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Kaieteur News
Thursday March 31, 2016
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
The price of oil and the economy The price of oil on the world market is at its lowest in 13 years. The world market price was under US$30 per barrel earlier in the year, down from the record high of US$110 per barrel a few months ago. It is moving upwards again. Indeed the high fuel prices forced the prices of ancillary products to skyrocket. In Guyana, as the price of oil rose on the world market so did the cost of fuel and fuel products in Guyana. Eventually the cost of transportation went up because the operators of public transport pressed the government to allow them to raise the fares. Their argument was that spare parts and tyres had become expensive as the price of oil went up. What Guyanese noted, too, was that the electricity company would trot up the charges. It included one called energy charge to compensate for the rise in energy costs. Private motorists also complained because the gas stations raised their prices because of what they said were acquisition costs. Today, the converse is the reality; gasoline prices have plummeted. The world price for a barrel of oil is 75 per cent lower than it was this time last year. Needless to say, the government is reaping a harvest. It is spending less money on oil so that the cost of running the electricity generating systems is drastically lower than a year ago. The world is aware of the lower oil prices; Guyana is also aware as it is aware of the falling gasoline prices in the United States. This has not been the case in Guyana; the gas companies have not been as quick to pass on the reduction in acquisition costs with the result that Guyanese are still paying an inordinately high cost for gasoline and dieseline. The result is that there are mutterings about the government holding on to its windfall. Surprisingly, this has not been made a political issue but there is a movement pushing for the government to slash gasoline and dieseline prices. It is as though the Guyana Government is enjoying the increased savings given that gold prices have hit rock bottom; rice is earning less than it did at this time last year; and bauxite is all but dead. However, if the truth be told despite the lower oil prices many countries are paying much more than Guyana for gasoline and dieseline. Venezuela, an oil-producing country, has the cheapest fuel in the world—about G$20 per gallon or 45 times cheaper than gasoline in Guyana. Trinidad, another oil producing country is retailing gasoline at a cost slightly lower than Guyana. The United Kingdom, a country far more developed than Guyana can hope to be in 200 years is retailing gasoline at US$6.69 a gallon. In countries like Spain, Bangladesh, Austria, New Zealand, Singapore and France the cost of gasoline is higher than it is in Guyana. There can therefore be no claim of a government seeking to reap a windfall at the expense of the people. There must be other factors. Most of these countries are producers of cars, electronic goods and household articles. The export of these products reaps huge revenues on which these countries turn. Guyana is not in such an enviable position. Even when oil flowed from Venezuela this country was paying a high price because Venezuela, while giving away its fuel at home, was prepared to earn from its trade with Guyana, not that this country did not benefit from the trade with its neighbour. Of interest is that despite the low price of oil on the world market Hong Kong is retailing gasoline at US$8.20 a gallon ($1,640 per gallon), and the Netherlands, US$7:50 a gallon ($1,500 per gallon.)
Justice system is class-driven and against the poor and powerless DEAR EDITOR, We the undersigned call on the President, the Ministers of Public Security, the Sexual Violence Unit of the Ministry of Social Protection, the Attorney General & Minister of Legal A ff a i r s , t h e C h a n c e l l o r o f t h e Judiciary,the Commissioner of Police, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Director of the Childcare & Protection Agency to ensure that in addressing the huge backlog of court cases priority is given to the large number of children and adolescent survivors of sexual offences who frequently spend up to 7 years awaiting trial of the perpetrators. We call on those responsible to immediately: · Release the number of pending child sexual offences cases that fall under the old legislation governing sexual offences · Release the number of pending child sexual offences cases that fall under the Sexual Offences Act(SOA) of 2010 · Release number of child sexual offence reports received by the Police Force for investigation since enactment of the SOA
· Release the number of child sexual offences cases in which charges have been instituted by the police after investigation since enactment of the SOA · Release the number of SOA cases that have been taken to court · Release the number of SOA cases that have been taken to court that have resulted in convictions While we welcome the COI investigation into the deaths of 17 inmates of the Georgetown prison, we feel that the entire justice system, including access to justice, is broken and favours the wealthy, the well politically and otherwise –connected and those in positions of power and authority over the least powerful and most vulnerable, such as child sexual offences complainants who are usually the last to be afforded any priority in this system. Since rape and all other sexual offences are bailable, the majority of offenders tend to be at liberty rather than on remand. If the APNU+AFC government is serious and genuine about freedom of information, the figures called for above must be released. If none of the above ministries or agencies are able to
supply this information, then systems must immediately put in place for them to be able to do so. We know this information is on record, is essential to the APNU+AFC government fulfilling its commitment to ensure that the SOA is fully implemented and is critical to an assessment of the justice system in relation to child sexual offences. Finally, we remind the APNU+AFC government that they are in violation of the Sexual Offences Actfor having failed to convene the Sexual Offences Inter Agency Task Force, which is mandated by the Act to develop and implement a national plan for the prevention of sexual violence. Child survivors of sexual offences have already waited 11 months for the government to make good its commitments. How much longer must they and future child survivors have to wait? Danuta Radzik & Josephine Whitehead for Help & Shelter Karen De Souza & Wintress White for Red Thread Pat Sheerattan & Renuka Anandjit for Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association
Eric Phillips says this lady is racist DEAR EDITOR, Gail Teixiera wants the Government to remove me a Chair of the Guyana Reparations Committee because I revealed an inconvenient truth about three Amerindian Nations who have already received part of the 13.8 percent of Guyana through the process of reparations from the British and Guyanese governments. My revelation that they came to Guyana 100 to 200 years after Africans seems to have jolted her from her sweet repose of plausible deniability. Hence she also tried like Anna Benjamin’s editorial to obscure the fact that the 13.8% of Guyana granted to Amerindians was through the process of reparatory justice. This is so because Amerindians claimed the British and Dutch took their lands and therefore reparatory justice dictated that they receive lands at Independence. Why is the truth so painful to Gail and her crew of political and racial arbitragers? Simply, Gail is one of many whom do not wants Africans to have equal rights in Guyana. So she purposefully tries to take a historical fact that three Amerindian groups came centuries after Africans to make it a race issue. This is straight out of Jadgeo’s the old PPP game plan. Gail, I always thought you were bright and knew the difference between race and rights. To begin with, they are spelt differently. And their meanings are very different. Reading Gail’s letter was equivalent to imagining Mike Tyson preparing for a spelling B competition. But Gail knows what she is doing. Witness the result of this purposeful strategy to divide the nation. Witness the words on facebook of Gail’s and
Jagdeo’ followers: “Granger want a bullet in head” and “got to blow them up with a bomb when they got emancipation day”. Shouldn’t Gail and Jagdeo resign from Parliament? The racism displayed during the last 23 years is beyond belief and unparalleled in Guyanese history. Gail, it was you and your Party that practiced racism and divided Guyana. Not me sweetheart. Gail, the truth about Guyana’s history cannot be prevented from reaching the Public. For instance, why don’t you tell us about the 3 Papal Bulls that were decreed by the Catholic Church which created chattel slavery? Since you may not know where to find them, kindly google Dum Diversas (1452, Pope Nicholas V); Romanus Pontifex (1455, Pope Nicholas V) and Inter Caetera (1493, Pope Alexander VI) This and many more truths will be revealed in the twenty booklets already written to correct Guyana’s history. These booklets will be released in 5’s and are
each about 12 pages long. They will be sent to every village in Guyana across all 10 regions. The truth will prevail as contrary to Gail’s belief, Guyanese aren’t stupid. In closing, I wonder why Gail and her crew have not said a single word about the 450,000 Africans who died during enslavement in Guyana? Why has she been silent on reparatory justice for the 200 years of free labour to build Guyana while enduring millions of rapes and millions of branding with hot irons. Perhaps Gail’s silence shows the contempt and indifference to Africans in Guyana. Perhaps it is a sign of the total disrespect she and her Party have for Africans. Witness the lies she told in Geneva when she spoke about the PPP’s treatment of Africans in Guyana. Gail, We have these records also. Gail, the race card is the only thing that keeps your party alive. Be careful what you ask for? Read your history. Eric Phillips
The Tiwari scandal is upsetting people DEAR EDITOR, The new Guyana Government is becoming consistent with making the most unexplainable stumbles. It is difficult to add to Mr Freddie Kissoon’s opinion on the matter of B. K. Tiwarie’s appointment and subsequent revocation. I would just like to say that observing from a distance, that power has indeed gone to the heads of our new leadership and that their supporters would just have to accept whatever they
dish out. After Burnham and his later dictatorship years and Jagdeo with his crassness, Guyana needs a government that shows its citizens some respect for its intelligence and their ability to figure out early which decisions are about patronage and which are for the benefit of our unique and beautiful country. The time for this new administration to get its act together is running out. Patience is wearing thin. Keith Fraser
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Kaieteur News
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The people of Bath Sam Hinds defends the record of the Guyana Energy Authority Settlement are changing DEAR EDITOR, Over the last weeks to months I have been disturbed and pained by the unjust smearing of the GEA Let me now address directly a number of charges/ innuendos: . That the CEO utilized Polygraph Integrity testing without the authority/approval of the Minister and the Cabinet to end the employment of workers: There was authority/approval. Even more so, dismissal on failing became policy. It was public knowledge. It was controversial. The Cabinet Secretary and HPS, Dr R Luncheon, at a press conference in August 2009 told reporters that the commitment to institutionalize integrity testing (implemented by a recommended US firm) within the state and government sectors has been solidified. I have acknowledged my disquiet that such testing is not perfect, that there could be (in my judgment) as much as 10 to 20% false clearances and false failures but we judged that we could do no better. Accordingly, those who failed were provided full benefits on the termination of their employment or their contracts were allowed to expire without renewal and those who were retained were subject to the standard, ongoing checks. . That the Head of the Fuel Marking Division (FMD), Mr William Holder, failed polygraph testing in September 2010: No such thing! Mr William Holder was never requested to take the
test, never took the test and so could never have failed the test. One is left to wonder how the forensic auditors got these matters of fact so wrong: how this false charge arose, could be accepted apparently without checking and could be advocated. . That the FMD is fully part of GEA and should be fully integrated into GEA: In the agreement with Biocode (now Authentix), Authentix is more than a seller of markers, indeed it is a provider of a full marking service. Authentix could have chosen to establish its own marking company in Guyana. Authentix has more than a say in the arrangements for the FMD. Rather than moving to full integration within the GEA from the existing considered arrangement of accounting separation, I can more see a move to a fully separate subsidiary arrangement. . That the CEO of the GEA, DrMahender Sharma was on the PPP/C’s list of candidates in our 2015 elections: This should have no place in any audit. It seems to suggest that Dr Sharma should not be continued in that office. It treads on his Constitutional rights. It would be recalled that I was declared to be the “Running Mate” and PM candidate alongside DrJagan in October1990 and continued in my job as Director for Product Quality, Research and Development for two years until the elections in October 1992. No doubt I was lucky – the Executive(s) to implement the initial reflexive call to dismiss me were abroad and by the
Glasshouses of Harding and Macedo DEAR EDITOR, I have noticed that there is a big hue and cry over the candidate in the recently concluded LGE over allegations of child molestation by Mr. Harding. While I am personally against such actions, it seems as though those at the helm of the campaign to have APNU/AFC distance themselves from the candidate have short or convenient memories. Not so long ago in Lethem, Mr. John Macedo, of
the PPP/C was accused of raping a semi-retarded school child. He was arrested, and was only released after the parents of the child did what I will not mention. Mr. Macedo contested in Constituency 3 in Lethem, lost the FPTP segment and was still selected by his party to sit on the new Municipality, in spite of his rejection by the electorate. So if you have glass windows, don’t throw stones. Chrispin Andrews
time they returned it had become a matter of some laughter that Sam had entered politics running with Cheddi – so the callfor my dismissal faded away. There are a number of other criticisms not untypical in an audit. They may be argued one way or another. I would have been ready to accept and implement many of the recommendations if only to keep things going but I totally reject the innuendos that there were loopholes intended to facilitate the soclaimed astonishing levels of corruption. Editor, it is a matter of regret that the issuing of fuel export/re-export licences was presented to the public as a preposterous matter engendering much laughter – corruption in that. There is no corruption. Guyana already has small incidental exports/re-exports of fuel. All fuel (and other) sales to international carriers – ships and planes – are exports/re-exports. Whist during the years of the PPP/C administration our economy was increased many fold, we need to increase our economy a further tenfold if we are to attain the prosperity which we all want. We can’t look to our traditional economic activities to do much more than to hold their own. We have to look for new activities, thinking out of the box, opening our minds to a thousand possible new ventures with the hope that some tens of them would take root and be fruitful. It was with the above awareness that we agreed to issue a fuel export license to facilitate a proposal to attempt to establish refueling and other bunkering services in port or at sea, to Chinese or other fishing fleets, and any other vessels traversing the Caribbean Sea. At times I wonder whether these preposterous allegations of hundreds of billions of dollars embezzled are not proxy accusations venting frustrations and dissatisfactions which for whatever reasons Persons do not want to or can’t speak directly to. Samuel A A Hinds
DEAR EDITOR, During last week, Region 5 was blessed to have the Hon. Prime Minister and 1st Vice President visited on three different occasions, the first being on Thursday 24 March. On this day the Hon. Prime Minister and his wife Sita Nagamootoo visited the Sheidstown Community whereby they attended a Church Service and also distributes hundreds of kites to children of the community. The Prime Minister and his wife were warmly welcomed into the area by residents and members of the church. What was most astonishing is when the motorcade of the PM was making its way back to Georgetown, the residents of West Berbice, both young and old that were on the roadside was waving and jumping, some was shouting Moses, Moses. While some of the veterans salute the motorcade as the PM passed by. This shows the amount of love the people of Region 5 has for the
Hon. Prime Minister. On Saturday 26th March, 2016 the Hon. Moses V Nagamootoo visited and also delivered the feature address at the first West Berbice Business Expo and Trade Fair also in attendance was his wife and the Hon. Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin. The following day the Hon. Prime Minister and First Vice President along with his wife visited the family of the Sugar worker from Bath Settlement that was killed on duty by African bees. At the Trade Fair, the PM was greeted with hugs and kisses. He was welcome by all. Mr. Editor what amazes me is when the Hon. Prime Minister walked around the booths of various companies\ businesses, he was welcomed whole heartedly by ALL. Mr. Editor, I could not have believed my eyes as to what I was seeing taking place. It amazes me the most when people of Bath Settlement whom I know to be die hard PPP supporters ap-
proach the Prime Minister and congratulated him for becoming Prime Minister. This has shown that the people of West Berbice are becoming wiser day by day and seems not be listening to some politicians that wants to divide this nation. This has shown that our people have become thinkers for themselves and more over are throwing the past behind them so that we can have a better and united Guyana. I must congratulate the people of West Berbice for showing the love and respect to others no matter what race, religion or political background we are from. Let’s continue to show love for all and let’s work towards moving Guyana forward as one. I must also thank the Hon. Prime Minister and his wife for making those trips to region 5 and I am appealing to you Hon. PM to have more visits to region 5Abel Seetaram APNU+AFC Regional Councilor Region 5
We stand by our definition
DEAR EDITOR, Your headline of my letter in today’s edition of your newspaper is misleading. Here is the definition of whistleblower: “is a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct within an organization that is either private or public. The information of alleged wrongdoing can be classified in many ways: violation of company policy/rules, law, regulation, or threat to public interest/national security, as well as fraud, and corruption. My reference was to government officials who are in receipt of these reports and are obligated under the law to keep them confidential; to paid members of COI’s and those paid to conduct audits whose responsibility it is to submit their findings to a competent authority and not leak these to the media. Please correct this misleading headline.
Wesley Kirton EDITOR’S NOTE: Maybe Mr. Kirton did not reread his letter in his response. In the definition of “whistle-blowing that he cited above, the following words were provided by Mr. Kirton; “is a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct within an organization.” Yet against his own definition, Mr. Kirton wrote in his orginal letter, the following; “I am tired of all these leaked media reports of findings of WRONG –DOINGS.’ We emboldened the word wrong-doing so Mr. Kirton can juxtapose it against his own definition of whistleblowing which states; “any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical or not correct.” The leaking of information on WRONG-DOING (Mr. Kirton’s word) by public servants and others who feel
that the wrong-doing should be exposed is what constitutes whistle-blowing. We stand by our interpretation of Mr. Kirton’s original letter that he wants people who leak information on WRONG-DOING (Kirton’s word) to be punished. We would like to inform Mr. Kirton that the role of the letter section of the newspaper is not only to accommodate the views of only of those who want to praise government but those who want to expose governmental conspiracies which the public ought to know about. We find it unfortunate that Mr. Kirton, a journalist by profession, would want governments to punish citizens who leak information about secret conspiracies of the state
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Thursday March 31, 2016
MACORP signs $$M equipment deal with Aurora Gold Mine In what is being deemed a laudable business deal, the Machinery Corporation of Guyana (MACORP) has signed an equipment deal with Aurora Gold Mine (AGM). AGM is a subsidiary of Guyana Goldfields Inc. (GGI) located in the southwest of the country in CuyuniMazaruni (Region Seven). It is an emerging gold producer with the onset of AGM which achieved its first gold production in August 2015. GGI is a Canada-based Company with its primary focus on mineral exploration and development of gold deposits along with other projects at the advanced exploration stage. MACORP, in a statement, said that it is pleased to announce that it has signed the deal. The deal was finalized in the first quarter of the year with the resultant factor being a procurement total of 11 units of Caterpillar mining equipment. These included six 745C articulated trucks, two 390F Hydraulic Excavators, two 326D2L Hydraulic Excavators and one 336D2L XE Hydraulic Excavator. The equipment is customized with Product Link, which is a part of the Vision Link system. They are geared to maximize time while also reducing owning and operating costs through sophisticated and timely information on the equipment’s location,
utilization and condition. In addition to the above mentioned, the equipment is well-equipped with state of the art technology. The 336D2 L XE has the hydraulic hybrid technology which is the latest example of such an innovative product in the world. The “XE” on Caterpillar equipment stands for the most technologically advanced, fuelefficient machine capable of reducing fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent for high efficiency work in all application and material types. With focus on high productivity, the 745C articulated truck has many updated and improved features such as a new power train and ease of operation features over the out of production 740B Articulated Truck. The 326D2 L Caterpillar Hydraulic Excavator incorporates innovations to improve efficiency by reducing fuel consumption by 13 per cent for excellent performance, and high versatility. The 390F Caterpillar Hydraulic Excavator is built to keep production numbers up with a C15 ACERT engine for fuel efficiency, and reliability to succeed. This deal marks the commencement for the expansion of business relationships between the two companies, and will be a major contributor to the strength of the local economy by bringing growth and innovation of modern technology along with
Caterpillar equipment sold by MACORP
presenting new employment opportunities for Guyanese which will serve as a building block for the mining industry in Guyana. MACORP and GGI had previously collaborated on
various contractual agreements for purchasing of new equipment and the utilization of rental equipment during the construction phase of AGM and the early mining phase.
MACORP said that it is therefore elated to have secured this deal with AGM which reinforces its corporate social responsibility strategy of promoting sustainable development in Guyana.
MACORP is the only authorized Caterpillar dealer in Guyana. It testifies to the quality products and product support that is usually a hallmark of Caterpillar dealers worldwide.
Salesman mysteriously disappears, car found Police in Linden yesterday picked up a car belonging to Oswald Grundall and have since lodged it at the Mackenzie Police Station. Grundall has reportedly not been seen since Monday. Known as bagman, the 56year-old Canvas city resident was reportedly seen two days ago.
Informed sources indicated that the man’s car was removed from Berbice Road where it had been parked. His estranged wife, Coretta Bourne, when contacted yesterday said that she was clueless as to the man’s whereabouts, and is also looking for information. Grundall is of African descent, medium build and of medium height. He would park on Berbice Road in order to conduct his business, which involved the vending of styrofoam boxes among other items.
Police recovered Grundall’s car
The man who originally lived at Handenveldt, Mahaica, East Coast
Demerara, before relocating to Linden, reportedly lived alone.
Thursday March 31, 2016
Kaieteur News
Obama could decide on greater troop presence in Iraq soon (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will have the chance to decide on whether to increase the number of U.S. forces in Iraq in the “coming weeks,” the top U.S. general said yesterday. The extra troops would bolster the capabilities of Iraqi forces preparing for a major offensive against the Islamic State militant group in Mosul, U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news briefing. U.S. and Iraqi military officials have been discussing a plan to retake
:General
Mosul, which fell to Islamic State in June 2014, and how U.S. forces could support their efforts, Dunford said. “Those recommendations are being made and the president will have an opportunity to make some decisions here in the coming weeks,” Dunford said. “I brought it to the secretary (Defence Secretary Ash Carter). The secretary will engage with the president.” Dunford said last week he
expected an increase in the level of U.S. forces in Iraq from the current 3,800, but that those decisions had not been finalized. U.S. officials have said they hope to capitalize on recent battlefield successes against Islamic State, such as the retaking of Ramadi by Iraqi forces late last year. “The timing really now is focused on the next phase of the campaign, which is towards Mosul, and maintaining the kind of momentum that we had in Ramadi,” Dunford said.
Chinese company to build regional headquarters in Jamaica KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) will begin the construction of its regional headquarters in New Kingston later this year, signalling its confidence in Jamaica and its intent to remain in the region and to continue to invest in the country. Vice president of CCCC, Ziyu Sun, made the disclosure shortly after the official opening of its landmark project in Jamaica, the North-South leg of Highway 2000, on Wednesday, March 24. He pointed out that the company decided to concentrate on Jamaica for three reasons. The first was the fact that Jamaica was the first Car-
ibbean country to set up diplomatic relations with China in the early 1970s, yielding what is now a long history between the two countries. The second consideration was to fulfill China’s interest in building an economic partnership with the Jamaican people; and thirdly, Jamaica is an island and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) specialises in activities, such as marine engineering, dredging and bridge building. Sun said that CCCC is one of the 500 largest enterprises in the world. “We are currently ranked at 165 and expecting to move ahead another 20 positions by the end of the year,” he
noted, adding that the company’s decision to establish headquarters in Jamaica is an indication of its confidence in the government and people of Jamaica. According to Sun, the building of the North-South leg of Highway 2000 was the first overseas investment for CCCC and its subsidiary CHEC, using the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. He said he would classify the project as a milestone and that it would be used as a prototype for the Caribbean. He added that having made the decision to make the 50-year investment in Jamaica, his company is of the view that it made the right decision. (Caribbean News)
Sir Lester Bird questions US ambassador’s credentials Daily Observer - Former prime minister and senior parliamentarian, Sir Lester Bird is calling on the current prime minister to demand better representation from the United States on behalf of Antigua and other Caribbean countries. Speaking in Parliament Tuesday, Sir Lester said he is yet to verify the credentials of Linda S Taglialatela to serve as the chief of the US Mission to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS. “What are her credentials to make her come here and want to advance the third border,” Sir Lester said. “The problem is, I bet she raised a lot of money for Obama’s campaign and she is raising money now for the present democratic person, Hillary Clinton. That is how they choose their ambassadors sometimes.” Sir Lester suggested that Taglialatela is not the best person for the job of
US Ambassador to Antigua & Barbuda. “The Americans just insert themselves. I know you going to get vex with me, but they send some old lady down here saying she is the ambassador to Antigua. Come on, I don’t care what it is, let
me tell you all something, the point is they (have) to send people here who are going to do something for these islands. I suspect she was in some thing back there and they give her an ambassadorship,” Sir Lester added.
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Harmon’s actions place him in the shadows of distrust - Goolsarran Tiwarie-gate…
By Kiana Wilburg Critics believe that Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, has crossed the line when it comes to respecting the boundaries of responsible governance. They are saying that his actions as of recent
will now place him under the shadows of distrust. Those comments come in wake of a revelation by this newspaper that Harmon, on January 19, last, appointed businessman Brian “BK” Tiwarie as Ministerial Advisor on Business Development.
This publication made the appointment known on Monday last and it was rescinded by Government the following day. Specifically, Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran said that he was shocked to learn that Harmon, a man who spoke against the
appalling backdoor deals made by the PPP, would even do such a thing. Goolsarran said what was even more shocking was the fact that three senior Cabinet members – Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan and the Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin – have no knowledge of this appointment. The anti-corruption advocate said that he is nevertheless comforted by the fact that President David Granger has rescinded the appointment one day after it was made public, not by the Government but by the private media. Goolsarran said that it is evident that the President needs to place a curb on the tendency of the Minister of the Presidency to act unilaterally and without obtaining his prior approval. He emphasized that the issue of making persons Ministerial Advisors should involve the formal engagement of Cabinet. The Chartered Accountant said that once a decision is made, it should be made public immediately. Given Harmon’s actions, the columnist said that all major decisions taken by the Minister of the Presidency without approval of the President and/or Cabinet should be reviewed. As it relates to Government’s “one-sentence” response on the entire matter, which merely said that the appointment was rescinded, Goolsarran said it clearly suggests that the President must have considered the disclosure embarrassing. He opined that a Minister is involved, and the buck stops with the President, hence a guarded response. Goolsarran said that it could be that Granger is awaiting the return of the Minister from his business trip to explain himself. The Chartered Accountant said that it is good that the present administration is acknowledging its mistakes and taking corrective action when these are brought to its attention. Goolsarran believes that the Government will continue to make mistakes. He noted however, that the President needs to take whatever measures he considers necessary to minimize the extent of such mistakes. He said that perhaps, the time has come for the President to review the performance of his Ministers before it is too late. University Professor, Dr. David Hinds is of the belief that the recent developments in relation to Tiwarie points to the problem of administer-
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon
Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran
University Professor, Dr. David Hinds
Managing Director of BK International, Brian Tiwarie
ing Coalition Governments. He said, “Although I am a proponent of these types of governments, I do recognize that for those governments to be effective there has to be a shift in the political culture. I would not lay any individual responsibility at Minister Harmon’s feet. I don’t know whether he overstepped his authority.” He continued, “But I would imagine that a Minister does have some scope when it comes to what he or she could do without prior consultation. Having said that I think appointing BK as an advisor should not be a matter for an individual Minister or any individual faction of the government to decide.” Dr. Hinds said that BK is controversial and is linked to the small cabal to which state resources were unlawfully transferred. The University professor said that Tiwarie may have shifted allegiance, but that does not remove the taint. Dr. Hinds said, too, that Government’s abrupt one-line statement on the issue amounts to an admission of a mistake. He said that the issue exposes a lack of suffi-
cient engagement by the Coalition Partners outside of Cabinet. The political activist said that it is clear that the decision was not sanctioned by all the partners. He said however that this problem is one that started within the APNU and has been transferred to the Coalition. He noted however that the problem -a lack of proper consultation - will have consequences for the Government. Dr. Hinds said, “There is always the temptation for the large faction of a coalition to act as a hegemony, but that has to be tempered if the Coalition is to work effectively.” He added, “I know that consultation is not instinctively part of our party political culture, but the effort has to be made. There is need for mechanisms outside of the Cabinet to deal with these larger sensitive political issues. The President and Ministers are busy and it is difficult for them to make and carry out policies simultaneously. So there must be advisory bodies made up of representatives of all the (Continued on page 23)
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‘Brother RODNEY KNEW THAT HE Hamza’ missing WAS GOING TO BE KILLED Missing: Gregory Sanmoogan aka ‘Brother Hamza’
Relatives of the Sanmoogan Family are pleading with the public to assist them in finding their loved one, Gregory Sanmoogan. He is a father of 11 and the husband of Hassena Muhammad. The tailor was last seen at 18:00 hrs (6 pm) on Tuesday, last, leaving his home at Lot 853 Section B, Great
Diamond, East Bank Demerara to carry out a few domestic errands. Sanmoogan, also known as ‘Brother Hamza’, was last seen wearing a grey Islamic traditional garment. His family urges anyone with information of his whereabouts to report it to the nearest police station or call telephone numbers: 216-3263, 685-8521 or 651-9170.
Dr. Walter Rodney knew at the end of 1979 that the Burnham regime was going to kill him. Six months prior to his death, Rodney had begun to put his affairs in order. Dr. Walter Rodney was the co-leader of the Working People’s Alliance which was formed in opposition to the then People’s National Congress regime headed by Forbes Burnham. Rodney, an international renowned scholar was assassinated on June 13, 1980 in Georgetown. Rodney may not have foreseen the exact form his death would have taken but he knew that he was going to be killed. Recent declassified documents have given details of a meeting between Rodney and a senior member of the United States Embassy in Guyana during which Rodney conveyed the impression that he knew he was facing imminent extinction by the Burnham regime. Rodney met with a senior official of the United States Embassy in Guyana on December 5, 1979. At the end of that meeting, the official was of the view that Rodney had a premonition of his impending death. The purpose of the meeting was to assure the Embassy that the WPA had no bad intentions towards the United States. It was also to bring it up to date with developments in the country from the perspective of the
Dem boys seh ...
Who is de real boss? Soulja Bai or Joe Humbo? Under de Pee Pee Pee dem had people who were prostitutes. Dem would do anything fuh a dollar. De govt. change and dem prostitutes tun stylish whores. Dem boys seh some man don’t even recognize a whore from a prostitute. Once de woman look good de man does hold on pun anything, especially if he ain’t good looking. And is more action when dem got dem eye pun a certain man, especially if he is a big one—and Guyana got nuff big boys. Everybody know when a woman going out with she new found man. She does put on she best. Down to she underwear does be smelling sweet. She does make up she face with lipstick, eye shadow and powder, and colour up with rouge. Is after dem settle in at de club or night spot, and dance a song or two, the make-up does start falling off she face.
Is then dem boys seh, de man does get to see the real whores under the make-up. Dem boys hear a set of dem been to China wid Li’l Joe. BK had on a set of powder, Bai Shan had on eye shadow and Rong On lip thick wid lipstick. Larrie from England had on rouche and a T-back. From de time dem step off de plane everybody name change. Li’l Joe become Joe Humbo; BK became Bai King; Bai Shan tun Kum Shan and Rong On tun Right On. Larrie tun a Pum Pum. Dese people could do no wrang under de Pee Pee Pee. All of dem get massive lands and huge contracts. They were de untouchables. WikiLeaks was one who seh suh. Joe Humbo was one de main speaker against de lawlessness that was going on between dem chaps. When de govt change, de world believe that people woulda
never hear dem names again. Instead, de names get bigger. Dem boys hear that Bai Shan done get approval to ship de rest of de forest to China. He get back all he concessions and he can operate freely. As fuh de RongOn, who get export licence fuh oil even before it come out de ground, he can ship out gold and diamond, without paying royalty. Bai King, de Business King, will be de inbetween man who will decide wid Joe Humbo who get what contract. Dem boys arrive at this conclusion because of what has been de new talks in de coalition. Dem boys hear Joe Humbo is Soulja Bai boss. Dem boys hear he stop SARU and GRA people from clamping down pun Bai Shan although Soulja Bai send de people fuh do dem wuk. Water mo’ dan corn flour! Talk half and find out who is de real boss.
WPA. However, during the meeting Rodney essayed a request for the embassy to grant permanent alien status to his wife and children should he be killed. In the event of his death, Rodney wanted to make certain that his wife and children would not have to remain at the mercy of the Burnham government. He said that he did not like to ask favours but would do so where the welfare of his family was concerned. He emphasized that he was not seeking assistance for himself. The US embassy official in his comments to his superiors about the meeting noted that Rodney “had the premonition of a man of imminent death. He was not shrinking from that fate, but he was trying to put a few affairs in order before it came upon him.” At that meeting, the WPA co-leader brought to the attention of the embassy, the constant harassment, victimization and violence faced by him and his party. His wife who was a university graduate could not get a job. He related that for merely attending a WPA meeting, persons could face
transfer to remote areas, outright dismissal and victimization. Even some of his friends who were not politically active were subject to harassment and victimization. Meetings of his party were broken up and activists attacked. Rodney related to the embassy official that the WPA had received information that the then Prime Minister, Forbes Burnham, had issued instructions that future confrontations with the WPA were to be fateful. According to Rodney, his travel outside of Georgetown had to be limited because every time he was discovered in another area, he was picked up by the police and held. The constant surveillance and attacks on the WPA had forced the party to go underground for protection since even routine meetings about the organization of the party, its finances and political strategy had to be clandestinely held. Tacuma Ogunseye had given testimony during the Rodney Commission of Inquiry about that period. He
had spoken, inter alia, about the unease among young activists, the strategy of the party and its efforts to bring about regime change. What Ogunseye said was fully consistent with what Rodney told the embassy official. Rodney had relayed to the embassy official that a great deal of time and effort was being exhausted by the party in trying to avert retaliation from young WPA activists who were tired of being pushed around by the PNC government. Rodney also said that the plan earlier in 1979 was to organize all opposition groups into a government of national reconstruction along the lines of the Dominican model, get the people out into the street and demand Burnham’s resignation. The strategy for regime change would have been to force Burnham to succumb to the overwhelming demand of the people for him to step down. That never happened. After Rodney’s death at the age of 38, the struggle waned.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday March 31, 2016
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Concatenation of mistakes that is killing optimism If you read these columns, you will easily know who my close friends at the Kaieteur News are, which places I go to have a lime, which political groups I associate with. I never thought of hiding these facts about me because I don’t see any reason to do so. I see absolutely nothing wrong with stating how I voted in the just concluded LGE. In the constituency contest, I opted for Byran Macintosh. At the Georgetown PR level, I voted for Youth For Local Government Countless times I have mentioned my close relationship with important AFC personnel. I have a close intimacy with many second-tier leaders of the
AFC, some of whom I have known long before they dreamt of entering politics and some of whom I taught at UG. Since the May 2015 election, many of these second-tier leaders have complained to me in tones that were angst-ridden and pregnant with fulminations on how disappointed they have been with the changing nature of the AFC since the 2015 victory and the manner in which the APNU leadership administers state affairs. Sunday night I was at a celebration hosted by Alfred Mentore of APNU who won his constituency seat in the LGE. I met AFC cadres who, on first seeing me, brought up the recurring themes of the distance between the AFC
hierarchy and its second and third tier planks. For the hour that I spent at Alfred’s party, the LGE imbroglio was the featured topic among AFC people who interacted with me. On Tuesday night, Denis Chabrol of Demerara Waves, solicited a comment from me on the LGE discord between the AFC and APNU. I gave a long presentation ninety percent of which wasn’t carried but I understood the space constraint. Demerara Waves now has my analysis in its archives on the rising tide of uneasiness in the Coalition leadership. In columns to come I will adumbrate my polemics on where I think both AFC and APNU went wrong and also look at the
increasing invisibility of the WPA in the APNU formation. For now, I want to look at the concatenation of mistakes by the Coalition Government which is undermining the growth of optimism in the Guyanese people. I believe that the stifled growth was seen in the results of the recent LGE. The APNU-AFC Coalition is making too many mistakes and in too short space of time. It began with discomfort among AFC supporters on the post May (2015) sharing of power. Certainly, you would be naïve to think that the Stabroek News is not an influential voice in Guyana. That paper published a trenchant accusation that the Cummingsburg Accord was departed from and that the
Prime Minister’s power was diluted. The paper’s editorial on the subject contained large manifestations of chagrin. Next there was the misdirection that was so shocking that ten months after the coalition’s victory I am still angry. They voted against a circle of steel barriers around Parliament when they were in the Opposition. In what can only be described as barefaced wickedness, they not only maintained the abomination that they had voted against but expanded it to take in more streets. In what was a large indication of what was to come, the entire population of this tragic land ignored that act of hypocrisy by the Coalition. Today, the Coalition continues to make the outer perimeters of Parliament look like a prison fortress. Not one, not even one person from the Coalition leadership ever uttered half a sentence either in the press or at a public gathering as to why the need to maintain and expand the fortress. Next, we had the salary increase scandal. And it became a scandal for two reasons. One
Frederick Kissoon is that Raphael Trotman said it was on the back-burner. Secondly, it came off the back burner surreptiously. It was “secretly” gazetted. Then the scandal took on worrying dimensions when the Government backed itself against the wall by openly claiming that the Ministers had to be paid for their talent. It was a most unstrategic thing to say because the question was asked and since then, is being asked; where is the talent? Next, the Coalition leadership has cocooned itself in an old, nasty culture run from the press when you cannot be frank and forthcoming. This culture needs to be confronted by new transformational leaders. Unfortunately we are not seeing such leadership. In all honesty, Khemraj Ramjattan does not run from the press at all. His Cabinet colleagues need to emulate him. Next there is the Brian Tiwari mess. The Government has a Business Minister and he didn’t know that he, as Minister, had a Business Advisor.
Thursday March 31, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Berbice police solve another high profile crime …neighbour to be charged for businessman’s murder After conducting diligent investigations detectives in Berbice have nabbed Kelvin Seegobin as a prime suspect for the murder of Corentyne businessman, Patrick Mohabir. Mohabir was shot dead on January 6, last, at his Lot 9 Belvedere, Public Road
Corentyne, Berbice home. Seegobin, who is known to the authorities, is a neighbour of the businessman. Investigators have confirmed that Seegobin, called “Kelly”, 37, of Belvedere Squatting Area,
was in their radar. He was subsequently placed on bail. A file was prepared and sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice and subsequently returned for the man to be charged. He was arrested on
Tuesday and is expected to be charged during the week. He was also positively identified in an identification parade. Indications from early were that Mohabir was the victim of a robbery. It is alleged that on the
The Guyana Prison Force will have its capacity boosted with the addition of a Special Response Team. This is according to Minister of Public Security and Vice President, Khemraj Ramjattan. He said that the unit would have the capacity to handle any case of misconduct that may arise in the future, in the prisons. Noting that the Special Response Team would not have to depend on the Police Force for support, Ramjattn said the new team of highly trained ranks would be able to make better judgment calls and be prepared to enforce discipline among inmates. Recognising that the present training of prison
officers was “not of the best” the Ministry of Public Security has now mandated that all recruits in to the Prison Service undergo training at the Guyana Police Force training schools. “It is not enough, they need lots more training and we want better recruits and so on,” Ramjattan said of the present training programme. In addition, the government is looking at ways to improve the salaries and conditions of work at the Guyana Prison Service so as to attract and keep skilled personnel. “Our prisons are tough places to work and sometime the more quality people do not want to go there,”
Ramjattan said. Referring to the recent Camp Street Prison unrest which left 18 dead and several others wounded, the Minister said, “If we don’t start investing in better recruits, their accommodation, their allowances, their salaries and all of that, we might have lots more riots on our hands, which will cost (us) in the long term, lots more.” Meanwhile, the government is taking advantage of the offers made by several international partners and agencies to train law enforcement officials, locally and overseas. Several officers of the Guyana Prison Service have left Guyana for the United States, to
participate in the 18th Annual Mock Prison Riots, at the decommissioned West Virginia State Prison in Moundsville. The Mock Prison Riot Training programme which was initiated in 1997, offers Prison Officers from around the world training where they learn the latest techniques and methods used to quell prison disturbances. The training features hands-on training and technology exposure to corrections, law enforcement, military and public safety practitioners. Local law enforcement ranks are also being trained in other jurisdictions as part of the Government’s plans to further build their capacity.
Special Response Team to deal with prison disturbances - Ramjattan
night of January 6, two masked men, armed with a ‘long gun’ and a cutlass and dressed in dark long-sleeved clothing, entered the home of the businessman. Mohabir, a father of six, operated the popular grocery store, Shabina and Sons, on the premises. At the time Mohabir, his wife, Shabina Ahmad, and four of his children were at home. The woman had told investigators that she and her husband were in their room when her husband heard some strange sounds outside. She said that they thought it was the children and he asked her to investigate. She said that upon venturing out of the room she was
confronted by the two masked bandits. She immediately begged them not to harm the family and even offered them money. She said that her husband then came outside and was shot in the left thigh during a scuffle with one of the intruders. The bandits reportedly then returned to the wounded businessman’s wife, who allegedly managed to “scramble” the mask off of one of the intruders. The invaders then fled, taking two cell phones and a pair of shoes. Mohabir was rushed to hospital where he succumbed. The woman had stated that the men did not appear to be robbers. There were no signs of forced entry to the house.
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Thursday March 31, 2016
AML battle ... Guyana, EU hosts fourth negotiation Guyana not yet out of the session on forest agreement The Government of Guyana and the European Union (EU) held its fourth negotiation session on the EU’s Forest Law and Enforcement Governance and Trade Action Plan Voluntary PartnershipAgreement (FLEGTVPA) earlier this month. At a preparatory meeting held ahead of the March 10 FLEGT-VPA, between the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Technical Working Group (NTWG), Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman reiterated Government’s commitment to the process, and its confidence in the capabilities of the team to reach an agreement in the best interest of the country by the close of 2016. The fourth FLEGT-VPAwas held in Georgetown, Guyana. The VPA is a key element of
the FLEGT Action Plan, and a VPAwith the EU would facilitate increased market access for Guyana’s timber into that lucrative market. Guyana formally entered into the negotiation process with the EU for a VPA, in December 2012. The FLEGT-VPA process provides an opportunity for Guyana to further strengthen and mainstream its consultation and engagement process to enhance forest governance, improve legal compliance and build in-country capacity for community engagement in forest policy development and implementation. At this session, Guyana provided an update on the progress of the development of the VPA, highlighting key concepts and strategic considerations in the further
development of the Agreement. The parties stressed that the VPA represented a general commitment to communication, transparency, and consultation, and emphasised that these are key pillars of a robust agreement. The two parties recognised that the VPA is framed by the existing legislation governing different aspects of timber legality, including forest use. While the focus of the VPA remains on forest-operations related legislation, Guyana and the EU acknowledged that this agreement represents an opportunity for the promotion of broader governance issues, including those related to land titling and land use. Both parties expressed satisfaction on growing integration and linkages of REDD+ and FLEGT in Guyana and also encouraged the promotion of synergies with the broader forest policies and other major initiatives in the forestry sector such as the EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) so that they are mutually supportive. The consideration of the linkages between private certification and the VPA were also welcomed.
woods - Attorney General
Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Basil Williams and stakeholders during the consultation at the Ministry of Legal Affairs With talks of Guyana being on a grey list, due, in the past, to the lack of legislation in place to combat aspects of money laundering, the state is now is a better position since the coalition government took over last year. This was according to Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Basil Williams, who yesterday engaged with various stakeholders during a consultation session on the draft of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing Terrorism (AML/CFT) Amendment Act 2016. The session held at the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Carmichael Street Georgetown, saw participation from members of the Private Sector, the Guyana Police Force (GPF),
the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) and other representatives of key stakeholder organisations. During the lengthy session at the Ministry, yesterday, there were many questions and various contributions. Member of the Private Sector Commission and General Manager of Roraima Airways, Gerry Gouveia, raised concerns after he learnt that Guyana had appeared on a grey list. But Williams said that since before he became the Minister of Legal Affairs, Guyana was in a “dark-grey” list. With the government’s commitment and actions to satisfy all the requirements set forth by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the state is now on a “light-grey” list.
Gouveia then went on to ask the Minister and the Legal Advisor of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Alicia Williams, about the consequences if Guyana should remain on this list and the effects it will have on the Private Sector. He also asked about the steps that should be taken to allow Guyana to exit. Alicia Williams said that Guyana was featured in the FATF’s Global Compliance Document. She continued that Guyana, and the other countries that would have appeared on this document, have committed to an action plan. This action plan, she said, is currently being addressed. She further stated that in order to get off the list, all items agreed to be addressed will have to be undertaken. FATF (continued on page 23)
Thursday March 31, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Known law breaker shot after Guyana looks to enter Europe’s services market injuring two police officers Focus is being placed on setting up a framework that could see professional musicians, architects and attorneys compete for service contracts in European markets. In a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice President, Carl Greenidge, noted that Guyana has to change its outlook. “We have to look at a range of services…not old time low level or low income…but services that are knowledge intensive…that is an area that has to be exploited,” Greenidge said. Guyana had sought the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to conduct a study on future opportunities that exist internationally. The findings identified the provision of knowledge based services as one area to be explored. Efforts are now being made to implement the findings of the study which could see professional musicians, architects and attorneys gaining entry into the European market. New opportunities were opened up for Guyana by the European Union due to the fact that sugar from Guyana and the Caribbean no longer enjoys preferential treatment into the European market.
Additionally, access to the rice market was curtailed by way of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). According to Greenidge, Guyana has a range of local services that could support the music industry, theatre and masquerade. He said that this gives rise to interesting dimensions in the arts that can be exposed and can equally compete with overseas talent. “This can bring in revenue both for the artistes and Guyana...We can take advantage of a high income market in Europe…The impact of South African theatre in the British market should not be underestimated,” Greenidge explained. He added that when you have musical artistes entering a market there are a range of support services such as multimedia, electronic, photography and other talent that goes with it. Efforts are being made to provide a framework where these service oriented professionals can be endorsed by a Caribbean or CARIFORUM wide certificate which can be presented as evidence of their authenticity. This would provide them with easier access to enter the European market to take advantage of contracts to perform. “This is income for Guyana and the Caribbean… there are
economic opportunities for utilizing skills that are so expensively acquired such as communications skills…You’re not going to pick up an architect and compete for a billion dollar project but they themselves can find the level at which they can compete and so take advantage of the opportunities,” Greenidge explained. Access to compete in the European market is much easier when compared to obtaining entry into the United States market. While it is hoped that Guyana and the Caribbean enjoy a sympathetic year with the opening up of the Canadian market, the Region has to do significantly more to take advantage of what is being made available to them. “The agreement and negotiations of a trade agreement with the Canadians fell through last year with Canada accusing us (the Caribbean) of not being ambitious in relation to that particular arena,” Minister Greenidge pointed out. The government upon taking office embarked on a course to improve relations, aggressively, both with its neighbours in South America and further afield. The fruit of those relations will see varying aspects of the country’s economy benefitting from exposure to international markets. (GINA)
Shameer Mohamed was yesterday freed of a manslaughter charge at the Georgetown High Court, by Justice Priya SewnarineBeharry and a mixed 12member jury. Mohamed was accused of unlawfully killing Munrajie Amza, his reputed wife. The incident allegedly occurred on May 12, 2001, at Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara. The victim suffered severe
burns about her body after she was set alight. According to the facts of the matter as presented by State Prosecutors Michael Shahoud and Orinthia Schmidt, the victim, also called “Sandra”, was drenched in kerosene before Mohamed lit a match and threw it at her. During the trial, former Police Sergeant Gordon Doobay testified via Skype that on May 16, he visited Amza after she
was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for treatment. He recalled that the victim had told him that she believed she would die as a result of her injuries. Amza told the detective that she poured the kerosene on herself on the morning of May 12, 2001 but it was the accused who lit the match, and she was burnt. Prosecutor Shahoud in presenting his closing arguments on Tuesday told the mixed 12-member jury that it was a clear case of manipulation. He referred to the words of the deceased in which she told investigators that her then lover had urged her to douse herself in kerosene to prove her love to him. But the accused, who was represented by Attorney at Law Michael Somersall, repeatedly claimed he is innocent of the crime. Additionally, Parmanand Bharrat called “Navin,” the brother of the deceased, claimed that the accused told him that he was at home that day, when “Sandra,” set herself alight, and that he had tried to extinguish the fire.
Man found not guilty of Sisters Village killing
Man in court twice in 4 months for rape A 24-year-old man appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse on Tuesday at the Linden Magistrate’s Court charged with raping a minor. Michael Franklin, of 223 Block 22, is accused of rape of a minor on November 10, last, at Phase 1 B Wisroc. Upon advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Franklin was charged under Section 10(3) of the Sexual offences Act Chapter 8:03 rape of a child under sixteen
years. Franklin who is before the court on another rape charge for which he was granted bail in the sum of $200,000 on December 30, last, pleaded not guilty and was placed on $150,000 bail. In the prior case the young man is charged with engaging in sexual penetration of a female without her consent on July 23, last. The incident allegedly occurred at One Mile, Wismar. Franklin will return to court on April 12, next.
Malcolm Henry who is well known to the authorities and is before the court on a number of charges has been shot and injured by the police. This was after a confrontation with the police during which he injured two Rural Constables and subsequently attacked police ranks with a knife. Information revealed that the police were on mobile patrol around 19:55 hrs on Tuesday in the East Canefield Area. Upon driving through Welfare Street they noticed a group of persons including Henry who were on the street corner. The ranks inquired of the persons their purpose of being there and decided to conduct a search. However the persons resisted and Henry cuffed the two unarmed Rural Constables. He subsequently pulled out a knife and attacked the police. Henry, 32, of Rosignol, West Bank Berbice and 319 East Canefield, East Canje Berbice were subsequently shot in his leg by an armed policeman. The man and the two Rural Constables were
rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital. The two Rural Constables were treated and sent away. Henry a father of two was initially treated at the New Amsterdam Hospital and subsequently referred to the GPHC where he has been admitted under guard. According to the police Henry is currently before the courts on two charges of robbery under arms and is also under investigation for two incidents of alleged rape. The man who also has a number of aliases is also known as Nikheal Henry of Levi Dam Angoy’s Avenue. During 2015 he along with known criminal Delroy Joseph called “Barney” and another man were charged for a series of armed robberies. In July 2013 Henry and Sai Jainarine of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne Berbice, were charged with break and enter and larceny committed between July 4 and July 5, 2013 on the Courts Furniture Store at Main and St Ann Streets, New Amsterdam. Henry was also charged with breaking and entering the
Malcolm Henry dwelling house of Roopesh Persaud of Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam between Sunday August 25, and Monday August 26, 2013 and stole $1,263,000 in items including two lap top computers, one flat screen television set, one diamond finger ring, three gold chains, two gold rings, one gold band, two pairs of gold earrings, six gold pins, two pairs of gold bangles. The Police Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting investigations into the current incident.
Lack of alternative route undermining ... From page 2 may bid for a job in an area where he himself may not have visited but he figures he can do this job based on what he sees. Sometimes when he actually starts the job he is faced with the transportation cost and all of these other auxiliary prices that comes in which he has no control over.” Sharing a hypothetical situation, the official noted
that a sack of cement could cost about $1,000 to procure in Georgetown but by the time it reaches to Chenapau (Region Eight) it could cost as much as $18,000 because everything has to be done by air. That is only the cement. “When you would have gotten to the air field, you have to pay drudgers to get it down to the river, then when it gets to the river they got to get a
boat to carry it further up, and then pay drudgers to get it up back the hill and to where the actual site is. This of course would add astronomically to the cost of the project,” related the well informed official. He noted that media reporting on such issues could at times be done from an emotional standpoint and not necessarily with an understanding of the true state of affairs.
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Kaieteur News
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Thursday March 31, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Putting teens in jail to be raped is appalling DEAR EDITOR, I’m composing this letter with regards to the concerns of UNICEF representative Ms. Marianne Flach and teenage pregnancies. Her sentiments are similar to many other Americanbased NGO rights activists in the Caribbean. Currently, the age of sexual consent in Guyana is 16. It was raised from 13 to 16 around 2005 in response to gender and child rights activists concerns that 13-year-old girls are becoming victims of sexual abuse and teenage pregnancies. There is a clause under the Sexual Offenses Act where an authority figure can be liable for a criminal charge if he/she
engages in sex with a vulnerable person under 18. Recently, UNICEF representative Ms. Flach is concerned that 16 and 17 year olds are not able to access confidential sexual health services because they are not the age of majority, which is 18. Instead of proposing a law to allow 16 and 17 year olds to access sexual health services, many of these rights activists aim to raise the general age of consent from 16 to 18. This will result in an 18year-old person becoming liable for Camp Street prison if he engages in a sexual relationship with a 16 or 17 year old. This will also result in many teenagers becoming at-
risk of contracting HIV/AIDS from unprotected anal sex while in prison because of that law. One should note that at the UK has their age of consent at 16, with some countries in Europe having their age of consent at 15. Brazil age of consent is 14 and French Guiana age of consent is 15. The United States have their age of consent at 16 and 17 in at least forty states. The US states which have their age of consent at 18 allow age exceptions for teenagers from 15-17. I’m afraid that Ms. Flach along with the foreign rights activists are not acting in the interest of anyone but them-
selves. I’m concerned that raising the age of consent will put many consenting older teenagers behind bars in a justice system where a person can wait months, if not years for a trial. The solution to curbing teenage pregnancies is not to criminalize teenagers and young people, but for teenagers to be provided appropriate health services and support in order to make the right decisions. Forcing teenagers into Camp Street, jail to become victims of anal rape and HIV/ AIDS, while American female teachers are engaged with sex with very young male students and receiving sympathy for their crimes, is highly unfair to the rights of the teenagers and people who are in consenting relationships. Marvin Persaud
A great school celebrates a 100 hundred years of birth
DEAR EDITOR, It is heartening to note that a large number of former students of Berbice High School (BHS)have banned themselves together to provide much needed facilities for their alma matar as the top school celebrates its 100th anniversary in September. A packed programme has been arranged between August 31 and September 5 in which a wide range of activities are planned and hundreds of former in the diaspora from
as far as Australia, London, the United States, Canada and other parts of the planet will attend. Sir Shridath Ramphal former student who served as Commonwealth Secretary General for three terms and President David Granger will attend the ceremony on September 5. The old students have drawn up a wish list to supply the needs of the school in each department including mathematics, science, home
economics, theatre art, business department, industrial technology as well as all the classrooms. The Singh brothers, Dr. Tulsi Singh, Dr. Puran Singh, Muneshwar, Chhatrapal, Lalbahadur and Mohan, have already shipped 500 chairs to the school. Among the activities planned are: cultural extravaganza, exhibition of arts and literary publications of alumni, sporting activities, workshop, dinner and dance, and several other activities.
BHS has produced hundreds of outstanding professionals in several fields including university presidents, professors, scientists, doctors, lawyers, and in several other fields. The names of a few who have excelled will be announced during the week long ceremony. Chairman of the organizing committee is Dr. Grantley Waldrond with Avinash Bhagwandin as Secretary. The theme of the committee is “seizing the opportunity to train and build a cohesive society” Oscar Ramjeet
hands-on and direct control over the process on a discretionary basis as empowered by law. The Sooba affair rings a bell and we all know the outcome of that. Why would it be any different with the LGC if this body is similarly empowered (by law) and appointed (by the President)? Is Mr. Lowe suggesting we leave this to chance and there will be a leadership team at the
LGC that is certain to adopt his proposed approach? I say give the power to the Mayor and Councilors, who were directly elected by the Guyanese people, to exercise the functions currently conferred to the LGC. Issues like these should be put to a referendum and included on the menu of the constitutional reform process. Clinton Urling
Power should be with the City Council only
DEAR EDITOR, I welcome Mr. Lowe’s contribution to the discourse on the Local Government system. These engagements are important as they often can lead to evolving approaches and laws that advance how our country’s affairs are governed in the future. Mr. Lowe views my reference to the fact that the constitution empowers the Local Government Commission (LGC) to appoint ‘all’ staff of the local government organs in Guyana as a “soft” one. By ‘soft’ I’m assuming that he means it’s no big deal. He presents an argument of how the LGC can function as is done in other societies. His argument is based on an opinionated idealism of how the LGC should, or could, operate and not grounded on what the factual constitutional requirements of the Commission are. As Mr. Lowe
rightly pointed out, the establishment of the LGC was merely to exchange authority of certain functions from Minister to Commission. Therefore it follows that the sitting Minister could have exercised this authority, as envisage by Mr. Lowe, in a devolved “rule making, adjudicating and other oversight” manner. Well, our contemporary history shows that this was not always the case and the Minister exercised substantial
Harmon’s actions place him in the... From page 8 parties whose job is to think through these things and to offer advice to the Cabinet.” Hinds opined that the new administration has once again misread the mood of the country, especially its own supporters. He emphasized that there is no appetite among Government supporters for the inclusion of persons closely associated with the former regime. He said, “I was severely criticized by some Government insiders for making this observation when it was speculated that the government wanted to employ PPP members, Robert Persaud and Nanda Gopaul. People simply
do not want any of those persons around the seat of power.” Dr. Hinds added, “I do understand that in some instances the government has to deal with these people for the simple reason that they own most of the resources, the capital that are needed to keep the economy going. I think this is the case with BK.” The political activist emphasized however that the government has to be very clear what price they are prepared to pay to be able to deal with such persons. He stressed however that there has to be a cut-off point. He said that making such persons advisors is clearly too high a price.
Guyana not yet out of the woods... From page 12 will then have to be satisfied with the addressed items before another process called “get off” is initiated. From noticing other countries, Alicia Williams said that this process is likely to take approximately six months. The inheritance Recommendations to comply with FATF and CFATF were inherited, the Attorney General said yesterday. He informed the gathering that the reason for the session was to get the Bill into parliament as quickly as possible. He continued that the Bill, will attempt to treat the remaining recommendations issued by the FATF. The Attorney General further stated that the Government had inherited several recommendations made by FATF but managed to reduce that number to one, which has three subsets. This recommendation, he said, relates to the identifying, tracing and freezing of terrorists’ assets. He stressed the importance of satisfying these recommendations while noting that the “threat of
terrorism is real.” The Minister made this statement while referencing the recent “terrorist” attack in Brussels, Belgium. With regards to complying with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) recommendations, the Attorney General noted that the Government had also inherited a “plethora” of recommendations that were not complied with by the former administration, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). “...So this draft is attempting to deal with them (recommendations); there are about 10 recommendations that have to be determined.” Despite fierce objection by the opposition, the PPP/ C, the A Partnership for National Unity Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government last year passed the AML/CFT Amendment Bill 2015, paving the way for all financial transactions in the country to be monitored. Six months after passing the controversial Bill, Government returned to the drawing board to table amendments in keeping with requests by the respective task force.
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Mechanic denies involvement Man remanded for in hit and run road death snatching gold chains
…Attorney tells court that the virtual complainant should show proof that he can afford a gold chain A vendor was yesterday remanded to prison on an armed robbery charge, when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. It is alleged that Derwayne Harding, 27, of Lot 307 West Ruimveldt on March 22, 2015 in the Georgetown District, armed with a cutlass, robbed Calvin Mercurius of two gold chains. Harding, a vendor, pleaded not guilty to the offence. Prosecutor Neville Jeffers stated that the accused approached Mercurius and
snatched his gold chains. He added that when the victim asked back for his belongings, Harding brandished a cutlass at him and ran into a bus. Harding’s Attorney, Paul Fung-A-Fat, challenged the police to prove that there was a robbery, mockingly asking Mercurius to produce a receipt that he can “afford to buy one gold chain”. He stated that his client was involved in a fight with the complainant and not a robbery. He alleged that Mercurius was beating Harding’s younger brother when
Clothes vendor remanded for possession of cocaine A Kitty resident was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for possession of 25.5 grammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. It is alleged that Joseph Ramsingh, of Lot 14 Railway Line, Kitty on March 24, last, was found with the cocaine. Ramsingh pleaded not
guilty to the offence when it was read to him by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Prosecutor Deniro Jones stated that given the nature of the offence Ramsingh should not be granted bail. Subsequently, Chief Magistrate McLennan adjourned the case for April 18, and remanded him to the Georgetown Prisons.
Derwayne Harding the defendant intervened and a fight started. The prosecution, however, stated that Harding had given an oral statement, confessing to the robbery. “The jails are unsafe now Your Worship…Please I’m asking for reasonable bail,” Harding said. Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan refused his application and remanded Harding to prison until his court hearing on April 8, 2015.
Delon Duncan, the suspect in the hit and run accident that claimed the life of teen biker Travis Bollers, last November, yesterday denied being involved in the accident. His denial came despite a police witness testifying that Duncan had confessed to the offence after he was arrested. Duncan, 34, of Lot 982 Block ‘F’ Sophia was arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts in December 2015 on five charges that included causing death by dangerous driving. He was arraigned for not being in possession of a third party insurance policy; for failing to stop after the accident had occurred; for failing to render assistance to the injured teen; and for failing to report the accident to the police within 24 hours. He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges. In an unsworn statement yesterday from t h e p r i s o n e r ’s d o c k , Duncan said that on November 26, 2015, he was driving along Sherriff Street. He said that as he was about to turn into Pike Street he saw a minibus and so he stopped and allowed the other vehicle to pass. Afterward, he said he turned into the street. A sound behind him caught
Dead: Travis Bollers his attention, he said, so he glanced through a mirror in the vehicle and saw that someone was about to sit on the bridge. He said that he continued along his own path and carried the vehicle to the welding shop where he was employed. A week later, he said received a phone call informing him that police were at the shop and they were about to take the vehicle into custody. He said that when he went to the police station, an officer inspected the vehicle and found scratch marks and a dent on the back of it. At that point, he said he was arrested and taken into police custody. Duncan stated that he knew nothing of an
accident. Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers, however, refuted Duncan’s statement, indicating that photographs were before the court, showing Duncan pointing to the point of impact on the roadway. He said further that Duncan had related to a Police Constable that he was involved in the accident. Duncan’s lawyer, Paul Fung-A-Fat, in turn denied Jeffers assertions. Earlier in the case the prosecution had argued that repairs were being conducted on the vehicle that was driven when the accident occurred. The prosecution had argued that this showed the cunningness of the accused, who had allegedly turned himself in when he realised that the police were close to making a break in the case. The matter was adjourned for April 6, 2016 by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. On November 26, last, around11.30 pm, Bollers and his cousin, Quacy McCalman, were riding a motorcycle along Pike Street, Campbellville, headed towards Sheriff Street when they collided with the Toyota Tacoma pick-up GHH5201 that turned into the street. The two young men were subsequently rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where Bollers was pronounced dead on arrival.
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Assad says he can form new Syria govt. with opposition (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad said it would not be difficult to agree on a new Syrian government including opposition figures, but his opponents responded yesterday that no administration would be legitimate while he remained in office. Assad, bolstered by military victory in the desert city of Palmyra, was quoted by Russia’s RIA news agency as saying a new draft constitution could be ready in weeks and a government that included opposition, independents and loyalists could be agreed. While the distribution of portfolios and other technical issues would need to be discussed at Geneva peace talks, which resume next month, “these are not difficult questions”, Assad said. Opposition negotiators immediately dismissed Assad’s remarks, saying that a political settlement could be reached only by establishing a transitional body with full powers, not another government under Assad. “What Bashar al-Assad is talking about has no relation to the political process,” said George Sabra of the High Negotiations Committee. The United States also rejected Assad’s comments. “I don’t know whether he envisioned himself being a part of that national unity government. Obviously that would be a nonstarter for us,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Syria’s crisis erupted five years ago with protests against Assad which were put down with force. It descended into a civil war which has killed more than 250,000, drawn in global military powers and helped Islamic State establish its self-declared caliphate. Nearly five million refugees have been driven abroad. At a conference in Geneva, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on countries to resettle nearly half a million Syrian refugees in the next three years. “This demands an exponential increase in global solidarity,” he said, though his appeal won immediate responses from only three countries - Italy, Sweden and the United States. Assad told RIA the war
had cost more than $200 billion in economic losses and damage to infrastructure. That is in line with a U.N.backed body which estimates physical damage at $90 billion, with an additional $169 billion of accumulated losses from a collapse in GDP to less than half the 2011 level. Despite Assad’s upbeat assessment of the chances for a political solution, his comments reflected deep differences with the opposition. It says that for the last four years international agreements on Syria’s future have centered on the principle of setting up a transitional governing body. Assad’s opponents have understood that such a body would have full powers, and that he would not play a further role. But the president said the very idea of a transitional body was “illogical and unconstitutional”. “That’s why the solution is forming a national unity government which prepares for a new constitution,” he said, adding that its formation would be agreed in Geneva. LOOKING TO RAQQA Russia’s six-month-old intervention in Syria helped to swing military momentum in Assad’s favor, reversing last summer’s gains by insurgents including Westernbacked rebels and helping government forces to drive Islamic State out of Palmyra on Sunday. The recapture of the Palmyra and its military airport, in the central Syrian desert, opens up the road further east to the Islamic State bastions of Deir al-Zor province and Raqqa. “After liberating Palmyra it is necessary to move into the nearby regions which lead to the eastern parts of the country, for example, Deir alZor,” Assad said. “At same time, we need to start in the direction of Raqqa, which is currently the main Islamic State stronghold.” Any offensive on Deir alZor or Raqqa however would probably need significantly more firepower than the Palmyra assault. “It’s an open question whether or not the Syrian army is going to be able to push any further to the east,” said U.S. Army Col Steve
Warren, Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. “They are stretched fairly thin and they still have a significant number of forces tied up in Palmyra.” Although the United States and Russia worked together to establish a limited U.N.-backed truce in Syria, which excludes Islamic State and al Qaeda’s Nusra Front, U.S. military officials have said they are not cooperating with Russian or Syrian forces. The Russian-backed Syrian ground forces are concentrated in western parts of the country, confronting Islamic State on its western front. U.S.-backed efforts in Syria, including Washington’s support for a joint Kurdish-Arab force against the jihadi group, are focused instead on its northeastern flank. However, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov as saying Moscow and Washington were discussing “concrete” military coordination to recapture Raqqa from Islamic State. In a message to the U.N.’s Ban, Assad said Syria was ready to cooperate with “all sincere efforts” to combat terrorism, state news agency SANA said. “This moment might be the most appropriate to accelerate the collective war against terrorism,” it quoted him as saying. Since capturing Palmyra, Syrian government forces and their allies have been targeted two towns to the east and west of the city, seeking to eliminate Islamic State from an expanse of desert in the center of the country. Backed by Russian air power they virtually surrounded the town of alQaryatain, state media have reported. Heavy air strikes have also struck near the town of Sukhna, where Islamic State fighters retreated to when they pulled out of Palmyra. Russian and Syrian officials say the retreating jihadis left mines and explosives among the 2,000-year-old ruins which they abandoned in Palmyra, and Assad appealed to the U.N. to help restore the ancient monuments. Islamic State fighters dynamited two Roman temples, a triumphal arch and funeral towers last year, and also smashed statues and displays at the city museum before they fled. Russia said earlier it was sending military engineers, sniffer dogs and “demining robots” to help defuse explosives in the old city.
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Unusual dissent erupts inside Cuban Communist Party HAVANA (AP) — Days after President Barack Obama’s historic visit, the leaders of Cuba’s Communist Party are under highly unusual public criticism from their own ranks for imposing new levels of secrecy on the future of social and economic reforms. After months of simmering discontent, complaints among party members have become so heated that its official newspaper, Granma, addressed them in a lengthy front-page article Monday. It said the public dissatisfaction over the lack of open discussion before the upcoming Communist Party congress next month is “a sign of the democracy and public participation that are intrinsic characteristics of the socialism that we’re constructing.” The article did little to calm many party members, some of whom are calling for the gathering to be post-
poned to allow public debate about the government’s plans to continue market-oriented reforms for Cuba’s centrally controlled economy. “The base of the party is angry, and rightly so,” party member and noted intellectual Esteban Morales wrote in a blog post published before Obama’s visit. “We’ve gone backward in terms of democracy in the party, because we’ve forgotten about the base, those who are fighting and confronting our problems on a daily basis.” A c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y, Cuba’s ruling party is facing stiff challenges as it tries to govern an increasingly cynical and disenchanted population. Struggling to feed their families with state salaries around $25 a month, many ordinary Cubans see their government as infuriat-
ingly inefficient and unresponsive to the needs of average people. The open anger among prominent party members in the middle of sweeping socioeconomic reforms and normalization with the United States hints at a deeper crisis of credibility for the party that has controlled virtually every aspect of public life in Cuba for more than a half century. The article in Granma appeared less than a week after Obama won an enthusiastic response from many ordinary Cubans by calling for both an end to Cold War hostility and for more political and economic freedom on the island. The unsigned article shared the front page with Fidel Castro’s sharply worded response to Obama, in which the 89-year-old father of Cuba’s socialist system said, “My modest suggestion is that he reflect and doesn’t try
Fidel Castro, left, and Cuba’s President Raul Castro. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano, File Photo)
U.S. says it will not recognize South China Sea exclusion zone The United States has told China it will not recognize an exclusion zone in the South China Sea and would view such a move as “destabilizing,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defence Robert Work said yesterday. U.S. officials have expressed concern that an international court ruling expected in the coming weeks on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could prompt Beijing to declare an air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, in the region, as it did in the East China Sea in 2013. Work told an event hosted by the Washington Post that the United States would not recognize such an exclusion zone in the South China Sea, just as it did not recognize the one China established in the East China
Sea. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year. “We don’t believe they have a basis in international law, and we’ve said over and over (that) we will fly, sail and go wherever international law allows,” Work said. “We have spoken quite plainly to our Chinese counterparts and said that we think an ADIZ would be destabilizing. We would prefer that all of the claims in the South China Sea be handled through mediation and not force or coercion,” he said. Work spoke as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepared to visit Washington for a nuclear security summit this week. The United States has accused China of raising tensions in the South China Sea by its apparent deployment of
surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island, a move China has neither confirmed nor denied. China, for its part, has repeatedly accused the United States of militarizing the South China Sea through its freedom of navigation patrols in the region and the expansion of military alliances with countries such as the Philippines. In February, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country’s South China Sea military deployments were no different from U.S. deployments on Hawaii. Tensions between China and its neighbors Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan over sovereignty in the South China Sea have risen after Beijing embarked on significant reclamations on disputed islands and reefs in the area.
to develop theories about Cuban politics.” Many Cubans are skeptical of free-mar-
ket capitalism, wary of American power and cannot envision a society
without the free health care and education put in place by the 1959 revolution.
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Debt surprise…
PetroCaribe buyback will cost taxpayers US$110m annually Jamaica Observer - Finance Minister Audley Shaw Tuesday disclosed that the previous Government’s PetroCaribe debt buyback will cost the country US$110 million (J$13.4 billion) annually from a six per cent increase in interest rate on the new agreement. In addition, Shaw told the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) President’s Forum at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel that, after taking office, the new Administration found that the estimated J$9.5 billion that should have been set aside from the forward purchase of oil had been included in the consolidated fund. The new Government had said it would reallocate that J$9.5 billion to fund its election promise to abolish income tax for individuals earning up to $1.5 million annually. After his address, Shaw told journalists that the Government would now have to find the money elsewhere to fund the income tax proposal, and said he would speak further to that in the upcoming budget debate. “The [PetroCaribe] Fund is now quite compromised in the fact that, while the buyback of the PetroCaribe debt was so celebrated, and we must acknowledge that it did bring the national debt down to a point… let’s not forget that in order to buy back that debt we had to now enter a new debt instrument of US$1.5 billion - not at one per cent interest rate as we were paying before, but at a seven per cent interest rate,” the minister stated.
“And the consequence of that now is that the PetroCaribe Development Fund is now being called upon to appropriate US$110 million from that point to the servicing of that US$1.5 billion,” Shaw continued. Last July, then Minister of Finance Dr Peter Phillips signed off on an agreement to purchase US$3.2 billion in debt owed to Stateowned Venezuelan oil company Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) through the PetroCaribe Development Fund at US$0.46 on the dollar, or a discount of 54 per cent, with the remaining funds allocated for what the prospectus describes as general budgetary financing. The purchase was made from US$2 billion raised by the then Government through the issuance of two Eurobonds on the international capital market. Economists, along with the PSOJ, were in support of the move, while Phillips emphasised that the transaction would lower the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio by approximately 10 per cent, or a J$164 billion reduction in nominal public debt stock, from J$2,147 billion to J$1,983 billion. Phillips also confirmed that, as a result of purchasing the debt, the PetroCaribe Development Fund was now obliged to pay the central government, instead of PDVSA Petróleo SA, for the full amount of the debt, while advising that the debt buyback would not require higher taxes.
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Australia Women surge into fourth straight final ESPNcricinfo - International victories are sweet, but some are sweeter than the others. On Wednesday, it was Meg Lanning-led Australia Women side that won the bragging rights over England Women, who stumbled to yet another defeat to their archrivals in a knockout clash. It left Australia eyeing a delicious prospect of pitching for their fourth successive Women’s World T20 title come Sunday. Lanning’s 50-ball 55 on a slow Feroz Shah Kotla deck was the cornerstone to Australia’s 132 for 6. England, who needed to achieve the highest successful run chase in the tournament to have a crack at their second title, choked despite having the target well within touching distance. They imploded with a combination of nerves and reckless shots. Katherine
Brunt, who had a forgettable day with the ball, muscled a six and four to bring the equation down to 17 off 10 deliveries before Australia’s killer instinct prevailed; England agonisingly falling short by five runs. England came out all attacking in their chase, and also benefitted from some luck as a diving Beth Mooney put down a tough chance offered by Tammy Beaumont at midoff in the fourth over. Charlotte Edwards, who started slowly, lent the artistic touch to the innings, before she chipped a catch to cover, against the run of play. Her dismissal ended a 67run opening partnership that came at better than a run a ball. Sarah Taylor, who had failed in each of her four innings in the group stages, then showed why she is a feared striker in the women’s game as she stamped her au-
thority immediately by hitting Jess Jonassen inside-out over cover for six. But the pressure of the asking rate resulted in her partners attempting shots they wouldn’t otherwise. Beaumont, after doing all the hard work, chipped one to cover where Lanning pulled off a stunner. Nerves then turned into proper panic when Natalie Sciver, who had brought England back into the contest with the ball, walked across the stumps, only to miss a full and straight delivery from Ellyse Perry. By then, England were reduced to 91 for 3, needing 42 off the last five overs. Lanning then introduced spin even as Taylor, who grew increasingly frustrated, tried to reverse sweep and paddle her way, but to no avail against Kristen Beams, the legspinner. The slowness of the surface forced another change as Erin Osborne, the
Thursday March 31, 2016 ARIES (MAR. 21APRIL 20) Go out with friends who are positive and supportive. Make decisions about your professional objectives. TAURUS (APR. 21MAY 21) Someone is trying to pull the wool over your eyes, and if you're gullible, it may cost you. Get promises in writing or you will be disappointed. GEMINI (MAY 22JUNE 21) Do not get into uncertain financial deals. Sudden good fortune will help you cover your debts. If you haven't already, consider starting your own business. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) Your outgoing, aggressive nature will attract someone you've been eager to meet. If you are not already, think about going into business for yourself. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Do not get involved in joint financial ventures. Concentrate on work. You can ferret out secret information if you just listen to what others have to say. VIRGO (AUG. 23 SEPT. 23) Get involved in jobs that require creative input. You can win points with both peers and superiors. Problems with your partner could be reaching a high level of concern.
LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) Be honest in your communication and don't lose your cool. Home improvement projects will enhance your residence and bring the family closer together. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) Concentrate on your job. You will attract potential lovers, but be sure that they're unattached. Accomplishment is yours if you direct yourself accordingly. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) Do not get involved in joint financial ventures. Evasion is likely if you aren't direct about your feelings. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.- JAN. 20) Look into ways to better yourself through improving your dietary habits and daily routines. Your pursuits may end up being fruitless. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) Try to stay calm, and whatever you do, don't nag. Use discretion in your dealings and refrain from making verbal promises of any kind. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Be sure to use your charm and diplomacy when dealing with potential new clients. Don't get involved in secret affairs or underhanded involvements. Don't let an incident at work play on your mind.
Meg Lanning sweeps en route to her 55, Australia v England, Women’s World T20 2016, 1st semi-final, Delhi, March 30, 2016 ©Getty Images
offspinner, brought in for the first time in the 17th over struck off her second delivery as Heather Knight holed out to long-on. From bossing the chase, England had almost bottled it by that point as the asking rate escalated to close to 10 runs an over. That Australia had the luxury of runs on the board was courtesy a strong start from the openers Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani. Healy, under scrutiny after a poor run of scores in the tournament, did the early running by taking the attack to Brunt and Anya Shrubsole with a 41-run stand, their highest of the tournament. Healy’s game is mostly about timing, and she set the template early on, showing the surface was a far cry to the ones both sides had encountered early on. Healy’s four boundaries in the first three overs somewhat took pressure off Villani, who took a while to get going. England’s pacers were guilty of not varying their pace and were duly put away, the first four overs yielding 35, before Australia were pegged back by a double-strike. Sciver, the seamer, struck in her first over as Villani missed a straight one to be adjudged lbw. Off the next over, the sixth, Healy, also fell lbw attempting a reverse paddle to give Laura Marsh a breakthrough and leave Australia at 50 for 2. Lanning and Perry did what they do best, milking the runs in the middle overs through smart strike rotation, seldom looking for the big hits to largely defensive fields set by Edwards. England didn’t help their own cause by reprieving Lanning twice, once on 20 and 45, with Taylor being the culprit on both occasions. Lanning went on to make a half-century, and help
Australia post a more than competitive score courtesy support from her deputy Alex Blackwell, who contributed all of 11 in a 37-run stand for the fourth wicket. While most other sides may have looked to hit out, the match awareness of the pair on a surface that demanded application, and not flamboyance, may have resulted in those few extra runs that made the difference in the end. As much as those extra
runs may have come in handy, it wouldn’t have been enough had Rene Farrell not brought her experience into play. She held her nerve, defending 12 off the final over in style, as Australia showed why they were the three-time champions. Scores: Australia Women 132 for 6 (Lanning 55, Healy 25, Sciver 2-22) beat England Women 127 for 7 (Beaumont 32, Edwards 31, Schutt 2-15) by five runs.
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Thursday March 31, 2016
Warriors stifle Wizards, Roy smashes 78 as win 54th straight home game England march into final Reuters (The Sports Xchange) - The Golden State Warriors finally got their defence in high gear Tuesday night, limiting the Washington Wizards to 41.9 percent shooting en route to their 54th consecutive home-court win, a 102-94 victory over an Eastern Conference playoff contender. The Warriors, who held only four of their previous 18 opponents under 100 points, limited the Wizards to one field goal over a 9-minute, 58second stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters in building an insurmountable lead. The result was Golden State’s franchise-record-tying 67th win of the season. Stephen Curry led four Warriors starters in double figures with 26 points as Golden State (67-7) pulled five games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs in the race for top seeding in the Western Conference playoffs. The win was the Warriors’ 10th in their past 11 meetings with the Wizards, who fell into 10th place in the Eastern playoff chase. Washington (3638) sits three games behind the Indiana Pacers (39-35), who currently reside in the eighth and final postseason slot. The Warriors closed the first half on a 12-0 run to take a three-point halftime lead, but they were on top just 7270 after Wizards forward Markieff Morris buried a 3pointer with 2:20 remaining in the third period. However, Washington made only one more field goal — a layup by Nene — in nearly the next 10 minutes, during which the Warriors rolled up a 95-76 advantage with under 5:00 remaining in the game. A fastbreak layup by backup Jared Dudley with 4:22 to go ended a Wizards drought that saw them miss 12 of 13 shots. The Warriors, meanwhile, went up 79-72 on a 3-pointer
NEW DELHI (Reuters) Opening batsman Jason Roy struck a career-best 78 as former champions England stormed into the World Twenty20 final with a sevenwicket romp against New Zealand on Wednesday. Electing to field, England staged a strong comeback in the second half of New Zealand’s innings to restrict their opponents to a modest 153 for eight at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. Roy and Alex Hales (20) then provided a flying start to their reply and Jos Buttler smacked a six to seal semi-final victory with 17 balls to
The Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) drives past the Washington Wizards’ Markieff Morris (5) during the second quarter of their game at Oracle Arena on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) by Draymond Green with 6.8 seconds remaining in the third period, then eased away in the fourth quarter thanks in part to Curry’s sixth 3-pointer of the game, one he banked in from straight away with 6:07 to go. Curry, who had 51 points when the Warriors won 134121 at Washington earlier this season, finished 9-for-20 from the field and 6-for-8 on 3pointers. He also found time for seven rebounds and seven assists. Green contributed 15 points, a game-high 16 rebounds and nine assists to the win, and Klay Thompson, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, added 16 points. Thompson shot just 2-for8 from 3-point range, but the two successes brought his total for the month of March to 76, breaking the NBA record of 75 for the month set last year by Curry. Harrison Barnes was a
fourth Warriors starter in double figures with 14 points to go with nine rebounds. Bradley Beal had 17 points to lead the Wizards, who were playing for the second time on a five-game Western swing and lost for just the third time in their past nine games. Morris (15), Otto Porter Jr. (11) and Nene (10) also scored in double figures for the Wizards, but star point guard John Wall was limited to eight points, ending his streak of consecutive games in double figures at 31. Wall, who led Washington with 11 assists, had recorded double-doubles in his previous nine games. He burned the Warriors for 41 points in the earlier meeting this season. Marcin Gortat was Washington’s top rebounder with 11. After trailing by as many as eight in the first quarter, the Wizards shockingly spurted into a 46-37 lead late in the second period. Wall had a hand in all four field goals in a 9-0 run that produced the nine-point lead, hitting a pair of shots and assisting hoops by Beal (a 3pointer) and Gortat. But just when it appeared the Warriors would be saddled with a rare halftime deficit at home, they countered with a flurry of their own, scoring the final 12 points of the second period. Curry led the charge, burying two 3-pointers and a layup before assisting a Shaun Livingston dunk in a 12-0 spree that exhausted the final 2:24 of the half and produced a 49-46 halftime advantage.
Jason Roy brings out the reverse sweep, England v New Zealand, World T20 2016, semi-final, Delhi, March 30, 2016 ©GETTY IMAGES spare. England, the 2010 champions, now meet the winners of Thursday’s match between India and West Indies on Sunday. Roy launched England’s reply in emphatic style, smacking four boundaries off the first over by Corey Anderson. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson introduced spinner Mitchell Santner in the fifth over but a breakthrough still proved elusive. Roy took 26 balls to bring up his maiden half-century in Twenty20 internationals as he put on 82 for the first wicket with Hales. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi gave the Kiwis hope by removing Roy and captain Eoin Morgan off successive deliveries but Buttler (32 not out) provided the fireworks and Joe Root (27 not out) the composure to fashion an easy win for England. Earlier, New Zealand cruised to 89 for one after 10 overs before Morgan’s men rallied. After dangerous opener Martin Guptill fell in the third over, Colin Munro (46) added 74 for the second wicket with Williamson (32) to lay the foundations for a big total. England, however, applied the brakes with some disciplined bowling and tight fielding. Anderson made 28 down the order but New Zealand eventually fell well short of the 175 total that looked reachable at the halfway stage. Ben Stokes (3-26) was the pick of the England bowlers, again showing how good he is in the latter stages of an innings. Earlier on Wednesday, England’s women lost their semi-final to Australia.
Thursday March 31, 2016
Kaieteur News
India v West Indies, World T20 2016, semi-final, MumbaiMarch 30, 2016
Kohli, Gayle headline Wankhede big bash Darren Sammy and a high-spirited Phil Simmons at practice, India v West Indies, World T20 2016 semifinal, Mumbai, March 30, 2016 ©AFP
ESPNcricinfo - Chris Gayle. Virat Kohli. Dwayne Bravo. MS Dhoni. The Wankhede stadium will be screening an ensembledriven action movie as much it hosts a cricket match on Thursday night. Those individuals and their styles of play contribute to a lot of the interest surrounding this game, and also typify there are various ways to establish T20 batting dominance. India’s has been to simply extend their Test and one-day game into the Twenty20s arena, and when all goes well, they get the bulk of their runs through orthodox cricket. West Indies, ideally, wouldn’t want their long-format form anywhere near them right now. Helpfully, this format has a tight cap on the number of overs so the big-hitters can keep hitting big without worrying about consequences. Case in point are the methods that their marquee players use. Gayle likes to “beat” the ball. No wonder it rockets as far away from him as it can, hoping to be lost somewhere in the rings of Saturn. Kohli is kinder in assisting with the ball’s travels, and even throws in a few surprises - patrons waiting in the off stump line could end up at midwicket almost as often as they do in the covers. Both teams clearly have lots of cream at the top, but the middle looks a bit squishy. It’s been over two years since Denesh Ramdin or Suresh Raina have hit a T20 fifty. Dwayne Bravo, at No. 5, has looked unsure whether he needs to be the aggressor or the anchor. Yuvraj Singh has been similarly jittery, but an ankle injury ruled him out of the World T20. That leads West Indies to the prospect of bowling at a player - one of Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey or Pawan Negi - who
hasn’t faced a ball in this tournament. But Mumbai is just about the perfect venue for the out-of-form and brand new batsmen to get into the swing of things - the lowest total in the tournament here has been Afghanistan’s 172 against South Africa. Quite apart from tactics and strategy, there are players from both sides who may be playing their last World Cup, so the incentive to make it to Eden Gardens - for the final - for one more match will be very strong. IN THE SPOTLIGHT The last time India were in Mumbai, they missed the hell out of R Ashwin. It was an ODI, three of the opposition batsmen scored centuries and they were left chasing a 400plus total. He did not have his best game against Australia, but his presence in the XI still goes a long way to adding confidence to the team. Samuel Badree seems to take the mickey out of the
Powerplay overs every time he bowls. He doesn’t rely on turn, doesn’t often believe in flight, but faithfully follows a wicket-to-wicket line. The batsmen are tied down, and when they try to escape, they tend to fall. Hard. TEAM NEWS India haven’t made any changes to their XI since the start of the tournament. But now, with Yuvraj ruled out, they will be forced to do so ahead of the semi-final of the tournament. West Indies will be without Andre Fletcher, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury. His replacement Lendl Simmons has a chance at getting a game straight away. Pitch and conditions Mumbai has been an oasis this World T20. Tough pitches have left batsmen parched for runs, but at the Wankhede they can come and go wheee. In terms of the weather, a clear night is expected.
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Remembering Courtney Gonsalves, 31st August 1950 - 1st March 2013 By Statistician Charwayne McPherson The million dollar question still asked by cricket fans is why Courtney Gonsalves only played one first class match. Yes, Gonsalves only first class match 1980 for Essequibo vs Berbice at Hampton Court in the Jones Cup Finals. Strange enough that was the only time Essequibo reached the Inter-County Finals and Gonsalves led from the front in the Semi- Finals against Demerara at Hampton Court with the remarkable figures of 7 for 74 from 28.5 overs, a performance that led Essequibo to first innings points and a place in the finals for the first time. He followed up that script with 3 for 23 in the limited overs Semi-finals that eliminated favourites Demerara. So it was no surprise when the name Courtney Gonsalves was announced in the Guyana 13 man squad for the 1981 Regional First Class Championship and he did not disappoint in his debut match against the Windward Islands at Arnos Vale Kingstown, St. Vincent. Opening the bowling with Ray Joseph, he sent Lance John packing early, finishing with 1 for 10 from 4 overs. Courtney found the going tough in his next game against Barbados at the Mecca Kensington Oval. He went wicketless conceding 20 runs from 3 overs. This was the last time Courtney Alexander Gonsalves played for Guyana in an A list match. Rupert Gomes was chosen as Ray Joseph new ball partner for the Shell Shield Battle that followed the Geddes Grant-Harrison Line Clash. Determined to embarrass the selectors Gonsalves took 6 for 102 in a marathon spell against Demerara in the Jones Cup Semi- Finals at Hampton Court in October 1981. Backed up by some outstanding bowling in the national trials, he failed to get the selectors nod when the ‘1982 Shell Shield Team was announced. A similar faith had be fallen the Suddie Express in 1977. The Pakistan Airlines International Team toured Guyana in September 1977. The tour opening matches were against
Essequibo at Hampton Court. The star studded Pakistanis with the likes of Wasim Bari and Mudasar Nazar won both games but Gonsalves bowled impressively in both games, capturing 2 wickets on each occasion but failed to find favour when the selectors named the National Squad to face the touring Pakistanis in four international matches; Fred Hartman was preferred instead. An individual who felt that failure was never a cause for disappointment but rather an incentive for improvement, Gonsalves embarrassed the selectors a month after the Pakistan Airlines Tour with an outstanding performance against Demerara in the Jones Cup Semi-Finals at Hampton Court, the Suddie Express took 5 for 84. He backed up his inter-county performance with some outstanding work in the 1977 trial matches but the national selectors decided that Clement Neblett will partner Colin Croft after Keith Cameron had a disappointing showing in the early matches in the 1978 Shell Shield Tournament. He and Jeff Jones played for the Guyana National Team against a Caribbean All Star Team in 1982 at Hampton Court but this was after Courtney lost that passion and enthusiasm he had as the Suddie Express. Most disappointing moment as an Essequibo Inter- County player was in 1975 when the Guyana Cricket Board awarded Berbice a place in the Jones Cup Final; the Semi-Finals ended in deadlock, Essequibo made 277 and Berbice were 256 for 7 when the game ended. According to the late Glendon Gibbs, Berbice was awarded a place in the finals because it was felt that Essequibo played negative cricket, a decision that angered the whole Cinderella County. So the million dollar question still to be asked by cricket fans not only on the Essequibo Coast but all around Guyana is if Courtney Alexander Gonsavles, with credentials at the Inter-County level as mentioned above, was born in Berbice or Demerara would he have played only one first class match? Sleep on Champ, Warriors don’t cry.
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Thursday March 31, 2016
RHTYSC, MS salutes Quartet Former National Footballer on Berbice Under-17 selection questions GFF President on The Management of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, M.S in a release has congratulated their youth cricketers – Kelvin Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson and Keith Simpson on their selection to the Berbice Under-17 team for the upcoming Berbice Cricket Board Inter County tournament. The entire Club especially their youth counterparts are very proud of their achievements and wished them the best in the tournament, the release stated. Kelvin Sinclair who recently joined the Club was selected as the Berbice Captain and is a very promising opening batsman and a very penetrative off spinner, while Junior Sinclair, Anderson and Simpson have all proven themselves with both bat and ball. The Club is very proud of the latter trio as they joined us as raw eleven years old and over the years have developed into highly talented players, who are on the verge of breaking into
our Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets first division team. We are particularly proud of our junior section, which is the largest in Guyana with close to 120 registered members consisting of both sexes. This section which is administered by our veteran cricket administrators Keith Hicks and Ravin Kissoonlall is also so large that we were forced to field a record three teams in this year’s Berbice Cricket Board Tournament. We would like to remind our Berbice Under-17 selectees to be committed at all times and to follow the Club’s proven formula of success – sheer hard work, faith in God, belief in our personal talent and discipline. We would also like to express best wishes to the rest of the Berbice cricket team and the Management team of Rabby Saywack and Andre Percival. We are confident that under their management, the proud flag of Berbice Cricket would continue to fly high, the release noted.
‘Blade Runner’ Pistorius sentencing set for June 13-17 JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) Disgraced Olympic and Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius will face sentencing in June following his conviction for murdering his girlfriend, Sky News reported on Wednesday. Citing sources, Sky News said Pistorius will be sentenced between June 13 and 17. Pistorius, known as “Blade Runner” for the carbon fibre
- REPORT prosthetic blades he used to race, faces a minimum 15-year jail sentence. The Supreme Court in December upgraded the 29-yearold Paralympian’s sentence on appeal to murder from “culpable homicide” - South Africa’s equivalent of man-
slaughter, for which he had received a five-year sentence. Pistorius was released from prison and placed under house arrest on Oct. 19, having spent one day less than a year behind bars for shooting dead model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013, in a case that attracted worldwide interest and continues to fascinate and divide South Africa.
halting of financial support By Sean Devers
Former National Footballer Godfrey ‘Poulis’ Norville is questioning the decision to halt the monthly payment given to him since 2008 as a disability benefit by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF). The 69-year-old Norville, who served as one of the Bodyguards for the late President Forbes Burnham, represented British Guiana Under23 team, Coached by Reds Perreira in 1965 after making a name for himself at the Santos FC at the local level. Norville, who served in the Guyana Police, represented Guyana in the 60s and 70s against Hull City of England, Haiti, Jamaica, Barbados, T&T and Suriname and has now lost his sight. “In 2008 I went to see then President of the GFF Colin Klass to seek financial assistance for myself and another former national Footballer Birdette Marshall who was also blind and it was agreed we would get $8,000 which we did every 23rd of the month until Klass was removed from office,” Norville disclosed. Norville added that system of payment continued and when Christopher Matthias took over the Presidency of Guyana Governing body for Football, he in-
Godfrey Norville creased the payment to $12,000 and that remained in place until Clinton Urling became the Chairman of the IMC that was set up to run the affairs of local Football which was hit by a no confidence vote against Matthias. “Urling decided to give us our payment in a lump sum for one year which amounted to $144,000. When Wayne Forde became President we approached him for the payment but was told that the issue of financial support for us had to be addressed by a special committee,” Norville informed. “I had to go to Suriname to do some tests on my eyes and I was given $10,000 to
help with the cost of the air ticket to Suriname. I was told that when Forde came back from Switzerland he would meet with me,” Norville said. But that was when things started to unravel for Norville, who was not getting any pension from the Police or the NIS since he did not have enough contributions. On March 10, Norville received a letter from the GFF informing him that the Executive Committee had meet and made a decision to discontinue the financial support to the Blind Football stalwart and his colleague. According to the GFF there is no system in place for equal support to be given to any other of the former nationals who may have similar challenges as Norville had. The GFF letter said that the Federation would dispatch a letter to the Minister of Social Protection on his behalf in order to possibly arrange support for Norville from that Ministry. But Norville wants to know why the funding was really stopped by the GFF President. “I give my all on the Football field for this County and now that I am blind I really look forward to this little money to help with my bills and need an explanation on this issue,” Norville lamented.
Thursday March 31, 2016
Kaieteur News
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West Indies women target GCB assists GuyBCA maiden final appearance with monetary donation Earmarked to carry the legacy of Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin forward, Hayley Matthews is yet to score big runs in the tournament © ICC/Getty Images
ESPNcricinfo – West Indies have been the eternal bridesmaids at the Women’s World T20. Having failed to get past the semi-final stage in three previous attempts, they have a fourth chance at redemption when they take on Suzie Bates’ New Zealand, who are in rip-roaring form, having won all their group games with a touch of disdain. West Indies received a wake-up call in the one-wicket loss to England that left the team shattered. But the manner in which they put the loss behind them and knocked India Women out in a high-pressure game in Mohali showed the team’s character. When in form, they are one of the more watchable teams - their batsmen can make the ridiculously long boundaries look short, their athleticism has the typical Caribbean punch and they celebrate like no other team. These skills will be put to test against a side whose road to the final four has had little to do with luck or accident. New Zealand’s bowlers have adapted to the Indian conditions the best. A battery of spinners, led by Leigh Kasperek and Morna Nielsen, have weaved a web around batting units, giving a power-packed top order subpar totals to gun down. West Indies, on the other hand, have had to make do with their plethora of medium-pacers, who have mastered the art of bowling cutters on pitches where the batsmen have had to force the pace. While both teams are high on entertainment value, there has been a conscious change in plans. Stafanie Taylor, the West Indies captain, and Deandra Dottin, who has the reputation of being one of the biggest hitters in the women’s game, have suddenly transformed themselves to play the role of anchors, allowing others to bat around them. New Zealand, meanwhile, have banked on the belligerence of their captain Suzie Bates to give them a flier at the start, while Sophie Devine mans the middle order. No total looks defendable on a Wankhede deck these days, however, and this could push both teams to go back to their firebrand approach. The semi-final could thus boil down to a contest between two top-heavy batting sides. In the spotlight A three-run loss to Australia in the Women’s World Twenty20 final in 2010 was
particularly gut-wrenching for Sophie Devine. Chasing a modest 107, Devine’s unbeaten 35-ball 38 after a top-order collapse gave New Zealand a shot at victory, only for the side to be pipped at the post. Six years on, Devine, who holds the record for the fastest fifty in women’s T20 cricket, has the opportunity to set things right and enhance New Zealand’s chances of the title win. Hayley Matthews has been earmarked as the one to carry forward the batting legacy from Taylor and Dottin. But T20I figures of 174 runs in 17 innings at an average of 10.87 are not a reflection of why she is rated highly by her captain. Barring a knock of 41 against Bangladesh Women, she is yet to set the tournament on fire. A substantial score in a crunch game could go someway in erasing doubts in her own abilities as West Indies look to seal a spot in the final for the first time in the tournament’s history. Teams news New Zealand have been unchanged for the last three games, but that has had more to do with the confidence within the group than conditions, considering they have played in Delhi, Mohali, Nagpur and Bangalore. Barring any injuries or an early morning sickness bug, they are likely to go in unchanged. Kyshona Knight was summoned for the game against India, but failed in her only opportunity in the tournament. With the reserve batsmen also having failed, however, she may have another opportunity. Britney Cooper and Shemaine Campbelle could tussle for one spot, while there could also be a case for promoting the experienced Merissa Aguilleira a lot higher up the batting order. Pitch and conditions Judging by the tracks on which the teams have played in the tournament so far, the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium could be a belter, considering there is the semi-final clash between India and West Indies later in the evening. The heat and humidity that can go neckto-neck in these parts of the world at this time of year could test the fitness of the players. Dew is unlikely to be a factor, so the toss may not have a great influence on the outcome.
President of the GCB, Drubahadur (right) presents the donation to Executive Member of GuyBCA, Cecil Morris. The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has assisted the Guyana Blind Cricket Association (GuyBCA) with a monetary contribution to compete in the West Indies Cricket Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WICCBVI) Regional Blind Cricket Tournament which will begin on July 8, 2016 in Trinidad and Tobago. President of the GCB, Drubahadur, wished the team success for the Tournament, adding that the GCB has always been supportive of GuyBCA and will continue to do so as they play a very integral part in our society. He urged them to
keep up their discipline, zest and eagerness and continue to make a difference in society. The President expressed his admiration for their self-belief and confidence. Drubahadur also urged the team to perform well in the tournament so that their players could be selected to represent the West Indies Blind Cricket Team in the World Cricket Council for the Blind (WCCB) T20 World Cup which is slated for November 2016 in India. Executive Member of GuyBCA, Cecil Morris, thanked GCB for its continuous support, positing
that the donation would help immensely in their preparation and the players are extremely grateful for the contribution. He stated that he is looking forward for a good performance from his team, noting that it would be an honour for some of the players to represent the West Indies Blind Cricket Team at the WCCB World T20 Cup. T h e R e g i o n a l Tournament is scheduled for the 8thJuly to 16th July, 2016 where Guyana would play Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and a combined team from the Islands. After which, the top two teams will contest the final.
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Thursday March 31, 2016
GCB U-17 Inter-County 50-over cricket...
Berbice hammer E’bo by eight wickets
National U-15 batsman Orlando Jailall is about to be caught off fellow Guyana youth spinner Kelvin Omroa. Javed Karim cuts during his unbeaten 54 for Berbice yesterday at Bourda. By Sean Devers It was an early afternoon for Berbice as they joined defending champions Demerara in winner’s row after their opening round game in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-County Under-17 50-over cricket tournament against Essequibo ended in an emphatic eight-wicket win at Bourda yesterday for the teenagers from the Ancient County. Led by an unfinished 59run third wicket stand from 16-year-old Javed Karim and Skipper Kevin St Clair, Berbice reached 134-2 in 28.3 overs in reply to the 132 all out in 47 overs made by Essequibo. Man-of-the-Match Karim stroked seven delightful boundaries in a fluent unbeaten 54 from 62 balls, while St Clair reached the boundary twice in his 48ball 30 not out.
Kevin St Clair joined Karim after his unrelated name sake Junior St Clair, one of six players in the Berbice team with National youth experience, was bowled by Joel Fortune for 15 at 75-2 and Karim, who hails from the West Bank B e r b i c e Vi l l a g e o f Blairmount, played several enterprising shots to see their team to victory with 21.3 overs to spare. Alex Algoo was trapped LBW to Chanderpaul Mohabir for an attractive 21 from 27 balls and decorated with four fours, after adding 40 for the first wicket Karim. Playing in sultry conditions on a flat track and a fast outfield, the Berbice batsmen were rarely troubled by the bowlers although the burly National U-15 pacer Joshua Jones bowled with some pace. Jones, one of three players with national youth cricket experience in the
Essequibo side, only returned from Grenada early yesterday morning where he finished fourth in Discus and eighth in the Shot Put this year’s Junior Carifta games. But the versatile athlete failed to make a breakthrough with the new ball as Berbice built a solid foundation to set up the easy win by taking their team to 40 without loss from eight overs by Lunch. Earlier, Essequibo opted to bat and lost Bomesh Ramdahim (13) off the lively Sayaad Pirbakesh, who operated with a suspect action, at 23-1 in the eighth over. Reon Venture (11) was then bowled by off spinner Kevin St Clair at 32-2 before National under-15 batsman Orlando Jailall (2) pulled Guyana U-15 left-arm spinner Kelvin Omrao, who bowled with excellent flight and control, to deep mid wicket at 43-3. National U-15 batsman Kevin Christian (24 from 87 balls) and Trevor Collis (13) arrested the slide with a 28run fourth wicket stand before Keith Simpson (2-29) removed both batsmen in the space of 15 runs as Essequibo slipped to 85-5. Mohabir (11) drilled a ball from Kevlon Anderson (3-14) to mid-off four runs later before Quinton Sampson (17 from 16 balls with 2 fours) and Joel Fortune (13*) threw their bats with some lusty shots to add 28 runs for the ninth wicket. The action continues tomorrow with Berbice facing the National U-15 team at Wales on the West Bank Demerara. Essequibo plays Demerara at Enterprise on the East Coast of Demerara in tomorrow’s other match.
Demerara thump GCB Select U15 XI by 142 runs Sagar Hatheramani accepts his man-of-the-match prize from match referee Grantley Culbard.
Demerara thump GCB Select U15 XI by 142 runs
Demerara thumped the Guyana Cricket Board Select U15 team by 142 runs when the Inter-County U17 50-over tournament commenced yesterday. Openers Bhaskar Yadram and Joshua Persaud gave Demerara a fine start with a half century stand after they decided to bat at Wales. Both batsmen played aggressively with Yadram hitting pacer Jevon Schultz for sixes before she was caught at slip off the said bowler for 32. The U15 bowlers then picked up a few quick wickets to restrict the scoring fairly; off spinner Dwayne Dick bowled Alphius Boookie for four while left arm spinner Nigel Deodat sent back Rajendra Singh for nine before Persaud went for 28 to leave Demerara at 100-5. It took a 68-run sixth wicket partnership between Sagar Hatheramani and Kurt
Kurt Lovell Lovell to boost their batting. Hatheramani timed the ball well, hitting six fours before he was dismissed for 54, while Lovell who smashed four fours went for 44. The remaining batsmen didn’t offer much resistance as Demerara posted 213 all
out in 48.3 overs. Schultz was the pick of the bowlers with 3-34, while Deodat had 2-29, Seon Glasgow 2-37 and Dick 2-43. The U15 side never recovered after losing openers Mohamed Shaw (05) and Jarron France (04) and were sent packing for 71 in 35.4 overs. Schultz and Glasgow were the only batsmen that reached double figures with 17 and 14 respectively in a disappointing batting display. Ashmead Nedd claimed 3-10, Ya d r a m 2 - 5 , A n t h o n y Antonio 2-14 and man-of-thematch Hatheramani 2-15. The competition continues tomorrow and surprisingly players such as Michael Pooran, Daniel Mootoo, Andre Seepersaud and Andrew Samaroo are not included in the U15 team after performing creditably in the inter-county U15 competition.
Thursday March 31, 2016
Kaieteur News
Page 35
GCB discuss specifics of tri-series with Sports Ministry President of Guyana Cricket Board, Drubahadur, Secretary Anand Sanasie, TDO Colin Stuart, and Administrator Savitri Persaud, met with the Minister responsible for Sports, Nicolette Henry, Director of Sports, Christopher Jones, and Permanent Secretary, Alfred King and discussed the specifics of the ODI triseries involving West Indies, Australia and South Africa. Guyana has not hosted more than two international teams at the same time since the 2007 50-Over World Cup. To pull off a huge event like the tri-series, there needs to be collaboration between the GCB and Ministry of Sports. Hence, the relevant Officials sat and fine-tuned the specifics to ensure we successfully host this event, a release from the board informed. Some of the
Officials of the GCB meet with Director of Sport Christopher Jones (left foreground), Minister Nicolette Henry (centre) and PS Alfred King (3rd left).
particulars discussed were the availability and usage of the Guyana National Stadium, partnership between the GoG and the
GCB, and security of the players and delegations throughout their stay in Guyana. Secretary Sanasie briefed all on the Logistics,
prices of tickets and concessions. Minister Henry expressed her Government’s support for cricket especially this particular event as it is
being held in our Jubilee Independence year. The delegation on both sides expressed the need for communication and
Gayle lauds Kohli but warns of T20 upset Mumbai (AFP) - Chris Gayle lauded Virat Kohli as a “world beater” on Tuesday but warned that the West Indies were ready to upset hosts India in their World Twenty20 semi-final today. Kohli has excelled so far at the tournament and hit an unbeaten 82 to lead India to an improbable victory over Australia in a do-or-die final group match on Sunday. T h e 2 7 - y e a r - o l d ’s exploits led Indian great Kapil Dev to describe him as “a genius with the bat”, while some commentators even went as far as drawing parallels with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Big-hitting Gayle said the form of Kohli, who is the highest scorer of players still in the tournament with 184 runs, was “no surprise” and jokingly urged him not to fire on all cylinders today. “I have said it over the years that he is going to be the world beater he is today,” Gayle told reporters in Mumbai ahead of the lastfour clash at the Wankhede Stadium. “I am hoping, please don’t fire, Virat. He can still get runs but for a losing cause. We’ll be happy with that as well,” joked Gayle, 36. Kohli also steered his side to victory over archrivals Pakistan earlier in the tournament with a composed half century, but Gayle stressed that the Windies
wouldn’t direct their efforts solely towards India’s talisman. “We are not going to focus on only Virat, there are so many match-winners there and anyone of them can actually fire on any particular day,” he said. “It is very difficult to pinpoint one particular player in the Indian team. It is a very good all-round team, a good fielding team as well. “That’s why India are the favourites. It is always going to be difficult to beat them here. But like I said, West Indies are ready for an upset,” Gayle added. The destructive lefthander smashed a 47-ball century that included 11 sixes in the Windies’ opening-match win over England, but he has failed to reach those heights since as the Caribbean team topped Group One. A hamstring injury meant Gayle didn’t bat against Sri Lanka, while he only made four runs against South Africa before being rested for the defeat to Afghanistan. But Gayle said he was “mentally prepared” for whatever India have to throw at him as the Windies seek to continue their bid for a second World T20 title after their 2012 triumph. They will have to overcome India without toporder batsman Andre
Fletcher, however. The 28-year-old, who scored 84 not out in the West Indies’ win over Sri Lanka, has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament after injuring his right hamstring in Sunday’s match against Afghanistan. He has been replaced in the squad by Lendl Simmons, the International Cricket Council said in a statement late Tuesday.
collaboration to host a successful event. The event is likely to attract a large influx of visitors from the North American Diaspora. The series will consist of ten matches, slated for June 2016. The first leg will be played in Guyana with all of the matches to be played at the Providence National Stadium with South Africa versus West Indies on the June 3, Australia versus South Africa on the June 5, and West Indies versus Australia on the June 7. The second leg is slated for St Kitts, while the final four ODIs, including the final, will be held in Barbados. Australia last limited overs matches in the Caribbean came in March 2012 when they played five ODIs. The two sides split the ODI series - with two wins each and a tie in the third ODI in St Vincent.
Chris Gayle
t r o Sp INDIA V WEST INDIES, WORLD T20 2016, SEMI-FINAL, MUMBAIMARCH 30, 2016
Kohli, Gayle headline Wankhede big bash
MS Dhoni talks to Jasprit Bumrah while Virat Kohli looks on during India’s practice session, Mumbai, March 30, 2016 ©Associated Press
Chris Gayle means business even at training, India v West Indies, WorldT20 2016 semi-final, Mumbai, March 30, 2016 ©Getty Images
Roy smashes 78 as England march into final
The England team line up to congratulate Joe Root and Jos Buttler after the win, England v New Zealand, World T20, Semi-final, Delhi, March 30, 2016 ©Getty Images
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