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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
THE JAGDEO CONUNDRUM One of the most talked about events these days centre on Bharrat Jagdeo and his wealth. Ever since he demitted office, in fact, before he demitted office, people were commenting on his domiciles, the first of which was constructed at Ogle. That first house was sold for a sum of money that would build a dozen middle class homes. Then former President Jagdeo built a house that is so ostentatious that it defies description. It remains the talking point of the nation to the point that it is becoming an embarrassment to even Jagdeo. As is often the case in Guyana where issues disappear after a few days of public discussion this recent flare up about Jagdeo’s house and his wealth would have died as every scandal does. The fact, though, that Jagdeo’s house and his wealth are talking points to the extent that people see him as the epitome of a leader who presided over a corrupt society, would make the issue a landmark in the annals of the country. Some believe that Jagdeo, his house and his wealth cost his People’s Progressive Party the parliamentary majority and saw Guyana having its first minority government. The accusations of corruption did not go away because there was no prosecution. Many people recalled seeing a man hustling to make a living one day and living in high style the next. They saw Ministers of the government who were ordinary people one day and filthy rich people the next. Meanwhile, there were the ordinary people who, try as they might, find it extremely difficult to improve their lot. These are the people who sought the help of their politicians who then became arrogant and dismissive. For every indiscretion of the child, blame the parent; for every indiscretion of the Ministers blame the President. And so it was that people turned. The 2011 elections came and went leaving behind the scars of an arrogant people who had become complacent in public office. Short memories always plague a people who are confident to the point that they believe that there could be nothing wrong about whatever they do. Having been faced with the embarrassment of a Bharrat Jagdeo campaign the People’s Progressive Party decided that once more it was going back to Jagdeo for the campaign leadership. And once more Jagdeo’s affluence is being questioned. The fallout sees the return of memories of a time when people point to wide scale corruption amidst their suffering. They recall the poorly constructed roads, the over-priced constructions and again, the allegations of corruption while they, the people, fail to improve their lot. Yet people might have been tempted to pay quiet attention to Jagdeo and his election campaign statements had he not opted to say that his lifestyle was the parallel of Cheddi Jagan’s. Cheddi Jagan is to the PPP as the Pope is to the Catholic Church. His followers have anointed him and had he been pursuing a religious venture then he might have been sanctified. And so it is that Bharrat Jagdeo has sought to sully Cheddi Jagan’s image, much to the annoyance of the man’s followers. There are die-hard supporters who are now questioning the validity of the PPP given what they perceive to be a veering away from the principles of the party. And because of the closeness of those in the leadership of the party there is none who dares to admit that something wrong was said. The General Secretary believes that any problem over the Jagdeo comparison is the work of the opposition. He is sticking to the convention of blaming the opposition when any criticism emerges. At the same time, having taken the position that Jagdeo would be the chief campaigner, the party is constrained to support him. So the party insists that he did no wrong with his comparison to Cheddi Jagan; that the wealth of the leaders is something that should not be questioned or seen in any negative light.
Tuesday March 24, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
THE PPP AND DEBATES
DEAR EDITOR, Just a few comments on Manzoor Nadir’s appearance with APNU+AFC’s Imran Khan and Guyana Press A s s o c i a t i o n ’s N a z i m a Raghubir on the radio show ‘Hard Talk’ with host Chris Chapwanya. Mr. Nadir should know better than to make the insane argument that state media is not being abused by the PPP because they are covering executive government programmes and not party ones. The parliamentary opposition is part of the state (and hence government) and the state media’s job is to give access to all components of the state. Further, the fact that NCN produced and aired a programme with PPP PM candidate Elisabeth Harper, appearing for the PPP and not in her substantive role as Director-General of Foreign Affairs, is a glaring example
of PPP abuse of the state media. It is unfortunate that Ms. Harper can now count herself complicit in such abuse. Then there is Mr. Nadir’s glib contextualization of the PPP support groups running slander campaigns, equating them to the PACs of US politics, and claiming that the PPP cannot be responsible for such groups. Even if we were to give him the benefit of a doubt, the fact is the PPP has never denounced any of the nastiness carried out in its name. There were, for example, the racist editorials published in the Guyana Chronicle that the President has failed to disassociate himself from although the Chronicle comes under his portfolio as Minister of Information. W h a t M r. N a d i r ’s statement indicates is that the PPP is set to run a ‘swift-
boat’ campaign in which supposedly independent Astroturf groups attack the coalition using material that would be considered in breach of electoral codes of conduct, and then distance itself from said attacks. It is an intellectually bankrupt strategy, but fitting for an intellectually and morally bankrupt political organization. That said, Mr. Nadir should be commended on his courage for appearing at all. The PPP core leadership is proving to be increasingly notorious at avoiding any debate on any issue. Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo was scheduled to appear on ‘Hard Talk’ two weeks ago but ‘postponed’ after the host insisted on focusing on issues affecting Guyana instead of, as Jagdeo preferred on his international career. He is yet to appear. While Jagdeo has thrown
out a challenge to debate, when it was answered by Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, the former President suddenly went silent again. All of the PPP’s supposed best and brightest, from Anil Nandlall to Gail Teixeira to Dr. Roger Luncheon are very comfortable in controlled situations, whether it is at Freedom House or Office of the President or at NCN, but none of them would dare subject themselves to any sort of open unscripted scrutiny. N e i t h e r t h e P P P ’s Presidential nor Prime Ministerial candidates seem willing to publicly debate any issues, with Donald Ramotar apparently having faded into the background of what is supposed to be his own campaign. No government, confident of the ability of the people to recognize what it claims to be a stellar record (Continued on page 23)
The Coalition must negotiate the transfer of power with the PPP Gov’t DEAR EDITOR, I believe the Coalition should and must negotiate the transfer of power with the current PPP Government. Guyana is hopeful, very hopefully that this Coalition is the beginning of the end of a culture of racial politics and state corruption of all forms, both of which have created 48 years of political instability in Guyana, retarded development, unnecessary violence and constructed mistrust. The power behind the Coalition is the aspirations and desires of all right thinking Guyanese to truly come together to build a better, safer and more inclusive Guyana. This takes a lot of work, however I believe that it will also help us to finally shape a National Identity that Guyanese can relate to, feel proud about, and market to the entire world. The core weakness of the PPP Government is that they are fighting against the expressed desires of the majority of Guyanese, many of our development partners and international watchdog groups. A Government of all the people fighting against inclusive governance, national unity and transparent and accountable governance only means a Government with a big bag of dirty laundry to hide and sanitize. Therefore I suggest that the APNC/AFC
Coalition begins seriously considering and planning negotiations to facilitate the transfer of power while providing some concessions to the PPP Government. A plan should be proposed or if this is seen as to provocative, then a plan must at least be in place. Not only will this
reduce fears, desperation and proxy efforts to destabilize Guyana and the election process allegedly by certain elements within or close to the PPP Government, it also serves as a good litmus test of the Coalition’s principle to practice real inclusive governance. It will be an act
of political maturity and shared trust from both the Coalition and the PPP Government. This may be the most basic yet fundamental act that we can take as a people to change the political direction of our country. Mike Archer
Of mansions and fat bank accounts
DEAR EDITOR, When the PPP held a majority in parliament under Jagdeo, everything moved at constant speed. We saw the light of funds leave the treasury, hit the projects’ mirror on the roof and balance the books back at the treasury. With their Einstein theory perfected, they then came up with the formula, E=mc2. This represented the relationship between “money in your pocket” (m) and “every project” (E), with (c) being ”cashing in on speed and secrecy.” Jagdeo found that by secretly signing deals approaching the speed of light, c, the money in your pocket, m, also got
heavier. If the PPP had the majority and were able to continue at c, every project budget, E, would have been infinite. Unfortunately, Kaieteur News was moving at half the speed in the opposite direction and discovered that the funds traveled upward along a diagonal path, struck the projects’ mirror, and then traveled downward along a diagonal path before entering the treasury to balance the books. What this meant was that we all saw the budgeted allocations, but Kaieteur News saw different money paths, mansions and fat bank accounts. Joe Owen
OBSERVER MISSIONS
DEAR EDITOR, There appears to be inordinate publicity given to the intervention of overseas Observer Missions to the upcoming General Elections, as if this exercise has not become a routine, without any initiative having to be taken by Government. What, however, is interesting is that there has been no public conversation about the plethora of Observations/Recommendations made by the local and international Missions since as far back as 2006. There certainly has been no publicity given to any of the corrective actions taken, if any. Few may recall that the first
Observation/Recommendation made by the Carter Center Observer Mission in 2006 was to revamp the very model earlier proposed, and accepted current structure of the Guyana Elections Commission (as distinct from the Administration) which they deemed had become dysfunctional. This Mission’s updated evaluation in this regard would be most welcome. Incidentally most stakeholders have forgotten that the Commission is a constitutional Agency accountable to Parliament, and not to the Office of the President, as has obtained these past decades. E.B. John
Tuesday March 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Take off the blinkers of race hate A word of wisdom to the electorate DEAR EDITOR, “There are none so blind as those who would not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know” (John Heywood). The present administration has been in office for more than twenty-two years! Twenty-two years!!! That is more than the lifetime of many of our youths. As parents we want the best for our children. We hope and pray that they will turn out right and that their lives would be meaningful. However, this is a complicated world, and greed has complicated it even more. Greedy people use simple and vulnerable people to fulfill their lust for power and money. Sad to say, this is the situation in Guyana. A few parasites have grabbed as much as they can from the system for their personal benefit, and have made themselves pretty welloff from the hard work and contributions of the poor. Extremism is born of such behaviour. We only need to look at Syria, Libya and Iraq, for example. Do we want our children and grandchildren to inherit a legacy of extreme behaviour – extreme thieving, extreme intolerance to others’ views, extreme cronyism, extreme propaganda that will not end on elections day, but will further divide our country in the days after elections? Extremism will not stop at the opulent lifestyles that have come at the expense of the poor; extremism will develop among the less fortunate if we continue along the path we are on presently. Is that what we wish for our country? Extreme behaviour came to the forefront recently when Mr. Courtney Crum-Ewing was gunned down for his views, perhaps by a vulnerable person; someone who had become extreme and extremely attached to receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars every month for having no skills
except the ability to demonstrate the behaviour of a thug; money which people with genuine skills do not get for working in this country. This type of extreme behaviour has run down our institutions. Legitimate development and run-down institutions do not go together. They do not serve our interests. Rundown institutions foster corrupt practices and enable the dishonest to thrive. Public health care suffers, education suffers, security suffers, and other services suffer - all the services that the ordinary person has to rely on, become sub-standard. This degradation that is taking place provides an environment for more extreme behaviour. Our children who see us as hypocrites and wimps, abuse themselves and substances; and there is no meaningful national institution that helps them when they become ill. Not surprisingly, they may commit suicide, as borne out in our high rate of suicide in Guyana. Delusional people are numbing their feelings with alcohol and other drugs in order not to face reality. Some pedestrians walk as if their life means nothing to them, seeming to suggest that they would rather someone ended it for them. Reckless drivers behave as if they have a death wish on the roads. I guess that is the happiness that I was recently reading about; the happiness of the insane; the happiness that I understand we are so full of in Guyana; the happiness that makes me
wonder: where am I? We must be a very faith-filled people to be happy with what we have been offered as governance in this country; the atrocities of those who should set a good example, especially for the youths who will be leaders one day. Perhaps because of our delusional state we are happy nevertheless, like a lunatic who walks around grinning from ear to ear, because in his world everything is just fine with him; or the fanatically religious who believe that God will help us, without our helping ourselves. It does not make me happy to see that qualifications and experience are less valued than incompetence, lack of integrity and the related capacity to be manipulated. I am not happy to see thugs and murderers thriving in this society. I am not happy to see roads being built at great expense and are in a state of disrepair soon after. I am not happy to see that some roads are done because of who is living in certain areas, while other roads are left in disrepair because they may not bring in enough votes. I am not happy to have the everyday experience with ‘happy go lucky’ drivers on the road exhibiting their ignorance and putting us all at risk, as they hustle a living to pay for the car or the house, which incidentally, does not belong to them until all that they owe is repaid plus interest to the bank. The reality is that one can get a house lot, but one has to have a job that pays (Continued on page 23)
DEAR EDITOR, The strategy of the PPP in this election campaign seems very clear: to use race-based politics to divide the two main races and exploit IndoGuyanese insecurity, to accuse David Granger of rigging elections and to portray Moses Nagamootoo as the betrayer of Dr. Jagan’s philosophy. The first strategy is intriguing and is of great concern to the nation, because Guyana is a race and class stratified society, and with its two main races, the strategy seems intended to provoke certain instinctual fears and will influence how Indo- and Afro-Guyanese will vote on May 11. This type of character assassination is of course a negative strategy which has already shaped up to be a popular modality for the PPP and its supporters in the campaign. Filled with frustration, frozen with incompetence and wedged in the past, the PPP has turned Guyana into a battered nation with bands of poverty, high crime, massive corruption, bad governance and poor, sleazy, vindictive and dishonest leaders. They have not recognized that the racial thing is a red herring that has created trauma and rage throughout the country. Jagdeo, Rohee and the PPP have lost their cool and are angry at those fighting against human oppression
and denigration. It is a righteous fight stirred up by injustice, hypocrisy, venality, dishonesty, indecency and greed. But Guyanese are angry too at the subversion of justice. In this election, the people should vent their anger at the outrageous corrupt practices, immorality, race-based and cuss-down politics. The false premise that wealth and all eminence are arrived at, not by hard work, but by crookedness, has taken root among the Freedom House gang. Crookedness today in Guyana has taken the form of unjust enrichment, land grabbing, diversion of state resources into private hands and the awarding of contracts to friends and relatives for huge kick-backs in return. It is amazing how little it may take to bribe someone into ethical blindness and a dulled conscience! And the corrupt are not generous with their ill-gotten gains; they do not share any with the poor. They are far more immoral, deceitful and insincere than anyone can ever imagine. The citizens must vote for change as an expression of their outrage and anger at the high level of corruption, nepotism, and grease hands, and the desecration of the institutions and their national patrimony. For the past ten years, the PPP has shown total
disregard for best practices, and has refused to establish the Procurement Commission or even attempt to curb corruption. It appears as though the cabal is addicted to corruption, not realizing that it affects the soul of the country and that it is cancerous and destroys the moral fabric of society. This is the kind of country Guyana has become today under the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal. The ruling elite ride into the dens of ill-gotten wealth on the backs of the poor and the working class whom they think are a bunch of gullible and exploitable followers. A word of wisdom to the electorate is to let the PPP know that they must not take them for granted. The consequences of (Continued on page 23)
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday March 24, 2015
Guyana Stores CEO continues to testify in legal battle with NICIL Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Stores Limited, (GSL) Tony Yassin, yesterday led further evidence in the court case between the National Industrial commercial Investments Limited, (NICIL) and the privately-owned enterprise, Royal Investment Incorporated, (RII). The matter which is before Justice Roxanne George at the High Court in Georgetown is as a result of a lawsuit filed by NICIL. NICIL is suing Royal Investments, the entity which owns and operates Guyana Stores Limited, for failing to pay the balance of US$2 million for the 70 million shares in the company which was acquired for US$6million. Yesterday, Attorney-atLaw Edward Luckhoo (SC), who is representing GSL, reexamined Mr. Yassin on information he provided while under cross examination by Attorney, Rafiq Khan who is representing NICIL in the trial. Yassin was asked about the payments of dividends in
the company and whether his company, Royal Investments was informed about those payments. He explained that it was after the sale of the company that he reviewed the financial documents and learnt of the payment of the dividend. Further questioned by the Attorney about the state of the company after it was purchased, the businessman accepted that that GSL was struck off the Register for the non-submission of the Annual Returns. He said, however, that application was made for the Company to be restored to the Register. At this point, Rafiq Khan raised an objection. Khan pointed out that a reexamination is limited in its realm of clarity and purpose. The lawyer further held that this should not be done during the re-examination but rather through the Company Secretary, who can be called on to say that the application had been filed. Mr. Luckhoo, in response, pointed out that the fact of
CEO of Guyana Stores, Tony Yassin the Company being struck off, had been raised by Khan making it therefore necessary for the defence to raise the issue to show steps were taken by for reinstatement of the company. As such, Yassin subsequently explained that that steps are being taken to re-instate the Company to the Register – the documents are
to be filed. The GSL Boss was questioned about franchise which the company lost during certain periods. Yassin was asked specifically about the Fisherman’s Friend franchise and the Perkins franchise. The line of questioning met with a series of objections from NICIL’s Attorney. However, Yassin later explained that he could not recall whether he took any steps to renew that Fisherman’s Friends franchise, but in regards to Perkins, the witness said that there was correspondence between himself, Reaz Khan (a former investor in RII) and NICIL’s boss Winston Brassington regarding the issue. After signing the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement, Yassin said that he took steps to renew the Perkins Agreement. He said that he contacted Mr. Valdez and subsequently travelled to Miami where he met with him officially in respect to the Perkins franchise but he was
unable to secure the franchise. He explained that the franchise was already signed with someone else. Luckhoo thereafter requested leave to file evidence as to the shares held by Yassin and Reaz Khan’s subsequent resignation from the Board of Directors. Yassin told the court that he had proof of Khan’s resignation subsequent to his agreement of sale for GSL. Attorney- at- law Khan, also objected to this. He questioned the relevance of the evidence as to the facts and issues in the case – as to how Mr. Yassin acquired the shares in Royal Investments Inc. In his rebuttal, Luckhoo said that Khan cannot tell him what is relevant to his case – there is an issue of the authority Yassin had to negotiate with Mr. Brassington. Luckhoo said that he was seeking to lead fresh evidence to show how Mr. Yassin acquire those shares, the authority he had to negotiate,
Executive Director of NICIL, Winston Brassington and its relevance to the case and that should not be preempted at this point. Khan continued to argue but was overruled. He was thereafter permitted to further cross-examination of Yassin and asked Mr. Yassin whether he was aware that Reaz Khan had filed an action against Royal Investments Inc. Yassin clarified that the action was against Guyana Stores Limited and that he, (Khan) filed as a shareholder of GSL, saying that he owns 94,000 shares. The matter has been adjourned to April 10, 2015.
Man gets 10 years for raping 10-year-old Dennis Evans, called ‘Die Die’, 36, of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, was on Monday jailed for 10 years by Justice Brassington Reynolds. The man had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge of engaging in sexual activity with the child, knowing that she was a minor. The act was committed on October 18, 2010. Justice Reynolds had ordered a probation report which was presented on Monday by Probation Officer, Remesia Lewis. In her report the officer stated that the man is not well educated, that he dropped out of school at the primary level. He was the seventh of 11 children and dropped out of school early to assist his mother with caring for his other siblings. He has one child who is 14 years old. He
later gained employment as a cane harvester. Evans struck up a relationship with Babita Basil which quickly became an abusive one that soon ended in violence, with the woman expressing continuous fear for her life. The man was feared in the area where he lived and residents were afraid whenever he was around. Prosecutor Judith GildharieMursalin had related that in October 2010, the accused was sharing a relationship with Seeta Persaud, called Sunita, at 112 Bath Settlement West Coast Berbice. The relationship was very abusive. During one of the man’s drunken states, he threatened the woman that he would not burn her house again, but that he would show her what he would do.
Evans had earlier come to notoriety when he had allegedly set fire and burnt down Seeta Persaud’s home, on May 28, at Bath Experiment Scheme, West Coast Berbice. Reports had stated that it was the second time he had done so in five years. He was jailed on the two charges of arson. This time he abducted the child with the intention of taking her to her mother, but instead took her to a burial ground at No. 12 village. The girl started to scream and the accused threatened to kill her, but she continued to scream. The accused then used one hand to cover her mouth and nose and used his other hand to undress her and insert his fingers into her private parts. He pulled off her clothing as she continued to scream.” Mursalin related.
The child’s screams were heard by a woman who had gone to the burial ground to throw away rubbish. The woman rushed to the direction of the child’s scream and found her alone with marks on her neck and face. The accused had fled the scene. He was arrested on November 11, 2010 following a sting operation after he had telephoned Seeta for them to meet at a Chinese restaurant. The agreement was made and the police were informed and staked out the area where the man was arrested. He was represented by Attorney-at-Law Horatio Edmonson. Attorney Edmonson in his plea of mitigation begged the court to show mercy to his client. The lawyer said that his client did not waste the court’s time.
Dennis Evans
Tuesday March 24, 2014
Kaieteur News
Singapore’s founding father LEE KUAN YEW DIES AT 91 (BBC) Lee Kuan Yew, the statesman who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub, has died at the age of 91. The city-state’s prime minister for 31 years, he was widely respected as the architect of Singapore’s prosperity. But he was criticised for his iron grip on power. Under him freedom of speech was tightly restricted and political opponents were targeted by the courts. A state funeral will be held on 29 March, after a week of mourning. In an emotional televised address, his son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to him. “He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another man like him.” Mr Lee oversaw Singapore’s independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia. His death was announced early yesterday. He had been in hospital for several weeks with pneumonia and was on life support. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “deeply saddened” by Mr Lee’s death. US President Barack Obama described him as a “giant of history”. The Chinese foreign ministry called him “a uniquely influential statesman in Asia”. ‘LIFETIME OF BUILDING’ In Singapore, a steady stream of people arrived at the hospital and the Istana, the prime minister’s office, to offer their condolences. A charismatic figure, Mr Lee co-founded the People’s Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore since 1959, and was its first prime minister. The Cambridge-educated lawyer led Singapore through merger with, and then separation from, Malaysia. Speaking after the split in 1965, he pledged to build a meritocratic, multi-racial nation. But tiny Singapore with no natural resources needed a new economic model. “We knew that if we were just like our neighbours, we would die,” Mr Lee told the New York Times in 2007. “We had to produce something which is different and better than what they have.” As the long wait for the inevitable continued, the floral tributes piled up right outside the city-state’s main hospital, often laid by tearful, older Singaporeans who truly
Lee Kuan Yew
see this sharp-tongued, tough-minded man as a father figure. And while there were many affectionate comments from well-wishers, there was still some fear of this extraordinary leader, who has dominated Singapore for the whole of its independent existence, and once threatened to rise from the grave if he saw things happening that he did not like. For all of its impressive successes, this is still a country with Lee Kuan Yew’s imprint visible everywhere. He was unapologetic about the repressive measures he used to impose order, and unapologetic about believing his prescriptions alone were the right ones. No-one is quite sure what direction Singapore will now take without him. Mr Lee set about creating a highly educated work force fluent in English, and reached out to foreign investors to turn Singapore into a manufacturing hub.
The city-state grew wealthy and later developed into a major financial centre. But building a nation came with tight controls - and one of Mr Lee’s legacies was a clampdown on the press, tight restrictions that remain in place today. Dissent - and political opponents - were ruthlessly quashed. Today, Mr Lee’s PAP remains firmly in control. There are currently six opposition lawmakers in parliament. Other measures, such as corporal punishment, a ban on chewing gum and the government’s foray into matchmaking for Singapore’s brightest - to create smarter babies - led to perceptions of excessive state interference. But Mr Lee remained unmoved. “Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up,” he told a rally in 1980. “I’ve spent a whole lifetime building this and as long as I’m in charge, nobody is going to knock it down.”
Yemen foes square off as fears of war, Saudi-Iran rivalry grow (Reuters) - Yemen’s top factions are squaring off for battle after months of skirmishes, turning respectively to neighboring Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran for help in what may become all-out war. With President AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi seeking a comeback from the port city of Aden while the Shi’ite Houthi movement controls the capital Sanaa, rival administrations are trading bellicose rhetoric as fighting intensifies and factions commandeer airfields for the next stage of the struggle. Somewhat on the sidelines, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Islamic State are waiting to exploit what some fear could become Yemen’s worst
conflict since a 1994 civil war. “For years Yemen has defied all the odds and proved wrong those who said it was on the brink of civil war and about to collapse,” Farea alMuslimi, a researcher with the Carnegie Middle East Center said. “But we may have run out of miracles.” Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen called on Monday for Gulf Arab help to prevent the Houthis’ getting air control. “We have expressed to the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Nations as well as the international community that there should be a no-fly zone, and the use of military aircraft should be prevented at the airports controlled by the Houthis,” he told the newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.
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Tuesday March 24, 2014
Tuesday March 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Rohee distances PPP from Jagdeo statement Cadillac lifestyle...
By Abena Rockcliffe Belatedly, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee, yesterday sought to defend the legacy of his Party’s founder leader, Dr. Cheddi Jagan. This comes two weeks after former President Bharrat Jagdeo made comments which some say were
challenging to the legacy of Dr. Jagan. As he sought to defend his opulent lifestyle characterized by a seaside mansion, use of a private jet and fancy vehicles, Jagdeo told the media that Dr. Jagan lived similarly and that his house, located on a prime piece of land, was extravagant for the time he lived in. Yesterday, Rohee blasted
Lions Club honours... From page 2 out. The elderly men and women were treated to karaoke, dancing, and a special meal as the activities began early Saturday afternoon. “It's one of our signature projects when we first started 21 years ago,” Lawrie explained. She added that the event started small but grew over the years. Mavis Duke, 74, of Dartmouth Essequibo told this newspaper that the event was an enjoyable one. With a smile, Duke said that it was her first time attending a Lions Club event in Georgetown. She added that she would often attend the meetings in her hometown. “I'm just really enjoying this so far,” Duke said. She went on to say that she had been eagerly await-
ing the opportunity to get up and dance even though she was not feeling well. Patricia Gray, Chairperson for Health and Service, said the event was an opportunity for seniors to come out and meet with peers. She said too, that these persons are often kept inside and locked away from the rest of the world. Gray further said that the event was held each year in the second part of the year as a way of showing appreciation outside of the Christmas season. Currently, other activities are being planned for the rest of the year. Gray said these activities will include fundraisers and other service projects. Deborah Backer had been an active member of the Lions Club until her passing last year March.
Dem boys seh...
critics who have condemned the Party for “straying” from the principles of Dr. Jagan, and those who criticized the party for staying quiet while Jagdeo made the statements he did. Rohee labeled these critics “born again diplomats.” The criticism leveled against the Party came from former PPP executive members and the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Jagan, among others. Former PPP executive member Ralph Ramkarran had said that it was a sin for Jagdeo to equate his lifestyle and that of current government ministers to that of the Jagans and called on sitting Party leaders to condemn his statements. Rohee, who professes to be a true “Jaganite”, had refused last week to comment on the issue. But he broke his silence yesterday saying that Dr. Jagan’s legacy continues to be the bedrock on which all major programmes and policies are developed at both the party and government levels. The General Secretary told the media that he was not distancing himself from Jagdeo’s statements but said it should not have been seen as the position of the Party. “Jagdeo expressed his views as he saw it on the matters to which he spoke. Those views, it must be
Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee recalled, were not expressed by the General Secretary of the Party, the official spokesperson of the Party. It is grossly unfair, unprofessional and unbalanced to attribute Mr. Jagdeo’s statements to what the Party stands for,” said Rohee. Rohee added, “When a member of the PPP expresses a viewpoint…It is best left to the leadership of the PPP to pronounce authoritatively on such matters.” However, Rohee, in defending the one who is labeled the true Party leader said that, “He (Jagdeo) countered the political opposition and sections of
the media for attacking him for using his personally accumulated wealth to build something to his liking. By doing that, does it mean going against something that Dr. Jagan stood for?” “The benefits from a prosperous economy cannot and must not be from one class and social strata of the population. All must benefit and they must be free to dispose of their wealth as they deem fit provided it is done within the meaning of the laws of Guyana,” said Rohee. The General Secretary told the media that it was Dr. Jagan who led the assault against the colonial administration to lift sugar workers out of “logies” and slum conditions to which they
Former President, the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan were condemned by the planter class. He said that the current leaders of the PPP have not deviated from Dr. Jagan’s legacy which is fully consistent with the development model he laid down. Rohee said that Jagdeo did not attack Dr Jagan’s ideology, politics or economic policies. He told media operatives that in the 1957-1964 Government, Dr. Jagan had many ‘well to do’ personalities with him who were PPP Members of Parliament and Ministers of Government. “The same can be said about the 1992 Government. So why should it be ok for some in a PPP/C Government to be prosperous and to accumulate and spend their savings the way they want to while for others it must be different?”
Winston wife shoot ee Contract to build Marriott signed before feasibility... See-all seh, ‘There’s no use whatsoever trying to help people who don’t help themselves. You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he is willing to climb himself.’ He had that experience wid Henry de Yellow who use to weigh quarter ton. See-all was de Sergeant at CID headquarters when two policemen call the station on their radio. “Hello. Is that you, Sarge?” “Yes. Yes” “We have a case hay. A woman just shoot she husband for stepping on the floor she just mop clean.” Sarge ask, “Wha de husband name?” “Winston, Sarge. Winston.” “Winston who?” “Winston Bee, sir.” “That fat man wha people seh is a crook?” “Yes Sarge. Is he.” “He dead?” “We ain’t know yet. We can’t see he eye. He belly hide he face.” “Have you arrested the woman?” “No Sarge. The floor is still wet.” De same time another message come pun de radio set. “Sarge. Sarge. We deh at Cornelia Ida wheh de politicians got a meeting. Nobody ain’t come out fuh listen. And de speaker talking to heself and want we fuh clap. Wha fuh do.” Sargie tell he fuh arrest de man fuh talking to heself. “You-all remember wha happen in Berbice wid Kwame? He was talking and only two dawgs-one black, one whitewere standing. De white dawg get vex, raise he foot, and piss pun de podium. Kwame labba lip tremble and de dawg thought he did want a smell.” Another set call Sarge See-All. “Sarge we got Freddie at de roadblock. He pull out some newspaper and seh that you seh we mustn’t gat no roadblock. We ain’t know wha fuh do.” “Keep he deh till midnight.” Talk half and lef he fuh punish.
From page 3 that will house its casino and restaurant, will not be completed before yearend. Ram, who has joined a list of those highly critical of the financial arrangements of the Kingston hotel, said that Brassington has been part of one of the gravest violations of the country's laws, involving billions of dollars. “The directors and officers either initiated or were negligent in the violations. Brassington himself has lied big time. He stands accused of perjury, among other things.” Ram argued that it is public knowledge that the hotel construction has been financed mainly from the proceeds of the sale of Government shares in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Ltd. (GT&T) and from other public resources diverted to, or vested in the company through means that many consider completely illegal. He said that it is also public knowledge that the National Assembly passed a motion on December 17, 2012 that, among other things, neither NICIL nor AHI may incur further expenditure on the
project without its authorisation and approval. “Needless to say, the directors and officers of NICIL and AHI have ignored that motion.” CRUDE SUBSIDIES He said that it is known that the hotel has been granted concessions rare to any entity in Guyana – even to Queens Atlantic, a company that is closely linked to former President Bharrat Jagdeo. “Those concessions, in addition to land at belowmarket price, are no more than crude Government subsidies. It is also known that the contractor has been allowed, illegally, exemptions from the laws of Guyana which even the diplomatic community does not enjoy.”
He said that in the middle of violations is Brassington. “Other facts are less wellknown. Other than payments to the contractor, details of most other transactions with other parties have been carefully hidden away by Brassington. Sometimes it requires the detective skills of Sherlock Holmes, the criminal expertise of Crime Chief (Leslie) James, or the forensic resources of Ernst & Young to piece together Brassington's acts.” The 197-room hotel and
entertainment complex ran into a roadblock last year after an Opposition Parliamentarian, Desmond Trotman filed court actions which blocked AHI from mortgaging the hotel. The court action effectively blocked monies from the equity investor from Hong Kong –US$8M and US$27M from a syndicated local being handled by Republic Bank. Only part of the syndicated loan was released by the bank, with Government stepping in with the rest.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday March 24, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
I saw improper police behaviour and I intervened On Sunday evening I was on my way home when on the street where I live, the Railway Embankment, I saw a police roadblock at the junction at Conversation Tree. There was no visible police car with the police emblem, the anti-crime ranks in dark, navy blue uniforms had no identification, and the structure was no way near a police station. These are the requirements that must obtain when there is a police roadblock. I have the mobile numbers for the Police Commissioner and the Commander, ‘A’ Division, Clifton Hicken.
With that knowledge, I stopped my car, came out and insisted that the roadblock was improper. The officer in charge said he wasn’t aware of the requirements for the roadblock. I told him it was in the Kaieteur News for that very day, Sunday, March 22. I pointed out to him that I live two minutes drive from where we stand and I could retrieve the newspaper and show him. He agreed to examine the newspaper. I went home, brought it to him, he read it and conceded that the structure was not near to a police station, the ranks had
no visible identification tags but he disagreed with the placement of the police vehicle. The SUV was parked in a dark corner so drivers couldn’t see it. I told him it had to be situated where oncoming traffic could clearly detect it. I rang the Kaieteur News and told two of my colleagues what was going on - Michael Jordan and Dale Andrews. I am urging citizens not to cooperate with an improper police roadblock. If citizens insisted on their rights long ago, Bharrat Jagdeo could not have incited a minority
President to kick asses. If citizens had insisted on their rights long ago, three innocent protestors in 2012 in Linden would not have been gunned down during the tenure of Clifton Hicken in Region Ten I am demanding that the opposition seek an urgent meeting with the Police Commissioner on forms of harassment that are currently taking place with opposition officials at opposition public meetings. An APNU-AFC campaign driver told me after an opposition rally was completed in Diamond, that
the traffic ranks at Grove Police Station stopped the open-back pick-up with the public address system, searched the vehicle, demanded to see the relevant documents and insisted that both driver and passenger take a breathalyzer test. Surely, it is stupid and ignorant to ask a passenger to take a breathalyzer test. If the opposition does not nip this in the bud, their supporters will see them as weak. Not only is this intimidation but such police conduct is improper. There are no longer routine traffic stops. The Police Commissioner made that announcement and it was carried in that very Sunday article. The instructions to traffic ranks are, while on patrol they can only stop a motorist if they see an act of illegality by a driver – over the speed limit; over-taking on a double line, no display of road licence on the windscreen etc. But traffic ranks cannot conduct routine checks. The nagging question I have in my mind is whether the Police Commissioner is pulling a con on the Guyanese public. I don’t mean to be insulting to the Police Commissioner by the use of the word “con.” It is a typical word journalists and columnists use lightly. But something is not right here If there are clear
Frederick Kissoon procedures that must be followed by the roadblock operators, why then in the Sunday night operation, was the marked police SUV hidden in the dark, the anti-crime ranks had no badges on display and why was there no police station nearby? This does not make sense to me. It is like the police, given the conditions under which they must enter a church – knock on the door, call out to the parishioners, etc. But if they go to the church and kick down the door then they have acted illegally. Was that road block on the street where I live illegal? Why did the police stop the APNU-AFC driver and want the passenger to take an alcohol test? I see traffic ranks doing nonsense daily on the roads. I have intervened more times than can be counted on the crass behaviour of anti-crime ranks on the motorcycles. They are not to do traffic duties but they continue to do so in full view of the public. I had to insist at least three times for this month for them to stop this impropriety. These motorcycle miscreants are stopping people without reasonable suspicion but for routine checks. I will continue to watch them
Tuesday March 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 11
TB and HIV represent leading infectious causes of death - PAHO/WHO reports Some 17,000 people in the Americas died of Tuberculosis (TB) complications in 2013. These were among the more than 285,000 infected with TB. This is according to the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) which has declared that 31,800 people with HIV developed Tuberculosis. Countries in the Americas, PAHO/WHO has noted, reported 220,500 new cases of TB in 2013 of which 5.3 per cent (11,379) were children. Accounting for the largest proportions of the Region’s cases were Brazil with 33 per cent, Peru with 13 per cent, Mexico with 8.8 per cent and Haiti 7.4 per cent. A total of 6,900 of these people became ill with multiresistant TB. However, PAHO/WHO has observed that an estimated 65,000 people in the Americas have TB but have not been diagnosed. In 2012, 75 per cent of reported cases were successfully treated, and 69 per cent of these were tested for HIV. In fact PAHO/WHO has
- as World TB Day is observed concluded that although there continues to be significant progress in reducing the burden of TB, along with HIV/AIDS, it continues to be one of the region’s leading infectious causes of death. These disclosures come even as the world over celebrates World Tuberculosis Day which is commemorated on March 24 annually. PAHO/WHO in a release yesterday said that it is calling on countries in the Americas to step up efforts to detect and treat people with TB in order to bring the epidemic to an end in the Region by 2030. “Ending the tuberculosis epidemic will require bold policies and supportive health systems in the context of universal health coverage, to ensure that no one lacks access to early diagnosis or the treatment they need,” said Dr Mirtha del Granado, PAHO/WHO Advisor on TB. “Only this way will we be able to put an end to TB.” WHO’s “End TB” strategy, approved by WHO
member governments during the World Health Assembly last year, centers on three action areas: patient-centered care, development of policies and systems for prevention and care, and research and innovation to help accelerate TB elimination. The strategy sets the ambitious goals of reducing TB deaths by 95 per cent by 2035 and reducing cases by 90 per cent. It also sets the goal of eliminating catastrophic costs for TB patients and their families over the next five years. Between 1990 and 2013, deaths from TB declined 63 per cent in the Americas,
thanks largely to the implementation of PAHO/ WHO’s “Stop TB” strategy, which is based on directly observed therapy – short course (DOTS), measures to address multi-resistant (MDR) TB and co-infections of TB and HIV, and involving all healthcare providers and communities in implementing the strategy. But according to PAHO/ WHO, despite that progress, the region continues to face challenges including an estimated 65,000 undiagnosed TB cases, the spread of multiresistant TB, the appearance of extensively resistant TB, and the development of TB in people with HIV. In 2013, TB incidence in the region was 29 cases per
100,000 inhabitants. “Ending TB”—that is, eliminating it as a public health problem— would require reducing TB incidence to below 10 cases per 100,000. But according to PAHO/ WHO, the burden of TB varies across the countries of the Americas, with the epidemic concentrated in vulnerable populations in large cities, especially in marginal neighborhoods with overcrowded living conditions, poor water and sanitation services, and limited access to health care. However, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), PAHO/WHO is implementing an initiative to control TB in
large cities of the Americas, which aims to ensure early detection of people with TB to accelerate reduction of the disease. The initiative promotes coordination between local political and health officials and involves actions across sectors, including education, social protection, urban development and health. The initiative is currently being implemented in Lima, Peru; Bogotá, Colombia; Guaruhlos, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; Guatemala City, Guatemala; and Tijuana, Mexico; and is starting in Asunción, Paraguay. World TB Day, observed on March 24, marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB. The discovery set the stage for successful diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Page 12
Kaieteur News
Tuesday March 24, 2015
Minister Whittaker endorses TC’s “illegal” demotion of City Hall clerk Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker has pronounced on the ongoing employment spat involving a young office clerk; endorsing what city Councillors say is the “illegal” demotion of 20-year-old Nnesah Hinds by acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba. Hinds, who was hired by the Council more than eight months ago, is yet to be paid for duties performed as a clerk attached to the Mayor’s office. While the Council’s Personnel Department and
... Union, Labour Ministry disagrees the majority of Councillors made the decision to hire the young woman, the Town Clerk, they say, “deliberately” withheld the young woman’s salary since July of last year. She subsequently said that the young woman was unqualified for the post and instructed the Personnel Department to rewrite an employment letter, demoting her to a Clerk I staff and paid accordingly, retroactive to the date of her employment.
Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green said that this could not be done since the Personnel Department had followed all the employment procedures; the woman had the required qualifications and the Council at Statutory had supported the employment. Chase-Green told Kaieteur News on Sunday that the Minister had assured that the woman would be paid last Friday after speaking with Sooba, but this
Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker
MAYOR Hamilton Green
TOWN CLERK Carol Sooba
was never done. In a letter received by Mayor Hamilton Green yesterday, Minister Whittaker said, “I concur with the appointment of Ms. Nnesha Hinds as Clerk 1 General attached to the Mayor’s Office with effect from July 01, 2014,” and asked that, “all efforts be made to have Ms. Hinds paid her salary retroactive to July 1, 2014 by March 31, 2015 latest.” For the post of Clerk II, five CXC grades are required. Chase-Green said that the young woman has seven subjects. In the Minister’s letter, he quoted the seven subjects which include three grade fours. To this, the Minister said, “My recollection as a School Teacher and School Administrator is that Grades 1 to 3 at CXC General Proficiency level are considered passes.” He contended that the fours attained by the young lady did not qualify her for the job. “It is obvious that Ms Hinds
has three passes at the CXC General Proficiency level: qualifications that do not even meet the requirement for employment as a General Clerk 1...” However, Deputy Mayor Chase-Green said that the Council’s Personnel Department has been accepting grade four passes for some years now, since the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) had issued a circular instructing that the grade is a pass which represented “a moderate grasp” of the subject.” After contact was made with the Labour Ministry, the Deputy Mayor confirmed this information. According to her the Labour Ministry noted that indeed a circular was issued to the region advising that grade four was a pass. Chase Green contended however, that the Minister’s letter is simply his opinion and holds no merit because the Council has already decided on the matter. The Deputy, who was part of the interview panel for the post of Town Clerk, said that while Sooba claims that the woman is unqualified, she is yet to provide her qualifications for the post she currently holds. Mayor Hamilton Green in a response to the Minister’s letter said that no matter how grave the shortcomings and wrongdoings committed by the Town Clerk, the Minister seems “duty bound to support her and has not once
reprimanded her.” He said that the Minister’s utterances are inconsistent since he “has installed to the top of the Council’s Administrative structure a person whose qualifications are yet to be seen and who is clearly less qualified than Hinds.” “Miss Sooba has failed to produce certified copies of even those qualifications she claims to have, including that of being a law student at the University of Guyana for eight years.” The Council made it clear at yesterday’s Statutory meeting that Hinds must be paid at the position originally hired. The Mayor also brought up the issue where Sooba “arbitrarily” cut the Council’s communication personnel’s salary in half. He said that Sooba was summoned to a meeting with the Labour Ministry, which was also attended by the Local Government Officers’ Union (GLGOU) but offered no excuse as to why she did not attend. Both agencies have recommended further action to be taken in both matters, the Mayor said. Sooba is however no stranger to such matters. In December, two nurses, supported by their colleagues picketed her office when they were employed by the Council and were not paid. While they started work around August of last year, they were not paid until last January after much public attention. Sooba has however refused to address the current issue. She accused the media of harassing Hinds and “putting words” in her mouth.
Tuesday March 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Time to look beyond sugar and rice - President Ramotar By Desilon Daniels As both rice and sugar continue to face strife, President Donald Ramotar believes it is time to look beyond the age-old crops to new avenues of making money. Addressing a gathering at the Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling during the launch of a multibillion dollar road project being touted as a catalyst for food security, the Guyana Head of State noted that while Guyana was known across the Caribbean for its production of sugar and rice, it was time to look beyond these crops. “We have to broaden the base in our agriculture mainly because we are price takers in this country. We do not determine world prices so we have to take the prices that the World Bank puts up to us. So therefore we want to immunize our economy,” Ramotar explained. The President further said that Guyana has made great strides in improving its economy but still needed more development. He emphasised that a problem in one sector should not have a
- Coconut a viable option great impact on the economy as a whole. “The more we broaden the base of our economy, the better and more immune we will be from external economic shots,” he added. Ramotar said a number of locally grown crops held “great possibilities” for adding to the economy. The coconut industry, he said, was one such avenue. “We see great possibilities in the coconut industry; it can develop into being as strong and as powerful as rice and sugar in Guyana,” Ramotar opined. He said too that there is not only a local market for coconut products but that it can also be exported. Similarly, Ramotar said other types of crops such as the soya bean can not only lend to the economy but improve other avenues. “We have possibilities in developing other types of crops like the soya bean, which is important for stock feed and in helping us to develop a strong livestock industry. From there we can
produce and probably export meat and milk and dairy products into the rest of the Caribbean and where we can make an important contribution not only to Guyana but to the food security of the region as a whole,” Ramotar emphasised. Ramotar also highlighted the importance of improving food security within Guyana through the improvement of current infrastructure and the creation of new ones. In this regard, Ramotar said Region Three can prove to be a huge asset towards the goal of food security. The President said new roads need to be created to go into far-flung areas. These plans, he said, will be “coming on stream very soon” and will open huge areas of land for agricultural purposes. He further expressed hope that this will allow for diversification of crops in Guyana. Last week, a US$47M road project was launched in the West Coast of Demerara. The high-budget roadway, which stretches some 30.7 kilometres
from Vreed-en-Hoop to Hydronie, is expected to be completed in about 36 months. The contracted companies are BK International and Jamaican company Surrey Paving and Aggregate (SPA) Limited. “This is the direction that we’re going; the expenditure that we’re having in infrastructure will help this country to continue its upward climb and to help us reach a higher level of development. And as I said on previous occasions, I think we have all the possibilities of reaching developed country status in a short possible period of time,” Ramotar said. Ramotar ’s assertions come at a time when both the rice and sugar industries are undergoing continuous strife. Just days ago, Former Member of Parliament Stanley Ming posited that sugar will not succeed in Guyana. Ming’s position on the sugar industry is one that has been voiced by many critics and comes at a time when Guyana continues to produce sugar for much more than it sells on the world market. Further, 2014 ended
President Donald Ramotar
with the flagship Skeldon sugar factory once more recording one of the worst performances of all the four Berbice estates. Its debts have also been mounting. In recent months, GuySuCo reportedly took almost $4B in loans from a Jamaican bank to finance expenses for its second crop. Over $20B (US$100M) is owed for the new Skeldon Sugar Factory to the World Bank, China EXIM Bank and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). In last year’s national budget GuySuCo benefitted from a $6B bailout.
The rice industry has also been facing hard times with rice farmers protesting paddy prices and other recent issues. President of the Essequibo Paddy Farmers’ Association, Naith Ram had recently maintained that unless rice farmers are made aware of what price they would be getting for a bag of paddy, it would not be economically viable to go back into the next crop. He argued that the cost of production is way higher than what farmers are being paid for paddy and had said that production was not “economically viable”.
Page 22
Kaieteur News
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WANTED Senior Accounts Clerk, 5yrs experienced, CAT or equivalent. Email: snow198390@hotmail.com Business/Economics Writer, email application to snow198390@hotmail.com Day Time Alert, Security guard; age 40-60yrs, don’t drink & smoke – Call: 6233231 or 225-3198
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Advertisements; Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 6831312, 627-3206 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 6626045 Mahadeo Construction for all construction, carpentry, masonry, pluming, painting etc. Free estimates and plan Contact # 669-7376 Accounting & Taxation Services: tax returns, compliances, financial statements. Avinash Persaud Tax Consultancy, 163 Parika, EBE - Call: 260-4762. Exchange your empty HP & Canon printer ink cartridges for a full one & pay only $2,000 & $2,500- Call:6507699 Eagle’s fridge re-gas - $8,000 & washing machine repairs. Phone: 697-2969, 646-0966 Your Dream Yard Today! Stunning designs, Assortment, colourful plant choices, Professional Landscapers Tel: 218-0468/ 648-1821 Staying in your own home…. We assist seniors with meal preparation, personal hygiene, grooming etc – Call: 609-1981 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS- CALL:6294946 OR 225-4822
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Bond Space for rent with drive way at Eccles E.B.D; just off the Public Road – Tel:644-7529; 603-4637
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Tuesday March 24, 2015
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1 RZ PJJ Series, tip top condition - $875,000 negotiable – Tel:679-1813; 682-5540
One Toyota Tacoma SR5 4WD pickup, left hand drive and manual transmission, only 22000 miles – Contact: 623-1202
AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 One Hino Canter- Tel:2282098; 628-5796. Price $1.3M Just Arrived! 09 & O6 Tacoma, manual & auto, new model Allion, Bluebird, Belta, Fielder - Tel: 621-4190, bestcarautosale s@ facebook.com Nissan Titan for sale, immaculate – Call: 647-3924 First Class Auto: Allion, Premio, Bluebird, Sienta, Runx, Axio, Verossa, Mark 2-Call : 609-8188; 638-3045 Unregistered Toyota Spacio with body kit, spoiler, rims, fog lamp -$2M - Tel: 6172891 One AT192 Carina Fully Automatic- Price $850,000 neg. Ph# 668-8431 2006 Toyota Tacoma, crash bar / megrim, extra cab – Tel:216-2465; 687-6083; 6785438 Toyota Avensis $2.550M negotiable – Tel:645-0078; 603-0078
FOR SALE Frigidaire ($150K), Nissan pickup ($800K), prices negotiable-Tel: 624-4076 8 Week old foreign bred German shepherd puppies – Contact: 601-5364; 660-7927 Fluffy pups. Call: 642-6664
PEN PAL Indian male seeking female; reply with picture & phone # to M.D 7475 Gorewau Drive #47 Mississauga on – L4T3T3 Canada
2006 BMW 320i PRR Series, 2008 Toyota Premio & 2007 Mazda Axela unregistered – Tel: 615-4114 2005/6 Premio, Spacio and 2007 Belta, never registered. Call: 269-0432; 686-0323 1 RZ minibus GHH Series Tel: 604-9400; 667-4178 One Lexus RX300 SUV, fully loaded, One Toyota Hilux, excellent condition – Phone: 227-4357 Unregistered 2003 Toyota Spacio front & back camera, TV/ navi / CD player 52000 KM - $2.250M – Contact: 682-5117 Unregistered Toyota IST fully Loaded - $2.1M – Call: 657-1796 Continued on page 23
Tuesday March 24, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Letters... Where your views make the news
Take off the blinkers of race... From page 5 properly so one can get and pay that mortgage to the end of its life, or the bank that owns the house will take it away. Similarly, the loan on the car has to be repaid or the car goes to the lender when the payments are not made. Have you seen the many notices from some of the car dealers? I am not happy about actions that enrich a few and leave the majority of us poorer. I am not happy to see
no real plans for the elderly who worked tirelessly in this country and to see all they built not mentioned and to see some of us, in an effort to preserve our ability to raid the treasury, operating like ostriches, being afraid to mention politically incorrect persons’ contributions when making public speeches. Shame on you!!! I am not happy that we have utility services that are not functioning at all well and
A word of wisdom to... From page 5 these corrupt actions will, however, inevitably be borne by the taxpayers, perhaps for years to come. What is perhaps even more disturbing is the PPP regime’s reluctance to prosecute or discipline members of the cabinet and the party in general who were caught in corrupt practices or other illegal and vulgar acts. But in this quick but bruising general election campaign, the people should not lose sight of the financial skullduggery which could
ruin the economic future and fiscal survival of the country. All necessary precautions must now be taken by the opposition to reduce corruption and the reckless waste of the country’s resources and finances. Failure to do so will lead to the type of destruction to the economy and way of life that may take decades to recover. A word to the wise. Asquith Rose Chandra Deolall Dr. Merle SpencerMarks
THE PPP AND... From page 4 of achievement, runs and hides from independent interrogation as the PPP does. With the PPP facing actual ouster from office, what I expected is a campaign far more competent than what we’ve been subject to. Instead of issues, we have been given cuss-outs, contextualization of cussouts, plagiarism of an Obama campaign speech, cyber-
squatting on potential coalition domain names, blatant attempts to hijack both opposition and civil society social marketing campaigns, abuse of the state media, further ad hominem attacks on critical voices, and a studied avoidance of independent media scrutiny. Guyanese people deserve more from this government, and it is time we demand more. Ruel Johnson
we still have to pay a lot for them. There is no one to help us! Of course those of us who are raiding the treasury are indeed happy, in a delusional way. So let us continue our happiness for as long as it will last. All good things come to an end someday. Time has shown that. On Election Day please let us come out of the wilderness of race hate, and let our eyes open for Guyana, not our race, so that we can have a chance to build this country for all of us, and not have to think about America and other countries as the refuge for ourselves and our families. If things were so good why are so many of us seeking refuge in other countries? We should stay here and enjoy all the ‘happiness’. Is this what we want for our children? Can we really believe that our children will have a bright future with this state of affairs? People, please wake from your slumber and decide on a better future for your children. It is truly amazing how greedy politicians can whip up a diet of race and race hate for the ignorant and the uneducated. Don’t let them manipulate you with it. Let us not vote for thugs to continue to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars a month for behaving badly in public; for breaking laws with impunity, for providing deficient services. Let us say to the politicians
who would divide us to win an election, NO!! NO!! NO!! Take off the blinkers people and vote on issues for the sake of our children and don’t help the greedy to continue to raid the treasury with their really super salaries and benefits which leave us worse off; as much as Fifteen Thousand United States dollars ($3 Million Guyana dollars) per month for providing (non-)services that frustrate us, damage our equipment, are irregularly supplied, etc. People who provide the skills have to work under such persons for a fraction of those persons’ salaries. No wonder we are short of skilled people to make the services work well! Wake up Guyana. Let your voices be heard, as Courtney Crum-Ewing’s voice, which instead of being silenced, is being heard now even louder. Rosemarie Terborg Davis
(From page 22)
VACANCY International Cruiseline AB Sailors, waitresses, waiters, cooks, receptionists, storekeepers, cleaners, electricians, carpenters, welders, costmetologist, etc – Tel: 231-6296, 650-9880 Work from home: Earn $5,000 - $20,000 daily, 9am - 5pm, Monday to Saturday - Call: 233-6517/ 638-0595 or www.jobfairworldwide.com Experienced hauler driver, porters, rip saw & plane operator @ Eccles Industrial Site E.B.D - Call Richard: 6097675; 674-1705; 233-2614 Exists for: Chef & Assistant Cook- to work & live- in with new business in TuschenContact:660-6099, 644-3338
TO LET Eccles: Large two storey concrete building with all conveniences- Call: 641-2939 Fully Furnished vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours – Call: 227-1218
Vacancy exists at Confidential Cabs for experienced dispatcherCall:231-4000, 231-8601 One driver/salesman to work on water truck, must be living around W.B.D, attractive salary - Tel: 618-4257 (1)Live-in caretaker/ family to work @ Coverden, E.B.D. Send application to 31-33 Austin Street, Campbellville, G/Town- Call:225-7493 SECURITY GUARDS, CANTER DRIVERS, SALESMEN, MARKETING ASSISTANT with Drivers Licence. Accommodation Available. Tel. 266 4427 Internet Café attendant, send application & CV to future2zone@yahoo.com or call: 642-2028
VEHICLE FOR SALE Hilux Surf – Tel:695-8113 or 688-3925 Toyota Tacoma 2010; Price $4.5M negotiable - Call: 6727709 Toyota Hilux Vigo GSS series. Tel: 656-3561; 697-6510
PROPERTY FOR SALE Flat concrete house for sale in Grove with land spaceCall: 679-3913 Houses & land available for sale in Non- Pariel, Enmore, Providence & Diamond Contact: Pacific Development Inc # 223-6035; 231-8480 Parfaite Harmonie, West Minister, Onderneeming, Cornela Ida, Tushcen, etc Contact: Pacific Development Inc # 2236035; 231-8480 24X58 Seafield Leonora water pump street - Call: 6425799 Business property located at Mc Doom Public Road, newly renovated, huge bond for restaurant, spare parts etc – Tel: 622-5721 Two properties at Lot 10 Camp Street- Call Andrew: 611-9297 between 6pm -7pm 3 Bedrooms property @ Good Hope E.C.D – Contact: 621-1722 One business on residential property located on the E.B.D, Friendship, Public Road, 120X46 - $19.5M - Tel: 693-6304
LAND FOR SALE 50 Acres titled farm land @ The Belle, Upper Dem, River Front - $100M Negotiable, serious enquiries only! Tel: 669-8152 Blankenburg, 3 lots 75X76 each, $15M, all 3 lots, Parika, Peter Street, lot size 38’X150' - $7.9M-Contact # 650-0402/ 260-4988 Road side 10 acres of land at Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke Linden Highway - Call: 6013369 Houselot: Parcel No: 100, Block XV, Granville Housing Scheme, Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara. Call: 227-1907
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
MASSAGE Relaxing massage therapy – Tel: 674-8147
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday March 24, 2015
No set dates for proposed call US warns Caribbean centers at Tuschen, Enmore over copyright - President Ramotar says “very soon”
Two multi-million dollar call centers announced to be constructed in Guyana are yet to have official dates set for their appearance. However, President Donald Ramotar has promised the centers’ materialization “very soon”. Speaking at an event last week, Ramotar said his Administration is looking towards the construction of infrastructure as a means of employing Guyanese citizens. Further, he said, the Administration is working to “put down” a call center at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo. He added that this call center will hopefully employ about 900 persons. Ramotar said too that, by employing hundreds of persons in the area, long travel would be removed as an additional stress. Similarly, Ramotar said the government is also hoping to
put another call center at Enmore, East Coast Demerara. Construction for both centers, he said, will begin “very soon”. “When they [the centers] are finished, they will stimulate other types of economic development for sustained and continuing employment within our society,” Ramotar said. Further, Ramotar emphasised that it was equally important to develop the human resources of Guyana along with the physical infrastructure. “The most important factor for development is our people; and you would have noticed over the years, that apart from the physical infrastructure we have been investing in, we have also been investing in social infrastructure to give us a more educated and a healthier
worker in our society. That is extremely important to couple with the physical infrastructure we are putting in place to help our country move forward and reach the level of a developed country,” Ramotar said. The plan for the new call centers was made public in January by Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon during the year’s first post cabinet media briefing. Luncheon had told media operatives that the contracts for the call centers were awarded in late December. He said too, that cabinet had granted no objections to the approval for these centers. Luncheon further said the projects fell under the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. The Tuschen contract is at a cost of $114M while the Enmore center will be for $116M.
Donald Ronald concludes... From page 15 walkie-talkie” to which the witness said “I didn't flee the scene. I went to get help for Walter, medical attention.” This, the witness clarified, meant he went to get medical attention for his brother and to get the “precious walkietalkie” out of the car. The PNC lawyer suggested that it was untrue that the Magistrate did not write statements during the trial to which the witness said that the Magistrate had stopped writing at a certain stage. The witness claimed that he pointed this out to her during the trial. Questioned whether he is aware that the record did not reflect that this was pointed out to the Magistrate, Donald Rodney too, claimed that many things had been neglected during the trial. Under cross examination by Lead Counsel to the Commission, Glen Hanoman, Rodney said that he interacted with the Former Sergeant in 1979 - 1980; during which time he had been to Smith's house three times; the day his brother died being the last. The Commission lawyer asked the witness, too, whether he had any reason to believe that delay by Smith in handing over the device was
ever thought to be because he was working with another party. He said he never gave any reason. The Commission heard that he was under the impression that Smith was designing and building “this unit” and it never occurred to him that he was working with another person. Asked whether he had any conversation with Smith about detonators, he said no. “After the explosion, did you consider that your brother was still alive?” Hanoman asked. He said that the impact silenced Walter in midsentence and this was enough for him to realise that he needed assistance. He said he had not rendered assistance because he couldn't see well and his hands had lost sensation and he realised that he could not help. He was questioned whether he was reluctant to tell the police what happened since he had not reported what happened that Friday, until Sunday. He said it took him some time to work out the “puzzle in his mind” as to what happened. He said before that it would have been “self defeating to give a statement to the police.” Rodney told Commissioners that he didn't perceive the police as a unit that acted fairly. Asked whether he wanted to take steps to find the man who gave the device, he said yes but the police wouldn't have wanted to assist. “My faith in the Guyana Police Force was shaken since the day of Father Darke's killing,” he said. During reexamination by his lawyer, Scotland brought
Donald Rodney to the words he had spoken to WPA members when he arrived at the Croal Street house. He had said that something terrible had happened and in the witness stand he clarified that he meant something terrible had happened to his brother and they needed to go help him. It was then too, that a document detailing the younger Rodney's trial prepared by Amnesty International was presented to the Commission and tendered as evidence. Part of the report was read which spoke about the trial, stating that the younger Rodney had stated that he had no knowledge that the device had explosives in it. The Commission heard that his lawyer has since drafted a constitutional motion for appeal. It has not yet been filed. The witness clarified too that he had not parked in front of Smith's house that night because dealing with the walkie-talkie was banned and also interacting with it with a former army member, “that could attract death from the dictatorship.” Today, sister of former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant Gregory Smith, Ann Wagner will take the stand. The former Sergeant and Wagner and published under the title “Assassination Cry of a Failed Revolution: The Truth about Dr. Walter Rodney's Death”. The book presents a version of events from Smith's point of view. Yesterday was the COI's sixty-second session. The Commission will sit for this week and will go into recess until some time after Regional and General Elections.
Next month’s meeting will be held at the headquarters Caribbean countries will have to address the issue of copyright laws soon. The United States is increasing concerns over the use of material coming out of that country without acknowledging the country’s laws. According to the New York Amsterdam News where the matter has acquired prominence, the U.S. has begun to crackdown on Caribbean trade bloc countries that have used American television and other programs without respecting copyright issues for decades. “Officials warned many of the territories that they will be disqualified from preferential export trade schemes if they fail to comply,” Caricom stated. The issue is at the top of the agenda of a packed bloc trade ministers meeting scheduled for the headquarters here next month. “After stern warnings from Washington in recent months, the bloc said that the Bahamas and Jamaica were among the first countries to scramble teams to begin negotiations on intellectual property rights with officials in the U.S. to avoid their countries being cut off or suspended from participation in the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), which allows goods from member countries to benefit from preferential treatment at U.S. ports.” It was stated that St. Kitts, where a new government only came to power in the past month, has also been warned to get its act together or face CBTPA qualification problems. Most of the 12 other bloc states, which includes Guyana, have not taken any action to begin making local broadcast
houses. Some hotel chains and other large commercial entities pay for rebroadcasting American television and cultural programs while reselling them and raising revenue through paid advertisements. “The bloc said the Ministers will have a full discussion on the issue and will most likely take the advice of legal professionals, as the situation has been festering for years without any real action from either side, the Caribbean region in particular.” Governments are concerned about this situation because exporters are the ones who will feel the brunt of any negative fallout from a cut or suspension of trade preferences under the scheme. Officials said that the likely recommendation from next month’s postEaster meeting will be for countries to begin their own bilateral negotiations in a hurry to maintain their trade preferences, following the example of Jamaica and the Bahamas, both of which depend on boat and planeloads of American tourists and are known to prefer to maintain good commercial and other relations with the U.S. Another key agenda item would have to do with Caribbean indigenous commercial banks complaining that counterpart institutions in the U.S. are not completing transactions on their behalf and are beginning to regard the Caribbean as a high-risk group to do business with. The matter was raised at the midyear leaders’ summit in the Bahamas last month. A subcommittee has been formed to investigate and treat with the developments.
Female driver recalls terrifying... From page 3 village of Agricola. “They saw it was only the two of us (women) in the car but they still proceeded to harass us,” the woman stated. What was worrying was the fact that except for their guns and the police emblem on the pick-up, the ranks had no visible form of identification. Of course the woman and her friend began questioning the officers but since they had nothing to hide, they gave in to the request and their vehicle was thoroughly searched. “They asked me to open the trunk and I had to get out and open it. They did not have to search much there because I didn't have anything illegal,” the woman told Kaieteur News. It was only when the men
demanded that they search the women's handbags that the women made strong objections. “When they said they had to search us personally, my friend objected and told them that they cannot do that without a female present,” the woman recalled. But even that did not deter the police from making life miserable for the two women. They ordered the women to drive to the nearby Agricola Police Outpost where a female was called out to conduct the search. “Imagine the female ranks sucked her teeth and questioned why they had called her out,” the woman stated. When all of this was finished, the ranks in the vehicle thanked the now frustrated women for their cooperation and left, without apologizing.
“I think they felt stupid after. Why did they interrogate us? I got stopped at a police roadblock but that is expected,” the woman said. “I don't know what would have happened if I was alone that night. It was scary because what would happen to other people who can't take the harassment and would give in. I don't pay the police, even if they have to give me a ticket,” the woman said, making it clear though that the police however did not ask her for a cent. The woman argued that the police had no real suspicion to carry out such a search on her vehicle much less her person. The police have been struggling to restore shattered public trust and it is incidents like this that would make their task difficult.
Tuesday March 24, 2014
Kaieteur News
Retired army chief, jailed by Rajapaksa, made field marshal in Sri Lanka Colombo - Sri Lanka’s new government has conferred the highest military rank of field marshal on retired army chief Sarath Fonseka, who had been jailed for alleged treason by the previous regime. President Maithripala Sirisena awarded Fonseka the title at a state ceremony in the capital and said he was unjustly treated by the previous government. Fonseka was thrown in jail after he unsuccessfully tried to challenge a re-election bid by the then-strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2010. Soon after he toppled Rajapaksa in a January election, Sirisena used his executive powers to clear Fonseka of all the allegations, including treason and dabbling in politics while in uniform. Ensuring justice for Fonseka was a ‘responsibility undertaken by the (new) government in our quest for justice for the whole of the army’, Sirisena said. Fonseka led troops to victory over the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009, but then fell out with Rajapaksa over who deserved the credit. The decorated general was publicly humiliated and
Sarath Fonseka
stripped of his rank, pension and medals collected in a 40year career. He spent two years in jail and lost the right to contest elections for seven years. The United States considered Fonseka a political prisoner and campaigned for his unconditional release, which eventually came in May 2012. The new president, who was backed by Fonseka in the run-up to the 8 January election, granted a pardon and completely exonerated him of previous convictions as well as pending charges of treason. Soon after his 2010 poll defeat, Fonseka was detained on a charge of corruption relating to military
procurements and then given a 30-month jail sentence. In November 2011 he was sentenced to three more years in jail for saying that Tiger rebels who surrendered had been killed on the orders of Rajapaksa’s brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the then-defence secretary. Fonseka had also angered the government by saying he would testify before any international tribunal probing possible war crimes charges. Sri Lanka’s former government had denied any civilians were killed by its troops at the climax of the 37year war in 2009, which is believed to have left up to 100,000 people dead.
Cameron says won’t seek third term in power
(Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday ruled out seeking a third term in office if he won a second mandate in a tightly fought national election on May 7, saying it would then be time for a new leader of his rightleaning Conservatives. His comments are designed in part to underscore his party’s message that it believes its job of rebuilding the economy and reforming Britain is only half-done and that it needs another five years “to finish the job”. Cameron, whose party is neck-and-neck in opinion polls with the opposition Labour Party, also said he would like to serve a full fiveyear second term from 20152020 if re-elected, scotching persistent speculation that he would stand down after a possible European Union membership referendum in 2017. But he suggested his political ambitions would then have run their course. “I’m putting myself forward for the full five years. I feel fit enough and healthy enough to do the job. I’ve got a real passion for it and I’m
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron really keen to win. If I fall short I’ll be disappointed,” he told BBC TV. But asked whether he wanted a third term, he said: “No ... The third term is not something I’m contemplating.” Cameron, 48, said possible successors included Theresa May, the home secretary, London mayor Boris Johnson, and chancellor George Osborne, saying the time would then come for “a
fresh pair of eyes and fresh leadership”. If Cameron does win reelection, his comments are likely to spark a lengthy leadership contest to succeed him. Cameron became prime minister in 2010 and has headed Britain’s first coalition government since World War Two, with the centre-left Liberal Democrats as the junior partner to his Conservatives.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday March 24, 2014
Poll shows most Brazilians No-confidence motion against favour Rousseff’s impeachment Rowley to be debated tomorrow (Reuters) - A majority of Brazilians favor impeaching President Dilma Rousseff due to an economic slump and a snowballing corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras, according to a poll released yesterday. The survey by polling firm MDA showed that 59.7 percent of respondents favor Rousseff ’s impeachment, and 68.9 percent believe she is responsible for the corruption involving a massive kickback scheme at Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the oil giant is formally known. Despite the calls for Rousseff’s ouster and recent street demonstrations against her government, opposition leaders have resisted pushing for impeachment and say it is unlikely. Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, of the biggest opposition party, the PSDB, told Reuters that removing Rousseff so soon after she was re-elected would be destructive to Brazil’s 30-year-old democracy, especially since prosecutors have found no evidence she participated in the corruption scheme at Petrobras. Rousseff ’s popularity has fallen to a new low, with 64.8 percent of respondents rating her government negatively and only 10.8 percent seeing it positively, the poll said. When MDA last surveyed Rousseff’s popularity in late September, before her narrow re-election in October,
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff 41 percent of respondents rated her government as “great” or “good” and 23.5 percent as “bad” or “terrible.” The new poll also showed that Rousseff’s personal approval rating had dropped to 18.9 percent from 55.6 percent in September, while 77.7 percent of respondents said they disapproved of her leadership versus 40.1 percent in the previous survey. If Brazil were to hold presidential elections today, opposition leader Aecio Neves would win. In the poll, 55.7 percent of respondents said they would vote for Neves, of the PSDB party, who lost the October presidential vote in a close runoff. Just 16.6 percent said they would vote
for Rousseff. A vast majority of those polled, or 92.8 percent, expressed concern about Brazil’s economy, which has slowed to a halt on Rousseff’s watch and is expected to fall into recession this year. Pessimism about an economic recovery extends to the prospects for rooting out corruption, with 65.7 percent of respondents saying they do not believe those who were responsible for the graft at Petrobras will be punished. The MDA poll, commissioned by the national transport lobby group CNT, surveyed 2,002 people from March 16 to 19.
Traffic jam outrage as police set up roadblocks The decision of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to set up roadblocks along the highways and major roads at daybreak yesterday caused massive traffic jams and outraged commuters. There was gridlock along the Solomon Hochoy and Churchill Roosevelt highways and along most roads filtering to the highways. The grid lock extended to Tobago where motorists reported being trapped in kilometres of traffic, with a five-minute commute taking as long as two hours. People took to social media and radio frustration over the decision of the police to conduct stop and search exercises. Many said they turned
...both in Trinidad and Tobago
around and returned to their homes. Pupils missed end of term examinations. Some said they sat in their vehicles for hours without moving. The country’s productivity took a big hit, they said. Motorists called on senior officers to explain why the road blocks were ordered at a time when people were heading to work or taking chil-
dren to school. There are suggestions that the way in which the police went about the exercise yesterday, indicates a form of protest action. The Police Service is at this time negotiating for better terms and conditions of work and is unhappy with the offer being made by the State.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — A motion of noconfidence against Trinidad and Tobago opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley will be debated tomorrow. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Housing Minister Roodal Moonilal said, “On Wednesday at 1.30 pm we will debate motion number six on the order paper, which is the motion of no confidence in the leader of the opposition.” At a UNC Monday night meeting three weeks ago, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesar said that a motion of no confidence will be filed against Rowley in Parliament for his failure to disclose that David West, who became head of the Police Complaints Authority, was a witness for him in a defamation case against him filed by former attorney general Anand Ramlogan. West has alleged Ramlogan attempted to get him to remove his witness statement in the defamation case against Rowley. Following the allegations, Persad-Bissessar fired Ramlogan and former national security minister Gary Griffith.
Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley
US grants new patent to Jamaican Scientist - Development said to be major scientific stride for biotechnology in Jamaica (Jamaica Observer) Renowned Jamaican scientist Dr Henry Lowe was recently granted a new patent by the United States of America Patent Office in his anti-cancer research. The development is being regarded as a major scientific stride for biotechnology in Jamaica as it relates to the making of a new group of chemical compounds called Dicinnamoyl-Glycerol Esters, which have major anti-cancer activities. A news release from Lowe’s Bio-Tech R&D Institute explained that the new patent — Number 8907117 — is titled ‘Anti-tumour and Anti-Inflammatory Dicinnamoyl-Glycerol Esters and their Analogues’. “The making of these new anti-cancer drugs was inspired by the isolation of chemical compounds from the Ball Moss plant, which has been actively pursued over the past 10 years by Dr Lowe and his research team,” the news release said. “The synthesis of these anti-cancer drug agents is a first of its kind.” The patent information was recently released, but was formally granted on December 9, 2014, the release explained, adding that the new patent is one of three anti-cancer patents so far granted to Dr Lowe, with an additional five patents undergoing different stages of evaluation prior to the patent
award. “The bioactive isolates are currently undergoing the final stages of preclinical studies to pave the way for clinical trials and drug development,” the news release added. “Since filing for this patent over four years ago, we are pleased to know that it has finally been granted,” the release quoted Dr Lowe, who also explained that drug research and development is very expensive and time-consuming. “The duration of the process is in keeping with drug development from conception to market, which can last anywhere from 10 to 15 years and costs approximately US$1 billion to US$1.5 billion,” Dr Lowe said. This, he added, is particularly burdensome for scientists in developing countries like Jamaica, where resources are limited and the filing and maintenance of patents are very expensive. The company noted that Dr Lowe and his colleague scientists — Dr Joseph Bryant and Dr Ngeh Toyang from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, as well as Dr Charah Watson of Bio-Tech R&D — are particularly encouraged by the news that their work has been regarded as “exceptionally outstanding”. “The team has published 17 original peer reviewed articles in renowned scientific journals as at the end of 2014.
Renowned Jamaican scientist Dr Henry Lowe Since then, a number of new manuscripts have been completed and are awaiting review and publication,” the news release said. “The publications for 2015 are expected to far exceed those of 2014 and will help to make the Jamaican scientific endeavours outstanding.” The Bio-Tech R&D Institute in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine is primarily focused on cancer research as well as diabetes and HIV/AIDS. Recently, the institute joined Lowe’s new company, Medicanja, in leading research and development of Cannabis for medicinal and commercial projects and programmes in Jamaica, which, Bio-Tech R&D said, “are expected to significantly impact scientific and clinical development, as well as economic benefits to Jamaica”.
Tuesday March 24, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Boston Olympic backers say won’t Ex-tennis champion Bob Hewitt make bid without public support convicted of rape in South Africa BOSTON (Reuters) - The organizers for Boston’s campaign to host the 2024 Olympic Games on Monday said they would not make a final bid to the International Olympic Committee unless a majority of Massachusetts residents support the idea. The vow, which came in a full-page ads in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald newspapers, comes days after a poll showed that a majority of Boston-area residents opposed the idea, with many concerned that city taxpayers would be left to cover some of the estimated $9.5 billion costs of hosting the Summer Games. “There are legitimate concerns and potential risks associated with this effort that must be addressed in a thoughtful and transparent
manner for the Games to work for Massachusetts,” the Boston 2024 committee said in the ad. The g roup did not specify how a majority support would be measured, whether through a ballot initiative or by polling. Failed 2014 gubernatorial candidate Evan Falchuk already has called for the question of whether to host the Games to be put to a statewide vote.
In January the U.S. Olympic Committee picked Boston over rival cities including Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to bid for what would the first Olympics in the United States since the Salt Lake City Winter Games of 2002. Even before the pick was formally made, an organized opposition had sprung up to oppose the idea, contending the crowds of spectators, athletes and media would overwhelm Boston’s aging transportation infrastructure and the city would be unable to bear the costs of hosting the event. The IOC is expected to pick a host city for the 2024 Olympics in 2017. Boston’s bid would pit it against cities including Hamburg and Rome, and possibly Paris, Doha or Istanbul.
Tuesday March 24, 2014 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You might contemplate a change of residence, or at least a change in household. Someone could move out or move in. Travel might be on your mind. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You might come to a new understanding with colleagues or you could get some state-of-the-art equipment that enables operations to run more smoothly. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may feel a little upset and somewhat depressed by a temporary separation from a loved one. As a result, you might throw your energy into creative projects. CANCER (June 21–July 22) An unexpected visit from a gloomy or depressed person might have you feeling a little d i s c o n c e r t e d , C a n c e r. Don't try to be too cheerful. It's more important to be a good listener. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Unexpected contact with a lover, relative, young person, or close friend could leave you feeling exhilarated and optimistic about the future. Change is coming. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Events beyond your control may necessitate repairs to your home or yard, and some may seem overwhelming, Virgo.to do it yourself.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) A rather unsettling communication could cause you to dwell on the negative side of whatever you learn, Libra. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Unsettling developments regarding money could cause some upset, Scorpio, but they'll be resolved by day's end. You could lose and find your wallet or bank errors could prove to be its fault and not yours. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) A fortunate change of circumstances in a friend's life could have a positive impact on your life, Sagittarius. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Today represents the start of a period of endings and new beginnings in your career, Capricorn. You might be leaving an old job for a new one or advancing to a new position with your current employer. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Your sense of adventure is in full swing today, Aquarius. New and unusual pastimes, travel to exotic places, meeting new and interesting people - all should be on your mind. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Perhaps you will get a new job opportunity. Perhaps you will meet someone who will change your life. This is a day to savor good luck and new beginnings.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former Grand Slam doubles tennis champion Bob Hewitt was found guilty by a South African court on Monday of two charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault of minors, the radio station Eyewitness News said. The Australian-born Hewitt, 75, had been charged with assaulting three under-age girls during his time coaching children in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. Hewitt won nine Grand Slam doubles and six Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in
the 1960s and 1970s. He also reached the semifinals of the men’s singles at the Australian Open three times, and won the Davis Cup with South Africa in 1974 after settling there. The prosecution and defense both presented closing arguments at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Monday. Hewitt had pleaded not guilty to all charges. His doctor said last year that Hewitt remained ill after suffering a stroke in 2010 and a heart attack in 2011.
Former Grand Slam doubles champion Bob Hewitt REUTERS/ Siphiwe Sibeko
Blatter faces harshest critics... (From page 28) told reporters on Monday. “I believe that if the present president of FIFA goes on we will keep on having these things again and again and again. “I’m of the opinion Mr Blatter is responsible for this and he will never be accepted by anyone in the world as the person to turn FIFA around,” added the 67-year-old chairman of the Dutch FA. Although attention is to
focus on Blatter at the start of Congress, UEFA will also be re-electing Michel Platini as president for a third term. The former France international was once an ally of the FIFA leader but the pair have drifted apart and Platini is now endorsing Blatter’s opponents. Among other elections on Tuesday is one for three UEFA representatives on FIFA’s executive committee that will almost certainly see
two critics of Blatter voted on to the most powerful group in world football. German FA chairman Wolfgang Niersbach will be elected unopposed while England’s David Gill is expected to win a seat reserved for the British vice-presidency in a two-way battle against Trefor Lloyd Hughes of Wales. Incumbent Angel Maria Villar Llona of Spain will also be re-elected unopposed.
Bayrock are EBDCA/Goodwood... (From page 33) moments, Marlon English (11*) and Kurt Bijader (07*) saw their team home; they ended on 199-8 in 38 overs. Shuman finished with 4-26 and Alex Dundas 2-24. Williams was given the man of the match award, while Bayrock collected a trophy and $20,000 and Laluni a trophy and $15,000. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, president of the EBDCA Anand Kalladeen congratulated both teams and urged them to take the game seriously since players are being rewarded handsomely at the higher level. First Vice President Rohan Sarjoo said he is impressed with the talent and congratulated the winners.
Everest capture Banks... (From page 32) unlimited “lives” but each dismissal shall result in 10 runs being deducted from the team’s total. Each team shall commence its innings with a score of two hundred runs. The winning team shall be the side scoring the higher number of runs after deductions for dismissals has been made.
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Kaieteur News
Daby siblings aiming for another sweep Siblings Peter and Rondell Daby will be aiming to sweep the podium once again when the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club International Drag Race Meet scheduled to be held this Sunday, at the South Dakota Circuit. The Dabys dominated the last Meet and word is that the two have already sent out utterance that they are not taking any competitor lightly and have been preparing to duplicate their last performance. Peter drives a powerpacked Mitsubishi Evolution 7 and the feedback is that the car is in excellent shape and he expects good results even with the presence of competitors from neighbouring Suriname.
The slim-built racer according to a source will be seeking to upstage his brother as well. Rondell will be piloting two machines, one being a Toyota Supra and the other a Mitsubishi Evolution. The Dabys are brimming with confidence both in terms of their own form and the reliability of the cars. Drag racing is growing in popularity and is making a strong claim right now, enjoying better organisation and competitors who’re willing to spend the cash to make their machines highly competitive. The Superbikers are also expected to add to the excitement and those who
face the starting lights will no doubt be looking to outdo each other in the battle for outright supremacy. Additionally, race fans will have the opportunity to witness the Porta Tree Timing System which is equipped with specialized starting lights that allow quarter mile speeds to be recorded. Races commence at 09:00 hrs and admission for adults is $1000, while children are $500 and vehicles free. Meanwhile, GT&T, Universal Communications, Carlsberg Beer, Rent-a-Tent, AR. Jiwanram, Fanatix Designs, T&R Seafoods and Ganesh Parts and General Store are among the major sponsors.
The Mitsubishi Evolution of Peter Daby.
Sledging inevitable in Cup semi-final - Faulkner ESPNcricinfo - Australia’s allrounder James Faulkner believes instances of sledging will be inevitable in Thursday’s high-stakes World Cup semi-final at the SCG, on a pitch that has already been the subject of enormous speculation and will continue to be all week. The confrontation between Shane Watson and Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz enlivened the tournament, even if the two combatants paid for their aggression and emotion with a pair of ICC fines. While India do not possess any bowler capable of matching Wahab for speed, Faulkner expected men on both sides to be replicating his attitude. “I think there always is in the game, if there isn’t you’ve got problems,” Faulkner said. “It’s the nature of the game, it’s a semi-final, it’s cut-throat. There’s going to be words said and it’s going to be a really tough contest. Neither team will be backing down.” Chances of Indian aggression being witnessed at the SCG have increased over the past month as MS Dhoni’s team have found a fresh sense of purpose, direction and confidence over the course of a seven-match unbeaten run. Their form in this tournament is the exact opposite to what was glimpsed in the Tests and triangular series that preceded it - India
had not won a match in three months down under before the Cup. “We have come up against them a hell of a lot over the last 12-18 months and they’ve spent a fair bit of time in the country,” Faulkner said. “They’ve adapted well to the conditions. A lot of nerves were on show a couple of nights ago [in Adelaide] and I think that’s good. Both teams are exposed and if you don’t have nerves you’ve got issues.” Faulkner’s press conference began with a question about whether or not the ICC’s pitch overseer Andy Atkinson would need to be called in to ensure the surface was equitable. While the query went over the head of Faulkner, who rightly pointed out that he had not even seen the turf, it underlined curiosity about a pitch that has largely favoured spin over pace this season. “A lot depends on the wicket,” Faulkner said. “The last time we played here, the wicket was obviously very good against Sri Lanka. We made 360-odd, they made over 300. It was a great oneday wicket. If it’s much like that, I’m expecting a lot of runs scored. If you look over the recent past, over there or here, you’ve seen a lot of runs. “Against Sri Lanka, the wicket didn’t really spin and
it was quite easy to get hold of. I’m not too sure what make-up they’ll go in with or what make-up we’ll go in with. The wicket dictates a lot, so we’ll wait and see what is come game day.” The hosts’ subsequent inspection of the surface revealed the strip to be the same one used for South Africa’s rapid quarter-final beating of Sri Lanka. It has been watered and brought back up again, and only the thinnest film of grass was evident on Monday afternoon. Clippings have been and will be rolled into the surface over the next few days, but it is difficult to see the pitch offering much in the way of moisture or assistance for pacemen. Australia’s best hope of seeing the sort of pitch they would prefer is likely to be rain, with showers forecast for Tuesday likely to keep the surface under the covers for some hours and prevent it from drying too much more. Either way, the Australians are ready for the likelihood of a crowd where Indian support will outweigh local fans. “We were talking about it last night at dinner, the last game we played here it definitely felt like that,” Faulkner said. “The passion the Indian fans show towards their cricket team is sensational, so we’re definitely expecting that come match day.”
Tuesday March 24, 2014
Letter to Sports Editor
What is the best Golden Jaguars XI? Dear Sports Editor, “The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change. The leader adjust the sails” John. C Maxwell This erudite quote from world renowned American motivational speaker aptly describes the current state of Guyana football in the Normalization Committee era. The pessimist for various reasons don’t believe the Normalization Committee either is truly the right answer for Guyana football or chosen to correct people to be part of the GFF, the optimist that believes the exact opposite and in the midst of these two trade winds - FIFA has tasked Clinton Urling with adjusting the sails of Guyana football future. Regardless of which position you may hold, the “Golden Jaguars” are back playing football and it gives fans, arm-chair experts and media the chance to watch and talk about football – which is all that really matters. News that the Jaguars recruited English based players Matthew Briggs and Neil Danns are notable coups, especially considering that in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers a few players of similar ilk rejected the team. Since Kayode McKinnon and American Nick Millington retired, captain Chris Nurse has not had a quality mid-field partner; therefore Danns acquisition would give the team a strong first team midfield duo. Similarly the retirements
of Leon Cort, Charles Pollard, JP Rodrigues created similar gaping hole in the defensive unit and young Briggs would provide much needed quality to this area. From overseas its obviously impossible to judge how good or not the local Guyana players could be, but from what we know of the Guyana born or foreign based players in leagues around the world, there is potential for Guyana’s best XI to be fairly innovative. In my view given the strengths and weaknesses the team, I would like to see Guyana implement a variation of the 3-4-3 or 3-4-1-2 formation. Despite getting Briggs in my view I’m not confident the current available defenders give a robust enough look like the aforementioned Cort/ Pollard/Rodriguez trio to play a traditional back-four system. Thus with Briggs being a left-footer, a backthree of Colin Nelson/Jamaal Smith/Matthew Briggs would help to cover those deficiencies somewhat. Ricky Shakes and Walter Moore have the energy, attacking intent and crossing ability to cover the wing-back roles effectively and Akel Clarke to be the goalkeeper. In the forward positions Emery Welshman, Pernell Schultz and Trayon Bobb can be possibly used similarly to how Liverpool utilizes Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Phillipe Coutinho; attacking the opposition with pace, incisive moment and
trickery instead of traditional target man striker role that many CFU teams implement. If the formation is more 34-1-2, the “1” hole role could be deployed by the Jaguars mercurial talent of the last decade - Gregory Richardson. He certainly has the ability to play as an advanced playmaker or as the Italians would say “trequartista” - who could forget his superb assists for Bobb’s two goals in that famous draw in El Salvador. It will be interesting to see if Briggs and Danns joining the Jaguars will encourage other European league experienced players of Guyanese heritage to follow suit specifically - Jerome Thomas from Crystal Palace or former England striker Jay Bothroyd who is now playing in Japan. What’s obvious is that entire CFU region is battling for one World Cup spot because USA, Mexico and Costa Rica will qualify barring a miracle and Central American teams are a major step ahead of CFU teams. Suriname has plans to change their citizenship rules to bring back players from Holland, Jamaica are chasing high profile premier league players, Curacao hiring Patrick Kluivert as coach are some examples around the region that gives an early sign that the CFU team that can recruit the most foreign based talent a n d c o a c h i n g w i ll put themselves in the best position to be at Russia 2018. Colin Benjamin.
Blatter faces harshest critics at UEFA Congress VIENNA (Reuters) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter will come face to face with some of his harshest critics on Tuesday, most of whom will be voting to remove him from office when the Swiss stands for re-election in May. The 79-year-old is to address the 54-member nations of UEFA at their annual Congress knowing most of the delegates are backing the other three candidates: Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Dutchman Michael van Praag and Luis Figo of Portugal. Blatter will make a speech at the start of Congress in his role as FIFA chief but has rejected an offer to address delegates as a presidential hopeful. He said he had no need to campaign as his 40-year record at football’s governing body spoke for itself.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter gestures as he addresses a news conference after a meeting of the FIFA executive committee in Zurich March 20, 2015. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Blatter may be right because, despite his organisation facing one crisis or another, he is the overwhelming favourite to win a fifth term of office in the election at the FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 29.
But he will be under no illusions when he faces his fellow Europeans on Tuesday that not all of them believe he is fit to carry on as president. “It will be very bad indeed if he continues,” Van Praag (Continued on page27)
Tuesday March 24, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Time to clean house! By Sean Devers Thankfully for West Indian fans their World Cup is over prematurely since for many, the heart could not take any more mauling from opposition, who reserved their record breaking performances for our beloved and once invincible team. The battering our bowlers took from South Africa and New Zealand almost brought tears to the eyes of some of their most die-hard supporters who collectively screamed ‘enough is enough’ at the top of their voices. It is time for some house cleaning and drastic changes must be made urgently at all levels of West Indies cricket (on & off the field) to arrest what seems to be a terminal decline from the glory days of the 1980’s to early 90s. A lot of changes have to be made at the Administrative level of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), also while the structure, infrastructure and the upgrading of facilities in the West Indies needs a drastic overhaul if we ever hope to reclaim our position at the pinnacle of Test Cricket as we once did under Clive Lloyd and Sir Vivian Richards. School cricket also needs to be revamped.
Lloyd and Richards were not only great leaders because of the strength of their teams but also because they led from the front consistently as players and were consummate professionals at a time when money was not the main motivating factor for the players. But let’s start with the team which participated in the 2015 World Cup that Jason Holder, at 23, was given to Captain without any previous Captaincy experience at any level of Regional cricket. Holder took over from Dwayne Bravo, one of the architects of the aborted tour to India, for the One-Day series in South Africa and lost 4-1 in the five-match series but acquitted himself fairly well, especially as a player, in what must have been a pressure-filled World Cup for the youngest ever West Indies Captain. His job would have been made harder since it appeared from watching the games on TV that Chris Gayle, Denish Ramdin and especially Darren Sammy seemed to forget that they were no longer the Captain and at various times during the tournament give the impression that they wanted to take over Holder’s role. The young Bajan must
have known that this World Cup would have virtually made or break him as Captain and possibly as player too. However, the tournament reveled Holder ’s mental strength and although his Captaincy was generally too defensive, he stood up adequately to the test. He contributed two fifties and was not too bad with the ball although he was one of only three bowlers in a World Cup game to concede over 100 runs. Holder seems to be a fast learner and this experience has most likely made him a stronger person. My best memory of his Captaincy was when Sammy wanted to upstage him on the field and Holder, with the millions watching live and on TV, let Sammy know, in no uncertain manner, who was boss on the field. If I were a selector, only Holder, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor and Jonathon Carter would be certainties in the Test team to face England in a three-Test series starting on April 13 in Antigua. I might seem overly dramatic and harsh on the other players but the senior players rarely suggested they were fully and passionately dedicated to West Indies
G/town Softball Teams to play at Crabwood Creek, Easter Sunday On Sunday April 5th, softball fans on the Upper Corentyne area will witness three Male/Female matches at the Crabwood Creek Cricket Ground. Guyana Softball Cup Masters Champion, “Floodlights” will play Corriverton Market Vendors in a T20 affair. Match starts at 9:00am and the Mohan & Meena memorial trophy will be at stake. The next match will be Floodlights All Stars versus Crabwood Creek/ Scotsburg combined, for the Bier &Prakash Singh memorial trophy, in a 15/15 contest. The
third match will see the country’s champion female team, Trophy Stall Angels taking on Karibbie Girls in a 15/15 contest for the Nand Persaud memorial trophy. Admission to the venue is $200 and all proceeds of these matches will go to the Crabwood Creek Baba Grant Mandir. There will be many give-aways, eg: Laptop, DVR, Hampers, T- Shirts, pharmaceuticals, etc. Spectators will stand a chance to win by simply keeping their half tickets from the gate, and listening for their number to be called.
This day’s events is organised by the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association. The three matches are sponsored by 4R, Nand Persaud & Co. Ltd, and Ganesh Singh & Brothers Sawmill. Give-aways will be donated by Ago Gopaul and Family, Survival Supermarket, Trophy Stall, 4R and Mikes Pharmacy. Cricket fans are urged to turn out in their numbers and enjoy the day’s entertainment, win a prize and at the same time support a worthy cause.
WICB First-Class Cricket Franchise
Guyana beat Windwards in Dominica The Guyana Jaguars yesterday defeated the Windward Islands Volcanoes by an innings and 10 runs in Dominica to officially capture their seventh Regional First-Class title and first since 1998. The Windwards began the final day on 113-6 and were bowled out for 134. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (4-30)
and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (4-38) for the second time in the game destroyed the Islanders’ batting. Scores: Windwards (283 & 134), Jaguars (427) Guyana collected 18 points to finish the tournament with 148 points with nine wins and their only loss in the third round against Barbados at Providence. Narsingh Deonarine (2),
Vishaul Singh, Chris Barnwell and Shiv Chanderpaul registered centuries for the Jaguars, while Permaul took 67 wickets and Bishoo 61 to both break the record for most wickets in a season of 60 set by off-spinner Ryan Austin. The Leon Johnson led team is expected home this afternoon at the Ogle International Airport.
cricket and their fans in the Caribbean, who suffered sleep deprivation to watch them play in the wee hours of the morning. The batting especially was horribly inconsistent and many times demonstrated a lack of ‘match awareness’ and sometimes looked totally brainless. It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This bunch of players are fairly experienced at this level but they have made the same mistakes repeatedly and apart from a T20 title in 2004, have failed to win any tournaments in over a decade. So despite the talent in the team, the West Indies have been a failure at International level for close to 20 years and must be made to understand that it takes much more than talent and a few world class performances now and then, to be successful in International Sports. I would make several changes in the team to face England and would give 40year-old Shiv Chanderpaul the remaining five Tests for 2015 (3 vs Eng & 2 vs Aus) and then ask him to retire from Test Cricket with a formal Ceremony in recognition of his tremendous contribution to the West Indies Test since 1994 and for being the most capped West Indian Test Cricketer. Those five matches should see him pass Brian Lara’s record of most Test runs by a West Indian and possible most tons in Tests. Chanderpaul needs another 278 runs and five more centuries to break Lara’s records. I would select a core of about 25 young players and they will all be required to sign WICB retainer contracts. These players would be among the leading performers in the 2014/15 Regional FirstClass season. The WICB should ask Caribbean people and the ICC to show patience if the West Indies don’t win for about a year or so, since it’s a team in the rebuilding stage. Even with the senior players, West Indies were not winning either and so this should not be too big a request of the fans. Among the players I would pick to rebuild the Test team are Shiv Chanderpaul, Jason Holder, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Kraigg Braithwaite, Jermaine Blackwood, Leon Johnson, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Chadwick Walton, Chris Barnwell, Miguel Cummings, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo,
Jason Holder
Veerasammy Permaul
Devendra Bishoo
Kraigg Braithwaite
Shai Hope, Shane Dowrich, Anthony Bramble, Jason Mohamed, Imran Khan, Jamal Warrican, Marquino Mindley, Carlos Braithwaite, Kemar Roach and Marlon Richards. I would appoint Braithwaite as Test Skipper with Johnson as his deputy since although Johnson led Guyana to their first Regional First-Class title since 1998 and has demonstrated good leadership qualities, Braithwaite is a certainty in the Test team and Johnson should be allowed to concentrate on his batting at this time. The WICB should have frank discussions with the Bravo siblings, Chris Gayle, Kieran Powell, Kieron Pollard, Adrian Barath and Sunil Narine about their intentions regarding playing for the West Indies and in what formats they would be available. Barath, Powell and Darren Bravo, could also be a part of the rebuilding plans for the Test Team. The right attitude, which includes discipline, has to be inculcated at the U-15 and club level and that is one of the major problems in the West Indies Cricket system. WICB Director of Cricket, Richard Pybus seems not too interested in the foundation of West Indies Cricket, which is the youth level. When I played for Guyana
U-19s in the late 1980s, the Regional U-19 three-day tournaments comprised of five matches with each team playing each other. The 2014 under-19 competition was reduced to three matches and I was amazed that Chairman of Selectors Clive Lloyd, expressed satisfaction with what he saw in Guyana during the Regional U-19 tournament. He added that he was encouraged that the future of West Indies Test cricket looked good from what he saw. The standard of the U19 last year was one of the worse I have ever seen. When I was selected in the National senior squad we played the Inter-County competition and then had five three-day trial matches to pick the Guyana team. From youth level we would play County matches in every County, thus allowing the youngsters there to develop an interest in the sport at a young age. That format also afforded the players and Umpires an opportunity to experience the beauty of Guyana and learn about their Country. These things don’t happen today and unless more two-innings Cricket matches are planned at every level and decentralized, we will remain in the doldrums at the Test level.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday March 24, 2014
Score’s Even leads the way at Clash of Champions The ‘Clash Of The Champions’ Four Horsemen Promotions one day horserace meet came off with a bang on Sunday at the Port Mourant Turf Club, Corentyne Berbice. The situation was electrifying and intense and the arena was packed as fans gathered from early for the anticipated action. In the end it was the resolute and fearless undisputed Champion Score’s Even of the Simple Royal Stable that was crowned King as it continues its reign with another classy performance to win the feature A and lower 1600M event. Despite the feature event suffering some minor hiccups with top horse Curfew Tower last minute withdrawal due to injury and the
non-arrival of Diplomatic Cat due to last minute mechanical problems with the aircraft which broke down at the airport with the horses already on board, the event still lived up to expectations. It was left to the big grey gelding Score’s Even, owned and trained by Dennis DeRoop, C.P Got Even of the Elcock stable trained by Colin Elcock and Treacle of the Dookie stable trained by Fazal Habibulla. The animals were off on a level break and soon Score’s Even ridden by Rad Drepaul took the lead. Soon C.P Got Even with Randolph Richmond pulled up alongside and the two animals went on a ding dong duel, almost neck and neck. By then fans were perched on every available space to
get a glimpse of the impending finish as both animals are known for their strong finishes. With about 100M out the race seemed still open and was heading for the wire. However it was the 1000 pounder Score’s Even, fetching a whopping 136 pounds on its back that was able to pulled away to take the $1.2M winner ’s money compliments Banks DIH Limited, Peter Lewis Construction Services and Atlantic Marine and the Banks DIH Limited Trophy. CP Got Even held strong for second ahead of Run Nana Run with Lady Budapest occupying fourth. Some punters believe that a few spectators who wondered on the track at the last moment might have
Quiet Dancer with Randolph Richmond beating Appealing Harvest and the rest of the field in the G1event.
disrupted the much anticipated finish. Top horse Treacle suffered some leg injuries half way during the race and failed to feature. Other results showed Swing Easy ridden by Trinidadian jockey Kizan Razzack of the Shariff Racing stable producing blistering run down the homestretch to race past the rest of the field and take the D3 Maiden and WI Bred event and the $400,000 and trophy ahead of Jack In My Style, Goodwill Boy and Unsettled. Storm Bird of The Inshan Bacchus stable with Trinidadian Jockey J. Stephen on board stormed to front early and never looked back for a convincing win in the race for Three Year Old and West Indies bred horses to
take home the $400,000 and trophy with It’s My Choice, Settling Star and Midnight Blue rounding out the money. The G1 and Lower race saw Quiet Dancer ridden by Randolph Richmond of the Elcock stable rising to the occasion as it took the $320,000 and trophy in an upset win ahead of Appealing Harvest, Cassie and Joyful Victory. Chelsea of the Jagdeo stable with Trinidadian Nicholas Patrick on board made sure that its first race on Guyana soil was successful as it ran away from Today is My Lucky day, Red Cloud and Super Bowl in the G3 Maiden and H and Lower event for the $300,000 first prize and trophy. Jockey Paul Delph guided
Mary Ann to victory in the race for Three Year Old WI Bred and I and lower horses as Slim Shady, Party Time and Amazon Warrior finished down the order for the $300,000 winners money. Red Jet with Jockey Norville burnt up its opponents in the J3 and lower event to take the $200,000 and trophy. Royal Cash with took top position in the J1 and lower race. The top jockey on show was Rad Drepaul while there was no clear cut stable that emerged as top stable on show. Over 70 horses took part and over $8M were at stake in the day’s action which was by and large incident free. (Samuel Whyte)
Swing Easy of the Shariff stable on the fence with Kizan Razzack winning a close battle from Jack Is My Style with Colin Ross in the D class event.
Letter to the Sports Editor
Will the lopsided Cricket Administration Act come back to haunt its authors? Dear Sports Editor, The BCB held its AGM last December under the new Cricket Administration Act, which Act had broken new ground when the Select Committee rewrote the constitutions of the GCB and the DCB without any approval from the members of these cricket entities. At the same time, the Select Committee did not pay any attention to the archaic constitution of the BCB most probably acting under the pretext that everything is rosy and dandy with Berbice cricket as is publicly stated in the media by all and sundry. Even the BCB, who blindly are strong supporters of the CAA, were flummoxed when called upon to execute the CAA. Legally, irrespective of its lopsided and controversial
nature, the CAA is the law of the land and has to be adhered to. The BCB, unwittingly, has now been sucked into the legal fracas since even though they explicitly published their AGM notice that it was being done in accordance with the CAA, they conducted their meeting in the same illegal historic manner that they were accustomed to incurring the wrath of its members. Both the WICB and the GCB have taken pains to point out and subsequently had to challenge the deficiencies and contradictions within the CAA but these advices have all fallen on deaf and stubborn ears. No less a person than the ubiquitous Attorney General was called a blatant liar when
he publicly stated that the Select Committee had consulted with the WICB on the appointment of the Ombudsman and other matters within the CAA and has since failed to respond. This is quite unlike the modus operandi of our learned AG. Had he been accurate or thought he was, he would have already publicly denounced this statement and demanded a full and unqualified apology and/or would have already filed a defamation suit. The AG was again caught with his pants down in another of his attempts to hoodwink the innocent public. Along with the obdurate Sports Minister, Frank Anthony, the AG successfully manoeuvred the CAA
through Parliament after hood winking APNU with dangling the carrot of autonomy for Linden to obtain their support for the CAA. Just as was predicted and implored to both of these Ministers that ramming the lopsided, ill conceived and controversial CAA down the throats of the cricket administrators would not solve the manufactured crisis in cricket, it just did not happen. There are numerous legal matters pending within the judicial system and most of these matters commenced since 2011. The GOG failed in its quest to disband the GCB and has stubbornly refused to recognize that entity ignoring all of the recent successes surrounding the teams administered by the GCB. At least
they could have congratulated the winning teams, but they seem to feel that by doing so they would publicly acknowledge the success of the GCB administrators, something which they are mortally afraid of. Guess they are living in La la land and are wishing that these successes never happened. It is basically a joke that while Mr. Veerasammy Permaul was awarded National Sportsman of the year, his victorious team and the Association that orchestrated their success and that of all the age group teams failed to be even recognised. Never in our history did a sport association performed so well in a single year, kudos to the GCB and its administrators.
The GOG’s solution to the manufactured crisis of their friend is the CAA, which, as predicted, has just precipitated about more and more legal matters challenging, firstly, the CAA itself, the appointment of ombudsman without due consultative process and the above BCB matter amongst others. Are we better off now than we were in 2011? Hell, sure NO! By now, the authors of the CAA would have learnt that under the doctrine of separation of powers, the 3 branches of democratic power need to operate independently, and none of them should be allowed to subsume the other. You cannot legislate a pending judicial matter! Yours in Sports, Anand Dyal.