Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news
How many viewers knew that the Chief Justice of Belize was also a Guyanese DEAR EDITOR, One couldn’t help wondering how many of the various generations of those who would have witnessed the very recent celebration of Guyanese Justice Desiree Bernard’s contribution to the local and regional justice system, by members of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), realised that it was a watershed occasion in the history of at least equally impressive contributions made by a number of her predecessors who have practised in the West Indies, ever since colonial times. Coincident with the movement of local banking officials (from Barclays Bank DC&O and Royal Bank of Canada) who were disposed to their respective branches in some Eastern Caribbean territories, individual legal practitioners sought and achieved successful careers in the justice systems across the West Indies. Others were officially rotated as part of Colonial Office policy. So that this momentous occasion was not only an explicit recognition of individual performance; but perhaps more importantly a display of the cumulative appreciation of the preeminent role of Guyanese in the growth of West Indian jurisprudence – a scenario which projected the establishment of the CSME
and the free movement of professionals as a logical eventuality; except perhaps that movement was freer then than now! So it is worth asking how many viewers and readers would have recognised that the Chief Justice of Belize, who was front-paged accompanying CCJ’s Justice Bernard at the ceremony, was also a Guyanese (whose father, incidentally, served as Chaplain to the Guyana Defence Force). Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin is but one in a long line of successful legal luminaries who have contributed to the Region’s jurisprudence in various capacities. The names which come readily to mind (in no specific sequence) include: Sir Donald Jackson; J. A. Luckhoo; Aubrey Fraser; Guya Persaud; Joaquin Gonsalves-Sabola; Sir Kenneth Stoby, Sir Shridath Ramphal, Sir Fenton Ramsahoye, Satrohan Singh, Doodnauth Singh (who with Miles Fitzpatrick was identified with the Grenada Prime Minister Maurice Bishop’s assassination trial); Odel Adams; Stanley Moore; Donald Trotman (the Speaker ’s father); Oscar Ramjeet. The name of Duke Pollard has been left last specifically to mention that with Desiree Brenard, he constituted the only country
team to sit on the CCJ at the same time – a record that would be hard to emulate. But there was also the inflow of counterpart West Indian talents who served in the local judiciary, outstanding amongst whom must be Barbadian Sir Frank Holder, as Attorney General, then Chief Justice; his compatriot Justice Erskine Ward; Frederick Boland of Grenanda, and others: from St. Lucia, Jamaica and elsewhere whose names escape immediate memory. Hopefully by now all interested parties would demand to know why our justice system should not again benefit from the participation of counterpart Regional expertise, particularly at the higher levels – a process that would at least represent a reciprocity of respect for those practitioners of whom there are many of internationally acknowledged repute – a status of evaluation not known to be conferred on local performers. We must now grasp this enlightening opportunity to pursue profitable options available in the Regional structure, of which Guyana is an evocative and active member, to rehabilitate the palpable malfunctioning of our legal system, and retrieve its image amongst the legal comity. E.B. John
Seeing workers only as units to maximise financial returns
DEAR EDITOR, I would like to send a message to all employers who may be having problems with their employees in that they feel these are not contributing enough to their business. I have seen a lot of business owners running their organisations with the sole objective of making a profit. This means that they treat employees in the same way as they would deal with the tools of their trade – as simply units to exploit for the sole purpose of maximising financial
returns. This would ultimately make their workers feel that their employer is regarding them as inanimate objects without human dignity, without their special uniqueness and talents, and without the ability to contribute in a creative way. When we believe that each individual is a unique human being with his/her own special way of reacting to any situation, then we will treat that person with dignity and respect. I can assure you that, as long as that person is normal
and not restrained by any illnes s o r d i s t u r b i n g situation, he/she will react and produce more than is expected so as to bring out his/her innate individuality and desire to be significant, which are the most powerful natural longings of any person. Make your employees feel that you are interested in their welfare, and that they have something positive to contribute to the general business, and they will not disappoint you, but will even surprise you with their creativity and leadership. Roy Paul
PM’s troubling utterances... From page 4 colleague’s actions on the road. Ashni Singh, like any other road user, must face the full extent of the law for his actions. Should the Minister of Finance be allow to escape the law the precedent will be set for others to emulate his action. The Attorney General
should know better not to aid and abet or protect those who use the road in a reckless and criminal manner. Like every other Guyanese I await to see the outcome of this matter. It would also be interesting to hear what the Guyana Bar Association, Civil Society Organizations, the Private Sector and others
have to say about the Attorney General serving as counsel in this Ashni Singh purported reckless driving case. It is matters like these which help to determine whether we are managed by a democratic, autocratic or simply reckless and rogue-like regime. Lurlene Nestor
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Wednesday March 05, 2014
AG sues Kaieteur News over Alleged victim of police harassment ‘Dem Boys Seh’ articles seeks Minister’s intervention
AG and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court against Kaieteur News’ Publisher Glenn Lall, Editor-in-Chief Adam Harris, and the National Media and Publishing Company Limited, seeking in excess of $30M over two articles appearing in the satirical piece, ‘Dem Boys Seh.’ In the indorsement of claim filed by his Attorney, Bernard De Santos, Nandlall is seeking damages in excess of $10M for the column titled “Tax dollars going to SleepIn,” in excess of $10M for a second article titled “Ah Kneel deh pun a hustle” and in excess of $10M for aggravated or exemplary damages. Nandlall in his lawsuit claims that the sobriquet “Ah Kneel” clearly refers to him and the presentation of law volumes, an event of the AG’s Chambers, held at the Sleep In International Hotel’s Conference Room. He further charges that
Kaieteur News’ Publisher, Glenn Lall
Kaieteur News’, Editorin-Chief, Adam Harris the sobriquet “De Sleep In man” clearly refers to the Sleep In International Hotel owner. In his lawsuit filed, Nandlall claims that the article conveyed the impression that he was dishonest, corrupt and engaged in improper use of taxpayers’ dollars for personal benefits and as such is therefore unfit to hold the office of Attorney General, Minister of Legal Affairs and Member of Parliament.
In his lawsuit, Nandlall said that after the first ‘dem boys seh’ article his Permanent Secretary, penned a letter to the effect that “Those implications of impropriety are as erroneous as they are unfortunate.” Nandlall said that despite this, a second article was written again, maliciously implicating him, and further that he had instructed his Permanent Secretary to lie as a cover-up. Nandlall claims that the article was libelous and calculated to cause “and did cause me great public embarrassment, held me up to odium and ridicule and to disparage me as the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs and Member of Parliament, both nationally and internationally”. The Minister in his lawsuit asks that Kaieteur News be restrained from publishing any further malicious and unwarranted attacks on him. According to the document filed in the High Court, “I hereby give a solemn undertaking to pay for all or any damages the respondents/defendants may suffer if it is subsequently determined that the injunction sought herein was wrongly granted.” He further stated that he owns a property in Prashad Nagar, valued in excess of $75M, “and I therefore have sufficient means to satisfy any award of damages that this Honourable Court may award against me. The hearing will begin on March 13, before Chief Justice Ian Chang.
Ricky Ramdhani outside the Home Affairs Ministry yesterday. Expressing a total lack of trust in law enforcement officers, Ricky Ramdhani, a victim of alleged police harassment, intensified his call for justice as he picketed the Brickdam office of Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee yesterday. The man, a father of five, of Lot 616 section ‘C’ Block Y, Grove, East Bank Demerara, had previously mounted a one-man protest outside, Police Headquarters, Eve Leary. Ramdhani told this newspaper that he is protesting against police harassment and calling for justice, with regard to a matter which took place two years ago. “This matter stemmed from an accident which occurred in 2012 involving my fifteen-year-old daughter and a senior Police Officer. My daughter was riding her bicycle along Grove Public Road when she got hit down by the officer who was driving a heavily-tinted white Toyota Allion. The policeman became angry at us because we refused to drop the allegations against him, but my daughter was seriously injured, she couldn’t walk for months... since then we have
been targeted by the police.” As Ramdhani listed his concerns, a man who identified himself as a police officer, walked up and offered his assistance. “I ain’t want help from no police, because all they do is talk to me nice and then nothing happens. I continue to get harass, I was even threatened at the OPR (Office of Professional Responsibility) when I go to lodge my complaint. “My life is at risk, “Ramdhani exclaimed as he recounted several incidences of assault and abuse, which he claims he suffered at the hands of members of the police force. “My family is not safe, every time is something; I have five daughters. On one occasion the police came to my home and arrested my 11year-old daughter, she was alone with the baby. They told her to put down the child and placed her in custody without informing her parents.” “This harassment happens very often, police would stop my car for no reason and body-search me. A vehicle of officers came to my house one time to curse and threaten me, and another time, a police rank took a loaded firearm and put to my head after he arrested me and my wife. They keep us in custody for days. That issue was related to problems with me and my neighbour, who spent four months in jail and still continues to threaten me and family. The police are not doing anything to help us; they appear to be taking instructions from this senior rank. “ Ramdhani says that he opted to call on the Minister of Home Affairs after failing at his attempts to gain assistance from who he thought were the “relevant
authorities”. “ It is overbearing, I went to Office of Professional Responsibility, at Brickdam, CID at Eve Leary and even protest, but is the same thing, they just talk to me nice but nothing is being done… all I getting is promises. The problem continues and I want help fast, because my family is in danger and we get threatened that we house will go up in flames. I am just an ordinary upholstery worker, we need proper assistance,” the man stated.
The injuries his daughter reportedly received in 2012.
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
Putin calms war fears but defiant on keeping Crimea Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has calmed fears of an imminent war between Russia and Ukraine’s new authorities but also made clear that Moscow has no intention of loosening its new grip on Crimea in defiance of Western anger. Breaking an uncharacteristic silence since the downfall of president Viktor Yanukovych 10 days ago, Putin yesterday displayed no fear of a prolonged crisis in ties with the West over the situation in the Ukrainian region of Crimea which is now controlled by pro-Moscow forces. He also showed zero inclination of recognising the new Kiev authorities which came to power after the ousting of Yanukovych but admitted the deposed leader had neither a political future nor any authority. The standoff between
Vladimir Putin Moscow and the new proWest leadership had prompted apocalyptic fears of Russian tanks rolling across Ukraine’s eastern borders in a conflict that could draw in NATO. But Putin’s comments appeared to calm the wildest
scenarios while making clear his steely determination that Russia would not give up its newly-acquired control over Crimea, a region with a majority Russia-speaking population. Even the format chosen for his comments –- an avuncular chat with handpicked Kremlin pool correspondents rather than an address to the nation –appeared to have been chosen to create a milder impression. “Putin made clear that they will not be an extensive war –- at least such a radical scenario has been set aside,” said Alexei Makarkin of the Centre for Political Technology in Moscow. “But he will not leave Crimea and he is going to preserve real control there.” The Russian strongman said Russia would use force as a “last resort” and there was no current necessity to send troops in.
Kerry arrives in Kiev for talks with interim govt.
A handout photo released yesterday by the Ukraine Parliament Press Service shows US Secretary of State John Kerry (C), Oleksandr Turchynov, Parliament Speaker and Ukraine’s interim President (L) Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Kiev (AFP Photo/Anastasiya Sirotkina) Kiev (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kiev yesterday for talks with Ukraine’s new interim government, amid an escalating crisis in Crimea. His visit came as the United States said it would provide $1 billion to financially-stricken Ukraine as part of an international loan. With the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea under near complete control by proRussian forces, US officials said Moscow could face sanctions within days. “I think there will be movement on sanctions very
likely later in this week and there is a whole spectrum of sanctions,” one official travelling with Kerry said, speaking on condition of anonymity. During his short stopover, Kerry was expected to meet with Ukraine’s interim president Oleksandr Turchynov and new Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. US officials told journalists travelling with Kerry Washington would provide much-needed financial aid to the new government. US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said in a statement Tuesday the
government was “working with Congress and the government of Ukraine to provide $1 billion in loan guarantees, the proceeds of which will be aimed at protecting the most vulnerable Ukrainian households from the impact of the needed economic adjustment.” “At the same time, the US is moving very quickly to provide technical expertise to help the national bank of Ukraine and the finance ministry address their most pressing challenges,” an official travelling with Kerry said.
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Caribbean Airlines ‘doing inquiries’ about flying to St. Vincent KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent - CMC – The Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines (CAL) Monday would neither confirm nor deny reports that it was conducting inquiries into the possibility of including St. Vincent and the Grenadines on its Caribbean routes. Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that while he had not been “formally approached” on the matter “I understand from our authorities that they have come in and they were doing inquiries. But I haven’t seen anything formally coming to the state administration”. An airline industry official told CMC that CAL officials came to St. Vincent recently to do a site inspection and that they were accompanied by personnel from its security, engineering, operation, and marketing departments. The source further said that CAL has contacted at least three local companies about the possibility of one of them being handlers for the airline. CAL Communications Manager Clint Williams, while he would not confirm nor deny the possibility of the airline servicing the route, said “Caribbean Airlines is continuously evaluating new routes and new opportunities. “Currently with our new business plan we are evaluating all the flying on our fleets including our ATR fleets,” he added. Gonsalves, who is chair of regional carrier LIAT, had in
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves the past objected to CAL servicing the same routes as the Antigua-based airline while CAL was receiving a fuel subsidy from the Trinidad and Tobago government. He said that the subsidy was “illegal” under the treaty that established the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and had threatened to go to the Caribbean Court of Justice if the matter could not be resolved through arbitration. But the Kamla Persad Bissessar government subsequently discontinued the subsidy that in 2012 was estimated at US$40 million. Gonsalves told CMC that he was no longer opposed to CAL flying to St. Vincent, there could be a partnership between the two airlines. “Once the competition is fair and accords with the agreement which we have for
air transportation in the region, there’s no problem,” said Gonsalves, who is chair of CARICOM and is lead prime minister on air and maritime transportation in its quasi-cabinet. “Once you don’t have predatory pricing and you don’t have subsidies — any kind of unfair advantage being given to one side or another.” Williams said that CAL would naturally be looking at the regional situation, “flying without our fuel subsidy” and that the airline had certain elements of its business plan that needed to be put in place. “So we are considering all the opportunities that are available to the airline at this time,” he added. Gonsalves said that in the past, LIAT, which is owned by the governments of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica, has had competition from several other carries. “I have never ever been opposed to any competition for LIAT. All I ask is that the competition be fair and within the framework of the multilateral air services agreement of CARICOM. “It is either we have rules or we don’t have rules. If we have the rules, you have to follow the rules. It is a simple, straightforward matter,” Gonsalves said. “It may very well be that if CAL comes into the OECS countries that LIAT and CAL can form a strategic partnership in these matters,” he added.
Shot couple returning to Barbados Barbados Nation - A BRITISH COUPLE, who were shot while on holiday in Barbados last year, will be returning on an all-expenses paid trip compliments the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA). And none other than cricketing legend Sir Garry Sobers made the trip to Suffolk to offer the invitation. On March 17, 2013, Phil Prior and his wife Ann were both shot in Bridgetown. They were cruise passengers on the way back to their ship after a Commonwealth Day service. Ann, 59 at the time, was shot in the thigh, while her husband, now 73-yearsold, was shot in the groin on Hincks Street just after 2 p.m. Passers-by came to their assistance, offering treatment until an ambulance arrived to take them to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. After they returned home,
the couple told the BBC they would return to the island. “I don’t think it will put us off travelling,” Phil said. Ann said she wanted to go back, as there was “unfinished business” and they also wrote a letter thanking some of the people who helped them. “There are a number of people who were so kind and attentive that you feel you’d love to go back and shake them by the hand in happier circumstances,” he said at the time. Thanks to the BTA, the couple will enjoy a two-week stay at an “extr emely plush” Barbadian hotel. They will fly business class on Saturday to the island and receive tickets to see England versus West Indies at Kensington Oval. They will be rubbing shoulders with Sir Garry and Sir Wes.
For Phil, who is an avid cricket fan, meeting Sir Garry was a bonus. “For someone like me who grew up with cricket, it was like meeting an old friend,” he told one of their local newspapers. “He was a very affable fellow and a great chap; easy to talk to and had a fantastic knowledge of the game.” Phil said despite the trauma of the ordeal, they had wonderful memories of the island. “I look back thinking that I did not suffer any long lasting effect where as there are others people in far worse situations than I ever was,” he said. “I’m going back to see these great people who helped me out in a difficult time, to have some fun at the cricket and enjoy a good glass or two of cabernet sauvignon.”
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
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ASHNI’S ACCIDENT In one of the most memorable scenes from the movie ‘And Justice for All’, the defence lawyer, Arthur Kirkland, played by Al Pacino, is making his opening remarks to the jury. He accuses the Prosecutor of tapping into a common emotion: that which says, “Let’s get somebody in power; let’s get a judge.” This is exactly the same emotion that is being tapped into by many of those who have arrogated to themselves the right to comment on the accident/collision that took place on Mash Night and which involved the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh. Many of those making uninformed comments are more interested in tapping into certain emotions than they are about determining the facts, culpability and liability. Many of the comments have appealed to that emotion that says when it comes to enforcing the law there are two sets of standards: one for those in authority and another set for
the ordinary citizen. Many would love nothing better than to see the Minister severely reprimanded. As a consequence all manner of accusations, most of which cannot be substantiated are being made. A great many assumptions are also being made that are not necessarily valid. This particular column addresses these issues. The first issue is the question of equality before the law. There are subtle implications being suggested that the failure so far of the authorities to charge the Minister somehow suggests that he is being afforded special treatment. This position is based on the assumption that the Minister is somehow culpable for the accident. It is also premised on a belief that whoever is wrong in an accident should be charged. The basis of the first assumption, that is, the culpability of the minister, is that the vehicle the Minister was driving was proceeding along a minor road while the
other vehicle was on the major road. As such, it is being contended that the Minister did not stop at the junction and collided with the other vehicle. Even if it is true that the Minister did not stop, it does necessarily automatically follow that he is culpable. Let us assume for argument’s sake that it was small child on foot instead of the Minister that was approaching that junction. The child without ensuring that it was safe to proceed across the junction moved into the path of the incoming vehicle. Let us assume that the other vehicle could have avoided hitting the child but did not. Who in such a case would be liable? Would it be the child or would it be the person who though on the right away failed to take evasive action when it was possible to do so? Many drivers in Guyana are of the mistaken belief that because they are on a major road approaching a junction with a minor road that they
Dem boys seh
A Trini scamp coming to lecture ‘bout scampishness Ah Kneel sue de Waterfalls paper because dem boys seh that he and Cliffy does meet six days a week fuh su su. De thing about is it that is not lie. Every day he does deh at Sleep In and sit down wid Cliffy fuh lunch. De one day he don’t meet Cliffy he deh pun de phone talking to de man fuh hours. Dem boys seh that is true but then again de truth does really hurt, suh Ah Kneel decide that he gun ask a judge fuh stop dem boys from talking. He PS did write that she didn’t pay fuh de place but de Waterfalls boss man talk to Cliffy who seh that while he give dem de room free last week, he tell dem that dem got to pay fuh de food. Anyhow, Ah Kneel sue and dem boys gun defend de action all de way. And while he was in de court filing he action, some of he friends decide to invite a scamp fuh come and talk ‘bout scampishness. Dem invite Basdeo wan ex thiefing Prime Minister from Trinidad fuh give the keynote address to de Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association. Now Panday is de same man who end up in jail because he tek a kickback. When de government carry he to court he lie. Then de people find out that he put de kickback in he wife bank account in England. Now dis same Panday
coming fuh tell de GMSA don’t put thieving money kickbacks in dem wife name because dem gun end up in jail just like wha de happen to he. Donald tek over from Jagdeo who mek de world see Guyana as de second most corrupt place in de region. Haiti more corrupt. At least that is wha dem think but dem don’t know half de truth. Guyana got so much corruption that people can walk wid dem eye shut in any government office, and anybody
dem touch is a corrupt person. Jagdeo mek so. He was de man who didn’t try fuh pass de anti-money laundering legislation. Imagine that de people who does check corruption seh that Guyana refuse to put in place de law that gun mek de authorities seize property that people get through corruption. Don’t ask why Jagdeo never try fuh push this law. Talk half and watch de gathering of scamps.
are not required to proceed along the right of way with due caution. Even if someone jumps a stop sign at a junction, so long as the other vehicle is proceeding with due care and caution and at the designated speed, there is always a possibility of avoiding a collision. There have been numerous cases where motorists have jumped intersections and collided with other vehicles and held not to be either liable or fully liable because the other driver may have either been proceeding dangerously or failed to take evasive action. It is for the police to investigate the circumstances of the accident and to decide who is liable or whether there is contributory negligence. It does not follow automatically that because someone jumped onto a major road and collided with another vehicle, that person is guilty of an offence. It depends on the overall facts of the case, including accommodations for blind spots, darkness of the area, and the speed with which the respective vehicles were proceeding. The second assumption is that whoever is culpable for an accident should be charged. This however is not always the case. There are hundreds of accidents in which no party is charged. In
some of these cases the police may advise private action. In others, the parties to the accident may agree not to pursue prosecution of each other. And in many cases, actually proving the standard of careless of dangerous driving may be difficult, even if one person accepts culpability for the accident. There have been criticisms also about the Minister not rendering assistance. This is a most disingenuous proposition. Again this proposition is based on two sets of assumptions. The first is that there were persons other than the Minister who required assistance and secondly that the Minister himself was capable of rendering assistance. Many years ago, there was a gentleman who was involved in an accident and sought to render assistance to other passengers, one of whom had suffered injuries to his neck. Not being competent in how to handle persons with neck injuries, the gentleman ended up causing more harm than good when he opted to have the person with the injury sit upright. This however does not mean that assistance should be rendered where it is necessary to do so. The law in fact obligates one to do so. In the case of the accident
involving the Minister, he can claim that he too required assistance or was in such a shaken state that he could not respond or needed to get to the hospital to ensure that he did not suffer internal injuries. But aside from this which some may consider as facetious, there is the more material fact that immediately after the accident, numerous persons converged on the scene and offered assistance to both the Minister and to the occupants of the other vehicle. This makes moot the issue of the Minister not rendering assistance. In addition, the Attorney General has come in for flak for meeting with the other parties to the accident. It is claimed that the Attorney General should not be acting in a private capacity. Well, in this instance he is not. The vehicle being driven by the Minister belongs to the State and therefore it is the State that may incur a liability in respect to damage to the other vehicle. And it is the Attorney General who in any civil proceedings will be required to be answerable because he represents the owners of the vehicle, the State. He therefore has every right to be involved in a settlement.
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THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN
Understanding the PPP’s epistemology Epistemology may sound like a big word, but it is such an important concept that all humans that live under authoritarian, totalitarian, tyrannical or even semidictatorial governments need to understand what epistemology means. Citizens who live under ethnic domination also must be familiar with the term. Wikipedia has a very simple definition – the study of the source and meaning of knowledge and the ultimate nature of knowledge. Inherent in epistemology is the search for knowledge that is based on the justification of values and truths. Guyana and the United States are heading for inevitable breakdown, because of epistemological differences between opposing politicians. Let us start with two simple examples of religious
conservatism and the Indian caste system. A deeply religious and ideologically conservative man accepts that women are the physically inferior gender whose childbearing capacities confine them to roles that are naturally designed for them. They are providers in the household for the working patriarch and the children. This is his epistemological understanding of knowledge. In the Indian caste system that even a phenomenon like Mahatma Gandhi accepted, the source of knowledge is Hindu culture. When an airline CEO refuses the application of a dark-skinned woman for a flight attendant job, his decision is derived from epistemological understanding of Hindu culture, and the truth of Hindu culture is that the caste system is what life should consist of.
In the US, the Republican Party may have to wait for another century to win the presidency. That party’s source of knowledge from which it bases its philosophical positions goes back to the US that it knew it to be more than a hundred years ago. That kind of United States is dead. The US has changed since 1914, where in 2014 it bears no resemblance to the last century. The American dream is not easy to realize any longer. White America will soon be non-white America and the frontier mentality is no longer the dominant one. The US has very poor people, and the role of government will never go away. And the US is never going to go back to rugged individuality as it was a hundred years ago. But the Republican Party still sees the source of knowledge from
that era. In Guyana, the PPP isn’t going to offer even a modicum of accommodation to the opposition, and sooner than later instability is going to come if the PPP is returned to power through a minority government. The inevitability of a turbulent Guyana is founded on the epistemology of the PPP. This epistemology is flawed, ugly and has not the slightest connection to reality. But it is the PPP’s understanding of knowledge. And the PPP will inflexibly cling to those ‘truths” that it sees as inherent in knowledge. This is the danger with politics, particularly ethnic politics. Truths for some people are objective values that inhere in knowledge. I was in graduate school with an Indian from India and deep in his soul he believed the caste system was the true source of knowledge. It is the same with the PPP, and the personality of Dr. Jagan looms graphically in the background. Dr. Jagan
destroyed the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy because epistemologically for him, socialism was superior to democracy. So in the eighties he insisted that any national government, with or without the PNC, must be socialist, because socialism is true knowledge. If a potential national government did not proclaim a socialist programme, Dr. Jagan was not willing to participate. Take Roger Luncheon (where is he, by the way?) who is a typical PPP epistemologist. In talks with Opposition Leader Desmond Hoyte, the dialogue broke down because Luncheon exclaimed to the PNC’s delegation; “Comrades, you are talking to the ruling party.” For Hoyte this was nonsense. Both parties were equal in relation to the discussion on national reconciliation. If you ask Luncheon today if the ruling party is in fact the ruling party given the fact that it has no control over
Frederick Kissoon Parliament, it cannot pass the anti-money laundering Bill, and the Government can fall tomorrow out of a successful no-confidence vote in the House, the very Luncheon would say that nothing has changed since he made that exclamation in front of Desmond Hoyte, and that the ruling party is still the ruling party. Take Ramotar; he told his audience at the opening of the Hope Bridge that Guyana needs a new political culture. But ask him to explain what that means and he will tell you it is about the PNC changing its ways. Ask him what reconciliation means, and he is going to say, responsible behaviour by the PNC. This is the dangerous problem with the PPP.
Basdeo Panday to speak at GM&SA awards ceremony Former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Basdeo Panday, is slated to be the keynote speaker at tomorrow’s 18th Annual Awards Presentation and Dinner (APAD) of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GM&SA). According to the association, the event to be held in the Savannah Suite of the Guyana Pegasus Hotel, will also see 10 companiessmall, medium and large scalereceiving awards for “exceptional achievements in 2013”. A number of longstanding industrialists will also be awarded. “The selected companies have recorded tremendous achievements in recent months in the areas of innovation, export market penetration and investments.” Among the invitees of the event will be President Donald Ramotar, members of the Diplomatic Corps, Ministers of Government, and representatives of the Opposition and the business community. GM&SA said that the
Former T&T PM, Basdeo Panday event is the highlight of its annual calendar of activities. “This year it serves as a fitting culmination to the GMSA’s six-month celebration of its 50th Anniversary as a business support organisation. The main purpose of the APAD is to publicly recognize and award companies and organizations that have achieved international “Quality” certification, penetration of new export markets, introduced new or non-traditional products and services, and recorded unprecedented growth. “
Regarding Panday, 80, GM&SA said that he is an experienced trade unionist and a politician for more than 40 years. “He is the erstwhile leader of Trinidad’s sitting governmental party, the United National Congress (UNC), and has served the Trinidadian parliament on both sides of the floor. Mr. Basdeo, a respected orator, is slated to speak on the subject of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).” Panday was the fifth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from time to time starting from 1976. In 2006, Panday was convicted of failing to declare a bank account in London and was imprisoned, but as of March 20, 2007, that conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal. He was granted bail on April 28 of that same year pending the outcome of his appeal due to his health condition and the poor state of health facilities at the Arouca prison. On May 1, 2007 he decided to resign as Chairman of the United National Congress, but the party’s executive refused to accept his resignation. However, he lost the party’s internal elections on January 24, 2010 to Deputy Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the current Prime Minister.
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Three entities bid to dispose of non-infectious waste at GPHC The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) received bids for the provision of services for the collection and disposal of non-infectious waste. The bids were opened yesterday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) Ministry of Finance, Main Street.
Meanwhile, a lone bid was submitted for the provision of services for maintenance of Perkins generators at GPHC.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport received bids for the procurement of security services for the National Sports Commission.
Bids were also opened for the provision of pest control services for the GPHC. Bids were also tendered for procurement of security services for the National Stadium.
The GPHC also received bids for the provision of services for weeding and cleaning. Still under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, bids were opened for the procurement of security services for facilities at regions two, four and six.
Still within the health sector, nine bids were submitted for the procurement of stationery.
Woman fined $150,000 for 24 gallons of smuggled fuel The GPHC also received bids for the procurement of print and non-print materials.
Meanwhile, bids were opened under the Ministry of Home Affairs for the supply and delivery of an IT Network Software Forensic Laboratory.
Bids were tendered for the supply, delivery and installation of office equipment and office chairs for the READ project under the Agriculture Sector Development Unit (ASDU).
An Essequibo court has fined a woman $150,000 after she was caught with 24 gallons of smuggled fuel at her residence. According to the Guyana Energy Authority (GEA), the conviction was the first for the year for that regulatory body. GEA said that on February 10th, Camille Marcus pleaded guilty to being in possession of illegal petroleum when she appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Charity Magistrate’s Court. The Prosecution’s case was that one year ago, on February 19th, 2013, inspectors from the GEA swooped down on the defendant’s residence where they found 24 gallons of gasoline. “Lab analysis confirmed that the fuel did not contain the required concentration of fuel marker and was therefore
illegal. Marcus accepted ownership of the fuel and admitted to the Prosecution’s facts.” GEA said that Marcus claimed the fuel was brought there by her husband who ferries passengers to the North West District- a trade in which she assists him. In a “stirring plea” in mitigation, Marcus’ attorney said that the defendant was apologetic for what transpired and was not using the fuel for any personal gain. “Magistrate Scarce, however, rebutted this statement noting that the illegal fuel was used in the conduct of their business. He
sentenced her to pay a fine of $150,000 or in the alternative, serve a term of nine months imprisonment. The regulatory body said that this marks the 27th conviction for its Fuel Marking Division since the programme’s introduction in 2007. “GEA remains committed in its efforts to combat fuel smuggling and continues to intensify its enforcement operations in this regard.” The agency also urged persons with information on fuel smuggling and possession of illegal fuel to contact authorities on 2260394 or 624-5905.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Opposition wants to seize power through the backdoor – Govt. Government has accused the political opposition of looking to seize power through the backdoor by transferring it to the legislature where it has a oneseat majority. This was the charge by Minister of Legal Affairs, Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, who yesterday, along with fellow Government Ministers, Dr Ashni Singh and Bishop Juan Edghill and Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, during a live televised press conference at NCN, sought to lambast the opposition over its stance on the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill. “The one-seat majority is engaged in a singular quest and that is to grab Executive power from the government, which the constitution resides with the Executive and to unlawfully and unconstitutionally transfer it to the legislature.”
From left: Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, Chief Whip Gail Teixeira and Junior Finance Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill at the NCN studio yesterday during the televised press conference. Nandlall told media operatives that this is evident in the amendments tabled by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), in order to transfer the appointments of the members of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) into the hands of the Legislature and removing it from the
Executive. DIRECT POLICY Nandlall said that the move is consistent with the efforts of the political opposition over the past two years. According to the Legal Affairs Minister, the opposition is looking to direct
Missed Anti-Money Laundering deadline…
Opposition responsible for whatever consequences Guyanese may encounter - PPP The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), through its Junior Minister of Finance Juan Edghill, has laid responsibility for whatever consequences Guyanese may encounter by not meeting the CFATF (Caribbean Financial Action Task Force)’s latest deadline on February 28, squarely at the feet of the political Opposition. Guyana was blacklisted last year by CFATF for not putting its (CFATF’s) recommended legislation in place to fight money laundering and to counter the financing of terrorism. As such Guyana was given a new deadline, February 28, to pass the necessary Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLCFT) legislation and report back to CFATF. However that deadline too was missed because the Parliamentary Select Committee established to iron out the concerns and amendments of the parties involved (Alliance for Change [AFC], A Partnership for National Unity [APNU] and Peoples Progressive Party /Civic [PPP/C]) was not able to incorporate the amendments made by APNU and supported by AFC in time for the deadline. Edghill, during PPP’s press conference held recently at Freedom House
articulated that the position taken by the opposition has “willfully and maliciously placed all in harm’s way” including their own supporters. He related that “over the many months, the main Opposition APNU, failed to make known, its objections regarding the Bill and made a last-minute submission. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to not only delay debates to facilitate the passage of the Bill, but to bring to bear unwarranted suffering to the hard-working people of this country.” According to Edghill, governments around the world are being sanctioned because they are not willing and they did not put in place mechanisms to ensure that their country is compliant. “In Guyana we have a government that wants to put in place that kind of architecture, we have been working everyday to put in place that mechanism, but we have an opposition that is blocking it. and those reports and that information from getting back to the relevant persons as it relates to this matter.” Edghill stressed that the AFC signaled its willingness to support the passage of the Bill based on the government establishing the Public Procurement Commission (PPC). He said that despite the AFC’s demand, it was clear that they had no
contention with the actual Bill but wanted what they insisted on as a prerequisite for support. According to Edghill “it is therefore extremely mindboggling that the AFC, which vehemently professes to be responsible and independent of the PNC, has reneged on the resolution reached regarding the PPC and has now adapted the position taken by APNU.” Edghill said that AFC’s actions are “treacherous” and is evidence that the AFC and APNU are “in cahoots with each other” even though the AFC has indicated to the contrary. The Junior Finance Minister said that the AMLCFT Bill in its current form is compliant with a position which was articulated by the official from CFATF Roger Hernandez, in a press conference. According to Edghill, Hernandez “was clear when he noted that amendments proposed by APNU should make the current Bill noncompliant and would therefore place the country at risk. This is clearly a vindication of what the government continues to articulate. Given this, the question becomes obvious, why would the AFC suddenly adopt APNU’s position and thereby Continued on page 27
Executive policies by way of Parliamentary resolutions. The Parliamentary Committees, which are controlled also by the opposition, are being used to “coerce policy down the throat of the Executive” according to Nandlall. He used as an example the motion which called on the Minister of Finance to, among other things, transfer money from entities such as the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited. Nandlall said that when the Minister failed to adhere to the resolution piloted by APNU, they moved to have the Minister committed to the Committee of Privileges with a view to institute sanctions. Nandlall also used as an example the “ordeal” of the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee. A motion of no confidence was passed against Minister Rohee, which called on the President to remove him in that capacity. When this failed, according to Nandlall, the Opposition then moved to have him be gagged from speaking in the House. “They want to determine in the legislature who shall function as Executive Ministers, when the Constitution says that those are powers reposed in the President and in the Executive arms of Government” DARK DAYS OF BURNHAM REGIME As it relates to the amendments for which the political opposition insists that must accompany the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, when taken back to Parliament, Nandlall said that deep down these are designed to remove power from the Executive, while another is looking to take Guyana back to the dark days under the Forbes Burnham regime. As it relates to the FIU amendments, Nandlall said there is not a similar architecture anywhere in the world. He explained that this is so because law
enforcement functions lay in the purview of the Executive. Nandlall argued that the separation of powers doctrine dictates that such powers remain with the executive. “It is the Government that has to report to the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and it is the Government that has all the responsibilities and obligation to ensure that the guidelines of CFATF and the United Nations Security Council and all the relevant agencies whose functions and jurisdictions concern anti money laundering and the countering of financing of terrorism; it is the Government, the Executive government, that is required to report and is held responsible.” AUTHORITARIANISM As it relates to the amendment involving the seizure of money within the borders of Guyana by the law enforcement agencies, such as ranks of the Guyana Police Force, Nandlall said that this “is another manifestation of authoritarianism.” He said that there are many pieces of legislation in Guyana where police have extraordinary powers but, “there are certain safety valves.” He used as an example cases where there needs to be something more than just suspicion to act against a citizen and other cases where police would have to approach the Supreme Court before a seizure can be made. “It is very difficult other than to turn to the dark-side of the APNU and their history of anti-democracy when one looks at this provision.” Nandlall charged further that APNU’s amendment is not part of the CFATF recommendations, “so why do you want to put this in the law?” He questioned the motive, when there is a body of law that was started under the PNC and continued under the current administration that liberalized the financial sector and allows for money to be held in undefined quantities. “We had to free up the
country from the controlled state that the Burnham regime had it in, this is taking us right back there. We are going back into the mentality of a controlled economy and one where arms of the state can be used to regulate people’s financial capabilities.” CPC STRUGGLING Meanwhile, as it relates to the actual drafting of the legislation that APNU is holding out for, and for which the Government bemoans, Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh reported that it is a task that the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (CPC) is struggling to complete. Dr. Singh in his report to the media, reminded that when the recommendations for the amendments first came they were disjointed, and the Select Committee even had to adjourn to attempt to word a workable recommendation. “The legislative drafters are still struggling to translate what was submitted by the opposition into meaningful and potential legislative amendments,” according to Dr. Singh. It is these same incomplete draft amendments that the CPC failed to complete by February 28 last, which led to the Bill being stuck in the Select Committee. According to Dr. Singh, the proposed amendments, at the very least, are the subject of considerable controversy. “There are fundamentally strong reasons why the government has reservations about these amendments.” He said that the Government’s position on APNU’s amendments is supported by virtually every national stakeholder across the country. Dr. Singh qualified his statement by pointing to several national consultations and even town hall meetings, “and the cry has been a unanimous one that the amendments proposed by the opposition, including such matters of the seizure of currency, will pose problems.” He said that even if agreement could be found on reformulated amendments, “that will take time and it will require compromise and significant departure from what was originally proposed by the opposition….The proposals made by the opposition are fundamentally problematic, require careful study, require consultation; clearly require, at the minimum, reformulation to make them workable.” Asked to expand on what specifically is posing problems for the CPC in drafting the Bill, given that it appears that the problem was more political than technical, Dr. Singh reminded that when the recommendation was first Continued on page 13
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
AML Bill being “held hostage” in select committee – Gail Teixeira The government and the political opposition remain gridlocked over the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill, with neither prepared to budge from their respective position. The Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) have made a joint list of demands, but the government has deemed their proposals to be unreasonable and unconstitutional and as such insists –”No Deal.” During a press conference held yesterday at the National Communications Network (NCN) studios on Homestretch Avenue, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee, Gail Teixeira said that since the sitting on February 26, there has been no indication that the opposition will climb from their maximum list of demands. Meanwhile, the Bill she articulated “remains hostage in the Select Committee.” “APNU had rejected President Donald Ramotar’s offer to allow the Bill to go forward and he would have
agreed to examine the nonassented Bills and a public announcement of that would have been made by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds. To that effect, the meeting on February 26 did not amount to anything.” Also part of the panel were Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, and Junior Minister of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill. Dr. Singh then elaborated on the comments made by his counterpart by recapping what he termed “cardinal truths” that arose from ongoing discussions on the Bill. During his presentation to members of the media, Dr. Singh said that the legislative draftsmen are still struggling to put APNU’s amendments together. He added that the Bill as it is at this point is compliant with the recommendations made by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), and stressed that “there is no good reason why one should not move forward with the Bill”.
Opposition wants to... From page 12 given to the drafting team, they returned to the Committee seeking further clarification as to what was intended. He said there was a significant lack of clarity in what was submitted by the opposition. “In addition to that, the thrust of what was proposed by the opposition was itself o b v i o u s l y problematic….There were technical issues related to the clarity of what it was that the opposition was asking for, and there were also obvious fundamental problems with the central thrust of their proposal.” MECHANICAL SCRIBE Nandlall pointed out that drafting is a science that would require a study of the ripple effects of any changes made to the Principal Act. “The CPC is not a mechanical scribe as some people believe. This is a person who is a legally trained officer…When you give him something to draft he has to put his training into effect.” In doing so, Nandlall says that the CPC would have to take into consideration the recommendations and guidelines from CFATF. He asserted that given the training and experience of the CPC, he would know that by outlawing cash, it
would mean an implied repeal of sister legislation which authorizes a person to posses cash in an undefined quantity. The Minister of Legal Affairs said that the CPC would, in drafting the amendments, seek to ensure that it is consistent with other laws of the land and in particular the Constitution of Guyana, which says that persons must not be unlawfully deprived of their property by agencies of the state without compensation. He said that APNU is proposing to delete certain parts of the Principal Act and simply insert its proposed amendment. “You have to now look at that insertion to see the ripple effect it will have within the four corners of that very legislation.” Drafting of law, according to Nandlall, is an extremely complicated exercise, “the CPC is not a note taker for anyone, he doesn’t reduce what you say orally into writing and hand it back to you, it is a science.” The Select Committee tasked with addressing the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill is scheduled to meet today, where it is expected to be presented with an update from the CPC as to the progress he has made thus far.
As it relates to the amendments being put forward by APNU, the Finance Minister stressed that after asking for them for a year, they were finally tabled on the night of February 9, “…and in a disjointed manner at that”. The Finance Minister reminded members in attendance that on that very night the committee was forced to adjourn so that the amendments could be consolidated into a single, workable manner. “I think the legislative draftsmen are still struggling to translate it into something meaningful. The amendments are the subject of controversy and we have strong reasons why we have reservations about them.” He then mentioned that the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF)’s Financial Advisor, Roger Hernandez, had even stated that APNU’s amendments can render certain areas of the Bill which were already complaint, non-compliant. Dr. Singh said that even if one were to agree to the reformation at this point with APNU’s amendments, it will take time and require compromise and significant departure from what was intentionally set out by the political opposition coalition. He stressed that the
amendments require much study, consultation and reformation to make it workable. “Were they to pass the Bill they can come back, next week and even the week after that and pass it. They have the majority and they can take it to the House. They don’t need the support of government anyhow.” The Member of Parliament informed that he has been receiving accounts every day of instances where business transactions are rendered more complicated, as the Bill remains in a “hostage situation.” He said that he had received information yesterday that one person was told that their account would be closed if he continues to do transactions with Guyana. He explained too, that there was also another instance where an overseas bank did not want to transfer money to Guyana, although it was a new account. It demanded additional information. Supporting his points was the Junior Finance Minister. Edghill said that the current situation will also prevent the country from accessing developmental funds and so Guyana’s economy would be on its knees if the opposition were to continue down this path.
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Wednesday March 05, 2014
NOC cops first place in Region 2 Mash and Float Parade Students and staff at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) in Onderneeming, Region 2 planned and executed several activities with the aim of celebrating Guyana’s 44th Republic Anniversary.
The two weeks of planned activities were held under the theme “Cultural Folklore: Celebrating 44” and the administrators of the NOC came up with another theme – “Celebrating our Culture, Our People, Our Pride.”
The highlight of the celebrations was the students’ participation in the Region 2 Mashramani parade where the NOC contingent copped first place. In 2013 and 2012, the institution placed second and
third respectively. Some of the other activities pulled off by the NOC were a series of interhouse sports events including a road race, cricket, boxing, circle tennis, domino and netball. The students
also competed in a football match against a team from Supenaam. The NOC’s steelband also took to the streets where they entertained the residents with their musical skills. Over the last weekend,
revelers from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport also participated in Mash parades in Regions 6 and 10 where hundreds of Guyanese turned out to view the floats, mingle and interact with relatives and friends.
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Engineers “will soon be held accountable” for substandard work By Kiana Wilburg The government will not be made to face the blame on its own, as it relates to the inferior work produced by some contracted engineers, since moves are being made to have the reformed Guyana Engineering Act of 1999 before Parliament as soon as possible. It will be used as a tool to keep defaulting engineers in check while serving as a guideline to stipulate who can legally practice the profession. The call for the legislation came on the heels of complaints of malpractice in the engineering profession. Opposition members insist that it is high time that engineers be held accountable as well when multi-million-dollar constructions turn into the proverbial “white elephant.” Head of the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers, (GAPE), Mr. Joel Trotman had recently stressed that there is an urgent need for the passage of the legislation so that engineers in Guyana can have a set of regulations to which they must obey. With Engineers operating in Guyana without proper legislation to govern their
practice, Trotman asserts that it will only lead to more complex problems. While Trotman claims government has “fallen through on its promises” to get the Engineering Act passed, the GAPE President still made another appeal to the administration and even members of the political opposition recently to recognize the importance of the legislation and see that it be passed. But this time around, Trotman’s prayers for the expedience on the part of the reformed 1999 Act being passed may finally be on its way to materializing, as A Partnership for National Unity’s Shadow Minister of Public Works and Telecommunications, Joseph Harmon vows that he will be looking into the matter and once all is cleared, have it brought to the Parliament. Harmon in an invited comment expressed that the piece of legislation is of paramount importance, especially when one takes into account the amount of engineers and investors that are coming into the country. “With this phenomenon taking place it becomes even more important to have the legislation in place. This will
Shadow Minister of Public Works, Joseph Harmon most certainly allow for there to be a code of ethics which will regulate the manner in which our engineers operate and even the ones coming to work in our country. “ The Member of Parliament lamented that he has publicly spoken on the fact that “some engineers” appear to be doing jobs in Guyana of which they are not that knowledgeable. “I have even called for there to be a national engineer’s discourse during my speech in 2012 when the budget was being debated. The dialogue was geared
GAPE President, Joel Trotman
towards getting the engineers on board and having them talk about issues affecting the improvement of the profession in Guyana. We need to have this sort of discourse.” The politician added, “I will most certainly lend my support to this legislation and I will get some queries done. There is no question that we need proper legislation. We must have a statute which articulates what can and cannot be done by our engineers.” In further reinforcement of his points, He informed that
he received several complaints in relation to the Morruca Bridge in Region one –Barima Waini. “The contractor complained that junior engineers sign off on drawings that they didn’t understand…It’s not only now we hear these complaints but we have heard it about other projects and we need the legislation so that these professionals can know that they have regulations to adhere to. Rest assured I will look into why this legislation has been languishing wherever it is.” Moreover, Trotman had
said that the legislation is necessary as, in its absence, public welfare and property are constantly put at a total disadvantage. Trotman said that GAPE has been piloting the call for the reformed Act to be looked at for some time now. He had also stated that with the harmonization of professionals across the Caribbean states through the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), it becomes necessary for Guyana to exercise “reciprocity of laws.” “If we have our professional engineers going to Trinidad or Barbados then they will have to fit the standards set out by the statute in those territories. And Guyana must appreciate that in such a situation, reciprocity of standards must exist. I say all of this to simply explain that Guyana will be exchanging with the region, a number of our professionals and when these people come to our country, we need to have a proper legislation that sets out a standard for them to use as their torchlight during their practice. Without an Act, we will only leave the profession exposed to intolerable levels of malpractice and misconduct, and that already exists.”
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Grove residents to petition for new bridge Irate residents of Block ‘Y’ Section ‘C’ Grove New Scheme, East Bank Demerara will now be formally applying to the Ministry of Public Works for the permission to rebuild a bridge, which was demolished by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) last Sunday. It was commotion in the community when the wooden structure was being
demolished, as residents who were determined to have the structure remain, clashed with NDC officers who were just as resolute in completing the task given to them. The verbal battle became physical, and the involving parties all ended up being transported to the Diamond Police Station where the matter was dealt with. Meanwhile, residents are annoyed at the way the NDC
dealt with the matter, noting that the structure was built as a safety mechanism for villagers. “We know that we built the thing on government reserve, but it been there for 12 years, and nobody ever had a problem with it. We are working people, we don’t have the time to go through the drawn out process of getting the permission to build the bridge,” one female
The demolished makeshift bridge
resident who asked not to be named, said. She added however, that while it is illegal for persons to build on governmentowned land, it would have been a lot easier, had the residents been warned about it. “They never come and give we no notice or nothing, they just decide that they gon come and break up everything. That wasn’t the way to go about doing it. We would have gotten the permission if they had asked us to, but they didn’t give us the chance,” the woman said. She added that “We didn’t spend our money to build the bridge because we have nuff money and have nothing better to do with it! We built it because it guaranteed that we, the people of Block ‘Y’ Grove, were safer.” Another resident, Bibi Alli, told Kaieteur News that about 12 years ago, community members formed a group and decided to build a wooden bridge linking their dam and the main road.
She explained that this is because the distance between the two government-funded bridges is not only lengthy, but the initial structure being utilized by residents of her area is located in a dark and lonely area where p e r s o n s a r e usually attacked and robbed. A l l i s a i d t h a t after several such instances, a number of residents pooled their money together and erected a structure between the two bridges. “It had light, and it was safer for people cross without being robbed and so. It been there fuh so many years, and nobody had a problem with it,” Ali said. She said that while last Sunday’s clash with the NDC officials should not have happened, the residents knew the importance of the bridge, and were not prepared to let the men destroy the structure. “Another problem we had was the fact that these men just showed up to break our bridge, but they could not produce any paperwork. We
keep asking them fuh show we some documents, but they didn’t, and even we, residents, did determined not to let the men bulldoze our bridge. “Suh dey started to become very angry and everybody just get into this really heated argument and that led to a fight, and people start getting hit and a whole commotion. One of the men even ripped open my blouse…so it was a whole nasty situation,” Alli explained. Nonetheless, because they no longer have a choice, the residents of Block ‘Y’ Section ‘C’ Grove New Scheme will be petitioning the aforementioned Ministry for a new bridge. “We will go through the process, but if they don’t give us the permission to build back the bridge, then that’s a different story. We will even protest, because we know what poor and hardworking people does face at the hands of bandits when dey crossing the bridge that the government mek,” one resident reflected.
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
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UG students protest changes to Education Degree programme Several third-year students of the Faculty of Education on Monday evening staged protest action at the University of Guyana (UG)’s Turkeyen Campus in response to a drastic move by the tertiary institution to modify the Bachelors in Education (B.Ed) programme. The protesting students, who amounted to a few dozen, gathered outside the Faculty to highlight their concerns, some of which were detailed on placards which they displayed. The students disclosed that when they first started the programme they were aware that one of the requirements to qualify for the Degree Programme was to undertake the Certificate in Education programme which they all completed two years ago. By the third year of their studies they had applied for the Degree Programme, but were later told that they needed to re-apply, since there were some modifications to the programme. In fact, they disclosed that they were told that the change to the programme was designed to facilitate a new education programme that is now in place. More than 100 third-year students are currently affected by the modification to the programme. And according to those protesting, they all first learnt of changes during the latter part of last year, after they would have already started the Degree Programme. And since it was necessary that they re-apply to continue the programme, the students complied, but were not prepared for a hike in the fees and the fact that the programme would be extended to even include compulsory summer courses. “We went through the normal channel but nobody consulted us and told us about all these changes...The fee we found was raised from $127,000 to $172,750; and this is for the additional courses in the summer, and what we learnt too is that the fee for the summer has to be paid separately,” one protesting student disclosed. The students claimed that they were informed by the Head of Department that they must attend the University for two semesters and a summer, for each of the remaining two years, so as to accommodate the Associate Degree in Education (ADE) students from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE).
Some of the students protesting last Monday evening “This is indeed an unfair action taken, especially against the continuing students, since we have completed three years of CPCE and have to complete four years of University to obtain a degree, whereby for the ADE programme they would have completed two years of CPCE and will also complete two years of University to obtain same.” But even in light of this revelation, the affected students said that they are desirous of forging ahead with the programme they had already started. However, those who were not financially equipped, on seeking a loan through the Ministry of Finance, found that they were yet only entitled to the standard $127,000. They are therefore required to find the additional sum which, according to them, has to be paid by this month-end. While some of the students were able to pay
their fees in full, there are others who are unable to do so. Moreover, they had decided to seek an audience with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Jacob Opadeyi. A letter was sent to the Vice Chancellor via email on October 13, 2013, to which a response was forthcoming the following day, with the VC stating that he would be investigating the situation before furnishing the affected students with a feedback. However, the investigation from all indications was not as speedy as the students had anticipated, as according to them, Monday evening the new year started without them getting any feedback. They were therefore forced to take their concerns to President of the University’s Student Society, Richard Rambarran, who also requested an audience with the VC. Rambarran, who stood in solidarity with the protesting students, confided that he was only made aware
“Ladies, there’s nothing like... (From page 3) it will be difficult for me to survive.” The victim said that she was conscious throughout the ordeal. She explained that after her husband inflicted about 15 stab wounds on her, he reportedly stopped and said, “Oh my, watch wah I do, is best I finish you.” “When he finish he run away and neighbours started to run out and they rushed me to the hospital,” the injured woman related. She is currently in a stable condition.
of the full extent of the situation on Monday. “When I looked at this issue I recognised that the degree of urgency attached to it is very high and we needed to look at it immediately.” Moreover, Rambarran said that he asked for four
representatives from among the affected students to accompany him to meet the VC. It was during a two-hourlong meeting Monday that the students were able to detail their concerns to the VC. The VC was enlightened, not only to the fact that the
modification to the programme could see a number of students repeating programmes, but that a number of students were now in a financial crisis because of the development. The VC, this publication understands, has called for a detailed list of those who are likely to repeat courses during the summer and also a proposal as it relates to the fees. However, one student informed that “the VC has said that he is not going to change the fees, but what he can do is to just extend the date for it to be paid.” Another suggestion that was derived at the meeting, according to Rambarran, was for the VC to write to the Ministry of Education requesting intervention on behalf of the students currently unable to pay the fee to have an increase in the loan from the Finance Ministry. Rambarran, with the support of the affected students, is expected to present the VC with a proposal by today.
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Kaieteur News
REPEAT OFFENDER JAILED FOR STEALING PIG A labourer of Princes Street, Lodge was yesterday sentenced to one year imprisonment by a city Magistrate after he confessed to stealing his neighbour’s pig. Calvin Francis at first insisted that earlier last month he was heading home when he noticed the pig lying on the street, picked it up, and took it to the market to sell. On the other hand, State Prosecutor, Cadet Officer Colin Primus insisted that on February 10, Francis stole his neighbour Jean Bacchus’s pig valued at $65,000 from her yard. Primus explained that about 13:30 hours that day, Bacchus had the pig in her pen but around 16:20 hours, she noticed the animal was
CONVICTED: Calvin Francis missing. She was subsequently informed by persons that the accused was seen with the pig in the yard. Bacchus reported the matter to the police leading to the man’s arrest. Francis was
subsequently charged and brought before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry on February 5. Based on the explanations he had given the Chief Magistrate, a plea of not guilty was entered. He was on that occasion remanded to prison and the matter was subsequently transferred to Magistrate Chandan-Edmond for trial. During the course of the trial, the court heard that the accused was previously convicted on a simple larceny charge where he served 18 months in prison for stealing a car light. Yesterday, when he appeared before Magistrate Chandan-Edmond he changed his plea to guilty and was subsequently jailed.
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Bus conductor in court for drug store owner’s murder Almost three years after a renowned city drug store owner was found dead at his home, the newly-acquired Automated Fingerprinting Identification System (AFIS) has landed a minibus conductor before the courts to be arraigned for his murder. Orin Kevin Roberts of Lot 3 ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown was yesterday morning brought before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to be indicted for the capital offence. According to the police, 84-year-old Harold Rachpaul was murdered by Roberts in Georgetown between August 18 and 19 in 2011 during the
MURDERED: Harold Rachpaul course of a robbery. The charge was indictable and he was not required to plead. Roberts is being represented by Attorney
Adrian Thompson and prosecuted by Inspector Michael Grant. Inspector Grant did not reveal the Prosecution’s case against the accused, however, he informed the court that though the investigations are not yet complete, it was through the use of the new fingerprinting technology that investigating ranks were able to pinpoint Roberts as the man who committed the murder. Roberts’s court hearing concluded in about three minutes when the Chief Magistrate informed him that he was remanded to prison and is expected to be in court on March 24 for report.
GWI supervisor on bail for alleged sex with minor A supervisor attached to Guyana Wa t e r Incorporated in Region Nine was on Monday brought before the courts to be indicted for allegedly having sex with a 15-yearold schoolgirl.
At the Lethem Magistrate’s Court, Christopher Gonsalves, 26, was charged for rape of a child before Magistrate Allan Wilson. He pleaded not guilty and was subsequently granted
bail in the sum of $200,000. Reports from that area indicate that the girl with whom he allegedly had sex is currently pregnant. The accused has since posted bail and is expected to return to court on June 2.
Rodney CoI to determine whether... (From page 19) extended. President Ramotar said that the Rodney family has been petitioning him to bring closure to the incident by ordering an independent inquiry. The Commission will be sitting in two-week intervals until the inquiry is completed, with the sessions open to the public. The official did not rule out permission for live coverage, with the necessary details being worked out. An inquiry ordered by former President Desmond Hoyte in 1988 which found Rodney’s death caused by “accident or misadventure” was met with disbelief in some quarters. Dr. Rodney was killed on June 13, 1980, when a bomb
exploded in a car in which he was an occupant. He was 38 years old at the time. His brother, Donald Rodney, who suffered injuries during the explosion, alleged that a former GDF electronics expert, Sergeant Gregory Smith, had given the politician the bomb that killed him. It was alleged that Smith planted the bomb in a walkietalkie that blew up on Rodney’s pelvic region while he was on John Street, Werken-Rust, between Hadfield and Bent Streets, less than 100 metres from the Camp Street Prison. Smith died of cancer 11 years ago in French Guiana where he had gone to live, after he had fled Guyana. The army had distanced itself from Smith saying he was never a
serving member. There have been claims that Rodney’s assassination was set up by the government of Forbes Burnham, whom Rodney was opposed to. This was because his assassination came at the height of a planned civil rebellion against the Burnham-led administration. But Burnham’s party, the PNC, has firmly denied playing any part in the bomb blast killing. There have been widespread accusations and finger pointing over the years. Rodney had founded the Working People’s Alliance after his return from overseas in 1974. In 1979, he was arrested and charged with arson after two government offices were burned.
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 27
Less than four years later…
Multi-million dollar Leguan koker remains faulty Despite being built less than four years ago, at a whopping cost of $94M, the koker located at Waterloo village, Leguan continues to operate in a faulty manner. This is a major inconvenience to dozens of families, especially those depending on farming as a means of livelihood. In order to repair the defective part of the structure, the Government of Guyana, and by extension the taxpaying citizens of the country, will have to invest another large sum of money. This is likely to amount to millions. When contacted yesterday, Alliance For Change (AFC) Councillor of Region Three, Dr. Kamal-Roy Narine confirmed the cost at which the koker was built, noting that the structure was poorly designed and constructed. “It is ridiculous that after spending so much money, we still can’t benefit from the koker. Now, the Administration has to spend millions more to fix it,” Narine, who is also a resident of Leguan stressed. He is of the opinion that the Region’s politics is what has been causing problems for the islanders. “The thing is the politics and the political people. Because of this, nobody goes to check the work that is ongoing at the various project sites… so anything goes on,” Narine added. He explained that currently, the koker is still not functioning as it should, and that this has been the reason for rice farmers incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
Kaieteur News was told that although the koker door would be shut, water continues to pour in on the island, causing the farmlands to flood. “They didn’t build it good, so that is what is happening there all the water comes in on the island and flood out the rice farms. When spring tides come, some villages are flooded and crops are lost. Is this why taxpayers’ money were spent, for them to be at an inconvenience? This isn’t right,” Narine said. He told this newspaper that while the structure at Waterloo village will receive much attention because of its significant cost, almost every other koker on the island has been working poorly. Kaieteur News spoke with one islander named “Ricky,” who explained that usually, whenever the tides are high and the island is flooded, many would resort to holding the koker attendant culpable. “But is nah he fault. How it gon be the attendant fault when the koker itself nah wuk. But some ah the people here does be determined and want blame the poor boy,” “Ricky” said yesterday. Meanwhile, another AFC Councillor, Harry Narine Deokinanan told Kaieteur News that he finds the situation of the nonfunctional koker especially annoying, because authorities were not too keen in overseeing the construction of the structure, which has cost the people of Guyana millions of dollars. Deokinanan posited that he finds the Regional Democratic Council to be an
incompetent administration, because more often than not, residents would complain that works being spearheaded by the council are shoddy. In the case of the Koker, Deokinanan believes that the engineers responsible for the project should be disciplined for not only wasting taxpayers’ dollars, but for not executing their tasks efficiently. “Something like that can’t be regarded as a mistake. If they had done their work properly, the koker would have been operating properly. It’s not like this is the first time that the residents are complaining about shabby work that they’re doing in the Region, so I think something should be done,” Deokinanan emphasized. He also believes that the substandard works and the uncaring attitude showed to the people of Region Three, by the governing body must cease. “They have to stop it. That must be why the people are migrating and so, and we have to stop that,” Deokinanan said, adding that monies spent by the RDC must benefit the people on the region, especially since “it is their money.” On behalf of the islanders, Deokinanan is calling on the relevant Ministers of Government to look into the plight of the people, especially the suffering farmers. Councillor Deokinanan explained that in addition to the koker, the residents of Leguan are facing a number of other problems that is not being dealt with by the regional authorities.
Opposition responsible for... From page 12 collaborate to place the country and its people in jeopardy?” Edghill stressed that both APNU and the AFC have “deliberately” not taken into consideration the harsh consequences the nonpassage of this Bill would bring to bear on the “people of this nation. “The effects of the nonpassage of this Bill are not confined to only members of the PPP, and the action of the Opposition is further indicative of their wanton disregard for the welfare of our people.” He related that the government has taken a reasonable position on the matter but the opposition’s “intransigence” has led to Guyana missing the February 28 deadline. He said that the combined opposition continues to “foster a
political agenda which is counterproductive to the development of Guyana.” Speaking on the way forward, Edghill said that there is a sitting of the Special Select Committee today, and the members of that committee will continue to work and engage even though the deadline was missed, “to see if we can continue to persuade our colleagues in that Select Committee to get a compliant Bill to CFATF,” Meanwhile APNU
Executive Member Joseph Harmon in a press conference held yesterday said that the position taken by Edghill is one that has been “consistently wrong”. He said that the recommendations that have been made by APNU are now being dealt with by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel in the Select Committee whom Harmon opined is inexplicably “dragging his feet” with respect to getting back APNU’s amendments to the Committee.
The multimillion dollar Koker located at Waterloo Village, Leguan
Page 28
Kaieteur News
FOR SALE
FOR SALE
PROPERTY FOR SALE
LARGE QUANTITIES O F H IGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICKSILVER) 99.99995% PURITY $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.
Greenheart Piles - Tel: 6393450
2 Story Concrete building 45X30 with 4 rooms upstairs, 3 rooms downstairs – Tel:679-6377; 667-0064
Games PS2 $900, PSP $900, X-Box 360 $2600 & PS3 $2600- Call: 672-2566 Spare for washing machine, microwaves,fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943
Dell Computers with 20" LCDs - $65,000, Laptops $49,000 – Futuretech – 2312206 4 Cylinder Perkins 4108, just from the UK – complete with radiator. Contact Stpehen:666-3080; 639-4633
One three storey business property @ Middle street, Georgetown, 2 business Property on Whim Public Road Berbice - Tel: 619-7134; 225-6481
One hardly used cradle $20,000 with accessories & one brand new play pen $33,000 - Call: 670-2343
Painted 2 storey concrete building 53x26, transported property at 69 Jackson street, Daniels Town, Essequibo Coast- Call: 644-8610
Digital Canon camera 8.0 MP A720 power shot, asking $21,500 – Tel:663-2079; 2256046; 226-0011
Paradise - $3.2M, Sophia $3.2M – Tel:231-2199; 6187483
Aluminum engine soap – Tel: 671-7482
Satya Cinema Good Faith Mahaicony – Call:641-8472
1-2640 MF Tractor 4wd with 1 – Rome Plough 20 dish, 1CAT Satndby 3306,194KVA 3 Phase 60 Cylinder - Tel: 693-4596
Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Extra Cab 2002, Nissan Frontier 4X4 Extra Cab 2002, DJ System - Tel:695-9807
2 Income properties at bargain p r i c e - $ 4 0 M negotiable - Tel: 686-4899; 684-3718
Quebra Pedra kidney stone tablets - Tel: 671-7482
Property for sale - Call:6275416
Dachshund Tel:669-8421
1 Brand-new Brazilian beef saw – Tel:671-7482
House For sale @ Peters Hall EBD - Price-$5M - Call: 654-3389
Live/pluck chicken call: 6504421, 220-9203 1- 500 Ton Cargo ship - Tel: 676-6933 Large Plucked Chickens $280lb retail, Pork $380lb retail @ George & Hadfield Streets.
Puppies-
New Tacoma / Tundra lights & parts, Pathfinder A/C Compressor Audi A4&A6 Visor/ mud flap – Tel:6806374. 2 – M132 Laverda Combine, 3- Pressure Pump 4x3 for gold field, 3 - 50 H/P 3 Phase Motor call: 627-0447 4-1995 Mack Cement mixers, 4 1998 Mack Cement mixers Tel: 661-6161. PVC Ceiling Panels, PVC Mouldings, Medallions. American Standard! – Tel: 614-8564; 629-0372 1 – 2007 Toyota 4X4 Tacoma – Call: 617-6383 for more information. 1 farm @ Yarrowkabra - 20.1 Acres - Call: 265-3586 Pure Rottweiler pups - Tel: 650-8496 Original Games- Call:6722566 1 smoothie machine,2 ice machine- Contact:2310655,683-8734 Food cart with storage compartments, deep fryers & gas bottles - Tel: 673-5882 Fluffy Pups – Contact: 2225671; 641-6162 Kinston Memory card and flash drive – Tel:675-2239; BBM 25C58FEO Komatsu / PC200 or Doosan /225 bottom rollers - Tel: 6195357; 650-0716 3 Wheel Motor bike, large beverage cooler, Toyota 4 runner – Tel:227-1028 Owner Migrating! 1-R6 Yamaha Motorcycle – Call:674-2263
Imported Rottweiler female with full pedigree Call: 685-2584 Now Arrived @ Fabric World 140 Regent & Light St Bourda. New & Used Story fixture e.g Four arms (Clothes Rack) Rottweiler pups for sale Contact: 639-1431 or 665-9140 2 red nose pure breed pit-bull dogs – 1-yr-old - Tel: 660-3118
3 Storey wooden concrete building situated @ Broad & Charles Sts, Charlestown – Tel:677-3406 One house lot & one 3 bedrooms house in La Parafaite Harmonie & 1 three bedroom house in Bella Dam – Contact:622-1782; 658-5803 Sophia - $3.2M, Queenstown - $25M, La Grange – Tel:2312199, 618-7483
1 – 36ft Flat bottom boat - Tel: 604-0038 Car Alternators / Starters & Amplifiers – Tel:227-8519 Compressor, Generators winch, Fridge & many more Tel: 227-8519 No Blackouts, Affordable1 inverter +2 deep cycle batteries 6 to 8 hours electricity 1 one year Tel:226 2646/ 691 9595 Mixed pit-bull – Tel:618-5220 1– 484 Ducati Pearl White Mint Condition - Call: 6484959 Almost new gas 6500 Watts, Honda generator on wheels $430,000, the other 1 is a 4300 watts Honda – Call:407-5993775 1 Complete 4 Cylinder Kubota engine bedded - $450,000 negotiable, 1- 4 Cylinder Perkins - $300,000 – Call:6664000 or 666-9455
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call: 225-9032, 647-2943 COOL TECH: Repairs Services & Installation of all types of home appliances: Air Condition & Refrigeration units - Tel: 2332008; 675-4959 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call:225-6496,662-6045, 223-8115 Design Team Neher, The most dependable, professional, trustworthy landscapers in Guyana - Tel: 648-1821 or 2190468 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, w a s h e r, dryer call:231-0655,683-8734 Omar Technicians available for appliance repairs – washers, dryers, microwaves, stoves, deep fryers, etc – Tel:6190793; 218-0050 Masons seeking job work – Tel:678-9043 HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING FOR ONLY $10,000CALL: 694-9843 /227-2766 Part time Accounting: Income Tax, Vat, Compliances for sale of property/vehicles. Reasonable Fees Tel: 6283652; 227-4893
2 Fishing Boat 5" Seine 36ft 48HP Yamaha, 33ft 40HP Yamaha – Phone:626-1856 Household items: Stoves, chairs & tables, furniture, kitchen utensils, bed, large beverage cooler & more - Tel: 227-1028
Wednesday March 05, 2014
FOR SALE 2002 CAT 3512 Gen, Set -1135 KW, used 9.000 Hrs Tel:661-6161
Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. We Refill HP cartridges for $1800 call: 650-7699
VEHICLE FOR SALE One Foden 20 ton double axel dump truck – Telephone:648-6871
VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota Verossa Excellent condition – PLL Series $2.6M - Contact: 666-8492
Unregistered Toyota Premio $2.450, Toyota Spacio - $2.250 Tel: 616-3001; 628-4284
Mitsubishi Lancer PHH Series fully loaded. Driven by Lady. Owner leaving country. Price negotiable. Telephone:622-4570 or 2206368
Smart Choice Auto: Unregistered: Premio, Runx, IST, Spacio, Fielder - Call: 652-3820; 665-4529 Toyota Tundra 4X4 $2.650M - Tel:233-6337 or 662-6024 Toyota Fun Cargo, RZ minibus, IST, 4X4 Hilux pickup Tel: 644-5096; 697-1453 2 Ton Canter with power gate, unregistered - Tel:6172891 2004 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 2700 CC – 4 Cylinder @ 31 Grove Housing Scheme EBD Call: 665-8933; 416-836-1466 110 Corolla new model, crystal Lights, CD, AC, good condition - $850,000 – Tel:6181047 Chevy Cargo Van, Ford 150 & Toyota Tundra - Tel: 227-8519 1 Nissan laurel Car - $350,000, 1 American made Saturn Jeep L-hand drive, stick gear – $2.5M – Call:677-3406 One New Model LF/DAF dumping truck in very good working condition price negotiable – Tel:681-5988; 675-5448 1 – F150, 1 – New Model 212 – Call:621-8129 1 NZE for sale with alarm, reverse camera, TV/DVD & Rims, very good condition – Price: $1.5M – Tel:266-1723
Toyota Allion, excellent condition, mag rims & CD Deck. Price: $2M negotiable – Tel:682-3600
To Experienced a healthy and relaxing massage, improves circulation and emancipation of waste – Call:666-9274 The Gents Spa: Deep tissue, Swedish massages, sport massage, aromatherapy, body scrubs Call:657-5979
1 Mitsubishi Galant Car; 1 Toyota Corolla AE100 Car, 1 Honda CBR motorcycle – Call: 227-7544; 612-2542; 614-6011 Toyota Premio- Dark interior with TV, mags, spacio. Tel: 697-0294 One Verossa, with chrome rims PMM 5454, excellent condition – Call:682-3396; 665-7206; 687-3866 1 Leyland DAF 4x4 Bush Truck. 1 Toyota Hilux 4x4 bush ready – Contact Kim: 658-5193 2008 Fielder & Axio, fully loaded with bodykit, rims, TV/DVD unregistered - Tel: 617-2891 First Class Auto: Avensis, Allion, IST, 212, Premio, Spacio, Raum, Passo, Fielder, Verossa -Call:6098188; 602-6307 Unregistered Toyota Sienta (2004), Raum - 2004 & Spacio -2003 – Tel:617-5536 One Toyota Super Custom – 1K2 BLL – Telephone #6091138 1 Toyota Rav4 old model , good condition (Selling cheap) – Tel:687-1392 One Mazda Axela, PPP series. Excellent Condition Price:$2.1M negotiable - Call: 623-3726
CAR RENTAL
MASSAGE American Style massage services- Call: 678-7499
Toyota Raum, Spacio, AT212, AT192, AT170, NZE and L- Touring wagon, Nissan E24 Caravan – Tel:644-5096; 697-1453
Dolly’s Car Rental- Call: 2257126/226-3693- dollysauto rental@yahoo.com/ www. dolly sautorental.com Aidan’s Car Rental & Pickup Call: 645-7981/ 698-7807 Untouchable Car Rental: Low Rate , Low Deposit call:231-8653,621-6827 Premio, vitz call:6797139,639-4452 Wings Car Rental - Call: 643-1131
LEARN TO DRIVE Shalom Driving School @ 2 Croal street. Fee $16,000Call:227-3869 Soman & Sons Driving School , First Federation Building Call 689-5997, 6445166,622-2872,615-0964 Ultravoilet Driving School – Contact:231-2372;6022583;658-4015 FOR HIRE Bush Truck for hire - Tel: 6603400
Tundra GPP, fully powered, AC, 4 wheel drive – Price: $1.6M – Call:654-3389 One Primo – Unregistered, Price: $2.550M – Contact: 225-5082 Toyota Marino AC, mags, CD, recently sprayed over $750,000 – Tel: 618-1047 1 -212 - $1.3M negotiable, 1 grand Cherokee - $1.5M, Two 250 night hawk & one 750 night hawk – Call:2653024; 265-4454; 663-8639 (Continued on page 29)
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 29
Letters... Where your views make the news
GPL will make the most pious of us blaspheme DEAR EDITOR, Toward the end of October of 2013 electricity service to my home was fittingly disconnected by GPL for non-payment of charges. On November 01, 2013 I paid the current charges, all arrears and the required reconnection fee. Service was not reconnected until November 15, 2013, and that, after at least two reports to the PUC and the filing of a claim to be rewarded as the law provides. To date, my account has not been credited with the five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) which officials of the PUC indicated I was due to benefit from. One very candid TV personality did intimate some years ago, “GPL will make the most pious of us blaspheme”. Gavin A. Houston
My son is the victim of police harassment DEAR EDITOR, I write to publicize the constant and unrelenting harassment, victimization and abuse perpetrated on my son, Marlon Dolphin, by the Guyana Police Force. The police, and the media, have been portraying Marlon as a serial criminal when, in fact, he is a serial victim of police harassment and malicious prosecution. Within the last 9 months, Marlon has been thrice charged, and remanded to prison, for the following offences — armed robbery (2 counts), larceny by clerk or servant and simple larceny. His first charge, of armed robbery, was made pursuant to allegations by a coworker and policeman friend after his work environment had become exceedingly hostile; he was tried in court and succeeded in having those charges dismissed. A few days into a new job
he visits the police to report a robbery and is promptly charged for being responsible for the crime. That trial has not even begun when he visits the police to report an assault on himself earlier this month and is promptly charged for larceny when his assailant made a counter-allegation and so he is remanded to prison for a third time. On the previous occasions I felt compelled to write to the Commissioner of Police and Director of Public Prosecutions to complain of police harassment and malicious prosecution. On this occasion I have written them both to, again, demand an end to police harassment and an investigation into these allegations, including my allegation of torture. A copy of my letter to the DPP in this regard is attached for your information. Oscar Dolphin
VACANCY
LAND FOR SALE
Graphic Artist – Must be able to work in Corel Draw or Adobe CS5 – PO BOX 10501
2- Acres cultivated, 2-1 Acres cultivated, 7 Acres cultivated, citrus, house, fish pond, storage at ParikaCall:226-7968
Two Joiners to work in Workshop - Tel:610-7005; 219-1342 Accounts Clerk / Marketing – 5 CXC subjects, knowledge of QuickBooks, valid driver license – Call:592-681-3619 Live in housekeeper to care for one infant –30-45 years – Call:697-8797 Vacancy exist for 2 pharmacy assistant in a reputable pharmacy located in Kitty. Interested persons please call: 641-3240/609-9829 for more information. Salesgirls to work evening shift and bond attendants/ porters @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff Street.
House lots for sale on the West Bank of Demerara Harbour Bridge in Harbourville Schoonord- Contact:650-0402 Herstelling Residential $4M Negotiable – Tel:6543389 Land (100X50) @ Paradise, East Coast Demerara, Last Street - Tel:619-5357; 650-0716 High Income land for sale @ Diamond - $5.5M Negotiable – Tel: 683-9699. Parafaite Harmonie with foundations (20ftX30ft) $1.5M – Tel:675-7292 Romrima Trust for sale @ W.B.D – Tel:652-3707
Real Estate Clerk - $45,000 (Starting) – Text:618-7483 Needed: Operator Securities. Apply in person to B.M Enterprise Inc, Guyana Fisheries Wharf Limited Houston, E.B.D. Factory Assistants and Security Guards for Land of Canaan location. 266 4427
DRESS-MAKING Courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral, cake decoration - Tel:670-2653; 618-1706 We Design and sew ladies wear within 3 days - Call Sharmela : 626-2629; 676-6312.
TO LET One complete house with 2 bedrooms - Contact:265-4867 Furnished Apartments for Overseas Visitors – Contact: 668-5198 Fully furnished short term apartments, Eccles call:6193660,639-4452 Fully Furnished apartments in Ogle USD$650 - $1,400 Call: 622-7236 2 Bedrooms self contained apartment located @ 2nd Avenue Diamond, East bank Demerara - Parking Available - $55,000 - Contact: 612-8115 Secured Concrete bond 87’X32’, lots of yard space suitable for CarMart Public Road McDoom: Tel: 233-0570
SALON Natural Beauty Salon & Spa: Grove Market Street, EBD tele:265-4138, 652-5800 specialized in everything for women & children Make Up Courses, Artist T r a i n e d & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773
(From page 28)
WANTED Market Constable – Call:2208110; 663-6282 during working hours (8am-4pm) Contract Cars and drivers, attractive base fee - Call:6131847 General Domestic, cleaner – Contact:609-1535; 227-8529 Drivers with lorry licence. Apply @ Wieting & Richter Ltd. Upholsterer, joiners, spray painter & handyman – Contact:225-6810; 660-5190 Sawmill workers – Tel:6539752. Van Driven, Arc/ Acetylene welder, live in couple , domestic/caretaking duties 227-1830 Attractive live in waitressCall:327-0252/674-4665 1 Ice-Cream van driver – Ages 40yrs to 55yrs – Call:218-3021 One Salesgirl – Drop application to The Old Navy Store @ First Floor City Mall. 1 Experienced Secretary, must be computer literate, 5 subject CXC, 25yrs and over Call: 265-3586 Live in , live out babysitter – Tel:225-6070 Shop assistant to work in the interior age 25-40 salary $75,000 monthly – Callers must Call:664-5199; 675-7043 (9am-6Pm) 2 Experienced salesgirl $15,000 per week – Call:2239677 Help Wanted Urgently! (MATURE FEMALES) CONTACT: 223-1035 Professional hairdresser needed urgently at Miskkio Salon & Spa @ 68 Sandy Babb St Kitty – Contact Tricia: 647-5908 Live in housekeeper & babysitter – Age 35yrs & up Tel:222-6001; 619-2388 One welder and one spray painter - Tel:228-5655; 628-1756
PEN PAL Indian Male is seeking female for friendship, age 2630 years - Call: 695-8528 (Mike) Overseas male is seeking female 29yrs & up – Call:6613299 (no Texting)
For the BEST RATES, call us on 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491.
Drivers to work labour lorry at Enmore Estate – Tel:2285655; 628-1756 One hire car driver – 35years and older from West Bank or West Coast Demerara – Tel:616-0111. Husband and wife to work on farm at Kuru Kururu, Linden Highway – Age:40-55 – Tel:225-4708 Land to buy in Parafaite Harmonie – Tel:675-7292
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Place for rent in Parika: Top Flat (60"X20") suitable for office, computer classes, etc – Contact:260-4609; 6944609 GT TOOLS RENTAL: TEL: 675-0767; 627-5098 Attractive Salon Space to rent, front Spot on Public Road, Vreed-En-Hoop – Contact:626-8051 One and two bedrooms furnished apartments situated at South Ruimveldt Price $500USD and $800USD Call: 601-9323; 649-2251 Lot 109 Block AA Eccles – 4 bedrooms: AC, fully furnished – Good Price – Contact:689-0610 1 – Two bedrooms house to rent @ Agricola – Call: 6027589 or 233-0038, between 9am to 17:00pm One semi furnished 2 storey 2 bedrooms house at Plantation Walk Vreed-EnHoop, W.B.D -$40,000 – No Parking – Tel: 616-0111 Beautiful Diamond, Republic Park, Lamaha Gardens – Tel:231-2199; 618-7483 5 Acre land with house to lease - $95,000 for month – Email: gzplayter@ol.com Tel:407-599-3775
WANTED Experienced Cashiers to work @ supermarket on the East Coast, Age 25-50yrs – Call:642-1141 1 Male Bahier - $80,000 monthly; workers for land dredge – Tel:694-2310 2 Salesgirls, must be experienced – Tel:668-0159 or 639-3036 EDUCATIONAL Do you want to live & work in Canada? Train as a live in caregiver, Canadian Standards – Tel:592-2274881; 416-674-7973
Page 30
Kaieteur News
Procurement Commission can review objections by Cabinet - Nandlall The Constitution of Guyana provides for establishment of the Public Procurement Commission with the caveat that it be, “independent, impartial and shall discharge its functions fairly.” Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall says that there is a great level of misunderstanding in society of this provision in the Constitution, including within the camp of the Alliance for Change (AFC). Under the current Procurement Act, with the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission, Cabinet’s role of No Objection will be phased out. The AFC has in the past tied its support for the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill, in part to the establishment of the Procurement Commission, as is. Government insists that the clause to phase out Cabinet’s role of no objection was a change made on the
AG and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall floor of the National Assembly and was not discussed by Cabinet, which wants its role preserved. Nandlall yesterday during a press engagement at the NCN Studios lamented what he called a misunderstanding of the Constitutional provision for the independence of the Public Procurement Commission. According to Nandlall, the Procurement Commission, when
established will supersede any ‘no objections’ made by Cabinet to the award of any contract. “I don’t believe they understand the role of the commission, the provisions of the constitution vis-à-vis, the Procurement Act and the role of Cabinet. Nandlall explained that in the hierarchical structure, the Procurement Commission is at the apex, with everything else falling below, including the role of Cabinet. The Attorney General said that Cabinet’s no objection role continues to be monitorable and reviewable by the Public Procurement Commission. He was adamant, too, that Cabinet has no connection to the composition or functioning of the commission. Nandlall stressed that at the bottom of the structure is the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, while at the top sits the Procurement Commission. He said that somewhere along that hierarchy is the role of Cabinet, but what is clear is that the Procurement Commission is at the top and can review the objections made by Cabinet. Government has consistently argued that if it is to be held accountable for the expenditure of state funds, then it must have at least the no objection role.
Wednesday March 05, 2014
MAN GETS 18 YEARS FOR KILLING WIFE Sixty-one year-old Godfrey Stewart called ‘Dougla,’ of Yarrowkabra Linden-Soesdyke Highway, was on Monday sentenced to 18 years in jail, for killing his reputed wife, Jacqueline George. Stewart, who was initially indicted for murder in March 2010, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, when he appeared at the High Court before Justice Franklyn Holder and a mixed 12-member Jury last month. The accused was however sentenced on Monday. Stewart was facing the court for killing George a newspaper vendor, with whom he had shared a common law relationship. The couple had shared a home at ‘E’ Field Sophia. The murder occurred sometime between March 13 and 14, 2010.The victim’s throat was slashed. Her charred remains were found among debris of the burnt house, hours after the incident took place. Senior State Counsel Judith GildarieMursalin presented to the court that Stewart had antecedents with the law. Among them were convictions for attempted larceny, common assault, and manslaughter. Stewart had previously served six years in prison for the killing of another woman, Dawn
Edinborough. In addition, the Prosecutor asked that the court take into consideration that the post mortem examination proved that the victim had died long before she was torched. Five days after slashing the woman’s throat and torching the home they once shared, Stewart turned himself in at the Turkeyen Police Station. The accused had told the police while being arrested, that his wife was missing several hours before the incident reportedly took place. According to the caution statement, Stewart told police that when his wife came home, “I ask she where she bin, she said she is she own big woman … She pick up a knife and start to stab me on my neck, belly and chest.” The man said that he had a scuffle with the woman, whose throat was slashed during the ordeal. “She pick up the lighted one-burner stove to throw on me and she slip and hit she head. The stove fall on the bed and the place ketch afire.” Stewart told investigators that he ran into a nearby canefield and hid. He said that he came out of hiding after the wounds he received became infected. When given a chance to speak, the accused told the
court that “it is very unfortunate that I have to answer to this charge…I am throwing myself at the mercy of this full court.” He was represented by Attorneys Maxwell Mc Kay, Bettina Glasford and Brendan Glasford. The lawyers had requested a probation report prior to the accused being sentenced. The report was presented by Ms Colleen Anthony. The lawyers asked that the court take into consideration that their client was remorseful and had not wasted the court’s time. However, after listening to the probation report and the Prosecutor’s submission, the Judge handed down the 18year jail sentence. Justice Holder summed up that the accused had not learnt from his past implications with the law. “I‘ve listened to facts of the case presented by the prosecution and the probation report. The report has no mitigating factors rather it contains things that further aggravate … I have considered that you have served time before, but the fact that you are here points to you being of deviant behavior that years of incarceration did not change…the court cannot condone this.” Stewart wore an ‘expressionless’ look on his face, throughout the ruling.
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
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India hardens stance against U.S. protectionism ahead of visits NEW DELHI (Reuters) India’s trade minister yesterday accused the United States of excessive trade protectionism, launching a broadside that coincided with the visit of a top U.S. official to patch up a stormy bilateral friendship. Trade friction between the two countries has increased ahead of a general election in India, amid lingering tension over the recent arrest and strip search of a female diplomat in New York suspected of visa fraud. The ruling Congress party government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does not want to be seen as bowing to U.S. pressure on trade issues ranging from the quality of Indian drug exports to software piracy. “There are issues which India has raised where we feel there is very high and unacceptable protectionism,” Trade Minister Anand Sharma told reporters, adding that Washington made it too hard for Indian nationals to obtain U.S. visas. He also said that India’s
patent law was compliant with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), while India would not agree to tougher rules to protect intellectual property. India is furious about a decision by the Office of the United States Trade Representative to drag it before the WTO over the subsidies and local content rules it has set to promote solar power generation. Trade Ministry officials say India’s rules on local sourcing were fully compatible with the WTO, and they argue that 16 U.S. states have similar local sourcing provisions. Indian analysts say the Obama administration appears to be seeking trade advantages from a weak government as part of its wider drive to export away the U.S. trade deficit, which despite narrowing last year still totaled $470 billion. “The U.S. seems to be looking at exports to India, China and other emerging markets to support its
economic growth,” said N.R. Bhanumurthy, an economist at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, a Delhi-based think-tank. “These frictions are likely to continue until a global recovery eases the pressure.” The U.S. embassy was not available for comment outside office hours.Sharma’s prickly comments on U.S. trade reflected concern about the sluggish pace of India’s own exports, which he forecast would grow by 4-5 percent in the current fiscal year to the end of March. India curbed imports of gold last year to narrow a worrying current account deficit, but with external pressures easing, Sharma suggested the curbs should be eased to discourage gold smuggling. India has made clear it would prefer to see bilateral disputes reviewed under the auspices of the WTO, the global trade rules body, which is adjudicating on more than a dozen cases between the two countries.
Cameron says he will back increase in UK minimum wage (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday he was ready to raise the minimum wage by an above-inflation three percent, in line with a recommendation made by
the government’s advisers last month. The Low Pay Commission has said the minimum wage should rise to 6.50 pounds, an increase above the rate of inflation for the first time in more than
five years. “I look forward to accepting this recommendation,” Cameron said during a visit to the Midlands city of Coventry. “It means that as we recover from the great recession, hardworking people on the minimum wage - who have suffered during the tough times - can know they will share in the recovery.”
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Egyptian court rules to ban Hamas activities CAIRO (AP) — A court ruled yesterday to ban activities of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Egypt in a move likely to fuel tension between Cairo’s military-backed government and the Islamic group that rules the neighboring Gaza Strip. The Cairo court ordered the closure of Hamas offices and the suspension of all dealings with the group. Egypt’s relations with Hamas have sharply deteriorated since the military overthrew the Islamist president, Mohammed Mursi, last July. Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood, which authorities have cracked down on heavily since the ouster, is the mother group of Hamas. Egypt’s interim leaders maintain that Hamas is playing a key role in the
insurgency by militants in the northern region of the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Hamas-ruled Gaza and Israel. In Gaza, senior Hamas official Izzat Rishq condemned the ruling, saying the movement viewed it as a “political decision” directed against the Palestinian people and their resistance. His comments came in a statement sent by email. Yesterday’s ruling by the Court of Urgent Matters was the result of a case brought before the court by an Egyptian lawyer seeking a verdict branding Hamas a terrorist organization and suspending any dealings with it. The ruling did not directly declare the group a terrorist organization. Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, addressing a previously scheduled news conference,
said he was not aware of the ruling, but added: “anybody who take any actions that have implications on our security, are of concern to us,” he said when asked about when asked about Egyptian-Hamas relations “if u don’t take actions, we will treat you as Palestinian nationals.” Authorities have also destroyed many of the tunnels running under the Egypt-Gaza border and which are used by Palestinians in Gaza to smuggle a wide range of goods from Egypt, including subsidized items like gasoline and medicine. Hamas is the Palestinian chapter of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood and the two forged close ties during his year in office, with leaders of the Palestinian groups spending most of their time in Cairo.
world’s largest — is for defensive purposes only. However, Fu warned other nations not to test China’s resolve. “But if some countries wish to provoke or wish to damage ... regional peace and the regional order, then we must make a response, and an effective response at that,” Fu told a wideranging news conference on the eve of the l e g i s l a t u r e ’s annual session. “The point of this response, is to, on the one hand, maintain China’s territory and sovereignty, and on the other hand to maintain the regional order and peace,” Fu said. Other countries should take China’s sovereignty
claims seriously if they truly care about regional peace and security, she said, singling out the United States by name. Her remarks came amid festering disputes between China and its neighbors over the control of islands and sea lanes in surrounding oceans. There has been a sharp escalation of tensions with Japan in the past 18 months over control of a string of tiny uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. China is to announce its latest defense budget on Wednesday. Spending on the armed forces rose 10.7 percent last year to 720 billion yuan ($114 billion), the most for any nation apart from the U.S.
China says military will respond to provocations BEIJING (AP) — China’s military is prepared to respond to all threats to the country’s sovereignty, a government spokeswoman said yesterday, ahead of the expected announcement of another big bump in defense spending. L e g i s l a t i v e spokeswoman Fu Ying said China supports resolving disputes through negotiations and its 2.3 million-member People’s Liberation Army — the
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
Government agrees to merger of police forces KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of National Security Peter Bunting says that Cabinet has approved a merger of the Jamaica Constabulary force (JCF) and the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) through the incorporation of the members of the ISCF into the JCF. The incorporation of the ISCF into the JCF means Jamaica will have a single police force which will, among other things; result in an increase in the number of police personnel engaged in frontline crime prevention and control activities, the Security Ministry said in statement yesterday. The merger will be effected during the 2014/2015 financial year, the Ministry said. Bunting noted that the merging of the two forces has been recommended by the Wolfe Report of 1991 as well as five separate reports and studies since.
Peter Bunting In commenting on the benefits of the merging of the two entities, Police Commissioner Owen Ellington said that the two entities have been operating together as a virtual single force in recent times, but the realisation of all benefits required policy and legislative support.
He noted that the existence of two separate legal entities, operating within the same space and performing similar, and in some cases identical, functions presented a number of operational challenges. Commissioner Ellington argued that the merging of the entities will result in significant efficiency gains. These include: a) The implementation of a single command and communication structure; b) Elimination of duplication in administrative services c) Expansion in the skill sets of police personnel through the unification of training programmes d) Rationalization of various overheads such as rental of property, and e) Creation of the means by which the transmission and inculcation of a core set of common values can be effected.
US extends Temporary Protected Status for Haitians
Northjersey.com : News The government will again extend the Temporary Protected Status for Haitians living in the United States for an additional 18 months, officials announced Monday. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson will extend the status for eligible nationals of Haiti from July 23, 2014 through Jan. 22, 2016, said a release from U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The status was given to Haitian nationals after their homeland was devastated by a 7.0earthquake in January 2010. The status is granted
generally to undocumented individuals from countries that the Department of Homelan d S e c u r i t y h a s designated a place where civil unrest or natural disaster makes returning home u n s afe. The Department of Homeland Security first granted Haitians an 18-month TPS status after the earthquake, and extended it in 2011, and again in October 2012. As of December 2013, there were 2,637 Haitians living in New Jersey who had gotten TPS approval, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Jeh Johnson
Report says Jamaica largest Caribbean supplier of marijuana to the United States WASHINGTON – CMC The United States says Jamaica remains the largest Caribbean supplier of marijuana to the United States and Caribbean islands and that even though cocaine and synthetic drugs are not produced locally, Jamaica is a transit point for drugs trafficked from South America to North America and other international markets. But in its just released “2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report” the US State Department said Jamaica continued to make “slow but
steady progress” in combating narcotics trafficking, corruption and organized crime in 2013. It said success stories included the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Anti-Corruption Branch, which continued to make progress in eliminating corrupt and unethical police officers; the National Forensic Sciences Laboratory, which showed dramatic improvement in its ability to process crime scene ballistic evidence; the JCF Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Task Force, which significantly reduced
Jamaica lottery scam operations that targeted retirees and the elderly in the United States. Washington said the Financial Investigation Division of the Ministry of Finance that, with new organization and leadership, ramped up its efforts to curb money laundering and seize criminally-acquired assets and also praised the Independent Commission on Investigations, which was successful in establishing its legal authority to prosecute police officers who illegally injure or kill citizens in the course of their duties.
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Wednesday March 05, 2014
Venezuela unrest chokes transport, worsens economy Associated Press Anti-government protests in Venezuela have left some 1,500 trucks that distribute about half the country’s vegetables sitting idle in the western city of La Grita, waiting for roads blocked by demonstrators to be reopened. That paralysis is worsening already acute shortages of basic foodstuffs and inflation that hit 56 per cent in 2013, two of the factors which, ironically, set alight about a month of street protests in the first place. At least 17 people have been killed in unrest that has posed the most serious challenge yet to socialist President Nicolas Maduro’s ten-month-old administration. Some transport companies have idled trucks due to the threat of violence as protesters face off against security forces at barricades, especially in the western state of Ta c h i r a . O t h e r s h a v e parked their vehicles in solidarity with the demonstrators. La Grita is a central distribution point for Ta c h i r a s t a t e , w h i c h produces about half the fruit and vegetables consumed in Venezuela, a country of some 29 million people. While student-led opposition protests in the capital Caracas have lost steam this week,
confrontations continue in Tachira. Business leaders estimate that deliveries nationwide of basic goods, including eagerly sought staples such as toilet
paper, milk and flour, have fallen to about half their normal level since the start of February because of blocked roads. Maduro accuses the
opposition of waging an “economic war” to try to trigger a coup d’etat like the one in 2002 that briefly toppled his mentor, the late leader Hugo Chavez. Those
turbulent days also saw a two-month oil industry strike. In the central state of Carabobo, home to many Ve n e z u e l a n b u s i n e s s e s , barricades have also
stopped raw materials reaching factories, and finished products getting out to customers. Hoping that an extended national break for the long Carnival weekend could take the heat out of the demonstrations, Maduro declared Thursday and Friday national holidays too. Business leaders say that was a mistake. “Six days off work is a delicate proposition, when we look at the empty shelves,” said Carlos Larrazabal, vice-president of national business lobby group Fedecamaras. “The political decisions the government are taking are going in the opposite direction to how we should solve the shortages.” Venezuela’s shopping malls have reduced their opening hours during Carnival, and many businesses in the capital Caracas were closed on F r i d a y, a n d t h e s t r e e t s largely deserted. T h e c e n t r a l b a n k ’s shortage index, which tracks the availability of staple goods, hit a historic high of 28 per cent in January, meaning three out of ten products were unavailable.
Eastern Caribbean leaders fail to address concerns of official corruption – US Report WASHINGTON – CMC – Political leaders in the Eastern Caribbean (EC) have “largely failed” to address concerns of official corruption, according to a report released by the United States State Department. It said the seven Eastern Caribbean countries – Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and
the Grenadines –host abundant transshipment points for illicit narcotics primarily from Colombia and Venezuela destined for North American, European and domestic Caribbean markets. “Local and international law enforcement believe traffickers increasingly make use of yachts for drug transit, though “go-fast” boats, fishing trawlers, and cargo ships continue to be used.
Drug transshipment through the Eastern Caribbean increased in 2013,” said the document titled “2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report”. It said drug related violent crime remained high, but homicides decreased from 2012 and 2011. Many of the homicides resulted from turf wars between organized criminal groups fighting to control drug distribution. Washington said that four years of declining macroeconomic growth has left EC law enforcement capacity increasingly beleaguered, even when
compared with the bleak situation described in past reports. “EC governments have made some improvements to still largely antiquated criminal codes. Political leaders, however, have largely failed to address public concerns of official corruption,” the report said, noting that in 2013, regional political leaders approved a comprehensive strategic law enforcement plan under the aegis of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). But Washington said national strategic law enforcement plans, including comprehensive vetting programmes, remain largely u n a d d r e s s e d , h o w e v e r, creating a serious
vulnerability to narcotics corruption. It said that as a matter of policy EC governments do not encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. “No senior government officials in the Eastern Caribbean were prosecuted for engaging in or facilitating the illicit production or distribution of controlled drugs or laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. Nonetheless, U.S. analysts believe drug trafficking organizations elude law enforcement through bribery, influence, or coercion.”
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Kaieteur News
Masked hero... James bags... From page 41 had been 56 points, on March 20, 2005, for Cleveland against Toronto. Glen Rice scored 56 to set the Heat record on April 15, 1995, against Orlando. James had 24 points at half-time, then added 25 in the third quarter. The recordbreaker came with 5:46 left, when James spun through three defenders for a layup that fell as he tumbled to the court. In his post-game press conference, Spoelstra admitted that he nearly took James out of the game after the third quarter. Good thing he thought better of that plan. Al Jefferson had 38 points and 19 rebounds for the Bobcats,
his huge night merely an afterthought. This was all about LeBron. Yes, even the Bobcats were marvelling at James. He was hitting from everywhere, even a pull-up 3pointer from about 30 feet Spoelstra joked it was from 40 - late in the third quarter, as the crowd roared and the Heat bench jumped with joy. That was the moment, James said, when he knew he was in the midst of a special night. Most points in a game. Most field goals in a game. Most points in any quarter in Heat history, with the 25 in the third. Most points in the second half, 37, by any Heat player ever. When James checked out with 1:24 left, the
entire Heat roster met him near mid-court for high-fives and hugs, and the sellout crowd gave him a standing ovation. A second huge roar followed when he waved to the crowd, as ‘M-V-P’ chants rained down. Charlotte has allowed the two biggest single-game scoring totals in the NBA this season. Carmelo Anthony had 62 points for the New York Knicks against the Bobcats on January 24. Chris Bosh scored 15 for the Heat, and Toney Douglas added 10. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Anthony Tolliver each scored 12 for Charlotte. James scored 11 in the first quarter, after which Mi-
Wednesday March 05, 2014 ARIES (March 21 April 19): An argument with your partner could have you feeling very disheartened and somewhat depressed today, Aries. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 May 20): You might wake up this morning feeling a little less than your usual self, Taurus, and you might not be able to figure out why. ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Today, Gemini, you might find yourself getting more irritated than you usually would at the quirks of friends, colleagues, partners, and children. Nerves could be frayed and tempers around you frazzled. ******************** CANCER (June 21 July 22): Temporary difficulties at home might cause you to want to stay and resolve them rather than go to work or anywhere else. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Some rather unsettling communication s c o u l d c o m e your way today, perhaps from out of state. This isn't likely to be anything serious, Leo, but it could be enough to put your nose a little out of joint. Changes in your neighborhood might interfere with your daily routine. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): Some minor money matters may need to be handled today, Virgo, and you might find this irritating as you probably have other things you'd rather do. The situation could cause some petty friction with family members, but that will pass.
LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): The healing of a temporary rift with your partner is likely to take place today, with a lot of honest communication and more apologies than are necessary. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): The desire to go off by yourself and enjoy a little solitude is likely to be in conflict with the reality of your obligations today, Scorpio. You could find yourself spacing out at times and unable to concentrate on any tasks at hand, so try to stay focused. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): Don't expect any c r e a t i v e p r o je c t s t o g o s m o o t h l y t o d a y, S a g i t tarius. You could experience mental blocks that you find difficult to get beyond. .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): Obligations to others could incline you toward staying home today, Capricorn, but important career issues could pull you in to work. ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 Feb. 18): Today you’re likely to feel torn in two different directions, Aquarius. A part of you could want to sequester yourself somewhere and read, while another part of you feels that you should get out, go somewhere, and do something. ********************* PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20):Minor difficulties over money could put you in a state of frustration. The problems aren’t Earthshaking, but they still need to be handled and could take up a lot of time that you’d rather spend doi n g something else.
ami led by three, and added 13 more in the second. His 24point first half was the highest-scoring opening 24 minutes for the four-time MVP in nearly a year, helping give the Heat to a 60-54 lead at the break. James has had to listen to critics in recent weeks say that Kevin Durant’s scoring for Oklahoma City this season shifted the balance of MVP power. James made three threepointers in the first seven minutes of the quarter - he was six for six from beyond the arc at that point - and when Charlotte bit on his head fake from the top of the key, James coolly found Douglas to set up another three. A tip-in by James followed not long afterward and, just like that, the lead was up to 83-63. Charlotte scored the next six points, but any notion that the game was slipping from Miami’s control was quickly extinguished. James scored the next six himself, a pair of three-point plays to restore the 20-point edge and give him 43 points, already a season high. All that was left to see was what he’d finish with. The answer was history.
Arsenal... From page 40 helped him get there!!!” Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Kenny Anthony has expressed excitement at the news and the opportunities this new challenge presents for young Elva. “I am excited about the possibilities. I am proud of his accomplishments thus far. His skill and hard work is taking him places no other St Lucian has gone and has gained him recognition worldwide. “I applaud and congratulate his support system, particularly his father, Titus Elva, and his uncle Oliver Elva, who is his guardian. “On behalf of the proud people of Vieux-Fort and indeed the entire St Lucian population, I wish him the very best. We will monitor his progress,” Dr. Anthony said in a statement. The Prime Minister said, “Caniggia comes from a very accomplished football background and called his father Titus ‘TiTi’ Elva one of the nation’s best footballers. Titi, who is Caniggia’s father, represented St Lucia for many years and also played club football in Trinidad & Tobago. Caniggia Elva was born in Vieux-Fort and moved to Canada at the age of 12.
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Smith fails as Australia... From page 38 safety. “There has been a lot of emotion around with Graeme deciding to give up international cricket, but I suppose it is also motivation for the guys to ensure we fight hard for the skipper,” South Africa coach Russell Domingo said. “We have got six wickets in the bank and we are going to fight hard tomorrow. It has been done before at Newlands, I remember England were four down a few years ago and hung on for a draw. We were four down in Adelaide, so we know it can be done.” The struggles of the home side were in sharp contrast to the Australia
innings, when Warner made batting look easy as he bludgeoned 145 from 156 balls and the tourists declared their second innings on 303 for five. It was a second century of the match for the left-hander, who took his runs total in the series to 543, averaging 91. Warner received support from Chris Rogers (39) and Steve Smith (36 not out), but was the dominant figure in all his partnerships as he scored nearly half his side’s runs. Abbott was the most successful South Africa bowler with figures of three for 61, including the wicket of Warner who edged a slower ball to wicketkeeper De Villiers.
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Hamilton tops testing charts as belief of Championship chances continue to grow Lewis Hamilton brought the curtain down on preseason testing with the quickest time of the final day, but it was not without issues. Hamilton spent almost the first four hours of the day at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain in the garage as his Mercedes mechanics worked on a gearbox problem. Once on track Hamilton completed 69 laps, with his best a one minute 33.278secs, 0.020secs behind Felipe Massa’s benchmark for Williams on Saturday. The gearbox trouble, however, in conjunction with a number of other niggles for Mercedes throughout the final test, will give the team more cause for concern than Hamilton’s lap will give encouragement. With the season-opening Australian Grand Prix just a fortnight away, Mercedes and virtually every other team in the paddock will head off Down Under with trepidation. The regulations that centre around the new 1.6-litre V6 turbo-charged hybrid power units have caused every marque an array of problems, none more so than Red Bull. After failing to complete a lap on Saturday, front-end technical woes caused problems on Sunday for Sebastian Vettel who stopped on track. Although 77 laps were eventually completed - the most by Red Bull on one day this preseason - the majority of those were at low speed. Vettel eventually dipped down into the one minute 37secs late on, but even then that was just over four seconds adrift of Hamilton.
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Bahrain Grand Prix circuit renames first turn in tribute to F1 legend Schumacher
Happy Hamilton brought the curtain down on pre-season testing with the quickest time The reigning four-time world champion knows the start to the campaign could be a tough, troubled affair. It was a final session that was extended by 25 minutes due to the fact there were eight red flags, with one of those unfurled during the extended period. To accommodate, circuit officials were forced to turn on the lights as twilight set in, and which will be used extensively for the race in early April given it will be a night event for the first time. Behind Hamilton, WIlliams again fared well as Valtteri Bottas chalked up a day-high 108 laps, the Finn seven tenths of a second behind the Briton. In the combined hands of Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber accumulated a remarkable 177 laps on the day, making amends for the solitary lap managed by the former on Saturday, with the duo sixth and eighth on the timesheet. Ferrari’s Fernando
Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg for Force India and Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne remarkably all completed 74 laps to finish third, fourth and fifth quickest, albeit with 1.4secs separating them. Marussia’s Max Chilton finally got same laps on the board, with the Briton leapfrogging up to seventh in the closing stages, 3.5secs off of Hamilton. Behind Gutierrez was Vettel, with McLaren’s Jenson Button ninth, but with his final two days in the car proving to be miserable and frustrating. After a gearbox issue on Friday curtailed Button’s running to 52 laps, the 34year-old’s final outing resulted in only 21 due to an engine failure on a highmileage unit. Kamui Kobayashi amassed 106 laps for Caterham, but was five seconds down, with Lotus’ Romain Grosjean bringing up the rear as a fire brought his day to a premature end after 32 laps. (Mailonline)
Bahrain was also the scene of Schumacher’s return to F1 in 2010 after three years in retirement The Bahrain International Circuit has paid tribute to Michael Schumacher by renaming its Turn 1 in honour of the seven-time world champion. Schumacher, who remains in a coma following an horrific ski accident in France in December last year, has close ties to the Bahrain track. He won the first Grand Prix held there in 2004 for Ferrari and it was where the German legend made his comeback in 2010 for Mercedes after three years out of the game. Chairman of the circuit Zayed Al Zayani said track officials made the gesture to Schumacher in consultation with his family.
‘With the support of his family, it is a great privilege to be able to honour arguably the greatest racing driver in the history of F1 and someone who the people of Bahrain hold close to their hearts,’ Al Zayani said. ‘From his first appearance at the BIC in 2004, he immediately became an inspiration for all those who love motorsport in the Kingdom and it is therefore natural for us to recognise him in this way.’ Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm thanked the circuit on behalf of the F1 legend’s family. ‘Michael’s family would like to thank the Bahrain
International Circuit for this gesture, acknowledging Michael’s achievements in Formula One and interest in the BIC circuit design,’ Kehm said. ‘We take it as a recognition for his passion for motorsport. I am convinced Michael will love the idea and feel very honoured about having a BIC corner named after him.’ In the lead-up to the 2014 season two of three preseason tests have been held in Bahrain, the circuit which will mark its 10th anniversary this year. The island Kingdom will host the first Grand Prix under lights when F1 returns there for the third race of the season on April 6.
World Cup hopefuls in dress rehearsal From page 37 featuring ten midfielders, which suggests the Atletico Madrid striker is now set for a decisive role, less than a year on from contesting two friendlies for Brazil and five months after cutting his ties with A Seleção. Further back, Del Bosque has omitted Carles Puyol due to concerns about the Barcelona defender’s ongoing fitness problems, but he has kept faith with Iker Casillas, back-up goalkeeper to Diego Lopez at Real Madrid. For Italy, meanwhile, Cesare Prandelli has called up a pair of newcomers in Torino forward Ciro Immobile and Parma’s Argentinian-born defender Gabriel Paletta. Mario Balotelli misses the game through injury, however, and Daniele De Rossi has fallen foul of La
Nazionale’s code of ethics following an altercation in Roma’s Saturday meeting with Inter Milan. THE OTHER MATCHES France will entertain the Netherlands with coach Didier Deschamps seemingly close to knowing his final squad for Brazil. The World Cup winner has nonetheless brought two new players on board, giving in-form Real Sociedad winger Antoine Griezmann a chance to shine as he searches for a wide man capable of operating on either flank. Promising young Paris Saint-Germain left-back Lucas Digne has also received a maiden call-up, while Eric Abidal and Samir Nasri have both been left out. “Interpret that how you will,” said Deschamps, whose opposite number Louis van Gaal has named four
debutants in his squad. Feyenoord’s Jean-Paul Boetius, PSV Eindhoven’s Karim Rekik, Davy Klaassen of Ajax and Twente winger Quincy Promes have all entered the Oranje fold for the first time, while Rafael van der Vaart has paid the price for a difficult recent spell on the pitch. In Switzerland, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is enjoying the luxury of a full squad for the visit of Croatia. The veteran German tactician thus welcomes back Xherdan Shaqiri, Johan Djourou, Pirmin Schwegler and Stephan Lichtsteiner following injuries for each player. As for Portugal, Paulo Bento has included a pair of newcomers for his team’s test against Cameroon, with forward duo Ivan Cavaleiro of Benfica and Braga’s Rafa
hoping to make a quick impression at senior level. In contrast, Rui Patricio, Bruno Alves, Nani and Helder Postiga have all missed the cut this time around. Eager to “work on alternative solutions”, Joachim Low turned heads by selecting four new faces for his Germany squad. Joining the party for the home encounter with Chile are Hamburg marksman PierreMichel Lasogga, defensive pair Shkodran Mustafi of Sampdoria and Freiburg’s Matthias Ginter, plus Augsburg midfielder Andre Hahn. In addition, Low can again count upon Bastian Schweinsteiger, the battling midfielder having recovered from injury. For his part, England manager Roy Hodgson has omitted Andy Carroll, Adam Johnson and
Gareth Barry despite casting a wide net with a 30-man squad to tackle Denmark. In spite of the decision, the 66-year-old has been at pains to sound a note of encouragement for the trio, saying: “I know all about their qualities and I know they could be useful to me at the World Cup.” Due to face Sabri Lamouchi’s Côte d’Ivoire team, meanwhile, Belgium coach Marc Wilmots has recalled Anderlecht rightback Anthony Vanden Borre and handed a role to Radja Nainggolan, who has impressed for Roma of late. Lastly, the USA will test their wits against Ukraine on neutral ground in Cyprus with 18-year-old Bayern Munich forward Julian Green in their ranks. The youngster has opted to represent the Stars and Stripes after a period of divided loyalties in the youth
arena, having represented Germany at U-16, U-17 and U19 level in addition to the USA’s U-18 side. THE SCHEDULE Games between Brazil 2014 participants Spain-Italy, FranceNetherlands, SwitzerlandCroatia, Greece-Korea Republic, Mexico-Nigeria, Portugal-Cameroon, BelgiumCôte d’Ivoire, Germany-Chile, Australia-Ecuador Other games involving Brazil 2014 participants Romania-Argentina, South Africa-Brazil, RussiaArmenia, Costa Rica-Paraguay, Bosnia-Herzegovina-Egypt, Iran-Guinea, Algeria-Slovenia, Colombia-Tunisia, JapanNew Zealand, HondurasVenezuela, MontenegroGhana, England-Denmark, Austria-Uruguay, UkraineUSA. (FIFA.com)
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Positive Development for Women’s Soccer in Canada Montreal, Canada Speaking after the Official Draw for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 today, FIFA Vice President and CONCACAF President, Jeffrey Webb, congratulated the Canadian Soccer Association for successfully raising the profile of women’s soccer in Canada. “It has been 12 years since the inaugural FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup finals were hosted in Canada,” said Webb. “We have seen tremendous progress in Canadian soccer during this time, with solid implementation of grassroots programmes and technical training for coaches and referees in the women’s game. Match viewership has also increased in Canada, setting new regional records and producing great results for this sport.” Webb highlighted that Canada has an astonishing 17,000 qualified coaches and nearly 6,000 referees – of whom women comprise a combined total of 4,000 — dedicated to youth football. Additionally, in 2012, Canada hosted the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament, which set an overall attendance record in excess of 168,000 fans. “With an average television viewership of
- praises Canadian Soccer for its development and improvement
CONCACAF President with members of the Canadian Soccer Association, at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 almost 200,000 for each women’s game, we can really see the growth of soccer in Canada, and in our region,” he added. Recognizing the development of the women’s game since the U-20 tournament was created in 2002, originally as a U-19
competition, Webb mentioned that many CONCACAF teams and players have made a huge impact. They have won a total of five FIFA World Cup tournaments, consisting of two Women’s World Cups and three Women’s Under-20 World Cups. The National
Team also won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. CONCACAF’s four representatives were drawn into separate groups. Host Canada is in Group A with Ghana, Finland and Korea DPR. The confederation champion United States will face solid opposition in Group
B from Germany, China and Brazil. In Group C, Mexico will square off against England, Korea Republic and Nigeria. Costa Rica will be challenged in Group D by New Zealand, Paraguay and France. Following the Official Draw, a Banquet was held that was attended by official
representatives from the province of Quebec, FIFA, the Canadian Soccer Association and other guests. The tournament will take place from August 5-24, 2014, and will be played in Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal and Moncton.
CONCACAF Appoints Members of Caribbean Professional League Task Force Miami – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has announced the formation of a new Task Force to examine the feasibility of a potential Caribbean professional football league, as the Confederation deepens its commitment to the growth of the game across the region. “I am certain that there are immense untapped opportunities for football in the Caribbean,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “We need to evaluate thoroughly how best to convert potential into a viable structure that could create new futures for clubs, players, fans and the game as a whole.” Among those studying the prospects for growing the club game in the Caribbean are leading figures from the two biggest leagues in CONCACAF — Don Garber, Commissioner of Major League Soccer, and Decio de Maria, President of Liga MX. In addition, England’s Premier League will support the process in an advisory capacity.
“This is an outstanding group containing individuals with extensive experience and invaluable expertise from across the Caribbean, CONCACAF, and beyond,” said Webb. “I am looking forward to working with the task force as we focus on the challenge of truly advancing the game. It is a goal that can only benefit the whole of CONCACAF, and the football
world in general.” The task force will hold its first meeting on March 12 in Los Angeles. There has been a previous attempt to institute a Caribbean league. From 1992-1994, clubs from as far north as Jamaica and south as Guyana competed in the Caribbean Professional Football League. After changing competitive formats and league name over its three seasons of play, the circuit ceased operations before the 1995 season.
With the big kick-off at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ fast approaching, the 32 qualified teams are gearing up for a full dress rehearsal in a range of friendlies on Wednesday - which come 99 days before Brazil open the tournament in Sao Paulo. Nine matches will feature a pair of World Cup hopefuls locking horns, including three games in Europe, where current holders Spain are set to take on 2006 world champions Italy in the most eagerly
anticipated encounter. Match of the day Spain-Italy Diego Costa’s inclusion in Vicente Del Bosque’s Spain squad has led to a genuine shake-up in La Roja’s forward line, with Juan Mata and David Villa – the country’s all-time leading scorer with 56 goals – both left on the sidelines. Along with Diego Costa, Pedro and Alvaro Negredo are the only other forwards in a squad (Continued on page 36)
Body of experts charged with examining feasibility of regional circuit “Our focus will be to analyze the feasibility of a sustainable business model – one that can serve as the cornerstone to build a league that provides a platform for Caribbean talent, as it develops equity and value in the long term,” said Garber. “Analyzing past attempts to develop such a project in the region will provide important information as we seek to create an entity that serves the good of the game. Any new plans must respect existing structures in each country and successfully fit into an already crowded international soccer calendar,” said de Maria. “The Premier League is honored to be one of the special advisers to this task force. We are making our entire executive team available to offer any help we can in realizing the potential for top-class professional football in the Caribbean,” said Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the Premier League. “The region’s football fans deserve it,” he
added. The task force will analyze all the possible options for developing a sustainable league structure in the Caribbean, with the objective of improving playing standards and overall professionalism. As some nations in the Caribbean possess established domestic leagues, the group will review current infrastructures and assess what competitive format would achieve the best outcomes for long-term success. Dr. Yves Jean-Bart, President of the Haitian Football Federation, will chair the group. THE MEMBERSARE: Dr. The Right Honourable Keith Mitchell (Prime Minister of Grenada) The Right Honourable Edward Seaga, O.N., P.C. (former Prime Minister of Jamaica and Chairman of the Jamaican National Premier League) Mr. Damien Hughes (General Secretary, Caribbean Football Union)
Mr. Simon Firth (Partner, Maples and Calder, Cayman Islands) Mr. Don Garber (Commissioner, Major League Soccer) Mr. David John Williams (Owner/President, W Connection Football Club, Trinidad and Tobago) Mr. Decio de Maria (President, Liga MX) The Honourable K.H. Randolph Horton, JP, MP (Speaker of the House of Assembly of Bermuda) Mr. Randy Harris (President, Barbados Football Association) Mr. James Johnson (Senior Manager Member Associations, FIFA) Mr. Shaka Hislop (Football Commentator and Former Trinidad & Tobago National Team Captain) Special advisors: The Premier League (England) Mr. Jefferson Slack (Senior Vice President, Global Business Development, IMG) Mr. Kieran Foley (Group Head Marketing, Digicel)
World Cup hopefuls in dress rehearsal
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Kaieteur News
GTTA awards Mash TT winners The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) awarded the various winners of the Mashramani tournament yesterday at the National Gymnasium with Director of Sport, Neil Kumar lauding the association for the work it continues to produce annually. Several players collected prizes in the various categories of the tournament after Kumar formally congratulated the association on its dominance of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Award with them winning approximately five of the accolades.
“I want to congratulate the association for the work they continue to do annually, which is one of the reasons they won so many of the national awards,” Kumar said, adding that the association is an example of what national bodies should produce annually. President of the GTTA Godfrey Munroe won ‘Sports Personality of the Year’ as Chelsea Edghill won her second ‘Junior Sportswoman of the Year’ award; the GTTA also got ‘Sport Association of the Year’ while Shemar Britton was Runner-up Junior Sportsman.
Kumar said that the fact that Britton attends Queens College and Edghill attends Bishops’s High School is testament to the fact that high academic standards can work hand-in-hand with a sports career. He encouraged the players to follow such example. Munroe then congratulated the players on their various performances and thanked the parents for their unyielding support. Munroe stated that the association will continue to strive for excellence in an effort to remain active and relevant throughout the year.
Afridi hits Bangladesh, hurts India Mirpur - Shahid Afridi smashed the second fastest one-day half-century and Ahmed Shehzad hit a hundred to give Pakistan a three wicket win over Bangladesh yesterday and a place in the Asia Cup final. The 34-year-old, who hit two consecutive sixes to give Pakistan a one-wicket win over India on Sunday, was once again Pakistan’s saviour as they chased down their highest-ever target of 327 in 49.5 overs in Dhaka. Afridi overshadowed a brilliant 123-ball 103 by opener Ahmed Shehzad and a sedate 74 by Fawad Alam who both set the tone for the chase, but it was the aggression of Afridi which helped Pakistan overcame a tough resistance from the hosts. Pakistan will meet Sri Lanka in Saturday’s final. Afridi, who went into bat with Pakistan needing 101 off 52 balls, smashed paceman Shafiul Islam for a four to reach fifty off just 18 balls, one short of one-day cricket’s fastest-ever half-century record held by Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, made against Pakistan in Singapore in 1996. He equalled his own record of second fastest oneday fifty, set twice by him. He scored an 18-ball fifty during his 37-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996 and another 18-ball fifty against the Netherlands at Colombo in 2002. In all, Afridi took seven sixes and two boundaries off just 25 balls. Pakistan’s previous best run chase in a one-day was 322-6 against India at Mohali in 2007. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq praised Afridi as “hero.” Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim admitted Afridi snatched the game. Before Afridi’s blitz, it was a remarkable turnaround for the hosts who suffered a shock upset defeat against newcomers Afghanistan in their
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Jamaica tops Barbados on second-half goals - play St. Lucia today Waterford, Barbados – Jamaica struck for a pair of second-half goals to defeat host Barbados 2-0 in an international friendly on Sunday last at the Barbados National Stadium. The victory snapped the Reggae Boyz’s 13-game winless streak in full internationals. Shortly after Barbados center-back Rommel Burgess left the match with an injury, Darren Mattocks and Deshorn Brown scored their first-ever goals in the 75th and 82nd minutes, respectively. The match was Barbados’ first since it posted a 2-1 win over Aruba on September 27, 2012. Next for Jamaica is another away friendly against St. Lucia today.
Action in the Jamaica vs Barbados game. (Photo courtesy of Barbados Today)
Smith fails as Australia close on big win
Ahmed Shehzad
second match on Saturday. Bangladesh made several changes after their 32-run loss, the most prominent being all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s return after he was suspended for three matches over indiscipline. That paid off as a revamped batting lineup led by Anamul bettered Bangladesh’s previous highest-ever total of 320-8, made against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2009. Pakistan too got a solid 97-runs by the 21st over with Mohammad Hafeez (52) and Shehzad in a punishing mood. But they were derailed by left-arm spinner Mominul Haque (237) who dismissed Hafeez and Sohaib Maqsood (two), while Shakib had captain Misbahul Haq for four. Shehzad completed his fifth one-day hundred but was bowled by Abdur Razzak, after hitting 12 fours and six. Shehzad added 105 runs for the fourth wicket with Alam. But Alam and Afridi broke the hearts of a capacity home crowd after Bangladesh had been given a chance by their
batsmen. Anamul and Imrul Kayes (59) put on 150 for the opening stand and cashed onto some sloppy fielding and bowling by Pakistan. Afridi went for 64 runs in his ten overs while paceman Mohammad Talha conceded 68 in seven and Umar Gul 76 in his 10. But it was the left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, brought in as one of two changes in Pakistan’s squad, who suffered the worst fate as he was suspended from the attack over dangerous bowling. He became the first bowler in international cricket to concede eight runs without bowling a legal delivery. Kayes hit five boundaries and two sixes off 75 balls. Anamul hit six boundaries and four well-timed sixes before he was caught off Saeed Ajmal who took 2-61. Mominul (51), Rahim (51 not out) and Shakib with a 16-ball 44 comprising six fours and two sixes, made the final touches as Bangladesh scored 121 in the last 10 overs.
Graeme Smith walks out to bat one last time, South Africa v Australia, 3rd Test, Cape Town, 4th day, March 4, 2014© AFP Cape Town, (Reuters) Graeme Smith made three in his final Test innings as South Africa slid towards a heavy defeat at the close on the fourth day of the seriesdeciding third test against Australia yesterday. Chasing a victory target of 511, the hosts will resume on 71 for four on the final day despite a valiant effort from AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla who survived 31 overs before the latter was out 20 minutes before stumps. South Africa had lost openers Smith and Alviro Petersen (nine), as well as Dean Elgar (nought), as Australia were rampant before tea. Smith flicked a rising Mitchell Johnson delivery on to his thigh and the ball looped gently to Alex Doolan at short leg, an inglorious end
for one of the game’s greats who was given a guard of honour by the touring side as he came out to bat. It was a tame way for Smith’s 205th Test innings to finish but it was in keeping with his poor form in a series in which he has scored just 45 runs in six innings. The South African captain, who announced his retirement from international cricket last night, bowed out having made 9,265 runs at an average of 48.25 in 117 tests, 109 of those as captain. De Villiers survived 100 balls for his 16 with all thoughts of scoring gone and survival the only thing on his mind. He and Amla added 53 for the fourth wicket off 184 balls, a stand ended when Amla was trapped lbw by a reverse-swinging delivery from James Pattinson.
“Hopefully we come out tomorrow and bowl straight at the stumps, that’s the line I think we have to bowl,” Australia opener David Warner said in a TV interview. “It was quite tough to get through the wall (Amla) there, but we know if we get can the ball reversing then we are in the game.” De Villiers will resume today with nightwatchman Kyle Abbott (one) hoping for a repeat of their performances in Adelaide and Johannesburg in the last 18 months where they batted for 148 and 136 overs respectively in the fourth innings to seal draws. Faf du Plessis, who will bat next, scored battling centuries in both those innings to steer the Proteas to (Continued on page 35)
Wednesday March 05, 2014
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Scotiabank / GCB Kiddy Cricket Festival
Helena trounce Zealand by 13 runs in Upper East Coast final
Members of the Helena Primary School team display their trophy. Standing at extreme right is Coach Latchman Yadram. By Zaheer Mohamed Helena defeated Zealand Primary School by 13 runs to win the final of the Upper East Coast district of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)\ Scotiabank nationwide Kiddy cricket festival yesterday at the Fair Field ground. Batting first, Helena posted 162-7 off their allocation of 10 overs. Shamal Taylor led with 19 while Dilshan Ramnarine supported with 11 and Devon Thomas 10. Osaye Hamid, Sherrifa Shepperd and Crystal Cramer grabbed two wickets each. Zealand scored 149-4 in 10 overs in reply which included
24 extras. In the Maichony Zone final which was played earlier at the same venue, De Hoop Primary which drew the bye went down to Zealand by 72 runs. De Hoop took first knock and scored 110-5 in 10 overs. Tamia Dodson and Mahendra Singh claimed two wickets each for Zealand who scored 182-2 in 10 overs in response. Hosea Hamid made 13 and extras assisted with 24. Zealand overcame Carlton Hall by 10 runs in the lone semifinal. Carlton Hall scored 135-6 in 10 overs taking first strike. Andre Monelall stroked 18, Antonio Monelall
13 and extras contributed 18. Tamia Dodson captured 2-5 and Sherrifa Shepperd 2-6. Zealand managed 145-5 in 10 overs in reply. Andy Peters made 10 and extras supported with 32. Joshua Byrne took 27.Helena overpowered Mahaica Primary (bye) by 36 runs in the Mahaica zone final which was contested recently at Helena ground. Mahaica took first strike and suffered 10 dismissals in scoring 108 in 10 overs with 30 extras. Dilshan Ram and Niron Wilson bagged two wickets each. Helena rattled up 144-6 in 10 overs in their turn at the
crease. Shamal Taylor slammed 18 and extras assisted with 20; Shemila Sealy had two wickets. Helena got the better of Virginia Primary by 20 runs in the semifinal. Helena scored 144-6 in 10 overs batting first. Devon Thomas and Shemal Taylor were their leading batters with 16 and 12 respectively. Colis Wiltshire and Nandita Cheddie snared two scalps apiece. Virginia responded with 124-10 in 10 overs. Kevin Chapman made 12; Khemraj Doodnauth and Shemica Williams picked up two wickets each.
59-year-old still treading with the young, completes 20K Road Race At the age of 59, many persons would be considering not too strenuous activities, however, there are some that are ‘young at heart’ and can still rival their younger counterparts. One such individual is Aaron Blackman, well known youth and community activist and sports organiser. Blackman successfully completed last weekend’s Wartsila 20K Road Race, which was won by Guyana’s Cleveland Forde and Trinidad’s Tonya Nero respectively. He finished the event in 48th position out of a field of 52; not bad for the ‘Old Boy’ as many would say, he is
testimony that once persons maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes exercise and a balanced diet, they can even in their ripe old age still find the preverbal ‘fountain of youth’. Aaron will celebrate his 60th birth anniversary on July 26 this year. His time for the Wartsila race was 2hrs 15mins and he was the oldest athlete in the Open category. He indicated that he hopes many persons; both young and old would become involved in some form of exercise and more so, compete in sporting activities. He called on the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) to introduce a Seniors
Athletic Championship on their calendar of activities, catering for athletes 35 years and over. ‘Ras Blackman’ as he is popularly known, congratulated the Wartsila Company for their initiative in staging the race, which is the most lucrative distance athletic event ever staged locally, with $3.3M in prize money. He expressed the hope that other companies would follow suit in investing in the development of our youths. He indicated that he will continue to be active and train for other events in the future, encouraging others to
Aaron Blackman maintain an active and healthy lifestyle which will contribute to a healthy Guyanese populace.
Vizion Sports and Ent. Group presents football and music to titillate the mind and soul The four football teams that are scheduled to clash when the curtains go up on the Vizion Sports and Entertainment Group Caribbean Inter Club Football Competition scheduled for this afternoon at the Georgetown Football Club Ground and continues March 7th and 9th next, are rearing to go while two of the top artistes, Ginga and Dwayne Stephenson have arrived in Guyana and are ready to set the local stage alight with soul touching renditions. Yesterday morning, the footballers and entertainers convened at the Windjammer Hotel, Alexander Street and gave a sneak preview of what is in store for revelers as well as football fans. Several other principals shared the head table including promoter, Wally Fraser, the aforementioned artistes, executives of several corporate entities sponsoring the show and representatives of the participating football clubs. Banks DIH is sponsoring under the GT Genuine Lager Beer’ label and Communications Manager, Troy Peters expressed delight at being afforded the opportunity. “My firm continues to be a key player in sports activities and once again we are delighted to play a major role,” he said. Caribbean Airlines have offset the cost of the airline tickets and its representative, Deon Innis, said that their input is based on the confidence placed in the organizers’ ability to put together a qualitative programme. “We are anticipating 3 days of exciting football!” he said. Manager of the Boystown FC, Andrew Price, and club captain, Wayne Ellis, both expressed delight at being in Guyana and promised an action packed affair when they take to the field. Not to be outdone, Alpha Coach, Wayne Dover and Slingerz Captain, Tichard Joseph promised to turn in classical, memorable and crowd pleasing performances. Mr. Fraser reiterated the view that the show will provide top class entertainment. He acknowledged the input of his hard working staff even as he expressed gratitude to the many corporate entities that had rendered support. He further revealed that he envisages that the tournament would be
transformed into a huge Caribbean affair as the year’s progress. Renowned footballer and Coach of Slingerz FC, Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard, said that the tournament would provide worthwhile exposure for his charges. He also revealed that his club would accommodate three guest players to improve on its performances; two will be drawn from Suriname clubs with the other, a local player. Pollard’s opposite number from Alpha, Wayne Dover, said that the imminent championships would provide valuable practice for his boys as they prepare for participation in the imminent Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championships. Meanwhile, Ginga gave fans a preview of things to come when he belted out one of his top tunes, ‘Never lost your way” while Stephenson retained the suspense while urging fans to come to the venue to enjoy a fantastic night. The music team of local songsters, First Born, was also in the house and their youngest member belted out one of their most recent tunes while assuring that his group is ready to deliver a night of musical ecstasy. Further fans will be in for a treat as the activity will witness the merging of sports and music to create the right atmosphere for their enjoyment. When activities get underway this evening, Boystown FC of Jamaica will go head to head with Slingerz while Buxton FC will take on Alpha United in the supporting match. Then on Friday, Slingerz FC will match skills with Alpha United moments before Boystown FC tackles Buxton FC with other matches being played up to Sunday March 9. Then there is local singer, Michelle ‘Big Red’ King and her son, Little Red, who will belt out some of their top tunes while several other entertainers out of Jamaica will also add to the occasion including the popular group, Voice Mail, Christopher Martin and Tappa Zukie. The price of admission ranges from $1500 for general seating while a VIP seat costs $3000. Tickets are available at Frenzy Bar, Albert and 5th Streets, Albertown, Nigel’s Supermarket, Giftland office Max and White Castle Fish Shop. Tickets can also be had at a location in Buxton ECD. All matches commence at 18:00hrs.
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Wednesday March 05, 2014
Another spin battle to decide series Three wins, three losses in 4-Day, Rd 1 Leewards see off CCC The first two one-day internationals have been a combination of some very good cricket and some very ordinary cricket - both teams have provided both aspects. In the second match, England played just enough of the better stuff than West Indies, but it was a close-run contest as they found themselves in a heap of trouble chasing a small total. Stuart Broad’s reaction on hitting the winning runs showed how much it meant to him to register a victory. The team desperately needed a positive result after twice letting strong positions fritter away in the opening match. Going 2-0 down, in the face of chasing just 160, would have left the danger of painful memories from Australia being revived. The result of this series will not mean a huge amount in terms of the challenges ahead but a number of players are taking their chance to impress for England, notably Michael Lumb, Moeen Ali and Stephen Parry who claimed three wickets on his debut. For West Indies, Lendl Simmons has twice held the innings together while Sunil Narine has been the handful expected of him. However, the hosts need much more from their top order - which is missing Chris Gayle’s power - and need to find a way of either putting more pressure on England’s spinners or, at least, not losing early wickets which sets the innings back and leaves the likes of Simmons needing to stage a recovery. West Indies 1 Dwayne Smith, 2 Kieron Powell, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Lendl Simmons, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Nikita Miller Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales trained yesterday, but with T20s around the corner
Marlon Samuels in the nets
Lendl Simmons
neither may be risked even though it is a deciding onedayer. That would mean a reprieve for the struggling Luke Wright. England 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 Luke Wright, 4 Joe Root, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad (capt), 10 James Tredwell, 11
Stephen Parry PITCH AND CONDITIONS For the third game in a row the same pitch will used: it was tired during the second match, it could well be comatose this time. Expect more spin, albeit slow, and even less bounce - 150 may not be far off defendable again. (ESPNcricinfo)
Drug testing in cricket: All players ‘hair tested’ in pilot scheme Every Professional cricketer in England and Wales has been “hair tested” for illegal drugs, the BBC has learned. It marks a significant increase in the scope of testing in domestic cricket, which employs over 400 players. Testing hair samples can reveal drug use stretching back over as long as three months. Cricket was urged to step up its testing after the death of Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, who died on a railway line in London in 2012. Maynard, 23, was
struck by a Tube train while drunk and high on drugs. After his inquest in February 2013, English cricket bosses announced that they planned to step up testing for recreational drugs. Speaking after a jury at Westminster Coroner’s Court returned a verdict of accidental death, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox urged cricket and other sports to introduce hair testing to determine long-term drug habits. The Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) and England and Wales Cricket Board instigated a
pilot project involving all 18 first-class counties with the aim of discovering how widely cocaine and cannabis, among other drugs, were used by professionals. Cricketers were informed that the results of the pilot test would remain confidential, with counselling and treatment offered initially in the wake of a ‘positive’. The PCA will not reveal the specific results of the pilot testing scheme, but when contacted by BBC Sport a spokesman described the results as “excellent”.
St. John’s, Antigua – Leeward Islands broke a sequence of three matches without a win over against Combined Campuses & Colleges in the Regional 4Day Tournament with a 72run, come-from-behind victory yesterday. Spin bowling all-rounder Hayden Walsh Jr., an attendee of the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre in the last year, grabbed 4-81 from 15 overs to trigger a CCC batting collapse, as they chased 262 for victory on the final day of their first round match at Warner Park in St. Kitts. Gavin Tonge supported with 3-44 from 13 overs to flatten the top-order and legspinner Anthony Martin completed the demolition with a miserly 2-17 from 19 overs, as the Leewards ensured a full house of victories in the opening week of the Tournament. The highlight of the match was the first hundred of the new term from Leewards wicketkeeper/ batsman Jahmar Hamilton. A graduate of the Sagicor WIHPC, he collected his second first-class hundred of 119 in the second innings to bring the home team back into the match and give them the inspiration to fight for a victory that has become quite rare. It was the Leewards’ first victory over the CCC since they crushed them by 10 wickets four years ago at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia. J a m a i c a continued their dominance of Guyana, when they started the Tournament with a resounding sevenwicket victory on home soil at Sabina Park. The Jamaicans defied a seven-wicket, match
Leeward players celebrate the fall of another CCC wicket performance from West Indies left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul to coast to victory before tea on the final day on Monday. It was the home team’s seventh straight victory over the visitors and 12th in 21 matches since 2000 – a period during which the Guyanese have only been able to snare one victory eight years ago at Chedwin Park in the Jamaican district of Innswood. Windward Islands were the first to the finish line, when they completed a confident nine-wicket victory inside three days over reigning champions Barbados on Sunday under the lights at Beausejour. It was their third win in their last seven matches against the Barbadians and was set up by impressive fast bowling from Nelon Pascal and long-standing left-arm medium-fast bowler Kenroy Peters. Pascal ended with match
figures of 8-103 and Peters grabbed 7-45 in a contest ending before tea on the third day with Kraigg Brathwaite’s side demolished for 90 in their second innings – the third time in the last four matches between the two sides that Barbados had been dismissed for a total of less than 100. The We s t Indies Cricket Board has also advised that the number of day/night matches to be contested in the Tournament has now been reduced from nine to six. The third round contest between CCC and Barbados at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados, the sixth round match between Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, and the last round fixture between Leewards and the Barbadians at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua are all now scheduled to be day-time games, starting daily from 10 in the morning.
Arsenal Gives St.Lucian Teen A Chance The London based English Premier League (EPL) Club currently in the title hunt of the EPL is taking a look at Seventeen-year-old St Lucian, Caniggia ‘Ginola’ Elva. Arsenal already has the services of Theo Walcott, who is of Barbadian heritage. Elva currently plays for the Canadian side, Calgary Southwest United. The club has confirmed, via its official twitter account, that the talented seventeen year old was headed to a trial with one of the biggest names in English club football. The tweet read, “OH MYSWU Striker Caniggia Elva off to London, England, Monday for trial with Arsenal FC!!! Thanks to all who (Continued on page 31)
Caniggia Elva
Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Thirteen clubs to do battle
Alpha United drawn in Group 3 Guyana’s top club, Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United is one of 13 clubs from the Caribbean that will be doing battle from March 19-26 for the top three places in the 2014 CFU Club Championship Cup competition. This competition is the Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) official qualifying tournament for the 2014/2015 CONCACAF Champions League, from which teams are qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup. All games are scheduled to be played simultaneously with the final round set for April 1621 in a straight knock-out to crown a champion in order to secure the three places up for grabs at the CONCACAF Champions League. The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Champions’ Cup is an official yearly Calendar
event of the Caribbean Football Union. The tournament has been divided into three groups, with four teams to each group, while defending c h a m p i o n s Va l e n c i a Football Club from Haiti gets a bye to enter the competition in the final round. In Group 1 the teams are Centro Dominguito from Curacao, Bayamon from Puerto Rico, Bodden Town from the Cayman Islands and Unite Saint Rosienne
from Guadeloupe. Group 2 consists of Association Sportive de Mirebalais from Haiti, Waterhouse Football Cub from Jamaica, Inter Moegotopoe from Suriname and Caledonia AIA from Trinidad and Tobago. In Group 3 there is Harbour View Football Club from Jamaica, Alpha United from Guyana, Defense Force Football Team from Trinidad & Tobago and Sporting Vereniging Notch from Suriname.
Masked hero... James bags record points haul for Miami Heat NBA champions continue fine form with eighth straight win
LeBron James’ 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats was a career-high and a Miami Heat record James powers through the Bobcats’ defence on his way to scoring more points for Miami Heat LeBron James created history on Monday night by scoring a career-high and Miami Heat record 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats. Dazzling from inside and out, James put on the best scoring show of his NBA life, pouring in 61 points as the Heat brushed aside the Bobcats 124-107. It
was the eighth straight win for the two-time defending NBA champions, who are starting to roll as the play-offs near. James, still sporting a plastic mask after sustaining a broken nose against Oklahoma City Thunder last week, made 22 of 33 shots from the field, including his first eight three-point
attempts.‘The man above has given me some unbelievable abilities to play the game of basketball,’ James said. ‘I just try to take advantage of it every night. I got the trust of my team-mates and my coaching staff to go in there and let it go.’His career best (Continued on page 31)
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Persaud guides NOC No.1 to victory
New Opportunity Corps (NOC) number 1 emerged winner’s when the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport / New Opportunity Corps Under-15 cricket competition ended on Sunday last on the Essequibo Coast. Host NOC 1 overcame Scramblers by 20 runs in the final. NOC won the toss, elected to take first strike and posted 127-8 off their allotted 30 overs. Mahendra Persaud top scored with 33 (3x4) while Orlando Jailall supported with 25 (2 x4) and Joshua Jones 23. J. Sankar picked up 4 –14 off 5 overs. Scramblers in reply folded for 107 with N. Looknauth 28 (2x6) and A. Smith 21 being the only
batsmen that offered resistance. Mahendra Persaud returned to grab 3 for 15 off 4 overs. He was well support by Shamar Dosraj 2-18 and Joshua Jones 2-19. In other matches played earlier, NOC 2 overcame Scramblers by seven wickets. Scramblers were skittled for 94 in 12 overs, batting first. NOC 2 replied with 95-3 in 11.3 overs with Sachin Persaud scoring 24 and Stephan Apple 14. NOC 1 got the better of NOC 2 by four wickets. NOC 2 took first strike and were bowled out for 102 in 15 overs. Sachin Persaud scored 48 and Apple 14; Norman Singh took 2-18. NOC 1 responded with 103-6 in 14
overs. Arnold Adams led with 20 not out. Meanwhile, at the presentation ceremony Admin Manager of NOC Parsram Singh thanked the participating teams and said the competition will be played annually. He stated that he was impressed with the talent of the players and encouraged them to take the game seriously. Scramblers Coach Prince Holder thanked NOC for organising the competition. NOC number 1 and Scramblers were presented with trophies while Sachin Persaud was given the competition Most Valuable Player prize. Imam Bacchus SC was the other team that took part in the competition.
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Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 05, 2014
“Poor batting cost Guyana against Jamaica”-Coach Crandon By Sean Devers in Jamaica In Association with Sterling Products Ltd, Auto Fashion & Payless Varity Store Guyana’s Head Coach Esaun Crandon says the unfortunate last-minute unavailability of key batsmen Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan and the poor first innings batting performance disrupted the balance of the team and caused Guyana to play ‘catch up’ cricket from the first day. The 32-year-old former Guyana fast bowler was referring to Guyana’s sevenwicket loss to Jamaica half way through the fourth and final day of their Regional Four-Day opening round game against host Jamaica which ended here on Monday. The 39-year-old Chanderpaul, West Indies’ most experienced Test player, was ruled out due to a thumb injury which required surgery, while 33-year-old Sarwan could not play because of a back strain. G u y a n a ’s M a n a g e r, Alvin Johnson, informed that Chanderpaul’s finger is bandaged and he should be out for 10 days and will miss Guyana’s next match, while Sarwan’s back injury is a bit more serious and should require rehabilitation work. The pair would have no doubt added punch to the batting line up on what was generally a flat Sabina Park track where Guyana were bundled out for 117 on the first day after Jamaica had won the toss.
“Leon Johnson is recovering from a knee injury and will most likely miss out on the next match while the doctor here examined Beaton and recommended that he rest for a couple of days. He should be fit to play against B a r b a d o s o n F r i d a y, ” Johnson added. “The absence of Shiv and Sars was a set-back even before a ball was bowled. Their presence would not only have strengthened the batting but they would have helped tremendously on the field also, especially since Shiv was appointed Captain when (Leon) Johnson was sidelined,” informed Crandon, who has 90 wickets from 38 First-Class matches. The Berbician, who also scored a First-Class fifty, feels that Guyana was put on the back foot from the opening day due to their poor first innings batting display. “We had to play catch up cricket from day one due the poor shot selections by our batsmen and although we showed a vast improvement in the second innings, we were always going to struggle to bowl out Jamaica for less than 88,” Crandon opined. Off-spinner Jamie Merchant took four wickets in the first innings but his innocuous bowling was aided by a succession of impetuous shots against a bowler who rarely turned the ball. Most of the Guyanese batsmen gave their wickets away. After left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul’s
First-Class debut as a 19year-old and was a member of Guyana’s team which won the inaugural Stanford t20 tournament in 2010, was confident that Guyana can rebound in the competition. Tagenarine Chanderpaul returns from a successful under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh and along with
NAWF Girls U17 Inter - Secondary Schools Football
Esaun Crandon
ninth five-wicket haul had restricted Jamaica to 294 when at one time the home team seemed set to score well over 400, Vishaul Singh and Assad Fudadin revived hopes of a Guyana fight back with their diligent partnership. Singh batted for 300 minutes for his 73, while Fudadin stayed at the crease for 213 minutes to make 33. “Singh and Fudadin batted very well in the second innings and more importantly took up a lot of time as we looked to save the match, but when they got out we lost six wickets for about 50 runs (41 runs). And with so much time left it was very difficult to save the match,”
Chanderpaul Hemraj, will come into the team for Guyana’s next game. The team was scheduled to leave Jamaica yesterday but they are not expected to arrive in Guyana until 01:45 h r s t o d a y. T h e y h o s t Barbados at the Stadium in the Day/Night match from Friday.
Defending champs Leonora held to draw by Zeeburg
explained Crandon, who played his last match for Guyana in 2011. “I must commend the last pair of Beaton and Joseph for their 44-run partnership. They batted for over an hour and played very well and played shots top order batsmen would have been proud of. At least they gave us something (88) to try and work with,” Crandon said. “There is a big competition between Beaton and Joseph when it comes to their batting. But Beaton (22*) scored two more than Joseph and was left not out so for now Beaton will remain at number 10,” Crandon said with a laugh. Crandon, who made his
Defending champions Leonora Secondary were held to an exciting 1-1 draw by Zeeburg Secondary when play in the National Association of Women Football kicked off their Under-17 competition on Monday afternoon at the Den Amstel Community Centre Ground. Top class goal keeping b y Z e e b u r g ’s S h e r n e Kertzious kept her team in the hunt and Leonora at bay to ensure that they came away with an equal share of the points while dampening the spirits of the Leonora lasses. It was the defending champions who took the lead
through a Mandy Dainty 42nd minute goal sending their fellow students in the stands into jubilation. But even as Leonora assumed the advantage, Zeeburg had other plans, keeping the focus as they kept up the offensive pressure. T h e i r {Zeeburg}persistence paid off in the end as they were awarded a penalty in the 59th minute which was converted by La Shawn La Rose much to the delight of their supporters, fellow students and teachers. It was the perfect start to what is anticipated to be an enthralling tournament.
QC Sports Dept to host inter club football Queen’s College Sports Department will be hosting a 5-aside male and female Inter Class small goal football competition tomorrow at the School’s Auditorium commencing from 15:30hrs. The tournament is organized by Sports Teacher Johnny Barnwell and at stake will be trophies and medals.
Kaieteur News
Wednesday March 05, 2014
Courts supports NPCG Sports Festival
Marketing Director Molly Hassan (2nd left) presents the cheque to NPCG Treasurer Anand Mangru in the presence of from left, Marketing Officer Trudy Abrahams, Wilton Spencer and Marketing Manager Pernell Cummings. Furniture giant Courts yesterday threw their support behind the Para Sports Festival which is scheduled for March 9 at the Guyana Defense Force ground. Yesterday at their Main street location, the entity donated $742,248 to the
National Paralympic Committee of Guyana (NPCG) for hosting of the event. Speaking at the c e r e m o n y, M a r k e t i n g Director Molly Hassan stated that they are pleased to support the festival given the fact that it involves
Differently Able athletes and it is one way of giving back to the society. “We a r e e x t r e m e l y honored to be part of this remarkable event which is mainly aimed to improve these athletes and I would like to wish the organisers and
participants well”, she added. President of the NPCG Wilton Spencer thanked the organisation for their input. Thirty-two activities are slated for the day with athletes from Regions four, five, six and ten expected to compete.
Blatter: I’m sure it will be a great success -100 days to go F I FA P r e s i d e n t Joseph S. Blatter has spoken of his excitement ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ as the countdown reaches 100 days (yesterday) until the tournament’s Opening Match between the hosts and Croatia. “It will be, in 100 days, an exceptionally good start for an exceptional competition,” President Blatter told FIFA.com. ”FIFA’s World Cup in Brazil, the country of football. They will receive this competition with open arms and full of heart. President Blatter spoke of the verve and passion which the Brazilian footballing style
has brought to the world of football. “I have to say that the country where football, the skill of football, has been inaugurated is Brazil,” he said. “The Brazilian spirit of the game and the Brazilian ability to play football makes this World
Cup very, very special.” The history of the Maracanazo was not lost on President Blatter as he spoke of the Brazilian public’s anticipation of the second World Cup to be held in their country. “The last World Cup in Brazil was organised in
1950 and Brazil lost the final in the Maracana against Uruguay now, everybody is expecting, in Brazil, that Brazil will bring home this World Cup, and that’s why there is such a big expectation. I’m sure it will be a great, great success.”
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Boxers vie for lucrative purses as Jamaica unveils ‘Contender’ boxing tournament Four local professional boxers are scheduled to leave these shores for Kingston, Jamaica where they will match gloves with their Caribbean counterparts when the Jamaican Boxing Board unveils the 3rd edition of ‘The Contender,’ a tournament that nets the winner thousands of United States dollars. The local team consists of Howard ‘Battersea Bomber’ Eastman, Gladwin Dorway, Derick Richmond and Revlon Lake; all fighting in the Welterweight division. They will be accompanied by Coaches, Joseph Murray, Orlon ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers and Mark Thom. While each Coach is responsible for a particular boxer, they will all unite to prepare the team for the rigorous tournament ahead. The team leaves Guyana Saturday March 16 next and will remain on the Island for approximately four months, during which time, they will engage their counterparts in the host country, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados for a chance to clinch a lucrative purse of US$20,000. President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), Peter Abdool held a press briefing yesterday afternoon at his Avenue of the Republic Office and explained the details pertaining to participation in the tournament as well as the payment structure in place. The tournament is dubbed, ‘The Contender,’ similar to the local Guyana Fight Night but with a slight difference. When it started some three years ago, the organizers had pitted the skills of the best Middleweights on the Island in a module that was copied from a similar series staged in North America under the auspices of the World Boxing Council
(WBC). Having ascertained the best Middleweight, the promoters have now broadened the scope to the Welterweight division and were hopeful of participation from other countries in North America and Europe. They have just managed to attract those aforementioned CARICOM countries and this segment will see boxers out of Jamaica (8), Guyana (4), Trinidad and Tobago (2) and Barbados (2) going after the top prize. It is uncertain at specifically what time Guyanese pugilists will start fighting but Kaieteur Sport was informed that once a fighter loses, he will return home. During their stay in Jamaica, the fighters will receive a weekly stipend to sustain them while all related expenses will be offset by the promoters. Other than the top prize, the runner up receives US$5000 with the boxer occupying the 3rd place receiving $2,500. The boxer occupying the 4th place spot will receive $1,500. Meanwhile, Eastman, undoubtedly the most experienced of the lot, is oozing confidence and said that he is eagerly looking forward to the keen competition in store. He said that he was informed that Jamaican pugilist, Sakima Mulling is participating in the tournament. The last time the two clashed at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Mulling had prevailed on points. Eastman said that he will be going all out to reverse that decision. His coach, Mark Thom, is also confident that his charge will dominate the tournament and cart off the top prize. The other coaches all expressed confidence in their charges.
t r o Sp Vizion Sports and Ent. Group presents football and music to titillate the mind and soul P.39
Each of these athletes and artistes seen posing with promoter, Wally Fraser (centre with shades) has promised crowd pleasing performances
GTTA awards Mash TT winners
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Director of Sport, Neil Kumar (seated centre) along with GTTA President, Godfrey Munroe take a photo opportunity with the various prize winners of the Mashramani Table Tennis Competition at the National Gymnasium yesterday. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210