shall be implemented within a reasonable time. However, according to the Agreement, should the parties fail to reach an agreement at conciliation within seven days, the parties shall agree to go to arbitration, under the following conditions: That the arbitration panel will be tri-partite; The Ministry of Labour will appoint the Chair of the arbitration panel following consultation and agreement between the two parties; and, the other two members of the arbitration panel will be selected, one by each party. It was pointed that the status quo ante will prevail as per January 25, 2015 and outlined that all necessary facilities and materials must be made available for classroom instruction within four weeks of resumption of duties. As part of the Agreement too, the Administration will provide weekly progress reports to the UGSSA and the UGWU on the procurement, provision and installation of these facilities and materials. Further it was noted that the Administration shall immediately engage the Ministry of Labour to conduct a health and safety audit, and shall commence the implementation of recommendations within one month of presentation of the report. Also the UGSSA and UGWU will call off all forms of industrial action with a full resumption of work within 48 hours of signing the Terms of Resumption Agreement, even as the Administration brokers agreements with the management of the Guyana Revenue Authority, the National Insurance Scheme, Credit Unions and all other loan agencies paid through the University, to prevent (Continued on page 32)

(From the Desk of the Vector Control Director, Dr Reyaud Rahman) Leishmaniasis is a disease which is transmitted by an infected sand fly. Although there are several different forms of Leishmaniasis, the most common is visceral and cutaneous. The leishmania parasites are spread when an infected sand fly bites an individual. Leishmaniasis is found mainly in the tropics, sub tropics and southern Europe. In Guyana cases have been reported in regions 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis was first identified in 1912 in Guyana and mainly affected persons working or living in the hinterland or forested locations. It is estimated that cutaneous Leishmaniasis accounts for approximately 700,000 to 1.2 million cases worldwide. And it is this very strain of Leishmaniasis that is predominantly seen in Guyana. Some symptoms could be silent with no signs or symptoms and is thus known as a silent infection. Common symptoms are lumps and bumps which start out first and then turn into sores and ulcers. These have the appearance of a volcano with the edges raised and the centre like a crater. Sores can be painless in most cases, but painful, depending on the location, especially under the arm or around the hand. Persons can protect

indoors between dusk and dawn as sand flies are more active during this time. Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and use insect repellent on exposed skin. If indoors, air conditioning generally helps to prevent sand fly bites, however if this is not possible, ensure you sleep under a net. Normally symptoms develop after a few weeks or a few months upon being bitten by a sand fly. The Vector Control Services of the Ministry of Health has built its capacity to manage Leishmamiasis. We have successfully held training courses run by external experts to build our capacity and better equip us to treat as well as diagnose Leishmaniasis patients. We have medication to treat patients and are in the process of acquiring more medication to meet the needs of the infected patients. We are working to strengthen the

Dr. Reyaud Rahman regional capacity by training microscopists to diagnose cases, teaching doctors and health care providers to treat the cases, and ensuring that the medication is readily available to those in need. So if you are not able to safeguard yourself from contracting this disease, provisions have been made for you to be properly treated.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

Police Reform... Sex taboo grinding against education...

(From page 29) and operational practices. Among the approaches that the GPF might wish to employ in its efforts to resocialise its members in changing the culture of the Force are: revised training, developing coherent and logical promotional guidelines, performance evaluations, and what knowledge, attitudes and behaviours are expected in support of the mission statement. Expanding on the available techniques to secure cultural buy-in and success in the reform programme the CMPD assessment findings highlighted inter alia: Effective planning - by using data to guide the change process the organization is better placed to plan and determine what it will look like with successful institutionalization. In that regard, a reorganization and planning committee or change management team should be formed to think through the change process. There is no significant evidence that the Guyana Police Association, the Police Wives’ Association which the current GPF administration in a fit of pique sent packing, the conveniently created but now defunct Association of Police Officers, or even the Ex-Police Association are involved in any meaningful way to assist in mobilization and facilitation of their membership to achieve successful

outcomes. Revised training and retreats, which focus on moving members away from old stereotypes to knowing and practicing the specific functions of the police reform programme. By incorporating elements of the reform programme in recruit and inservice training would ensure that culture change and the efforts to achieve those objectives are disseminated throughout the organization. However, training outside of serious consideration to ensure that the police are paid a realistic livable salary would be like throwing pearls to swine, if there are no monetary and non-monetary incentives to professional and ethical reform. Revised promotion standards and performance evaluations would assist in doing away with traditional performance measures and evaluation and reinforces the message that the old ways of doing things are over. The current static mindset ignores the reality that in the absence of clearly defined expectations members may not know what is required of them in support of the culture change. To retain a less than transparent system which virtually places people’s promotional prospects in the hands of two individuals, as obtains in the GPF, is tantamount to saying that you just have to abide without resort to any higher authority. (To be continued)

(From page 28) teenage mother; everyone is just looking down at you,” the young mother said, before adding, “I used to be locked up in the house because I was so ashamed but eventually I met other teen mothers in worse situations than I was and heard their stories and I decided to walk with my head high.” Vanessa said she joined a women’s support group, which helped her cope with what was in store for a teen mother. She also said she soon learnt about how she could protect herself from another unplanned pregnancy and how to understand sex and sexuality better. Sheerattan-Bisnauth and Hinds said the GRPA is working on building avenues of support for teenagers. According to the GRPA representatives, plans are underway to improve the number of young people who have access to sex education. One of the association’s goals will be to target parents. Hinds said although young persons were the ones most affected, it was equally important to target adults in an attempt to change sex from a taboo to a topic open to discussion. Only then, he said, will sex education be comprehensively dealt with in Guyana and only then will many of the societal issues, including teenage pregnancy, be tackled.

“We’ve been doing a bit of advocacy and we plan to target parents. The main focus is on youths, but we are going to be targeting more the parent-teacher associations and also the community groups that we work with, because it’s very important,” Sheerattan-Bisnauth explained. She further said teachers and religious bodies will be targeted as part of GRPA’s advocacy plans. “Many of the teachers are unable to deliver this kind of education because they themselves have the same problems with these issues. They are ill-prepared to really handle it so I believe that could be one of our major problems. The religious bodies have also been a part of the problem because the system is stagnated and people are just not comfortable with talking about sex,” she opined. Along with improved dialogue, the GRPA is hoping for increased access to sexual education through the introduction of “healthy spaces” such as informal settings and non-traditional institutions. “What we have witnessed here at GRPA is that when young people are engaged with each other and have the opportunity to engage in conversations with each other on sex and sexuality and share correct information on their own bodies and sexual lives, then they are more likely to make more responsible decisions. Young people are asking for those spaces,” Hinds said.

He said young people are constantly asking questions on sex, many of these questions on the basics of sex. Hinds and SheeratanBisnauth said they are unsurprised by the level of misunderstanding shown by teens in relation to sex. “This is why we’re strong advocates for sexual education in schools,” Hinds added. Further, SheeratanBisnauth said there is need for age-appropriate sexual education from an early age. “The education should start early, from a young age, but it should be appropriate. It should be mandatory that parents share this sort of information,” she said. Hinds noted that sexual education should be tackled through a multi-sectoral approach, but in the meantime GRPA will work towards increasing the number of youths who have direct access to sex education and services offered by the organization. “Young people need to know that they can have access to a number of services, including counseling services. Sometimes it’s just as simple as that,” Hinds said. He further said that youths need to know that it is their responsibility to “safeguard their sexual health”. “Education is one approach, service is another, but most important is advocacy, because this is an issue that has very little focus on it. It’s time we reposition this conversation within the national discourse so we can

put a focus on sexual rights and sexual health,” Hinds said. Vanessa too emphasised the importance of sex education and advised both young women and men to take control of their reproductive health. “Girls, educate yourself about sex; not because a guy says he loves you means you have to have sex with him. If you really want to, then protect yourself; get contraceptives from the hospital and there are workshops where you can learn more about sex. Approach your parents, if necessary, or someone you’re comfortable with. Seek advice and definitely educate yourself,” she said. The 17-year-old told Kaieteur News she is looking for a job and is struggling to do so. Following her son’s birth, Vanessa said she wrote English and Mathematics at the CSEC examination and passed with a Grade Two and a Grade Three, respectively. “I’m hoping right now that it’s my age that’s keeping me from getting a job. Maybe they want more qualifications, but I haven’t got any job offers,” she said. Further, she said, her son will turn 2 years old later this year, but is not yet enrolled in a daycare service because she cannot afford it. Instead, she seeks the help of her grandmother and mother. “If I had better sex education I woulda been able to prevent this; if I had more education about sex I would not have gotten pregnant. I would have been able to have my condoms on me, so if he said he didn’t have, I would have still been able to protect myself ‘cause I woulda had one on me. Or, if I had been more educated, I woulda tried my luck at a health centre,” Vanessa maintained. “But what’s in the past is in the past and I just have to keep it there and look to the future,” she said.

End in... (From page 31) penalties to staff members for outstanding payments. Copies of all such agreements are expected to be made available to the Unions based on the Agreement, which went on to point out that the Unions will call on its members to submit Mark-sheets for Semester I 2014-2015 within three days of full resumption of duties. Meanwhile, another important feature of the Agreement is set to be signed tomorrow, that will also cater to improvements in the teaching and learning environment.

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

A story of Sin... From page 34 are great orators, some are very dramatic, some are very theatrical, some had all of the above, but lacked anointing that was necessary to change lives.� And all who profess to be Christians may not conform to its most basic tenets of love and tolerance. Her observation hits the mark: "Of course I know that even though we all love God and were striving for the same goal doesn't mean that life will be heaven on earth. Some people are a work in progress, while some people are a piece of work. I was working on my salvation everyday...� Hearts in Motion wrestles with life, its challenges and curve balls. Gene must brace for the imminent demise of her friend, Onyx, to cancer. It gnaws at her and her faith is put under tremendous strain. But we are reminded of HIS command: "Be still and know I am God." This is another chapter in Gene's life; another growing pain. But life is seasonal, cyclical, and so too are chapters

in our life. Gene eventually finds genuine love after a shaky 'introduction.' She excels in her student-staff capacity and graduates. Betrothal and marriage follow. Oh, how lives are turned around. Bathed in faith, Gene emerges from the ashes, bruised, but healed. It is a divine catharsis not easily forgotten. Indeed, this is a compelling undertaking, it ricochets with timeless truths, mirroring life on multiple levels; espousing lessons in patience, humility, modesty, determination, self examination and submission to a Higher Power. Hilliman and Gene could not have done it better. Feedback: glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Hearts in Motion: An Inspirational Story by Janet Hilliman ISBN 13-978-0-615-74277-7 Available: amazon.com Rating: Highly recommended

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

ET IN GT - THE PARADOX OF PERCEPTION From page 40 timber and precious stones; Guyana is a poverty-ridden cesspool of corruption and crumbling infrastructure. Georgetown is the Garden City; it is simultaneously the Garbage City of the Caribbean. A political party is the country's saviour. The same party has made the country a failed, cursed state. Guyana's citizens are intelligent, hospitable and tolerant. They are also dumb, ill-mannered and insensitive.' Now he begins to make sense of the vibes from the people near the market. He tries to sort fact from propaganda, commendation from flattery. He sees glimpses of beauty and joy, and something like truth. But they are submerged under a tide of disharmony, disorder and discontent. Stupidity, deception,

crime, decadence and death reign over common sense. Okay, my little 'futuristic' fantasy act may sound farfetched and improbable. But, being still characteristically naïve, I am struck dizzy by the way people, including leaders in society, look at a person, an issue, a project and see two or more vastly different pictures. Each can be a blessing and a bane simultaneously, depending on which side of any shaky fence you sit. In America, for example, is President Obama, an inspiring leader, and his Affordable Health Care a revolutionary and progressive undertaking or is the clichéd leader of the free world a witless neophyte and his signature achievement a huge blunder? (Intriguingly a number of historians already recognize 'Obama Care' as a historic tri-

umph, according to New York News & Politics.) Guyana's politics, economics and leadership should hardly be compared with America's, or any other nation's for that matter. But the kind of human perception which informs statements made by individuals or groups is the same. I can 'bet my bottom dollar' that many such views and expressions are little more than cunning agenda ploys rather than sincere convictions. They say 'the devil is in the details' to show how a superficial statement or an alluring advertisement becomes much more complicated, even untruthful, when the fine print is read, or the details analyzed. Statistics, polls and campaign promises are notorious examples. Apparent fact – A TV announcer states, “Citizens have rejected the offer.” In actuality, a small supposedly disinterested cross-section of maybe a dozen persons may have vented their opposition to whatever offer was being

made. In such an instance the announcer's statement is both 'factual' and, to use a relatively new buzzword, disingenuous. The devil chuckles. So is our country a failed state as some believe or a flourishing democracy as others declare? I look around, listen, read, and cautiously suggest neither or both, or take refuge in the less intelligent but more truthful, 'I don't know'. It's that 'best of times; worst of times' retreat. A nation is made up of many components – institutions, laws, demographics etc… But people are individuals and groups who think,

speak, and act based on any number of variables including beliefs, personalities, and experiences; it is a wonder than any two persons can agree fully and wholeheartedly on anything. And why the world is so confusing. Now scientists, particularly those involved in the field of quantum physics are theorizing about the very nature of reality, and some suggestions are, to say the least, mind-blowing. Statements like 'nothing is real', 'consciousness creates reality', 'the observer creates reality' and 'the universe is a mental construction' seem to be gaining popu-

larity and traction. ET came to Guyana and rediscovered a concept he'd all but forgotten – the reality paradox. Me? I'm thinking cricket, recalling a recent ODI between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and thinking that I really don't know the first thing about bowling action. Why doesn't anyone seem to find fault with Lasith Malinga's weird and lethal sling (not 'chucking' they say) action, but want to take the mystery out of West Indies 'Mystery' bowler Sunil Narine's cool spinning fingers? I don't know! Ask ET.

Guyana remains firmly with... From page 39 economic zone presents many opportunities to access greater markets since participating countries would be able to reduce the amount of oil debt periodically, while expanding their markets, introduce economies of scale in terms of technology, and increase job creation.

While all of this remains a possibility in the near future, Guyana is currently discussing with Venezuela the possibility of exporting additional products under the PetroCaribe arrangement. Cash crops, vegetables, fruits, medicine and building materials are just some of the products Guyana could ex-

port to Venezuela. But the benefits of PetroCaribe for Guyana are not only in the concessionary terms for the import of oil, the funding of energy projects, or the increased exports of its rice to Venezuela. Out of the initiative, an important social project in the form of a shelter for homeless people was established in 2013 at Onverwagt, in the West Berbice region. The facility, named the Hugo Chavez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration, was made possible through a grant of US$2 million from the social fund of ALBA (a “partner” of PetroCaribe). This shelter, equipped with dormitories and kitchen, medical and recreational facilities, will remain as a lasting memorial to the generosity of the late Venezuelan leader, the initiator of the PetroCaribe agreement. With these positive developments accruing to the country's benefit, it remains obvious that Guyana will continue in the foreseeable future to be an active member of PetroCaribe. More recently, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, responsible for Guyana's energy program, categorically asserted this position when he dismissed as “premature” the speculative arguments that the initiative would collapse due to the perceived political upheaval and declining economy in Venezuela. Clearly, Guyana, as he and other government leaders have emphatically declared, will continue to vigorously support and honour the terms of the PetroCaribe agreement. (The views expressed here are solely the author's). (Dr Odeen Ishmael, Ambassador Emeritus, was Guyana's Ambassador to Venezuela from 2003 to 2011 and participated as a leading negotiator in the drafting of the PetroCaribe Agreement. He also served as ambassador to the United States, Kuwait and Qatar. He retired from the diplomatic service in 2014)

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

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(From page 27) Guyana. Norway would be concerned how monies are being spent, as that country has a US$250M agreement with Guyana for this country to maintain its forests in a sustainable manner. Some US$80M will be used from the Norway money as part of Guyana’s equity for the project. The rest of the monies are reportedly coming from the Chinese and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) –about US$175M from the latter. DEATH OF ESSEQUIBO PENSIONER….KILLER INFLICTED INJURIES TO FAKE SEXUALASSAULT – NEPHEWDETAINED Suroogpattie Ramlakan’s killer may not be a sadistic stranger roaming through the Richmond, Essequibo community, but a well-known member of the area, with greed as his sole motive. This is the theory that detectives are pursuing in the hope of finding the person who beat and strangled 73-year-old Ramlakan, called “Auntie Carmen’, in her home last week. Acting on this theory and on information supplied to them, detectives Wednesday detained a nephew of the slain woman. The nephew reportedly told investigators that he visited ‘Auntie Carmen’ regularly, and that he visited her the day prior to her death. A post mortem revealed that Ramlakan died from manual strangulation, compounded by blunt trauma to the head. But the pathologist’s examination also revealed that the pensioner’s killer inflicted injuries on the old woman to make investigators believe that she was raped. Condoms were also reportedly placed at the murder scene, and the body was also placed in a position to suggest sexual assault, when no sexual assault had occurred. ”We are looking at a number of theories, including the possibility that relatives were involved,” a police source told Kaieteur News on Wednesday.

electric project, saying that enough safeguards are in place to protect Guyana from corruption. The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) on Wednesday warned that a key ethics committee in Norway has blacklisted the parent company of China Railway First Group (CRFG) over corruption. The association called for Government to hold off on the 165-megawatt project until public consultations and investigations are carried out on the contractor. According to Government in a statement, GHRA drew “incorrect” and “misleading imp l i c a t i o n s ” of a recommendation made for Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG), the largest investment fund of its kind in the world. The fund has monies invested in China Railway Group Ltd (CRG), the parent company of CRFG. CRFG is the company awarded the US$506M contract to build the hydro project. Norway would be concerned how monies are being spent, as that country has a US$250M agreement with Guyana for this country to maintain its forests in a sustainable manner. Some US$80M will be used from the Norway money as part of Guyana’s equity for the project.

FRIDAYEDITION CONTROVERSIAL AMAILA FALLS HYDRO…GOVT. STANDS BEHIND CHINESE CONTRACTOR – SAYS IDB HAS SAFEGUARDS

NEESAGOPAULMURDER TRIAL… MOM WAS PRESENTAS LOVER KILLEDDAUGHTER FORMER CELLMATE TELLS COURT

Government has dismissed concerns by a leading nongovernmental watchdog body over the Chinese contractor involved in the US billiondollar Amaila Falls hydro-

The long awaited testimony of the Prosecution’s star witness, Simone De Nobrega began Thursday, gripping the packed courtroom in the trial of Bibi Shareema Gopaul and

her lover, Jarvis Barry Small, who are accused of murdering 16-year-old Queen’s College student, Neesa Gopaul. The State witness who is also known as “Simone King,” took the stand Thursday before Justice Navindra Singh and a mixed 12-member jury. De Nobrega, a former cellmate of Gopaul claimed that the woman had confided in her that she sat and watched as Small first strangled and then bashed her daughter’s skull before disposing of her body in a creek on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway. The victim’s five-year-old sister, De Nobrega said, was sleeping in the car while Gopaul remained unmoved as her daughter begged for her life. De Nobrega said she met and befriended Bibi Gopaul during a period of incarceration at the East La Penitence Police Station lockups. As the witness gave her riveting testimony, the number two accused (Gopaul) fixed her eyes upon her. She sat upright in the prisoner’s dock while Small wore a blank expression on his face. SATURDAY EDITION MINES OFFICERAMBUSHED, RIDDLED WITH BULLETS IN BRAZEN EBD ROADATTACK Heavily-armed men, in a broad daylight attack Friday morning, gunned down a mining engineer on the busy East Bank Demerara roadway, leaving investigators scrambling for answers. Dead is Trevor Abrams, 32, of Lot 131 Samatta Point, East Bank Demerara. He is said to be a Mining Engineer working with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). Abrams was pulled from his Toyota Allion car, PSS

6855, which ended up in a trench at Little Diamond, after the gunmen riddled the vehicle with bullets. He was later pronounced dead at the Diamond Hospital. Police sources said that spent shells recovered from the scene indicated that the killers used a pistol and an assault rifle. However, police said that they are still looking for a motive for the brazen attack. “We are doing a back-

ground check on him, but so far we have no motive,” a police official told Kaieteur News. Police said that there was no indication that the men had attempted to rob Abrams. There are reports that police have camera footage of the attack. According to an eyewitness, at around 10:00hrs, a Toyota AT 212 stopped in the middle of the road just north of the main entrance to the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) compound. Two men,

dressed in dark clothing - one armed with “a long gun” and the other with a smaller weapon - emerged. They immediately opened fire on the Toyota Allion behind them. However, the driver of the Allion, who was heading towards the city, accelerated and sped past the gunmen. The gunmen immediately jumped into their car, apparently chasing after the Allion. About half a mile away at little Diamond, the damage was clear. The Allion, with the apparently injured driver inside, had mowed down a metal street light. The car ended in the trench, partially submerged, between the new four-lane that is under construction. A resident who lived in the vicinity of the shooting said he heard about five or six shots from a heavy gun. He hurried to the front of his property where he saw the 212 giving chase behind another car, heading to the city. He heard a loud crash and later saw a large crowd at Little Diamond with a car in the trench. One motorist yesterday said that he at first thought that the gunmen were police ranks who had cornered a bandit. Police sources said that they are working on reports that Abrams withdrew a sum of money from a nearby bank.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 07, 2015

Doctors with bad news seen Food supplements crucial as less compassionate to reduce child malnutrition Regardless of how they frame the discussion, doctors who deliver bad news may be seen as less compassionate by their patients, a new study suggests. Patients who watched videos of fictional interactions between doctors and patients felt the doctors delivering bad news were less compassionate than those giving good news, researchers found. Until recently, doctors and researchers believed that doctors who delivered bad news in an empathetic tone would be seen as sincere, said Dr. Eduardo Bruera, the study’s lead author from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But it seems the news itself has an impact on the way patients see doctors. The researchers showed 100 cancer patients two videos. In one, an actor playing a patient with advanced cancer was told by a doctor that treatment options had been exhausted. The other video showed the same scenario with a similar-looking doctor saying there may be some treatment options. On a scale of 0 to 50, with 50 being the least compassionate, patients gave the doctor with good news a score of 19, compared to 26 for the doctor with bad news. Fifty-seven patients said they preferred the doctor de-

livering the more optimistic message, while 22 preferred the doctor delivering the less optimistic news. “The patients consistently perceived the doctor who gave the more optimistic message as more compassionate,” Bruera said. He said the findings may help explain why doctors intuitively have a difficult time delivering bad news to their patients. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s the reality of life that when the doctor needs to give the patient bad news, the perception of that patient may be that of a less compassionate doctor,” Bruera said. There needs to be additional research into the findings, Dr. Teresa Gilewski of Memorial Sloan Kettering

Cancer Center in New York City said in an editorial accompanying the new study in JAMA Oncology, online February 26. “For example, would the patient perception be different with an in-person interaction, a longer discussion, a personal relationship with the physician, or at a different time in the patient’s illness?” wrote Gilewski. The researchers say future research should account for the trust patients have with their doctors, too. Still, they also suggest researchers should craft techniques to help doctors deliver bad news without the content affecting the patients’ perceptions of their compassion. (Reuters)

The addition of highly nutritious foods and supplements to the diets of poor mothers could help reduce child mortality and malnutrition in Africa and South Asia, food experts said on Thursday. With breastfeeding, fortified foods, including wheatbased products like porridge and micronutrient powders, are critical for children in the first two years of life, according to the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a group of governments, businesses and non-governmental organizations working to reduce malnutrition. “Poor families often share one meal prepared for the whole family without taking a child’s nutritional needs into account,” GAIN’s executive director Marc Van Ameringen told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Rather than trying to change the diet, adding micronutrients like vitamin A, zinc and iron gives children key nutrients that they need to grow and thrive,” he said, adding that GAIN hopes to reach 25 million children in 2015. Hunger and poor nutrition cause almost half of deaths among children under the age of five, or some 3 million every year, according to the United Nations. Around 805 million people worldwide don’t get enough

to eat, including more than 200 million children. In addition to engaging with local communities to educate people about the need for nutrient-rich foods and supplements for infants, it is also crucial that these items are affordable and accessible for those most in need, Van Ameringen said. Several countries, including India and Brazil, have government programs for mothers and children that provide necessary nutrition, and GAIN is building on these networks to reach more people, he said. Yet many countries in the world, particularly in Africa, lack such initiatives, Van Ameringen said. While hunger levels have

fallen by 21 percent since 1990, an increasing number of countries are dealing with malnutrition, said Francesco Branca, director of nutrition for health and development at the World Health Organisation. Hunger and poor nutrition among children are widespread across Africa. India,Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh are among the hardest hit countries in terms of the numbers of children affected, Branca told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “We need to promote and protect breastfeeding alongside complementary foods, and ensure that mothers are well informed by leaders in the community,” Branca said.

Younger men more bothered after prostate cancer treatment After treatment for localized prostate cancer, changes in quality of life will vary by age, as will men’s reactions to those changes, according to a new study. “While older and younger men start with different baseline quality of life function, older men may be less bothered by certain declines that may affect younger patients more,” Dr. Lindsay Hampson told Reuters Health in an email. Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men of all ages in the U.S. Almost 60 percent of new cases are diagnosed in men over the age of 65, and the average age is 66. Older men are often diagnosed with more aggressive disease and are less likely to get treatment, in part because they worry about the impact on their sexual and urinary function, Hampson and her colleagues write in European Urology.

Determining quality of life priorities is vital to ensuring that patients make well-informed treatment decisions, said Hampson, a urologist at the University of California San Francisco. The researchers reviewed national data on 5,362 men diagnosed between 1999 and 2013 with aggressive prostate cancer that had not spread.

The men received various treatments, including surgery, brachytherapy, external beam radiation, or androgen deprivation, or active surveillance. Before treatment, and again within two years later, the men filled out surveys that included quality of life questions about their urological functioning and symp-

toms. Overall, men over 70 had worse quality of life after treatment than those under 60 – except in terms of mental health - but the younger men were more bothered by quality of life declines. For sexual function, 40 percent of the younger men reported a decline after treatment, compared to 46 percent of the older men. But 39 per-

cent of younger men reported worsening sexual “bother” versus just 17 percent of the older men. More men under 60 had declines in urinary function, with 14 percent reporting some negative change, compared to 9 percent of older men. It’s likely that older men start out with a lower level of function, and lower expectations, and therefore are less bothered by declines, the study team writes. Or, perhaps older men have just learned to cope better with fluctuations in their functioning, they note. Hampson said quality of life is a very important consideration when contemplating treatment for prostate cancer, and physicians can help patients make appropriate decisions. “The first critical question is whether the cancer needs treatment because many prostate cancers can be safely followed with active

surveillance,” she said. “Treatment should not be deferred for older men just because of quality of life concerns, just as younger men also need to be counseled about potential changes in quality of life after treatment,” Hampson said. Sexual and urinary problems are the most common problems after prostate cancer treatment, said Katrina Balter, a researcher at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, who was not involved in the study. “It is important to discuss potential side effects associated with different treatment options,” Balter said. “If a man is sexually active, he might prioritize treatments with less risk of side effects or go for ‘watchful waiting’ (i.e. no treatment) whereas others may prioritize local treatment and potentially improved survival,” she told Reuters Health.

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

Shimmer and shine dominate rain-soaked Oscars red carpet Shimmering beads and jewels in pale hues and dresses in bold tones brightened an unusually dreary rainy afternoon in Hollywood on Sunday as the film industry’s stars hit the glamorous Oscars red carpet. Actresses Julianne Moore in shimmering Chanel, Felicity Jones and Emma Stone donned dresses with sparkle and shine as they arrived for the biggest night for the movie business. Jones, nominated for best actress for her role in “The Theory of Everything,” wore a fairy tale-inspired Alexander McQueen gray gown with a beaded halter bodice and full skirt. She said she chose the design for its “strength and femininity”. “This year was a turning point for fashion on the red carpet. We are really starting to see almost everyone take chances,” said Eric Wilson, fashion news director at Instyle Magazine. He noted that actresses eschewed traditional “fairy princess” dresses for an array of necklines and textures. Lupita Nyong’o, closely watched on the red carpet, opted for a custom Calvin Klein white halter dress that she helped design and which was embellished with 6,000 pearls. “I was thinking about it

being fluid and liquid, an homage to the sea,” the actress said. Light metallic tones were popular among actresses such as Jennifer Aniston in a blush beaded Versace number and Anna Faris in a silver beaded Zuhair Murad. Jennifer Lopez and Emma Stone both opted for shimmering Elie Saab dresses - Lopez preferred a plunging bronze, full-skirted gown while Stone went for a light green sparkling fitted dress that offset her red hair. Best actress nominee Moore wore a strapless white beaded Chanel gown with black accents, while “Birdman” actress Naomi Watts shimmered in an Armani Prive gown with headto-toe silver and black beads. Lady Gaga made a statement on the red carpet in a silver beaded white structured, full-skirted gown by Azzedine Alaia with red gauntlet gloves. Wilson called her gown “a big fashion moment.” Best actress nominee Marion Cotillard also opted for white, in a embroidered Christian Dior couture gown. Wilson picked Cotillard and Moore as his choices for best dressed of the night. “Embellishment was a big story tonight,” said Wilson. LADIES IN RED

Red was a popular choice for actresses including Dakota Johnson in Saint Laurent Paris, and best actress nominee Rosamund Pike, who said she wanted to wear some color to close out awards season after having worn predominantly black and white. She opted for a red strapless Givenchy gown with lace embroidery that gave it the appearance of layered rose petals. Scarlett Johansson wore a curve-hugging deep green Versace gown, while Anna Kendrick donned a coral halter Thakoon gown. Best supporting actress nominee Patricia Arquette bucked the shine trend with an understated black and white off-the-shoulder gown designed by her childhood friend, Rosetta Getty. Witherspoon, in a pale blue Tom Ford gown with black trim, talked about the “Ask Her More” campaign, in which female celebrities are lobbying to be asked about more on the red carpet than just what they are wearing. “We’re more than just our dresses,” Witherspoon said. “We are so happy to be here to talk about the work that we’ve done. It’s hard being a woman in Hollywood, or any industry.” (Reuters)

Imagine Dragons oust Drake from Billboard 200 throne Alt-rockers Imagine Dragons knocked rapper Drake from the top spot of the weekly U.S. Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, after a strategically placed commercial with retail store Target during the Grammy Awards drove up exposure. “Smoke + Mirrors,” the sophomore album from the Las Vegas band, sold 172,000 copies and 172,000 songs,

and was streamed 7.6 million times, bringing its total unit tally to 195,000, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. The Billboard 200 chart tallies album sales, song sales (10 songs equal one album) and streaming activity (1,500 streams equal one album). Sales of “Smoke + Mirrors” were aided by a Target commercial featuring a

live performance by Imagine Dragons during the Feb. 8 CBS telecast of the Grammy Awards, music’s top accolades. Nielsen Music said the band’s commercial reached 10.5 million in the 1849 demographic that advertisers covet. Drake’s “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late” dropped to No. 2 this week with a unit tally of 187,000, while the “Fifty Shades of Grey” soundtrack, which features Beyonce and Ellie Goulding, dropped one spot to No. 3 with 165,000 units. Imagine Dragons was the only new entry in the top 10 of this week’s album chart. On the digital songs chart, which measures online download sales, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ throwback upbeat “Uptown Funk!” climbed back to No. 1 with 257,000 downloads after being knocked off last w e e k by Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.”

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London designers pin hopes on next generation of online shoppers Britain’s designers took to the stage at London Fashion Week over the weekend to showcase modern elegance and eclectic design, amid hopes the next generation of online shoppers would help boost sales in coming years. Designer Jasper Conran filled the catwalk with leaves to create an autumnal mood. Models wore cashmere dresses and tunics, paired silk shirts and printed skirts, which were inspired by prints by Japanese artist Kunisada, in rich tones of aubergine, moss green, plum and chocolate. Conran, whose privately listed business empire also encompasses designing furniture, home ware and collections for Britain’s leading department store Debenhams, said 20 percent of his sales came from his online business and he expected his company’s future growth to be driven by the Internet and use of technology. “Given that the whole world is online and the global reach that gives you, it’s phenomenally important (to have a presence online). We sell in 85 different countries, it’s an important part of business,” Conran told Reuters. “What I know will happen in the next five years, is that the Internet will hugely change our business globally. And it will be the Internet that does that. And that will be, I imagine, where our substantial future growth comes,” he added. With online sales of clothing and footwear expected to grow to 19 billion

pounds in the next four years, according to research firm Mintel, some designers are relying solely on the use of social media to help grow their businesses. “For me, it’s a huge part of what I do. For someone who can’t afford to advertise and afford traditional mediums to communicate to your consumer, then social media is a huge part of t h a t , ” designer Henry Holland told Reuters. “It has definitely helped me and my business, definitely enabled me to reach out to a wider audience, grow my business on a global scale,” he added. Holland, who founded his label House of Holland seven years ago, said he looked to futuristic films

like “The Fifth Element” and “Blade Runner” for inspiration for his latest collection which featured striped sheepskin coats, patterned trousers and highwaisted mini skirts. Designer Julien Macdonald showcased a collection of glamorous gothic-inspired evening dresses with lace and metallic detailing in shades of black, blood red and emerald green, whilst brightly colored latex dresses with furry trims and oversized knitted cardigans were seen at design trio Sibling. London Fashion Week, which attracts more than 5,000 buyers, journalists and bloggers to the capital, runs until Feb. 24.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

GPHC's first in house Neurosurgeon undertakes groundbreaking surgeries

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h e n e w l y specialised N e u r o s u rg i c a l Department, at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and its first resident Neurosurgeon have already recorded many successes. N e u r o s u r g e o n , D r. Amarnauth Dukhi, told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that over the past few weeks, he has successfully complete 15 surgeries. The doctor said that one of the surgeries involved on a 28-year-old male with a massive temporal-lobe tumor. This patient had shown high-grade symptoms, which were only diagnosed three months ago, when he visited the department. “He was being asked to go overseas, but then he came to GPHC, I saw him at my clinic, he was diagnosed and we prepared him for surgery.” The patient had surgery, and “I was able to remove the brain tumor,” Dr. Dukhi said. This patient, Keyon Gonsalves, recovered and was discharged from the hospital on February 9, the day of his 29th birthday. “I am very thankful to the doctor for a great job that he has done, and to God for saving my life. It is like I have a second chance,” Keyon told GINA. He said that he was not scared going into the surgery. “I was hoping for the best. Before the surgery, I was fearful and could not do anything; it was very painful

from my head straight down to my neck, but now I am ok … there is no pain at all,” he said. The doctor also reported another successful neurosurgical intervention; this time a neural-tube defect, a baby born with this congenital malformation at the GPHC. The doctor explained that the child was born with part of his brain outside of his skull. With the corrective surgery this baby has been discharged from the hospital. He is just around 60-days old, Dr. Dukhi said. Commenting on the scenarios of the patients operated on, the specialist declared: “I think that they would have deteriorated over a period of time, because most of these cases, especially that 29-year old male, he would have got all the complications associated with increased intra-cranial pressure, which most likely would

have cut short his life. “However, now he is fine and we are hoping that with co-management, with oncology, he would be able to have some level of quality of life.” Speaking of the impact of having a full time Neurosurgeon, Dr. Dukhi said, it's not only the GPHC, but also the national health sector development strategy that will feel the positive impact of a Neurosurgeon

based at the hospital. “It is a positive, a major development for the health care system in Guyana, and it also will have some level of impact, in terms of the financial capabilities and expenditure for these types of surgeries previously done overseas,” he said. “I think that we would be able to improve; we are now starting to set up the facilities to do even more types of complicated surgeries that

were not previously done in Guyana. I will continue to work to have a positive impact in terms of neurosurgical procedures and care at GPHC,” he added. Neurosurgical Consultant, Dr. Ivor Crandon, also a Guyanese with many years of experience in the field, has been providing service to the GPHC during periodical visits, and still does. Dr. Dukhi was one of many young Guyanese afforded the opportunity to

study medicine through the Guyana-Cuba Scholarship programme. Studies and practical sessions were done in the Spanish speaking island. He reiterated that this was always a profession that he wanted to be a part of and that is why he happily grabbed the opportunity that was given to him. “I made the most of it and it is all about giving back, and I am feeling comfortable with the responses and the level of confidence that the population has given so far,” he said.

St. Joseph High pageant launched

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he 6th staging of the Ms St. Joseph High pageant was officially launched yesterday with the sashing of the junior and senior delegates of the pageant. This year's pageant will see the participation of 14 students. Six of these are in the junior category which makes up Forms 1 through 3.

Delegates of the upcoming St. Joseph High pageant The 8 senior delegates were selected from Forms 4 through 6. According to Wazim Khan, Pageant Coordinator, the pageant is a biennial event and will see the delegates competing in a number of segments. These will include talent, evening wear, cocktail wear and opening sequences. Furthermore, the girls will be quizzed on the platforms they are representing. Khan also explained that the planning for this year's pageant commenced months ago. He said too that the delegates were being trained to put forward their 'A' games. Trainers have included pageant winner Alicia Bess

and local singer Ryan Hoppie. Both of these trainers are former students of the school. Khan further said that this year's pageant will see the crowning of two queens. Normally, he said, an overall queen would be crowned. However, this year a queen will be crowned in each category. “So, they're basically competing to the same title but it'll be separated in the end,” Khan said. Khan expressed optimism at the pageant being a resounding success. “Joseph's has been known for putting out a lot of talented people,” Khan added. Meanwhile, Khan

revealed that the pageant committee was flirting with the idea of commencing a male version of the event. He explained that students were constantly requesting a Mr. St. Joseph High Pageant. “When they announced they had wanted us to include the males of the school we considered the idea but it was just too short notice,” Khan said. Nonetheless, he said, the idea is being heavily contemplated, “and come 2017 there might be both,” he said. He continued, “We don't want to just throw it out there; it's something we want to sit down and plan about what we want in it with the male participation.”

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 61

Miracle baby... EPA intensifies stake out exercises to stop illegal dumping Husband refutes allegations made by wife’s relatives

Dumping along Mandela Avenue. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has noted the constant illegal dumping of garbage along Mandela Avenue during the past year. In addressing this illegal activity, the Agency through the Litter Enforcement Unit is currently conducting stake-out exercises within this littering hotspot. Residents within the East and West Ruimveldt areas are advised to take note that identified polluters will be fined $50,000 and issued a Clean-up/Litter Removal Order. Investigations at this hot spot on February 19, 2015 revealed the identity of several residents including Mr. Lynden Colin Shipley of East Ruimveldt, Mr. Nicholas Jermaine Cameron of East Ruimveldt and Ms. Grenda Smith of West Ruimveldt Housing Scheme. The Agency intends to take legal action against these individuals and others found littering and illegal dumping. During the month of February, Clean-up Orders were issued to Tejram Lall (WCD), Ravindra Shivpersaud (Plantain Walk, ECD), Fedel Gordon (WCD), Kodvatalli Ramujohn (WCD), G. Basdeo (Hadfield Street, Lodge), Jagnarine Singh (Better Hope NDC Chairman), Hardeo Ganpat (ECD), Adrian Desouza (Campbell Avenue, Georgetown), Maxi Prince (Better Hope, ECD), Sharmilla Vishnand (Better Hope, ECD), and Mr. Amin (Success, ECD). Further, two Litter Removal Orders were issued to Mr. Devon of Better Hope, ECD, and A. Bacchus of Success Gas Station Road, ECD.

The Litter Enforcement Unit is working closely with the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Department in tackling the issue of illegal dumping in the city. Ms. Kamwattie Boodhoo of C. &F. Supermarket located on Regent Street was identified as a polluter from investigations of business documents including bills and statements at an illegal dump site at Church and Camp Streets. The dumping of construction waste was acknowledged by Mr. G. Basdeo of Regency Hotel Inc. who improperly disposed of the waste on the government reserve in front of Regency Hotel Inc. Both parties acknowledged their wrongdoing, and were issued a Fixed Penalty of $15, 000, and a Clean-up Order to remove the waste in their respective areas. The Litter Regulations state that depositing litter in a public place and on other people’s property without their consent is a criminal offence. If found guilty, the fines range from $50,000 for individuals, and $100,000 for businesses; should an offender accept responsibility for their actions, a fixed penalty of $15,000 is issued which is to be paid within ten days. If the same person is caught a second time committing the same offence, then the fine attached to the offence is doubled. The Agency commenced its anti-litter drive months ago in a bid to reduce the incidences of illegal dumping. They also appointed several new litter wardens to monitor these illegal activities.

Ganga Persaud, the husband of Samantha Persaud, has come forward to clear his name, in the wake of statements by his wife and inlaws. Expressing his joy that his wife and child survived a testing period, Persaud went on to lambast the way his wife’s family has portrayed him in the media. “What they have stated in the papers, that I have neglected her, is false. I was there for her, from morning till night, when she was in both private and public hospital.” “Her parents took full control of everything after I spent all my money contributing to her treatment here and abroad.” According to Persaud, he came up with $785,000, with the help of his family and friends and contributed the money towards his wife’s care. He said that his wife is being programmed to say the things she is saying. “Her parents, after they

took her out from the private hospital, they took her by their home. They never brought her by me. From there on the parents started creating problems with me. In fact, they took self-discharge from the hospital. The doctors had said that she would have spent two more days. And they overrode both me and the doctors.” Persaud said that when they appeared on national television, he went home that same day and they took his wife there (television station). According to him, it was when he put on the TV that he knew of the ongoing situation. The only reason, he said, that he did not come forward to clear his name at the time was to avoid discrediting his wife and son, who were seeking public assistance. When his wife came back to Guyana and started siding with her parents, however, he decided to clear his name, even getting a lawyer.

“The child (Isabella) does not even have my (surname) title. When they registered the child in Venezuela, It had her father’s name, Dansham.” According to him, since his wife’s return, he cannot see his child. Persaud claims that while in Venezuela, he made numerous calls to the house and his in-laws kept hanging up on him, just to give his wife the impression that he does not care about her. Samantha Persaud, a first time mother, safely delivered her daughter in the Clinica Puertro Ordaz hospital, Venezuela, after undergoing surgery to remove an abnormality in her brain, a feat that was considered unlikely given that she was given 24 hours to live by local doctors three months ago. Since her return, Persaud and her family have come out in the media stating that at no point did they ever receive assistance from her husband. Husband Ganga Persaud

Police detainee’s death…

Relatives maintain man was brutalized The post mortem conducted by Dr. Nehaul Singh at the Ezekiel Funeral Home on the body of Zaharadeen Rozan has revealed that the man died of blunt trauma to the head and brain haemorrhage. The finding, according to police, is consistent with an epileptic seizure since Rozan had bite marks on his tongue which is associated with epilepsy. Rozan was found dead in the lock-ups of the Parika Police Station, Wednesday morning. According to the father of the dead man, Majeed Rozan, he is rejecting the post mortem report and intends to legally challenge it, since his sons never suffered from epilepsy. Expressing surprise at the result of the post mortem, Mr. Rozan said that he is

confident that his son’s death occurred within the confines of the lock-ups where he was brutalized. After inspecting his son’s body at the morgue, he claimed that his son had marks about his body which were consistent with assault. The elder Rozan who was a Rural Constable (RC) for over a decade said he intends to pursue justice for his son’s demise. The grieving father is calling on Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, and acting Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud to properly investigate the matter. He also plans to visit the Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali Hack. Police had disclosed that Rozan was arrested and taken into custody at about 21:10hrs on Tuesday February 24, following a report of damage

Samantha Persaud with her baby

GECOM collaborating with NGO to target youths for Elections Day

DEAD: Zaharadeen Rozan to property against him. The following day he was found alive but lying on the floor of the lock-ups. He was then taken for medical treatment at the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Investigations are being conducted by the Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

In the interest of increasing the voter turnout of youths in Guyana on Elections Day, the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) will be working in consultation and collaboration with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in the production of a number of strategic communication messages for dissemination countrywide. According to GECOM yesterday, this decision was agreed upon last Thursday, when the council met with GECOM to outline some of its plans for helping GECOM’s comprehensive Civic and Voter Education programme associated with the upcoming General and Regional Elections. “GECOM recognizes the perturbing global trends relative to youth participation in electoral processes, and intends to get involved with the GNYC, in meaningful ways, so as to ensure that - as part of its Civic and Voter Education campaign - the unique communication needs of the Guyanese youth are catered for.” GECOM said it is committed to helping

the GNYC in any way it can to assist young people to make a conscious effort to vote on Elections Day, and to also highlight the very real consequences non-participation in the electoral process can have on their lives. “The GNYC has outlined a plan pertaining to a robust public awareness campaign that is expected to capture the attention of youth in positive ways, encouraging them to get out and vote in the upcoming elections of May 11. Together with GECOM, the GNYC will be ensuring that the youth of Guyana understands the significance of how voting impacts their future and that of the next generation.” Attending the meeting from GECOM were its Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally, Deputy Chief Election Officer, Vishnu Persaud, Legal Officer, Juanita Barker and Public Relations Officer, Richard Francois. The other attendees included Tiffany Daniels, Chair of GNYC; Glen Bradbury, Chief of Party (USAID/IRI LEAD Project) and Julie Sookram, representative of IRI LEAD Project.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

AFC betrayal? And the death of a political prisoner By Ralph Seeram A little over a month ago he was firmly in the AFC camp. He told me that he would be voting for the AFC. He was fed up with the PPP of which he was supporter. After the “business marriage” or some would say the “marriage of convenience” between APNU/PNC and AFC, he messaged me again, “PPP all the way; let progress continue”. Arif is among some of the young Guyanese voters who communicate with me on events in Guyana and seek out my opinion, especially on the political scene. One of his requests to me was that I write some articles on history especially of the PNC. He said he heard all the “bad stories” of the PNC reign from the 60’s to when they were voted out of office in 1992. Arif want to know if some of those stories are true. Today I will give him a little history of the PNC and a PPP hero of the 70’s that died last week. Arif like the thousands who supported the AFC, felt betrayed by the AFC. The PNC-led APNU is applying for the job of running the country. I think the young voters are entitled to see their resume or CV as it is called in Guyana. One must understand that the AFC got votes from those who were fed up with both APNU/PNC and the PPP,

more so former PPP voters in the last elections. Most of AFC votes came from former PPP supporters. Now they feel the AFC has betrayed them. Why? Because the AFC is on record that they will not merge with the PNC-led APNU, yet it joined with APNU. The AFC is on record saying if it joins with the PNC-led APNU it will have to get the presidential candidate. We know what happened; the party did not get the presidential candidate position. It settled for the Prime Minister position with a promise of some powers. Some of the voters will ask if they can now trust the AFC, since they did not keep their promise to them. It’s a legitimate question, which the AFC could not provide a satisfactory answer. That “Cummingsburg Agreement” is like wedding vows made at the altar. It’s only a promise; it has not legal effect, at least not under the Constitution. At the end of the day APNU’s David Granger in is the “driver’s seat”. The way I see it, if the coalition is elected to office, with David Granger as President, he ultimately has the power to hire and fire M i n i s t e r s . I f t h ere is a serious difference of opinion within that cabinet, who do you think has the power, the last say? It’s the President. What is not clear in this marriage is who has the

power to fire and replace Parliamentarians. (There is the recall legislation that needs the support of the entire parliament) I would think the majority partner will win out. Remember under this constitution Members of Parliament cannot cross the floor. The bottom line is if the union gets into power and encounters serious differences the PNC-led APNU will out maneuver the AFC and kick the AFC out just like PNC did to the United Force in the 60’s. Yes for the young like Arif there was a coalition government before. The PNC and the United Force got more votes than the PPP collectively and they formed the Government. What is important to know is ironically, it is basically the same voting system we have today. It’s called Proportional Representation, and it was specifically designed to defeat the PPP. Today we hear the same opposition who clamored for the Proportional Representation finding fault with it largely because they cannot get a 50% votes in a fair and free election. Since we are doing a little history here, I was very disappointed with the PPP for not issuing any statement ( at least I did not see any) on the death of Albert Boodhoo, one of their heroes’ of the 70’s and who many deemed a political prisoner under the PNC Government. I am not surprised, because some of

these “Johnny come lately” in the PPP do not know the struggles and sacrifice people like Albert Boodhoo made for them to benefit from it now. Albert Boodhoo was a former GAWU President. He was in the fight to get GAWU recognized to represent sugar workers, he was an active if not militant PPP member in Berbice. I knew him well; I still have this image of him smiling and telling me, “Alyu na carry news about PPP, and me union”. At the time the media was controlled by the PNC government. Today when I read of people complaining about freedom of the press in Guyana, I smile. They have no idea of what freedom of the press is, at least not in the 70’s.So back in the 70’s a foreman from the Public Works Department in the Sheet Anchor area was shot and killed, and a PNC Parliamentarian was shot also. So as was the “fashion of the day” the Burnham led PNC “rounded up the usual

suspects”. Albert Boodhoo, Arnold Rampersaud (who was deemed internationally as a political prisoner) and others were charged with the murder of that foreman whose name I can recall as Clifford. The well known PNC member, who went by the initials SS, (Sydney Sookhoo) was hospitalized. The justice system was manipulated to ensure that Boodhoo was imprisoned for a trial when it seemed that the local Magistrate was favorable to free the men because of lack of evidence. A special magistrate was sent from Georgetown to Berbice to preside over the Preliminary hearings, with the motive being they held over for the trial at the High Court. To make a long story short he was freed in the High Court because there was no evidence against him and the others. Today I am going to disclose, what was known in the Berbice Media circle of which I was part of at the time.

The PNC member SS had an argument with Clifford and shot him then shot himself with his pistol. He confessed to a reporter that was close to him at the time. Clifford’s wife, a neighbor of mine in Smythfield told me also SS killed her husband, and an eye witness confided that he witnessed the murder. Life was not fair to Clifford’s wife; she remarried and years later she and her three children were murdered by a crazed neighbor. The eyewitness who was in fear of coming out with the truth died in a motor cycle accident shortly after the murder. Today all the players in that episode have died except one. I will tell you about him in a future article. I can tell you now that he was a PPP supporter who was charged three times for murder, He was one of the usual political suspects. Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com and on Facebook.

Berbice Mashramani Celebrations to culminate today Mashramani activities in Berbice are set to culminate today with the usual costume band and float parade through the streets of New Amsterdam. A number of costume bands and floats from Georgetown and different parts of the country are expected to travel to New Amsterdam for what is usually the last lap of the Mashramani celebrations. On the cards also for this weekend at the end of the Mash tramp and

costume band parade, all roads will lead to the New Amsterdam Fire Station tarmac for the Mackeson / Shocking Vibes 12th anniversary Black and Red after Mash affair. Some of the best sounds in the country are expected to be in the house including Shocking Vibes, Stone Love, and Mystical Movements. They will be playing for space alongside City Vibes of New York, D J Dauren and D J Shrimpy. Special Mackeson deals

will be available all night long, with plenty bucket deals and giveaways. Fans will get a chance to mix and mingle with Ansa Mc Al, Tent and Things, Mobile One, Impressive Signs, Flood yard records and the Shocking Vibes family among others. With thousands of fans expected to be in Berbice for the Berbice Mashramani activity through the streets of New Amsterdam, a number of other events are also on the cards.

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

SALON Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM

WANTED 1 Mechanic to work in the interior; must know about Cummings & Perkins Engine. Tel: 691-6260 Experienced salesgirls @ Courtney Boutique 37 A Bourda Market Second lane – Tel: 227-3407 One female dispatcher at Classic Ride Taxi Service at 18 Nandy Park, E.B.D- Call: 233-5227

TO LET Spacious 3 bedrooms upstairs with inside toilet and bath - $50,000 monthly – Call: 629-5300 1 Two bedroom apartment to rent at Lynn Street Charlestown - $50,000 per month, Tel: 652-6565 1 Bedroom concrete flats New Road V/Hoop, Preferably working couple – Tel: 2541772 Apartment to rent from March 1St: bedroom, kitchen, living room, toilet & bath, spacious @ Diary West Minister- Tel: 674-5779 Rooms for rent to working persons, for more info call: 622-7611 Rooms & Apartment in Alberttown & Eccles – Call: 225-3234

Bartender for more information call: 691-6348; 227-8542 Jet + Marack men, 1 male cook - $100,000 monthly – Tel:6942310; 8:30-4:30. General Kitchen Helper – Call Sabrina at 223-9725 (5pm-8pm) One Poultry farm to rent preferably W.C.D – Tel: 6161422 LABOURERS & FORKLIFT OPERATORS/HELPER MUST BE HARDWORKING AND ABLE TO WORK FLXIBLE HOURS. CALL: 231-8344 1 Male & female to work in the Interior to look after layer birds – Tel: 691-6260 Lorry driver to work labour lorry at L.B.I Estate, East Coast Demerara- Call: 2285655; 628-1756 Handyman, care for dogs and yard – Call: 227-2027 One male (only) shop attendant & one stall for sale @ Stabroek Market, prime location – Tel:679-1151; 225-7794

CAKES & PASTRIES Enroll Now for cake & Pastries, cake decoration, floral arrangements & Cookery - Contact: 223-3303; 612-4193; 672-8768

Experienced drivers with minibus and hire car licence – Call: 645-0025 Corner lots to buy in Schoonord, Leonora, Parfaite Harmonie, Eccles, Herstelling, Low & High Income – Tel: 6757292; 689-3339 Honest, reliable, live in domestic – Call: 646-1758 between 9:00am to 3:00pm

DRESSMAKING Designing & Sewing classes, ladies wear, curtains etc. (CanadianTrained Tutor), Schoon-Ord, W.B.D- Tel:6262629, 676-6312 FOR SALE/RENTAL American pool table – Tel: 277-0578

Contract Cars & Drivers Call: 227-1720, 227-1721 or 6606102 Live in driver with wife, live in domestic, high rates, light duties – Tel: 227-1830

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Sale! Sale! 2004 Toyota Premo: TV, CD, DVD, fully loaded, unregistered - $2.2M. Call: 642-7295 Pure bred pit bull pups – Tel: 661-1601

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 6626045 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS- CALL:6294946 OR 225-4822 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer,fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, Call: 225-9032,6472943 Mahadeo Construction for all construction, carpentry, masonry, pluming, painting etc. Free estimates and plan Contact # 669-7376 BrianMoe@642-3543; Computer Technician; FB:Brian.Moe.165; Home and office visits at your comfort!! Accounting & Taxation Services: tax returns, compliances, financial statements. Avinash Persaud Tax Consultancy, 163 Parika, EBE – Call: 260-4762.

Experienced dispatcher, taxi & bus drivers @ Princess Hotel Providence- Call: 6165419/265-7076 1 Diesel mechanic to work in the interior (backdam), experienced in repairing Perkins, MWN, Duetz & lister engines – Contact: 661-4265

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WANTED SALESGIRLS: MATURE WITH EXPERIENCED IN A HARDWARE STORE, MONDAY – SATURDAY 8AM-5PM. RUIMVELDT INDUSTRIALESTATE. TEL: 231-8529 One cleaner – Call: 225-3234

FOR SALE 1 Miller welding generator 225 amps – Tel:616-5424; 6800378 One complete cabin cruise boat – Tel:684-3786 Ducklings: French Mascouie$600 each – Tel:671-2474 1-390 Massey Ferguson, 1Tractor front bucket, 1-3 ton Toyota front lift, 3 roles air hose – Call:258-0100

Brand New, Power fist, 6,500 watts gasoline generator (on wheels) 110/240 volts AC/DC – Contact: 617-2205; 681-1032

1 Play station 3 game system with 9 games, 1 asus laptop 500 GB memory – Tel: 6708662

3 Engel moulding machine – Please Contact: 695-0333

Lady Driven Toyota Rav4 PRR – Call Selvin at 622-0137

Sawmill: Timber Harvester, 30th 25th fully hydraulic, electric motor- Tel: 261-2553

Robbins Hatchery 28,000 eggs capacity equipped with all racks trays complete $1.2M – Tel: 621-4000

Plants: Palms, hanging baskets, peace lilies, ferns, various Sizes. Tel:227-1157; 624-0495 @ D’Aguiar Park. AMERICAN BULLY PUPS GOTTILINE REMYLINE – CALL: 220-7933; 6674845; 610-0068 1.60 everude engine, caterpillar skidder spare parts, modulim truck spare parts, 75 Yamaha spare partsTel:672-9272; 261-6634 GE C-Arm X-ray machine with monitors fully reconditioned and certified. Sale/ lease. 626-6335; 2317065 Wheel chair mobile, new batteries, new chargers, wide with – Tel:231-7065/ 626-6335

Guyana Variety Store, Massive close down sale: electronics, glass cases, motorcycles and more from $5,000 – Tel: 621-4000 Glass Case: 8FTX2FTX2FT 10pcs- $60,000 each, glass case 6FTX3FTX18" – 10pcs - $55,000 each – Tel: 621-4000 Forklifts 3pcs, 450,000, 28,000, Diesel generator 550,000, 15,000watts, generator: 475,000-5000 watts, generator -160,000 – Tel: 621-4000 15FT Fiber glass boat W/35 HP Motor & Trailer – Call: 694-8905 Blow out Sale on mechanical and construction tools, chainsaw and generators – Call: 694-8905

Pure bred German shepherds – Tel:612-6672; 697-1141 1-XR-650L Motor Cycle, excellent condition- Tel:2271014; 678-5499 White & Brown eggs, ducklings also – Tel:6887291; 652-6425 One diesel generator 7500 (14 hours used) -$300,000, car deck $8,000 (new) prestige car alarm – Call: 6956461; 639-7758; 656-9990 Green Heart Piles, Green Heart Logs, Wamara Logs, also rare old coins – Tel: 639-3450 Large China Cabinets $80g, whirlpool heavy duty washing machine $120g 3pcs sofa set -$150g – Call: 6813660 1 Music system, 80 mercury engine, 40 Tohatsu Engine, Hilux extra cab fiber glass cover – Tel:672-9272; 2616634 Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc Call: 225-9032, 647-2943 2 Digital stereo surround sound system AM & FM, receiver techniques & Kenwood good as new – Tel: 216-0671; 622-0267; 692-8464

VACANCY Work from home: Earn $5,000 to $20,000 daily, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday - Call: 233-6517/ 638-0595 or www.jobfairworldwide.com RA Soda Factory: Bond Clerk, Accountant, Drivers – Call:330-2399, 330-2772, 6235920 Administration officer CXC subjects or above experience would be priority – Contact number: 668-7104 Alice Zhang, attractive salary. Vacancy for cashier/CSR apply with written application & passport size picture to survival – 173 Sheriff Street – Tel: 2275286/9 Marketing Assistant, age 2135yrs: sound education, computer skills, experienced in a marketing environment – Call: 227-3801; 694-3103; 6654790

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 2-Bedroom upper flat @ 5 Wallers Delight, W.C.D – Tel:674-4929; 662-0187 Apartments for rental @ Nandy Park E.B.D – Tel:2275194; 624-5194 1 -8000 SQ Feet ware house, located 20 miles from City $5000USD monthly – Contact: 695-0333 1 Top flat 3 bedrooms house located in South Ruimveldt Gardens Price $60,000 – Tel: 662-2589 Container Bar 160 Vryheid Lust E.C.D, for bar or any other kind of business – Tel:220-4372 or 690-3129 Wash bay and snackette at Lot 15 Good Hope E.B.E – Tel: 663-2882 House to rent at Mon Repos North - $55,000 monthly – Contact: 682-6016; 692-9295 Five bedrooms house @ 107 Lamaha Gardens & large parking, AC rooms, hot & cold, purified water system – Call: 661-8908; 335-3590 Unfurnished 3 bedrooms & 1 bedroom apartments in Granville Park E.C.D. Free water & parking – Call: 6813660 Two bedroom apartment in Timeheri – Tel:658-4754 Refurbished 2 bedroom apartment @ Liliendaal (between Bel Air & Turkeyen) parking space – Call: 910-551-4109 (whatsapp & viber) GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, , JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE - CALL: 675-0767, 627-5098 1 Bedroom apartment 25FTX22FT preferably working couple / single working person with no children, price $30,000 –Call: 657-8335

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel: 698-7807 Continued on page 64

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

Execution of GGMC officer...

Cops find killers’ car VEHICLE FOR SALE

(From page 63)

Toyota BB 2007 fully powered only, 40,0000KM, PPP series - $2.250M -Tel: 621-4000 Mitsubishi 3000 GT sports car, 3000cc in excellent condition, alarm, 18" rims $1.3M – Tel: 621-4000 Dodge strength 3000cc, automatic, fully powered and more - $1M – Tel:621-4000 Mercedes Benz- 5300 fully amoured, fully powered 19" rims in excellent condition – Tel: 621-4000 Toyota Ipsum 7 seats, lady driven, excellent condition, price to go – Tel: 672-3699 1- AA 60 Carina in very good condition – Tel: 689-5254; 256-0504 Just arrived Massey Ferguson, 290 Tractor 2WD, Excellent Condition – Tel:684-6661; 669-9315 Blow Out Sale!!! Unregistered Toyota IST $2,150,000- Bodykit, TV, Spoiler, Fogs, Alloy Wheels, Crystal Lights & Alarm – Call: 643-6565, 226-9931 1 Mitsubishi Canter GNN 722, good working condition – Tel: 228-5655; 628-1756 1 Tacoma GTT 269 with extracab, mag rim, crash bar- Call: 216-2465, 687-6083, 678-5438 1-AT192 Carina (never work hire), automatic, fully powered, A/C, mags, price $925,000 Contact Rocky 2251400,621-5902 1 Isuzu canter open back (diesel engine), manual, short base, price $1.3M Contact Rocky 225-1400,621-5902 1 Toyota tundra extra cab (4x4), manual, fully powered, A/C, V6 (unregistered) price $3.2M Contact Rocky 6215902, 225-1400 1-AT212 Carina (new model), automatic, fully powered, A/ C, mags, CD, alarm, Price $1.4M Contact Rocky 2251400, 621-5902 1 Toyota IST (immaculate condition), automatic, fully powered, A/C, mags, Price $1.350M Contact Rocky 2251400, 621-5902 1 Toyota Tacoma (2003 model) unregistered, manual, fully powered, 4x4, 3RZ engine, low milage $3.5M Contact Rocky 225-1400, 621-9502 1 Honda Fit motor car (4 door1330 cc), automatic, fully powered, A/C, mags, price $1.7M Contact Rocky 6215902, 225-1400

VEHICLE FOR SALE One unregistered 2009 Toyota Tacoma, silver, crash bar, alarm, 17" rim, price $4.6M neg. Call: 695-6461, 639-7758, 656-9990 One unregistered 2006 Toyota Tacoma, Silver, crash bar, alarm, alloy wheel, price -$3.9M negotiable – Call: 695-6461; 639-7758; 6569990 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call:680-3154 Toyota Prado, Price$5M Neg. Call: 643-2403 One 2004 NZE $1.750M, One 2001 Stick Shift, Carina 212 $1.9M – Call:616-5974 or 6188703 Canter: Short Based - $2.2M, Voxy $1.7M, Spacio $2.1M, (all never registered) – Call: 617-2891 Toyota Carina 212 real good condition -Tel: 691-5485 Toyota Vigo smart cab for sale - $3.3M negotiable; Spacio$1.550M – Call: 668-4553

LAND FOR SALE Land @ William Street Kitty; size: 38FT wide by 116FT length, reasonable price – Tel: 664-0829 One residential land at Herstellling Plot ‘B’ E.B.D $4.5M Tel: 661-0618; 6013469; 600-1062 Measuring 90’X165’ facing Atlantic Ocean, approximately half mile from Sheriff Street on High Way. Contact Shiv: 600-6681 Land @ William Street Kitty; Size: 79FT wide by 116FT length, price $60M Negotiable - Tel: 664-0829 Guyana first 5 Star gated community, now opens, reserve your lot(s) & house – Call: 609-0783 or seroj_26@yahoo.com Parfaite Harmonie - $1.4M, $1.5M, $1.8M, Eccles - $4.5, $5M, Herstelling - $4.5M, $5M, Leonora -$2.5M – Tel:675-7292; 689-3339 Lots 189 & 190 Block XXIX Parcle Garden of Eden - $2M each – Contact: 225-9839 Canaan semi-gated 42x80 $3.6M, 54x90 $4.3M, Charity Housing Scheme $2.8M, Kuru Kuru residential 100x200 $2.6M Call: 6234790,222-5116

One Toyota 212 Carina PSS Series & one Toyota Premio, PPP, Immaculate Condition (Owner migrating country) – Tel:618-2576; 678-0109 Toyota Mark 11 GX90$1.1M, Ford F150 - $1.2M, good condition – Call: 6106066 2005 F350 Ford, door ½, fully loaded 4X4, diesel, automatic, leather interior, 35" tyres & rims; excellent condition – Tel: 610-5370

PEN PAL Male seek loving, caring & understandable female pen pals Call: 646-6572

PROPERTY FOR SALE Two storey concrete house, 3 bedrooms @ 8th Street Foulis – Call: 685-8485; 2563360 Alberttown 3 lots, 2 building, commercial property @ Cummings & Middle Sts. $110M – Tel: 621-4000

VACANCY

1 Toyota Allion 2002, Fully Loaded PMM Series, Price: 1 Million, two hundred & fifty thousand dollars. Contact #: 6908658, 6882770, 673-2129

FACTORY STAFF, GTI / GITC Male /Female graduates preferred. CANTER DRIVERS, MARKETINGASSISTANT, Drivers Licence required, GUARDS. Tel: 266 4427

1 Honda C.R.V (immaculate condition), automatic, fully powered, A/C, mags, crash bar, Price $2.3M Contact Rocky 225-1400,621-5902

Bag packer/ porter- apply with written application & passport size picture to Survival @ 173 Sheriff St.Call:227-5286/9.

GGMC Engineer Trevor Abrams along the East Bank Demerara public road near Little Diamond when two gunmen in another car shot him several times. The attack occurred at around 11.00 hrs. Abrams reportedly sustained at least five gunshot wounds. An eyewitness recalled seeing a Toyota 212 stop in the middle of the road, just north of the main entrance to the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) compound. Two men, dressed in dark clothing-- one armed with “a long gun” and the other with a smaller weapon- emerged. They immediately opened fire on a Toyota Allion behind them. However, the driver of the Allion, later identified as Trevor Abrams, accelerated and sped past the gunmen. The gunmen immediately jumped into the 212 apparently chasing after the Allion. About half a mile away, the Allion, with the injured driver inside struck a metal

street light. The car ended up in a trench, between the new four-lane that is under construction. A resident who lived in the vicinity of the shooting said he heard about five or six shots from a heavy gun. He hurried to the front of his property where he saw the 212 giving chase behind another car, heading to the city. He heard a loud crash and later saw a large crowd at Little Diamond with a car in the trench. A resident said that Abrams was already dead when he was pulled from the partly submerged vehicle. Police said they retrieved two cell phones from the slain man’s car. Abrams’s stepmother, Bridgette Abrams, said that her stepson had left home with a haversack, which contained his bank card. That haversack is now missing, she said. Mrs. Abrams and her husband insist that that the former University of Guyana student had no enemies that they knew of. Mrs. Abrams said that she understands that GGMC officials are going through their records in the hope of unearthing information about the reason for her stepson’s death. But she suggested that the family was not very optimistic that police would apprehend her stepson’s killers. “We understand the trend in this country. We are Christians and we know that there will be a day of reckoning.”

Public Road Grove corner property $25M Negotiable Call: 613-5645

Rice industry at...

Corner lot with building foundation at Sec ‘A’ Block ‘X’ Diamond E.B.D- Tel: 2335106; 609-3701

From page 12 been exclusively in the hands of the private sector, the PPP/ C Government has intervened to facilitate the industry and reduce the impact of late payments.” He said that in 2014, a revolving amount to reduce waiting time for farmers and millers, amounted to almost $5B. “The industry in 2014 produced paddy worth more than $44B. Of that amount, more than $43B was paid out to the farmers by millers. An amount of less than 1% is presently outstanding to the farmers and the Government

6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms house and land at Mon Repos (Martyrsville) $13M negotiable – Call: 629-5300 Flat concrete house for sale in Grove with land space- Call: 679-3913 1 Flat concrete house @ Kururu Kururu Linden Soesdyke Highway, size 38X20, land 100X200 – $8M negotiable-Tel: 592-661-6073; 694-1090

1 Toyota Vigo, manual transmission – Tel: 6005759 Toyota AT212, AT192, Raum, Premio,Tundra, AE100 Sprinter, Vitz, RZ Bus, EP71 & 825 Starlet, Honda 600RR – Tel:644-5096; 697-1453

Police have found a car that they believe two gunmen used last Friday after riddling Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) engineer Trevor Abrams with bullets. Kaieteur News understands that the Toyota 212 was located near Covent Garden. Kaieteur News understands that police have questioned two women who were standing near the vehicle when the ranks arrived at the scene. Yesterday, a police official confirmed that investigators are in possession of camera footage which showed the two gunmen standing on the roadway near Little Diamond and shooting at Abrams’ vehicle. The official said that investigators are working to enhance the footage, but are still to learn the motive for the attack. Abrams, 32, of Lot 131 Samatta Point, East Bank Demerara, was driving north

Commercial property @ Alberttown, Upper floor $800USD, Lower floor $1500USD, Yard - $800USD, Backhouse -$1200USD – Tel: 621-4000 Small house and end lot at Cove & John, East Coast Demerara- Call: 616-1388 Two storey; 2-3 bedrooms apartment at Tuschen H/ Scheme East Bank Essequibo – Contact: 650-2982

has been working to ensure that this amount is fully paid off before the harvesting for the first crop of 2015 begins.” GRBD estimates that the millers have about $20B outstanding to them from rice and paddy they have exported and are awaiting payments. There are rice and paddy still to export. “While the banks have allowed overdrafts, this amount is too large for the banks to accommodate. The Government of Guyana, protecting the interest of farmers, has stepped in to ease the difficulties.”

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday March 01, 2015

British PM Cameron vows to hunt down ‘Jihadi John’ (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed on Friday to use all means at his disposal to hunt down militants such as “Jihadi John” after the killer was identified as a Kuwaiti-born computer programming graduate from London. The black-clad militant brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent was shown in videos released by Islamic State (IS) apparently decapitating hostages including Americans, Britons and Syrians. “When there are people anywhere in the world who commit appalling and heinous crimes against British citizens, we will do everything we can with the police, with the security services, with all that we have at our disposal to find these people and put them out of action,” Cameron said. Cameron refused to comment on the identification of “Jihadi John” as 26-yearold British militant Mohammed Emwazi, but said that people should get behind the security services, which he praised as impressive and dedicated to defending Britain. Emwazi was known to the security services, which had tried to recruit him, according to prisoners’ group Cage. The case has sparked debate about whether the security services let him slip through their grasp to join IS in Syria.

Dressed entirely in black, a balaclava covering all but his eyes and the bridge of his nose and a holster under his left arm, Jihadi John became a menacing symbol of Islamic State brutality and one of the world’s most wanted men. He used videos to threaten the West, admonish its Arab allies and taunt President Barack Obama and Cameron before petrified hostages cowering in orange jump suits. Emwazi’s name was first disclosed by the Washington Post. Two U.S. government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that investigators believed Jihadi John was Emwazi. The Sun and The Daily Mail newspapers published a picture showing a schoolboy Emwazi smiling and sitting cross-legged on the grass at the front of the photograph from the St Mary Magdalene Church of England primary school in Maida Vale, West London. A picture of him as a student was later broadcast by Sky News, showing a young man with a moustache and goatee beard, wearing a cap with a logo resembling the P from the Pittsburgh Pirates U.S. Major League Baseball team. BRITISH KILLER Born in Kuwait, Emwazi came to Britain aged 6 and graduated with a computer programming degree from the

Greek PM accuses Spain, Portugal of anti-Athens ‘axis’ ATHENS (Reuters) Greece’s leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused Spain and Portugal on Saturday of leading a conservative conspiracy to topple his antiausterity government, saying they feared their own radical forces before elections this year. Tsipras also rejected criticism that Athens had staged a climbdown to secure an extension of its financial lifeline from the euro zone, saying anger among German conservatives showed that his government had won concessions. Greeks have directed much of their fury about years of austerity dictated by international creditors at Germany, the biggest contributor to their country’s 240-billion-euro bailout.

But in a speech to his Syriza party, Tsipras turned on Madrid and Lisbon, accusing them of taking a hard line in negotiations which led to the euro zone extending the bailout program last week for four months. “We found opposing us an axis of powers ... led by the governments of Spain and Portugal which for obvious political reasons attempted to lead the entire negotiations to the brink,” said Tsipras, who won an election on Jan. 25. “Their plan was and is to wear down, topple or bring our government to unconditional surrender before our work begins to bear fruit and before the Greek example affects other countries,” he said, adding: “And mainly before the elections in Spain.”

University of Westminster before coming to the attention of Britain’s main domestic intelligence service, MI5, according to an account given by Asim Qureshi, research director of Cage, a group that campaigns for those detained on terrorism charges. Emwazi, a fluent Arabic speaker, said MI5 had tried to recruit him and then prevented him from traveling abroad, forcing him to leave the country without telling his family, Qureshi told a news conference in London. In a meeting with reporters, Qureshi cast Emwazi as a kind and thoughtful young man who faced harassment from MI5, which apparently suspected he wanted to join the Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab. That account prompted criticism of MI5. But there was little patience with the narrative of Emwazi’s life presented by Qureshi, who called him a “beautiful man”. “Cage maintain the enemy is the security services, is the state,” Professor Anthony Glees, Director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies, told Reuters. “The truth could not be more different. Intelligence services are on the whole noninterventionist.” Cameron’s spokeswoman said it was “completely reprehensible” to seek to shift the blame from a killer to those seeking to keep British citizens safe. The daughter of David Haines, a Scottish aid worker who was beheaded by Islamic State in September, told ITV news there should be more security at airports. Bethany Haines also said she would not rest until Emwazi received a “bullet between his eyes”. The family of Steven Sotloff, a U.S. journalist beheaded in August, said they had faith his killer would be brought to justice. “There’s going to be no closure until these people are brought to justice,” family spokesman Barak Barfi told Sky News. MI5 does not publicly comment on the identity of militants or their backgrounds while an investigation is still ongoing. “Jihadi John” fronted Islamic State videos that showed either the killing or bodies of victims including U.S. citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig, Britons David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese Kenji Goto and over 20 Syrian soldiers

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

Russian opposition mourns murdered leader Nemtsov

(Reuters) - Thousands of stunned Russians laid flowers and lit candles on Saturday on the bridge where opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin, a murder that showed the risks of speaking out against President Vladimir Putin. Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in the back by killers in a white car late on Friday as he walked across the bridge over the Moskva River in central Moscow with a Ukrainian woman, who was unhurt, police said. Police sealed off the blood-stained bridge close to the red walls of the Kremlin and Red Square for two hours overnight, then hosed it down as people came to pay tribute to one of Putin’s biggest opponents over Russia’s role in Ukraine. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which answers to Putin, said it was following several lines of inquiry, including that the opposition may have committed the crime to rally support for a march against Kremlin policies on the economy and Ukraine. Flowers were piled at least a metre (three feet) high, about two metres deep and two metres wide. A piece of white paper saying “We are all Nemtsov” stood among the flowers. “People are afraid to support our movement. Opposition activists receive threats every day and Boris was no exception. But they won’t stop us,” said opposition activist Mark Galperin. No government or Kremlin official was seen paying tribute but many opposition figures did so, with some warning that the pro-war mood and anti-Western hysteria whipped up by Putin over Ukraine was leading Russia into a dark future. “In our country there is demand for anger. In our country there is demand for hatred. In our country there is demand for aggression,” said Anatoly Chubais, late President Boris Yeltsin’s chief of staff and a liberal economic reformer. Referring to a pro-Putin march last week, he said: “If just a few days ago here in this city people were marching with a poster “Kill off the fifth column” and then today Boris Nemtsov is killed - let’s just pause and think what will happen tomorrow. We all must stop.” A former deputy prime minister who had feared Putin wanted him dead, Nemtsov was the most prominent opposition figure killed in Putin’s 15-year rule. At one time he had been widely seen as the man most likely to succeed Yeltsin as president. His gangland-style murder was reminiscent of the chaotic 1990s after the Communist Soviet Union collapsed and raised

further questions about the opposition’s ability to mount any challenge to Putin in such a dangerous environment. The Kremlin deflected accusations that it was to blame and Putin put the investigation under presidential control, denouncing what he called a “provocation” before an opposition protest that had been planned on Sunday. In a telegram to Nemtsov’s mother, he promised the killers would be found and punished. But the killing focused attention on the tough treatment of opponents in Putin’s third term, during which several leading critics have been jailed or have fled Russia following mass rallies against the former KGB spy three years ago. “I would say this is not only a blow to the opposition, it is a blow to all Russian society. It is a blow to Russia. If political views are punished this way, then this country simply has no future,” said Sergei Mitrokhin, an opposition leader. FEW POLITICAL MURDERS SOLVED Leading international condemnation of the murder, U.S. President Barack Obama called for a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation to ensure those responsible were brought to justice for the “vicious killing”. Political murders often go unsolved in Russia. Police said they were investigating whether the murder was aimed at destabilising the political situation in Russia or was committed by radical Islamists against Nemtsov, a Jew. A car suspected of being used by the killers, and identified as coming from the mainly Muslim Ingushetia region, was found abandoned in central Moscow. Some Russian news outlets said surveillance footage showed two men leaving it. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev cautioned against jumping to conclusions but some opposition figures blamed Putin directly. Others said Russian society was in decline, describing an environment where Putin demands total loyalty and supporters go to great lengths to do what they think may please him. “In Putin’s atmosphere of hatred and violence, abroad and in Russia, bloodshed is the prerequisite to show loyalty, that you are on the team,” another opposition leader, former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, said on Twitter. “If Putin gave (the) order to murder Boris Nemtsov is not the point. It is Putin’s dictatorship. His 24/7 propaganda about enemies of the state.”

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Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox Medi-Care Pharmacy We must hold this current leadership has raised the bar in accountable for their abuses customer service

DEAR EDITOR, I travelled to a few countries and saw many pleasant sceneries and received impeccable customer service and I always wonder when things in Guyana will improve. I am delighted to say that I have seen an improvement in the Customer service sector at the new Medi-care Pharmacy. I take this opportunity to personally congratulate the Management the Staff of Medi-care on raising the bar when it comes to customer service. I was pleasantly surprised when I went to purchase an Item at their new branch at Hadfield Street in Georgetown. Not only was I pleased with the aesthetics of the building from the outside, but also the inside. The inside was very clean and someone was still cleaning. This is the type of environment is what we need! I then got a warm welcome from a staff who enquired what my purchase was. I came out of their feeling very satisfied. I’ll definitely be going back! Around the country the pharmacy is expanding operations. I saw another branch being erected in Mon Repos on the East Coast with a similar design of the others. This is the type of improvements we need. So as soon as a customer sees your building; they know which business it is. They don’t need to look for the name.Keep the standards up Medi-Care! Numerous times I receive abysmal customer service from staff at other businesses around the country. Also the physical conditions (buildings) of a lot of businesses are very poor; some even have a scent emanating and garbage in front their premises. These business just focus on getting sales and forget to provide a proper environment and service for customers. Customers also wait in long lines while employees are sluggish and most times insufficient. This is evident at restaurants, banks, hotels, pharmacies, hospitals, supermarkets, Ministries, Insurance Schemes, and the list goes on. I only go to some of these businesses because I don’t have a choice. Some Public buildings and employees are even worse. I think it’s widely

known that if one has to do a Public transaction they need to take a half day or the entire day off! Imagine the total loss in income for a day multiplied by the thousands of persons who take days off! Customer Service over the telephone is terrible and unpleasant. Firstly, they take long to answer or don’t answer at all, then when they do they keep transferring you in circles. Most times the staff is oblivious of their organization’s products and services. I’m pleading to Business owners and the Public sector to get their act together and provide some value to customers. Without customers where are you? Businesses and Public sectors must uphold a clean environment, build aesthetically pleasing and spacious buildings and provide some sort of training for their staff when dealing with customers. Think of a tourist visiting Guyana for the first time and receives poor customer service. What message do you think he will go back to his country with? Proper customer service can do wonders for Guyana in the tourism industry. One solution is to train and monitor staff on the job. Providing avenues for customer feedback is also crucial in achieving proper customer service. A simple suggestion box, indicating Manager on duty, email addresses, phone number for complaints, etc. When complaints are received by customers the staff named should be duly penalised. This will ensure that customers are properly treated. Government and corporate businesses needs to set the example in customer service. Legislation needs to be in place that sets minimum standards for businesses. I know of some that are already in place, but not effected. Government can set up a committee that receives customer complaints and disciplines businesses and their own agencies accordingly. Implementation of laws is one of Guyana’s major demise. Several legislations are in place but never properly implemented. This is the foremost reason we experience abundant lawlessness in everyday life in Guyana. K. Ramkhelawan

DEAR EDITOR, In any civilised society governance is guided by universally accepted standards which include the respect for rights, rule of law and time honoured principles. The PPP, as a political party, when in opposition had travelled across the country and around the world crusading for the respect for these tenets. Now having been given the privilege to govern the party continues to trample on everything it crusaded for when in opposition. Persons will recall the party promoting working class credentials and an end to what was called “squandermania” with the promise of better governance should the party accede to office. We continue to bear witness that the crusade for working class principles and better governance were the pretext to secure office to conduct vendetta, trample workers/citizens and violate laws to satisfy the pursuit for enrichment of a few. The suspension, dismissal and continued mistreatment of workers at the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), a company partly owned by the Government of Guyana, is a case in point. The company’s refusal to respond to any request from the recognised union for an engagement to address any issue on behalf of the workers, which this government is aware of and refuses to do anything about

it, speaks to the level of collaboration with government and management to deny workers their rights. The disregard for the Trade Union Recognition Act (Chapter 98:07) by the management of BCGI has been an issue for five years. The Minister of Labour in 2012 had enforced the Labour Act (Chapter 84:01) and imposed compulsory arbitration. The management of the company brought a challenge to the court. The Minister of Labour conceded to the company’s argument and committed to the Court to reissue letters to have the arbitration commenced. To date these letters have not left the minister’s desk. Workers in the public service and state agencies like the Transport & Harbours Department, National Insurance Scheme, Forestry, University of Guyana, Guyana Post Office Corporation and every state entity, are being denied the right to collective bargaining. The exceptions to this transgression are GuySuCo and Guyana Power & Light. The Linden Electricity Incorporated (LEI) another state entity, whose board in under the chairmanship of Carvil Duncan, has for the last seven years refused to treat with the recognised union. Quite recently the workers at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) struck and were on the streets for prolonged period. This

strike came about as a result of political interference into the day-to-day operations of the organisation, with the intent to deny workers their right to collective bargaining and opportunities to perform at their optimum. A few days ago student nurses came out in large numbers picketing the Ministry of Health, demanding that consideration be given to their ideas in pursuit of quality education. The University of Guyana strike has been running for weeks without sustained efforts by the Ministry of Labour to conciliate in this affair and bring about a speedy resolution. The role of the Minister of Labour is that of chief conciliator and the responsibility is vested in him to ensure there is a stable industrial relations climate. None of the ministers of labour during the Jagdeo/ Ramotar PPP government has discharged his responsibility consistent with the laws and without fear or favour. This is indicative that the Jagdeo/Ramotar leadership is anti-worker and anti-national but pro-survival of their tenure as president. The PPP has said the month of March will be dedicated to the memory of the party’s Founder Leader, Dr. Cheddi Jagan. The government and party will use this opportunity to blanket the nation with claims of working class credentials and improvement

in governance. We must hold this current leadership accountable for their abuses, the deprivations, and raping of our resources. Every citizen is a worker and as such every citizen must take on board the manner in which this government treats workers. And given what is stated above, collectively we must hold the government to account. It is the government that sets the tone for relations in society and if a government actively pursues polices that discriminate against citizens, the government in effect is saying to other employers that they too can do likewise. Further, it is also saying to the citizenry that it is OK to be uncivil, disregard the laws and the rights of the other. These attitudes create a lawless society and barbaric culture as evident in public life today. Be it in road usage, customer service, crime, over pricing and short changing of goods and services, corruption, police brutality, to name some. The degeneracy is everywhere, and while some may be able to insulate themselves, such insulation serves as temporary relief, because it is only a matter time before all are consumed. Workers and citizens must recognise that they hold the key in their hands to open the door to a future they desire. A future where civility is restored to public life, good customer service is a norm, the police uphold its motto of service and protection, good governance is a daily feature, and rights and the rule of law are upheld. Lincoln Lewis

Can a diplomat help the PPP... From page 4 soft-spoken and well-mannered diplomat who is gifted in diplomacy, not politics. It would not be easy for Ms. Harper to deliberately and cleverly employ a strategy of distancing herself from the actions of the errant PPP ministers or the rants of Kwame McCoy and others. Mrs. Harper is a respected public servant but she does not have the requisite political skills and experience to save the PPP from a sound trashing at the polls. By entering the political arena, Mrs. Harper should know that the gloves are off and she will receive scathing attacks from the public as she tries to defend the PPP regime on issues like fraud, corruption, nepotism, dishonesty, arrogant and spiteful. The spate of political scandals and corrupt practices and the caustic criticisms levelled against the PPP

by some of its own supporters have had a negative impact on the party. No one can repair the damage done to the image of the PPP by Jagdeo. Their supporters in the sugar industry are currently fuming over the high level of crime and corruption and the use of state funds by those in power to enrich themselves, their relatives and friends, while the average worker is struggling to survive on the slave like wages. As it stands now, Mrs. Harper’s candidacy will not ease the frustrations endured by the people during the past 15 years of PPP rule. Of more significance, she will not be able to address the controversies, scandals and corruption which the cabinet seems to attract. A preferred strategy is for her to stand aloof and distance herself from the fiascoes that seem to plague the PPP regime on a daily basis. Or else, she may very well

face a barrage of criticisms from the disillusioned youths and the old and middle-aged citizens whom the PPP cabal has abandoned for their rich friends. In the coming days and weeks, the population will look on in fascination at how the PPP’s first female Prime Ministerial candidate will deal with the controversies and chaos or how she will extricate herself from them. What is clear is that Mrs. Harper will find herself boxed into a corner as the scripted PM candi-

date, which means that everything she says will be written for her by the Jagdeoite PR team at Freedom House. Firstly, for some people, such an approach is out of sync with the model of conventional “decency and respect” associated with such high office. Secondly, others will see it as an act of desperation and a slant against women, who the PPP still considers to be inferior to men. Dr. Asquith Rose, Chandra Deolall, Dr. Merle Spencer-Marks

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

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I’m as ready as I can Gold medals for Gaskin, be, says Hamilton GASA Mash Long Course Meet

Fowler, Scott and George The Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) 2015 season swam off yesterday with the staging of the Mashramani Long Course Swim Meet at the National Aquatic Centre, Lilendaal. This meet which is also being used as Time Trials for the CARIFTA 2015 Swimming Championship which will be held in Barbados in early April. It was opened with presentations by the President of CONSONAT Mr. Juan Carlos, Vice President of FINA Mr. Dale Newburger and GASA President Mr. Ivan Persaud. In the pool, Hannibal Gaskin of the Dorado Swim Club (DSC) captured his first

gold of the day in the Boys 15-17 age group taking the 50m Butterfly. Gaskin followed that up with wins in the 400m Freestyle, and made it a triple by taking the 100m Freestlyle. Andrew Fowler, swimming for the Dolphin Speed Swim Club in the Boys 18 and Over category took Gold in the 50m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle. Daniel Scott, another Dorado member had a glorious day as he swam to triple gold medals. Competing in the Boys 1314 age group, Scott took gold in the 200 IM, 50m Butterfly and 50m Breaststroke. He had to settle for silver in the 100m Freestyle losing the Gold to Antonio Hussein. Onika George, representing Silver Sharks was golden

in the Girls 15-17 age group topping the field in the 50m Butterfly, 400m Freestyle and the 100m Freestyle events. Other winners on day one yesterday were Satyanand Ramlagan (DSC) who captured gold in the 50m Breaststroke in the Boys 15-17 age group. Soroya Simmons (DSC) grabbed Gold in the 100m, 400m and 800m Freestyle competing in the Girls 18 and Over category; Dolphin’s Kenita Mahaica Gold in the Girls 1314 50m Breaststroke; Dorado’s Riley Nurse won double gold in the Girls 9-10 in the 50m Butterfly and 50m Breaststroke. Today is the final day, warm up starts at 10:00hrs with competition time at 11:00hrs.

Sunday March 01, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today, Aries, your ability to stand up for your decisions and not let others sway you may be enhanced. This will be especially true if you've arrived at a resolution that solves a problem. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You may feel a real need to get moving today, Taurus. Almost everyone prefers quiet activities, books, art, and even just sitting around to physical activity at times. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Today, Gemini, you will probably have a ton of energy at your disposal for getting into all kinds of activities. Finish any work that still needs to be completed. CANCER (June 21–July 22) This is an excellent day to express your natural creativity, Cancer. The arts will likely be very important to you. You may find that nothing brings you more pleasure on days like this.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today, Libra, consider that artistic expression can happen in many ways. It isn't always about drawing a picture, singing a song, playing music, or acting. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may find that today brings great physical strength and energy to you, Scorpio. Given this, you may really want to do some tough, challenging physical work. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Sagittarius, it's prime time to get busy. Activities that require focus or creativity will be supported. Physical strength and energy will encourage you to do something active. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Your active side may show through today, Capricorn. While you can be extremely focused on brainwork, you also love to keep active and do physical work.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) If you're feeling tired, Leo, you may need to lie back, close your eyes, and listen to some soothing music.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) If you've been feeling tired or sick lately, this will probably turn around for you, Aquarius. You may often experience moodiness, and this can be a real drain.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today may bring up strong feelings, Virgo. This may not be new, as you have a tendency to feel things deeply.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You will probably be very busy today, which may suit you just fine. This can work in your favor if you have some work to catch up on.

Reuters - Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton wrapped up his preseason testing with another fastest lap for Mercedes yesterday. The Briton, still feeling the lingering effects of a bug that laid him low in last week’s second test, produced a best time of one minute 23.022 seconds on the soft tires at the Circuit de Catalunya. That was 0.240 of a second quicker than Felipe Massa in the Williams, although the Brazilian set his lap on faster supersoft tires, but still slower than Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg’s 1.22.792 on Friday. Hamilton will make his next appearance in the car in Friday practice for the March 15 Melbourne season-opener, a race he failed to finish last year. “It’s been generally quite good,” he said when asked to sum up his winter testing program. “Great job done by the team and everyone at the factory to get all the components here. Reliability has been strong.” The 30-year-old double champion said every winter was different and felt he was heading for Australia “as good as we can be.” The Briton could certainly have sounded better, however. ”I should be fine,” he told reporters as night fell on the circuit. “The bug’s been around...my mum, my sister, my nephew, several of my engineers have it so it’s just some nasty bug that’s going around. ‘I’m kind of on the end of having that bug but it’s not really affected preparations.” Hamilton managed 76 laps, less than anyone apart from McLaren stand-in Kevin Magnussen who did only 39 for the misfiring Honda-powered team and was halted by an oil leak. “I put the lap together but the track today was quite slow compared to the first day,” said Hamilton, who now hands over to Rosberg for the final day. “We think the tires and the circuit are behaving a little bit differently in these last two days. ”The track has probably been at least half a second to seven tenths slower than the first day.” Nico Hulkenberg did the most laps, 157 for Force India, as that Mercedes-powered team played catch-up after giving their new car its debut on Friday. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen also managed 141 laps and was third fastest, with most drivers carrying out race simu-

Lewis Hamilton lations in the afternoon. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was slowest but

was the only driver not to use the soft tires with his time set on the mediums.

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Sunday March 07, 2015

“ICC CWC 2015 – Way too long but heating up nicely!” Says Colin E. H. Croft ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is way too long. It is all well and good to want to squeeze every last penny to be made from the event, but seven weeks is like trying to kill the real golden goose! Many initially interested neutrals would probably have lost whatever interest they had by the time even quarter-finals come about, preliminary games taking more than four weeks to be completed. Even ardent supporters not in Australia or New Zealand would probably only loosely follow their respective teams, then, at Q-F stage, rebegin paying attention as to how their teams would go. A better game schedule could have been adapted ala European Football’s Champions League! With host countries being New Zealand and Australia, it would have been apropos to have two preliminary games being played, one in each country, almost simultaneously, at least that same day, even if exact start times could not be contemplated, for time difference reasons of the countries.

ICC could even have scheduled one pool of teams in each country, then have them play against each other there, instead of continuously crisscrossing the Tasman Sea, wasting money and time. That way, all preliminary games could have been completed in about two weeks. Then, starting with quarter finals, teams could have been told to play in the opposite country, exchanging teams for countries, so that no one team would have that “home ground” advantage. Yes, long gone are those days when we played fifteen, sometimes eighteen 50-overs games in twenty-one days, as was done in 1978-79 for Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket in Australia, with West Indies, Rest of the World and Australia duking it out, all at the very top of their game. No complaints to any Players’ Associations then either about rest and travel days, as PA’s were still in their infancy and, in any case, no-one really cared about how much cricket one played at all. We were all fit, ready, raring to go, and hungry to play against any of the world’s best cricketers. You simply played;

bowled as fast as possible, or batted with tremendous gusto; then, win or lose – WI won way more that were lost - packed bags, presented yourself to the motor-coach, thence to the airport, flying that night to the next destination, more often than not playing that next day too. When you eventually got back to one of the major cities or Test venues in Australia like Sydney or Melbourne etc., after a long so-called “country” trip, you would offer a short “Thank You God” prayer, for, then, you expected much more rest for a set of one-day finals, a “Super Test” or two. Look, no-one is asking modern cricketers to do similarly, as rules have changed for the better, especially when it comes to players’ injuries and recuperation, but to play just two games in two weeks is not only robbing the public, but could even affect cricketers themselves and their outputs. When CWC 2015 started, South Africa and Australia were odds-on favorites to reach the final. That may not be so any longer. India, defending champions, hit SA so hard, beating them so

Safarova beats Azarenka to win the Qatar Open Doha, Qatar (AP) - Fed Cup winner Lucie Safarova beat Victoria Azarenka in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 to clinch the Qatar Open yesterday. It was her sixth career title and first since Qubec City in 2013 as well as her first at the Premier-level. The Czech snapped Azarenka’s 14-match winning streak in Doha and also foiled the Belarusian’s attempt to clinch a record third Qatar Open title. ‘’It’s an amazing feeling. I’m really excited and. I’ve been working towards this for a long time. I’m happy at the way season has progressed,’’ said Safarova, who along with Bethanie MattekSands had won their first grand slam doubles titles at the Australian Open last month. Contesting their first final of the season, Safarova broke Azarenka in the very first game and asserted her supremacy gradually. Though Azarenka broke back in the sixth game, Safarova returned the compliment again in the ninth and held her serve in the next to take the first set. The plot was no different

Lucie Safarova displays the winner’s trophy. (AP Photo/ Osama Faisal) in the second set in which Safarova broke Azarenka twice-in the third and the ninth games, firing seven aces in the match including three-in-arow to seal the contest. Having lost all her six previous encounters to Azarenka, the Wimbledon semifinalist Safarova, raised her game to a new level at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in the match which lasted one hour and twenty seven minutes. ’’I mean, it’s up there. Obvi-

ously semifinals at Wimbledon was a very high achievement for me as well. It’s the first premier WTA win of a tournament, so I’m really excited. I think it’s like I’m playing more consistent. ’’My game improved a lot throughout the last couple of years. It took me quite a few years to get to this point. I hope it’s not a finish point and I can still improve that,’’ added Safarova, who will move four places up to 11 when the latest WTA rankings are released tomorrow. For Azarenka, who was playing her first final since the 2014 Brisbane, where she lost to Serena Williams, it was more heartbreak, in a match in which she committed 21 unforced errors. ’’There’s a been lot of progress this week, a lot of good things happened, a lot of great matches. I was looking as many matches in a row to try to get used to that. And I had a lot of great things actually this week that I can take and still keep working. I’m still really motivated,’’ said Azarenka.

badly, by a whopping 130 runs, that SA will remember that beating for some time to come. SA consider the “C” word – ‘choke’ – as semi-abuse, since they have done that often when in commanding positions in previous world cricket events, none more obvious than losing to Australia in 1999. They panicked then, and lost their best chance, to date, at winning any CWC. But against India last week, SA did choke, likely overawed by 90,000 of the sold-out 100,000 at Melbourne Cricket Ground fully kitted-out in the blue Indian regalia. The deafening noises must have gotten to SA’s nerves, for they bowled, fielded, and especially batted like rank novices! So, now, as WI had beaten up on Zimbabwe, so too did SA eventually also beat up on WI; 408-5. Incidentally, which was

better, Chris Gayle’s 215 or AB De Villiers’ 162 no? Anyway, either New Zealand or Australia, maybe both, based on form and recent results, will be in the final come March 29, but for Australia to play just two of their first three scheduled preliminary games in the first two weeks of this competition is ridiculous, almost criminal. No-one, neither players nor spectators and supporters anywhere, could benefit from that! With their game v Bangladesh washed out, Australia were always going to be at a disadvantage, as incessant practice, fielding and fitness drills could never replace benefits gained in real game play. New Zealand have had a very good World Cup 2015 to date, with decidedly aggressive batting and bowling, and playing regularly. They have now

played four games in two weeks, which have gotten the Kiwis ultra-sharp, battle hardened and ready for any eventuality. “Gayle-Force 215”, an innings that was due and set in stone as the king of spades, and a wonderful century from Jamaican counterpart, Marlon Samuels, have whet West Indian appetites for more spectacular achievements, but dangerous India are next, a difficult undertaking for WI. Enjoy!

Awesome Federer floors Djokovic in straight sets Reuters - Roger Federer’s enduring class shone through again as the Swiss maestro beat world number one Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-5 to win the Dubai Championships for a seventh time yesterday. The 33-year-old’s serve is the least praised of his repertoire but it was his awesome delivery that blunted Djokovic’s baseline game, taking his career ace haul past the 9,000 barrier with 12 more, several at vital moments. The match, the 37th in their rivalry which Federer now leads 20-17, proved to be a tale of chances taken and chances missed — Federer converting his two break points with clinical efficiency, while Djokovic failed on all seven of his. Djokovic had two set points to level the match in the second set but both times Federer was rescued by his serve. The 17-time grand slam champion began with the same tactics that helped trounce teenager Borna Coric in the semi-finals, charging the net at every opportunity. Djokovic was wise to that, passing Federer in successive points, first with a lob and then with a forehand that arrowed into the corner. The Serb had two break chances with Federer serving at 1-1 in the first. The Swiss saved both, yet still looked the more vulnerable. From the deuce court, Federer regularly sliced his

Roger Federer returns the ball to Novak Djokovic during the final. Credit: Reuters/Ahmed Jadallah serve wide to pull eight-times grand slam champion Djokovic out of position before skipping forward to despatch any short return. The first set’s decisive moment came with Djokovic serving at 3-4. Federer advanced to blast a forehand down the line for the Swiss’s first break point, which he converted when Djokovic clubbed a forehand long. That put Federer 5-3 up and he served out to clinch the set. Djokovic had Federer in trouble at 3-4 15-40 in the second set, but Federer des-

patched two aces and two service winners to hold. The Swiss world number tw o r e p e a t e d t h e t r i c k again, serving at 15-40 and 4-5 down, he made another two aces and a service winner to save two set points and square the set. A cross-court winner gave Federer a break and 6-5 lead and although he fluffed his first match point on serve, he set up another with a second serve ace that he converted with a powerful forehand off a weak Djokovic return.

Sunday March 01, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Shakes: ‘’ I would love to play for the Golden Jaguars again!’’ By Santokie Nagulendran The man who scored the goal which changed the history of Guyanese football, Ricky Shakes, has announced his desire to once again feature for the National Team and help the Golden Jaguars roar in their 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Shakes, who currently plays in England for club side Boreham Wood, has an unusual history when it comes to international football: he represented Trinidad and Tobago in 2006 for a single friendly game before deciding to commit to Guyana in 2011, becoming the first ever professional English league player to represent Guyana. The irony was not lost when Shakes ultimately eliminated T&T from World Cup qualifiers in 2011 with a magnificent volley that sent Guyana into the next round. Speaking exclusively

to reporter Santokie Nagulendran, Shakes recalls his journey with the Guyana National Team: Santokie Nagulendran (SN) -Ricky, you initially played for Trinidad and Tobago in an International Friendly, what convinced you to join up with the Guyana National Team? Ricky Shakes (RS):‘’I played for T&T in 2006, I was on standby for the 2006 World Cup with them, but then after that, nothing happened. I carried on playing club football for Ebbsfleet United, my club at the time in England, and eventually it was FIFA Agent Faizal Khan who watched me in a game one day in 2010 and approached me (to join the Guyana National squad). He knew my father was Guyanese and asked me if I wanted to play for Guyana. A Guyanese team featuring National players were coming to England for an exhibition game around that time and he

Ricky Shakes has declared himself officially available for the Guyana National Team asked me if I wanted to feature in it, so I played in the match and really enjoyed it. The players who came across from Guyana for the game made me feel welcome and from that point I was in-

terested in playing for the National Team. I went over to Guyana for the World Cup qualifying games against Barbados and Bermuda in late 2011, my first trip to Guyana, I liked the set-up, met the coaches, staff, they made me feel very welcome, everybody was a family’’. (SN):What was the highlight of your Golden Jaguars career? (RS):When we played against T&T on 11/11/2011 and achieved a historic victory, helping Guyana reach their further ever stage in World Cup qualifiers. We won 2-1, I scored the first goal and assisted the second. It was the highlight of my Golden Jaguar’s career. (SN): What was the influence of Head Coach, Jamal Shabazz, on the team? (RS): Jamaal Shabazz is a brilliant coach, he made us work together as a team and his tactics were superb. For

example,when we played Mexico in June 2012, he told us we had to sit back, be patient, and defend as a unit, knowing that Mexico would be likely to dominate possession, with the aim of trying to score via a counter-attack. In general, I think he is an excellent coach. (SN): What has been the biggest game of your career so far? (RS): Playing against Mexico at the Azteca Arena in June 2012 was a big experience for me and the highlight of my career: playing in front of 90,000 fans was amazing. (SN): Has playing for the Golden Jaguars helped you develop you own game as a footballer? (RS):Definitely it has made my game better and developed my understanding of the game: the two sides of it. I have learnt about the important of patience; not always focusing on attack, but learning to defend and

Santokie Nagulendran score by creating breaks from that. (SN): Finally, with Guyana set to play St Vincent and the Grenadines in June for 2018 Wo r l d C u p q u a l i f i e r s , would you consider making yourself available to feature? (RS): Yes, most definitely. I have spoken to Coach Shabazz about potentially playing in June, and I would be happy to feature for Guyana once again.

CONCACAF U-17 Championship

Guatemala top Trinidad Host Honduras earns CU17 in CU17 opener victory over Jamaica San Pedro Sula, Honduras – Diego Raymundo struck for two goals and Guatemala defeated 10-man Trinidad & Tobago 4-1 in the opening match of the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship (CU17) on Friday at the Estadio Francisco Morazan. It was an offensive explosion from a side that was shutout four times in its last five matches in the competition. In fact, the output ranked as Guatemala’s best ever in a CU17 game. The Central Americans were able to capitalize on some uncertainty in the Trinidadian defense and, as a result, went ahead in just the second minute. David Ramos delivered a corner kick from the right side that found the head of Fernando Fuentes. The Trinidadians could not react quickly enough to clear and with three teammates prepared to score, Raymundo was first to jab the ball home. Seven minutes later, Guatemala took advantage of another defensive miscue to double its lead. Victor Valdez lofted a right-sided free kick into the box with his left foot. The ball bounced in front of goalkeeper Levi Fernandez, who appeared to think that it would be headed away, and into the back of the net. In the 39th minute, the Carib-

Guatemala (pictured) celebrates after scoring against Trinidad & Tobago. (Photo: Mexsport) bean side was reduced a yond Fernandez’s reach. Both player, when Shirwin Noel was teams emerged from the break shown a straight red card for in attacking moods, but – a high foot into the chest thanks to some good fortune Stefan Behrens. Despite being — Guatemala got the goal that down a player, Trinidad re- provided the margin of differsponded in a positive fashion, ence in the 54th minute. getting on the scoreboard Fernandez came far out of through a brilliant individual the box to make a clearance effort by Keston Julien in the on a high, hopeful ball down 45th minute. the middle, but was not sucThe 16-year-old defender cessful. Raymundo got in beburst into the left side of the tween two defenders to gain Guatemalan box, weaving his possession and beat Tekay way through the defense, be- Hoyce to tally from close fore drilling a left-footed shot range. into the far-side netting from Trinidad nearly halved the eight-yards out. deficit in the 76th minute, only Trinidadian joy was short- for Hoyce to head off the left lived, however, as Abel Lemus post after Noah Powder’s correstored Guatemala’s two- ner kick went through the goal lead in the second minute hands of goalkeeper Gilder of stoppage time. Lemus. Guatemala returns to The Municipal youth action on Monday against standout intercepted an errant Jamaica, while Trinidad will pass and raced down the look to bounce when it takes middle into the box, before on the United States. chipping from 12 yards be- (CONCACAF)

San Pedro Sula, Honduras – Honduras launched its 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship (CU17) brightly on Friday, posting a 2-0 victory over Jamaica to conclude a Group A tripleheader at the Estadio Francisco Morazan. Darixon Vuelto and Jorge Alvarez scored for the host Catrachos, who extended their unbeaten streak in CU17 openers to six consecutive games. Guatemala and the United States opened the day with wins over Trinidad & Tobago (4-1) and Cuba (5-0), respectively. In the most tightly contested of the three encounters, Honduras and Jamaica battled with pace and strength. The margin of victory always appeared that it would be close as both goals were well earned. Vuelto, one of the stars of Honduras’ 2013 CONCACAF Under-15 Boys’ Championship title-winning side, used perseverance to tally in the 12th minute. A left-sided cross off the foot of Kevin Castro found Vuelto in the box. The 17-year-old headed initially off a Jamaican defender, but he reacted quickly to snap a left-footer into the back of the net from sixyards out.

Darixon Vuelto

Joe Gallardo

Jamaica nearly got on the scoreboard in the 36th minute, when Shandel Senior eluded Alvarez and fired off a rightfooted effort from distance that goalkeeper Michael Parello did well to save. Nine minutes after the break, Nicholas Nelson – Jamaica’s leading scorer in Caribbean qualifying with 10 goals – burst into the right side of the box only to see his right-footed attempt roll agonizingly wide of the left post. The Hondurans put away the game in the 78th minute through the gritty Alvarez. While on the receiving end of Foslyn Grant’s right-sided cross, the midfielder withstood a challenge to stay on his feet and get off a shot from seven-yards out that appeared to take a slight deflec-

tion before entering the net. Honduras returns to action on Monday against Cuba, while Jamaica will face Guatemala. Meanwhile, The United States jumped out to a threegoal halftime advantage as it recorded a 5-0 triumph in the opening Group A match for both teams. Joe Gallardo Jr. scored three goals, while Hugo Arellano and Alejandro Zendejas added one apiece for the Americans. Cuba’s best scoring opportunity came in the 67th minute, but substitute Yordan Alonso’s header sailed over the net. The USA next meets Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday, while Cuba faces host Honduras later that same day. (CONCACAF)

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Sunday March 07, 2015

Ravens, Raiders on REMEMBERING collision course again Mervyn ‘Pug’ Wilson -National Basketball Final on tonight By Edison Jefford Last year’s finalists, Dyna’s Ravens and Linden’s Retrieve Raiders were set on another collision course after quarterfinal wins Friday night that launched them into last night’s semi-final against familiar foes in the National Basketball Championship: The Road to Mecca II at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Defending champions Dyna’s Ravens defeated Linden’s Victory Valley Royals 76-65 with Ryan Stephney scoring a game high 19 points. Point guard, Dominic Vicente had 12 points while Ryan Gullen added 11 points and Akeem Kanhai 10 points. For Royals, Orlan Glasgow had 18 points while Harold Adams netted 14 points, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Shooting guard, Chris Williams had a double-double with 14 points, and 13 rebounds while Lawrence DaCosta had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Ravens played arch-rivals

in Georgetown; Trinity Grid Holdings (TGH) Pacesetters in the semi-finals last night after Pacesetters overcame Plaisance Guardians 64-54 in another quarterfinal of the Championship. Randy Richardson led all scorers with 21 points and seven rebounds with guard, Travis Burnette assisting with 13 points. Stephon Gillis and Royston Siland had seven and six points respectively for the number one ranked Georgetown club. Forward Mark Richards scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Guardians as Nikkoloi Smith and Ron Campbell chipped in with 14 and eighth points. Colts United overhauled a 22-point deficit in the first half of their game to beat Pepsi Sonics 7672, reaching the Final Four in the process. Guards Shelroy Thomas and Dave Causway combined for 33 points as Thomas scored 17 points, grabbed

nine rebounds and completed six steals. Causway had 16 points while forward, Shane Webster had 12 points. For Pepsi Sonics, guard Jason Squires had 15 points while Trevor Smith finished with 14 points. Forwards, Earl O’Neil and Kurt Elias had 12 points each with O’Neil grabbing 10 rebounds and Elias eight rebounds. Colts played last year’s runners-up, Retrieve Raiders, who defeated fellow Linden side Kashif and Shanghai Kings 69-44. Neil Marks was the top scorer for the winners with 15 points while Keon Cameron contributed 10 points. Omally Sampson had 19 points for Kings. The National Basketball Championship concludes tonight with the Grand Finale at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The tournament will be used as part of the selection process for the upcoming International Series against Bermuda, March 10-14.

Former football stalwart, Mervin ‘Pug’ Wilson, laid to rest He appeared serene and at peace with himself as he lay in a polished casket at Sandy’s Funeral Home, Chapel and Durban Streets, while members of the football fraternity, family members and other bereaved persons filed past to pay their respects and bid him goodbye. It was the final rites of eminent footballer and coach, Mervin ‘Pug’ Wilson, who passed away at the Public Hospital, Georgetown, Saturday February 21 after a period of illness and he was given a fitting send off yesterday afternoon. He was 63 years old. Reverend Jean Roberts led the mourners in lusty praises before delivering a stirring message while Dante Wilson eulogized the former football stalwart. The tributes were many as Wilson’s former colleagues and friends reminisced on his works while he was among the living. One of Wilson’s daughters, Delizah, read the scriptures even as a son stood over his father’s casket softly whispering inaudibly. Several football stalwarts also attended the ceremony including former goalkeeper and national coach, Denzil ‘Hunky Brains’ Wilson, who remembered working alongside Wilson when he (Wilson)

The closed casket of the former footballer is decorated with his photos of yesteryear while grieving family and friends pay their final respect in song. held the position as national coach during the early nineties. Another coach, Gordon ‘Ultimate Warrior’ Brathwaite, said that he benefited from Wilson’s expertise when he (Brathwaite) was selected on the national squad in 1993. The coaches all conveyed deepest sympathy to the bereaved family and friends and unanimously agreed that the football family has suffered grave loss. Wilson is survived by his

wife and ten children comprising of 7 girls and 3 boys. One of his children told Kaieteur Sport that her dad has been blessed with 21 grandchildren and 1 great grand. The body of the football stalwart was laid to rest at the LeRepentir cemetery at the conclusion of the ceremony. Kaieteur Sport joins with the football fraternity and other sports lovers in extending deepest condolences to the bereaving family. May his soul rest in peace!

It is with profound sadness the sports fraternity learnt of the sudden passing of Mervyn ‘Pug’ Wilson (5th Nov. 1952 – 21st Fe. 2015), former National Under-19 player and former National Coach. Although he never represented the Land of Many Waters at the senior level, Wilson was an integral part of the national Under-19 team in 1970. After a successful stint in West Germany in 1979, Wilson was surprisingly named the National Coach ahead of Lennox ‘Mulling’ Arthur in 1983 for the CFU Championship. In his first game in charge, Guyana drew 1-1 with Barbados in Bridgetown. In the return fixture Wilson’s men eliminated Barbados from the 1983 CFU campaign with an empathic 2-0 victory at GCC Bourda. In the second round of the CFU tournament Guyana engaged Antigua and Barbuda with Wilson calling play, Guyana drew the opening encounter 0-0 at GCC Bourda. The return fixture according to the late Pug Wilson was the most infamous game of his career as National Couch because the host behind a helmet trick (four goals) from Everton Gonsalves eliminated Guyana 4-0 at the Antigua Recreation ground, St. Johns, Antigua. His fifth and sixth internationals in charge of the national squad also resulted in loses, this time to the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago at Skinner Park. After those two friendly internationals against the Soca Warriors, Wilson lost the national Coaching job to Lennox Arthur. With Arthur at the helm,

Mervyn ‘Pug’ Wilson Wilson had to settle for National Under-21 duties and in 1985 he proudly took Guyana’s Under-21s to an international series in Suriname involving the host, Guyana and French Guyana. After the 1987 debacle in Los Angles which resulted in fourteen (14) players absconding, Wilson returned as National Coach the following year, 1988, for two World Cup Qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago. Guyana, playing with fourteen debutants succumbed to the Soca Warriors 4-0 at Camp Ayanganna. Wilson’s men gave a better account in the return fixture but lost 1-0. His next stint as National Coach was March 1993 in the Shell Caribbean Cup. Wilson’s men led by Terrance Archer started that campaign with a 2-1 victory against the Cayman Islands at GFC but suffered loses to Puerto Rico 2-0 and Barbados 4-0 at GCC ground, Bourda and failed to progressed to the finals.

Wilson’s next international assignment was in December 1993 in Trinidad and Tobago for a Goodwill tour. This time his charges only contested matches against Trinidad club teams. ‘Pug’ Wilson’s final international tournament before calling play was the Shell Cup in Suriname, January 1994. Led by Anson Austin, Guyana lost 5-4 on penalty kicks to French Guiana at the Andre Kamperveen Stadium, Paramaribo. Wilson’s men also lost to Suriname 2-0 at the same venue. Mervyn ‘Pug’ Wilson’s Record as National Coach 13 Matches - Won 2 Draw 2 Lost 9 International Tours 1983 Barbados CFU Tournament 1983 Antigua CFU Tournament 1983 Trinidad Goodwill Tour 1985 Suriname with National under 21 International Triangular series involving Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana 1987 Bahamas Olympic Qualifier, Assistant Coach 1987 St. Lucia International Friendly, Assistant Coach 1987 Barbados International Friendly, Assistant Coach 1987 Dominica Republic Olympic Qualifier, Assistant Coach 1987 Guatemala Two Olympic Qualifiers, Assistant Coach 1987 Los Angeles Olympic Qualifier, Assistant Coach 1988 Trinidad World Cup Qualifier 1993 Trinidad Goodwill Tour 1994 Suriname Shell Cup

Melissa Kyte wins female 3-mile Mash road race in Berbice Melissa Kyte crossed the finish line ahead of Denise McKenzie to win a specially arranged 3-mile athletic road race organised as part of Mashramani celebrations in the Ancient County. The two athletes were presented with cash and trophies, the race ended in front of the Shav’eh Restaurant Night Club and Bar at Rose Hall Town Bloomfield. The race was also open to male athletes but none showed up to compete in the event which attracted sponsorship from Sha’veh Beer Garden, Benjamin Sports,

Melissa Kyte receives her trophy and cash from one of the sponsors. Banks DIH Limited, CJ Lewis and Sons, Colin El Cock Racing Stables, Jumbo Jet Racing Stables,

Shabba Carrington, Archway Snackette, Dennis Deoroop and Simple Royal Racing Stables among others.