Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Saturday March 29, 2014

Letters... Where your views make the news Kaieteur News To equate reparations for the genocide of millions 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

Suicide-the bane of the society Suicides are perhaps the most unexplained in today’s world. A recent study showed that in Guyana suicides are more prevalent in the agricultural communities. One reason offered was the fact that the victim has ready access to the various weedicides and insecticides. But even before weedicides and insecticides became so prevalent, the people in the rural communities had access to rope, that length of hemp that is used most in the cattle industry. There is also a lot of rope used in the fishing industry but one does not hear about hangings among fishermen. Eevery study concluded that people of Indian ancestry were more prone to committing suicide but this was not exclusively the case. The Ministry of Health is now expressing concern because of the prevalence. Very young people are now among the victims. The young commit the act because they want to hurt parents and relatives. Such is their anger that they do not even weigh the consequences. We have had cases of young people killing themselves because the parent refused to accede to a request, be that request for money or some article of fashion. We have had the case of a girl killing herself because her mother refused to buy a pair of brand name footwear. And if that is not bad enough, we have had the numerous alcoholics who kill themselves in a fit of pique. Far too often we see the police and press reports of a drunken man going home and losing his cool either because his mother cooked something that he did not like or because she did not give him money to feed some habit or the other. We have had, too, suicides resulting from the failure of people to deal with some shocking results. We have had school children who through disappointment at one external examination or the other, simply committed suicide. The expert would conclude that the parents actually placed too much pressure on the child who simply could not live up to parental expectations. Then there have been those who were diagnosed with some ailment or the other. The one ailment that precipitated numerous suicides was HIV/AIDS. The mere thought of the stigma and the discrimination drove many people over the edge. But those things apart, we must now cope with another rash of suicide. This case is more than the individual killing himself; he or she targets children. Parents love their children so much that they would not wish any harm on them. Yet we now have a group that would actually kill their children. Not that this is a new phenomenon. Nearly two decades ago we had the mother who fed poison to her two children. The then Head of State immediately pronounced that he would not impose the death penalty on this woman, even if the court found her guilty of murder. Then we had the father who hacked his three children to death. He is still awaiting his day in court. Just a fortnight ago there was the father who locked his children in a house and set the building alight. The mother and three of her children perished. One survived. And as if to answer the wishes of a vast section of the Guyanese society the architect of the blaze died in the Georgetown Public Hospital on Friday. Now we must deal with the young mother-a mere twenty-one-year-old -who fed poison to her two young children and who then took a dose. She is still alive; the children are not. The Ministry of Health has been talking a lot about training family members to recognize potential suicides. However, this does not seem to be working. We are still to see a meaningful training session. More so, we are still to see a family member coming forward to tell the authorities that he or she believes that a potential suicide is among the family. And as for training, those we train as psychiatric nurses simply pack their bags and leave at the end of the training. And to compound the issue, we do not have many psychiatrists.

with Wismar is not the divisive path to follow DEAR EDITOR, Va s s a n R a m r a c h a ’s a r t i c l e “Reparations for slavery justifies equal reparations for Wismar massacre” (Kaieteur News 28 March) offers the reading public an interesting insight as to how entrepreneurs of his ilk will attempt to sully the reparations for indigenous genocide and African slavery debate. It highlights the “village politics” Prime Minister Ralph Gonzales spoke about when he addressed the CARICOM Repartions Commission in St. Vincent last September. Given our mixed ethnicities and racial politics in Guyana, it was predictable Vassan Ramracha would offer the argument that equated slavery with every ethnic strife in Guyana. Hence he equates our Wismar tragedy with 400 years of indigenous and African genocide, rape, plunder and criminal enrichment. He equates the United Nations definition of chattel slavery as “a crime against humanity” with Wismar. What an inglorious and unconscionable stretch. Vassan Ramracha would know European colonisers treated groups in Guyana with the same “divide and rule” mentality he is attempting to introduce into the Reparations debate. Contempt for Africans and Indigenous Peoples obtaining justice and reparations is his modus operandi.

Europeans practiced a “continuum of exploitation” in the Caribbean. First, Indigenous Peoples were decimated. Some traded with them and depended on them for their survival. After this initial exploitation including enslaving some groups, Europeans turned to Africa. They introduced chattel slavery and benefitted from 200 years of free labour in Guyana. After Emancipation, Indentured servants (Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, others) and especially with Indians, the “continuum of exploitation” continued. Emancipation revealed the depths of the architecture of “divide and rule”. Freed Africans were forced to fend for their own. As they sought ways to economic survival, Africans ventured into Amerindian areas. This resulted in Africans and Amerindians coming into conflict. This was expected by the British as they had paid Amerindians to capture escaped Africans during slavery (Quamina was shot in his back) and flooded villages bought by Freed Africans. Divide and rule. Indentured Indians arrived in 1838. The British underpaid Africans and created the atmosphere conducive to Indians and Africans seeing each other as competitors. Divide and rule again. Vassan Ramracha’s indirect argument in his letter is there should be reparations for Indentureship. His

entrepreneurial approach is understood by those who read his Letters to the Editor. The CARICOM Reparations Commission has discussed this issue at length as individuals in Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname have raised it in one guise or another. Chattel slavery and Indigenous genocide were and are “crimes against humanity”. Criminal law is therefore where one seeks redress. Indentured Servants came to Guyana with contracts. And as Guyanese-born Emeritus Professor of History Clem Seecharan pointed out in his recent speech at the Umana Yana entitled “The El Dorado Complex in the Shaping of IndoGuyanese: A Revisionist Perspective”, Indians came voluntarily to Guyana. No one denies the harsh treatment they received. But the law is different for slavery and Indigenous genocide versus a contract being broken. I understand there are Indo-Caribbean groups who have discussed a case for Indentureship using the appropriate legal strategy. I hope Vassan Ramracha uses his entrepreneurial skills to advance the causes of justice and unity. To equate reparations for the genocide of millions of Indigenous People and African Slavery with Wismar is not the divisive path to follow. Eric Phillips

Was UG started by PPP or PNC? DEAR EDITOR, Mr. Clarence O Perry’s contribution in the SN of 3-28-14 is most laudable for its intent, i.e., to initiate and make education better. But most of the details listed are vague and not easily verified. For example, of the school-built libraries – how many and where were these libraries situated and at what period. Were they built, i.e., funded and stocked by the PNC-era Education Ministry, or were they entirely the initiative of the specific school? Of course with the corn comes the husk. Mr. Perry’s long list correctly credits the PNC for advancement of education. But some which he included predated the PNC. Some were pre-1964 PPP government achievements. But the school feeding programme and broadcast to schools may have been initiated by the colonial British. The following from Mr. Perry’s list

were initiated under the PPP government before the PNC took over in 1964. They include establishing the University of Guyana in 1963 and housed at Queen’s College, famously branded “Jagan’s night school” by the PNC. The Guyana Technical Institute (not listed), Guyana School of Agriculture at Mon Repos, radio broadcasts to schools and the school feeding programmes existed under PPP. History and Culture week gave us country bumpkins a chance to “come to town”. On visiting the continental biscuit factory we got sweet biscuits or salted ones and giggled in scorn at the profusely sweating workers who were actually canning the product by hand. Nationalization of church and private schools was ably carried out by PPP Education Minister Mr. Balram Singh Rai. Taxpayers’ funds were subsidizing those institutions, but the

education ministry had no input into their curricula or hiring of teachers. The PNC did abolish school fees to everyone’s credit. The Guyana National Service, which was justifiably disbanded, had no serious achievement of repute except to provide fodder for a “new nation” where the raping of women received no serious response even when known. Many would claim that the paramilitary training given, taught needed skills. Actually it was a mass housing and feeding camp for those who designed it ostensibly to repel foreign invaders. They were required to pledge loyalty to the PNC Prime Minister and political party. How many national service Guyanese who picked cotton all day in the sun have become gainfully employed in full time agriculture is unknown. Sultan Mohamed

We have to be very mindful of these inaccuracies DEAR EDITOR, I write in response to an article appearing in the Guyana Times of Friday March 28, 2014 under the caption “WPA has evidence Rodney was assassinated”. I hope this response will not be muted. My discussion with the reporter as I recall, was not for publication, but to assist her in her assigned duty of covering the Walter Rodney inquiry. She needed background information on the period of the assassination. While I have no problem with what we discussed being made public, since most of what I said were already in the

public domain, I do have problems with the inaccuracies contained in said article. The most important of these are: (1) I never said Rodney was “in contact with the main suspect, a bomb electronic expert”. I have no knowledge of Smith being a bomb expert. What I said was he had expertise in electronics. In light of the pending Commission of Inquiry this deserves a correction. (2) The article went on to state: “He recalled the information given by Rodney’s older brother Donald, who was in the driver’s seat outside the Camp Street jail when a bomb hidden in a walkie-talkie exploded in his brother’s

lap”. This gives the erroneous impression that Walter Rodney was outside the jail when he was assassinated, this is not true. Incidentally, I never said that Donald was Walter’s older brother. (3) The article stated “his instructions to Walter, when he is testing this thing, was that he must come out and activate the thing so that he, Smith, could get to see how it gets ’to respond.’” That too is a gross inaccuracy. What I in fact said was that Smith wanted Walter to test the device in the vicinity of the prison fence to see (Continued on page 5)

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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

The PPPC administration has once again presented a people-centered budget DEAR EDITOR, The PPPC administration has once again presented a budget to the National Assembly which from all indications can be described as a people-centered budget. This is the largest budget presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh and comes at a time when the economy has shown strong indications of buoyancy and resilience. This is the eighth year in a row that the economy h a s registered positive growth, even though other countries in the region have been recording sluggish growth rates. There are a number of ingredients in this year’s budget estimates that are noteworthy.

The first has to do with the emphasis placed on addressing the needs of the poor and vulnerable in our society. This is reflected in the increase in old age pensions and in increased subsidies for electricity. It would be recalled that the government had earlier subsidized the payment of water tariffs for pensioners. The opposition parties would no doubt seek to downplay the importance of the increases and subsidies given to our senior citizens, but the truth is that a significant number of pensioners are better off for this gesture on the part of the government. One interesting novelty in this year’s budget is the financial allocation provided

We have to be very... From page 4 how it would respond in the presence of expansive metal, but Walter refused to carry out those instructions. (4) The article also gives the erroneous impression that I said “when Walter opened the paper bag the device exploded”. What I said is that Walter activated the device based on Smith’s instructions to Donald Rodney on which switches to be activated, and the device exploded after this was done. (5) The paper’s report is misleading when it said he opined Rodney was “too trusting of people around him”. This gives readers the impression that I was inferring that Rodney was too trusting of people, including his close

associates, which is not what I said or implied. What I said to the reporter was that Rodney was too trusting of people who approached him claiming to have an interest in the struggle. I was referring to persons who at that time volunteered service to the party and the struggle. I also said that Walter was not in Guyana long enough to understand the culture of people saying one thing when in fact they meant something else. While these may seem to be simple misrepresentations in the context of the present pending Commission of Inquiry, we have to be very mindful of these inaccuracies. Tacuma Ogunseye

for parents and guardians of children who are attending public schools at the nursery, primary and secondary levels. This is a highly commendable measure which is likely to result in higher levels of school enrollment and attendance. Guyana has already attained a relatively good enrollment and attendance level at the nursery and primary levels even though nursery education is not compulsory in law. One significant achievement by the current administration has been the phased introduction of universal secondary education which saw the conversion of several community high schools and primary tops into discrete secondary schools. There is yet another dimension that I thought should not go unnoticed and that is the allocation of some one billion dollars to keep the surroundings clean and healthy. Half of this allocation would be utilized in the city of Georgetown, which in conjunction with the other measures taken by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of

Local Government and the City Council itself, should translate in a much cleaner environment. The waste disposal and garbage collection problem remains a major challenge to policy-makers and it is envisaged that with the increased budgetary and surveillance measures now in place, the garbage situation would see marked improvement. The budget seeks to further consolidate on the macro-economic fundamentals of the country with the aim of increasing further the economic pie. The overall objective is to increase the overall prosperity of the country and by extension, all the people of Guyana. At a more philosophical level, the budget and the budgetary measures contained therein seek to give meaning to the overarching thrust of the PPPC administration, which is to create a just and egalitarian society, where the fruits of our collective labour are equitably distributed. From the very inception of the new PPPC administration, a commitment was made by the late President Cheddi

Jagan that a new approach to development would be embraced which would at all times be people-oriented and fair to all stakeholders including the business community, which was described as the engine of growth. The current administration of President Ramotar has remained faithful to this ideological mantra as has been the case of all previous PPPC administrations before him. Indeed, the projected growth rate of 5.6 percent is the highest for over a decade and speaks to the high level of optimism and confidence reposed in the economy. The opposition parties in an attempt to score political points will seek to downplay the key elements and components of the Budget Estimates when the debate commences in a few days’ time. One hopes, however, that when the dust is finally settled there will be maturity and good sense on the part of the combined

parliamentary opposition. The national budget is in effect an annual work plan of the government. The successful implementation of that plan requires the support of all Guyanese, which includes the parliamentary opposition. The last thing Guyanese would want to see is a repeat of what transpired last year when the opposition parties used their one-seat majority to derail the government’s development agenda. Congratulations are in order to President Donald Ramotar and his entire Cabinet for crafting yet another transformational budget which will positively impact not only on the economy, but on the lives and well-being on each and every Guyanese. Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh and his budget team have once again lived up to the high expectations Guyanese have in their ability to put together a high quality of work. Hydar Ally

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Kaieteur News moves to discharge ‘Sleep In’ injunction Attorney for Kaieteur News, Moses Nagamootoo, has moved to the courts to discharge an injunction granted by Chief Justice Ian Chang on behalf of Clifton Bacchus, proprietor of SleepIn. The injunction seeks to refrain Kaieteur News from publishing certain statements in a satirical column captioned ‘Dem Boys Seh’ Nagamootoo is denying that the statements in the column were maliciously published and that it contained false statements concerning Bacchus. “No admissions are made as regards how (Bacchus) views Mr Mohabir Anil Nandlall and himself. “We affirm that the comments contained in the

impugned satirical comments were made in good faith and not maliciously or recklessly. “It did not libel (Bacchus), not even by inference or innuendo and was not intended to disparage or malign (Bacchus) as dishonest or corrupt.” Nagamootoo further submitted that Bacchus was offered the right to reply. Further, Nagamootoo submitted, “The reply was published in Kaieteur News on March 1, 2014 under the caption, ‘Those implications of impropriety are as erroneous as they are unfortunate’. “The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs denied that any money was paid for the event since the conference facility at Sleep In International Hotel

was offered to the Ministry free of cost.” The column at the centre of the injunction is Dem Boys Seh, a satirical column that contains social commentary. As a result, Nagamootoo proposes to prove and justify some of the contents of the column. “The plaintiff’s claim has no prospect of success and, in any case, should the plaintiff succeed, damages would be an adequate remedy. “The injunction has acted as censorship of our newspaper and its continuation will be a fetter and hindrance to our enjoyment of the constitutional right to free expression and freedom of the press. The injunction ought not to continue,” said Editor Adam Harris in his affidavit. He added that had Chief Justice Chang been made aware that the newspaper would have justified its publication he would not have granted an ex parte injunction.

Saturday March 29, 2014

Mahaicony poisoning tragedy…

Spouse had threatened to take children from mother

Jabari Cadogan The young mother who poisoned her two children last Thursday may have been depressed because her overseas-based spouse had threatened to take the children from her. Close relatives of 21-yearold Awena Rutherford said that her reputed husband had told one of his relatives that he “wanted his children and was coming tomorrow” (today) for them. Kaieteur News understands that the children’s father is due in Guyana today. On Thursday, Rutherford fed her two children half a pellet each of a ‘carbon tablet’, at Perth, Mahaicony, after telling a relative that she “had a surprise” for them. Jabari Cadogan, 16 months, died at the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, while his sister, four-year-old Odessa Gordon, succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), despite the best efforts of staffers to save her. Rutherford herself reportedly ingested two of the pellets and is in a critical condition in the GPHC’s Female Medical Ward. Kaieteur News was told

Odessa Gordon that the couple was having problems for some time and Rutherford’s spouse had previously threatened to take her daughter. At that time, the couple only had one child. Some of the problems reportedly stemmed from allegations of infidelity. A close relative also disclosed that Rutherford had also attempted to kill herself in similar fashion last December. Relatives reportedly found her lying on her bed with pellets of the deadly rodenticide known as ‘carbon tablets’ on the floor. Fortunately, the children were not at the residence. On hindsight, a relative said that she believed that the young mother was in urgent need of counseling, “but we never knew that she was so distressed”. The relative painted a picture of a troubled and also “own way” young woman from an unstable home. She dropped out of school without writing her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations after becoming pregnant. She also lost her mother to a terminal illness a few years ago.

Awena Rutherford This newspaper understands that Rutherford and her reputed husband had resided for several years at ‘B’ Field, Sophia. However, she later moved to her mother’s home in Perth, Mahaicony. Rutherford’s reputed husband, who lives overseas, had reportedly called his mother earlier in the day and had asked her to keep the children at her Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara residence. Sometime in the afternoon, Rutherford reportedly went to collect the children. The aunt handed the children to their mother, unaware that the mother had purchased pellets of ‘carbon tablets’ earlier in the day. Rutherford then took the children to her Perth, Mahaicony home, after telling the aunt she “had a surprise for them”. On arriving at Mahaicony, she allegedly fed the children the ‘carbon tablets’ and also ingested the same poison. Someone later informed the aunt that Rutherford had poisoned the children and that they were at Mahaicony Cottage Hospital. By the time relatives arrived, little Jabari Cadogan was already dead, while his sister succumbed at the GPHC.

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Putin calls Obama to discuss U.S. Rival supporters demonstrate outside Parliament building in T&T proposal on Ukraine-White House PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – Rival supporters of the main political parties in Trinidad staged demonstrations outside the parliament building yesterday with at least one government minister claiming he had been assaulted. Government supporters were there to back the multi-billion dollar highway in the south of the island that the Highway Re-route Movement (HRM) has even gone to the courts in a bid to stop sections of it being constructed. In addition, there were also chanting and musical support for Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, who earlier this week dismissed one of her ministers over his disorderly conduct onboard a domestic Caribbean Airlines (CAL) earlier this month. Supporters of the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) heeded the call from their leader, Dr. Keith Rowley to assembly outside the building as a mark of protest against the alleged corruption being perpetrated by the Persad Bissessar administration. Rowley, who tabled a private members motion in Parliament calling for government to stop a multi-billion dollar contract awarded to a company with alleged close ties to the ruling coalition, said proper procedures had not been followed in the tendering process. Rowley said he also wanted the Integrity Commission to probe the award of the contract for the water re-cycling plant to be built on the outskirts of the capital. He has threatened to take the matter to the courts. Penelope Beckles-Robinson, who is challenging Rowley for the leadership of the PNM, was also present at the demonstration. “I am a team player and the political leader has asked me to come and give support. At the end of the day we are dealing with corruption and this is a very important issue,” she said. Leader of the Independent Liberal Party, Austin ‘Jack’ Warner, a former government

Vladimir Putin Kamla Persad Bissessar minister, said the demonstration underscores the anger the population has towards the government. “This country is angry and …as far as we are concerned enough is enough,” he told reporters. Apart from the rival supporters, members of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), who have already announced plans for a massive demonstration on May 23, the eve of the fourth anniversary of the coalition in power, and the non-government organization group, Fix it TT, also staged demonstrations outside the building. Sports Minister Anil Roberts told Parliament that he had been assaulted by opposition supporters when he sought to enter the building to attend the parliamentary session. Roberts said as a legislator, he should not have had to face such behaviour outside the Parliament. “When I came here PNM supporters in red jerseys accosted, grabbing, pushing, shouting, cursing, acting like hooligans. I am not able as a member of Parliament to accept that from anybody,” he said, indicating that he had written to the secretary to the Speaker on the matter.

CARICOM chairman to address reparation conference in United States NEW YORK - CMC – Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will address an international forum in reparations in the United States next month. Gonsalves will deliver the feature address at the April 19 forum titled “Revitalizing the Reparations Movement,” organized by the New Yorkbased Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW). IBW described Gonsalves as “one of the leading voices in the Americas demanding that the former European colonial powers pay reparations to Caribbean and South American countries for centuries of African enslavement, native genocide and colonial exploitation”. The forum will be held in collaboration with the Center for Inner City Studies and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor

Barack Obama

Conference. IBW said among the specially invited guests will be Detroit’s congressman John Conyers, Sr., dean of the US Congressional Black Caucus, and sponsor of HR40, the Reparations Study Bill and Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam. “A primary goal of the forum is to revitalize the reparations movement in the USA by revisiting the Durban Resolution on the TransAtlantic Slave Trade, presenting an update on HR40 and examining the status of CARICOM’s reparations initiative,” IBW said.”We are delighted and honored to have Prime Minister Gonsalves keynote this critical forum on reparations, a subject of fundamental historical justice that is near and dear to the hearts of Black people around the world,” said IBW?s president Dr. Ron Daniels.

Director of Chicago’s Inner City Studies, Dr. Conrad Worrill, said “our ancestors will be pleased that the reparations movement is being re-energized from the Caribbean islands. “In demanding reparations, CARICOM is vindicating the vestiges of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade,” he added. CARICOM leaders at their inter-sessional summit in St, Vincent and the Grenadinesearlier this month discussed the reparation issue and hope to have a meeting with European leaders in June. The leaders unanimously adopted a 10-point plan that would seek a formal apology for slavery; debt cancellation from former colonizers, such as Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands; and reparation payments to repair the persisting “psychological trauma” from the days of plantation slavery.

RIYADH (Reuters) Russian President Vladimir Putin called U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday to discuss a U.S. diplomatic proposal for Ukraine, the White House said, adding that Obama told him that Russia must pull back its troops and not move deeper into Ukraine. It was believed to have been the first direct conversation between Obama and Putin since the United States and its European allies began imposing sanctions on Putin’s inner circle and threatened to penalize key sectors of Russia’s economy. Russia’s reinforcement of troops near Ukraine has brought the total forces there to as many as 40,000, U.S. officials estimated yesterday in a build-up that has increasingly worried Washington in recent days. The White House noted specifically that it was Putin who called Obama, who is ending a four-country trip in Saudi Arabia and had just returned to his Riyadh hotel after talks with King Abdullah. Putin called to discuss a U.S. proposal for a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine crisis, which Secretary of State John Kerry again presented to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a

meeting at The Hague earlier this week. The United States has been pressing Russia to pull back its troops to their Crimean bases and agree to talks with the Ukrainian government with international mediation. International monitors would go into Ukraine to assure that the ethnic Russian minority there is safe. “President Obama suggested that Russia put a concrete response in writing and the presidents agreed that Kerry and Lavrov would meet to discuss next steps,” the White House said. A senior Obama administration official described the call as “frank and direct,” and said the next step is the Kerry-Lavrov follow-up discussions to see whether the Russians are serious about diplomacy. The official also said Obama and Putin discussed the latest version of a “working document” that Kerry and Lavrov have been working on regarding ways to defuse the crisis. “We have been in close touch with the Ukrainian government in this process,” the official added. Obama and European leaders this week piled pressure on Russia to deescalate the Ukraine crisis in

a peaceful way. In a speech on Wednesday in Brussels, Obama built his case for sanctions against parts of the Russian economy like the energy industry and said NATO would bolster its presence in the alliance’s member nations close to Russia.The White House said Obama stressed to Putin that the United States continues to support a diplomatic path in close consultation with the Ukrainian government. “President Obama made clear that this remains possible only if Russia pulls back its troops and does not take any steps to further violate Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the White House said. The Russian deployments on the border with Ukraine include the establishment of supply lines and the fielding of a wide range of military forces, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. These include militia or special forces units made up of Russian fighters wearing uniforms lacking insignia or other identifying markings, similar to the first Russian forces to move into Crimea during Russia’s recent military takeover there, according to U.S. and European sources familiar with official reporting.

Govt. senator proposes mandatory national service for youth KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Government Senator, Navel Clarke, is proposing compulsory national service for all Jamaican youth, as a means of developing their sense of service and discipline. “I am convinced that it is time for Jamaica to adopt in treating with the young people from an early age… the discipline and behavioural norms in which a Christian and law abiding society exists,” Senator Clarke said during his

contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate yesterday . Clarke stated that students who are leaving high schools and not going onto higher education should be assessed by trained guidance counsellors to “prepare them for the next journey in their lives.” “My proposal is that those young people would have to spend at least two y e a r s i n t h e a r m y, n o t because they want to be soldiers, but (because)

there exists every facet of skills and trades in that organisation…. and in the meantime they…would have to carry that discipline in and out of the army,” he said. The government senator asserted that young people must be steered towards the kind of discipline and way of life that is conducive to a law abiding society. “I urge that serious thought be given to this proposal. It is something that I strongly recommend,” he said.

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THE FIU AND PROSECUTIONS A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has taken a position in relation to the draft Anti Money Laundering and the Countering of the Financing of Terrorism Bill (AMLCFTB). APNU is saying that there is need for stronger enforcement. The need for stronger enforcement is based on the fact that since the original AMLCFTB was passed there have been few prosecutions for money laundering in Guyana. APNU is therefore suggesting that in order to increase the chances of prosecution and successful prosecution there is a need for stronger enforcement measures within the law. As such it proposed certain amendments to the draft law. Amongst the proposed amendments by APNU is one relating to granting powers to Police and Customs officers to stop,

search and detain currency above a certain limit. The idea here is that these powers would lead to increased arrests and thus increased prosecution. It is a highly questionable premise and one that can lead to the criminalization of cash, abuse of citizens’ rights and increased corruption within the Customs and Police. Another proposal by APNU is for greater independence of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). Presumably, the greater the independence of the FIU, the more cases it is likely to make. This again is another highly contestable premise. Why is it highly contestable? Well for one, the role of the FIUs is not so much a prosecuting arm as it is an intelligence gathering unit. An FIU collects reports of suspicious transactions from the commercial banks

Dem boys seh...

IS SAD WHEN IS FAREWELL TIME Friday was a sad day fuh some. But some did glad anyhow. De man who kill he wife and children three Friday back he dead pun a Friday. Of course, dem boys believe that he was to dead de same day he wife and children dead but he couldn’t stand de heat suh he run out of de burning building. De world got strange people. Nearly everybody glad he dead. Then de woman who poison she children deh knocking at death’s door. People want she punish because of wha she do to de children. People don’t like when big people treat li’l children bad. De man who chop up he children did get a good dose from dem people in jail. De same night dem lock he up is de same night some prisoner grab he and give he a licking. And fuh mek he family know wha was happening dem telephone he sister fuh hear de blows. To this day de prison people got to hide he Dem boys seh that dem was de worse of de lot. Some good people move on. De police chief ain’t dead but he done wid de wuk. He short in height and he had de shortest reign as Commissioner. He ain’t even serve a year. Dem boys seh that Donald wicked. He give de man a taste of power and then shut it down. Is like when you put lollipop in a baby mouth and pull it out. That is wha dem boys seh. Some people cry when de man hold he farewell show because dem is people who does cry fuh everything and anything. One man cry because de Commissioner gone and he ain’t get he firearm licence. Dem boys she that he must try Rohee. Dem had another farewell. A nice lady gone home. She use to keep nuff of dem in Parliament busy because she know she wuk. Desmond Hoyte find she and he groom she. Now she gone. People cry and some of dem still crying. De truth is that all of we got to go home some day and we gun have people crying fuh we unless we torture we children. Talk half and seh farewell to good people.

and other financial institutions. It studies these red flags to see the emergence of patterns suggesting the illicit use of funds. If the FIU is convinced that there is money laundering, it will gather more evidence and then forward these to the government agency that is responsible for assembling a case against the suspected money launderer. Unlike what APNU may believe, the role of the FIU is not about undertaking the prosecution. That is for the Police and the DPP. Thus, any belief on the part of APNU that by making the FIU more independent will increase the number of prosecutions made by the FIU is a misplaced notion. The FIU has to pass the evidence to the investigating arm of the State. In fact, if APNU had studied the FIUs in other Caribbean jurisdictions, they would have observed that their primary function is to receive reports of suspicious transactions from the banks and financial institutions. The organizational structures of most of the FIUs in the Caribbean provide for prosecution outside of the FIUs. In some jurisdictions, the organizational structure has a division dealing with prosecutions but these are confined to building prima facie cases to forward to the State prosecuting arm. In other words, the emphasis of the FIUs is to receive reports of suspicious transactions from Banks and financial institutions. If APNU were serious

about strengthening the FIU, it should have considered proposing powers under the law for the Guyana Revenue Authority to release its socalled confidential data on taxpayers to the FIU. Not many money launderers are going to wash their funds through the commercial banks. Not these days with all the regulations of trace and reporting that was mentioned in yesterday’s column. To wash money through the banks would be like advertising their illegal business. It would lead to prosecution as was the case in one instance in Guyana where a young lady was hauled before the courts for allowing her bank account to be used for suspected laundering. A great many funds are laundered through commercial imports and through real estate investments. The GRA is privy to the declarations of the assets of all taxpayers in this country and it is therefore in a far better position than the banks to point to cases in which the assets of someone is beyond the type of business they are doing. But the GRA is hiding under its obligation to keep taxpayers’ information confidential. However, this obligation is not absolute. The courts can demand the GRA to produce taxpayers’ information. If APNU seriously wanted to strengthen the enforcement capability of the FIU, it would have been much better for it to propose that the FIU, with permission of

the Courts, have the GRA provide information on the assets of certain taxpayers suspected on laundering money. Instead, however, APNU is of the view that enforcement has to be strengthened by granting draconian powers to the police and by insulating the appointment of the Head of the FIU from political interference. In respect to the latter, APNU is proposing that the Parliament appoints the Head of the FIU. Now this is a most novel suggestion for which there is no precedent in Guyana or in the Caribbean. And ironically by asking politicians to appoint the Head of the FIU, APNU’s proposal will end up politicizing rather than depoliticizing the appointment. If Parliament has to appoint the Head of the FIU, no one may end up being appointed because such appointments will most likely require a requisite two thirds majority of the House which may never be attained. In any event, it is not for Parliament to make any appointments within the government system. As a compromise, the Ramotar administration has reportedly urged a model similar to what obtains in Barbados. Under the Barbadian model, the FIU is overseen by an Anti- Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) comprising of ten members, namely: ·Chairperson – from the University of the West Indies ·Deputy Chairperson – from the private sector ·The Solicitor General, or

representative ·The Commissioner of Police or representative ·The Commissioner of Inland Revenue or representative ·The Comptroller of Customs or representative ·The Supervisor of Insurance or representative ·The Registrar of Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property, or representative · Head of the Banking and Supervision Department, Central Bank of Barbados · Two additional members from the private sector with experience in law and insurance regulation. This is not a bad model for Guyana to imitate. But even with such a model, it should never be assumed that the role of the FIU is to prosecute. The role of the FIU is to gather intelligence and evidence to pass on to the prosecuting arm of the State. As such, APNU’s desire to strengthen the FIU will not necessarily improve the chances of prosecutions and does not all address the perceived weaknesses of the prosecution of financial crimes by the police and the DPP. (To be continued)

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Bitter Sugar Privatise non-performing sugar politics… estates -former GCCI President By: Kiana Wilburg President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Clinton Urling says that while he supports the $6B allocated in this year’s budget for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Government needs to get serious about getting the company to be efficient. He also noted that Government needs to devise a plan for the diversification of the sugar industry.

At a press conference yesterday held at the GCCI’s boardroom, Urling had initially stated that the subsidy for the state owned company is necessary considering its state and the consequential social and economic consequences that would occur if the company was to stumble further. He said that annual Government subsidies to GuySuCo are an unsustainable strategy and measures would have to be put in place to diversify the

products manufactured by the entity such as energy, confectionaries, molasses, animal feed etc. Additionally, he said that underperforming estates can be sold or offered at concessionary rental rates to multinational firms looking to invest and set up their manufacturing and industrial operations. Urling said that this would absorb any employment that is lost as a result of the estates’ closure. A number of persons

expressed concern recently over the fact that despite millions of dollars being pumped into GuySuCo over the years, it continues to underperform. This is evident in its continued decline in production. Considering this, Urling was asked whether he would call for a study on the part of Government to justify how the budgeted $6B would make a difference. Urling responded, “We supported it (the allocation) on the grounds that you have

to take current realities into consideration. I always believe if you are going to make an adjustment when it comes to certain services you need to cater for the resulting consequences. I can’t support at the moment, knowing that the entity is underperforming that we say don’t supply any subsidy. Thousands of labourers would be affected. No responsible policy maker should ever decide on a strategy like that.” He continued, “If you do a study …it should make recommendations to improve the industry and… try to find ways to absorb any shortfall in terms of the social and economic (effects)…like I have said, every year we are coming down and we say we need a subsidy for GuySuCo but what we need to do is maybe scale back on some of the operations of GuySuCo , transfer some of the resources and maybe the funding and the human capital towards the value added diversification into some of the products or like I said close some of the underperforming estates, but not arbitrarily but within a clear framework and strategy.” He added, “ If we can attract investors who might be able to produce sugar at a better rate then you privatize some of the estates, or you sell an estate to a private sector or multi-national firm looking to invest in anything…and until you have that and you have some assurances that more jobs will

President of GCCI, Clinton Urling be created as a result to take up some of the losses then you move forward… but you don’t get up one morning and decide you should just stop subsidizing it…it would be irresponsible to cut the allocation arbitrarily without telling the people what’s the plan for those who would be affected.” The GCCI President was then asked by this publication, why Government should not be asked to provide a plan as to how the $6B allocation will be efficient. To this he said, “I totally agree with you… It is the job of the Opposition and the people sitting in the room, the reporters, to ensure that the Government has and produces a strategy for GuySuCo’s diversification and I think there have been many comments from political leaders. I have heard the Alliance For Change and the Agricultural Expert of the A Partnership for National Unity, Anthony Vieira speaking on the issue of diversification. Government needs to get serious about GuySuCo and its diversification and it becoming an efficient and effective agency … you can’t come every year running back to your Parliament or your national coffers for $6 B and say look that’s our strategy. It’s just not sustainable.”

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Govt. still hopes Sithe Global Rice millers anxious will invest in Amaila Falls about Venezuela market - Pres. Ramotar Construction of the 165 MW Amaila Falls Hydropower Plant is still on Government’s radar with the private developer and majority equity investor in the project, the Blackstone Group and Sithe Global, seemingly still interested in the project. This is according to President Donald Ramotar during a press conference, on Thursday, at the Office of the President. He was at the time commenting on a US$80M allocation in this year’s budget for the project. The Head of State reminded media operatives that he has always indicated that Government has not given up on the project, even though the investor had pulled out of the country owing to non-consensus in the National Assembly. “It is a pity it didn’t start last year…It’s still on our radar…Although these are preliminary things we are speaking of I don’t believe we have lost Sithe Global or Blackstone. But I have said if we do lose them we will look for alternatives, but at the moment we are not convinced that we lost them,” he said. In August 2013, Sithe Global pulled out of Guyana but apparently did not abandon the project since it possessed the licence to develop a hydro-electric power station, reservoir, transmission to the coast. There were concerns that the US$840M project was unsustainable and the cost would have climbed to US$1B. In addition, up to the end of 2013 there was no word from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as to whether financial closure was secured for the project. However, as far as Ramotar is aware, the project is still being reviewed by the IDB Board. He is hoping that the Board would conclude that aspect in the not too distant future so that the project could get financial closure. Ramotar noted that the US$80M is coming from the GRIFT account held by the World Bank. This amount is Government’s equity into the project. The IDB is the partnering entity to assist in the implementation of the project. And, the local implementing agencies are the Project Management Office (Office of President) and NICIL. According to the guyanareddfund.org, “The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project is the flagship of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy. Amaila will deliver a steady source of clean, renewable

President Donald Ramotar energy that is affordable and reliable and is envisioned to meet approximately 90 percent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs while removing dependency on fossil fuels.” It stated that the project involves (i) a hydropower plant at the confluence of the Amaila and Kuribrong rivers; and (ii) an electrical interconnection facility, consisting of about 270km of high-voltage redundant transmission line and two sub-stations (these two

components will be developed by the Sithe Global group of companies, a US-based international energy firm with a proven track record of developing energy projects across the world). The project also involves the construction of an access road to the plant, consisting of approximately 85km of new roads and an upgrade of about 122km of existing roads. This is being undertaken by Government. In September 2012 the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) agreement was signed between Sithe Global and China Railway First Group. A Mandate Letter was also signed in September 2012 between the IDB and Sithe Global. It represents a critical piece of the project financing scheme. The website stated, “This significant step forward allows the lenders of the Project (the IDB and China Development Bank) to proceed with the final phase of due diligence and draft the required financing documentation.”

Rice millers operating on the Essequibo Coast are anxiously awaiting word on how soon they would be able to ship rice to Venezuela. Senior officials of the Agricultural Ministry and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) are preparing to travel to the Spanishspeaking country as early as tomorrow to finalise arrangements for future shipments of rice. Negotiations for cheaper fertilizer would also be part of those discussions. Earlier this year Guyana and Venezuela signed a Memorandum of Understanding but to date the contract between the two countries has not yet been signed. Guyana is expected to export 38 percent of its production. Last year it exported 58 percent to Venezuela. Venezuela is deemed as a high price market, which continues to take some 200,000 tons of Guyana’s rice. Senior officials, who met

with millers operating on the Essequibo Coast, have said that once all of the basic transactions are successful, millers would be given the approval to ship rice to Venezuela. The meeting between millers and members of the Guyana Rice Development Board on Thursday was intended to remind millers about the importance of upholding the Rice Factory’s Act, and to further ensure that the quality of rice that they intend to export is of an acceptable standard. Deputy Manager of the GRBD, Ricky Ramjai, told the millers that the rice industry is the single largest private sector entity. He urged millers to maintain the sustainability of the industry by operating in an honest manner at all times, thus sending a clear warning to defaulters who fail to comply with the rice factory’s act that their licence could be suspended. A senior worker attached to GRDB who has been

conducting routine inspections at mills on the Essequibo Coast has found that the millers have so far been in compliance with the regulations, except for a few. Millers were also reminded to ensure that the moisture and scale meters are working efficiently. At one mill, however, findings revealed a system where a miller was deducting for weight and in that case the weight had been tallied twice. The official warned that taking extra weight from the farmers’ product was an illegal practice. Last Thursday, the Guyana Rice Development Board, with intervention from the Government, paid out almost $261M to farmers who were owed by millers. To date only two millers still have monies outstanding for farmers. Farmers in the Region have already harvested rice. They are currently engaged in the preparation of their lands for the upcoming crop. (Yannason Duncan).

Guyana needs a comprehensive tax reform system While President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Clinton Urling has described the 2014 Budget as “people friendly”, he said the private sector would have preferred to see more initiatives aimed at increasing and improving consumer spending. Urling said that he would have wanted to see a drop in corporate taxes to around 5 percent as was done just about two years ago. He said that at that time there was skepticism among many that revenues would have reduced as a result of the tax cut. Corporate taxes increased by 16 percent last year. Urling told media operatives during a press conference yesterday at GCCI’s boardroom that as it relates to the Pay As You Earn (P.A.Y.E) tax, it should have been reduced by another 3 1/ 3percent. “That is another one that should have been reduced. Last year it was reduced by 3 1/3 percent and the economy lost around one billion in revenue. The Government could have further reduced that rate to another 3 1/3 percent and look at other ways of

- GCCI President offsetting the revenue lost.” Another initiative Urling said that the Government could have considered is reducing the high tariffs on imported meats. These include chicken, beef and pork. This would reduce the prices for those commodities on the domestic market, thereby saving consumers billions in disposable income annually. “If those rates are reduced, we could see maybe a $100 saving on just chicken alone and it is estimated that Guyana has over 188,000 households and we are talking about billions in savings annually by simply adjusting that tax.” He added, “Last year we

saw Government revenues going up by 4.8 percent. Specifically, we saw tax revenues increase by 7 percent to $126B. So, despite the reduction in P.A.Y.E and in corporation tax we are still seeing an upward trajectory in terms of Government’s revenue collection and in specific, its tax revenue increases.” The GCCI President noted too that it is also important to underscore that as annual tax adjustments are made, it brings one back to the conversation of ensuring that there is a comprehensive tax reform process. The GCCI has been advocating for this for some time. He reminded that

President Donald Ramotar had indicated that he wanted to see the work of a tripartite committee established to examine tax structure and make recommendations. “We think the process is important. And at the end of it, they would share the proposals with the population so everyone has an understanding of where Government is going and

what are its tax positions when it announces budgetary allocations, so tax reform wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. It should be a comprehensive process which should be made public by Government. We look forward to the tripartite process being completed or the establishing of a committee to pronounce on tax reform.”

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PROPERTY FOR SALE

FOR RENT

House and land at Lot 30 Ketley Street -48ftX27ft, back house – Call:602-8771

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Property for sale.Call:6275416 FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

FOR SALE Toyota Forklift - Excellent condition, 4,000lbs capacity, 117" Lift, Solid Wheels, Automatic Transmission, 4 Cylinder LPG Motor. Call: 604-6108.

Double Lot with house – Tel: 220-9961

Spare for washing machine, microwaves,fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943

6½ Month old Germand Shepherd, fully vaccinated – Contact:683-4832 or 263-5755 Complete sawmill operation with lots of equipment, customers & suppliers and large land space – Contact Swamee: 614-1466; 678-1421 GET OUR SECURITY SYSTEMTHATMONITORS AND RECOVERS YOUR CAR IF STOLEN - $120,000 CALL: 601-6392

Campbellville (2 buildings) $25M, Near Regent Street $35M, AA Eccles - $56M, Lamaha Gardens - $55M. Contact Diana: 227-2256; 626-9382

Live/pluck chicken call: 6504421, 220-9203 1 Music system, 3 crown amps, Numark CD player crossover & mixer, 2 base box with 15" Mid range & tweeters – Call:619-2800 Fishing boat, 5" nylon Seine, 40 Hp Yamaha - $1.6M - Tel: 267-1563; 691-3501 / 4162667627 Tractor Massey Ferguson: MF135 - $1.3M, MF165 $1.9M, MF265-$2.1M, MF285 - $2.5M & Ranger Pick-up - $1.7 M – Call: 6825230; 628-9596 Full body Mannequin, 2 male headless Mannequins and 2 female Mannequins with heads. Contact Simone: 227-0501 or 626-5317 1 Black Lexus 470 SUV Tel:656-0878; 225-5334 One Mobile Food Caravan Contact: 675-5448 1 Stall @ Stabroek Market – Tel:658-0115; 718-757-8031 1 Canon Image runner #2525 – Contact: 652-0709 Cooler chest/fridge 15 cubic, good for shop use $100,000Call:683-4803, 225-9871 Barge 200ft in length as is – Call:623-4045

PS3 CONTROLLERS, PS3 & XBOX360 SYSTEMS, EACH WITH TWO CONTROLLERS, ORIGINAL PS3, PS2, XBOX GAMEDISCS – CONTACT MAX: 6098132; 672-8569

Plough - New 2 pan dish plough; Made in India; excellent quality. $220,000 (neg). Call 257-0212 or 6288487. 1 Used Model M Truck with winch. Price:$5M negotiable – Contact:601-0763 DAF Engines, Cummings engine, axles, springs, gear boxes, etc - Contact:6159332; 641-0932;695-0023 Canadian rebuilt Perkins Duetz engine, Lincoln generator welder, model M with winch, 320 excavator Call:691-2921

House & land for sale - $15M negotiable -Tel:265-3586 Sophia ‘C’ Field - $3M Call:618-7483; 665-3499

Prime Business property, huge land space, 200'X50', next to Police Outpost @ Mc Doom 233-0570 Sunflower @ 229 Bourda Georgetown – Call:269-1274; 269-0264; 647-8798 Zone Rber Block VII Parcel 1983, next to Parbhu Hardware, Parika - Tel:2691274; 269-0264; 647-8798 One 2 Storey property for sale at Covent Garden Island – Call:265-3586

Kingston flash drive and memory card - Call: 675-2239 Energy Saver Bulbs, Tacoma/ Tundra, lights and parts, power tools & 1 Toyota Funcargo Van - Call:680-6374 One 210 Hyundai Excavator with one complete 6" Dredge and also 4" Dredge Contact: 650-2391

House lots in Friendship. Tel: 692-8513

One Honda CRV PHH 7066. Price:$2M – Call:699-9912

3 Acres Land @ Parika Backdam E.B.E. Call:617-4837

Fishing boat with Yamaha Engine 15 H.P (almost new) Call:265-5564; 627-2541 Mixed Labrador Pups – Call:627-1360 One Rav 4 PMM 5058. Price: $4M – Call:699-9912

Parafaite Harmonie - $1.3M and $1.5M, Schoonard $2M, Herstelling – $3M Contact: 675-7292

1 complete pools table, 1 no frost fridge, 1 electric stove, 1 compressor C/W spray kit & air-tool assembly. Owner migrating – Tel:641-6239 One unregistered – 65 CF 210 flat bed, one 50 160 Recovery DAF- Contact:615-9332; 6410932; 695-0023 EDUCATIONAL Balloon decorating classes – April 05 - Call: 225-3133; 6137513 for more information and to register. Practical Electronic courses begining 7th April @ Abdol Electronics - Tel: 226-6551; 225-0391 PEN PAL Man seeks female Guyanese friend (17-30) Email (iluvguyanesewomen @yahoo.com) 1-246-8356908 (7pm -8pm only)

Saturday March 29, 2014

GT TOOLS RENTAL, RAMSON SPECIAL - TEL: 675-0767; 627-5098

Land at Sheriff Street, & Princess Street Lodge – Call:601-1617 or 676-7955

1- 2007 Toyota 4X4 Tacoma for sale Call: 670-3328 for more information.

One upper flat @ 6th Street Cummings Lodge ECD - Call: 622-3580

Toyota Tundra 4X4, Clean $2.450M – Call: 662-6024

One Semi furnished apartment to rent at Industry ECD - Tel: 222-6001 Residential, fully furnished upper flat @ Campbellville, Georgetown. 3 bedrooms, 1 master-room, kitchen, dining & living room. $US1500. Call:699-9912 Commercial Space at 136D (North Half) Albert and Fifth Streets, Albertown, Georgetown. Call:699-9912 Units for rent at Lot 12 North Road, Lacytown, Georgetown – Contact: 6628715; 680-1198 Three Bedrooms upstairs, 1 Self-contained: Newly renovated: Yard space: Located in Diamond H/ Scheme- Call: 613-0028 Secured Concrete bond 87’X32’, lots of yard space suitable for CarMart Public Road McDoom: Tel: 233-0570

TO LET Wings Two bedrooms apartment - Tel: 643-1131; 225-3234 1 – 3 Bedrooms bottom & top flat front house near hospital vicinity @ East Street, fully grilled, AC, parking – Call:225-3756; 678-1913

Ultravoilet Driving School – Contact:231-2372;6022583;658-4015

Campbellville - $60,000$100,000 -$US1200, Section ‘K’ - $US1200, Atlantic Gardens - $US600 – $US800 Contact Diana: 227-2256; 626-9382 One bedroom apartment at Vreed-En- Hoop 3 houses in from the junction - Call:6610162

Shalom Driving School @ 2 Croal street. Fee $16,000Call:227-3869

Fully furnished apartments $4,000-$6,000 per night Call:223-0994

Alleyne’s Professional Driving School @ 651 East Ruimveldt, Best Prices Call :226-9181; 613-0223; 6689331

2 & 3 bedrooms apartment, close proximity to U.G & Te a c h e r s Tr a i n i n g Colledge. preferably Students & working persons - Call:685-9127

LEARN TO DRIVE

Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel:644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997

1 Toyota Hilux Single Cab 4X4 solid Axle pickup -$2.7M Tel: 658-5193; 638-2525; 6484374

House in Diamond/Grove Tel:692-8513

LAND FOR SALE

One house lot in Parafaite Harmonie – Call:682-1205

VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Toyota Minibus pit-bull, BRR Series, immaculate condition, owner leaving country – Tel:629-3663

One two bedrooms bottom flat at Grove Public Road, E.B.D. Call:648-9726

Unregistered Toyota Premio $2.450, Toyota Spacio $2.250 Tel: 616-3001; 6284284 Toyota Raum, Spacio, AT212, AT192, AT170, NZE and LTouring wagon, Nissan E24 Caravan – Tel: 644-5096; 6971453 One Ford F 150 GRR 7452, Year 2009, immaculate condition – Call: 227-3728 or 618-3712 Pit bull 19 seats Grand Cabin - $3.8M – Call: 652-5668 1 Freight liner hauler with sleeping cab, 1 -48ft trailor with treated wood – Call: Rakesh 613-6979 1 DAF 4X4 Bush Truck Winch - $3.8M - Tel:658-5193; 638-2525; 648-4374 Toyota Fun Cargo, RZ minibus, IST, 4X4 Hilux pickup - Tel: 644-5096; 6971453 2004 Toyota Raum $2M @ MRR Autos, Cheap online vehicle deals – Call:691-7475; 626-9590 One registered Allion 2003. Colour: Silver, In excellent condition- Call:665-4529; 6523820 Smart Choice Auto Sales: Unregistered: Premio, Allex, IST, Spacio, Allion - Call:6523820; 665-4529 One RX-8 Mazda fully air conditioned, stick gear, wheel lights, fog lamps, power windows - Tel: 653-2477 1 - 1 R Z , 1 5 s e a t e r, automatic mini-bus, BNN 3760 - $1.7M Negotiable. Good condition, never used for public transportation – Tel:6280310 ; 672-5429 RX8 Price - $3M - Tel:6026024. One Toyota Allion, in excellent condition - Price: $2M negotiable, with CD deck & mag rims, - Call:6823600 AT192 Toyota Carina PGG 7420 - Call:695-1915 BKK Minibus, stick gear in good working condition Call:693-2174; 234-0706 One New Model Toyota 212 with A/C, Mags, alarm, remote start - Call:648-0494

VEHICLE FOR SALE Unregistered Toyota Raum - Year 2004 – Tel: 617-5536 Spacio- Body kit, TV/DVD, camera, dark interior, unregistered, price starting - $2.1M - Call: 617-2891 One 8,000 Ford Tractor, one 450 Ford Towing Truck & one pair 38 Tractor Wheel Contact Floyd: 694-5599 One ‘KK’ series Mini-bus for sale. Price: $1.35 Million negotiable - Contact Alvin on: 645-2613 1 Toyota Verossa 18” Chrome rims, excellent condition, low milage Price:$3,000,000 - Tel:6823396; 665-7206 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call:6803154 AT192, 212, Allion, Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN & RZ & Pitbull buses, 7 seater super custom. Cash / termsCall:680-3154 1 Toyota Will VS fully loaded, drop springs, etc. 1 Toyota Auris Fully loaded - Call: 623-2999

VACANCY Semi-skilled or skilled joiners to work in Trinidad – Call: 868-738-8419 Vacancy for two farm workers to work on farm – Tel:265-3586 Experienced Cashiers to work @ supermarket on the East Coast. Must have Point of sale Knowledge. Age:2545 - Call:629-8469 1 Security guard, between ages 35-45, police clearance @ Status Int’l Hotel, 102-109 Sandeman Place & Croal St. Stabreok - Tel:227-7616 Sales clerks / Casheirs, commitment to customer services required. Apply : Kards Plus Gift Centre @ City Mall, Camp St. - Call:227-1846 Vacancy for Sales Representative in a vehicle /spare parts company. Apply Within Nagoya Trading 137 Grandsville Park B.V. 220-2104 Salesgirls and porters at D. Singh & Sons, 95 King Street Georgetown - Tel:226-0881 Experienced carpenters, masons/welders. Must be 25yrs and older– Tel:2653586 Continued on page 23

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IMMIGRATION INFO: Immigration News For Our Community Attorney Gail S. Seeram, Gail@GailLaw.com Through this “Question & Answer” column, our goal is to answer your immigration questions. We appreciate your comments and questions. If you have a question that you would like answered in this column, please email: Gail@GailLaw.com. Question #1: My mom, 92 years old, has petitioned for my siblings. All relevant documents have been submitted since August 2011, and so far my mom hasn’t got any feedback from the immigration (US). What should my mom do? Answer #1: In response to your question, right now, assuming your siblings are married and your mom is a U.S. citizen, then visas being issued for petitions were filed on or before July 2003. So, your siblings have about an 8 or nine year wait. Note, you will not hear anything from Immigration after you receive the I-130 approval notice until the visa is close to being available (maybe one year before visa availability).

Question #2: I’m 21 years old and I’ve been sponsored by my dad (who is a permanent resident in the US). My papers are currently in the waiting stage. I would just like to know if it is possible for me to take a chance on obtaining a visitor visa just for a vacation in the summer? Do I have any chance of being approved? Answer #2: Once you have a pending immigrant petition, usually you do not qualify for a visitor visa because you have immigrant intent. For a visitor visa, you need to show you have no intention to live or reside in the U.S. during the visit. Question #3: I’m a US citizen and I’m in the process of sponsoring my mother in Guyana. The thing is that she has an adopted daughter. I don’t want my mother to leave her there. Can my mother add her to her papers when she gets her medical package? My adopted sister is 14 years of age and we don’t have anybody to keep her when my mom leaves. Answer #3: Generally, you would have to file separately for your adoptive sister under 4th preference (brother/sister of a U.S. citizen). Your mother qualifies

WANTED Sales representative for the distribution of groceries/ beverages. Send application to Maya @ Lot 24 Saffon Street Charlestown

Gail S. Seeram for a visa immediately because she is the parent of a U.S. citizen and there is no backlog for this type of immigrant visa. Unfortunately, your adoptive sister cannot be included in your mother’s visa category. Question #4: My father was recently denied a ‘waiver of grounds of inadmissibility’ (Form I601) so he’s more or less placed on a 10-year ban. I don’t know what the reapplication process is like after the 10-year ban or what forms I have to fill out or documents I would need. Would you kindly point me in the right direction? Answer #4: We need to know the alleged ground of inadmissibility and why they are making him seek a waiver. For example, based on being in U.S. illegally, fraudulent misrepresentation, past removal/deportation, etc. would put him in that category.

One Trained Carnegie/ Home Economics Cook. Four (4) times per week - Call: 6144358 Research Analysist, Models & Singers, great pay & good working hours - Call:6221957 Monday-Friday, between 9am-5pm One Handyman to work in the Interior - Call: 681-6044 Attractive Live in waitress – Tel:228-5129; 604-8277

DRESSMAKING Jean is Offering courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral and cake decoration Contact:670-2653 or 618-1706

CAR RENTAL Dolly’s Car Rental- Call: 225-7126/226-3693dollysautorental@yahoo. com/www.dolly sautorental. com Aidan’s Car Rental & Pickup Call: 645-7981/ 698-7807 Wings Car Rental - Call: 6431131

TOUR Lethem Rodeo - Tour to Bonfin Moco-Moco Falls 17th to 21 April - Call:639-2663;6440185; 665-5171;227-8290 SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773

From page 22

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, G R A D U AT I O N , W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call: 225-9032, 6472943 COOL TECH: Repairs Services & Installation of all types of home appliances: Air Condition & Refrigeration units - Tel: 233-2008; 675-4959 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 6626045

WANTED One professional costmetologist to work in Eccles - Tel: 639-7672; 658-4429 One pastry maker, must be able to cook and work in the interior – Call: 664-5199 or 675-7043 Cook & female bouncers. Apply in person @ El Club Latino, during 4:00pm6:00pm (Tues – Sat) @ 57 Hadfield & Lime Streets, South Cummingsburg Salesgirls & Porters. Apply with written application at Lot E Dennis & Middleton Street, Best Buy Food Supplies. CHAINSAW LUMBER: Kabukalli, Shibadan, Silverballi, Simarupa, etc – Tel:653-9752 One live in Domestic between age 40-60yrs - Call: 220-9873

Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.

Live in waitress- Call:6439007/ 697-2978

Repairs to Fridge, Freezer, AC, Washers, Stoves: Call 683-1312,627-3206 (Nick)

Shop Assistant to work in the Interior. Salary - $80,000 – Call: 664-5199 or 675-7043

If You are interested in a professional DJ for the Interior/Bartica- Contact: 6700387, 226-2467 or email: anthonywillpower@gmail.com

One experienced welder to work in interior – Call:6816044 Urgently needed live in waitresses to work in Bar. Offering reasonable salary. Tel: 259-0574

We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer call:2310655,683-8734 Omar B R I D G E WAT E R CONSTRUCTIONS – CO: NEWHOMESREMODELING, NEWBATHROOMS,TILE& MARBLE INSTALLATION, FREE ESTIMATES – CALL: 660-6935; 676-9660; 269094 HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING FOR ONLY $10,000CALL:694-9843 or 2272766 Artist: Paintings, drawings, signs, sculptures, portraits – Call:666-9719; 218-0777 Smart Tech Solutions: Security cameras, computer repairs, maintenance, sales & installation – Call: 652-5668 Technicians available for appliance repairs – washers, dryers, microwaves, stoves, deep fryers, etc – Tel: 6190793; 218-0050

1 general domestic to cook, experienced cashier, counter servers, pastry makers, handy-boys Apply @ Hacks Halaal, 5 Commerce St. Live in assistant caregiver – Tel:664-8150 Attractive female waitress, dancers and cooks to work in bar – Call: 610-8269 We buy land in Parafaite Harmonie – Call:675-7292 Live in waitress. Must be honest & courteous, with free boarding and lodging $50,000 per month - Call:6105043 One cook/cleaner to work in a snackette/bar between age 20-35yrs – Call:647-7432 or 223-5798 licenced driver / sales person, working on commission @ Cuddle’s Touch - Call: 689-8085 Workers for land dredge – Tel:694-2310 Graphic Artists, Layout Artist, Typesetters & Proof Readers, great pay & good working hours - Call:6221957 Monday-Friday, between 9am-5pm

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Kaieteur News

Saturday March 29, 2014

East Bank private school $500,000 fine, jail suddenly shuts door for drug peddler …paramour walks free

- Parents, students contemplate next move

The Academy of Professional Studies; a private secondary school located at 21 Public Road, Mc Doom, East Bank of Demerara suddenly closed its doors yesterday, leaving its students and their parents wondering about their next move. Yesterday the parents expressed frustration and bewilderment with the situation. Among the concerns aired were that they had already paid school fees for the term as well as for the students scheduled to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. The parents questioned what would happen to their children sitting the CSEC examinations. One fifth form student told this newspaper that they (students) were given letters informing that the school will “be closing on the 28th March, 2014 and will not be reopening again due to unforeseen circumstances.”

She said that the Administrator of the school informed her that they would be able to write the CSEC examinations, but beyond that she “doesn’t know anything else.” She added that she cannot call the school since the telephone numbers are out of order. The student lamented that she doesn’t know her candidate number and has no idea how she will acquire her timetable. When contacted by this newspaper to give a comment on the issue yesterday, owner Patricia Sanasie said the matter is a private one and Kaieteur News should not be “instigating her.” Administrator of the establishment who identified herself as ‘Ms Hussein’ however explained that the school, which has been in operation since 2003, catered for nursery, primary and secondary students but due to competition, rebranded itself as

a secondary school in 2012. She explained that the secondary school had been suffering ever since one of its teachers acted inappropriately with a student from the school. When rumours of the indiscretion got out the Administrator said the student population dwindled significantly to the point where approximately 15 students were in attendance. The institution could no longer operate viably and the decision was made by the owner to close the school, she said. According to her, an arrangement has been brokered with someone from Queens College to have the children sit the CSEC exams. She added that all of the syllabuses have been covered and if the students need further guidance this could be provided privately by teachers. Additionally their School Based Assessments (SBA’s) will be marked by a teacher from another school, the Administrator said When questioned why a Parent Teachers Meeting (PTA) was not convened to formally inform of the school’s closure, the Administrator said they were acting on instructions from the owner. One of the parents said that she will be taking the matter up with the Education Minister Priya Manickchand.

Moments after his girlfriend walked out of a city courtroom a free woman, a 34-year-old North Ruimveldt man was slapped with a fouryear jail sentence and a $500,000 fine for drug peddling. Earlier this year, a party of police ranks found 605 grams of marijuana at Jermaine’s Scuffle’s Lot 3048 North Ruimveldt, Georgetown home. At the time his girlfriend, Marcia James, was spending some time with him. After the January 14 bust, the couple was taken into custody and brought before the courts to be indicted for drug trafficking. They, however, denied the charges and a trial got underway before city Magistrate, Ann McLennan. The Prosecution spearheaded by Corporal Deniro Jones, however, only managed to secure a conviction for Scuffle since they failed to establish the elements of the offence against the woman who the court subsequently exonerated of the charge. As the Magistrate summarized the evidence before handing down her decision, she recalled testimonies from witnesses. She recalled that a party of police ranks led by Sergeant Houston ventured to the house and conducted a search on the premises. Whilst checking a cupboard in the kitchen, one police rank noticed a hole in the wall. The rank noticed a transparent bag concealed inside and upon checking, he unearthed a quantity of seeds, leaves and stems. The same bag reportedly had a smaller green plastic bag which had more small zip lock bags containing the substance. The court heard that when the substance was shown to the two, James remained silent while Scuffle responded, “It belongs to me and not my girlfriend”. The substance was weighed at the Criminal Investigations Division (CID)

CONVICTED: Jermaine Scuffle and they were cautioned again. There again, Scuffle insisted that it was his. She said that the court is satisfied that Scuffle made his confession statement voluntarily and that the woman indeed bore no knowledge of the illicit substance. McLennan stated that she was of the opinion that the confession statement was voluntarily given. She said that in order for the Prosecution to secure a conviction for the charge they must establish possession, knowledge, custody and control of the substance. “The court is satisfied that the Prosecution has showed that the substance is marijuana. The court is also satisfied that the marijuana is the property of the number one accused (Scuffle).” Magistrate McLennan expounded upon the way the substance was packaged off into little zip lock bags stating that the court was also sure it was for drug peddling. She said that from the Prosecution’s case, it was clear that Scuffle had possession, knowledge and

FREED: Marcia James control of the substance. Meanwhile, owing to the fact that the woman, James, does not live at the house where it was found, it shows that she had no knowledge of the drug, the Magistrate said. McLennan informed the Prosecution that it had established the elements of the offence against Scuffle but had failed to do so against James and offered him a chance to address the court during mitigation. He said, “You find me guilty and I am asking you to be lenient your worship.” Upon sentencing Scuffle, he was told that coupled with his jail sentence, he will also pay a fine of $544,500 – three times the street value of marijuana - for being found guilty of trafficking the illicit substance. The constitution provides for persons convicted of drug trafficking to serve a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years’ imprisonment. The jail term is also accompanied by a fine with the minimum of $30,000 or an alternative of three times the street value of the drug.

Education Ministry launches locally... From page 20 Ministry is also in the process of writing its own Readers which is set to be called the 'Atlantic Readers'. And according to Manickchand, it is expected that “these Readers will be the envy of authors as well as users across the Region.” The Readers, she ex-

plained, will be aligned to international literacy standards and will be in compliance with the associated benchmarks that are in place. Supporting workbooks are also slated to be completed simultaneously. “We are almost finished with Grades One to Three, and we hope to introduce these Readers by September and

there will be Readers from Grades one to Six; our local Readers written by our local writers,” said Manickchand. She expressed confidence, too, that the publications will be marketed and “will be snapped up across the Region because of the excellent work and alignment going into those Readers.”

Saturday March 29, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Obama may allow air defense help for Syria rebels

President Barack Obama walks past an honor guard during the arrival ceremony at King Khalid International airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, yesterday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The Obama administration is considering allowing shipments of new air defense systems to Syrian rebels, a U.S. official said yesterday. President Barack Obama’s possible shift would likely be welcomed by Saudi Arabia, which has been pressing the White House to allow the man-portable air-defense systems, known as “manpads,” into Syria. Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday evening for meetings with King Abdullah. Allowing manpads to be delivered to Syrian rebels

would mark a shift in strategy for the U.S., which until this point has limited its lethal assistance to small weapons and ammunition, as well as humanitarian aid. The U.S. has been grappling for ways to boost the rebels, who have lost ground in recent months, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assad to regain a tighter grip on the war-torn nation. The actual manpad shipments could come from the Saudis, who have so far held off sending in the equipment because of U.S. opposition. The president is not expected to announce a

final decision on the matter during his overnight trip to the Gulf kingdom. U.S. and Saudi intelligence officials have been discussing the possibility of injecting manpads into the crisis for some time, including during a meeting in Washington earlier this year. As recently as February, the administration had said Obama remained opposed to any shipments of manpads to the Syrian opposition. The U.S. has been concerned that the weaponry could fall into the wrong hands and possibly be used to shoot down a commercial airliner.

Planes spot objects after search for lost Malaysian jet shifts north SYDNEY/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - An air and sea search for a missing Malaysian passenger jet moved 1,100 km (685 miles) north yesterday, after Australian a u t h o r i t i e s coordinating the operation in the remote Indian Ocean received new information from Malaysia that suggested the plane ran out of fuel earlier than thought. The dramatic shift in the search area, moving it further than the distance between London and Berlin, followed analysis of radar and satellite data that showed the missing plane had traveled faster than had been previously calculated, and so would have burned through its fuel load quicker. Australia said late yesterday that five aircraft had spotted “multiple objects of various colors” in the new search area. “Photographic imagery of

the objects was captured and will be assessed overnight,” the Australian Maritime and Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement. “The objects cannot be verified or discounted as being from MH370 until they are relocated and recovered by ships.” The latest twist underscores the perplexing and frustrating hunt for evidence in the near threeweek search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished from civilian radar screens less than an hour into a Kuala Lumpur to Beijing flight. Malaysia says the plane was likely diverted deliberately but investigators have turned up no apparent motive or other red flags among the 227 passengers or the 12 crew. Malaysian officials said the new search area was the result of a painstaking analysis of Malaysian military radar data and satellite

readings from British company Inmarsat carried out by U.S., Chinese, British and Malaysian investigators. Engin e p e r f o r m a n c e analysis by the plane’s manufacturer Boeing helped investigators determine how long the plane could have flown before it ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean, they said. “Information which had already been examined by the investigation was reexamined in light of new evidence drawn from the Inmarsat data analysis,” Malaysia’s acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told a news conference. For more than a week, ships and surveillance planes have been scouring seas 2,500 km (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth, where satellite images had shown possible debris from Flight MH370, which went missing on March 8.

Saturday March 29, 2014

Kaieteur News

Mugabe shuns EU-Africa talks after wife denied visa Harare (AFP) Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe will boycott next week’s mammoth EU-Africa summit after his wife was denied a visa to enter Europe, a foreign ministry official said yesterday. “We are no longer going to the EU-Africa. We disagreed on the composition of our delegation,” said a source at the ministry, who asked not to be named. Harare had earlier yesterday urged the African Union to shun the summit for failing to invite all the Africa bloc’s leaders and lift a ban on Zimbabwe’s first lady. But diplomats in Brussels were unfazed by the call for a boycott by a country that is in the line to chair the African Union next year. “We see no risk” of a boycott of the April 2-3 summit, which gathers 90 nations from both continents, including 65 heads of state and government, said a senior official speaking on condition of anonymity. In Harare, foreign ministry spokesman Joey Bimha said the European Union had not invited Sudan and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which does not have international

recognition, while Egypt, which has been suspended from the AU, had been given the nod. Another concern is “the issue of our first lady who was denied a visa,” Bimha told AFP, referring to Mugabe’s wife, Grace. Mugabe and his wife remain targeted by an EU travel ban but the restriction can be suspended temporarily to allow the head of state to attend international forums. “We have been discussing this for some time. We have reached agreement and Zimbabwe has been invited but no spouses have been invited,” the EU official said. The EU ambassador to Harare, Aldo Dell’Ariccia,

said when Zimbabwe asked for a visa for Mugabe’s wife “they were told she should apply through the normal channels”. “The EU is just following it’s legal framework and there can’t be any movement from that position,” said Dell’Ariccia. Mugabe’s spokesman on Tuesday said the EU’s decision was “very strange”. “What God has put together the EU is trying to separate,” said George Charamba in the state controlled daily, The Herald. “Do they expect the President to respect the EU and disrespect his own marriage?” Rushweat Mukundu of the political think-tank Zimbabwe Democracy Institute said the row is just “a symptom of poisoned relations” between Zimbabwe and the EU, “and old wounds that are proving difficult to heal.” Both sides should have taken “a sober approach” to resolving their long standing differences, suggested Mukundu. The EU has also refused to invite Sudan, although the Brussels official said the African Union was free to invite its president, Omar alBashir.

aircraft, are undertaken in accordance with all applicable domestic and international law and with the greatest possible transparency, consistent with our national security needs,” Paula Schriefer, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, told the talks. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 27 states in favour to six against, with 14 abstentions at the 47member Geneva forum. The United States, Britain and France voted against. The Council “urges all states to ensure that any measures employed to counter terrorism, including the use of remotely piloted aircraft or armed drones, comply with their obligations under international law ... in particular the principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality”. The text voiced concern at civilian casualties resulting from the use of remotely-piloted aircraft or armed drones, as highlighted by the U.N. special investigator on counter-terrorism Ben

Emmerson in a recent report. It called on U.N. human rights boss Navi Pillay to organise expert discussions on armed drones and report back in September. The United States, Britain and France said it was not appropriate for the forum to put weapons systems on its agenda. The Obama administration preferred to discuss drones under an initiative of Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which it hoped would provide a “nonpoliticised forum” where military experts can discuss law of war issues, Schriefer said. Akram, speaking before the vote, said opposition “can only lead to the conclusion that these states are guilty of violating applicable international law and demonstrate that they are afraid of being exposed in the expert panel”. A separate U.N. human rights watchdog called on the Obama administration on Thursday to limit its use of drones and to curb U.S. surveillance activities.

Robert Mugabe

U.N. rights forum calls for use of armed drones to comply with law GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations called on all states yesterday to ensure that the use of armed drones complies with international law, backing a proposal from Pakistan seen as taking aim at the United States. A resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of cosponsors including Yemen and Switzerland did not single out any state. The United States is the biggest drone user in conflicts including those in Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia. “The purpose of this resolution is not to shame or name anyone, as we are against this approach,” Pakistan’s ambassador Zamir Akram told the U.N. Human Rights Council. “It is about supporting a principle.” The United States prizes drones for their accuracy against al Qaeda and Taliban militants. Pakistan says they kill civilians and infringe its sovereignty. “The United States is committed to ensuring that our actions, including those involving remotely piloted

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DCS to decide if Vybz Kartel can record while incarcerated Jamaica Observer - Vybz Kartel will only be allowed to record music in prison if the Department of Correctional Services deems him fit to be part of a rehabilitation programme, depending on his conduct, a former prison official told the Jamaica Observer. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was responding to questions posed by the Observer after Justice Lennox Campbell postponed to April 3 the sentencing of the deejay and his three co-accused — Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St John — who were found guilty of the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams on March 20. Justice Campbell postponed the sentencing after defence lawyers informed him that they had not received a letter he instructed the Supreme Court to draft and send to the prosecution and the defence. Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn admitted receiving the correspondence. Justice Campbell told the

court that he wanted the assistance of both sides on sentencing guidelines. He said the degree of participation of each convicted man in the murder would be important in his decision on how long they would be locked away in a penal facility. “Sentences are not just clutched out of the air,” Justice Campbell said. The judge said Llewellyn had made her recommendations and had pointed to sentences handed down in similar circumstances. He referred to the case of singer Jah Cure (real name Sycatore Alcock), who recorded three albums while incarcerated at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, and wondered if, in the event that Vybz Kartel recorded music while he served his sentence, any proceeds made from those songs should go to Williams’ estate. “In a previous matter, when a person was convicted who had some artistic talent certain things were done. It needs to be found out

whether in fact it was open to the court for any of those proceeds gained could go to repairing any of the damage to the relatives of the deceased,” Justice Campbell said. The Tower Street prison, popularly known as GP, is fitted with a fully operational recording studio and a low frequency radio station FREE FM, which broadcasts in the precincts of the prison. In the case of Jah Cure, the proceeds of his songs were used to bolster the rehabilitation programme and he earned no money. The prison authorities would have to ultimately make the decision for the victim’s family to be compensated from any recording released by the artiste while imprisoned. Justice Campbell also wanted to find out if Williams’ relatives would be allowed to address the court before he handed down his sentence. However Llewellyn, he said, informed him that it was not appropriate in the Jamaican jurisdiction. Earlier, Kartel seemed

Vybz Kartel arrives at the Supreme Court to hear his fate Thursday. (PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD) composed as he awaited his fate in the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston. His demeanour was in stark contrast to two Thursdays ago when the jury handed down the guilty verdict. After the judge announced the delay, Kartel’s attorney, Tom TavaresFinson, said his client was maintaining his innocence although he had accepted the ruling of the jury.

“My client bears no ill will against anyone in this case. We are asking for no leniency. We put our faith in the justice system of this country and at an appropriate time we will seek justice,” he said. The attorney said Llewellyn had ordered a probe into the way the investigation by the police had been carried out and was also seeking to change the manner of how evidence was

handled in her office. But Llewellyn denied Tavares-Finson’s claim. “For the record, I ordered no such investigation,” she said. When the court was adjourned, Tavares-Finson went on the offensive as he criticised what he described as Llewellyn’s about-face after she came out on the losing end in the Kern Spencer trial.

US warns Venezuela of sanctions if no ‘space’ for opposition Washington (AFP) Washington is weighing sanctions against Venezuela’s leftist government if it fails to foster serious talks to resolve the country’s political crisis. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson urged President Nicolas Maduro’s government to provide “democratic space for the opposition.” Sanctions could be an

“important tool” if the possibility of dialogue between the government and its adversaries stalls, she added. Speaking in Spanish to reporters via teleconference, Jacobson said the United States is considering “peaceful measures,” excluding potential military action as an option. But Washington would first consult with its allies in

the Americas before any sanctions. “We believe that it’s very important to work with our allies in the region on the way to implement any type of sanction,” so that any such measures would be more effective, Jacobson said. Most other member countries of the Organization of American States regional grouping have backed US efforts to help solve the crisis.

Saturday March 29, 2014

Kaieteur News

3rd win puts West Indies Women on top From page 30 overs.Prolific opener Stafanie Taylor then made the result a formality by anchoring a measured run chase which saw West Indies reach their target with five overs to spare. With the win, the Caribbean women moved to six points, virtually assuring themselves of a semi-final spot, with just one game left to play in the preliminaries. Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka Women started well to reach 41 for one in the fifth over before suffering a sudden collapse to lose their last nine wickets for 43 runs. Opener Yasoda Mendis top

scored with 21 while Eshani Kaushalya got 20 but they were the only two players to pass 20. Mendis put on 25 for the first wicket with Chamari Jayangani who managed just three before she was bowled by pacer Tremayne Smartt (315) in the fourth over. Sri Lanka rebuilt through Mendis and Sripali Weerakkody (11) but Daley struck in her first over – the sixth of the innings – removing Mendis with the third delivery and Weerakkody with her fifth. At 69 for four in the 12th over Sri Lanka appeared to be making a recovery but another clatter of wickets

sealed their fate. Daley prised out Shashikala Siriwardene (9), inspiring the final collapse that saw the final six wickets fall for just 15 runs. Taylor and Kycia Knight (15) then gave West Indies a solid start of 36 from 41 balls, to negate any chance of a Sri Lanka comeback. The right-handed Taylor faced 45 balls and struck seven fours while Knight got 15 before she was stumped off off-spinner Siriwardene. Taylor and Deandra Dottin (7) put on a further 35 for the second wicket, a partnership that put the Windies Women within sight of victory.

Saturday March 29, 2014 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Children or possibly some close friends or a love interest could be upset today, Aries. The financial coffers aren't full enough to afford something they think they absolutely have to have right now. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Worry about a family member may be on your mind today, Taurus. This person could be all wrought up over work, money, or possibly a love affair that's broken off. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Uneasy feelings may be plaguing you throughout the day, Gemini. There could appear to be no valid reason for this. Everything seems to be going well for you, and no one close to you has anything heavy going on. CANCER (June 21–July 22) A friend, perhaps a woman, cou l d w e l l b e upset or even angry with you today, Cancer. Money might be involved in some way. There may be nothing you can do to reassure her at this time, so it's best to give what reassurances you can and then back off. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Is your boss a woman, Leo? If so, stay out of her way today. To put it mildly, she isn’t in a good mood. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Travel may cause more problems than it's worth today, Virgo. You may forget some vital items when packing or there could be too little time to get everything ready.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Finances may cause an upset between you and a friend today, Libra. Perhaps this person owes you money and can't pay it back, or vice versa. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) A social event could put you in touch with someone who's carrying around a lot of bitterness and anger, Scorpio. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) The workplace could be very hectic today as a colleague prepares to leave on an important business trip, Sagittarius. Nerves could be strained and tempers short. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may have a wonderful day today, Capricorn. Your imagination, intuition, and creativity are all high, and inspiration for new artistic works could be filling your heart and brain. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Your home could be a very busy place today, Aquarius. Visitors could come and go throughout the d a y, probably annoying you at times. You might also find yourself having to soothe angry outbursts on the part o f a m e m b e r o f y our household PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Someone you work with might need a sympathetic shoulder to cry on today, Pisces. Stresses on the job extend beyond everyone's capacity to endure, so don't be surprised if at some point a colleague sheds a few tears. You might find your patience pushed beyond its normal limits.

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Another Flying Ace Cycle Club race set for tomorrow in Berbice Once gain cyclists in Berbice will have an opportunity to show off their skills when the Flying Ace Cycle Club (FACC) of Berbice organizes yet another event in the Ancient County. The top riders are expected to take to the road tomorrow for a feature 40 miles cycle event organized by popular cycle coach Randolph Roberts and sponsored by a number of businesses entities in Berbice. The 40-mile event, which is for Berbicians only, will pedal off from Marks Bridge at Tacama Turn, 60 Stanleytown, pass through the town of New Amsterdam and race to Adventure on the Corentyne Coast before turning back to finish at Main

and Alexander Streets, New Amsterdam. Prizes will be awarded to the first eight finishers, the first two females and the first two beginners and the first two female U16 riders. There will also be eight prime point prizes up for grabs. The females and beginners are expected to ride shorter distances. The event is expected to be a continuing battle between riders of the FACC and Trojan Cycle clubs and among those expected to take to the road are Elijah Brijadder, Andrea Green, Andrew Hicks, Romallo Crawford, Syborne Fernandes, Jeban Crawford, Wasim Hassnu, Ray Millington, Audrel

Ross, Edmond Francis, Keith Griffith, Wilbert Benjamin, Turhan Harris and Gary Benjamin among others. Among the sponsors are Mara and Sons General Store, Wilbert Benjamin of Benjamin Sports, Brods Lumber Yard, Hamid General Store of Hampshire, Steve Ramsuchit and Thuran Harris among others. (Samuel Whyte)

Proud of ... From page 33 Georgetown said. Asked he was keen on playing in the second edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) says he definitely wants to play in the CPL again this year. “It was an amazing experience and I learnt a lot from some of the established International players ....so hopefully once selected I will be ready,” the off-spinning all-rounder stated. “My motivation is my family, girlfriend and everyone who supports Steven Jacobs in whatever I do .... But my mother and father always try to advise me so I can become better. They taught me to balance cricket with Academics in the event something goes with my cricket career …and I must thank them for that,” Jacobs pointed out. “CCC are capable of making the semifinals....we have to get as much points from this game (vs T&T). We just need to execute well and we will be successful,” the CCC skipper said. The CCC team was introduced into the Regional set up in 2008 to give those who wanted a University degree to still have the opportunity of keeping their cricketing career alive.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday March 29, 2014

Sammy fires Windies to win in thriller ESPNcricinfo - Dhaka, Bangladesh - West Indian batting power ejected Australia from the previous World T20 in Sri Lanka and has all but done so again after Darren Sammy pulled off a remarkable heist in Mirpur. Chris Gayle gave West Indies a blazing start to their chase of 179 but they spluttered in the middle and Australia were firm favourites when George Bailey handed the ball to Mitchell Starc with 31 still needed from the final two overs. Sammy had other ideas. A half-volley was smashed over long-on for six, a flick was finessed to the fine-leg boundary and another four was slashed behind point, and Starc’s inability to land the ball in the right spots meant 19 runs had leaked from his over, leaving 12 required off the final six balls. Importantly, Sammy was on strike, though his partner Dwayne Bravo had contributed plenty to the chase with 27 off 12 deliveries. Two yorkers from James Faulkner gave Bailey reason to breathe easier, but Sammy followed those with a six crunched over long-off from a full toss and another six down the ground to secure the six-wicket win with two balls to spare. Sammy threw his arms up in the air to celebrate and well he might have, for his 34 off 13 balls

was the reason West Indies managed the highest successful chase in their T20 international history. Australia were shattered by the loss, which left them winless from their first two games. Even victories in their remaining matches against India and Bangladesh may well be inadequate to progress to the semi-finals. It has been a harsh lesson for a side who entered the tournament as favourites with five wins from their past five games - notably, all in faster, more familiar conditions. Here their batsmen again struggled against spin. Not that their total of 178 for 8 was unable to be defended; on the contrary, they must have felt confident at the change of innings, even more so after Shane Watson sent down a maiden for the first over of the chase to Dwayne Smith. After that, though, it was the Gayle show. His first ball was a pearler from Starc, angling in and straightening past the outside edge, but that was about the only time Gayle looked troubled. Four fours followed later in that same over and the old Gayle magic was back. He clipped Doug Bollinger over square leg for six and continued to strike the ball cleanly in all directions, taking 40 from his first 14 deliveries. Smith edged behind off Starc for 17 but

Gayle was the worry for Australia, and after his brisk start he settled down into a more run-a-ball mode, moving to his half-century from 31 balls. At times he was walking singles, such was the ease with he appeared to be taking things, but on 53 he sent a catch to deep midwicket off James Muirhead and the fate of the match looked as if it may have changed on that one stroke. The runs began to dry up, Lendl Simmons was caught in the deep for 26 and Marlon Samuels used up 15 balls for his 12 before he was brilliantly taken by Brad Haddin diving to his right off Starc. It was the last good thing Starc did for the match Bravo clubbed him for six later in that over, and then it was the Sammy show. Those two final overs were fatal to Australia in this match, but their lack of big runs from their top three batsmen has also hurt them in both games. As they had in the loss to Pakistan, Australia again relied on Maxwell to rebuild the innings after the top three struggled against quality spin. This time, David Warner and Aaron Finch at least made starts but they fell in consecutive overs while trying to force the pace Finch was bowled for 16 attempting a slog sweep off Samuels and Samuel Badree’s skidder took middle stump to

end Warner’s innings on 20. Watson failed to get going for the second consecutive game, this time stumped for 2 from eight balls when Sunil Narine turned one past the bat. Denesh Ramdin was hardly crisp behind the stumps but such was Watson’s apparent lack of awareness that his back foot was on the line that Ramdin was able to miss the bails on his first attempt at breaking them, then knock them off at the second try and still find Watson short. When Bailey sent a catch to midwicket off Samuels for 12, Australia were in a spot of bother at 77 for 4, and it looked like spin could be their undoing in a tournament played in turning conditions. But Maxwell showed against Pakistan that such bowling does not worry him, and here he followed 16 off a Sammy over with a

couple more sixes, slog swept off Samuels and crunched over extra cover off Badree. There was no crazily fast halfcentury for Maxwell as there had been against Pakistan, but his 45 from 22 - he pulled a catch to deep midwicket off Badree - at least put Australia on the path to a competitive total. Brad Hodge, who entered the match as Twenty20’s leading run scorer of all time, had enough experience to steer the innings up towards the 150 mark, his 35 ending only when he tried to reverse sweep Narine and was bowled. The lower order added a few boundaries to get the total up to 178 for 8 but it was not enough. West Indies now have every chance of advancing to the semi-finals and maybe defending their title, won in Sri Lanka in 2012 after Gayle monstered

Australia in the semi-final with 75 off 41 balls. Australia will almost certainly fly home next week wondering how on earth they can win this elusive trophy. Perhaps if Gayle retires before the next tournament they might have some chance. Summary Scores: Australia Innings: 178/8 (20 Overs). Glenn Maxwell 45, Brad Hodge 35, David Warner 20, Aaron Finch 16; Sunil Narine 4-1-19-2, Samuel Badree 4-0-37-2, Marlon Samuels 2-0-20-2, Krishmar Santokie 4-0-30-1. West Indies Innings: 179/ 4 (19.4 Overs). Chris Gayle 53, Darren Sammy* 34*, Dwayne Bravo 27, Lendl Simmons 26; Mitchell Starc 4-0-50-2, James Muirhead 3-0-21-1, Doug Bollinger 4-0-34-1, Shane Watson 2-1-11-0. Result: West Indies won by 6 wickets.

3rd win puts West Indies Women on top

West Indies girls celebrate a wicket during the match. (WICB) CMC SYLHET, Bangladesh – West Indies Women stormed to the top of Group B with their third straight win, after trouncing

Sri Lanka Women by eight wickets at the at the Sylhet Stadium yesterday. The victory was set up by left-arm spinner Shanel Daley

who grabbed four for 15 from her four overs to send Sri Lanka tumbling to 84 all out off 16.5 (Continued on page 25)

Saturday March 29, 2014

Kaieteur News

Golfers to battle in Continental Agencies Tournament Weeks of dry weather have made the Lusignan Golf Club course treacherous for this week’s Continental Agencies Tournament. While the hard and dry fairways enable more distance off the tee, the greens remain largely unwelcoming to approach shots. The conditions will make for another trying week at the club and it will require patience and a deft hand around the green for any winners of the event.

However, this will not deter competitors given the season is picking up steam and a large field is expected to turn out for the sponsor which has been a longtime supporter of the club. Among them one would expect to be in contention are Andre Cummings, who hits a long ball but has some comfort with his handicap; so too is George Bulkan who since returning to golf has been playing with a calm intensity. Tee off time is set for 12:00pm.

Kevin Pietersen enters... From page 33 charismatic right-hander will be available for the 2014 CPL. Kevin Pietersen said: “I’m delighted to be involved in this year’s Limacol Caribbean Premier League. As soon as I was approached, I knew it was something I wanted to take part in. I have fantastic memories of playing T20 cricket in the Caribbean – especially when we won the 2010 ICC World T20 tournament – so I can’t wait to play in front of the magnificent Caribbean fans who create a truly unique and thrilling atmosphere.” Damien O’Donohoe, CEO, Limacol Premier League, noted: “This is great news for the CPL and our fans. Kevin’s inclusion in the Draft is a real statement of intent about how we want to grow the competition year on year, and demonstrates just how far

we have come in a short period of time. He’s a born entertainer so the fans will love watching him play, and our younger players will get the opportunity to learn from his vast experience.” Kevin Pietersen will enter the Draft alongside more than 200 other cricketers from around the world, and will be available for selection by any of the six franchises. The Draft takes place on Thursday 3rd April at 7:30pm GMT, at Chris Gayle’s Triple Century Bar in Jamaica, with live coverage available on www.CPLT20.com. T he tournament itself returns in July and August 2014 where Jamaica Tallawahs will defend their title against the St. Lucia Zouks, Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, Antigua Hawksbills, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Barbados Tridents.

Guyanese pugilists commence battle... From page 31 also scheduled to be on show last night. The former boxer tackles St Lucian, Ron Bastine, while Charles goes up against Bastine’s countryman, Joshua Duberrey. The host country has selected a full squad while Martinique, the first team to arrive, sports a large team of enthusiastic pugilists all rearing to go. The Guadeloupe boxers were slated to arrive on the Island late Thursday evening but later informed organizers that they were unable to keep their ring date because of transportation difficulties while the Guyanese touched down at the John F Charles Airport at around 16:00hrs Thursday afternoon last. Cuban coach, Francisco Hernandez Roldan accompanied the boxers in the capacity of manager/coach and shortly after checking in at the Golden Arrow Inn, the trio told Kaieteur Sport that they are ready for battle and are in an upbeat mood. St Lucia has also selected one female but it seems as though she will not be required to enter the ring since no other country has fielded a female pugilist. Theresa London was scheduled to represent Guyana but Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) selectors had said that they were forced to omit her from the team after she had suffered a knockout in the South American games in Chile. Yesterday, International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) Olympics referee, James Beckles said that he was surprised by the decision taken by the local boxing association. He said that London was not knocked out but

Double header to open WDFA U-17 Competition The West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) Under-17 Competition is set to commence today with a double header planned for the Pouderoyen School ground. According to VicePresident of competitions Christine Smith speaking with Kaieteur Sport via telephone yesterday, eight clubs will be participating in the

tournament and they are Stewartville, Slingerz, Den Amstel, Young Achievers, Wales, Bagotville/Nismes, Uitvlugt and defending champions Eagles. Smith disclosed that prior to the start of play there will be a March Past of the teams with President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Christopher Matthias, WDFA

President Nigel Garraway and WDFA Vice-President Orin Ferrier among the officials who will be present. The fixtures for today are as follows: Uitvlugt battle Bagotville/Nismes at 14:00 hrs and Eagles go up against Young Achievers. Trophies and medals compliments of the GFF will be up for grabs.

UG Inter Faculty cricket continues The University of Guyana (UG) Inter Faculty t20 cricket competition continued yesterday at the UG ground with Agriculture and Forestry beating Natural Sciences by four wickets in the latest action. Natural Sciences batted first and were bowled out in 17.5 overs for 122. Skipper

Michael Shalim made 57 decorated with three fours and two sixes. Only one other batter reached double figures as Saheed Allishaw took 4-14 off four overs. When Agri & Forestry replied they reached 128- 6 off 18.1 overs with Davin Warner leading the run chase with an attractive 57. He was

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supported by his Captain Clevand Kellawan who made 28. Shalim crowned a useful day at the office with 3-11 from his allotted four overs. The Competition continues on Monday with Staff vs SEES from 10:00hrs and Technology and Agri & Forestry colliding from 14:00hrs.

rather, the referee had called a halt to her contest after she had received three consecutive mandatory 8 counts in the same round. “AIBA mandatory rules to rest from competitive activity do not include such cases,” Beckles explained. Consequently, the St Lucian organizers were attempting to organize a flight out of Guyana for London to travel to the Island but up to the time of this report were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the bouts were initially slated for the Gros Islet Secondary School but organizers were forced to change the venue to outdoor facilities at the Vigie Multi-Purpose Complex. President of the St Lucia amateur Boxing Association, David ‘Shakes’ Christopher, was somewhat disappointed and said that his team had incurred additional expenses following the abrupt change. He explained that the initial indoor facility would have curtailed the huge bill but organizers were forced to switch after the administrators of that institution said that they were concerned that patrons would have indulged in the use of alcoholic beverages and by extension, disor-

Francisco Hernandez Rolden is flanked by Ron Smith (r) and Bert Braithwaite moments after the team arrived in St Lucia. derly behaviour. Mr. Christopher said that that decision resulted in a steep rise in the organizational costs as he was forced to rent additional equipment for the ring as well as to ensure the safety and comfort of patrons. He said that he has received support from the St Lucia Olympic Committee through the generosity of its President, Fortuna Belrose. He also lauded the input of the Tourism Minis-

try whose Minister, Lorne Theophilus, has rendered tangible support. Mr. Christopher also acknowledged the efforts of permanent Secretary of the Tourism Association, Donovan Williams, for his valued input. “These officials feel that the event is a national one that could promote local tourism and has decided to render firm support,” said Mr. Christopher.

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Kaieteur News

MCY&S/NSC schools Wind ball tourney

Mendonca hat-trick propels IPE to victory Shellimiah Mendonca captured three wickets for one run including a hat-trick as Institute of Professional Education (IPE) overcame Tucville by 31 runs when the Ministry of Culture Youth & Sport/National Sports Commission/AL Sport & Tour Promotions 22nd Annual Easter Term (Melissa King Memorial) Secondary Schools Female Windball Championship continued at the National Park Tarmac last weekend. After been invited to take first strike, IPE managed 65-7 with Alicia Somrah scoring 23 and Rhonda Samaroo 21. Bowling for Tucville Secondary Alia Goodluck picked up 4 wkts. Tucville were restricted to 34-4 in reply. Jonel Phillips (10) was the only batter to reach double figures. Friendship Secondary went down to last year’s runner up Covent Garden by 10 wickets. Friendship

Shellimiah Mendonca Secondary scored 45-2 after taking first strike. Lashanna Phillips made 19 not out. Covent Garden Secondary responded with 48-0 off 2.5 overs. Marcia Singh stroked 22 (4x4, 1x6) and Kaysia Schultz 11 (2x4). Friendship rebounded to beat IPE by 15 runs. Friendship batted first after

winning the toss and rattled up 53-4. Tunkiha Guhit top scored with 22 and Maniare Coaster made 15. IPE could only muster 384 in reply. Alisa Samroo made 12; Melisa Singh claimed 2-1 and Michelle Matters 2-4. Covent Garden got the better of North Georgetown Secondary 10 wickets. North Georgetown took first strike and made 46-3 with Marisa Hunte scoring 18 and Ashaye Sandy 10. Marcia Singh picked up 2-13 and Kaysia Schultz 1-11. Covent Garden reached their target off 3 overs ending on 47-0. K Schultz slammed 21 (5x4) and M. Singh 19 (4x4). The competition continues this weekend with Dolphin Secondary facing Tucville, Queenstown battling Electra’s Institute, North Georgetown playing Dolphin, IPE matching skills with Queenstown and Dolphin coming up against Electra’s.

Saturday March 29, 2014

GFA Division 1& 2 Leagues

Alfred’s brace sinks Sunburst Camptown - Riddim Squad, Black Pearl play to a draw Ever since his emergence on the local football scene dating back to the Edwin ‘Chow’ Sealey Indoor Competition, the diminutive Deon Alfred has always been touted to be a star of the future and this hype was proved correctly against Sunburst Camptown, a team he mesmerised with his skills on Thursday evening, at the Camp Ayanganna ground. Playing in the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Division One League, Pele riding on the back of a brace from Alfred gained full points over Sunburst Camptown, winning by a 2-0 margin. The young striker opened their account as early as the 8th minute of play after reaching on to the end of a cross from the left flank, evaded two defenders before flashing a shot past the goalkeeper. It seemed clearly that it would not be Camptown’s night as Jamal Codrington

Deon Alfred became the recipient of a straight red card for displaying dissent towards the referee, reducing them to ten players. Pele on the other hand continued to look for opportunities to stretch their advantage with Alfred and company exerting torment on the Camptown backline and had it not been for a few errant finishing, the scoreline could

have looked a sorrowful sight for Camptown. Despite their shortcoming in terms of numbers, Camptown were unfortunate not to get the equaliser when Anthony Sancho’s fierce right-footer from just inside the penalty area forced a brilliant save from Pele custodian Devon Charles. Pele, after orchestrating several threatening incursions, eventually got their reward through another fine effort from Alfred, who was left unmarked inside the red zone and he calmly finished from a through pass in the 65th minute of play. Earlier, Riddim Squad and Black Pearl played to a 1-1 draw in Second Division League action with Kester Joseph on target for Riddim Squad in the 32nd minute, while Jason Clarke’s 72nd minute effort levelled the proceedings which stayed that way until the final whistle sounded.

BCB/Hand in Hand 2nd Div. in West Berbice Bowls off today The Berbice Cricket Board organised Hand in Hand Insurance 40 overs Second Division tournament for teams in West Berbice starts today with matches at seven venues. Fourteen teams would be involved in the tournament which would be played on a knockout basis. Teams would only be

allowed to play one first division player, while only players who participated in the preliminary round shall be eligible to play in the semifinals and finals. The fixture for the opening round: Saturday March 29 2014 Hopetown United vs Ithaca Rovers at Hopetown D’Edward Warriors vs

Achievers at D’Edward Rainbow Generation vs Woodley Park Young Strikers at Seafield Blairmont Community Centre vs Bush Lot Challengers at Blairmont Bath vs D’Edward at Bath Bush Lot United vs Shieldstown at Bush Lot Cotton Tree Die Hard vs No.3 at Cotton Tree

Kaieteur News

Saturday March 29, 2014

Stag Beer/EBFA Div. 1 League

More exciting action set for tomorrow at Grove Playfield Two more potentially exciting matches in the Stag Beer sponsored East Bank Football Association division one league are set for tomorrow afternoon at the Grove Playfield, kicking off at 13:00hrs. Ti m e h r i P a n t h e r s , currently in the second position (9 points), the same as leaders Agricola (better goal difference) will be seeking to take over the lead fully when they take on bottom of the table Herstelling FC competing in their first full season. While the Timehri boys will go into this game as favourites, the ever

improving Herstelling side has been showing improvements and is expected to put up a stern fight. The days feature game will be a humdinger of an affair with home team Grove Hi Tech coming up against Kuru Kururu Warriors who

are ahead of Grove by three points having played one game more. The Warriors have won two of their three games with one loss, while Grove have won one and lost one. Fans are in for a treat in this game as both teams will be aiming for full points to enhance their quest for top honours and close the gap on the leaders. Ansa McAl Trading, under the Stag Beer brand is the sole sponsor of the league which will see the winning team carting off the Stag Beer Cup and $400,000 along with bragging rights as the best club in the EBFA.

Jacobs thinks CCC was his better choice Proud of CCC’s win against Guyana By Sean Devers For 25-year-old former Guyana and West Indies under-19 Captain, Steven Jacobs, the decision to lead Combined Colleges & Campuses (CCC) in both the Regional Super50 and the ongoing Regional First Class tournament instead of representing Guyana was a hard one to make. “Ultimately I thought CCC was a better choice because of the experience and exposure I would gain as Captain. This will help me to improve as a player,” the Malteenoes right-hander explained in an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News in Barbados this week. Jacobs, now in Trinidad with the CCC team for their important fifth round Regional four-day competition against the home team, has played 18 First-Class matches, with four of them for CCC this year. Jacobs is doing a Certificate Programme in Sports Management before doing a degree in sports science in September and plays for the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus in the Barbados division one season. This also influenced his decision since he already knew most of the players as team mates. Jacobs showed leadership qualities even as an under-15 player and it came as no surprise when he was appointed to the lead the West Indies under-19 team in

Steven Jacobs the 2008 Regional 50-over tournament in Guyana. “I believe a good leader must be patient, wise and assertive among other things and I was happy to develop my skills even more after my experience as captain of Guyana at the youth level and also West Indies under19 team,” Jacobs revealed. Jacobs said he was proud with his team’s victory against Guyana but added a win always feels good regardless of the opposition. “Cricket is a very unique sport because it very unpredictable .... But I think CCC emerged as the winners because we simply played better and out did the Guyanese boys.” He however admitted that leading a foreign team was a bit harder than Captaining Guyana. “Yes as CCC captain I do feel more

pressure because I think everyone is watching and waiting…. I have to prove myself.” Touching on his personal performance so far, Jacobs, who has three fifties at this level since making his debut back in 2006, says would have liked to contribute more to his team’s work. “This tournament so far have being rough for me but I set out to learn and develop myself outside of my home and on a different level and I think I have managed to do some good thus far. I have two preliminary games left after this one and I want to make sure I get some runs and also contribute with ball for my team and in the future,” Jacobs, who has a modest 72 runs and just two wickets from three matches before yesterday’s clash against T&T, disclosed. “I want to play for West Indies but I can only get there with consistent performances so it’s a process and I won’t give up,” Jacobs, who played in the same under-19 World Cup as Indian sensation Virat Kholi, promised. “I always work hard to become a better player at what I do. In this tournament I have being getting a lot of starts with the bat I just need to concentrate a little harder in the period that I am getting out so I have being working extra in the nets to get it right,” The level-headed youth from Kitty in (Continued on page 29)

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GCB U-15 Inter-County two-day cricket

Igloo Ice Cream on board as sponsors In collaboration with the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Sterling Products Limited under their Igloo Ice Cream brand will sponsor the 2014 Inter-County Under-15 two day cricket Competition which bowls off tomorrow with the President’s XI taking on defending champions Demerara at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) and Essequibo clashing with Berbice at Everest. Igloo ice cream is manufactured by Sterling Products Ltd which is situated at Providence, East Bank Demerara. This company has been in existence for over 40 years, their ice cream is well known for its creamy and delicious taste. It is available from quarter pint cups to two Gallon containers. It also comes in Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, Cherry, and Pino Orange flavors. Igloo ice cream is accessible in all leading supermarkets and Ice-Cream Parlours in areas countrywide. The second round of the competition is slated for April 2 & 3 and Essequibo will come up against

Demerara at the Enmore Community Centre ground on the East Coast, while Berbice meet President X1 at the Wales Community Centre ground in West Demerara. The third and final round will be held from April 5-6 when Berbice and Demerara do battle at Everest and Essequibo and President XI play at DCC. Representatives from the sponsor along with GCB Executives are expected to meet the teams at Everest tomorrow before the commencement of play. The start of play for each day is 09:30 hrs. The teams are as follows: President XI: Stephon Wi l l i a m s , K h e m c h a n d Hardyal, Robin Williams, Mark Ramsammy, Danesh Kowlessar, Junior Phillips, Anil Singh, Azim Alli, Joel Fortune, Shivnarine Chattergoon, Quintin Sampson, Christopher Campbelle, Chandrat Ve e r a s a m m y, B r a n d o n Corlette. The Manager is Clive Grimond and the Coach is Julian Moore. D e m e r a r a : Bhask a r Yadram, Paul Thomas,

Alphius Bookie, Joshua Persaud, Kurt Lovell, Ganesh Jitlall, Ramdeo Basdeo, Ashmead Nedd, Sagar Hithiramani, Bhojnarine Singh, Colin Barlow, Mark Baptise, Pradesh Balkishun and Anthony Antonio. The Manager is Robert ‘Pacer’ Adonis and the Coach is Garvin Nedd. Berbice: Kevin Sinclair, Surendra Budhoo, Alex Algu, Junior Sinclair, Steve Deonarine, Keith Simpson, Kris Ramnarine, Seon Glasgow, Javid Karim, Dinishwar Budhoo, Kevon Anderson, Steven Kalamudin, Junior Williams, and Haifa Walters. The Manager is Rabindranauth Saywack and the Coach is Andre Percival. Essequibo: Punraj Coldhar, Shane Wong, Vishal Singh, Arnold Adams, Beesham Moses, Joshua Jones, Ronaldo McPherson, Darshan Indar, Orlando Jailall, Shamar Dusraj, Govindra Gobin, Omesh Ramgobin, Leanardo B e n n e t t e , a n d Wa s i m Mohamed. The Manager is Vickram Ramnarine and the Coach is Festus Benn.

Kevin Pietersen enters the 2014 Limacol Caribbean Premier League draft - World’s most exciting batsman joins the Biggest Party in Sport CPL Website - Kingston, Jamaica: The excitement and anticipation surrounding the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) hit a new level with the news that Kevin Pietersen is set to take part in the 2014 tournament. The show-stopping batsman – who is England’s all-time leading run scorer in international cricket and is set to captain the Delhi Daredevils in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) – will be a star attraction for franchises when the Draft takes place in Jamaica on Thursday 3rd April. Pietersen will light up the tournament in the same way that he has been doing over his illustrious career in international cricket, and his inclusion in the Draft will boost excitement for what is already an eagerly anticipated competition. After activating a secondment agreement in his contract with English county cricket team, Surrey, the (Continued on page 31)

Kevin Pietersen (right) and Chris Gayle will both bring sparks to the party. (CPL website)

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Kaieteur News

Saturday March 29, 2014

Joshua House kids feels the love of Jeff ‘Classic’ Beckham Having a never ending love for children having come from a single parent home where his mother took care of five boys and two girls, Hugh Ross Classic Body Building and Fitness Show Guest Poser, IFBB Pro. Jeff ‘Classic’ Beckham fulfilled one of his requests yesterday when he visited the Joshua House Children’s Home, East Street. Beckham, who was accompanied by National cricketer Christopher Barnwell, wasted no time in interacting with the children from the time he entered the premises. He was stormed as the kids were awe struck to see such a huge individual visiting them and being so friendly. They were challenged to do some strong arm wrestling with Beckham and while he started with one child the numbers soon increased as the kids were bent on overpowering the strong man and eventually they did. Next up was pushups,

Beckham sought to give them a crash course on how it is done. The kids responded well but then challenged Beckham to match and even surpass them. He enquired of them how much he should do and they agreed it should be 50 without rest. Beckham took on the challenge and succeeded to the extent that he passed out when he was finished; the excited kids counted him along the way. Beckham took the opportunity to interact with the kids who prayed for him and the other guests before some goodies were shared out to them, national cricketer Christopher Barnwell assisting in this segment. A melodious rendition of the song, ‘You are my sunshine’, was done for Beckham who expressed his appreciation, stating that they sounded like a mass choir. Administrator of Joshua House, Ms. Gladys Accra,

This picture says it all as these children of Joshua House get a chance to have a feel of Jeff Beckham’s muscles.

who hails from the Dominican Republic, informed that she has been at

the helm of Joshua House from 1994 to present and is in charge of sixty (60) children ranging from ages 4 to 18. Some of the children are attending the Government Technical Institute, Guyana Industrial Training Centre and The Business School. Ms. Accra noted that the institution depends purely on donations from members of the public and institutions to survive pointing out that it is a tough challenge at times but they make it by the grace

of God. Equipped with a library and computer room with six computers, a donation from an overseas family, Joshua House, like any other entity has to take care of its utility bills which are a constant challenge that is taken care of again, by donations. Many of the kids, in an effort to ensure they are equipped with a solid education, are sent to lessons. Ms. Accra said that there is a group of volunteers that

would come and assist the children with reading. Five of the kids also attend swimming classes. “I want these children to be like any other child in society; we want to put a sense of hope and love in their hearts and to see them achieve the highest possible heights in life.” Ms. Accra also informed that Spicy Dish has volunteered to assist with cooking classes for the children and this will commence shortly.

Guyanese pugilists commence battle for honours as tournament gets underway By Michael Benjamin in St Lucia with the compliments of Mings Products and Services, Vizion Sounds, LIAT Airlines The three Guyanese boxers participating in Tri Nation Boxing Extravaganza in St Lucia March 27-29, were scheduled to commence their campaign for honours when the curtains went up on that tournament at the Vigie Multi-purpose Complex here in St Lucia last night and much is expected from them. The team is coached and managed by Cuban coach, Francisco Hernandez Roldan and consists of Junior/welterweight pugilist, Bert Braithwaite, light/middleweight, Ron Smith and bantamweight, Dillon Charles. Braithwaite

will have his work cut out for him when he battles against St Lucian, Lyndon ‘Russian’ Marcelin. The two boxers are scheduled to engage in a three bout contest than commenced last night, continues tonight and concludes tomorrow night. When the two clashed in Brazil in August last year in the Olympics Qualifiers, the St Lucian had prevailed by knockout but Braithwaite had avenged that loss by points in the Tri-Nation Goodwill tournament in Guyana February last. The St Lucians felt that they were ‘done in’ and longed for a third encounter. They will get their wish starting last night when the two pugilists go after each other in the three bout contest. Smith and Charles were (Continued on page 31)

Lyndell ‘The Russian’ Marcellin, David ‘ Shakes’ Christopher

Kaieteur News

Saturday March 29, 2014

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Milo/Petra Organisation Schools Football Competition Final CARIFTA Games team to surface this weekend Final spots up

- Nine reportedly shortlisted; Monday is submission deadline

Kevin Abbensetts By Edison Jefford The final CARIFTA Games team is likely to surface this weekend ahead of the deadline for final submissions on Monday for the Games that will be held in Martinique, April 19-21. The Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) did not officially release a shortlist. However, Kaieteur Sport understands from reliable sources that around nine athletes are likely to be considered for the final team. The association is scheduled to meet today to ratify the names it had discussed for selection, following last weekend’s trials. Among those leading the primary candidates for the team are sprint ace, Kevin Abbensetts, who ran a blistering 10.4 seconds to win the Under-20 Boys 100m last weekend. Abbensetts also won the 200m, putting his name up for selection with another impressive time. D o u b l e C A R I F TA Games medallist from last year, distance sensation, Cassey George was also classical in her display at the AAG trials. She will most likely be named to compete in the U-18 Girls’ 800m and 1500m race at the 2014 Games. Bronze medallist from last year, Jason Yaw should also be back on the team in the U-18 category

Jason Yaw

Cassey George after winning both the 200m and 400m last weekend, also with good times. Yaw will be selected this weekend when the AAG meet to consider its final team. World Youth silver and CARIFTA bronze medallist, United States-based, Kadecia Baird is also on the radar for selection to compete in the 400m U-20 race. The fifth athlete, who seems certain, is Jevina Sampson to compete in the U-18 200m and 400m races. Sampson has been kept off of CARIFTA Games teams in the past owed to injuries, but it seems as though the young phenom will finally have her chance at regional recognition after indicating that she is clearly back at her best with a sprint

Jevina Sampson

Kadecia Baird double last weekend. Apart from those five athletes, the association have reportedly requested medical clearances for two other athletes, including 2013 200m bronze medallist, Tirana Mitchell and Avon Samuels, a decision that will place more than one representative in the U-18 sprint events. In addition, Natricia Hooper, the talented athlete, who competes in 200m, 400m and field events from time to time, is also among those being considered as well as long and triple jump winner, Kade Pearce. Those athletes complete a list of nine being considered, with the selection of five of them more certain than the others.

GCA cricket continues this weekend The Georgetown Cricket Association’s (GCA) cricket continues this weekend with three competitions in the City. The Hadi’s -World Incorporated first division (2-day) cricket competition is set for today and tomorrow from 09:30 hrs and G.N.I.C play

Malteenoes S.C at Malteenoes, while G.C.C face D.C.C at Bourda. In the Carib Beer first division t20 cricket competition today, Police battle Transport Sports Club at Eve Leary from 09:30hrs and G.D.F face off with G.Y.O at the same venue from 14:00hrs.

The Noble House Seafoods second division (2day) cricket competition is fixed for today and tomorrow starting at 11:00hrs. Third Class Cricket Club take on Sophia at G.Y.O and UG are at home to Everest C.C in the only scheduled match for outside of Georgetown.

for grabs today W h i c h t w o teams will make it to the championship game will be answered today when semifinal action in this year’s Milo/Petra Organisation Schools Football Competition is played today, at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue. I n t h e o pening encounter, Dolphin, fresh off their victory over Charlestown, will take on Lodge, victors over Queen’s College, while in the feature clash defending champions St. George’s battle Christ Church. D o l p h i n , who was deserved winners over Charlestown, will be relying on Samuel Hunte, Dequan Matthews and Lenroy Forde to lead their attack and this trio has been a potent force in attack. L o d g e o n the other hand will no doubt go into

this encounter with no fear whatsoever and with the legacy of being a traditional powerhouse at the junior level, this rich history provides added impetus for them to go out and search for a win and a place in the final. T a v e l J o nas, Shemar Smith, Orlando Gravesande, Jarel Grannum and Ryan Hackett; all looked menacingly potent in their previous clash and they are once again expected to lead their attack and pursuit for victory. I n t h e f eature clash, what more could be said of the reigning champions, they’ve looked unbeatable again this year and except for a slight stumble in the preliminary rounds against Queenstown, who held them to a nil-all draw, they’ve mainly been in cruise control. Q u i n c y L awrence,

Robby McClaggon, Okeri Codrington, Ozeal Small, Adolph George, Seon Taylor, Joshua Williams and Orin Moore are all very good players and capable of turning a game on its head in a hurry. H o w e v e r , Christ Church did look efficient against Bishop’s High and players such as Andre Trotz, Lonsdale George and Kadeem Blackman will be called upon to lead their quest for a win. A l l i n a ll everything points to two exciting contests featuring some of the best young talent in Georgetown. K i c k o f f time is 14:00 hrs. 1 4 : 0 0 h r s - Dolphin V/s Lodge Secondary School 1 6 : 0 0 h r s - St George’s Secondary V/s Christ Church Secondary

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Sammy fires Windies to win in thriller P.30

A pumped up Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy break into a dance after the victory. (ICC)

3rd win puts West Indies Women on top

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