Wednesday March 04, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news
The truth about the debates The medical expenses DEAR EDITOR, Please note that an article published in today’s Kaieteur newspaper entitled “President ‘ready to rumble’ but…” and written by Abena Rockliffe (page 3) while very informative and serving a very important purpose has in fact some elements of ambiguity which I will proceed to outline. In the fifth paragraph which says “On Saturday, the President in an interview said that his no
show at that debate (the send debate organised by Merundoi) was due to the fact that it was horribly organised.” While after having a discussion with Abena I understand where she’s coming from, the way the president’s comments are reported leads one to b e l i e v e t h a t ; the same organisation which organised the first debate (held at the University of Guyana) is the same organisation that organised the second. This
is in fact not the case. The first debate was organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Guyana and involved much heckling and jeering, in fact, very little crowd control. The second debate organised by Merundoi was very well organised. The debates were done to a very high standard and received high praise from civil society, members of the diaspora who saw the debates streamed live,
members of the media as well as foreign embassies. Furthermore, copies of this event are available on the internet as well as on DVD at any request. Merundoi is requesting that the article be clarified to reflect what really happened. We appreciate your excellent journalism and look forward to more articles pressing for debates to become a regular feature in the country. Durwin Humphrey
Neglecting our teachers DEAR EDITOR, Kindly allow me to highlight my concern over the slow pace at which the Ministry of Education is dealing with teachers, who have dedicated their entire life, moulding the nation’s children. Having listened to several complaints from teachers across the country, especially those from the hinterland regions, I couldn’t stay quiet
about this issue. These hinterland teachers have to travel constantly to and from their home, in connection with their gratuity. In doing so, these people incur thousands of dollars in expenses because those incharge, seem to be dragging their feet on the issue. The Ministry should consider that some of these teachers do not have relatives living in Georgetown. Thus,
The truth about tides DEAR EDITOR, While driving in Georgetown during the after lunch period on Tuesday February 24, 2015 I heard part of a very interesting programme on 560 Radio dealing with TIDES. The presenter should be complimented for a very wellresearched and presented topic. However he made one error when he said that at Neap Tides the water falls very low. This is incorrect. During Neap Tides the High tides are not very high as he quite correctly explained; but the Low Tides are also not very low. It is at Spring Tides the high water is very high, as he again correctly stated; but the low tides are very
low. It is important that this piece of misinformation be corrected. Richie Adams
they are faced with financial constraints while there. One woman from the hinterland, who is afraid of victimization, had quite a story to tell. It was because of her that I decided to write. She has been going around in circles for three years trying to get what is rightfully hers, but to no avail. She said that those in charge at the Ministry keep sending her from one section to the other. On many occasions she had to sit there all day just to make an enquiry. Her story is a very heartbreaking one and I could not believe that she has been putting up with this. So I told her to seek a
lawyer but she is reluctant to do so because she believes that this will only ‘dirty the water’ and she may never receive her full payment. I am therefore suggesting that the Ministry of Education put mechanism in place so that these people be paid immediately. The ministry should also do whatever it takes to discontinue this trend and pay these people in a timely manner. Latoya
were PPP dominated
DEAR EDITOR, The Stabroek News editorial of March 1, 2015, titled Medical Expenses is revealing, exposes the crassness, self-serving and callous attitude of this PPP administration. Comments which can be found on the blog are helpful, some rather amusing had it not been for the seriousness of this matter. The worse part of it, is the example I gave earlier of my own and that of my family situation. Some years ago, faced with a health related challenge within my family it was brought to HPS and the President’s attention. Promises were made, but that was the end of the matter. We had to fend on our own. More recently faced with an optical problem all documentation was done to satisfy the NIS rules about when the condition was first diagnosed, and the fact that the treatment was not available in Guyana. All of this, as was the case of Dr. Mitchell, was presented to the NIS. It satisfied the
rules but when it reached the board it was rejected by Dr. Luncheon and the PPP dominated board. I was not asking for a favour, but as one of the earliest contributors of the National Insurance Scheme, I considered it a reasonable entitlement. I was not asking for cosmetic surgery, I am not in receipt of a super salary and benefits. Indeed the opposite is the case. It is clear that a depraved PPP administration knows full well that I cannot be compromised, intimidated nor silenced. Thank God I have loving and caring children who remain willing to make sacrifices in response to a government that fails to recognize several decades of public service, has no idea of justice nor plain decency. Congratulations to the Stabroek News Editorial and I hope that every citizen will read the Editorial and appreciate how much they must do to bring to an end this callous corruption. Hamilton Green, J.P.
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Kaieteur News
Relatives blame GPHC for death of girl, 3 Although post mortem results revealed that threeyear-old Akeela Brianna Benons died from a cerebral abscess (abscess in the brain), the child’s aunt is blaming medical practitioners at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for her demise. The child, who resided with her aunt, Anica Tyson, at 567 Conciliation Street, Tucville, Georgetown, was on Republic Day (February 23) rushed to the GPHC at around 10:00am after she had been having a high fever for a couple hours. Tyson said that upon arriving at the hospital the doctor instructed another relative to “bathe the child from head to toe”. The woman then went on to say that soon after the child received the bath, she (Akeela) began to have a seizure. This was when another instruction was given (by a doctor whose identify is yet to be confirmed), to administer a syringe of Valium (diazepam) to the child. Tyson recounted that approximately 10 minutes after bathing the child, “the baby turn to me and she seh “aunty hug up”, and when I put my arms around her to hug her up, I feel like if her whole right side stiff–stiff”. This was when the concerned woman alerted
...despite PM revealing brain abscess as cause
Dead: Three-year-old Akeela Benons medical practitioners, and the nurses were instructed to “give the child another Valium”. In what could only be a bizarre sequence of events, Tyson claims that an “old white doctor” came into the room, and upon realising what had happened, started to scold the medical practitioners that were treating the child. “I don’t know what this doctor name, but he come in and ask dem how they gon give this child valium like that. He tell dem that big big people can’t take it like how they give the child...” At this point, Tyson explained that the doctor (whose name has been withheld), who was supposed
to be in charge of treating the child, was completely speechless. She added that the entire time her niece was being treated; the doctor was busily texting away on her cell phone. She claims that the “old white doctor” then assured her not to worry, since the only side effect of the administration of too much valium, would be drowsiness. However, Tyson claims that the child then stopped breathing altogether. This was when the doctors decided to carry out a CT (Computerized tomography) scan of young Akeela’s brain. The child’s family was told that the results of the scan indicated that there was bleeding in her brain. Tyson recalled, “When I was riding back with them in the Ambulance, they (medical practitioners) turn to me and ask if anyone in we family using medication or does get fits. I tell them no, because nobody in we family don’t sick. That was when they tell me that this is a condition that is common in old people.” The child was then admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Tyson stated that the following day (February 24), she returned to GPHC to check on her niece. She said that upon arriving at the hospital, she was informed that Akeela was not doing well. “I ask the doctor how baby doing and she say baby not doing well. She started asking me questions like if the family are to blame for the baby condition.” An upset Tyson recalled (Continued on page 24)
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Outrageous abuse of Treasury, Constitution by PPP/C underscores need for change
- AFC In spite of a series of criticisms that the coalition between A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change attracted, its members are asserting that the outrageous abuse of the National Treasury and the Constitution by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), underscores the need for an APNU-AFC government. This sentiment was firmly articulated by AFC Chairman, Nigel Hughes on a recently televised programme on Channel 13. Accompanying him on that show was AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan and Executive Member, Cathy Hughes. Nigel Hughes was at the time, addressing the rumour that a certain “gang of five” in the AFC took it upon themselves to sign the Cummingsburg Accord with APNU, without properly consulting the party’s executive. Hughes made it clear that the AFC does not operate in any such manner when it comes to making decisions. He said that the AFC always ensures that it consults with all of its members. Hughes said that there were intense discussions about the impact of the partnership and members carefully examined all of its options. He added that of the most critical issues taken into consideration by the AFC during its deliberations was how the People’s Progressive Party / Civic (PPP/C) had become so outrageous in abuse of the national purse and the Constitution. The politician reminded that the Opposition recently benefitted from the acting Chief Justice’s ruling where he explicitly stated that
AFC Chairman, Nigel Hughes government illegally spent $4.5B which the National Assembly disapproved. Hughes emphasized that even after this became known, Government by its actions showed that it was “no longer interested in abiding by the laws of this country.” Since the ruling, the AFC Chairman said that the nation has not received an apology from Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh for illegal spending billions of taxpayers’ dollars nor did it see the resignation of Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, who Hughes strongly believes, gave Dr. Singh the permission from a legal standpoint to spend the money. “What we got after the ruling was arrogance and stubbornness from Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, who had said that Ashni was right to spend the monies. It is clear that government is no longer interested or bothered by the parameters of the Constitution,” the Attorneyat-Law added. The AFC Chairman asserted that what the electorate is dealing with is a government “prepared to do whatever it wants” even in the face of the adverse court ruling. Hughes stressed that based on the actions of the PPP/C; the country is “being
AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan
AFC Executive Member, Cathy Hughes dragged to a dangerous place.” AFC Executive Member, Cathy Hughes in giving her viewpoint, said that when one observes the inequity, the levels of corruption in Guyana, it is clear that better needs to be given to the citizenry. She asserted that Guyana is not a poor country. In fact, she opined that “this developing country is rich with resources but unfortunately, it is being poorly managed”. The politician said on that basis, it is the primary purpose of the APNU-AFC partnership to kick the government out of office and restore the country to one where the wealth is evenly distributed and transparency and accountability is restored. With those (Continued on page 24)
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Kaieteur News
Ex-CIA chief admits sharing military secrets with mistress RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former CIA Director David Petraeus, whose career was destroyed by an affair with his biographer, has agreed to plead guilty to charges he gave her classified material — including information on war strategy and identities of covert operatives — while she was working on the book. The plea agreement carries a possible sentence of up to a year in prison and represents another blow to the reputation of the retired fourstar Army general who led U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and was perhaps the most admired military leader of his generation. Petraeus, 62, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material. The agreement was filed in federal court Tuesday in Charlotte, where Paula Broadwell, the general’s biographer and former mistress, lives with her husband and children. In court papers, prosecutors recommended two years of probation and a $40,000 fine. But the judge who hears the plea is not bound by that and could still impose a prison sentence. No immediate date was set for Petraeus to enter the plea. As part of the deal, Petraeus agreed not to contest the set of facts laid out by the government. Prosecutors said that while Broadwell was writing her book in Washington in 2011, Petraeus gave her eight binders of classified material he had improperly kept from his time as the top military commander in Afghanistan. Days later, he took the binders back to his house. Among the secret materials contained in the “black books” was information on identities of covert operatives, the coalition war strategy and notes about Petraeus’ discussions with President Barack Obama and the National Security Council, prosecutors said.Those binders were later seized by the FBI in a search of Petraeus’ Arlington, Virginia, home, where he had kept them in the unlocked drawer of a desk in a ground-floor study. Prosecutors said that after resigning from the CIA, Petraeus signed a form falsely attesting he had no classified material. He also lied to FBI agents in denying he supplied the information to Broadwell, according to court documents. Petraeus’ lawyer declined to comment. A telephone message left for Broadwell was not immediately returned. Her lawyer said he had no comment.
Petraeus admitted to the affair when he resigned as CIA director in November 2012. Both he and Broadwell have publicly apologized and said their romantic relationship began only after he had retired from the military. Broadwell’s admiring biography of him, “All In: The Education of General David Petraeus,” came out in 2012, before the affair was exposed. Petraeus held the CIA post less than a year, not long enough to leave a significant mark on the spy agency. A Ph.D. with a reputation as a thoughtful strategist, Petraeus wrote the Army manual on counterinsurgency and was brought in by President George W. Bush to command multinational forces in Iraq in 2007, a period when the war began to turn in favor of the U.S. Petraeus presided over the “surge” of American forces in Iraq and a plan to pay Sunni militias to fight alQaida in Iraq. He was then promoted to commander of U.S. Central Command, which has authority over the Middle East. When Gen. Stanley McCrystal was fired in 2010 by Obama as commander in Afghanistan after his staff made impolitic remarks to a Rolling Stone reporter, Petraeus was brought in to replace him. Since his resignation as CIA director, Petraeus has slowly taken steps to re-enter public life, going on the
speaking circuit, becoming a scholar at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and taking a position at a private equity firm. If he manages to avoid prison, Petraeus will receive far more lenient punishment than that meted out to others convicted of leaking secrets. In 2012, former CIA officer John Kiriakou pleaded guilty to intentionally disclosing the identity of a covert agent to a reporter and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. Petraeus, then CIA director, hailed the conviction. “Oaths do matter, and there are indeed consequences for those who believe they are above the laws that protect our fellow officers and enable American intelligence agencies to operate with the requisite degree of secrecy,” he said at the time. David Deitch, a former federal prosecutor who handled counterterrorism and national security issues, said those deciding Petraeus’ fate probably weighed his decades of service to the nation when considering his punishment. Also, a public trial might have revealed classified material the government would rather keep secret. “What is achieved by sending David Petraeus to jail?” asked Deitch, now in private practice in Washington. “What will be achieved in terms of deterrence, in terms of punishment, in terms of rehabilitation? The conclusion is probably not much.”
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Creditinfo looks to boost LIAT prohibits e-cigarettes image with visit of top exec in checked luggage A senior executive of Guyana’s first credit bureau is expected in Guyana today to help boost that entity’s presence here. According to Creditinfo Guyana, the visit of its group’s Chief Operating Officer, Hakon Stefansson, would come at a time when the entity continues to strengthen its linkages with key local institutions. Stefansson, who also serves as Chairman of Creditinfo Iceland, is the entity’s highest ranking official to visit Guyana since the launch of the local operations in September 2013. Creditinfo said that the executive’s visit here is consistent with his key responsibility for supporting the group’s expansion into new markets and assisting new entities through their starting phase. Chief Executive Officer of Creditinfo Guyana, Judy Semple-Joseph, explained that the visit will help to raise the profile of the local operation since Stefansson is expected to have meetings with high-level officials in the country‘s financial sector, particularly current and potential subscribers. Additionally, she believes that Mr. Stefansson’s visit here will allow the management of the Creditinfo Group to have an enhanced understanding of the Guyana
Chief Operating Officer, Hakon Stefansson market and the scope for expansion of its credit bureau services locally. The visit also comes on the heels of use of the firstever Credit Report prepared by Creditinfo Guyana on January 21, demonstrating the practical application of the Credit Report in effectively facilitating access to credit. Semple-Joseph explained that the visit here by Stefansson, coincides with the significant acceleration of Creditinfo Guyana’s pursuit of the full integration of credit reporting in the credit decision-making process by all subscribers and the full usage of its range of products by the second quarter of 2015. “Creditinfo Guyana will take the opportunity afforded by Mr. Stefansson’s visit, to accelerate the enhancement of its public profile through the distribution of information material as part of a multi-media approach to its public relations campaign.” Creditinfo Guyana Inc. is the second regional presence of the Creditinfo Group of Companies, a well-respected Icelandic conglomerate with
credit bureaus and subsidiaries in over 16 countries worldwide. Creditinfo Guyana currently serves every commercial bank and lender licensed under the Financial Institutions Act in the country, as well as a wide cross section of other stakeholders in various sectors. The company is actively engaged in bringing together lenders and providers of credit from all sectors to add transparency, efficiency and effectiveness to the business of credit across the board. Internationally, Creditinfo is regarded as a leading service provider for credit information and risk management solutions worldwide, and has developed numerous products and services from official and customer information sources to facilitate best practice decision-making in credit risk management. The company brings to bear over 20 years of solid experience and considerable expertise in the industry to the drive for improved access to credit in Guyana. Creditinfo is expecting that its comprehensive line of credit reports will be in widespread use throughout the credit and lending sectors of Guyana, and are expected to significantly increase access to credit, reduce interest rates, help to lower the overall costs of borrowing and significantly reduce processing times for loans to the Small and Medium Enterprise Sector as well as for all Guyanese.
Regional airline LIAT has announced that e-cigarettes are prohibited for carriage in checked luggage on the airline’s services effective immediately. Citing a recommendation from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), LIAT said e-cigarettes are a fire risk. E-cigarettes mainly use lithium cells to heat liquid nicotine into a vapour and these devices have, in some instances, overheated or caught fire when the heating element was accidentally activated. The FAA pointed to two recent incidents in the United States. In the first incident, ecigarettes packed in a passenger’s checked bag in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft, caused a fire that forced an evacuation of the aircraft. In the second incident, a checked bag that had missed its flight was found to be on fire in a baggage area. Emergency responders attributed the fire to an overheated e-cigarette inside the bag. Meanwhile, LIAT noted that airport security in the territories in which it operates have not yet confirmed a unified stance on
LIAT has banned e-cigarettes from being carried on checked luggage. the carriage of e-cigarettes in carry-on baggage. “It is therefore recommended passengers should not carry e-cigarettes in their cabin baggage either, so they don’t lose their devices if the airport security decides to remove them.” Should airport security across the territories subsequently allow e-cigarettes to be carried on board flights, LIAT said it would review its current recommendation.
WBD businessman shoots another thief at workshop
The wounded Sunil Dindyal at the scene. Burglars are likely to now think twice about stealing from Bellevue, West Bank Demerara businessman Ronald Cappell. Cappell packs a licenced handgun and he’s been forced to shoot two thieves within the past two years after nabbing them red-handed on his property. One was shot in the leg in 2013, allegedly while attacking Cappell at the
businessman’s workshop. Last Monday, he shot another burglar in the hand and buttocks. The thief, identified as Sunil Dindyal, 42, of De Willem, West Coast Demerara, had already packed a sack with expensive machinery from Cappell’s workshop. The businessman also has a store above the workshop. It was at around ten minutes to midnight last
Monday when Cappell, about to drive into his Lot 101 Bellevue premises, spotted a strange man leaving the premises. He said that the intruder was carrying a sack. On seeing the businessman, the thief dropped his loot - a sanding machine and a vibrating machine - and tried to scale a nearby fence. The businessman said he opened fire, wounding the thief in the buttocks and left arm. Police took the wounded man to the West Demerara Regional Hospital before placing him under guard at the Georgetown Hospital. Cappell explained that his workshop is still under construction and that allowed the thief to gain easy access, where millions in equipment is stored. He said that he’s suffered other losses in the past. In March 2013, the barking of neigbourhood dogs alerted him to the fact that an intruder was on his property. On checking, he came face to face with a man who was in his workshop. Cappell said he was forced to shoot the thief in his left leg after the man tried to hit him with a piece of lumber.
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Kaieteur News
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THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM! We have to stop this habit of manufacturing controversy where none exists. We have to stop allowing politics and the need to score political points to cloud our judgment and force us into irrational arguments. The people of this country have important things to do. They do not have time to waste with the nonsense that is being peddled by the Stabroek News and the opposition parties about the medical benefits of government officials and high functionaries. The people are sensible to understand what abuse is and what it is not. They are also smart enough to know what vanity is and what it is not.
Without information as to the medical procedures involved, no one is in position to judge which dental work is vanity and which is not. If I am entitled by virtue of my occupation to certain medical benefits, then I should be free to source these benefits. I should not have to consider what others are enjoying. I have earned those benefits and they are due to me. I should not have to worry what people would say because most persons do not enjoy such benefits. That is not my concern. If I am a Minister and my employment contract, whether oral or written, says that I am entitled to medical benefits, including dental
benefits, then so long as whatever procedure I desire is covered by my health plan, then I should be free to go ahead and utilize my medical coverage. I should not be concerned by the cost. That is not my problem. That is the person who gives me the benefits problem. Sorry folks! But if I have a benefit that says that if I have a missing front tooth than I can do an implant, I will do it. I am not going to be bothered by the fact that the majority of people in Guyana do not enjoy such a benefit or cannot afford tooth implants. The vast majority of people in Guyana do not hold the position of a Minister of the government or high public office, and therefore
Dem boys seh...
A big man frighten fuh even shut he eye Some people does play dead fuh see wha funeral dem gun get while others frighten dead. Jagdeo frighten dead. He suh frighten that when de night come he can’t sleep. He frighten fuh shut he eye because he think he gun dead. People does see he pun de road wid he security at all hours of de night. At one stage dem boys ask he if he think he security guards gun keep away Mr Death. He does eat a ton of free food from a Chinee restaurant in town, and drink a gallon of coffee just fuh keep he eye open. Dem boys seh that de man don’t even risk being all by heself. He got a mansion near de seawall and he don’t like stay in it alone, suh he start fuh go to he foundation pun New Garden Street, but nobody don’t go deh. This is a man who accustom to attention, suh dem boys hear that he beg Donald and start fuh go back to Ohh Pee. He tell people that he running things and that is how Donald kick he out last week. He so in love wid attention that he didn’t go back to de foundation office. He go to
Freedom House and try fuh bully Rohee fuh he office. Dem boys hear Rohee put he to he place. Now he deh sitting in a li’l room downstairs. Odinga like attention too. Dem boys hear de party faze he out just like Kwame. But he didn’t buse and cuss down; he soak half pint channa in kerosene, sprinkle it in he yard, wake up three o’clock in de morning and holler, “Dem attacking me wid channa bomb!” Donald was de first one to holler, “Tek he back in de party.” He also beg de police to investigate. Dem boys hear that de police ain’t see a channa onto now. De top cop name SeeAll and he don’t see nutten. A young man see people rolling a big spliff pun a police car. He video de action and put it pun YouTube. De police arrest and lock up de man. Dem do he other things too. But See-All ain’t see that dem cops do wrong thing, that he don’t need dem in de force. He now asking somebody fuh investigate wha really happen. Talk half and keep people like Jagdeo and Odinga away from attention.
they cannot be entitled to certain medical benefits. If the benefit is legal and is in my contract, I am going to utilize it. I would be a fool not to! There are those who will feel that the procedure that I have opted for is too expensive. That is not my problem! There are those who will feel that instead of doing the implant I should go to Anand by the Harbour Bridge and have him make dentures. It is not my problem how all those people feel. I am entitled to an implant; that is a benefit that is accorded to me and I will utilize it regardless of how people feel. I am sure that those same persons who are complaining about me utilizing my entitlement would have done the same if they were in my shoes. So, I am not bothered by what anybody says or the description of my procedure as vanity. Vanity is a relative term. I am not worried about it at all! The government offers
assistance to persons with medical bills. This assistance is not the same as an entitlement. You cannot take this assistance that is offered to persons who cannot meet the full extent of their medical bills and compare it with what the government has to spend to meet its contractual obligations to its ministers. One is assistance and one is an entitlement. Nor should you do a straight comparison between what is paid to government ministers and what is paid to others seeking assistance. Many of those seeking assistance are working people. They are already entitled to 80% of their medical expenses being covered by the NIS. But since they may not be able to afford the other 20%, they go and ask the government for help. To therefore say that the government gave X dollars to five hundred persons but X plus dollars to a few ministers is disingenuous, because the former does not account for
the expense that is already borne by the NIS. So I do not buy the argument that is being made. We have to decide if Ministers and the Leader of the Opposition are entitled to full medical coverage. If they are, then they must be provided such coverage. I do not think it would be right if after giving me a benefit of full medical coverage, you should turn around and say, “We will cover all your medical bills, except if you get cancer, because the opposition parties will claim that is too expensive.” If you’re covering me, then cover me fully! But don’t tell me that you are covering me fully but I must not get sick with cancer or undergo a triple bypass. It cannot work this way at all. It is either full coverage or keep your job!
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 04, 2015
THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Elizabethan waltz of Elizabeth Harper Anyone who saw the Elizabeth Harper interview by Olive Gopaul would know that the event hardly had anything to do with journalism, politics or television interviewing. It was a waltz by Mrs. Harper that has harmed her image, damaged her political entry into the election campaign and cast a gloom over her political investment. Surely I am entitled to express my opinion on the election result. I believe the coalition will win. Why do I
think so? We can start with the PR disaster of the Harper/Gopaul charade. The PPP cannot win an election with its PR stupidities. PR idiocy cannot win an election. I may be wrong but the PPP may have achieved a first with Olive Gopaul. I cannot recall in any other country except Guyana, the prime ministerial candidate is fronted as a big game-winner and her entry into politics takes the form of a television interview and the interviewer
is not a seasoned journalist or experienced media operative. I stand corrected, but in my twenty-six years in journalism, I never heard about Ms. Gopaul practicing journalism. The interview was simply a waltz by Mrs. -Harper who ought to be ashamed at that performance for someone who is the second biggest name in the PPP’s campaign. Nothing intriguing, curious or politically deep characterized that interview. Mrs. Harper did not come across as someone with political purpose and political passion. She came across in fact (my opinion of course) as an apolitical person. Mrs. Harper’s counterpart in the campaign is Moses Nagamootoo and you have to feel sorry for this lady. Of course, there is the theory that she will win out against Nagamootoo because of the gender factor. I doubt it when it comes to this particular lady. Yes, the world wants to see historical justice for w o m e n . Ye s , t h e w o r l d thinks politics is too male dominated. Yes the world is
excited with women candidates, but not just because the candidate is a woman. You have to be a woman that is a good representation of gender in politics. Look who are the two big names floating around in US politics? First there is the aggressive, confrontational Hillary Clinton. The other woman is seen by political observers as far more liberal and maverick than any politician from the Democratic Party the past 100 years –Elizabeth Warren. Warren is a radical in the Democratic Party far more than Barack Obama ever was. I would put the interview as her entry into politics because see actually spoke. Her entry should have been the press conference where her candidacy was announced. Again the PPP has scored a first here. Where in the world is a prime ministerial candidate announced to a nation and the candidate is as silent as a lamb. Not a word was spoken by the candidate. The commonsensical thing for Mrs. Harper to have done was to speak and say
the following words, “I thank those who reposed confidence in me, I hope the Guyanese people accept me as their Prime Minister and I will be speaking to my fellow Guyanese shortly, thank you.” I toyed with the caption of this column. Initially I thought of, “The Silence of the Lamb.” It is completely unacceptable to a nation that the country sees the unveiling of the person who could be the next Prime Minister, and that person failed to utter even one sentence. The interview was not a disaster as the press conference, but what would certainly be a massive catastrophe is if M r s . H a r p e r ’s P R i s managed by Kwame Mc Coy. I am not a political supporter of Mrs. Harper and will not vote for her, but I would give her friendly advice - stay clear of Mr. Mc Coy. In the interview Mrs. Harper tried to play on sentiments by mentioning her abusive husband (on Sunday after the Guyana Press Association (GPA) election, I was told Mr. Pollard has
Frederick Kissoon rejected that accusation by his former wife). Mrs. Harper also mentioned her early pregnancy. Those mishaps do not qualify you to run a nation. The requirements citizens look for is strong sense of right and wrong. Also the instinct of humane care of and humane protection for the less endowed. Is Mrs. Harper possessed of these qualities? If she has then why is she campaigning for a political party that has no humanity about it? After the election of the GPA, I was told that few Guyanese know that Mrs. Harper is the only survival of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after 1992 when the PPP went on a witch hunt. What does that tell you? My answer - she was always a PPP supporter.
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Neesa Gopaul murder trial nears conclusion… UG drainage network for “rehabilitation and improvement” Defence points to sloppy police Under the Ministry of Education, bids were opened yesterday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board for the rehabilitation and improvement of the University of Guyana’s drainage network. The bids were as follows:
Under the same Ministry, bids were opened for the procurement of laptops for the Guyana Improving Teacher Education Project (GITEP).
The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment received a lone bid for the consultancy services for capacity building of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) field officers.
The Climate Change Office under the Office of the President received tenders for the supply of air travel services.
And the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) received bids for the construction of a Tumeric factory at Hosororo, Region One.
probe, deceitful star witness
MURDERED: Neesa Gopaul
ACCUSED: Bibi Sharima Gopaul
ACCUSED: Jarvis Barry Small
Defence attorneys Lyndon Amsterdam and George Thomas yesterday delivered their closing addresses in the trial for which Bibi Shareema Gopaul and Jarvis Barry Small are facing an indictment for the murder of 16-year-old Queen’s College student, Neesa Lalita Gopaul. The teen’s remains were recovered on October 2, 2010, from a creek along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway after she was reported missing from her Leonora, West Coast Demerara residence several days earlier. Following a police investigation, the girl’s mother (Bibi Shareema Gopaul) and Jarvis Small were arrested and charged for the murder. The former lovers are currently facing a trial before Justice Navindra Singh and 12– member jury at the High Court in Georgetown. During the month-long proceeding, State Prosecutors, Diana Kaulesar, Stacey Gooding and Mercedes Thompson called a total of 26 witnesses to the stand. Yesterday, the lawyers, comprising a five-member legal team representing Small and Gopaul, submitted their closing arguments. In their submissions, the attorneys urged the jury to be mindful of the evidence, which was
presented during the trial. After refreshing the jury on various portions of the evidence, Attorney–at–Law Lyndon Amsterdam reminded the panel of the admonishment of the judge that they should not come to any conclusion in the trial until such time as directed by the trial judge. Amsterdam is representing the number one accused, Jarvis Barry Small. He noted that it is the duty of the State to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt that the accused are guilty of the indictment for which they are charged. Amsterdam said that this conclusion must be based on the evidence provided by State witnesses. He noted that otherwise, the jury should find the two accused not guilty of the crime. The attorney explained that the State must first prove that it was Neesa Gopaul who died, that she was indeed killed sometime between September 24 and October 3, 2010 (the dates mentioned in the charge) and that the two accused are the persons responsible for her death. The lawyer, nonetheless pointed to the oversights by crime scene investigators. He noted that the evidence presented in the trial was contradictory to the point that it is ridiculous. Amsterdam said that he
would not blame the jury if they found difficulty understanding certain evidence, given that it is clear that the police investigations which led to such evidence left much to be desired; questions which must be answered. The lawyer recounted that under cross examination at least two of the leading investigators in the matter admitted that the police were in need of more time to carry out a proper investigation. Amsterdam said that the poor and often times sloppy investigations led to uncertainty regarding the minutest of details as it relates to how the teen might have met her demise. The lawyer then pointed to evidence given by Corporal Floyd Hossanah and Corporal Germain Laundry, both of whom told the court that they visited the scene where the body was allegedly found. Amsterdam noted that it was glaring that the officers could not give a reasonable account of how the investigations were conducted. He noted that the officers could not recall the dates and time when they reportedly retrieved objects from a creek at the location. He went on to relate the evidence which Officer Laundry told the court of Continued on page 21
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Wednesday March 04, 2015
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Kaieteur News
Defence points to sloppy police probe... From page 11 retrieving a body then leaving the scene of the crime and returning two days later to collect dumbbells. The attorney noted that Laundry told the court that he did not return immediately to the scene because he had to attend court and there was no transportation available for him to go back to the scene. Amsterdam further stated that none of the officers could clearly say whether the area was properly cordoned off to ensure the evidence was not compromised. He noted too that during the course of their investigation none of the officers had asked anyone around the area the body was found whether they had seen or heard anything which might be useful to their investigation. Pointing to the fact that the teen was reported missing days before the body was found, the attorney recalled that the police never inquired whether the girl had a cell phone, and neither did they go to her school to find out anything.
“No one checked her clothes to see if any was missing or asked the neighbours anything.” “It just goes to show how poorly we investigate crimes in Guyana. Are you telling me that those things only happen in movies or in CSI?Are you saying that in this country we will remain in the 17th century,” the lawyer added, noting that Officers Jessemy and Terrance David had also admitted that the police needed more time to carry out a proper and thorough investigation. Amsterdam further recalled that the officers also admitted that when the charges were instituted against Small and Gopaul, the police still had not garnered enough evidence as it relates to who might have killed Neesa Gopaul. He noted too that the relatives of the teenager never admitted to identifying the body. He related that the girl’s grandfather Mohamed Kayum said that the police told him that the body they found belonged to his granddaughter; he never personally identified the body.
60-tonne Suriname... (From page 14) the continent’s largest gold producer, and Bolivia. Global gold production has increased after the financial crisis because of uncertainty in the financial market and personal consumption. In 2013, 2,770 tonnes of gold were produced worldwide, up from around 2,445 tonnes in 2000, according to the UK-based Institute of Physics Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters in January. Prices have also increased to $1,208.18 an ounce yesterday from $250 an ounce in 2000. The gold industry in Dubai is estimated to be worth US$75 billion, according to the DMCC.
“All we could hear throughout this trial is that they (the police) could not recall or they made mistakes… “ the attorney said. He then turned to evidence presented by prosecution’s star witness, Simone De Nobrega.Amsterdam said that this portion of evidence could not be used in regards to Small, since it would be considered as hearsay; De Nobrega was simply repeating something which she claimed Bibi Gopaul had told her. The attorney noted that De Nobrega gave an emotional testimony, but he reminded the jury that emotions should play no part in reviewing the evidence of a criminal proceeding. Amsterdam emphasised that “the outcome must be based on hardcore evidence.” He noted too that De Nobrega had no genuine vested interest in the case or “wanted justice for Neesa,” as she claimed. “If she spent one month in the New Amsterdam Prison she spent long…This is someone who is heartless, who is convicted for defrauding persons for money,” Amsterdam said. He urged the jurors to consider the person giving the evidence and the background of which she gave the testimony. As such, he asked the jury to consider the case against Small and Gopaul separately. He told them that what De Nobrega said should not be used when considering the case against Small. Amsterdam said that such things might lead to an unfair
trial such that was lead against Jesus Christ that ended in his crucifixion. Meanwhile Attorney-atLaw, George Thomas in his submissions noted that De Nobrega is a farce, considering that under cross examination the woman said she could not remember how much money she made from obtaining credit by false pretense but she was keen on remembering the entire story Bibi Gopaul had allegedly related to her. De Nobrega had testified that she could not recall the details of the matter since it was simply a contractual agreement which went wrong, but in Gopaul’s case she remembered vividly the events since it was related to murder. However, Thomas pointed to the fact that the witness could not say whether she had related the story in the sequence which it was allegedly told to her. Thomas also pointed to the fact that Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, gave evidence which suggested that the victim’s neck was in pristine condition, when De Nobrega in her evidence claimed that the girl had been strangled with a rope before her head was bashed in with a piece of wood. Before concluding his arguments, the lawyer asked the jury to consider the logic in regards to the various portions of evidence. The State will submit their closing address when the trial continues today. (Rehanna Ramsay)
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Businesswoman robbed twice in less than a month A 49-year-old businesswoman was yesterday afternoon robbed while transacting business at Transport and Harbours Department, on Water Street. The traumatized victim, who asked to remain unidentified, told this publication that she was sitting in the company’s bond when she was approached by a dreadlocked man wearing a stocking over his hair. She said the man placed a gun to her head before snatching her handbag which contained US$140, $100,000 in Guyana currency, National Identification card, Scotiabank card and Scotiabank checkbook. The bandit is said to have dashed through a bushy area adjacent to the establishment’s office which led to Water Street where his accomplice awaited on a CG motorcycle. The two bandits made good their escape, riding south along Water Street. Kaieteur News understands that this is the second time in less than a month that the
businesswoman, who runs a business in the North West District, has been robbed. On February 4, the woman had just stepped out of a downtown restaurant after having lunch with her husband and the couple’s driver when she was attacked and robbed. The men attacked the woman while her husband went to the washroom and the driver approached the car. One of the men had grabbed her handbag but she held on to it. The driver saw what was happening and he picked up a piece of wood, but the robber ’s accomplice pulled out a gun. She said the bag contained $4.5 million, passports and other documents. The culprits had on that occasion also made good their escape on a CG motorcycle. The businesswoman is speculating that the two robberies may have been carried out by the same perpetrators considering the similarity in modus operandi. Investigations are continuing into yesterday’s matter.
Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it.
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Kaieteur News
SALON Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257 CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
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WANTED 1 Mechanic to work in the interior; must know about Cummings & Perkins Engine. Tel: 691-6260 Bartender for more information call: 691-6348; 227-8542 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 Experienced drivers with minibus and hire car licence – Call: 645-0025 Honest, reliable, live in domestic – Call: 646-1758 between 9:00am to 3:00pm 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 Contract Cars & Drivers Call: 227-1720, 227-1721 or 6606102 SALESGIRLS: MATURE WITH EXPERIENCED IN A HARDWARE STORE, MONDAY – SATURDAY 8AM-5PM. RUIMVELDT INDUSTRIALESTATE. TEL: 231-8529 Hairdressers, spa artists & nail technicians at Hair Fanatics- Call: 680-7813, 6014181 One hand y boy to work in a shop in the interior- Call: 6916260 Experienced bulldozer operator, experienced excavator operator, call between 9am-5pm: 611-5398 We offer $3M for Eccles Land, $1.5M for Leonora & $1.5M for Schoon’ord – Tel:675-7292; 689-3339
P.O.S.E Salon beginners certificate courses in Cosmetology & Nails @ E.B.D- Call: 216-3491, 6694511.
Wednesday March 04, 2015
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. American Made, Aluminum ladder 24ft -$38,000 & 32ft $52,000 –Tel: 602-5794; 6097257 3 Engel moulding machine – Please Contact: 695-0333 Sawmill: Timber Harvester, 30th 25th fully hydraulic, electric motor- Tel: 261-2553
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, 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 Accounting & Taxation Services: tax returns, compliances, financial statements. Avinash Persaud Tax Consultancy, 163 Parika, EBE – Call: 260-4762. REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS- CALL: 6294946 OR 225-4822 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar: 2310655,683-8734
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 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 Milwaukee M12 drill driver combo, asking $35,000Call: 672-9640 One miller Bluestar 6000 welder generator asking $250,000- Call: 672-9640 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
DRESSMAKING Designing & Sewing classes, ladies wear, curtains etc. (CanadianTrained Tutor), Schoon-Ord, W.B.D- Tel:6262629, 676-6312
Experienced counter servers, pastry makers, roti/puri cooks, cleaners, apply at Hack Halaal, 5 Commerce Street. Ladies to do cleaning on the W.C.D – Call: 684-8231; 6629341
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel:644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
FOR SALE/RENTAL American pool table – Tel: 277-0578
Driver for canter lorry to work on W.C.D - $30,000 weekly – Call: 684-8231; 662-9341
Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel: 698-7807
CAR RENTAL
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
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
Canter: Short Based - $2.2M, Voxy $1.7M, Spacio $2.1M, (all never registered) – Call: 617-2891
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 1 Executive apartment in an exclusive residential area with all modern amenities including parking. Call for appointment: - 653-2920
TO LET Fully Furnished vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours – Call: 227-1218
Two bedrooms house- Call Joy: 218-1285,649-9059
DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM
We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154
Unfurnished 3 bedrooms & 1 bedroom apartments in Granville Park E.C.D. Free water & parking – Call: 6813660
One Honda 4 stroke 15HP outboard motor asking $250,000- Call: 672-9640
CAR RENTAL
Nissan Titan 4X4; fully loaded; good condition; price negotiable. – Call: 620-1026
One 2004 NZE $1.750M, One 2001 Stick Shift, Carina 212 $1.9M – Call:616-5974 or 6188703
Spacious 3 bedrooms upstairs with inside toilet and bath - $50,000 monthly – Call: 629-5300
Four (4) Stalls in Bourda Market – Contact: 614-3630
VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Tacoma GTT 269 with extracab, mag rim, crash bar- Call: 216-2465, 687-6083, 678-5438
Prime business place for rent on Sheriff street only for offices- Call: 627-6740
One 12ft aluminum fishing boat asking $320,000- Call: 672-9640
Scanning Machine and Detox foot spa machine for sale, for information Call: 6497884; 692-7886
One Accounts Clerk – Call: 614-4358
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 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
One bedroom furnished bottom flat @ Diamond E.B.D- call: 216-0644, 6688403 4 bedroom house, AC, Security camera, GEB alarm, telephone, 2 vehicles parking, etc @ Friendship E.B.DTel:674-6363 Two bedroom downstairs apartment in Alberttown $50,000- Tel: 691-2727 One (1) bedroom apartment to rent at Grove E.B.D – Tel:661-9852; 681-1047
Toyota Vigo smart cab for sale - $3.3M negotiable; Spacio$1.550M – Call: 668-4553 2005 F350 Ford, door ½, fully loaded 4X4, diesel, automatic, leather interior, 35" tyres & rims; excellent condition – Tel: 610-5370 1 Toyota Vigo, manual transmission – Tel: 600-5759 Toyota AT212, AT192, Raum, Premio,Tundra, AE100 Sprinter, Vitz, RZ Bus, EP71 & 825 Starlet, Honda 600RR – Tel:644-5096; 697-1453 One Nissan X-Trail, year 2004, PRR series. Fully loaded- Price $3.1M Neg- Call: 647-0016 1 New unregistered Mazda Axela, going cheap, owner leaving country – Tel: 6490956 GNN 5366 75 DAF, GSS 6715 65CF DAF, PMM 755 IST, truck tray – Contact: 6441030; 613-5212
LAND FOR SALE 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 50 Acres titled farm land @ The Belle, Upper Dem, River Front - $100M Negotiable, serious enquiries only! Tel: 669-8152 Continued on page 23
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Health sector still in dire need of certain specialists – Minister Specialists in the field of pathology and psychiatry have for years been sorely lacking in the public health sector. And based on disclosures from Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, there is really not much that can be done to address this ever prevailing shortcoming. “It is a democratic society; we can’t put a gun to people’s head and get them trained,” said the Minister as he revealed that while there are some available scholarships, few doctors are willing to venture into such fields. He related that while scholarships are advertised, and in some cases even applied for, “there are some cases where people go through the process (applying) and at the last minute they back out.” There are notably few and aging pathologists, as there are psychiatrists, currently in the public health system. The Minister nevertheless noted that “...we continue to advertise, but in some cases probably because these fields are not romantic, there is no excitement...It is not surgery, it is not the limelight, these fields do not attract many.” He informed that while a handful may contemplate
venturing into the aforementioned fields, discussions in this regard often degenerate to the types of pathology for instance, in terms of which might be more feasible, before attention is trained to other specialist fields altogether. While there have been some calls for special packages to be offered to entice young doctors to what can be deemed “less attractive specialist fields,” Minister Ramsaran, during an interview with this publication asserted that “we have to be careful how we skew the system.” He moreover noted that “the Ministry of Health and the Minister of Health cannot offer any benefits. This is a function of the Public Service Ministry which is doing a great job in administering the scholarship”. He went on to explain that if a doctor is offered a scholarship to specialise in pathology, psychiatry or any other field, he or she is expected to return to Guyana and assume operation under a standard five-year contract. This, according to the Minister, constitutes a level playing field for all doctors entering the system. Although doctors have
Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran not been gravitating to the fields of pathology and psychiatry, Dr Ramsaran said that the Ministry has been soliciting training support from Cuba for those who may eventually venture into those areas. He moreover said that while there are challenges, “the main thing is that the Administration has leveraged this resource and I am certain that the Cubans will continue to consider having us.” Another approach that was embraced by Government through the Health Ministry sometime ago, was to invite a high level team from Cuba which was
tasked with undertaking a review of how doctors plugged into the health sector can be better utilised. In excess of 400 locals have undergone training in Medicine in Cuba and, according to Dr Ramsaran, furthering this collaboration has been to introduce postgraduate studies with a ‘Cuban flavour’. And embracing this tactic, he asserted, is not premised on the notion that “we have a particular bias to Cuba as against other overseas partners, but the reality is that you would have some form of continuity.” Guyana, the Health Minister theorised, “is a rainbow...as a matter of fact Guyana can teach international studies to some bigger countries where everybody co-exist peacefully – the Chinese, the Indians, the Americans, the Canadians and therefore we were hoping that Cuba could have started some post-grad programmes here.” Minister Ramsaran had previously made it clear that doctors who are the products of scholarship programmes awarded by Government are expected to serve the country for a period of five years throughout the administrative
regions. He pointed out then too that the Health Ministry is required to “provide upward professional mobility by giving young professionals other opportunities” even as he noted that the health sector is always under pressure to recruit more skilled professionals. However, while there is scope for deviation, Minister Ramsaran pointed out that this move is only possible through the discretion of the administration. “The Administration has in place an arrangement whereby you (a doctor) must serve at least two and a half years, but it doesn’t mean that at the end of that period we will put you on a postgraduate scholarship, because there are other considerations.” The considerations, the Minister said, have been linked to unfortunate developments, whereby persons have absconded from their contractual obligations, a state of affairs the Ministry will be examining very closely. “Those who stick to their guns are the ones who we see would want a second contract to serve after being trained in post-graduate programmes
End to strike action does not mean end to remedial demands – UGSS President “The revolution lives on,” said President of the University of Guyana Students Society (UGSS), Joshua Griffith, in wake of the end of industrial action at the University of Guyana (UG). Griffith in an invited comment to this publication yesterday said that although students are grateful that UG has returned to some degree of normalcy, there are still many concerns that must be addressed at the tertiary institution. “Students are appreciative that we can finally have all classes resume, but at the same time though, the effort is to ensure that the students are not affected severely. We are approaching the Academic Board, where decisions will be made on how the semester progresses in terms of duration and how it will treat with different courses that haven’t been running,” Griffith outlined yesterday. Although some courses were being offered during the five-week long industrial action at UG there were some lecturers who continued to offer regular classes. However, the majority of classes, this publication understands, were not being held. The industrial action was reportedly the result of a
UGSS President, Joshua Griffith breakdown of negotiations between the University workers’ unions – the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association and the University of Guyana Workers Union – and the University’s Negotiating Team. Although the UGSS was not opposed to the workers embracing their right to strike, the student body was however not fond of the resulting situation characterised by too many classes not being held. The industrial action was called off yesterday after an agreement was inked between the Unions and the University Administration based on an interim
agreement which, among other things, will see workers being afforded a 10 per cent salary increase. But even with the end of the industrial action, Griffith asserted that the paramount concerns still faced by students are issues such as the dates for examinations and when their grades will be made available. “Students have planned their lives and this disruption would affect that and we are trying our best to see how we can make the best of the whole situation,” the UGSS President intimated. About one week ago, the UGSS met with the University’s Administration to discuss measures that were being put in place to address its many concerns, which range from academic to infrastructural issues. The UGSS has plans to meet again this week with the Administration for an update, Griffith disclosed. “There was some amount of progress, but we are not satisfied, and so we will be advocating for more progress going forward,” said the UGSS President who pointed out that a call to have the concerns addressed at UG will not simply end because industrial action has been called off. Through #UGRevolution,
an initiative of the UGSS, efforts are being made by students to highlight, with a view of addressing, the prevailing substandard and poorly maintained facilities at UG. These concerns, according to Griffith, have been evident for decades and have remained constant because of the lack of financing. Moreover, he is adamant that the #UGRevolution is a conscious effort by students to demand improved facilities against the backdrop of increased tuition. The manifestation of the initiative has constituted action such as student rallies, the mounting of banners of shame and even multiple campus shutdown tactics. “We remain steadfast in our struggle for basic facilities. The #UGRevolution is a student effort to rebuild our campus,” said Griffith at a forum last month. And he has since asserted that “I wish to state unequivocally that all actions taken thus far by students, led by the UGSS, were to bring forcibly to the fore our utter disdain at the prevailing substandard conditions at the University of Guyana.” Although attempts to address some of its concerns, such as moves to improve the
physical environment at the UG campus, by the Ministry of Public Works, the Parks Commission and other such entities, were recognized, Griffith has insisted “that this generation of students will not be dissuaded by cosmetic changes. Unless our demands are closely coupled with sustainable commitments, the students will not relent in their struggle for a better University.” “It is not going to end because the strike ended, the revolution is not even related to the strike...It did have to do with getting classes to resume, but even beyond that, it is working towards students’ activism and students speaking up and speaking out and demanding the standards that we deserve,” asserted Griffith yesterday. As part of its efforts to advocate for the return of normalcy at UG, the UGSS had disclosed plans to seek legal advice, an undertaking that was being channelled through a UGSS Special Committee that was created for just this purpose. In commenting on the development in this regard, Griffith said that he is awaiting a report from the Committee which will ascertain whether there is yet a need for legal support.
such as surgery, gynaecology or paediatrics.” According to the Minister too, once persons are allowed to join post-grad programmes, the preponderance of which are now local, they will be expected to sign a further contract to serve. “If you are absorbing more resources of this country you need to serve more, because you are absorbing an expensive scholarship,” the Minister said. The introduction of several post-graduate programmes, Dr Ramsaran said, represents “a conscientious effort by the Administration to address certain needs of our young professionals who want to move upwards”. He said that in previous years young doctors were not afforded many such opportunities which had resulted in some opting to migrate.
(From page 22)
LAND FOR SALE Parfaite Harmonie - $1.5M, Herstelling- $4M, Eccles$6M (100ftX50ft), Leonora $3M – Tel:675-7292; 689-3339
PROPERTY FOR SALE Public Road Grove corner property $25M Negotiable Call: 613-5645 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 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms house and land at Mon Repos (Martyrsville) $13M negotiable – Call: 629-5300 1 Newly built 2 storey concrete house @ Canal No#2 Belle West - Tel:6153333; 648-9428 Business property located @ Supply public road, E.B.D. Entering either by river/ public road- Call: 698-8100
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Mother of two jailed after Police Force receives thrashing friend with pipe 130 televisions A mother of two was yesterday sentenced by Magistrate Dylon Bess to three months in jail, after she admitted to lashing her friend with a PVC pipe. An unrepentant Sade Grant, 26, of 2646 National Avenue, South Ruimveldt Park, admitted to the court that on February 28, at her place of residence, she unlawfully assaulted Candace Griffith, so as to cause her actual bodily harm. The prosecution’s facts stated that Grant and the virtual complainant reside at the same address. Grant lives in the upper part of the building, while Griffith occupies the bottom flat. They developed a good relationship and as a result became very close friends. On the day in question, Griffith was standing at her front door talking to her children, when Grant came downstairs and saw her blocking a part of the passageway leading up to her gate. Grant asked Griffith for a pass, but she ignored her and continued to speak with her children.
Sade Grant The defendant then became annoyed and jammed Griffith with her shoulder. A confrontation ensued and Grant picked up a piece of PVC pipe and dealt the victim several lashes about her body. The matter was subsequently reported to the North Ruimveldt Police Station. A medical certificate was obtained and the defendant was arrested and charged. Grant was warned several times by the Magistrate for
addressing him inappropriately at the court hearing. When asked by the magistrate if she had anything to say before sentencing the woman replied “no”. The magistrate then informed her that the penalty for the offence is 18 months imprisonment. He also asked her if she wanted to go to jail for that long. She harshly replied “Honestly, I don’t have a problem, what happens, happens”. At this stage the entire courtroom was speechless as the woman stood and spoke in a very loud manner. Before sentencing, the magistrate took into consideration that the woman has two children, a clean criminal record, and the fact that she accepted that she did something wrong. He further told the woman that the court cannot allow her to “go around hitting people about the body and lashing them with pipes”. He stressed that she needs to learn to respect other people, and advised her that if something of a similar nature happens, she should make a report at the police station.
Man remanded after stealing grandfather’s money Magistrate Annette Singh remanded a man to prison yesterday after he was charged with stealing a large sum of money from his grandfather. James McDonald, 32, of 59 Bent and Lime Streets, Werk-en-Rust, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that between January 9 and 10, he stole $75,000 from Eric Abbensetts. The man who was unrepresented by an attorney said that he did not steal the amount of money his grandfather is claiming. Police prosecutor Aduni Inniss stated that the defendant and the virtual complainant (VC) are known to each other. She stated that the VC is the grandfather of
James McDonald the defendant. She added that the defendant is in the habit of going to his grandfather’s
house and picking up his money. On the day in question, the defendant went to his grandfather’s home and asked him if he could move back into the house. The grandfather agreed. Before the elderly man retired to bed he made several checks for his grandson, and then noticed that his money was gone, along with the younger man. The matter was reported to the Alberttown Police Station and the suspect was arrested and charged. The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that the defendant is unemployed and has no fixed place of abode. McDonald will return to court on March 17 for statements.
Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud (right) and the hotel’s General Manager, Ugur Turetgen during the handing over ceremony. In an effort to keep law enforcement officers updated on what is happening around the country, Princess International Hotel yesterday donated 130 televisions to the Guyana Police Force. Receiving the appliances on behalf of the Force was Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud, during
a simple presentation at the hotel, located at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD). The ceremony was witnessed by several high ranking officers including the Traffic Chief, Ian Amsterdam; ‘A’ Division Commander, Clifton Hicken and Deputy Superintendent Wayne De Heart.
Outrageous abuse of Treasury... (From page 6) thoughts in mind, she said that the new alliance plans to team up with several church organizations, unions, NonGovernmental Organizations, businesses, those disenfranchised with the PPP/ C and others from all the different parties in Guyana to achieve a true government of national unity, once it is given the opportunity. Ramjattan, in support of Hughes’ points said that since the alliance with APNU, it has been spreading the message throughout the length and breadth of the nation. Though he spoke with a hoarse tone, the AFC leader insisted that the job must be done for the purposes of explaining to the people why his party chose to join forces with APNU. He reminded that while he did say at the AFC’s last national conference that he
would try hard to get the leadership post of the prodemocracy negotiations, three weeks of very tough negotiations with APNU resulted in what the nation has today. “I want to say that it was not conceding anything, but compromising in the interest of the country. It’s true we didn’t get the Presidential candidacy, but we were dealing with a party that is far larger than AFC. They (APNU) had about 136,000 votes at the last election and they command a very big set of support and AFC only got as you know 36 to 37,000 votes, but the final product was fine tuned to the extent of what we spoke about … constitutional arrangements that we will do down the line. That is, we will reduce the powers of the President and give more to the Prime Minister, and it was a
wonderful thing when Opposition Leader, David Granger indicated that lots more powers will be delegated to the Prime Ministerial post,” Ramjattan explained. The AFC Leader said it is a certainty more than a probability that the new partnership will win the next elections. He emphasized that the PPP/C is “right down in relation to credibility and integrity.” He stressed that those who were in doubt, “have come to realize the thievery and corruption the PPP/C is involved in, and to that extent the government is in bad shape.” Ramjattan insisted that it is about time, the country is given a government that is serious about restoring democracy and cleansing the nation of the financial lawlessness that occurs under the current administration.
Friends on bail after Relatives blame GPHC for death... assaulting each other Yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court two friends were ordered to post $25,000 surety each after they were charged with assaulting each other. The charge stated that on February 28, at Waterfront Kwakwani, Upper Mazaruni River, Hasley John and Maranda McCoy, assaulted each other so as to cause actual bodily harm. They both pleaded not guilty to the charge after it was read to them by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry. The prosecution did not provide any facts about what occurred on the day in question to the court. The duo was ordered to attend counseling and the matter was transferred to the Kwakwani Magistrate’s Court for March 13.
(From page 6) that the doctor was insinuating that the child’s family was hiding the fact that the child had suffered a fall, or some other injury at their hands. She then explained that family members were informed that “the baby will die, and when the baby dies, we will carry out a post mortem”. Tyson stated that at no time did the doctor assure her that they would try their best, or do everything within their
power to save the child’s life. A distraught Tyson explained that her niece’s condition started to improve, but then suddenly worsened. “By the twenty-sixth of February, I see like if water started to come out her mouth. They had a needle in her right hand for two days, and where the needle w a s l o c a t e d , h e r h a nd began to swell. I don’t know if they didn’t put it in a vein or what.” Akeela Benons died
shortly after visiting hours on Thursday, February 26. The family is claiming that they did not want a post mortem, but the doctor requested one. “She (doctor) tell me that her hands are tied, and they have to do the PM to find out what kill the baby… Now you mean fuh tell me they treating the baby all this time, and they don’t know the reasons surrounding her death?” Tyson questioned. When asked why her
family refused to approach GPHC’s administration with the matter, Tyson claimed that the same thing happened when her sister died there, and nothing came out of the matter. GPHC CEO Michael Khan, when questioned about the case, told this newspaper that this is the first he is hearing of the matter. He added that the administration will certainly take it seriously, and necessary investigations will be carried out.
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National Youth Council asserts nonpartisan position in electoral process …announces “Vote Like A Boss” campaign to bring out young voters
By Nicholas Peters The Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) has asserted that the body’s collaborative efforts with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are solely aimed at increasing voter education and turnout amongst Guyana’s youth population in a non-partisan manner. This response follows criticism from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) which says that the Commission is overstepping its authority by collaborating with the representative youth body. The criticism was made by the party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee, on Monday at Freedom House. Rohee criticised the GNYC for being a “selfanointed” authority on representing Guyana’s youth. He further described the Council as “a creature of external interference, through the (Leadership and Democracy) LEAD Project and nothing more than a group of partisan persons who are attempting to hijack the name Guyana National Youth Council.” The LEAD project is an initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
which focused on the capacity of Guyana’s Parliament, young people, women and Local Government Elections. Glen Bradbury (USAID), Chief of Party for the LEAD project, was part of the contingent involved in negotiation talks between GNYC and GECOM. Due to his involvement, the PPP purportedly raised “concerns” over the collaboration. According to Rohee as far as his party is aware, GECOM’s involvement with what he deemed a “partisan body of youths” needed to be decided by GECOM’s Commissioners. Rohee further stated that the Commission was overstepping its authority, as the matter was never discussed at the Commission level. In an invited comment, GNYC trustee member, Tiffany Daniels, refuted that the Council is working in a partisan capacity for elections. She further clarified that GNYC’s involvement with GECOM focuses on engaging youth in a nonpartisan way. Daniels explained that the Council’s participation in this year’s elections “has nothing
to do with partisanship”. She said that USAID was part of the formal proposal process which the Commission deemed acceptable. According to Daniels, the Council is focusing on the education and distribution of basic electoral information to Guyana’s youth population. To make this possible GNYC has announced its voter education campaign ‘Vote Like A Boss’. According to the body, the move towards launching this campaign was requested by Council members, “who wanted to be involved in the political processes without ascribing to any particular party as the GNYC’s mandate is a non-partisan one.” Moreover, in a statement released by GNYC their voter education campaign is meant to encourage youth participation during elections while providing spaces for young people to engage with GECOM and all political parties. The aim of the campaign is to ensure that young Guyanese understand the mandates of all parties, the voting process and their right to participate in the country’s electoral process. GNYC’s statement continued to state that; “the Council guarantees its commitment to educating and building the capacity of young people with a view of encouraging more youth involvement in the political and developmental spheres
of Guyana.” The Council is also open to collaborating with other non-partisan groups which aim to increase voter turnout. According to the United Nations Development Programme, Guyana’s youth make up over 60 percent of the country’s population, while data from various countries suggests that youth participation in elections is less when compared with older citizens. Speaking to sections of the media, GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally stated that the Commission has given its overall ruling that GECOM must focus on “getting people out to vote”. He also said that he does not think that GECOM needs to go back to the seven Commissioners for approval. “Empirical observation is revealing that the youth may not be coming out in large numbers, it follows that part of (our) focus is to get people to vote.
The civic aspect of the civic and voter education has to be focused on youth,” the Chairman emphasised. To that end, Dr. Surujbally related that GECOM is open
to partnering with any civic organisation or similar collectives to get young people involved in the electoral process through the ballot box.
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LIAT bans e-cigarettes Kamla goes after Rowley in checked luggage ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Regional airline LIAT has announced that e-cigarettes are prohibited for carriage in checked luggage on the airline’s services, effective immediately. Citing a recommendation from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), LIAT said in a media release yesterday afternoon that e-cigarettes are a fire risk. E-cigarettes mainly use lithium cells to heat liquid nicotine into a vapour and these devices have, in some instances, overheated or caught fire when the heating element was accidentally activated. The release said that the FAA pointed to two recent incidents in the United States. In the first incident, ecigarettes packed in a passenger’s checked bag in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft caused a fire that forced an evacuation of the aircraft. In the second incident, a checked bag that had missed its flight was found to be on fire in a baggage area. Emergency responders attrib-
uted the fire to an overheated e-cigarette inside the bag. Meanwhile, LIAT noted that airport security in the territories in which it operates have not yet confirmed a unified stance on the carriage of e-cigarettes in carry-on baggage. It is therefore recommended passengers should
not carry e-cigarettes in their cabin baggage either, so they don’t lose their devices if the airport security decide to remove them. Should airport security across the territories subsequently allow e-cigarettes to be carried on board flights, LIAT would review its current recommendation.
P O R T- O F - S PA I N , Trinidad - CMC – The coalition People’s Partnership government says it will file a motion of no confidence against Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Rowley as the campaign for the 2015 general election unofficially kicked off here on Monday night. “I have instructed the Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives in the Parliament to file a motion of no confidence against the Leader of the Opposition over Dr. (Keith) Rowley’s failure and refusal to disclose the fact that Mr. (David) West was a potential witness for him in support of his defence in a pending defamation lawsuit brought by the former attorney general,” Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar told a public meeting of her ruling United National Congress (UNC) on Monday night. “I have also instructed our lawyers to advise on whether Dr. Rowley’s silence, misrepresentation, violated the provisions of the Integrity in Public Life Act so as to justify an investigation by the Integrity Commission. Our lawyers will advise whether there is a prima facie case to show that Dr. Rowley is in breach of the Integrity in Public Life Act,” she added. Prime Minister Persad Bissessar dismissed her attorney general Anand Ramlogan and her national security minister Gary Griffith following the disclosure by the police that they had launched an investigation into possible charges of perverting the course of justice against Ramlogan. The police probe was sparked by Griffith indicating that he had been asked by the then attorney general to get West, the director of the Po-
Kamla Persad Bissessar
Dr. Keith Rowley
lice Complaints Authority (PCA) to withdraw a witness statement in support of Rowley in a defamation suit bright against him by Ramlogan. Prime Minister Persad Bissessar has been calling for West’s removal from the post in light of the allegations and had also written President Anthony Carmona on establishing an independent commission to probe West. Former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj has rubbished the moves by Prime Minister Persad Bissessar and instead has also called fo a police probe into three other senior government ministers arising out of the attempt to get West to withdraw his witness statement. Prime Minister Persad Bissessar told party supporters that she would soon announce the date for the general election that must be held no later than September this year, but that her administration still had a lot of work to complete. “You will have to wait a little while longer because we have a lot more work to complete before that date is presented to you. We have not started the screening process but there is no hurry. We will
do that at the right time. “We have not nominated any candidate for any constituency. We will only do so after we consult with you and with all the executives in every constituency. When we make the decisions, then we will want you all to work with us to ensure victory,” she told supporters at a schhol in the La Horquetta/Talparo constituency, east of here. The main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) has already started screening and announcing candidates to contest the 41 seats at stake in the general election. She told supporters that Rowley had over the last five years nor demonstrated leadership qualities adding “we must not let them get into office because the 84-plus schools that we are building now should they come into office, they will not open them. “They will close them down. They will not complete them. The Children’s Hospital that we are building in Couva will not be completed by them. The South Campus will not be completed. The Tennis Centre in Tacarigua, they will not open because they would have been projects of the Partnership.”
CARICOM study on legalising marijuana DAILY NATION - A committee has been formed to examine whether marijuana should be legalised in the region. This was disclosed by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, as he addressed the media as the 26th Inter-Sessional Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government ended last Friday at the Meliá Beach Resort in Nassau, The Bahamas. Concerning whether or not Caribbean nations should legalise marijuana, Stuart stressed that
Freundel Stuart
leaders would not be making “rash, uninformed decisions”. “We want to make decisions based on good, solid, scientific evidence and therefore we have put in place this committee to canvass all of the relevant issues and get back to us so that we can evaluate the issue of marijuana with a little more objectivity, and certainly, come to conclusions that will not be harmful to the best interests of the people of the region,” he stated.
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Venezuela initiates visa 3,600 people evacuated requirement for U.S. travelers as Chile volcano erupts CARACAS (Reuters) Venezuela yesterday began requiring U.S. travelers to seek visas before visiting the South American nation amid an escalation of diplomatic tensions between Washington and the administration of President Nicolas Maduro. The socialist government on Monday ordered the U.S. Embassy in Caracas to slash its staff by 80 percent, days after Maduro said several Americans had been detained on suspicions they were involved in espionage. A resolution published in the Official Gazette eliminates the United States from a list of 65 countries exempt from tourist visa requirements, and instructs U.S. passport holders to comply with “established legal norms” to obtain visas. Maduro said over the weekend that Americans would have to pay the same consular fees as Venezuelans traveling to the United States, which currently ranges from $160-$190. The resolution also contains a list of U.S. political figures barred from entering Venezuela for having committed “acts of terrorism and grave human rights viola-
Santiago (AFP) - A volcano in southern Chile erupted early yesterday, spewing fiery plumes of lava into the night sky and forcing the evacuation of some 3,600 people in nearby towns. In its first major eruption in 15 years, the Villarrica volcano, one of Chile’s most active, began spewing lava and ash around 3:00 am (0600 GMT), prompting authorities to declare a red alert, the National Emergency Office said. As sirens sounded, bright yellow-orange lava spewed
their red alert, keeping it in place for a 10-kilometer radius around the volcano but allowing residents of the main towns in the area to return home under “yellow alert.” But schools remained closed in the towns of Villarrica, Pucon, Curarrehue and Conaripe, which surround the volcano. “I am calling for calm. We are monitoring and evaluating the situation closely,” said President Michelle Bachelet after meeting with the country’s emergency committee.
T&T Central Bank moves to address foreign exchange woes Nicolas Maduro tions.” The list includes former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, former intelligence chief George Tenet, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Bob Menendez, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and Congresswoman Ileana RosLehtinen. Like his predecessor Hugo Chavez, Maduro has
frequently clashed with the United States and often accuses Washington of backing conspiracy efforts against him. Although the Bush administration did endorse a coup against Chavez in 2002 before back-tracking when he returned to power, Washington has repeatedly denied meddling in Venezuelan affairs.
IMF delegation meets with new St Kitts PM BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday held talks with Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris, according to an official statement issued here. It said that the meeting was to “provide the new Prime Minister with an overview of the ongoing preparations for the annual regional common policy discussions with Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) member countries. “The focus of this year’s regional consultation will be, building a healthy financial system in the ECCU, policy options to boost growth and competitiveness, fiscal policies f o r g r o w t h a n d m a croeconomic stability, as well as regional integration initiatives in these and other areas,” the statement added. Prime Minister Harris, an economist, told the delegation that included IMF executive director Serge Dupont and IMF advisor Kevin Silston that “the people
from the volcano about 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of the capital Santiago. A column of ash rose as high as three kilometers above the volcano, which is about 2,800 meters (9,200 feet) high. Authorities closed roads leading to the area as residents streamed into shelters at designated safe zones well removed from the volcano. But within about seven hours the eruption calmed, and there were no longer any visible signs of activity. Authorities partially lifted
have mandated us to bring shared prosperity to all and we hope with your support and counsel, we can deliver to our people” and
that the “Team Unity” manifesto for the February 16 general election would remain his administration’s blueprint for prosperity.
PORT-OF-SPAIN - CMC – The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago Monday announced that it sold US$250 million to the banking system, completely offsetting a US$154 million foreign exchange gap experienced in February. In a brief statement, the Central Bank, which has come under severe criticism for its new foreign exchange policy, said that demand for foreign exchange from the business
community and public totalled US$592 million in February 2015, while supply of foreign exchange, mainly from energy sector companies, amounted to US$438 million, resulting in the overall gap of US$154 million. “In keeping with its strategic foreign exchange management programme, Central Bank sold US$250 million to the banking system, completely offsetting the gap and providing just over US$95
million in excess supply to be used in early March 2015.” It said that conversions by the energy sector contributed 71 per cent or US$310 million to total foreign exchange inflows for February 2015. “Demand was mainly driven by the Retail and Distribution (US$141 million), Manufacturing (US$38 million), and Automobile (US$19 million) sectors. Net credit card sales amounted to US$19 million.”
Teachers seeking 25% increase, $10m for professional development The Gleaner - The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) is asking the Government for a 25 per cent increase in basic wages for the more than 30,000 teachers in the public education system. The JTA wants the increase to take place over two years with 15 per cent for the 2015/2016 financial year and the remaining 10 per cent for 2016/2017. The Government is seeking to establish new wage agreements with its workers as a five-year wage freeze comes to an end. Jovan Johnson reports: The basic wage increase request is among a 13-point wage claim that the JTA has submitted to the Government. Negotiations are yet to begin although a meeting was held last month with government negotiators to clarify the claim. The JTA is also asking for an increase in the protective clothing allowance paid to teachers.
Dr Peter Phillips The union wants the current allowance at $15,000 per annum to be increased to $25,000 starting on April 1 and a further increase to $35,000 next April. Regarding duty allowance, the JTA is requesting that the current $60,000 per annum be increased to $90,000 come April 1 and to $120,000 a year later. And for transport, the teachers’ union says this al-
lowance should be increased from the $123,000 currently paid to $200,000 as of April 1 this year. Meanwhile, the JTA has also requested that $10 million be set aside, yearly, for the professional development of teachers. It has also asked that teachers be compensated for all casual and vacation leave that have not been taken. The Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), which represents 40,000 other public sector workers has asked for a 30 per cent increase in basic wages. Both the JCTU and the JTA have indicated that they are anxious for negotiations to start. Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips has warned unions to be realistic with their claims, noting that any significant increase will threaten economic reforms under the current programme with the International Monetary Fund.
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UK intelligence asked Tanzania to stop ‘Jihadi John’ in 2009 (Reuters) Mohammed Emwazi, the Briton identified as Islamic State killer “Jihadi John”, was denied entry to Tanzania in 2009 at the request of British security services, a Tanzanian police source said on Tuesday. The source’s version of events tallies with emails published by London activist group Cage last week that they said were from Emwazi, recently named as the militant shown beheading American, British and Syrian hostages on IS videos. Security officers at Dar es Salaam airport refused to allow entry to Emwazi and two friends - another Briton and a German - because they were on an official immigration stop list, said the source who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. Immigration officials said the request came from British intelligence rather than the international police organisation Interpol, the source added. British security officials would not comment on the episode. “When Emwazi and his friends were told they would not be allowed to enter Tanzania, they caused a commotion and tried to force their way out of the airport,” the source said. “I think the stop order against Emwazi and his friends was issued at the request of the British intelligence service.” In meetings and email exchanges with Cage between 2009 and 2012, Emwazi said he and two friends had gone to Tanzania in August 2009 for a safari holiday after he completed his studies in computer programming at London’s University of Westminster. He told Cage he was deported from Tanzania to Britain via Amsterdam, and quizzed by agents from
Britain’s MI5 domestic security service who told him they believed he was attempting to reach Somalia to join the Islamist militant group al Shabaab, something he denied. Court documents from 2011 have also shown that Britain suspected him of being part of a network involved in procuring funds and equipment “for terrorism-related purposes” in Somalia. Senior Tanzanian law enforcement officials, including the acting director of criminal investigation (DCI), Diwani Athumani, have declined to comment on the events of 2009. DETAINED The Tanzanian source said Emwazi and his friends were arrested for disturbing the peace at the airport and detained for several hours at the Stakishari Ukonga police station. They were then picked up by local immigration officials and taken for further questioning before being deported on a KLM flight, the source added. Since his unmasking as “Jihadi John”, there has been much media speculation about when and where Emwazi was radicalised. The British court documents show British officials believe he was an associate
of Bilal al Berjawi, a leader of the Somali-based militant group al Shabaab who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2012. But Cage, which has released what it said was an audio recording of Emwazi made after he returned to Britain in 2009, has said Emwazi complained to them about being harassed by Britain’s MI5 who he said had tried to recruit him. The police source told Reuters that Emwazi was not mistreated by Tanzanian officials in Dar es Salaam. “Emwazi was never tortured in Tanzania,” the source said. “In fact, (he and his friends) caused a fracas at the airport after being told they were prohibited from entering the country due to the presence of an immigration stop order against their entry.” Emwazi also told Cage that from July 2010 onwards he was repeatedly prevented by the British authorities from returning to his birthplace Kuwait where he had a job and was planning to get married. Cage’s Research Director Asim Qureshi has argued this might have played a part in turning him into the man who appeared clad in black and brandishing a knife in the IS videos.
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Iran calls Obama’s 10-year nuclear demand ‘unacceptable’
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
(Reuters) - Iran rejected on Tuesday as “unacceptable” U.S. President Barack Obama’s demand that it freeze sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years but said it would continue talks on a deal, Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency reported. Iran laid out the position as the U.S. and Iranian foreign ministers met for a second day of negotiations and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a
stinging critique of the agreement they are trying to hammer out. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met a day after Obama told Reuters that Iran must commit to a verifiable halt of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear work for a landmark atomic deal to be reached. “Iran will not accept excessive and illogical demands,” Zarif was quoted by Fars as saying.
“Obama’s stance ... is expressed in unacceptable and threatening phrases,” he was reported as saying, adding that talks with Kerry in Switzerland would nonetheless carry on. The aim of the negotiations is to persuade Iran to restrain its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions that have crippled the oil exporter’s economy, thereby reducing the risk of war over the protracted dispute. The United States and some of its allies, notably Israel, suspect Iran of using its civil nuclear program as a cover to develop a nuclear weapons capability. Iran denies this, saying it is for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity. Speaking before the U.S. Congress in Washington, Netanyahu warned Obama against accepting a nuclear deal with Iran that would be a “countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare” by a country that “will always be an enemy of America”. “If the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran, that deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons - it will all but guarantee that Iran will get those nuclear weapons, lots of them,” the Israeli leader said in a 39-minute point-by-point critique of Obama’s Iran diplomacy. Obama later said Netanyahu had offered no “viable alternatives” in his speech for dealing with Tehran and urged Congress to withhold judgment until an agreement with Iran had been finalised. Obama said he would only agree to a deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. CONCILIATORY TONE Kerry and Zarif met for more than five hours on Tuesday in the Swiss lakeside town of Montreux, negotiating during most of Netanyahu’s extended criticism of their efforts in Washington. Netanyahu wants the Iranians stripped of nuclear
projects that might be used to get a bomb. Washington deems the Israeli demand unrealistic. Despite the tough tone of Zarif’s remarks quoted by Fars, the Iranian minister struck a more conciliatory note when he spoke to reporters after his morning talks with Kerry. Asked if the two sides had reached an agreement, Zarif replied: “We’ll try, that’s why we are here.” “The only way to move forward is through negotiations.” Kerry told reporters: “We’re working away. Productively.” The two sides have set a deadline of late March to reach a framework agreement and of June for a comprehensive final settlement to curb Iran’s nuclear activity to ensure it cannot be put to bomb making in return for easing economic sanctions. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said while there were still differences to iron out, the United States was “hopeful, realistic” that the sides would meet the March target for a framework deal. “We certainly still believe we can. Absolutely,” she told a daily briefing. Iran wants a swift end to sanctions in any deal — one of the sticking points in the high-level negotiations. While the United States has played the lead role in the talks with Iran, it is representing five other major powers: Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — a group collectively known both as the P5+1 and the E3+3. Speaking in Geneva, German Foreign Minister FrankWalter Steinmeier sounded an upbeat note. “The talks between the E3+3 and Iran are also advancing well,” he told the U.N.backed Conference on Disarmament. “I would even go so far as to say that in 10 years of negotiations, we never achieved as much progress as we have made this year.”
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Lara ‘ready’ for WICB... GPF HQ Inter-Dept dominoes
(From page 26) that we could do a lot better than we are currently doing,” Lara said. “We have had so many talented young men coming up and suddenly, they just disappear off the scene, while our cricket continues to decline. Nobody appears to care about them.” Lara’s criticism of the current WICB administration, led by Dave Cameron, had become increasingly vocal. Last November, speaking to ESPNcricinfo in Sydney, Lara said that West Indies’ pullout from the India tour was a watershed moment. He said communication was missing between the administrators and players and without that trust West Indies cricket would face a lot of problems while continuing to languish at the bottom of the ICC rankings. Currently West Indies occupy the No. 8 spot in both Tests and ODIs. Lara said he would always remain biased towards the players. “There’s so much cricket being played now
where players can make a living outside the West Indies under different administration. Yes maybe that could be a difference, but the ultimate thing is you’re playing for the West Indies, you want to play for the West Indies, you love the West Indies. And I would love one day where guys are playing for West Indies and money not being an issue because they’re making so much money outside of that. ”But that can only happen if you have the relationships with the board and all the stakeholders. There’s no trust, everybody wants their piece of the pie and that’s it. Unfortunately until we have better relationships, West Indies cricket is going to be very problematic.” Despite being in control for two years and once again a favourite to retain the presidency, Cameron has lost some original supporters, such as the TTCB. In the previous elections held in 2013, the T&T board led by Bassarath had sup-
ported Cameron. But this time it has opted to ally behind Joel Garner, the former West Indies fast bowler, who has cast his hat into the ring representing the Barbados Cricket Association. Bassarath said the reason he approached Lara was because he was the “ideal person” for the job. “I believe that Brian would be an ideal person to lead West Indies cricket and, as a matter of fact, I approached him a few months ago about such a possibility,” he said. ”But unfortunately, he is too late for us to nominate him for the elections which will take place on Saturday. The constitution of the WICB does not allow us to nominate him at this late stage, since nominations closed one month before the elections. ”The presence of someone as great as Lara on the West Indies board can give us so much credibility and stature in the eyes of the rest of the world. It’s a pity he is unable to be part of this year’s process.” (ESPNcricinfo)
Wednesday March 04, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The only good thing about being on an emotional roller coaster is that you never feel the same way for long. One moment you're up, the next you're down. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Your tendency today will be to stay in the cocoon of your little dream world, deep in your own thoughts. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) There's something in the air pushing you toward change or renewal. Is it time to change your wardrobe or redecorate your home. CANCER (June 21–July 22) The good news is this - it gets better. There could be some trying times in store, Cancer. If you're a parent, the children will ask for something every five minutes, and you may feel pressure from all sides. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Today rethink all the social values you take at face value. Like the rest of us, you learned them at an early age and accepted them unthinkingly. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today is an ideal day to shop for a new wardrobe. You may find your usual style too conventional or uncomfortably trendy.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) The topic of the day is knowledge and learning. Did you study the field you really wanted to? Do you feel bad about not having attended such-and-such school or program? SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) The planetary alignment is favorable, and you're in the process of reaping the benefits, Scorpio. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) As you struggle to reach your own definition of the truly innovative achiever, other people sometimes criticize your rather liberated attitude. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) The results of the recent planetary influence are coming home to roost, Capricorn. If everything went according to plan, you gained some insight into your ego. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Are responsibilities shared equally with your partner? Are you each making an equal effort to maintain harmony? Asking the questions is the first step to answering them. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Anything you do to improve your appearance will make you feel a lot better about yourself.
CONCLUDES TODAY
Tactical Service Unit (TSC), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Immigration Two will contest the final of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Head Quarters Inter-Department Dominoes tournament today at Police Sports Club from 14:00
hrs. CID registered 85 games to beat Immigration Two with 71 and Felix Austin Police College (FAPC) 64 in the semi final played on Monday. Eon Jackson marked the maximum 18 games for the winners while Munilall
Persaud and Judy Sandiford made 16 each. Linden Denny scored 15 for Immigration two, Mahendra Sewnarine and Martin Pestano Bell had 14 apiece. Mark George made the maximum 18 for FAPC and Keithon King scored 16.
Harden suspended a game for kicking James below the belt Reuters - Houston Rockets guard James Harden has been suspended one game without pay for kicking Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James in the groin, the NBA announced on Monday. The incident between the two league most valuable player candidates occurred with 2:08 remaining
in the third quarter of the Rockets’ 105-103 overtime victory on Sunday against the Cavaliers in Houston. Closely guarded by James, Harden lost his footing, fell to the floor and then lifted his left leg and kicked James below the belt. Harden was assessed a flagrant foul for the incident.
”Obviously that’s not a basketball play,” James told reporters after the game. “I have no idea why he would do that, but two competitors just trying to go at it, and he won this one.” Harden will serve his suspension yesterday when the Rockets traveled to Atlanta to play the Hawks.
Mecca goes to Mackenzie... (From page 25) its established brand. IGBL that is located on Carmichael Street in Georgetown opened its doors in Linden
with another branch on January 17, 2015. Apart from the Pacesetters vs Royals game, the night is scheduled to begin at 7pm with Plaisance
Guardians taking on Amelia’s Ward Jets in a rematch while Retrieve Raiders battle Colts United in another showdown before the featured game.
Pacquiao down to work for ... (From page 29) consider the real fight of my life,” said Pacquiao, 36. Pacquiao (57-5 with two drawn and 38 knock-outs) will face Mayweather (47-0 with 27 knock-outs) in Las Vegas in a fight long craved by boxing fans. Reports say they will split about $200 million from the welterweight clash between two men considered the best “pound-for-pound” boxers of their generation. Pacquiao has plunged into training after arriving from the Philippines, where his distractions include playing professional basketball and a seat in the national congress. He apologised for ducking a crowd of journalists at LA airport after immigration officials whisked him out of a back door on Saturday. “The head of the immigration in LA led us to the backdoor. So I was not aware that many journalists were already waiting for us outside,” Pacquiao said. “My heartfelt apology to all of them.” The devout Christian attended a Bible service on Sunday before beginning his training in earnest the following morning. Pacquiao’s preparations are under way without Roach, who is in Macau for Chinese fighter Zou Shiming’s world title shot on Saturday. Conditioning coach Justin
Fortune and assistant trainers Buboy Fernandez and Flash Fernandez are present, along
with others including Pacquiao’s younger brother Bobby.
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Kaieteur News
Letter to the Sports Editor
Football has suffered another untimely loss Dear Sir, ”While nothing in life is as sure as death, the untimeliness of it always leaves one in a state of shock, compounded by an element of surprise, in some instances”! As such, I was completely shocked, when I heard of the death of Mervyn ‘Pug’ Wilson. However, editor it would be remiss of me not to express my utter dismay, in relation to the treatment meted out to the memory of the late individual, from the local football fraternity consisting of: GFF’s Normalisation Committee, GFA, National Coaches Association and the National Sports Commission. As a former National Under-19 player, also a former National Coach both at the junior and senior levels, the individual had deserved mention publicly, for his
previous contribution to the sport, despite how he was viewed. Suffice it to say, not even a public expression of condolence to the bereaved family! Where are morals? Meanwhile, the late ‘Pug’ who was also referred to as “Communist” following his successful completion of a Football Coaching Course in the then East Germany where he obtained a Diploma. As a former coach attached to the National Sports Commission, in the 70’s, Wilson achieved resounding success with a schools’ team from Waramadong, which defeated every Under-16 school team in Georgetown that they played against. In their final match against a combined Georgetown schools’ lineup, a draw was the fulltime result. Coaching stints with GNS, GDF and Al-
pha United brought about meaningful success also locally, at the club level, including a runner-up spot with Alpha United, in a final of the Annual Kashif & Shangai K.O. At the national level the crowning moment of Wilson’s career came when as a member of the national coaching staff, in 1986 Guyana advanced its furtherest ever in the Olympics Qualifiers. But mass absconding of players in the U.S.A, en-route to Mexico for a return fixture resulted in Guyana fielding a depleted lineup to lose by an embarrassing 9-0 margin. To his sorrowing family members, relatives, friends and colleagues, kindly accept my sincerest condolences. May His Soul Rest In Peace! Respectfully yours, Lester Sealey.
Lara ‘ready’ for WICB involvement Former West Indies captain Brian Lara is open to standing for the post of WICB president in future. Although Lara’s expression of interest has come too late for the WICB elections scheduled this Saturday, his decision could still spell hope for Caribbean fans who have grown tired of the failures of the administration and the widening divide with its players. Lara, one of the leading batsmen of his generation, said Azim Bassarath, Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board president, had asked him whether he would have any interest in running for the WICB presidency. Currently doing commentary during the World Cup, Lara said what strengthened his resolve was the growing lack of faith in West Indies cricket from the outside world. ”Mr Bassarath had suggested that I should get involved and he and his board would seriously consider supporting me,” Lara told the
Brian Lara could be a future candidate for the WICB presidency © WICB Trinidad Guardian. “I am here in Australia with most of the top administrators and players, and even they appear to be concerned at the state of our cricket. The way they speak is like they have little faith in our future. I am ready to get involved.” Lara has never been shy of taking on the administration. One of West Indies’ greatest-ever players, Lara was involved in bitter disputes with the WICB during his days as a player and as captain. Lara brought a
strong individuality to his batting, yet as captain he was never as successful - West Indies won only 10 of 47 Tests with him in charge, and 59 out of 125 ODIs. Yet with his batting Lara could united the Caribbean like no one else, and the possibility of him returning as an administrator could come as a happy move for the supporters of Caribbean cricket. ”If you are a West Indian, and understand what cricket means to us, you have to feel (Continued on page 25)
Wednesday March 04, 2015
Rapper 50 Cent to bet £1million on Floyd Mayweather beating Manny Pacquiao Floyd Mayweather Jnr is known to fancy a flutter, but this time it’s he who is the subject of a huge bet. Rapper 50 Cent, who used to be part of The Money Team, plans to stake $1.6million (£1million) on Mayweather beating Pacquiao on May 2. Should Mayweather prevail in Las Vegas, 50 Cent - real name Curtis Jackson - would pocket $2.3m (£1.5m). ‘I got the champ,’ he told The Breakfast Club. ‘The champ gonna smoke him. It’s gonna look like [the fight] was pumped up for no reason.’ 50 Cent said he ran into Mayweather at a Chris Brown concert at the Barclays Centre in New York and that he was
Rapper 50 cent ‘focused’. It was only last year that the pair were engulfed in a bitter row when 50 Cent promised to donate $750,000 to charity if Mayweather could read a page of a Harry Potter book. In response, the pound-for-
pound No 1 tweeted pictures of his last two pay cheques, totally more than $70m, to remind 50 Cent how rich he was. And he said: ‘’I’d be perfect at reading if it was how I had to feed my family.’ Mayweather’s relationship with 50 Cent were business partners until 2012 before they split with the latter forming his own promotional company. Mayweather and Pacquiao both started their training camps on Monday, in Las Vegas and Los Angeles r e s p e c t i v e l y . They will face the media for the only time before fight week in downtown Los Angeles on March 11. (mailonline)
Alonso rules out of Australian Grand Prix Reuters - Fernando Alonso will miss next week’s season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix on doctors’ advice after a heavy crash in testing, the Spaniard’s McLaren team said yesterday. ”Fernando has understood and accepted that advice, and the two McLarenHonda cars will therefore be driven in Australia by Fernando’s team-mate Jenson Button and the team’s test and reserve driver Kevin Magnussen,” they said in a statement. Australia would have marked a new start for Alonso at McLaren, who are also embarking on a new engine partnership with Honda, after five years at Ferrari. However, the Spaniard spent three nights in hospital last week after losing control and hitting the wall in testing in Barcelona on Feb. 22. McLaren said the 33-yearold had undergone more tests on Monday evening and been given the all-clear. “However, Fernando’s doctors have recommended to him that...for the time being he should seek to limit as far as
is possible any environmental risk factors that could potentially result in his sustaining another concussion so soon after his previous one,” they added. ”In order to limit those environmental risk factors, specifically, his doctors have advised that he should not compete in the imminent Australian Grand Prix meeting.” First practice for the March 15 race in Melbourne starts on Friday, March 13. Denmark’s Magnussen raced for McLaren last season, finishing second in Australia after local hero Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified for Red Bull. The chances of him returning to the podium look remote this time around, with McLaren struggling in testing to get laps under their belt due to persistent troubles with the new V6 turbo hybrid engine. Alonso has not missed a race since the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix, which was boycotted for safety reasons by drivers whose cars were equipped with Michelin tyres after problems emerged in practice. McLaren said the doctors had recognized that the double
Fernando Alonso world champion felt fit and well, and considered himself ready to race. “They are comfortable with the fact that he has already recommenced physical training, with a view to preparing for a return to the cockpit of his McLaren-Honda car for the Malaysian Grand Prix meeting on March 27th, 28th and 29th,” the team said. ”Indeed, his doctors are supportive of that ambition, satisfied as they are that he sustained no damage whatsoever during his testing accident.”
QC teachers and prefects square off today in 10-over cricket game Teachers and Prefects attached to the Queen’s College (QC) Allied Arts Department will square off t o d a y i n a 1 0 - over Tapeball Cricket match, starting from 13:00hrs at the YMCA ground on Thomas Road. According to Co-
organiser Johnny ‘Overseas’ Barnwell, who along with Diane Henry are the principal organisers of the game, trophies and medals donated by Trophy Stall will be up for grabs for the winning team, while outstanding performances will also be recognized.
Wednesday March 04, 2015
CONCACAF U-17 C’ship
Kaieteur News
Jamaica edge Guatemala on late goal
San Pedro Sula, Honduras – Donovan Dawkins scored in the early seconds of second-half stoppage time to break a stalemate and give Jamaica (1-0-1, 3 points) a 2-1 win over Guatemala (1-0-1, 3 points) in the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship (CU17) on Monday at the Estadio Francisco Morazan. The Jamaicans, who fell to Honduras 2-0 in their Group A opener on Friday, improved to 4-0-0 all-time against Guatemala in the competition. The game-winning goal came off a beautifully served in-swinging free kick from the right side by Alex Marshall, which allowed a leaping Dawkins to head home from the edge of the six-yard box. Of the two halves, the first one was played at a more furious pace as both sides traded solid scoring chances. The Jamaicans looked dangerous on multiple corner kicks and, in the 12th minute, produced the game’s first goal off one. Peter Vassell delivered an in-swinger from the left that sailed to the far post. Jumping forward Nathaniel Adamolekun controlled the ball with his right thigh at the goal line and tapped it in simply. That lead was almost doubled nine minutes later, when Marshall freed himself by cutting from right to left in the Guatemalan box and blazed a left-footed effort barely over the crossbar from 16-yards out. Sensing momentum taking a dramatic turn, Guatemala shifted into a higher gear to level in the 27th minute. Midfielder Diego Raymundo delightfully wedged a pass in between a pair of Jamaicans for John Mendez, who was sprinting towards the box. The Municipal youth standout ran onto the ball
Donovan Dawkins (Photo:Mexsport)
Raycharle Herrera (Photo: Mexsport)
and cleverly chipped over charging goalkeeper Jahmali Waite. Early in the opening half, Jamaica crafted the first quality opportunity as Javian Brown headed the influential Vassell’s right-sided free kick off the crossbar. The Caribbean runnerup was almost made to rue that miss seconds later. On a breakaway, Guatemala’s Abel Lemus, with only Waite to beat, shot early from 12-yards out and pushed his attempt wide of the left post. Vassell nearly got on the scoresheet in the 10th minute, firing a left-footer from 26-yards out that goalkeeper Gilder Lemus did well to fist over the crossbar. Jamaica returns to action tomorrow against Cuba, while Guatemala will face the United States. U.S. tops Trinidad for second straight win The United States (2-0-0, 6 points) struck for
a goal in each half to defeat Trinidad & Tobago (0-0-2, 0 points) 2-0 on Monday. It was the Americans’ second straight shutout to open the competition, while Trinidad has yet to register a point after two games. Joe Gallardo’s dream start to the competition continued in the 32nd minute, when his free kick gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead. The forward, who plays in the Monterrey youth system, was fouled on the edge of the box. He stepped up to take the subsequent kick himself, shooting around the wall and beyond goalkeeper Levi Fernandez into the right side
DCB Inter- Association U-17 tourney
East Bank trounce West Demerara; East Coast thump Georgetown By Zaheer Mohamed East Bank defeated West Demerara by 20 runs while and East Coast overcame Georgetown by four wickets when the second round of matches in the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) Inter Association Under-17 50over tournament was contested yesterday. East Bank was bowled out for 158 in 47 overs after they were inserted in hazy conditions at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary. Stephon Wilson and Daniel Scott added 38 for the third wicket after they were reduced to 26-2. Wilson struck four four’s before he was dismissed for 26 while Scott hit a solitary boundary in scoring 23. Following their dismissal, East Bank slipped to 73-5, but Bhojnarine Singh and Mark Ramsammy (10) shared in a sixth-wicket stand of 31 before Singh added a further 38 for the sevenwicket with Jeremiah Scott to add respectability to the total. Singh hit three fours in his 23 while Scott who made 22 reached the boundary
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twice. Keshram Seyhoder grabbed 3-13, Vickram Talmukund 3-28, Ganesh Jitlall 2-18 and Kelvin Shewprashad 2-46. West Demerara lost Kennard Moonsammy (06) with the score on 18; however Shewprashad and Seyhoder stabilized the chase with a second wicket stand of 60. The pair gradually grew in confidence as they hit three fours apiece before East Bank fought back by removing Shewprashad for 30. After Seyhoder followed shortly for 35, the innings went downhill despite a cameo 22 (2x4 2x6) from Mark Jeffers down the order. Left arm spinner Wilson captured 4-35 while Abdel Bacchus snared 3-18 and Sagar Hatharimani 2-13. At Enterprise, East Coast Demerara, Georgetown took first strike and reached 145-7 after the game was reduced to 40 overs. Darshan Persaud stroked 32, Ronaldo Ali Mohamed 23 and Raymond Perez 17. Baskhar Deodat took 2-25. East Coast replied with 147-6 in 39.1 overs. Ramnarine
Chatura slammed 63 not out and Gavin Boodnauth 37. In the opening fixtures on Monday, Georgetown and East Coast registered victories. Georgetown hammered West Demerara by nine wickets at Eve Leary. Batting first West Demerara was evicted for 125 in 40.1 overs. Seyhoder scored 33 and Shewprashad 25. Colin Barlow claimed 3-20 and Mark Baptiste 2-15. Georgetown replied with 126-1 in 24.2 overs. Joshua Persaud cracked 59 and Perez 33. At Enterprise, East Coast overcame East Bank by 76 runs. East Coast took first knock and rattled up 221-2 off their reduced quota of 40 overs. Chatura led with 71 not out, Boodnauth cracked 62, Yadram 43 and Shrichand Gangaram 26. East Bank were restricted for 145-5 in 40 overs in response. Paul Thomas got 33 and Mark Ramsammy 32. Bhaskar Deodat and Afzal Rohoman snared two wickets each. The competition continues today with East Coast facing West Demerara at Enterprise and Georgetown playing East Bank at Eve Leary.
of the net. Three minutes later, Trinidad nearly equalized. Kareem Riley delivered a ball into the U.S. box that goalkeeper Will Pulisic tried to punch away. The ball spun back towards the goal, where captain Hugo Arellano was present to clear from the six-yard box. That second goal would come in the 71st minute through Haji Wright. The outstanding Christian Pulisic, Will’s cousin, delivered a pass to the left side for the imposing forward, who went on an unimpeded run towards the net. With a pair of defenders closing in, Wright pulled the trigger on a left-footed shot from eight yards that snuck inside the right post. Will Pulisic preserved the clean sheet with two quick-fire saves near the final whistle. Trinidad will face host Honduras tomorrow. Herrera lifts Cuba to draw with Honduras Raycharle Herrera struck in the 78th minute to give Cuba (0-1-1, 1 point) a 1-1 draw with Honduras (1-1-0, 4 points) in a Group A match on Monday night. The 17-year-old midfielder drilled home a 23-yard free kick to offset Foslyn Grant’s strike early in the second half at the Estadio Francisco Morazan. The result provided Cuba with its first point of the competition, while host Honduras (1-1-0, 4 points) remains undefeated after two games. (CONCACAF)
T&T National Senior men prepare for Panama in friendly The Twin Island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago National Men’s team is presently in preparation for an upcoming friendly game against the Spanish speaking Panama National team on March 27, in an effort to be better prepared for the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers scheduled for later on this year. According to sources from Trinidad and Tobago Stephen Hart the Senior team Head Coach is on the lookout for outstanding players who is expected to appear in the T&T Pro League to finalize his squad for this friendly international against Panama. Hart, who led Trinidad &Tobago to the position of runners during the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) 2014 Caribbean Cup Finals, says he will be looking to give some of the home-based players an opportunity to take the field against the Central Americans. ”It is important to play as regularly now as it allows, and the opportunity to play a team like Panama is good for us. They are one of the bigger up and coming teams in CONCACAF for me. Panama has invested in the entire football structure in Panama. They have been playing consistently and they are the nation to watch,” he said.
On the home-based players who have been knocking on the door of the national team, Hart stated, “They have players who have been there on the national team and some players I would like to have a look at. It’s no secret that I have been wanting a local camp for some time now and an international game and I think this is an ideal situation to look at as many local based players as possible. It gives them the opportunity to prove themselves and to see what kind of player pool I can build as we move into the next FIFA dates in June and then the Gold Cup,” Hart added. Goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams sees the upcoming friendly international against Panama as the ideal test for the “Soca Warriors” as they step up their build up for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup which kicks off in July. Speaking recently, the Central FC custodian recognized Panama as one of the new powerhouses in CONCACAF. ”It’s going to be a very good test for us especially if some of the home-based professionals are in the squad for this match. Panama are one of the most progressive teams in the region now and it would be a great match up for us. We’ll be at home and I expect it to
Stephen Hart be a great contest,” Williams said. ”This year is a crucial one for us because obviously the Gold Cup is coming up and the World Cup qualifiers for Russia begins for us in November. We haven’t really gotten over the disappointment of losing in the final of the Caribbean Cup in November and a lot of the boys are very eager to get back out there and continue to push on with the national team,” he added. According to the February 12 updated FIFA rankings, Panama is ranked sixty-one while Trinidad & Tobago is ranked sixty-two. Only four teams in the Caribbean region are ranked within the first one hundred in the World namely Trinidad & Tobago (62); Haiti (78); Jamaica (79) and Antigua & Barbuda (99).
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 04, 2015
South Africa’s Amla hits ODI hundreds milestone at World Cup Canberra, Australia (AP) AB de Villiers has good reason to describe Hashim Amla as the rock of South Africa’s batting lineup. While de Villiers makes headlines for the speed at which he racks up his runs, Amla keeps compiling centuries at an unprecedented rate — he posted his 20th ODI hundred in the 201-run win over Ireland at the Cricket World Cup yesterday, just his 111th limitedovers international. Just for good measure, Amla marked the occasion with 159 from 128 balls, his highest ODI score to date. “Any hundred is a hundred,” he said, “doesn’t matter how long it takes.” Averaging almost 57 and scoring a century about once every 5 ODI innings, Amla is not the kind of batsman an opposition team can afford to give reprieves. Ireland made that mistake in Canberra, when Ed Joyce dropped a sharp chance off Kevin O’Brien’s bowling in the sixth over. And Amla made the most of his reprieve,
combing with Faf du Plussis (109) in a 247-run secondwicket stand that helped South Africa toward its total of 411-4, the second-highest innings ever at the World Cup. He was finally out in the 42nd over, caught in the deep b y J o y c e o ff A n d y McBrine’s bowling. By then, the 31-year-old righthander had set an international benchmark with his 20th ODI century in 108 innings — shaving 25 innings off the record set by India’s Virat Kohli. De Villiers, who entered the World Cup as the leading batsman in the ODI format — marginally ahead of Amla — took 175 innings to reach the same milestone. ”Today myself and Faf had a partnership going and we were pretty much settled in and we felt that maybe this is the time to just get a little momentum going and we went with it,” Amla said, attempting to play down his contribution. “There is no set formula for when you decide to go.
On any other day, we could have tried it and we could have got out. But the benefit of that is that we’ve got a long batting line up and the guy coming in would have had a good base still to pull an innings and get some runs.” As Alma and du Plessis found their rhythm, they gathered pace. The Irish bowlers had no answers. Amla slogged two sixes and a boundary in the 24th over. His best over was the 38th, when he cleared the boundary twice and sent the ball crashing into it four times. The raucous cheers from both South African and Irish supporters when de Villiers walked on as the fourth batsman during the 39th over underscored the fact that he was the player the vast majority of the 8,800 crowd had come to see. But scoring only 24 runs before he was dismissed, the captain took a backseat to Amla. Since A l m a ’s uninspiring Test debut in 2004, he has has proven his worth as a consistent high-performer, setting a
K&S Football Extravaganza
Mohammad Enterprise resumes support as days whittle down to first whistle By Michael Benjamin The days are quickly going and the excitement is already in the air as the organizers of the Kashif and Shanghai Entertainment group continue to put the modalities in place for a qualitative and action packed tournament. From all indications local football fans are in for a big treat from the time of the first whistle on Friday March 20 at the DCC Ground, Alberttown up to the final game scheduled for the National Stadium Providence on Sunday April 5. They say that old habits die hard and this could not have been more strongly affirmed that yesterday morning when Mohammad Enterprise of Lombard Street once again acquiesced to a lucrative sponsorship deal to offset the stringent expenses accrued by the organizers. So it was that the two K&S Directors, Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major and Kashif Mohamed trooped to the Lombard Street establishment of the sponsor where the proprietor, Nazim Mohammad, handed over a lucrative cheque to the tune of over two million dollars plus several replica trophies for all of the participating teams.
Mr. Mohammad admitted that he feels a sense of commitment to the advancement of the tournament since he has his roots in the Mining Town of Linden, the place of inauguration of the tournament. He also said that his organization is committed to the development of all sports disciplines and as such had no problem in readily affirming to the deal. Mr. Muhammad expressed delight at receiving the gift even as he noted that his benefactor has been on board for 24 years, one year shy of the existence of the tournament. The Kashif and Shanghai Director further assured the public that all systems are in place for a qualitative tournament and they have recently convened a meeting with referees to share a common understanding of the objectives of the tournament so as to ensure that all principals could have a common understanding of what is expected of them. Meanwhile, media operatives were informed that renovation works to the Demerara Cricket Club ground are going rapidly apace and the recently installed light fixtures are in pristine condition. “We
are sparing no effort to give the fans the qualitative tournament they have grown accustomed to,” explained Mr. Major. The latest act of chivalry has supported that of several other corporate citizens, all committed to the success of the tournament including DDL, HJTV, Church’s Chicken, Sonic Business Services, Club 704, JGS and Ansa McAl among others. In all, sixteen teams will vie for the top spot including Alpha United, Pele, Western Tigers, Rhythm Squad, GFC, Victoria Kings, Mahaica Determinators, New Amsterdam United, Slingerz FC, Den Amstel FC, Grove Hi Tec, Agricola Red Triangle, Winners’ Connection, Hi Stars and Bartica Beacon. The tournament will be officially launched with a march past at the DCC Ground. The winning team will cart off the two million dollars put up by Mohammad’s Enterprise with the runners up winning half that amount. The third and fourth place prizes are five hundred thousand and two hundred and fifty thousand dollars respectively. There will also be trophies which will be presented for individual and team performances.
Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis plundered 247 ©AFP string of records for accumulating big scores. He has been a permanent feature of South Africa’s ODI line-up since his debut against Bangladesh in 2008. In 2012, Amla became the first South African to score a triple century when he posted
311 not out against England at The Oval in London. And in 2013, he was named among the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. As far as the World Cup goes, Amla said he was still finding his rhythm. “You’d like to score runs
every game, but I don’t think that’s quite possible — unless you’re Don Bradman of A.B de Villiers,” he said. South Africa 411 for 4 (Amla 159, du Plessis 109, Rossouw 61*) beat Ireland 210 (Balbirnie 58, Abbott 4-21) by 201 runs.
Zimbabwe game ‘now big’ for Ireland Ireland’s game with Zimbabwe on Saturday is “now very big” after their World Cup thrashing by South Africa, says captain William Porterfield. Hashim Amla’s 159 and Faf du Plessis’s 109 helped South Africa to 411-4 with the Irish all-out for 210 in Canberra yesterday. However, a win in Hobart on Saturday will keep Ireland’s hopes of a quarter-final spot very much alive. “The game against Zimbabwe now is very big for us,” said Porterfield. “We’ll be looking to go down there [to Hobart] and pick up two points.” Porterfield acknowledged that the Irish had endured a “difficult evening” against a sharp Proteas side. “They played very well. We had one early breakthrough and wanted more but then it was hard for us,” said the Ireland skipper after his team were unable to build on John Mooney’s early dismissal of Quinton de Kock. Ireland’s prospects weren’t helped when Amla
was dropped on 10 as Ed Joyce failed to hold a sharp chance with the opener going on to hit another 149 runs. “You want to be taking your chances but that’s part of cricket,” added Ireland skipper Porterfield. ”All credit to him [Amla]. He played very well. It was a very good pitch and it was very difficult to muster up those wickets.” Du Plessis, Amla and AB de Villiers departed to leave South Africa on 301-3, but Ireland’s death bowling was once again punished as Rilee Rossouw (61) and David Miller (46) produced a 110-run partnership. Any slim Irish hopes of getting near the huge South African total ended as Paul Stirling, Porterfield, Joyce, Niall O’Brien and Gary Wilson were cheaply dismissed to leave them on 48-5 in the 11th over. Andrew Balbirnie’s 58 and Kevin O’Brien’s 48 helped the Irish edge towards respectability and some late aggressive hitting by George Dockrell and Max Sorensen
moved them beyond 200 before they were all-out in the 46th over. ”All credit to the lower order for the way that they stuck at it,” continued Porterfield. “And with the partnership [of 81] between Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Balbirnie, there were still a few good things in there.” Ireland remain well placed to qualify, although the margin of defeat at the Manuka Oval will have a negative impact on their net run rate before Saturday’s Zimbabwe contest. (BBCsport)
The Road to Mecca: Guyana’s National Basketball Championship will make a journey to Linden Friday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Hard Court before Bermuda arrives in Guyana next week for the three game International Basketball Series. The second edition of the Mecca to Mackenzie Basketball Playoffs will feature National Champs Trinity Grid Holdings (TGH) Pacesetters
in a showdown against Linden’s Victory Valley Royals in the feature of three games scheduled for Friday night. As result, Insurance Brokers Guyana Limited (IBGL) of 125 Carmichael Street, Georgetown has thrown its weight behind the event and yesterday handed over its contribution to Sports Management, the organisation that’s responsible for hosting what has become an annual event
in Linden. IBGL was founded in April 1969 and it is the first Insurance Broker to be established in Guyana and provides a unique and personal service to clients, regardless of size, small or large at no cost to them, placing business with only reputable Insurers. The company contribution to the event is in line with its vision of tagging a sports activity in the community with (Continued on page 25)
Andrew Balbirnie
Mecca goes to Mackenzie before Bermuda - IBGL aboard