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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Guyana can lick its demons Guyana may not be unique but given its population it surely takes pride of place as a country with a high percentage of victims of domestic abuse, a large number of suicides that place the country as the suicide capital of the world and the spate of road accidents. These things are not measurements of which any country should be proud. The incidence of domestic violence reduces the country to barbarism. People in a decent society do not abuse their spouses. Any study would reveal that the politics of the country and the state of the economy are exacerbating conditions. Many a man meets a woman who happens to be earning more than him and suddenly he feels as though he has been emasculated. It is not that the woman is complaining or even made mention of this fact during the conversations in the home. This threatened man then opts to assert himself as only a fool would; he makes rules and regulations to keep the woman in her place. She is not allowed to make her own decisions about even the most mundane things, she is not allowed any freedom and any mistake is greeted with a string of abuse. More problems develop when the woman decides that she has had enough and wants out of the relationship. Such a decision has cost many a woman her life. There are organisations that came into existence to limit the extent of violence meted out by men against women. But these are organisations on paper. There is no studied programme of intervention because the organisations do not actually reach out to abusive men. There is no programme of the courts compelling these abusive men to seek the services offered by the groups. The men are jailed as a matter of course then released into the society once more. Many a man so released has killed the spouse. There are those who do not exert physical violence on their spouse because have other means of reacting. These are the people who believe in causing emotional pain. These are the people who commit suicide. A survey found that suicide was highest in the agricultural belt. The conclusion was that this may be so because of the ready availability of herbicides and pesticides. Yet the mere presence of these drugs does not promote suicide; there are other underlying causes, one of which is alcoholism. The alcoholic can be a tormentor especially when he feels that even his household is against him. Until recently, religious factors spurred suicides especially if the victim had contracted a life-threatening ailment. The fear of shame pushed the victim to the extremes. Fortunately, there are now widespread counseling bodies that are almost ubiquitous. And the result is obvious; there is now a marked reduction in the number of suicides. But there is the scourge that no one seems able to get a lid on and that is the spate of road accidents, most of them fatal. Over the weekend four people died on the roads and every death resulted from careless road use. In one case there was this speeding driver who crashed. Three died. The police, at every opportunity talk about moving to control this scourge. By now, they should have been aware of the locations where accidents happen at the drop of a hat. All that would be needed would be a patrol either parked or in the vicinity in full public view. Why this is not done is anybody’s guess. The fine these days is nothing more than a slap on the wrist so there are repeat offenders. The absence of computerization does not help the situation since more often than not there would be no record of any indiscretion by the errant driver. But fine apart, people do not haul the surviving driver before the courts for serious compensation. Had that been the case one can bet that the incidence of road accidents due to irresponsible road use would have been drastically reduced. Increase the fines. And make insurance punitive based.

Tuesday March 31, 2015

Letters... Where your views make the news

BHARRAT JAGDEO SHOULD STOP TAKING THE PUBLIC FOR FOOLS DEAR EDITOR, Bharrat Jagdeo has emerged from his hibernation and is now ‘talking-up.’ In September 2012, in Jeju, South Korea, he told Stabroek News’ reporter Johann Earle that on his return home he would hold a press conference to address, among other things, his acquisition of two properties. Well, he waited some two and a half years to so do and now repulsively sought to make a favourable comparison with his wealth accumulation and the PPP’s founder, the late Dr. Jagan! Following condign and justifiable condemnation by former PPP executive member Ralph Ramkarran over his odious and selfserving comparison, Jagdeo has taken the offensive and accuses Ramkarran of “deliberately distorting” his

comments adding that Ramkarran “pathologically hates (him).” In seeking to do damage control for his comments Bharrat Jagdeo should stop taking the public for fools. The public, including Dr. Jagan’s daughter Nadira Jagan-Brancier (who was denigrated in the Jagdeo controlled Guyana Times edition of March 18, 2015: “If you live in a glass house, don’t throw stones!”) is fully aware of Bharrat Jagdeo’s track record as an ingrate. They are aware, that as President, a job gifted to him by Mrs Jagan, that he publicly humiliated her by saying that she was but an ordinary citizen when she was critical of his administration’s policy and actions which were inimical to a free press (withdrawal of state ads to the Stabroek

News). So this behaviour of Jagdeo is not new. On the question of distortion and falsehoods, Jagdeo similarly has an unenviable track record. It was he who pretended to the nation that he was married, a “marriage” that was a sham and make believe according to Ms Varshnie Singh, his reputed wife. It was he who told Zeinab Badawi of the BBC, in response to her question as to his postPresidential ambition, that he looks forward to a quiet life, having served his time and that he would probably get into farming. It was he, as President, who declared that he would ensure that the Skeldon sugar factory would be fixed, even if it meant him personally getting involved! More than three years have passed since he does not have day-to-day

responsibility for leading the government so it would not be unfair to ask him what efforts he has made to date to attempt to remedy this monumental disaster created by him. Jagdeo now comes to Kitty and on March 29, 2015 declares that David Granger “lacks decency …is unrepentant …or is delusional”! [Crum-Ewing might have been killed to boost opposition campaign – Jagdeo, SN, March 30, 2015]. Quite a mouthful I would say from an individual with a sordid past. Look in the mirror, I say. It is, however, the PPP and not Bharrat Jagdeo who are now in a quandary. Given their bare cupboard, they have once more embraced him (many though feel it is the opposite) and have him (Continued on page 23)

The Lethem/Linden/G’town Highway is unlikely to become a reality any time soon DEAR EDITOR, In a presentation to the Media on March 20, former Parliamentarian Stanley Ming stated in his overview of options and opportunities for National Development that the Lethem/Linden Road was essential for the development of Guyana, a goal which fulfills the development plan for the integration of regional infrastructures for South America. There can be no doubt that a Lethem/ Linden/ Georgetown Highway (LLGH) will enhance G u y a n a ’s e c o n o m i c development, but because it will be unfeasibly expensive and investors and commercial lenders would balk at risking their money on this sort of infrastructure development, it is unlikely to become a reality any time soon. Therefore, Mr. Ming is of the opinion that if LLGH is integrated with a transshipment port on Guyana’s coast for Brazil’s rapidly developing manufacturing City of Manaus on the Amazon River, Brazil would be interested in constructing the highway as it did for the Takutu River Bridge. To satisfy this objective, LLGH will have to be part of a larger integrated project involving port facilities with a navigable channel to the Ocean for which Mr. Ming’s proposals were short on specifics. Firstly, the project has to

comprise of a highway extending from Lethem to a new port constructed on Guyana’s Atlantic coast/ river bank and probably passing through Linden (a political imperative) since Georgetown does not have the facilities and a suitable location to handle the projected volume of cargo and containers. Many heavy duty bridges will have to be built across the various streams along the highway as these will be necessary to accommodate tractor-trailers carrying fully loaded 40-ft containers and other heavy equipment. Secondly, a deep-water port with container-handling hoists, storage sheds and a large paved area for containers have to be built to handle the large volumes of

cargo (imports and exports) for Brazil and locally. Thirdly, a navigable waterway has to be dredged from the Port to the Ocean and regularly maintained to accommodate large container ships. Guyana does not have the finances for these works nor will it be able to obtain them from the World’s Capital Markets because of the high risks involved or from Brazil whose economy is sputtering, leaving it no room for debt financing of any large overseas project. This might have been possible some years ago when Brazil’s Central Bank was flush with healthy reserves and the country was looking for worthwhile investment opportunities. Finally, Mr. Ming claims

that Brazil is willing to invest in hydropower development in Guyana to provide electricity for both countries. It is rather puzzling as to why the PPP Government has not pursued this inkling as it struggles without success to get finance from any source for the Amaila Falls Project (AFP) and Prime Minister Hinds is deeply concerned that delay in completing the AFP is stunting Guyana’s development. If indeed the Manaus-Georgetown transshipment project does materialize it is likely to take tractor-trailers about 2-3 days to make the journey instead of one day as stated by Mr. Ming as there has to be rest periods for the drivers and lost time for customs inspection along the way. Charles Sohan

Has the Crime Chief questioned these two gentlemen? DEAR EDITOR, If press reports are to be believed, former Presidents Jagdeo and Ramotar have confirmed that Courtney Crum-Ewing’s killing was political. They have now joined me and others in expressing an opinion on a high profile killing. Both gentlemen opined that the activist may have been killed by the Opposition. President Jagdeo went further; he says we will be shocked if and when we learn who the killers are. Hint a Beneba meck Quashiba teck notice. Maybe these presidents, in their privileged positions in the State, have more information than the rest of us. My question is

this—has Crime Chief Mr. Leslie James questioned these two gentlemen about the evidence they may have to support their theory of how the activist was killed? Have they been warned to desist from inciting racial and political violence? If they have not, I demand a public apology from the police. Finally, both presidents have also hinted, one more explicitly than the other, that Mr. Crum-Ewing was a less than honourable person. All I say for now on that is that Michael Browne of Ferguson and Eric Garner of New York were both projected as criminals after they were killed. David Hinds

Tuesday March 31, 2015

Kaieteur News

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

Jagdeo should be living NIS - A Future Beckons in jail for Skeldon factory DEAR EDITOR, In the Stabroek News of March 29th 2015 there is an article entitled “Sugar Industry’s problems bigger then Skeldon”. It’s the only thing in this entire report which Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo said at Freedom House on 28th March 2015, I agreed on. Like the media, Mr. Jagdeo keep harping on the Skeldon factory being a failure. Actually that is not strictly factual. The problem is that he bought a factory with a 350 ton-an-hour mill, when there was a 100-ton-a-hour mill at Skeldon and the supply of cane had to be increased from 2400 tons of cane per day to nearly 8500 tonnes per day. We had told him that it cannot be done, and it has now been established that it cannot be done. Also it seemed to have completely escaped the attention of everyone that the labour force in the industry was dwindling rapidly, since it was 28,000 in 1992 and it had dropped to 16,000 by 2001. Let’s understand this- the PPP gets their major support from the sugar and rice areas… they keep attacking the Opposition about anything we say about the sugar industry, since they want to keep their support in the sugar belt. How did they reduce the workforce from 28000 to 16000 in 9 years without paying one cent in severance or any other type of compensation to them? If these are the facts, and they are, then one can easily conclude that the PPP has done irreparable harm to the industry and have reduced the number of persons working in it by 57 percent in the first 10 years after they got into power. And in March of 2015, Jagdeo is telling me “what do we do? Do we get out of sugar? If we get out the entire Berbice region… almost everyone will be affected so we have to find a way”. It completely escapes him that he has already gotten rid of 57% of the industry’s workforce and their families. Apparently if you are a sugar worker in Demerara, according to this statement, you are not really part of the sugar industry. Its not just a slip of the mouth, Editor, it’s the way he thinks. It seems as if Berbice is their sacred cow and the betrayals there have been just as vile as in the bauxite and rice areas. In addition, and more

importantly, to begin an expansion like this given that the EU had announced that they were going to remove the subsidy of our sugar by more than 30%, starting in 2006, and we still went ahead with this foolhardy expansion project is unbelievable, I still can’t believe it. That they went out and bought the worst factory on the face of the earth is irrelevant, it would have failed even if they had bought the best factory on the planet. It was Jagdeo who decided not to buy the factory from Walchandnagar in India and instead to buy it through a Chinese contracting company which did not manufacture factories and which did not have a track record in building sugar cane mills. Mr Editor Walchandnagar Industries Limited [WIL] was going to supply the factory, turnkey, for US$35M less than the Chinese and I will insert a quote here from the Wikipedia dictionary about this company: “WIL manufactures, in addition to sugar mills, heavy engineering products and machinery, and provides EPC and turnkey project services”. For the energy industry, WIL manufactures boilers and machinery for thermal power plants. It also provides turnkey services for setting up thermal and biomass fueled power plants. WIL also manufactures components for the nuclear power industry. The systems for the steam turbines integrated with the nuclear reactor of India’s first indigenously developed Arihant class submarines were supplied by Walchandnagar Industries. In the Aerospace sector, WIL supplies flight motor casings, nozzles, heat shields, etc. for various stages of space launch vehicles and has supplied critical components for India’s first moon mission CHANDRAYAAN-I and Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, Agni V. For the defense industry, WIL supplies titanium alloy and specialized metals products, including mobile bridges, missile casings, missile launchers. WIL also provides offshore platforms, drilling rigs, etc. for oil and gas exploration and extraction”. This company told this man Jagdeo that they had built 40 of the 350-tons-perhour sugar cane factories and expanded 40 more to that

capacity and he disregarded it… he should not be living in a mansion… he should be living in prison. The newspaper article quotes him as saying he needs new varieties and increased productivity and that the industry needs to be revamped. Well, my question is who is going to revamp it? That wood he calls a board? He says that the government was prepared to work on it and support it like they did the bauxite communities. Could he be referring to the same communities which he sold out to the Russians and the Chinese? That people had to die and face bullets to get him and the PPP to see sense? I could be wrong but it is my opinion that the government just passed on the problems of the bauxite industry to private owners and not Americans and Canadians. They passed it on to the Russians and the Chinese whose poor track record with regards their work force is legendary. I will close with this stupidity from GuySuCo. On Friday, 27th March 2015, they announced that they will soon going to submit to the public a revised 2014 -2107 business plan. This is the beginning of 2015 and they already have to revise their original plan less than one year after they submitted it. This is the fourth time we have seen this 2014 plan revised. Who do these people think we are? Here is my prediction on May 11th…the new GuySuCo plan will be obsolete, as have all of their plans been to date, but by June 31st we will present the nation with a workable plan, which will make sense and provide security for the sugar workers. Tony Vieira

DEAR EDITOR, Our National Insurance Scheme was established by legislation of 1969. It was one of the earliest, if not the first, institution of its kind in the Caribbean. The principal catchment area at the time was the public service, with the Government being the (exemplary) employer. A collaborative private sector dutifully played its part in laying a solid foundation. After more than four decades the promise of unemployment benefits remains unfulfilled, however. Indeed one hears of too many hardships in accessing legitimate employment benefits. But this is only one sample of a depreciated service that not only is bereft of its legitimate supply of contributions by myriads of employees, with GuySuCo being outstanding; but, as often remarked, the Agency has not upgraded its record maintenance with the appropriate technology. This defect however does not justify the number of employers who refrain from complying with the law – not only denying the NIS from its just revenues, but more critically, restricting benefits legally due to employees from whom contributions are deductible, and if deducted are not subscribed. In such an environment women are particularly vulnerable. The observant is left to wonder how, in the face of expanding employment the Scheme’s revenues appear to be shrinking. Part of the answer must be that the management is not proactive enough in demanding the pound of flesh due. In some

cases one suspects it feels restrained from doing so, and continues to support an unproductive enterprise. In the absence of the initiative expected from employers the Barbados NIS, run by a highly qualified and independent team, including resident legal advisors, mounted a website some ten or more years ago which invites accessibility by prospective as well as actual employees, who would complete the information on which the Agency can act to induce the relevant employer to conform to the requirements of the law. It is a model that makes eminent commonsense in our local circumstances and Guyana’s NIS should be urged to emulate this proactive thrust of its Barbadian counterpart. With the spate of new, and expanding investors, local and foreign, including several malls, the mining sector, the hospitality and communication sectors, and others, the situation is rife with opportunity for the NIS to explore these markets, using the right approaches, and the relevant technologies to save not only itself but to ensure that legions of women can access maternity benefits; and that the elderly will

qualify for pension, from better sensitised employers. Incidentally those who are described as stakeholders would by now have forgotten the generous donor-funded project which was specifically to address this lapse. It was intended to set up electronic interconnectivity between GO-Invest as an entrée to investors, GRA who would provide concessions; the Deeds Registry where the companies would be registered; and finally the NIS who would be apprised of the employer and the employee population of prospective contributors. Despite the human and material resources poured into this project all that it has produced is flatulence. Back home on the range there is a degree of uncertainty about the status of ‘contracted employees’ who logically should be paying into the NIS both employer and employee contributions. With some four thousand of such ‘contractors’ in the public sector, this is a market which invites investigation, particularly since those who are employed on donorfunded projects are not subject to deductible taxes. E.B. John

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Tuesday March 31, 2015

Current external debt significantly higher than past PNC, PPP Govts Former President Bharrat Jagdeo lambasted the record of former PNC Finance Minister Carl Greenidge during that party’s reign and dubbed him the country’s worst finance minister ever, after the largest external debt was accumulated while he was in office. Today, the former President has himself been accused of helping to take the country’s current external debt significantly higher than that attained by both past PNC and PPP governments. Jagdeo during a press conference at Freedom House on Saturday spoke extensively about financial decay under Greenidge. He spoke of Greenidge presiding over an economic recession, growth in debt, the worst economic strategy and making the country uncreditworthy. Greenidge on the said matter, he noted that currently, Guyana within an eight-year period accumulated a higher external debt than both the PNC and PPP Governments. He highlighted that during his time as Finance Minister, there

were several issues which contributed to the high external debt; and not “irresponsible borrowing.” He said that Guyana experienced its debt being written off since the 1990s. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in later years was one of the last institutions to make a major write off to the country. He said that while Jagdeo was President, US$500M was also written off, “but already we have borrowed in the space of eight years (2006 to 2014) the debt is a multiple of what the PPP and PNC had borrowed in the 1960s and 70s.” “The stock of external debt is close to $2B with no significant arrears in it. This is what we (Guyana) have borrowed. It is a massive amount of borrowing which amounts to nearly 70 percent of our GDP. And while 70 percent might not appear to be a heavy amount internationally, it is borrowed by a country prone to pressure on its exports. And in the last few years export earnings have not grown significantly.”

Greenidge referred to measures to avoid high debts when he explained that countries must have debt policies. He said before and during the time Guyana ran into debt problems in the 1980s together with Latin America, there were two major debt crises in 1980s and 1990s. Among the most prominent victims of this crisis was Mexico, Argentina. Guyana reacted like some other countries and stopped

paying the debt. But with an economic recovery programme, fashioned and managed by him, Greenidge said that beginning in 1988, “we were able to overcome. One of the things we did was try to set out a debt policy, which sought to keep debt service burden within certain limits. That was overtaken by debt write offs that took place. “It gave the government a lot of room. This write off began in 1990 under the ‘economic recovery programme’ and it was that so called track record that enabled the PPP government to get the write offs... while the former president was up in the air as if it was all his work to get the debt written off.” Greenidge continued, “Between Burnham and Jagan governments, they borrowed little over US$600M. By the time interest rate increases of the late 1970s took place; labor going out of the window- and the penalties for late or nonpayment of debt took effect, we arrived in 1990 with a debt stock of $2.1B. So you borrowed US$600M and by

Police have arrested and jointly charged two men who allegedly posed as cops and carried out a series of robberies at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, on March 18, 2015, during a bogus road block. Yesterday, Rayon Paddy, 26, of 278 South Ruimveldt Park, and Orin Arthur, 25, of Block X Diamond, East Bank Demerara, were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’Court. Eight charges were read to the defendants and they pleaded not guilty to all. Particulars of the first charge alleged that on March 18, last, at Mahaicony, being in the company of another

and armed with a gun, they robbed Ishmael Subhan of $900,000 cash, one Alcatel cell phone valued $10,000 and a wallet valued $1,500. The second charge stated that on the said day at the same location, they robbed Ravindra Mohitram of $10,000 and one wallet valued $1,500. It was further alleged that on March 18, last, at Mahaicony while armed with a gun, they robbed Anand Rahaman of one Samsung cell phone, $15,000 cash and a wallet valued $1,500. The duo was also charged for having eight grams of cannabis in their possession. Further, after a raid was conducted at a house in the Diamond Housing Scheme,

the police instituted four more charges on the defendants, ranging from narcotics possession to gun and ammunition possession. It is alleged that on March 27, last, at Diamond the men had one gram of cocaine in their possession. The duo was additionally, charged with having seventeen .223 round of ammunition in their possession, without being the holders of a firearm licence. They were also charged with having 12 live .32 rounds in their possession without being the holder of a firearm licence. Moreover, it was alleged that on March 27, at Diamond,

they had a .32 pistol without being the holders of firearm licence. In addition, Paddy was charged separately for escaping from lawful custody. The charged stated that on January 27, at Georgetown, while being in the lawful custody of Constable Kevin Austin, under investigations for armed robberies, he escaped. Paddy denied the allegation and explained to the magistrate that the policeman took a bribe from him to remove his handcuffs and shackles. He then alleged that the officer said to him to “Do wah yuh gotta do”, after he removed the items.

Former PNC Finance Minister Carl Greenidge

‘FAKE COPS’ REMANDED

1990 you required to US$2.1B. Penalty, interest and arrears... the arrears were a multiple of the amount borrowed.” “Mr. Jagdeo, in typical Jagdeo style, does not care to ever draw that distinction that it was not irresponsible government borrowing that led to the large debt. You hear people talking about squandermania and all sorts of things done by the Burnham government, but in fact, the reason why this accumulated was because exports also fell. “Problems arose with alumina, our major foreign exchange earner. The industry collapsed in 1982 and our markets were undermined by competitors, including China, a major rival.” The opposition economic point man said, “When a country borrows, it repays with export earnings. You cannot have a situation which is sustainable; when export earnings are increasing by one percent a year or negative, and borrowing is going up at plus five percent per annum.” Borrowing must be

consistent with export earnings and money must go to uses that will yield a low capital output ratio. “When a dollar is used it should generate 1.1 or 1.2 return. But that is not happening, for example, with the Skeldon (sugar factory), where the dollar you borrowed is generating a negative because you built a factory and it is operating at a loss. One must look at the “incremental capital output ratio;” the use to which the money is put.” That is the current Administration’s challenge, Greenidge charged. “To borrow within sensible limits, and put the money to good use.”

Orin Arthur

Rayon Paddy

Police corporal Bharrat Mangru told the court that on the day in question around 21:00hrs, the victims who are employed at Mohamed’s Farm at Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara, were on their way to Berbice to deliver products to customers. As

the victims were on their way to Georgetown, they were stopped by the defendants along with other men dressed in police uniforms at Mahaicony. Mangru added, that the men told the victims to exit their vehicle and ordered them to lie in the trunk. The victims complied and the defendants then drove the vehicle further up the road, abandoned it, then made good their escape with the articles. He added that the victims managed to bore a hole in the vehicle and freed themselves. The matter was reported to the police and after intensive investigations a raid was carried out at the house in Diamond, where the (Continued on page 24)

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

Tuesday March 31, 2015

Kaieteur News

Ex-Israeli PM Olmert convicted in corruption case JERUSALEM (AP) — Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was convicted yesterday of unlawfully accepting money from a U.S. supporter in a retrial on corruption charges, the latest chapter in the downfall of a man who only years earlier hoped to lead the country to a historic peace agreement with the Palestinians. The conviction could land Olmert five years in prison, in addition to a sixyear prison sentence he received last year in a separate bribery conviction, all but ensuring the former premier will not return to politics for many years to come. “His behavior constitutes a breach of trust which harms the public, harms morality, and harms the public’s trust, in how he behaved corruptly,” prosecutor Uri Korev said following the verdict. Olmert’s lawyers said they would likely appeal the ruling by the Jerusalem District Court. A sentencing hearing is slated to take place in May. Olmert has claimed he was on the brink of a historic agreement with the Palestinians when he was forced to resign in early 2009 amid corruption allegations. His departure cleared the way for hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu’s election, and subsequent peace efforts have not succeeded. Olmert, 69, was acquitted in 2012 of a series of charges that included accepting cashstuffed envelopes from U.S. businessman Morris Talansky when Olmert was mayor of Jerusalem and a Cabinet minister. Olmert was found to have received about $600,000 from Talansky during his term as mayor, and additional amounts in cash during his term as a Cabinet minister, but a court did not find evidence the money had been used for unlawful per-

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sonal reasons or illegal campaign financing. Talansky, an Orthodox Jew from New York’s Long Island, had testified the money was spent on expensive cigars, first-class travel and luxury hotels, while insisting he received nothing in return. The acquittal on the most serious charges at the time was seen as a major victory for Olmert, who denied being corrupt. He was convicted only on a lesser charge of breach of trust for steering job appointments and contracts to clients of a business partner, and it raised hopes for his political comeback. But Olmert’s former office manager and confidant Shula Zaken later became a state’s witness, offering diary entries and tape recordings of conversations with Olmert about illicitly receiving cash, leading to a retrial. In the recordings, Olmert is heard telling Zaken not to testify in the first trial so she would not incriminate him. Yesterday, a panel of judges at the Jerusalem District Court ruled that Olmert had accepted $153,950 from Talansky when he was a Cabinet minister, with the money kept hidden in a safe by an Olmert aide.

The judges concluded that Olmert gave Zaken part of that money in exchange for her loyalty, and used the money for his own personal use without reporting it according to law. They convicted him on a serious charge of illicitly receiving money, as well as charges of fraud and breach of trust. Olmert’s lawyer, Eyal Rozovsky, said Olmert’s legal team was “of course very disappointed” by the ruling and will likely appeal. The conviction stoked anger in Israel. “I want Ehud Olmert to apologize to the people of Israel,” said columnist and former Olmert confidant Dan Margalit on Israel Radio Monday. In a separate trial in March 2014, Olmert was convicted of bribery over a Jerusalem real estate scandal and was sentenced to six years in prison. He appealed and has been allowed to stay out of prison until a verdict is delivered. Now, the judges must decide whether Olmert should serve additional prison time for Monday’s conviction, or whether his six-year sentence is enough of a punishment for both offenses, legal expert Emanuel Gross said.

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Tuesday March 31, 2015

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DENIAL CAN LEAD TO DELUSION The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) is doing all within its power to avoid winning a landslide come May 11, 2015. There is only one thing that the PPPC needs to do to sweep the polls; and it is studiously avoiding doing that one thing. There is only one thing that stands in the way of the PPPC regaining its lost parliamentary majority and retaining the Presidency. That one thing is corruption under the PPPC governments. The bulk of the allegations surround corruption allegedly circulating around the major projects that have been undertaken by the PPPC. The ruling party has been accused of using these projects to siphon off funds. It has been accused of cronyism, that is, the sharing out of benefits to its friends and associates. This it is said principally happened under the Jagdeo administration PPPC administration. The PPPC has denied these allegations. Despite these denials any survey would establish beyond reasonable doubt that the one thing that stands in the way of the PPPC retaining political power is corruption. Even die hard supporters of the PPPC are fed up. They have stated quite

clearly that they feel there is a need for change. And they are saying this not because they dispute that there has been development under the PPPC. Only the blind would not concede that Guyana has made its greatest strides—has always made strides—under the PPPC. There is no disputing the fact that the lives of Guyanese are far better today than ever before, even though the opposition and some of their mouthpieces are stuck in some time capsule and would want you to believe that things in Guyana cannot get worse. Denial can lead to delusion and there are many delusional persons around wanting to believe that Guyana is in a terrible state. This is far from the truth. Despite the obvious improvements in the lives of citizens - better homes, better water, more stable electricity, better roads, better schools, better hospitals etc- there is one ugly thorn that continues to spike at the hearts of the people of this country. It is the shameless and unbridled corruption within the country and particularly the feeling amongst the people that the government is using major projects to benefit its friends and to

Dem boys seh...

Moses sucking pacifier, Harper sucking??? In de Good Book Jacob thief Esau birthright. In Guyana Jagdeo thief Moses birthright and is Janet who cause that. Ever since then Moses didn’t like him and he hate de best bone in Moses because Moses was de most popular in de party, after Papa Cheddi. Jagdeo use Moses then he willfully and wickedly kick out him from de party. Election is around de corner and Moses is on de opposing side, sitting as de next Prime Minister. Jagdeo more vex. He guh pun de stage at Kitty and seh how Granger put a pacifier in Moses mouth fuh suck. Well Moses tun and ask Jagdeo, “If as you seh dem put a pacifier in me mouth, tell this nation wha you-all put in de PPP Prime Ministerial candidate mouth. Fuh sure it ain’t a pacifier.” Jagdeo then tell de people that he gun use every ounce of strength in he body to ensure that Donald Dumb is de next president of Guyana. Dem boys seh that he know why he got to do everything. He got a lot to protect and to answer for if Moses get in de office. Wheh Moses planning fuh put him he ain’t gun only such pacifier. He gun got to suck nuff Guysuco cane wha that US$200 million Skeldon factory can’t grind. This is de same man who seh weeks before he lef office that he gun personally go wid he bare hands and fix de factory. De factory ain’t wukking on to now because he hands ain’t meet deh. It was too full grabbing up de nation’s wealth. Saturday, when dem boys ask he if he could account fuh he wealth he dodge de question. He tell de press that he wouldn’t tell de Big Market paper and he wouldn’t tell anybody. But he seh he gun tell somebody and dem boys believe that de somebody is Babbie. And talking bout Babbie, dem gyal seh that dem see Babbie at de rally looking very pretty wid a lot of makeup pun he facie-facie and wid some lip gloss. Talk half and now de election season start.

siphon off monies for itself. Why, despite all of this progress are so many supporters of the PPPC so apathetic and not enthusiastic about voting for the PPPC this year? What is the issue that is keeping the supporters of the PPPC away from supporting their party and guaranteeing them a landslide victory? Corruption is the main issue. The PPPC is telling the people about all the progress that has been made. It is selling them the story that grand plans are in store. The main worry of the people, however, is whether the corruption can be reined in.

This is the thing that is most upsetting to the supporters of the PPPC. It kept many of them away from voting for the PPPC in 2011. They can do so again. If you go around the country and you speak to the supporters of the PPPC, the single issue that upsets them the most, the single issue that makes them say that there is a need for change is not the fact that their lives are not better; it is not the fact that there has not been unbelievable development in the country. The one thing that turns the supporters of the PPPC is corruption. In the eyes of the ruling

cabal there is no corruption. But this denial is what makes the PPPC delusional. They are not willing to address it because they are in denial. And therefore they have become delusional. All it will take for the PPPC to win the 2011 elections by a landslide would be for it to announce immediately that come May 12 it will appoint an independent commission to go through all of the major contracts that have been signed by the PPPC government to determine whether there were any illegalities. This is all that needs to be done. If President Ramotar

makes this announcement come the next rally of the PPPC, there will be no need for any more campaigning. The PPPC will take 55 per cent of the polls. But it seems as if instead of landslide, the PPPC will settle for the possibility of a close victory with all the suspicions and problems that are likely to be associated with such an eventuality.

Harbour Bridge facilitating 10,000 vehicles daily

The number of vehicles crossing the 36-year-old Demerara Harbour Bridge is continuing to confound authorities. In February alone, the aging structure recorded an 8.7 percent increase in traffic. According to the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) monthly report, approximately 262,544 vehicles traversed the bridge in February, compared to 241,606 vehicles for the same period in 2014. The report also revealed that for six days in February 2015 in excess of 10,000 vehicles traversed the bridge in the westerly direction – a milestone on the bridge. February 19 recorded the highest volume of traffic with 10,818 vehicles; followed by February 24 with 10,361 vehicles; February 21 - 10,241 vehicles; February 2 – 10,174 vehicles; February 14 – 10,173 vehicles and February 20 – 10,117 vehicles. Private Motor Cars (P) accounted for 51.55 percent of the total volume of traffic, followed by minibuses at 14.06 percent and hire cars at 13.31 percent. “The 10,000 plus figure

Driver... From page 3 would have been killed in such a manner. “Our father died and leave us when we were little and now he died and leave his three small children,” the devastated woman related. The woman is calling on the police to do a thorough investigation so that Singh's relatives get justice for his untimely demise. Up to press time, the killer driver remains unknown while his car which is believed to be a rented vehicle was lodged at the Leonora Police Station.

The aging Demerara Harbour Bridge is consistently hitting the 10,000 westernly daily traffic mark, authorities say.

was first recorded on December 21, 2013 when approximately 10,894 vehicles traversed the floating bridge (in the westerly direction).” Measuring 1,851 meters across, the floating bridge

was declared opened on July 2, 1978 and is the main transportation link between the east and west banks of the Demerara River. With several new housing schemes on the West Bank of

Demerara, Government has announced plans to build another crossing across the river. The Ministry of Public Works is currently studying over 20 proposals and finalising possible locations.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 31, 2015

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

A failed country brings back the cause of its failure At the 2015 death anniversary of Cheddi Jagan in Berbice and at the Kitty launching of the PPP’s election campaign, the front man as in the style of Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, was Bharrat Jagdeo. If we had stand-up comedians like the US, Donald Ramotar would have become mincemeat. Someone

needs to ask, “Can the real Presidential candidate, please stand up?” Jagdeo is the front man for the PPP election campaign and from the way he overshadows Ramotar, a visitor from Newfoundland would swear that Jagdeo is the presidential contender. Mr. Jagdeo actually went on to say that he is in charge of the government when he

made a gargantuan Freudian slip. He told a press conference that after speaking to President Ramotar, the policy of financial support for medical facilities for governmental seniors would be reshaped. The trouble with the resuscitation of Bharrat Jagdeo is that you don’t need a doctorate in economics to know that he was a failed President. Guyana as a failed country is bringing back the cause of its failure. And it is not that you have to do intense research to ascertain the horrible economic nonperformance of Jagdeo. His twelve-year-reign is emblazoned with financial, economic and social misery. Jagdeo has left the NIS with an uncertain future. This is a monumentally priceless institution. Six billion dollars of its funds Jagdeo invested in CLICO; CLICO collapsed and the money was lost. Jagdeo took a similar sum of the NIS money and put it in the construction of the Berbice Bridge. To date the NIS has received not one cent in dividends. Jagdeo took US$185 million and put into a new sugar factory at Skeldon. It remains the largest state

investment in the history of this country. It doesn’t make profits and has to be subsidized by the state. Under Jagdeo’s reign, a four-lane highway from Timehri to the airport was financed. Where is the volume of traffic to justify that expenditure? And it came at a time when Caribbean flights are now landing at Ogle. Under the stewardship of Jagdeo the University of Guyana virtually collapsed. UG cannot even pay its taxes to the GRA and send remittances to the NIS. Under Jagdeo UG stands bare. During the tenure of Jagdeo small airstrips were constructed at Leguan and Wakenam respectively. What purpose they serve remains a mystery. Guyana is one of the most obscure countries in the world. We have no viable tourist industry that brings in foreign exchange in an appreciable amount. Even during international cricket in Guyana, the arrivals did not fill the Pegasus and Princess hotels. There are also a large number of smaller hotels that visitors use rather than patronize the more expensive ones. Against this background, Jagdeo took

over US$36 million (to date we don’t know the real figure) to finance the Marriott. You don’t need even a first degree in economics to know that the Marriott will never have even half occupancy at any time in the near future. What kind of investments come into Guyana to justify the largeness of the Marriott? It was a criminal waste of taxpayers’ money. It was under Jagdeo that Guyanese had to pay for water. It was under Jagdeo that the exchange rate hit $205 for one American dollar. It was under Jagdeo that Guyana achieved the egregious distinction of having the highest cost per kilowatt for electricity in the Americas. It was under Jagdeo that the foreign owners of the Pegasus sold it off and invested the money in Jamaica. It was under Jagdeo’s twelve-year domination that public sector yearly wage and salary increase never went beyond five percent. Jadgeo’s Amaila Falls venture was a financial horror show. Guyanese are still waiting to see the benefits from the large Chinese investments if they ever will see such benefits at all. We could go on and go.

Frederick Kissoon But space will prevent such an excursion. The balance sheet of President Jagdeo, 1999-2011 was an abysmal failure. It has to be one of the weirdest moments in politics anywhere in the world where a President who hardly achieved, anything if he achieved anything at all, is the front man for his party in a national election. It explains why from now until the day of balloting, Mr. Jagdeo will cuss down the opposition, invent fictional tales about the opposition and pursue into fanatical denunciations of the PNC government in the seventies but will never mention his balance sheet as President. He knows the slate is not only bare but dirty. What an irony. Jagdeo heads the PPP campaign.

Tuesday March 31, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 11

GRDB allocates 48 quotas for Venezuela rice shipment The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has allocated 48 quotas to selected rice millers to satisfy the Venezuela market in the lucrative petrol-for-rice deal that Guyana has with that Spanish-speaking nation. Guyana, according to rice officials, was “barely” able to make this year’s contract after some issues arose. However, the deal was signed earlier this year, but with less of the commodity being requested; and with millers offering a low price to farmers for paddy. Last week the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (GRPA) received notification from the GRDB of who would have received quotas for the Spanish port. GRDB General Manager, Jagnarine Singh, had said that the identification of millers for quotas to Venezuela would be based on criteria set by a GRDB team in consultation with the GRPA. Last week he said that that a list of millers was sent to the GRPA’s President, Peter De Groot and the Board was awaiting their response to the matter. However, De Groot said, yesterday, that he was in receipt of the millers list, but that he was not consulted on the matter; neither was his input requested. According to De Groot, the information sent to him was a notification of those chosen for the market. In a general e-mail to millers, De Groot noted, “(March 25) I met with Mr. (Jagnarine) Singh and (Madanlall) Ramraj of the GRDB and they explained to me, how the committee they had established came up with the allocation of quotas for various mills for paddy/white rice to Venezuela... “I was not included in the discussions concerning the allocation of the quotas, but received an explanation as to how these quotas were arrived at. The main criteria used to establish the quota allocation for each mill is explained in detail in the email below from the GRDB Chairman - Mr. Badri Persaud.” De Groot advised

...GRPA not consulted millers to make contact if they had any questions. Millers had already expressed concern about how quotas would be distributed. During a meeting at the Agriculture Ministry over two weeks ago, it was stated that the method of quota distribution left room for “dishonest distributions,” since the Board was singlehandedly dealing with the process. It was mentioned by one usually critical miller that the distribution of quotas “is a big secret, because –despite the GRDB claiming consultation- when President of the Rice Millers Association (Dr. Peter DeGroot) (had) asked if rice millers could be a part of the committee, he was categorically denied.” De Groot, when asked yesterday, said that the RPA would be unable to say whether the quota distribution was done fairly since the organization is not in receipt of certain information to weigh against the criteria and those awarded. Among the criteria for quotas, was the average paddy amount purchased over the past four years and millers would have had to pay 95 percent of the debt owed to farmers. De Groot said that the body is not in receipt of millers

past quotas, so a disgruntled miller would have to come with his information to prove that he met the criteria and was not chosen. De Groot emphasized that he was not involved in the GRDB discussions to award the quotas, but noted that this year’s method of allocation was also used last year. He reminded that without certain information, allocations cannot be challenged. De Groot said that it was only two weeks ago that the RPA was officially registered after becoming more prominent about a year ago. The GRDB was initially an oversight and advisory body to the rice industry, but has taken on the role of negotiating and conducting transactions on behalf of the government. Observers and some operators say that the rice industry is a private sector entity and the government should stay out. Some say too, that the booming industry which seems to have taken over by “PPP cronies and stalwarts, needs no assistance from the government.” They claim that the “middlemen” negotiating for the sector have led to many of the problems now being faced including high operating cost. The rice-for-oil deal was hailed as a blessing for the

GRDB GM Jagnarine Singh and Agriculture Minister Leslie Ramsammy

country, but anger grew over the management of the billiondollar trade initiative when farmers and millers criticized high operating costs, and middlemen enjoying “sweet heart” brokerage deals. Guyana is expected to surpass a million tons of rice

this year, the largest ever production but concerns are high over low markets. Rice producers are selling to their own markets, but some have complained of interference. On the government side, Venezuela is said to be their only market after Panama fell

out because their producers were being sidelined for Guyana’s better quality rice. They also owe Guyana three payments out of four 2014 shipments. Middle East and African markets are now being touted by the government.

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Tuesday March 31, 2015

“Time to move beyond traditional economies” - Education Minister As a three-day workshop on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) was launched by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with UNESCO, the importance of moving beyond traditional economies to “new, dynamic ones” was highlighted as a necessity for the success of the STI field in Guyana. The workshop, which kicked off yesterday at the Grand Coastal Inn, will see lengthy discussions on policy and indicators for STI. The Office of the President is also a key institute working along on the workshop. During the workshop’s opening ceremony, Minister of Education Dr. Priya Manickchand said that Guyana is at a crossroad in getting the population to understand that progress can only be achieved if traditional means of educating people are moved past. Manickchand said that this need had long been recognised on a policy level. However, she said, translating this understanding to the relevant stakeholders in the population is a work in progress. “I think it would be fair to say that across the world it’s a work in progress where we’re trying to get the world

- Monitoring of STI policies seen as key

Participants of the National Workshop on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) before the workshop’s commencement yesterday. Minister of Education Priya Manickchand and Chief Education Officer (CEO) Olato Sam were present for the opening ceremony to understand that traditional methods and traditional economies are not going to suffice in this new, dynamic world,” Manickchand opined. Further, the Education Minister said that her ministry was pleased to be the host of the UNESCO workshop. However, though she expressed pleasure, Manickchand emphasised that she was not surprised that Guyana was chosen by UNESCO. According to the minister, Guyana has taken

leadership in the STI field by using the country’s natural resources scientifically to match economic needs. “We have been remarkable in leading across the world and in showing how you can use what you have in a scientific way to meet economic needs and demands of a population,” Dr. Manickchand said. She continued, “We are a good example of how largeness or size and GDP really doesn’t matter in how we can

contribute and we’ve been a great leader across the world; people are still using us as an example.” Manickchand said too that Guyana’s leadership did not happen “by accident”. She said that the position was achieved through a conscious decision by the Government of Guyana to make STI an integral part of the education system. She added that STI was present from the nursery level all the way to the tertiary level.

“If you look at the policies that have been implemented across the board, you would see that there is a conscious and strategic move to make us more conscious of the value of investing in this area,” she said. Meanwhile, the importance of monitoring policies was also highlighted as one of the necessities for the success of STI policies. Martin Schaaper of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) recognised

STI as one of the main drives for economic growth across the world. Schaaper said that a recent perusal of Guyana’s STI policy indicated the need for a more evidence-based or science-based country. He said too, that there are “lots of plans and policies that need to be set in place”. However, Schaaper said, these policies could only work if adequate monitoring mechanisms are established. “You can only know if you’re being effective – if you’re reaching your objectives – if you also monitor the policies,” Schaaper noted. He went on to say that UNESCO was aiding Guyana in the recognition of its STI goals. He added that UNESCO strongly believed in evidence-based policies. The UIS representative said that there are a range of indicators that can be used to mold policies and over the course of the workshop these indicators will be presented and analysed. “The objective of this workshop is to give you an introduction to these indicators and tell you how you can reflect these indicators,” Schaaper said. He continued, “I think it is important to know where you are so you know where (Continued on page 24)

Tuesday March 31, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 21

More men are seeking their HIV status - NAPS Previously women were leading the way when it came to people being aware of their Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status. But this trend has been gradually changing in these parts. According to Programme Manager of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, Dr. Shanti Singh, during an interview with this publication, “We have seen good progress in terms of the general HIV testing process...We are seeing men are getting tested as equal as their female counterparts.” This development is however a relatively new one since, according to Dr. Singh, NAPS has in recent years been able to monitor the gender testing practices and derive a definitive conclusion which suggests, that the number of men seeking to know their HIV status is on par with that of women. In order for such a concrete conclusion to be made, she explained that efforts were focused on monitoring the HIV testing

trend of both males and females over a specified period. This process revealed that “there have been equally good outcomes for our males and females and this is good news for us this year,” informed Dr. Singh. This development the NAPS Programme Manager intimated has resulted in an improved survivability rate across the board, a state of affairs that has been linked to the fact, that members of both genders have been accessing treatment once tested positive. Previously, the female gender recorded a better survivability rate. Female gender then accounted for a higher survivability rate ranging from 12 and 36 months to 60 months and even longer, as more women were seeking to know their status and subsequently access treatment thereby, helping to prolong their lives. And Dr. Singh has attributed the gender parity development to the fact that “we have strengthened our

work programme within the HIV Care and Treatment programme. We have developed manuals for them to work with and there are more standard operating procedures, and there is greater involvement with the entire clinical team in terms of bringing in and retaining the men who are in our treatment programme.” Dr. Singh has assured too, that efforts will continue to be focused on ensuring that the gains made are sustained and even improved. Moreover, she noted that the work programme will be subjected to continuous monitoring as she added that “we are very optimistic about this aspect of the programme.” While more men have been seeking to know their status, Dr. Singh disclosed that this level of progress has not been realised in all aspects of the National AIDS programme. Alluding to the Prevention of Mother to Child transmission (PMTCT) programme, Dr. Singh noted

that because of this state of affairs, deliberate efforts were being directed to have more men included. The PMTCT Programme is one that is geared towards helping to tackle the transmission of HIV from a mother to her unborn child. Explaining the process recently, the Programme Manager said that the original intent of the PMTCT programme; is to ensure that once a mother enters antenatal clinic and is tested positive for HIV, efforts is then made to ensure that she is placed on Antiretrovirals (ARVs). And according to Dr. Singh, the number of persons that have benefited from the programme has been significant. She disclosed that close to 90 per cent of these have been tracked by Case Managers. With the aid of Case Managers, Dr. Singh asserted that the transmission levels have noticeably declined. “Last year we had about a 1.7 per cent transmission rate,

and that decreased from 2.1 per cent the previous year but I don’t know exactly what it stands at this year,” the NAPS Manager intimated. She nevertheless dubbed the programme a “remarkable initiative” as from all indications it has been working well. But although the programme has been yielding successes, Dr. Singh noted that one of its expected outcomes has not met the desired expectation. She disclosed that while reducing mother to child transmission is the primary aim of the programme, the programme was also designed to incorporate the support of the male gender as well. According to Dr. Singh, it was hoped the mothers-to-be would have been

accompanied by their male spouses and also be tested at the same time. While some persons have taken advantage of this, the NAPS Manager pointed out that “I think progress has been slow in that regard. If you look at the number of women who have been tested positive and compare that to the number of male partners it is relatively low.” “I recently looked at the PMTCT programme figures and I don’t think it has reached a two-digit figure,” said Dr. Singh of the men enrolled in the programme.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

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Tuesday March 31, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Letters... Where your views make the news

Beware of the wild and reckless talk from the Jagdeos of Guyana DEAR EDITOR, With few exceptions, nonimmigrant visa applications are evaluated under Section 214(b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act, which states, in part, that every applicant for a nonimmigrant visa “. . .shall be presumed to be an immigrant until (s)he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer, at the time of application for a visa, . . .that (s)he is entitled to nonimmigrant status. . . .” This statutory

presumption of immigration may be overcome by demonstrating sufficiently strong familial, social, professional and economic ties to a country outside the United States that would compel return after a temporary stay in the United States. So what really is Jagdeo saying when he warned that US visas will be hard to get if the APNU+AFC is elected to office? Yes, visas may be harder for the PPP crooks to get, but

until and unless the criteria change, what stands today as US policy will stand tomorrow. It matters not who is in power. Those who are granted visas today will continue to be granted visas tomorrow because of their strong family, social, professional and economic ties to Guyana. There is no common sense in following the absurdity of this Jagdeo message. The more this person opens his mouth, the more it reveals an agenda to drive fear

into the minds of the East Indians of Guyana using cheap political sound bites. Any rational thinkers will know that what was said at the PPP Kitty rally is nothing but a blatant untruth. Jagdeo clearly does not know what he is talking about or he is just being politically mischievous to the detriment of Guyana. Beware of such wild and reckless talk from the Jagdeos of Guyana, it will only lead to greater pain for all of us. Sase Singh

More filth spewed to the nation at the Kitty rally DEAR EDITOR, Although the depth to which the President went to heap criticism on the late Courtney Cru- Ewing is awful, it appears that it was not enough. Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora woke up on Monday morning to some of the ugliest comments ever made by Jagdeo on a dead person. When will Jagdeo and Ramotar leave the dead to rest in peace? They have no decency whatsoever. Jagdeo’s remarks that Courtney Crum-Ewing was killed to boost life into the APNU+AFC campaign are not only disgusting and insulting to the nation, but represent another dagger being plunged into the hearts of the dead man’s parents and relatives. These men have stripped the dead of its dignity. It is unlikely that Jagdeo and Ramotar would be able to redeem themselves and regain their integrity and self-respect from the filth which they have scavenged to insult the dead Crum Ewing. It was a cold, calculated, brutal, uncaring and insensitive attack on the parents, children and every person who has endured such a horrific ordeal from the Jagdeo/Ramotar corrupt regime. Their insults have struck at the heart of CrumEwing’s family. They have devalued the Office of the Presidency, embarrassed the nation and are a disgrace to civility.

Their remarks have dragged the country into the gutter of political expediency for power and apparently to get this by any means necessary. Their choice of words was very poor and they inarguably set an all-time low to an already outrageously low standard of governance. As the current and former of heads of state, they have exhibited a lack of class or character in making such abhorrent allegations against the dead, implying that he was worthless, a nuisance to society, and of bad character. But this type of rowdy

behaviour is to be expected from Jagdeo and Ramotar who have turned Guyana into a dysfunctional society with a disproportionately large number of dysfunctional adults who have become high office holders in the government with the approval of the ruling PPP cabal. The Jagdeo/ Ramotar cabal has transformed reasonably functioning institutions and organizations they inherited from the PNC into dysfunctional ones by imposing their dysfunctional and corrupt traits. As if that was not enough destruction of the country, today, their primary targets are the vulnerable, the disabled,

Bharrat Jagdeo should... From page 4 front and centre of their campaign. Unfortunately for them, however, he is proving to be a liability, hence the furious attempt at damage control. The PPP will find out, however, that the working class reveres the memory of Dr. Jagan and that they will not

take kindly to ANYONE who besmirches his legacy and lifestyle. The PPP will find out, as did Victor Frankenstein that the ‘creature of life’ he sought to create would end up destroying them. It is too late for them I believe. Ronald Bulkan

women, children, the poor and last but not least, the dead. They have turned Guyana into a hopeless and corrupt hellhole filled with greed and vindictiveness. They have violated the whole country, but such is the depth of their indiscretion that they did not and perhaps still do not know the measure of their violation. Guyanese have to see not only the current vulgarity and ugliness but the filth the Jagdeo/ Ramotar regime has brought on the nation and ask themselves how and why they have continued to allow it. Asquith Rose Chandra Deolall Dr. Merle SpencerMarks

(From page 22)

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Tuesday March 31, 2015

Three Head Teachers demoted, transferred Qualfon cops for inefficiency and misconduct Mexico’s awards

Neglect of duty, inefficiency and misconduct were listed as the reasons that led to the demotion and transfer of three Head Teachers. This is according to the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) which noted that it was required to fulfill its disciplinary mandate as the teachers were found to be guilty of the aforementioned transgressions. Without identifying the teachers, the TSC in a statement issued yesterday, said, that disciplinary charges were laid after officers of the Ministry of Education paid supervisory visits to the particular schools. During those visits efforts were reportedly made to point out a number of deficiencies observed, and attempts were made to give the necessary advice and help to the Head Teachers. Moreover, a lack of improvement or change in the unsatisfactory state of affairs

led to charges, which resulted in the Head Teachers being summoned to attend hearings held by the Commission. “They were found guilty. The penalty inflicted was demotion and a penalty transfer to schools with ‘good Head Teachers’ where they will be supervised and given the opportunity to look, learn and practice how to manage a school effectively,” said the TSC in its statement. But these were not the only complaints that have reached the TSC since the commencement of the year. In fact, it was revealed that they were among the 60 odd complaints reaching the Commission for the first quarter of 2015, during which period, 45 hearings were held. Among these were 27 cases of irregular attendance and persistent unpunctuality. And the TSC has particularly underscored its concern as it relates to the persistent unpunctuality of

some teachers. “Punctuality is considered as one of the main pillars of discipline and orderliness in the life of a teacher, a student and of course the society. When a teacher has a high rate of unpunctuality, it becomes an even more serious matter since it affects the programme and purpose of the education system,” added the TSC. It therefore pointed out that “the student is deprived of the opportunity to benefit from a full national curriculum. In addition, a bad role model is presented to the student who would inculcate the wrong values and attitudes, including growing up not feeling morally obligated to give a full day’s work to an employer.” According to the TSC too, the situation reveals that some teachers do not feel morally obligated to protect the well-being of students attending school, which is in fact a prime responsibility.

It was pointed out that while the TSC empathized with some explanations offered “these educators were reminded that they had an obligation and a responsibility to all including their employers and more particularly the children under their charge. They have a special responsibility to contribute to the progress and well-being of the country. Moreover, all teachers who were found guilty were penalized.” Among those that gained the attention of the TSC, were a few cases of young male teachers encouraging undue familiarity with school children. This led to allegations of touching/ fondling. One teacher was dismissed while two were transferred, bonded for one year and given a final warning. Meanwhile, the TSC informed that it has commenced the 2015 Senior Promotion exercises in keeping with the criteria published.

Opposition coalition wants to increase pension... From page 2 corruption…and I ask you, Berbice, that you too must have courage to walk from this evil,” Nagamootoo told the party supporters. The Prime Ministerial candidate announced that there

would be a Code of Conduct for persons in public life to guard against graft and other forms of corruption. “We would like to see all our government officials abide by a Code of Conduct so that they do not steal

the taxpayers' money, so they do not take bribes under the table and most importantly, they do not walk around like the big bad wolf with new, brighter teeth so that they can smile at your misery with your money,” he said to the roar-

“Time to move beyond traditional... From page 12 you’re going and you can track if you’re going there.” Similarly, Manickchand emphasised the importance of monitoring established policies. “We are happy that this particular workshop deals with indicators. We find that in Guyana…that the weakest part of most policies is monitoring, evaluating and determining where we are mid-

policy and regarding meeting the indicators,” Manickchand said. The three-day workshop is a Ministry of Education and an Office of the President initiative and was supported by UNESCO. The workshop is aimed at linking Guyana’s policies with STI indicators. UNESCO has supported the development of the National Science Technology and Innovation Strategy for

Guyana during the years 2009 to 2011. This policy was recently approved by the Government of Guyana. The re-establishment of a National Science and Technology Council forms part of the implementation of the policy. For a number of years, UNESCO has provided funding in excess of US$500,000. Ernesto Polcuch of UNESCO’s Montevideo office expressed hope that the organisation would not simply be viewed as a beam of support, but rather a partner for the sharing of expertise and dialogue. He emphasised that the workshop was an opportunity for Guyana and UNESCO to work together. He further said that the workshop was timely since oftentimes it is difficult for UNESCO to adequately establish dialogue with all of the 33 countries they serve in the region. Finally, he said, the established policies should be viewed as a “living document” and should be used to achieve new goals along with existing ones. He added that the job does not conclude at the end of the workshop on Wednesday but rather that there will be need for follow up.

ing crowd. “We will put a stop to the extravagance…This elections is about bringing into office a real government that will work for you,” he said. According to the Prime Ministerial candidate, President Donald Ramotar has wasted three years in office. He told the Whim rally that he is “back home with clean hands and a clear conscience.” “Tonight we are parting the PPP/C with unity…tonight this is homecoming. Tonight you will see the true colour of Guyana team and we are bowling for Guyana, we are batting for Guyana, we are running for Guyana because we are Guyanese,” Nagamootoo said. Nagamootoo said, too, that the coalition intends to call Local Government Elections. The APNU+AFC comprises six parties.

Mexico - Qualfon, a people-driven business process outsourcing (BPO) company and global provider of contact center services, recently received three National Contact Center Excellence Awards from the Mexico Institute of Teleservices or Instituto Mexicano de Teleservicios (IMT). Company executives accepted the awards at a special ceremony during IMT’s Global Contact Forum in Mexico City on March 10th, 2015. Qualfon was recognized for excellence in contact centre management relations, receiving a gold trophy for the Best Sales Strategy, a silver trophy for Best Technological Contribution, and a bronze trophy for Best Operational Strategy Internal & Outsourced. Specific Qualfon projects and sales solutions in the insurance industry, online advertising industry, and back-office services sector helped differentiate Qualfon from the other 150 award applicants. This marked the first year in which Qualfon participated. “We are very honored to accept these three awards from IMT,” said Mike Marrow, Qualfon CEO. “Qualfon competed head to head with many talented companies, and we are extremely proud to have earned the recognition of the leading organization in the contact center industry in Mexico and Latin America.” IMT’s National Contact Center Excellence Awards recognize successful companies with operations in Mexico, showcasing the talent that has resulted in outstanding performance.

Awards are bestowed on those companies that positively impact results in customer satisfaction, operations, human resources, and the business in general. The awards also identify strategies, projects, and solutions that build relationships between the company/clients and the local government and its citizens. Through the awards programme, IMT aims to help promote competitiveness across the Mexico and Latin America contact center industry. “IMT’s goals of promoting competitiveness in the industry and identifying top performers who also build strong community and governmental relationships aligns perfectly with Qualfon’s mission to be the best BPO and make people’s lives better,” said Alejandra Romero, Executive Vice President of LATAM & Global Solutions at Qualfon. “Qualfon works closely with Mexico’s government, private agencies, and with our local communities in humanitarian efforts, and we continually aim to strengthen those relationships for the mutual benefit of all.” Qualfon is a people-driven business process outsourcing (BPO) company and a global provider of contact center services and back-office processing. It has 11,000 employees serving international brands across many industries with outsourcing locations spanning the United States, the Philippines, Guyana S.A., Mexico, and China.

‘Fake Cops remanded From page 6 defendants were found. Subsequently, an identification parade (ID) was conducted and Paddy was identified as the one who wore the navy blue uniform, while Arthur wore the traffic police uniform. The prosecutor objected to bail citing the seriousness, prevalence and penalty the offences attracts if the defendants are to be found guilty. He argued that the defendants are flight risks, explaining that if they are to be granted bail, there is a likelihood that they might not return to court to stand trial.

Mangru further informed the court that investigations are still ongoing and there is a possibility that other charges might be instituted. Lastly, he stated that no special reasons were advanced to the court for the men to be granted their pre trial liberty. Arthur’s Attorney Paul Fung-A-Fat requested that his client be released on bail since he is not a flight risk. Nonetheless, counsel’s bail application was declined and the men were remanded to prison. The offences that occurred in Mahaicony were transferred to the Mahaicony

Magistrate’s Court for April 8; the remaining charges laid in Diamond will be called again at the Providence Magistrate’s Court, on April 7. Paddy will return to the Georgetown Magistrates Courts on April 17, for the escape from police custody charge. The men were arrested around 20.30 hrs, on Friday last, during a police raid in Diamond Housing Scheme. Paddy had escaped from custody last January after being shot in the buttocks during a foiled robbery at the Popeye’s Restaurant on Vlissengen Road.

Tuesday March 31, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Gov’t has a duty to answer questions about Crum-Ewing’s death - former Head of Barbados Bar

Crash pilot had been treated for suicidal tendencies

By Sunita Samaroo Former Head of the Barbados Bar Association, Queen’s Counsel (QC) Andrew Pilgrim has described as dangerous, the recent killing of political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing. Pilgrim, who noted that Crum-Ewing was riddled with bullets while campaigning for the upcoming Regional and General Elections, said that it is a real danger when in a democratic society, a person is killed while exercising his right by putting his views forward. Crum-Ewing’s killing, the QC believes, leaves too many questions. He is calling on the government and other relevant authorities to fulfill their duties and ensure that those questions are answered. Crum-Ewing was killed on March 10, last, in Diamond, East Bank Demerara shortly after he had called on local residents through a bullhorn to vote in the upcoming General Elections, scheduled on May 11, and oust the incumbent ruling party. The autopsy showed that Crum-Ewing was shot five times; three to the head and another at point blank range behind his neck. Police had initially said a car with four men drove up and discharged the shots at him before driving off. The police have since announced that they have questioned and released eight persons. The investigations, however, have so far been fruitless. The situation is one the Barbadian Attorney has been following with interest. He recently added his voice to the many calls for an immediate, prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into Crum-Ewing’s killing. Pilgrim, who represents the immediate family of the late Dr. Walter Rodney at the Commission of Inquiry, made his comments known during an exclusive interview with this newspaper. Pilgrim, who is a known human rights advocate, said that it is very important that everything be done to ensure that Crum-Ewing’s death is thoroughly investigated. “It was actually quite saddening too, because I walk the streets of Georgetown, to see his parents there calling for that.” “It has cast a kind of doubt over our institutions; if we don’t protect them …and part of protecting them is through investigation into any situation that can imply any impropriety where people

Political Activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing

Former Head of the Barbados Bar Association, Queen’s Counsel (QC) Andrew Pilgrim are trying to suppress the voice of people who are speaking out, especially so near to an election,” Pilgrim said. The lawyer said that Crum-Ewing’s death must be treated with a certain amount of dignity. “You want to give the government and the authorities every opportunity to show that they have no connection but when a person is struck down while campaigning, there is that danger that people can interpret it as just that type of activity,” the QC added. Pilgrim believes that the onus is on the government not only to show its impartiality in the investigation but “they have a duty to show everyone that their hands are clean and they had nothing to do with it.” He said that the populace is seeking proof and evidence of what exactly took place with Crum-Ewing. “This man was shot in what appears to be the most disgusting and brutal fashion and there is a real need for the Guyanese people to keep some momentum behind the situation and to support the family in their calls for justice,” Pilgrim told Kaieteur News. “Speaking as a Caribbean citizen, we in the Caribbean have a duty to look over each other’s shoulders, not to try and force anyone to do anything. A Bajan can’t tell Guyanese how to run their show and Guyanese can’t tell Jamaicans how to run their show but we are people with a similar experience. “We all have an interest in our democratic situations being strong and our judiciary being strong and to the extent that there is always a risk that these things will be swept under the carpet,” the lawyer said.

Pilgrim views it as the duty of the international community, bar associations, and nongovernmental organisations to ensure that matters of such nature are properly dealt with in a manner that people “can feel confident that they are being treated fairly and not being taken advantage of.” He give credit to the local bar association, too, for the recent call for a thorough investigation. “I am happy that the bar has called for that (thorough investigation) but it is a real danger when you have a person who is expressing themselves in a democratic society and trying to put his views forward and is killed actually during that process.” “It leads to all kinds of questions and the government has a duty; the authorities have a duty to ensure those questions are answered.” Recently, the Guyana Bar Association and Justice Institute Guyana said that the murder of activist Courtney Crum-Ewing has undermined Guyana’s democracy contributing to a cycle of fear and President Donald Ramotar’s attempt to liken him to a criminal is ill-advised. In a statement, the two organisations had condemned “without reservation” the gunning down of Crum-Ewing and offered their sympathy to his family. “The right to life is the most fundamental right of all. We condemn without reservation any killing of one human being by another,” the statement said. The organisations noted that Crum-Ewing protested outside the chambers of Attorney-General Anil Nandlall for several weeks. “He was out on the streets urging people to vote in the upcoming elections when he was shot five times. The prevalent and likely suspicion is that Mr. CrumEwing was murdered because of his political activism. Any such suspicion, whether founded on fact or not, contributes to a cycle of fear. That fear encourages many

people to be silent and invisible, and it gravely undermines freedom and democracy,” the organisations asserted. The statement noted that Ramotar has compared the draping of the Golden Arrowhead on Crum-Ewing’s coffin with the draping of the Golden Arrowhead on the coffin of Blackie – a notorious criminal. “Mr. Crum Ewing’s protest and his call to voters were certainly not criminal activities. The President’s comment was ill-advised and unfortunate,” the organisations declared. The parents of the late political activist had taken to the streets to protest the President’s statements. On Friday, last, standing in front of the AG’s Chambers his mother, Donna Harcourt, expressed disgust at the President’s statements and renewed calls for her son’s killing to be properly investigated. Also speaking out on the issue was international human rights group, Amnesty International who called for a thorough, independent, impartial and timely probe into the assassination of the political activist to bring those responsible to justice. The international watchdog also called on the Guyanese authorities to guarantee a favourable context and peaceful atmosphere for the exercise of freedom of expression, association and assembly and other civil and political rights. In a document headlined “Guyana: Political activist killed ahead of elections: Courtney Crum-Ewing,” the group also urged the authorities to provide adequate protection to political activists, journalists and human rights defenders who might be at risk as a result of the exercise of their right to freedom of expression. The human rights body has noted that the killing of a political activist during the pre-electoral period fuels fear that further violence and limitations to freedom of expression may occur.

German prosecutors say crash pilot Andreas Lubitz had been treated for suicidal tendencies (Reuters) - The German pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a plane in the French Alps last week was treated for suicidal tendencies years ago before he received his pilot’s license, German prosecutors said yesterday. This was the first acknowledgement from German officials that the pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had suffered bouts of depression and it is likely to intensify a debate about how airlines screen and monitor their pilots. Investigators believe Lubitz, serving as co-pilot on a Germanwings flight from Barcelona to Duesseldorf on March 24th, locked the captain out of the cockpit and steered the Airbus A320 plane into the side of a mountain while passengers screamed in horror. A total of 150 people died in the crash. Lufthansa, the parent of the budget airline, has said it was not aware of anything in the 27-year-old’s past which suggested he might have posed a risk. It has confirmed that Lubitz broke off his pilot training in 2009 for nearly a year, around the time he was reportedly suffering from depression and anxiety. “Several years ago before obtaining his pilot’s license the co-pilot was in a long period of psychotherapeutic treatment with noticeable suicidal tendencies,” Duesseldorf prosecutors said in a statement yesterday. They said that in recent years he had not shown signs of suicidal behavior or aggressive tendencies in visits to doctors. After searching his family home in Montabaur and apartment in Duesseldorf, and following interviews with friends and relatives, the prosecutors said they had not found any evidence Lubitz was planning such an attack, nor the reasons behind it. “No special circumstances have come to light, whether in his personal life or his work life, that shed any plausible light on a possible motive,”

they said. RIGOROUS SELECTION Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has said the airline prides itself on the rigorous selection methods of its pilot training scheme. The school is currently closed to new applicants, but around 6,000 people apply each year, with just 7-8 percent of them making the cut. Lufthansa has also made clear that Lubitz’s medical records were subject to doctor-patient confidentiality and that the airline therefore had no knowledge of what they contained. Under German law, employers do not have access to employees’ medical records and sick notes excusing a person from work do not give information on their medical condition. Some politicians have called for a loosening of these rules in the wake of the Germanwings disaster. But at a news conference in Berlin yesterday, a spokeswoman for the German health ministry said doctors already had the right to break their vow of confidentiality if they thought their patients posed a danger to others. French investigators said yesterday they were digging an access route to the mountain crash site in order to speed up the investigation. The head of the French police forensic team told reporters it would take two to four months to identify the victims and that there was no certainty all would be identified because of the high speed at which the plane crashed. “After a plane crash like this, the state of the bodies is not like after a simple car crash. The bodies are not necessarily whole, as the families know,” Colonel Francois Daoust, head of the French Gendarmerie’s criminal research Institute, told reporters. He added that some 400 samples from body parts taken from the crash had allowed police to identify 78 different DNA profiles so far, but no identifications had been made as yet.

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Tuesday March 31, 2015

Brazil’s Rousseff, Levy rush to ease fears about austerity plan (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Finance Minister Joaquim Levy moved swiftly yesterday to quash concerns about their working relationship following a political stir over the weekend that threatened to derail the passage of austerity measures. At a São Paulo event that gathered more than 600 business leaders, an adamant Levy said the government will get congressional approval for spending cuts this year and avert a debt rating downgrade. The comments came after Levy told a private audience last week that Rousseff was well-intentioned but does not always act in “the most effective way,” remarks that stoked fears of tensions between the two at a time when the government is struggling to push through budget cuts. Levy said over the weekend that his remarks had been taken out of context, a view that Rousseff endorsed yesterday. “There is no need to create a fuss about this. He has explained himself exhaustively,” Rousseff said at an event in the northern state of Pará. “I’m sure he was misunderstood.” The benchmark Bovespa stock index accelerated gains and rose over 2 percent as both leaders spoke. Brazil’s currency, the real, wiped out early losses and firmed 0.61

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (R) and Finance Minister Joaquim Levy percent against the U.S. dollar. Rousseff named Levy after winning re-election in October, pressed by rapidly deteriorating budget and current account deficits and what seemed an imminent downgrade of Brazil’s credit rating. Their partnership has proved fruitful so far, with Levy winning additional responsibilities, sources told Reuters this month. ‘SOLID TRUST’ Levy also said yesterday he will meet Senate President Renan Calheiros to discuss the fiscal austerity push. Levy, unlike Rousseff, is a strong advocate of free markets. He helped design a similar fiscal adjustment program under former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Rousseff’s predecessor and

political mentor. Since her second term started in January, analysts and investors have closely monitored signs for any ideological differences might drive them apart. But Monday’s comments reinforced the view that Rousseff is engaged with Levy’s fiscal plan and is supporting it, traders said. Levy said “there is mutual, very solid trust” between Rousseff and him. “We will continue to work together to finalize the adjustment program.” The Rousseff administration remains “strongly confident” that Congress will pass legislation aimed at streamlining spending, Levy said on Monday. Passage of those measures should help the economy resume growth later this year, he added.

Jamaica cops seize guns, rocket launcher, ammo in traffic check The weapons and assorted ammunition recovered by the cops

(Jamaica Observer) FALMOUTH, Trelawny — The Trelawny police have taken two men into custody in connection with the recovery of 11 illegal firearms, a rocket launcher and more than 300 rounds of assorted ammunition which were hidden in a barrel being transported by a pickup Sunday. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Odean Dennis, on Sunday at about 10:00 am, members of the Trelawny Highway Patrol

were on a stop-and-search operation on the Scarlett Hall main road in the parish when the driver of a motor vehicle was ordered to stop. A search of the vehicle yielded: one 40 mm rocket launcher; an M-16, a Kalashnikov, and a sniper rifle; two 9mm pistols and a .45 pistol; a Uzi and an Intratech sub-machine gun; and two shotguns. The names of the two persons taken into custody have been withheld pending further investigation. Meanwhile,

Sunday’s arms recovery brings to 16 the number of illegal guns recovered by the Trelawny police since the start of the year. Deputy Superintendent Dennis, who is the crime officer for the Trelawny Police Division, argued that had it not been for the vigilance of the police, the weapons would have slipped through the police dragnet as motorists signalled the presence of the police to the driver of the motor vehicle transporting the illegal weapons. He pleaded with motorists to desist from flashing their headlights to notify oncoming motorists of the cops’ presence on the road. “We just want to get across to the public... to stop this practice. Because, from our information, persons would have given the light to these persons who were travelling in the vehicle and they made an effort to elude the police.

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Floyd Mayweather Jnr: Manny Pacquiao Guyanese Narine spurs USA... tance before he was removed morrow with the USA U-18s (From page 33) is reckless and makes a lot of mistakes slipped by Patel at 42-3 and the playing the National U-17 to 82-6. Daily Mail - Floyd Maywaether Jnr is ready to capitalise on Manny Pacquiao’s weaknesses when the pair step into the ring for their $300m showdown in Las Vegas on May 2. The undefeated American described Pacquiao as a ‘solid’ but ‘reckless’ fighter, who makes a lot of mistakes and insists he will be ready to take advantage at the MGM Grand. Mayweather has often been labelled as a boring and he relies on his defensive skill to outbox opponents rather than come out on the front foot and he says he will try to nullify the threat of Pacquiao. ‘A lot of guys do a lot of things wrong, but they are still successful,’ Mayweather is qouted as saying on mlive.com. ‘So I want to know what he [Pacquiao] does

Floyd Mayweather Jnr continues his preparations for the fight against Manny Pacquiao. (Floyd Mayweather/Shots) right, so I can take that away from him, so I can take that arsenal away from him. ‘What I do, when I’m facing a guy, whatever he does good, I take that away from him, so he has to resort to doing something different.’ ‘I just want to look good for myself. I want to look very impressive. I’m pretty sure he’s going to bring his A-

game, and it’s all about excitement. I got here somehow, some way. He’s a solid competitor, but very reckless, and he makes a lot of mistakes,’ Mayweather continued. ‘But he’s been successful. Remember what I said – you’ve got guys that make a lot of mistakes but still are successful.’

Tuesday March 31, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Recent conflicts may stir up some anger in you, Aries. This is a powerful force, and you could be tempted to get into a big fight. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You may not be having the best of luck when it comes to matters of the heart, Taurus, and you may feel you need to take some sort of action. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Love and romance are in the air tonight, so feel free to let loose, Gemini. Instead of being a passive, gentle, soft kind of love, the emotion you feel may be more forceful, passionate, and aggressive. CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you aren't in a relationship now and want to be, you need to be more aggressive about getting to know the one you want. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Feel free to upset the equilibrium in order to have your needs met, especially in the bedroom, Leo. In an effort to maintain the peace and keep everything on an even keel, you've neglected your desires for the sake of pleasing someone else. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Do things for you and not to prove something to other people, especially when it comes to matters of love and romance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your physical energy is strong. Your desire for passion and love is intense, Libra. Combine these two forces for a passionate night of love and romance. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Matters of the heart may not be going smoothly, Scorpio. Perhaps someone's approach has been too aggressive. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) When it comes to love and romance, you're probably on fire. You have an incredible passion for love now, making you one of the most desirable catches around. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) If things aren't going smoothly in a romantic relationship, be careful about blaming yourself, Capricorn. A partnership means that two people work together equally. If this isn't the case, let your partner know how you feel. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) our sex drive is apt to be strong today. This could be the only thing on your mind, Aquarius. Every person you see may stir feelings in you, even though you may already be committed to someone. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Bring more fire and passion to your love life, . Spark things up by being more adventurous. The bolder you are, the more response you will get.

The left-handed Narine tucked into the bowlers with increasing relish and played shots all round the ground. Two thumping pulls off Josha Harrichand off successive balls, reached the mid-wicket boundary like shots from a gun. Narine found an able aid in Polisetty, who also grew in confidence the longer he batted and the pair put together 62 for the seventh wicket before Narine was taken at backward square off Samaroo who also sent back Polisetty (33) before he polished off the tail with his crafty off-spin. When Berbice, without West Indies U-19 batsman Shemron Hetymer, began their reply, Jackman, watched by his grandfather, former Guyana wicket-Keeper and Ex Corriverton Mayor Sidney Jackman got rid of Adrian Sukhwa for a duck with nine runs on the board. Umroa, who hit two fours in a fighting 21, offered resis-

Berbice colts never recovered as the visitors kept shackles on the batsmen with a succession of maidens although Seetram clobbered a cameo 47ball 40 with three fours towards the end in a losing cause. Meanwhile, at Enmore in a game reduced to 35 overs, the USA under-15s followed up their victory over West Demerara at Wales on Sunday, with an 18-run victory yesterday. The USA U-15s made 149 all out with Sanjay Stanley (31) and Daoud Mohamed (26) being the principle scorers. East Coast U-15 replied with 131 all out with Sautosh Reddy, who picked up the first three wickets, and Humza Khan, picking up three wickets each. The under-13 encounter between the USA and GCC teams which was set for Bourda was washed out. Today is a rest day while the competition continues to-

team at Providence, their U15s facing the Berbice U-15s at Everest and the USA U-13s opposing GYO U-13s at GYO. USACA Coach Ricardo Powell, the 36-year-old who two Tests and 109 ODIs for the West Indies between 1999 and 2005, said he felt this tour to Guyana would benefit his youngsters tremendously, adding that more such tours are needed if USA cricket is to improve. The right hander, who played for his native Jamaica and also Trinidad & Tobago where he lived before migrating to the USA, said that if there were proper cricketing facilities like those for Basketball and Baseball in the ‘States’ and if the youths could have practiced their craft at three day per week the overall standard of cricket in the US would be much higher than it is at present. The Jamaican said his team is eagerly looking forward to playing at the Guyana National Stadium tomorrow.

RHT Bakewell ‘A’ open.. (From page 31) trapped Kistasammy LBW for 3. No one else offered resistance to the experienced RHT Bakewell bowling attack. Harrinarine top scored with a composed 44 which included five boundaries and a six. He was last out as Port Mourant were dismissed for 102 off 25.2 overs. Giddings supported Murray with 3 for 30 off eight overs while Denzil Sinclair had 1 for 15 from four overs. Extras supported the PMCC score with a healthy 23. Needing to score 103 from 40 overs, RHT Bakewell coasted to an easy victory as Mahadeo and former Berbice Under 19 player Vidal Crandon tore into the Port Mourant bowlers with disdain. They raced to 105 without loss. Mahadeo ended on 62 which included five boundaries and four massive sixes, while the usually dominant Crandon supported with 34 (2x4, 2x6).

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G.S.S.F. Practical Pistol Shooters enjoy safe and fun March match Amidst light scattered showers last Saturday, local practical shooters came out and safely balanced the three elements of the practical shooting triangle: Speed, Power and Accuracy at the GDF’s Timehri Ranges when the Guyana Sport Shooting Federation hosted another Practical Pistol competition which was open to all existing practical shooters of Guyana. In her Opening Remarks, Match Director and President of the GSSF, Ms. Vidushi Persaud welcomed participants and spectators to the Match. She acknowledged the generosity of corporate Guyana and thanked the management of NABI Construction for their donation of a new roll of construction mesh and also the management of Nutra Farms for donating wood which were used in the construction of several screens for the Federation’s Practical Shooting section. Ms. Persaud commended the dedication and hard work of members and specifically noted two members who worked tirelessly over the past week to construct the impressive screens: Vish Sookdeo and Ryan McKinnon. She also acknowledged member, Mohamed Qualander and Queensway for the quality Armscor ammunition that was made available before she declared the match open. Competitors were all very eager to show off their skills in navigating between the Federation’s new stage props while safely engaging targets in the three dynamic stages. These stages required the shooter to engage as accurately as possible multiple targets that were setup in vari-

In Photo; competitors and prize winners: Kneeling from left to right Dharry, McKinnon and Beharry. ous scenarios, while moving to various points and positions and all the while striving to do so in the shortest possible time. Points were deducted for any misses and hits on no shoot (penalty) targets. Above all, the safety element for this match was monitored by three of Guyana’s internationally certified Range Officers: Ryan McKinnon who was appointed Range Master, David Dharry and Michael Blake, who kindly volunteered to oversee the match and it’s adherence to the rules. The first stage called “Open Season” required the shooters to sit on a chair with their backs touch-

ing the back of a chair with a table placed some distance away on which was placed the unloaded firearm and all magazines. On start signal, shooters had to race to the table, retrieve their gun, make it ready and then engage 4 paper targets and 1 falling plate. The second stage “Twist and Shout” consisted of 11 paper targets with 5 No-Shoot targets which were placed in front of and adjacent to the shoot targets, thus making some shooting angles even more difficult as hits on NS targets would attract a minus 10 point penalty per hit. This caused some shooters to slow down their shooting

speed to avoid picking up any penalties and some even risking harder shots at greater distances to deflect angles on the no-shoots. The start position saw the competitors starting with a loaded and holstered handgun from a common point downrange. The shooters mobility to move backwards safely was tested as they had to be cognizant of ‘the 180 degree rule’ prior to a sprinting along a corridor set or across the width of the stage to engage the remaining targets. A tricky target was positioned in between two barrels and was only visible at a certain angle.

Guyana’s CARIFTA participation in jeopardy The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) has announced that Guyana’s participation in the CARIFTA Games set for April 4-6, St. Kitts & Nevis, is in “jeopardy”, largely as a result of the association having difficulties securing flights for the team. “Guyana’s participation at this year ’s CARFITA Games looks to be in jeopardy.

The Executive Council of the AAG) is encountering difficulties securing flights to the games set for April 4-6 in St. Kitts & Nevis,” a release from the association stated yesterday. “The AAG is, however, exploring all avenues to get its team to the Games. The AAG President, Aubrey Hutson said ticket prices to the destination are high, so

Top scrabble player... (From page 32) Mawava; the latter is pursuing studies as a doctor in Venezuela and members of the scrabble fraternity. Naturally, Kaieteur Sport wishes to extend deepest sympathy to the executives

and players of GASP and all affected by his death. Mike buried his dad, R O Michael, another top scrabble stalwart about one year ago and now this— May your soul RIP brother!!

too are chartered flights, which are priced between 5 -7 million (GUY) dollars,” the release continued. It informed that the AAG Council will meet today to make a final decision on whether or not the team will participate at the Games. “The athletes, meanwhile, have had training sessions together under Head Coach, Julian Edmonds,” the AAG release observed. It said that “Guyana is hoping to field its largest contingent in recent years: 12 athletes; up from the original nine named following the trials on March 7-8”. Those included are Linton Mentis (U-20 male 100m, 200m) and female sprinters, Michelle Powley and Avon Samuels. Powley will compete in

100m and 200m U-20 races along with overseas-based sprinter Brenessa Thompson, while Samuels will run the 200m and 400m in the U-18 category. The AAG Council “took the decision to include the three after they made the qualifying standards at a Development Meet on March 15, organised by the Guyana Defence Force,” the release said. The other athletes on the team are Compton Caesar (100m, 200m), Matthew Mckenzie (1500m, 3000m), Kenisha Phillips (200m), Cassie George (1500m), Claudrice Mckenzie (3000m), Chantoba Bright (Long and Triple Jump) and Natricia Hooper (Triple Jump). Yvonne October is Team Manager.

However, none of the shooters seemed to be in such haste that they forgot it, thus avoiding penalties for misses and procedurals for failure to engage. The third and final stage named “A Good Hair Day” was adjudged the most challenging but fun stage. This stage saw shooters having to engage 12 paper targets and 2 falling plates. The start position was seated at a dressing table full of pink accessories. The start position was holding a pink mirror in one hand and a pink hair brush in the other, whist the unloaded handgun and all magazines were placed on the table. Needless to say, a lot of laughter was heard and many memorable photos were snapped on this stage. On the start signal competitors had to retrieve their firearm then move downrange to be within the fault lines before engaging any targets. Some shot while on the move, thus saving time while others took it slow and steady, giving consideration to ideal shooting positions even when shooting through the two windows. Predictably, everyone followed the pattern of shooting at the second and lower window last which required shooters to either creatively go into the prone position, squat or kneel to engage at least 3 of the 12 targets. The sport is built around safety and simultaneously measures the ability of the competitor to shoot rapidly and accurately with a full power (9mm/higher calibre) handgun in a fun, fair, and

competitive environment. Scoring sees the competitor total points obtained divided by the recorded time taken to engage all targets of the stage this equates to a Hit Factor. The highest HF wins full stage points and the percentage difference in HFs is calculated and points are awarded to the other competitors against this. The shooter with the highest accumulated points from all stages in a match wins overall. Scoring was tallied by the official scoring software for the sport and done by Stats Officer Dr. Pravesh Harry who efficiently released the results as follows: Stage 1 (Open Season): 1st – 35 Points in 9.90 seconds = 45.00 Stage Points Ryan McKinnon 2nd – 43 Points in 12.86 seconds = 42.56 Stage Points – Ray Beharry 3rd - 31 Points in 10.85 seconds = 36.37 Stage Points – David Dharry Stage 2 (Twist and Shout): 1st – 100 P in 18.48s = 110.00 SP - Ryan McKinnon 2nd - 100 P in 30.30s = 67.09 SP – Pravesh Harry 3rd - 79 P in 28.29s = 56.77 SP – Ray Beharry Stage 3 (A Good Hair Day): 1st – 122 P in 31.30s = 130.00 SP - Ryan McKinnon 2nd - 100 P in 38.21s = 87.29 SP– David Dharry 3rd - 101 P in 48.13s = 69.99 SP - Ray Beharry Overall match Results are as follows: 1st Place 285.00 Points Ryan McKinnon 2nd Place 178.40 Points David Dharry 3rd Place 169.32 Points – Ray Beharry At the end of the Match, Range Master, Ryan McKinnon commended the Match Director, Stats Officer, Range Officers and GSSF members for ensuring the efficiency with which the match was run. He specifically noted that safety is always paramount while handling firearms and the high level will always be maintained by match officials and the G.S.S.F. in all events. In closing, special thanks were extended by the G.S.S.F. President, Ms. Persaud to; the Match Officials, Brigadier Mark Phillips, the Guyana Defence Force, Commissioner of Police Mr. Seelal Persaud, Commander of A-Division, ACP Clifton Hickens, the ranks of TSU and the Guyana Police Force, the Media and GSSF members for their support and encouragement towards the Federation which is dedicated towards encouraging and promoting sport shooting amongst all Guyanese.

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Australia’s youth and their warning to the world

Australia brushed aside New Zealand to seal their fifth World Cup © ESPNcricinfo Ltd ESPNcricinfo - Inside three balls, a world record MCG crowd of 93,013 saw precisely why Australia would be lifting the World Cup six or so hours later. Mitchell Starc was too fast, too accurate and too composed for Brendon McCullum, New Zealand’s warrior captain made to look foolish by the bowler of the tournament. The sight of McCullum’s off stump tilted back was enough to sink New Zealand hearts and set Australian ones racing. Michael

Clarke’s team never quite came down from that high. Australia won the World Cup final the way they won the tournament as a whole. Fast bowling that was as aggressive as it was accurate, personified by Starc, agile and alert fielding accompanied by intimidatory snarls, and batting adequate for the task thanks mainly to the undeniable class of Steven Smith. There was strength in depth, underlined by the fact that every member of the final XI produced at least one match-

turning display over the course of the tournament. This was a most Australian team, playing in a most Australian style in Australian conditions. The coach Darren Lehmann brought beers back into the dressing room, per Chappell, per Border. Australia’s supremacy down under is yet to be followed up by consistent success abroad. It is also true that they are not the most loveable bunch to set foot on a cricket field, and at times can be outright boorish. But on home

soil they are Cup winners, a garland that can cover all manner of sins less enduring than defeat. If this was the end of the road for the captain Clarke, and probably others in terms of World Cups such as Mitchell Johnson, Brad Haddin and Shane Watson, it certainly was not the end of an era for Australia’s cricket. A victory built on pace bowling was also built on youth Johnson is the only member of the bowling attack over the age of 25, let alone 30. In Starc (25), Josh Hazlewood (24), James Faulkner (24), Pat Cummins (21) and the not selected James Pattinson (24), Lehmann and Clarke’s likely successor Smith have the sort of firepower to ensure they need only score a moderate amount of runs to remain at or near the top of world cricket for at least the next five years. Some had questioned the omission of Ryan Harris from the Cup squad when it was announced. On final day he was at the MCG commentating, and it reflected great credit on his younger compatriots that he was not overly missed. Starc’s marriage of precision and penetration has been

Nestle Milo Under-20 Schools Football Competition

Captains show mutual respect, predict tough final -Teachers express gratitude to Nestle Milo By Rawle Welch Today’s final of the Nestle Milo Under-20 Schools Football Competition between Dolphin and Chase Academy needed no additional hype, but the sponsor and Organiser Petra Organisation took nothing for granted and arranged a briefing between the caretakers of the two finalists and their captains in the Boardroom of Beepat’s Ltd yesterday. The briefing, held to get a feedback about the teams preparations ahead of the impending showdown, had in attendance Nestle representative Renita Sital, Petra Organisation Co-Director Troy Mendonca, Chase Academy teacher Henry Chase, Dolphin teacher Joel Porter and Captains Kareem Knights (Chase Academy) and Shawn Mohamed. Sital, who gave the opening remarks revealed the Company’s joy at the talent that is on display this year, adding that the entire running of the tournament has shown significant improvement allround. Another heartening aspect of this year’s tournament

according to Sital was the fact that many parents, guardians and fans responded to her plea to come out and support their children and the players. Sital urged the teams to exceed their semi-final performances and give 100% during the game. Mendonca in his presentation assured all that all systems are in place for a rivetting conclusion to a tournament that has made its mark in terms of developing the future generation of players to the national grid, while it also served to inculcate discipline among the schools. He too echoed the sentiment expressed by Sital calling on the players to display 100% commitment to today’s final, adding that he believes all the parties involved are rearing and ready to put on a good show for the fans. “I think we’ve had a very good tournament to date, despite a few hiccups which saw three schools being expelled for infringing the rules, but we’ll learn and come back even stronger next year. It was another good learning experience for us and you can be assured that come next year we will certainly eliminate

those issues,” Mendonca stated. He said in reflecting on the tournament over the past three years, it has definitely made strides and in collaboration with the sponsor they will continue to help develop young people. Chase in his address said he was delighted that his school has reached the final informing that it was no easy task, but one that needed a lot of planning and financing. “I don’t think that the society realises that this tournament is more than just football it is actually giving a lot of them another opportunity to attend school after passing the age of eligibility to remain in the public system,” Chase said. He spoke of dropouts being able to return to an academic institution and have another chance to realise their dreams. Chase added that he is delighted that the tournament is happening; pointing out that it is helping to instill discipline among the youths and also reconditioning to be better citizens in the society. He also recognised the huge effort that Nestle Milo

is making and called on other members of the corporate community to come on board and assist the youths. Porter too expressed delight at his team’s performance to date and credited their tireless work during preparations for their final berth. He noted that very often they are singled out as unworthy, but pointed to their dedication to the task as ample evidence that if given the opportunity how productive they could be. Porter said today’s game is the right platform for them to dispel the notion of their unworthiness and go on the field and show all and sundry that they are capable of being high achievers if presented with the chance. He extended gratitude to Nestle Milo for having the foresight and fortitude to put their money into such a tournament. Both captains exuded confidence, but also agreed that it will be a tough encounter worth watching. The third place playoff between former champ Lodge and Morgan Learning Centre starts at 17:00 hrs.

breathtaking at times. His dismantling of McCullum will come to be remembered as the moment Australia effectively won the final, for it was a blow as psychological as it was technical. Bowlers have feared for their own safety in McCullum’s presence this tournament, but in three balls he was as powerless against Starc as his lower-order counterparts had been in the frenzied finish at Eden Park. The effect of the early

wicket was to cause the rest of the New Zealand top order to retreat, and for Australia’s bowlers to swarm all over them. Short balls were avoided and parried but never taken on, dead bats and leaves were common, and when Glenn Maxwell came into the attack, a tentative Martin Guptill was bowled by a delivery that he might have struck for six during his double hundred in the quarter-final.

Busta injects over $4million to Soft Shoe Football tournament -GFC, Tucville and Min of Education grounds to be used Guyana Beverages Inc. relationship with football is incontestable and its involvement in the inaugural Busta Soft Shoe Competition which was launched yesterday in the Company’s Boardroom only served to underline the fact that the connection remains as strong as ever. General Manager of the Company Robert Selman after highlighting his own affiliation with the sport which started long ago in his native Trinidad and Tobago at a tender age announced the entity’s massive endorsement of the tournament which stands at a whopping $4million. Selman, who has been at the helm of local operations for close to a decade said that his own struggle during boyhood in T&T when his parents found it difficult to purchase a pair of boots for him to play the sport was enough motivation for him to use his influence to gain the approval from the parent company in T&T to sponsor the event. He disclosed that when approached by the coordinators Petra Organisation for sponsorship of the format which is a grassroots initiative it quickly evoked memories of his early days, adding that what Bust a will get out of such a venture is blessings from those youths who cannot afford to buy a regular pair of football boots. “This is what will please this Company to know that we will be providing the opportunity for many of them who are not going to play the game at the traditional level, but just within their respective communities.” He promised that providing the tournament is successful and aspects such as discipline and good camaraderie are observed then the

chances of it expanding into other areas remain a high possibility. Selman then handed over the winning trophy and a cheque for an undisclosed sum to Mendonca. Mendonca in his remarks revealed that twenty-four teams will be vying for prize monies in excess of $1.2 million along with trophies, while every team will benefit from monetary incentives according to final positioning. The teams will be divided into six groups of four with the top two from each and the four best third place finishers going forward to the knockout stage. Additionally, each team will be provided with ten jerseys compliments of Busta which will carry the Company’s logo. The winning team carts off $600,000, 2nd place$300,000, 3rd place -$200,000 and 4th place -$100,000. The teams will have only five players including a goalkeeper on the field at any time and the playing area will be reduced in size and played on turf. The tournament is set to commence on April 9 and runs until May 5 at three venes, including GFC, Tucville ground and Ministry of Education ground. The teams selected are: North East La Penitence, North Ruimveldt, West Back Road, Sophia, Queen Street of Tiger Bay, Holmes Street of Tiger Bay, Albouystown, Tucville, Globe Yard, Leopold Street, Cross Street, Kitty, Bent Street, Durban Street, Sparta Boss, Charlestown, Broad Street, California Square, Back Circle, Brazilian Team, Stevedore Housing Scheme, Festival City, West Front Road and Alexander Village.

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Advantage batsmen, game to bowlers Australia had one of the most powerful batting line-ups but the destruction was wrought by their bowlers © Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo - If the essence of Australia’s World Cup-winning campaign could be distilled to one moment, this would be it. A thunderous ball, full, fast and swinging, from Mitchell Starc zipping past Brendon McCullum’s bat to rattle his off stump. It was a matchshaping, tournament-defining moment: New Zealand never recovered from it, and it electrified Australia to a performance worthy of champions. A previous moment of such significance had belonged to Grant Elliott, whose final-over six off Dale Steyn had carried New Zealand to their first-ever final. It can be argued that the drama and the definitiveness of its impact made Elliott’s six a more iconic image, but Starc’s ball established Australia’s dominance even before New Zealand could begin their challenge. And it was fitting, too. In a tournament that gave the appearance of being dominated by the bat, the ball had the last word. Starc was the Man of the Tournament, James Faulkner was the Man of the Match, and the best bowling side won the Cup. Australia brought to the tournament arguably the most powerful batting assembly in recent times, but the destruction was wrought by their bowlers. Their explosive opening pair failed and, barring Steven Smith, none of their batsmen featured in the list of top 10 run-makers. The only match they lost in the tournament was an outcome of a sensational batting collapse. Even that match was almost salvaged by their bowlers. In the knockout round, they were irresistible, never allowing a challenge even to develop, never conceding at a rate of more than five runs in the innings.

The bowling story, however, wasn’t limited to Australia. Three of the four semifinalists were carried by their bowlers. Until they ran into Australia, India bowled out all their opponents and New Zealand nearly did so. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami were the third and fourth highest wicket-takers in the World Cup, and they defied their pretournament form by conceding less than five an over each. Trent Boult’s bowling was one of the most compelling parts of New Zealand’s journey to the final: rare was an opening spell from him that didn’t produce a wicket. And while the 400-mark was breached three times, and overall there were 28 scores of 300 or more - 11 more than the 2011 World Cup - only three times in the tournament was a target of over 300 chased down. Ireland managed it against West Indies in their first match, Sri Lanka sauntered in their chase against England, while Bangladesh secured a record chase against Scotland. In 2011, there were two instances of winning teams chasing over 300 and England scored 338 to tie against India. By themselves, the numbers told a story. There were bigger scores, but fewer even contests. Only one of the seven knock-out matches produced a grand-stand finish, and only more match that mattered - Bangladesh’s win over England that helped them qualify- went to the last few overs. It wasn’t as much a World Cup of bat v bat as had been feared, but the playing conditions - two white balls that never aged sufficiently to allow reverse-swing or turn, and one less fielder in the outfield which made protect-

ing boundaries that much harder - made sure that batting first, despite the final and two of the quarter-finals, created almost an unfair advantage between equal teams. A couple of days before the final, Mark Nicholas hosted for us Ian Chappell, Michael Holding, Martin Crowe and Rahul Dravid in a discussion over the ideal format for the 2019 World Cup. Opinions were split about the size of the tournament and the place of the Associates in it, but there was unanimity that the balance between the bat and ball had to be restored. The vote was in favour of abolishing two new balls and for sending one more man outside the 30-yard circle. Holding argued passionately, and found unconditional support, for restricting the width of the bat. “There was a time when the bat used to have a sweet spot,” he said, “these days, there are sweet bats.” Wickets in the first 20 overs made the big difference for Australia, but 150 runs in the last 15 overs feels thrilling only as an exception. As a routine, it dulls the senses. Inarguably, the four best teams made it to the semi-finals but, of these, South Africa under-performed again. They lost three of the five matches they played against top eight teams and, once again, vital errors in the closing stages cost them a spot in the final. It was a gutwrenching result for them, but unless they get over the line in a global tournament, their ability to hold their nerve in the vital moments will continue to be questioned. On the other hand, New Zealand and India went as far their ability could have taken them. In some ways, their clean record till the losses to

Until South Africa get over the line in a global tournament, their ability to hold their nerve in the vital moments will continue to be questioned. © Getty Images Australia flattered them somewhat. Barring South Africa, India didn’t meet a team that could give them a contest. Their death bowling went largely untested until the semi-final, and their lack of finish at the end of the innings never cost them. New Zealand played all their

matches at home, and even though they beat Australia at Eden Park, they still arrived at the final decidedly as underdogs. But Australia won because they were a class above and in each of their final three matches, the ones that really counted, their bowling - the

fast bowlers applied such pressure that even Glenn Maxwell took wickets proved decisively superior. And in the process they provided the World Cup a degree of redemption and a clue to shaping its future: even oneday cricket needs to cherish and nurture bowlers.

Cricket coaching clinic set for Thirst Park

The Rainforest sponsorship was presented recently at Thirst Park. With the aim of improving the level of the game, former Guyana and West Indies fast bowler and WICB accredited level three coach Reon King, former national middle order batsman Orin Bailey and Guyana fast bowler Trevon

Garraway will be conducting a cricket coaching clinic at Banks DIH ground Thirst Park. The programme will commence on March 30 and conclude on April 31. Sessions for 5-7 years old and 8-10 years old will be done from 09:00 hrs

to 12:00 hrs, while sessions for 11-15 years old will be conducted from 13:00hrs to 16:00 hrs daily. Interested persons are asked to make contact with the coaches on 609-2765, 696-3520 and 668-5014. A fee of $4,000 will be charged.