Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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

EDITORIAL

NO ONE wants to die Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die. But as a people we cannot have it both ways. Christians are told by their Pastors about the wonders of heaven, where they will have a good spiritual and eternal life. Most men of the Cloth preach that heaven is a beautiful place, but they themselves are in no hurry to get there. Implicit in their preaching is a declaration of the fear of death as well as those pastors’ unwillingness to die. Most preachers believe that as much as the world is screwed-up, yet for them, life is beautiful and that living on Earth is a wonderful experience. And as tantalizing as going to heaven appears, there is no hurry for them to pursue the path of the great unknown. Given mankind’s fear of the unknown, there are preachers who never miss an opportunity to warn sinners of the coming of the Lord and to repent if they want to go to heaven. True or false, their goal is to invoke fear on a captivated congregation. Such behaviour resonates with many Christians in today’s world. But it is unfathomable to know how so many of us continue to operate in a vacuum by latching on to weird theories of success. We hear of the development of prosperous societies and dream of becoming one. Most times, however, we fantasize without understanding the journey that leads to prosperity or the unpleasantness of the bitter journey in pursuit of the development, advancement and success. By way of illustration, this brings one to the current socio-economic challenges facing Guyana, and the need for overall restraints, but more pointedly, for reasonableness from the new Coalition administration. To begin with, society has not been fair in its treatment of the poor. Admittedly, this was the mantra of the APNU+AFC Coalition amidst the height of the election campaign. The intent was to score political points to win the election and make plans to go to Guyana’s political heaven—the government. However, little did they know that dying is a prerequisite for transitioning into Guyana’s political heaven? The PPP died a timely death on May 11and only time will tell if it could resurrect from the death. Unlike any other contemporary politician in Guyana, at least that I am aware of, David Granger has promised deliverance to the people by winning the election. While on the other hand, Donald Ramotar followed in the footsteps of the former president with empty promises and lost the election. He did not repent or ask for forgiveness for his sins and those of his government. It matters that Granger had the full support from some prominent businessmen and the fact that he spoke about a bright future for all Guyanese as openly and as frankly as he did during the campaign, and at the time that he did, deserved commendation. He told the nation the truth about his economic, fiscal and human development plans that await the arrival of the APNU+AFC Coalition government. In this regard, such honesty should become the template to which future politicians subscribe. Admittedly, everybody wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die. Sometimes martyrs emerge to save the day for millions. But Granger is not a martyr. Make no bones about it, one can point fingers to the APNU+AFC Coalition that is responsible for the defeat of the PPP, but the unfettered truth is that during the campaign, the Coalition united the people around a common agenda. However, doing too much too early amidst dwindling revenue inflows without solving the issue of corruption and crime will not cut it. Everybody wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die is an instructive axiom.

Thursday May 14, 2015

Letters... Where your views make the news

TO PROSECUTE OR NOT TO prosecute, that is the question DEAR EDITOR, One of the biggest questions the Coalition will face if the PPP loses the election is whether to prosecute the PPP leadership. There will be a debate generated from some quarters of this country and obviously pushed by some of the very persons under the microscope for the Coalition to look towards healing and reconciliation, and in doing so, to pardon those who include some of the most egregious offenders from the PPP leadership. Some within the Coalition may be tempted to consider this narrative, if not for saving the bacon of the miscreants, for what they believe may be political capital in capturing a larger segment of the Indian vote with these overtures in a future election. That

narrative and approach is a crock of horse, pig, dog and donkey manure combined. You can have healing with prosecution and accountability. Mandela’s approach is not a fit for all circumstances. It was derived from South Africa’s particular circumstances. South Africa’s military was still controlled by many of the same individuals who would have faced prosecution and that alone would have triggered another deadly civil war. A minority of whites controlled the vast majority of the wealth and any recrimination would have caused massive capital flight, creating economic collapse and fuelling internal conflicts and warfare in the battle for scarce resources. Plus, South Africa has such deep tribal and other differences that any

prosecution would have captured many black South African organizations for atrocities, including the ANC. Guyana’s situation is different from South Africa’s. Unlike white South African political leaders who were generally non-corrupt individuals who used apartheid to defend white domination and to enrich whites generally as a racial/ethnic group, the target group in Guyana for prosecution – the PPP’s leadership – is corrupt and has a notorious history of enriching themselves and their few friends and cronies at the expense of the group they claimed they represented and against the interests of the entire country. This group of PPP leaders gave away the wealth

of this country they or their buddies could not benefit from to foreigners at the expense of their own people and even their own ethnic group. The country is not at risk for any civil war or sustained violence if these charlatans are prosecuted and jailed, if guilty. In fact, the majority of Indians will favour prosecution of these vagabonds. There is no military risk of prosecuting these individuals. The individuals driving the investigation and prosecution of these individuals will likely be Indians, based on the Coalition agreement, which gives AFC significant control of domestic affairs. Plus, it is the AFC, not the PNC that will likely be leading the prosecution with (Continued on page 23)

Critical factors for building a more cohesive society and for a reconciliation process DEAR EDITOR, Over the past three years I have been doing research on Social Change in Guyana. I have been primarily examining factors that would influence social change in the country. Two areas which are being examined are social capital and reconciliation. I think critical to our survival, development and sustainability, is building strong social capital. This is basically how the institutions, groups, networks and people in the society work together and get along. It is really about the norms and kinds of relationships we have as individuals, within our institutions and the society. Also important, is the quality of those relationships. Our history has shown clearly that strong social capital is critical to our political, economic and social advancement; hence we have to put a high development and economic value on it. The building of strong social capital has to be strategically interwoven into our development strategy as a country. Now that the Elections season is over, we need to zero-in on a reconciliation process. Reconciliation is critical to building strong social capital in Guyana. A fundamental aspect of this process will be to promote

and encourage more bridging, in addition to bonding. One of the things that was very obvious in the campaigning for the elections was the promotion of bonding among various groups. While conversations on our Africanness and our Indianness are very important for developing a greater understanding and appreciation of self and one’s ethnic group, one is also forced to engage in and become involved in the process to develop a better understanding and appreciation for our Guyaneseness. Further, we are still under another kind of pressure, and that is, to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of our humanness. In the reconciliation process, having conversations about our Africanness and Indianness is not enough; time and space has given us no other choice but to become more creative in developing and engaging in conversations on our Guyaneseness. Time and space has locked us into this piece of area of land called Guyana and this planet, called Earth. In the Guyana context, we are confined to live here with all of the races. Further, we are restricted to traverse and exist on planet earth and there is not much that we can do about that either. Thus, let

us focus our energies and resources on what we are in control of; and that is, to develop strategies and programnes and possibly policies that will assist us to live and dwell together in Guyana. As a part of the research, on the aspect of reconciliation, I am examining race and ethnicity, socialization, religion, and motivations to a lesser extent. While religion is a

part of socialization, I am finding that in the Guyana context, it plays a pivotal role in influencing perceptions and behavior. The focus here is more on the fundamental principles of the religion as against the practice of the religion. Everything we do, is done either out of the emotion of love or the emotion of fear, the question (Continued on page 5)

Joey Jagan made

THE DIFFERENCE

DEAR EDITOR, Just as a refresher, during 1994 to 1997, at the request of Dr Cheddi Jagan, I was on a special leave from the government of Canada, as the Director of Primary Education Improvement Program. I exposed Bharrat Jagdeo and State Planning for building schools for almost twice the price. Corruption, Corruption. This is what hastened Dr Jagan’s death. He died March 6, 1997 and my services were terminated on March 7, 1997. I supported the AFC from the inception and I advised Ramjattan to have Joey Jagan and a cricketer on his team. I also recently advised Nagamootoo. When the AFC joined the coalition, many of the Indian

people home and abroad, said that the AFC betrayed them, that APNU was going to kick AFC as Burnham did to the UF. I could not convince them otherwise. I spent a fortune on this survey, from taxi drivers, people in the community and other areas. Even my wife who supported AFC, said she was going to vote PPP. After I convinced her, she went door to door advising people to vote for the Key. Enter Joey Jagan and Alvin Kallicharran, and on a n o t h e r s u r v e y, m a n y Indians who condemned the coalition, went to vote for Jagan. Joey Jagan and Kallicharran madethe difference. Uncle Freddie, Kaieteur News and Stabroek News must be commended. Joe Persaud

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

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

It is time for Moses to lead the An Open Letter to the PPP people to the successes that await DEAR EDITOR, I was heartened to learn that at the end of May 11 elections that there would be some form of coalition cabinet in the next government. I am indeed happy. I am glad that among such a cabinet will be Moses Veerasammy Nagamootoo. I recalled that when I was Editor-in-Chief of the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation and Moses Nagamootoo was the Minister of Information how good were the Cabinet briefings he held. He naturally demanded professionalism. He demanded that the newscast must be credible, that truth must prevail, that the

newscast especially when critical, must be balanced, believable and should be properly sourced. It was good attending and participating in those briefing sessions and the names of Rovin Deodat and the late Sharief Khan come readily to mind. In Biblical days, Moses successfully led the children across the Red Sea, through the wilderness that led to the Promised Land. In these days of super highways, surely it is time for Moses Nagamootoo in a joint leadership to lead the Guyanese people to the successes that await. Nills Learmond Campbell

Seismic changes are afoot for the PPP Despite GECOM’s hesitation to announce the results of the election, the prediction is the APNU+AFC Coalition is the clear winner and that Guyana would not be ruled by the PPP for five more years. Guyanese have elected a Coalition government with David Granger as the President and Moses Nagamootoo as the Prime Minister. The people have confounded the PPP by voting for the opposition. The victory has been helped by Jagdeo’s dirty politics and the fear of uncertainty from the PPP which has not done much for the masses for the past 23 years. In the end the people chose decency, integrity and honest leadership over evil, dirty and nasty politics. The PPP election strategy, which aimed to generate fear that if David Granger is elected President, ex-soldiers would kick down the doors of PPP East Indian supporters, has backfired. Jagdeo knows and the people know that he is a fear monger, a propagandist and a distortionist who cannot tell the truth. Then there was the question of Mr. Ramotar himself. He seemed unconcerned with the fact Jagdeo had taken over the campaign as though he was the Presidential candidate and not Ramotar. During the campaign, Jagdeo was greeted with muted suspicion by the public and by some in the PPP leadership. His usurpation of the presidency has served to reduce the little clout and influence that Mr. Ramotar had as President and over the PPP as its leader. And when in the election campaign, he was pitted against the competent David Granger, he never quite measured up as someone

capable who has the requisite skills and ability to run the country. Indeed in the view of some, the PPP was defeated at the polls because of its crassness which the people did not appreciate. Many thought that Jagdeo’s vulgar and race-bait politics during the campaign was disastrous for both the PPP and the country. Not only did it diminish the image of the PPP, but it also embarrassed many in the party, including Ms. Harper. Now there will be the issue of a leadership race for the party which could come at any time, since Ramotar did not win the election. This could embolden many aspirants in the party to pursue the leadership, but will Jagdeo allow it. He may want to hand pick a candidate for the presidency just as he did with Ramotar four years ago. Stay tuned, seismic changes are afoot in the PPP. It can be said, without contradiction, that in the immediate aftermath of the close election, David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo will have to move very quickly to address the animosity and rift that had emerged during the campaign. Indeed, it can be argued that the PPP more than the Coalition added to the rift by attacking each other and by appealing to their ethnic base for support. Magnanimity was shoved to the curb. In fact, magnanimity became as scarce as integrity in public office; vilification and vituperation became as abundant as political corruption. The elections results have shown that the country is divided, therefore healing the nation should be priority number one for the leaders of the Coalition. They have to take a deep look at the fractious nature of the country and the

animosity that underlies it. However, a cosmetic approach to the healing process will not suffice if APNU+AFC is to become the government of the people, by the people and for all the people. All indications are that time is on their side and it is not farfetched for me to say that that they will seek every opportunity to unite the country. But it is clear, even to the uninformed, that they still have a great deal of work to do to bring the different races together, irrespective of which party they voted for. The Coalition needs to come to terms with what ails the country, seek outside help, if necessary, and do the hard work required to heal the nation. A country divided cannot stand. Can David Granger bring the disparate elements together and be the transformational leader that he claims to be? There are differing views on this, but most of the people think he is the man with the ability and skills to bridge the racial divide. Although I believe that he has the visceral will to do it, time will tell. Meanwhile, the country lumbers on and many, including supporters of the Coalition, continue to believe that APNU+AFC is the best party divinely elected to run the affairs of Guyana for the next five years. This will continue to be the order of the day for them, and the nation can only prosper from it. Those who believe in a viable democratic society had long wanted a credible alternative of governance to the corrupt PPP regime, and this is why they voted for change. It is urgent that the Coalition gets its act together. The sooner the better. Dr. Asquith Rose

DEAR PPP/C, I wish to tell you a story about democracy. Supposedly you know all about it, but clearly you have forgotten how it is practiced. An election was just held in your country, witnessed and monitored by a phalanx of highly-respected local and international observers. All present, including the emissaries of several G8 nations, declared the elections to be free and clear, devoid of any attempt to subvert the democratic will of the populace. The people of this country went to the polls in droves, determined to vote for the party of their choosing, determined that their vote will count. Did you see the pictures of the differentlyabled and extreme elderly making their laborious and time-consuming way to the polls? That was not easy, as some polling places were distant and took an effort to reach. Now that this phase of the process has been completed and we have trusted the elections authority to count and correctly tally up the figures, why, in the name of all that is holy, all that we hold dear, are you delaying the release of the results? This is not an ephemeral, collaborative-type situation, there is a definite winner and a clearly-defined loser. Yes, there were hiccups, as no Election Day is completely glitch-free, even in the most

efficient of democracies. But, the incontrovertible, undeniable fact remains: you have lost the election to govern Guyana. Have the grace and dignity to respect the choice of the Guyanese people. I know we may not look like much, but you can be sure that we know what we do not want, and that is you. For the love that you bear this nation, for the ideal of ‘progress’ that you espouse, please do not drag us into the immoral and unconscionable morass of uncertainty, whilst you posture about the numerous real and/or imagined slights your agents encountered at the polls. The world’s leading democratic institution, the Carter Center, has declared the elections to be free and fair. What better endorsement do you require to accept the results of the poll? When the Democratic Party lost the U.S. presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, I was devastated. It was difficult and near impossible to face a future with a government whose policies vastly differed from my own. As a Muslim in America, it was even more worrying. The Democratic Party seemed destined for the political wilderness for a generation or more. But, as you have seen, the Party in 2008 was resurgent, offering up a candidate with a funnysounding name and a Kenyan father. A candidate who spent a significant amount of his

childhood in a Muslim country was elected to two terms. His election represented the purest expression of the democratic will of the American people. This is the best example I can suggest for you. Regroup, rethink and reinvent your political party. Somewhere along the way, you ceased to be what the Guyanese people need or want. Consider that carefully and work on self-correcting. Personally, I think you have fundamentally lost your way, and departed from the core principles that gave you a moral authority. Democracy is wonderful in how forgiving the process of free choice can be. In five years, if you really wish to contest again for the governance of this nation, do so. Be the opposition that contributes positively and constructively to the legislature. Demonstrate to the Guyanese people that you heard them, their vote mattered and you have reformed the party that was once the champion of the most downtrodden of citizens. Yield gracefully and with dignity. Put an end to the contortions that will only stress a nation that is already fraught with tension. Show this beautiful country and its people that you have learned from this experience: do what is right and honourable, concede that you have been defeated, this time. Scheherazade Ishoof Khan

Critical factors for building a... From page 4 here is, whether our race, ethnicity, religion and socialization is stimulating more of the emotion of love or fear in us? I find that your newspapers have become an excellent medium for debates and discussions on topics of national interest, particularly the letter column. On the topic of reconciliation, I am examining the letters from your writers and to some extent the responses from some of the bloggers and commentators. I am examining three aspects, their race, socialization and religion. I must note that it is more practical to focus on the writers since it is difficult to determine whether many of the bloggers and commentators are Guyanese, and they also use aliases. One aspect I am examining is, for example, in the Guyana context, we have a Freddie Kissoon and a Christopher Ram, two East Indian Guyanese involved in rightsbased matters in the Courts, and they are the advocates in these instances, for the rights of black Guyanese. What these two East Indian persons are doing is what

black civil rights activists do in countries like the United States. Hence, I am investigating, their race, (well they are East Indians), religion and socialization and to what extent these factors might have influenced their perspective and behaviour towards race. The reason I have singled out these two persons, is because perhaps these are two of the few cases of this nature which have gone to the level of the Courts in Guyana. The question here is what does this say about the dynamics of race, or emerging dynamics of race, in the Guyanese society? I am still exploring this. Nevertheless, what I am finding is that specific considerations of race, religion and socialization, are critical to our reconciliation process. On the point of socialization, I am finding that associations are important to the reconciliation process and to developing, maintaining and sustaining a more cohesive and inclusive society. In this context, some associations promote more bonding, while others promote more bridging, as such a vital aspect of having a more cohesive and in-

clusive society in Guyana, will be for a greater role to be played by organizations such as Rotary, Lions, Rotaract, Jaycees, Scouts, Girl Guides and similar organizations. These organizations promote more bridging as against organizations that are focused on a particular religious group, race or ethnicity that will promote more bonding. The point to note here is that while bonding is important, more opportunities need to be created for greater bridging in our society. Associations also assist in building and sustaining strong social capital. Hence, as a part of the longer term development strategy for Guyana, there must be a greater emphasis on encouraging and expanding the kinds of bridging associations mentioned above. Further, the reconciliation process and more so the evolution of a more cohesive and inclusive society, would require us to specifically address issues of race and ethnicity, religion and socialization. We have to allow the creative genius in us to come alive as we forge towards one people, one nation, one destiny. Audreyanna Thomas

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

French President Hollande pledges Haiti investment

Mr Hollande, pictured with Haitian President Michel Martelly, acknowledged France’s historic role in the Atlantic slave trade The French president has pledged investment to Haiti, but steered clear of the reparations some in the former colony are demanding from Paris. In the capital Port-auPrince, Francois Hollande said France would spend $145m (£93m) on development projects. It is the first official visit by a French head of state since Haiti won independence in 1804. The Caribbean country was forced to pay millions of gold francs to compensate slave owners. “We can’t change history, but we can change the future,” President

Hollande said on Tuesday. He added that French investments in development projects - including education - should be seen as an appropriate effort for “a moral debt that exists”. Mr Hollande’s visit provoked small-scale protests with demonstrators demanding France pay damages for its legacy in Haiti. Meanwhile, Haitian President Michel Martelly said: “No negotiation, no compensation can repair the wounds of history that still mark us today. “Haiti has not forgotten, but Haiti is not stubborn,” he added, referring to the debate

UNC NOMINATIONS: Panday eyes Kamla’s seat Trinidad Guardian United National Congress (UNC) founder and former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday had a nomination form collected on his behalf shortly after noon yesterday. Panday was in his office at the Rienzi Complex, Couva, the party’s headquarters, at the time. Speaking to members of the media afterwards, Panday hinted that if he decides to

complete the form and file it, he will be seeking to contest either the Siapria or Couva North constituencies. Both seats are held by the UNC. Ramona Ramdial is the Couva North MP, while Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar is Siparia MP. Panday he decided to collect a form because he has been inundated with requests from the grassroots people to return to active politics.

Nurses call for timely payment Daily Nation - The Barbados Nurses Association yesterday called for a better deal from Government on the appointment of nurses and on the timeliness of paying them. During a seminar at the Hilton Barbados resort, president of the association Blondelle Mullin complained

that several nurses were waiting to be appointed and that some temporary nurses were not being paid on time. She also asked Government to reinstate a stipend for student nurses which she said was a victim of Government’s cost-cutting programme.

in Haiti about whether the country can rebuild relations with its former colonial power without demanding reparations. By declaring independence in 1804, Haiti became the first black republic in the world. But France demanded that Haiti pay damages and compensation to slave holders for the lost of their profits. Paris warned the new regime that it would face invasion and a return to slavery. Known as the “independence debt” it was later reduced to 90 million gold francs ($18.9bn; £12bn) which Haiti continued to pay into the 1940s. In 2004 during Haiti’s bicentenary celebrations, the then Haitian President, JeanBertrand Aristide, demanded compensation from France. Last year, the 15-member Caribbean Community announced a 10-point plan for seeking reparations from France and other slaveholding European nations on behalf of Haiti and other former colonies. French administrations have acknowledged the historic wrong of slavery in Haiti and other former colonies but have avoided any real discussion over whether they would return the “independence debt”. But in 2010 after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the then French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, spoke about the “wounds of colonisation” and during his administration, France cancelled all of Haiti’s $77m debt. On Sunday, Mr Hollande acknowledged his country’s historic role in the Atlantic slave trade as he helped inaugurate a $93m slavery memorial in Guadeloupe. (BBC NEWS)

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Kaieteur News

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THIS TIME IT MAY BE THE “PLURALITY” RATHER THAN THE “MAJORITY” THAT IS AT STAKE All political parties have the right to ask for a recount of the ballots cast in any or all of the polling stations. If this right were removed, it could open the system to abuse. Polling officials, for example, may decide to designate a valid vote as a spoilt vote. Depending on the number of cases in which this happens, it could disadvantage the parties for which the votes were cast. If upon a recount, it is confirmed that this has happened, then the relevant polling official will have a lot of answer to and may never again be allowed to officiate in an election. A party may also call for a recount if its polling agents were intimidated and forced to leave the polling station allowing for fraud to occur. It is not the contention of this column that any of these acts that could lead to a recount occurred in the May 11, 2015 elections in Guyana. It is merely to point out that having the right to a recount

acts as a deterrent against fraud during the counting of the votes. After the 2011 elections, the PPPC called for a recount in a number of areas. They did this because they purportedly felt that they were robbed of votes at certain, not all, of the polling stations and thus they wanted a recount. They were seeking an adjustment to their overall tally so that they could secure a majority of seats. This time around, the PPPC may not be calling for a recount in order to secure a majority. They may be seeking a recount to secure a plurality which is needed for the presidency. I use the word “may” and not “are”. You can based on your own analysis determine which word you prefer to use to describe the PPPC’s actions in demanding a recount. But it is right to which they are entitled and which must be afforded to them because if you strip away this right you are stripping away a deterrent against fraud.

Dem boys seh ...

Donald gone fuh channa President Jimmy Carter may be old but he ain’t stupid. He come wid a plane and after he land he send de plane back to Trinidad till he need it again. He frighten dem boys in Guyana put couple kilo cocaine inside. He tell dem boys that he too old fuh go to prison and Jagdeo is a man known fuh imprison people wrongfully. He mek Bencock spend five years and Freddie three days and he was planning a lifetime sentence fuh Uncle Glenn and Adam. He come in 1992 and had Desmond running up de road. He come this time and he got Donald and de whole government running down de road. All dem Minister cleaning out de office. Dem boys see big bonfire and dem shredding like when drake treading. Dem cleaning out all dem cupboard, dem drawer, dem filing cabinet and desk. Some done clean all that and now dem cleaning out dem wardrobe at home and de safe. Dem boys hear couple of dem gone already and dem gone backtrack. Rob de Earth, de former Minister write pun he Facebook page “De voice of de people is de voice of God” and shortly after, he board a plane trying to get close to de Creatah. Ashni, de shaat scamp, tun charwoman. He clean up everything including de floor. He ain’t even want lef a speck of dust that DNA could pick up. When he done dem boys see he go over by that fat, fat crook at NICIL fuh help he destroy and get rid of all de evidence that can keep dem in jail fuh de rest of dem life. That cleaning going slow. De fat, fat crook can’t bend down. He can’t move fast and Ashni can’t lift weights. Irfaat carry way de whole Housing Ministry plus de lot. Granger don’t have no more Housing Ministry. He seh that he got too much get rid of suh de best thing is fuh carry de whole Ministry. Ganda Gopaul carry way a big piece of Ohh Pee and Kwame playing dead in hospital. Donald tell he wife fuh get de State House staff fuh pack slow, slow and waif fuh when de man who look like Lucifer brother come back. Poor Donald tell he wife, “Girl, life never go de way I want it but I live it de best way I can. “There is no perfect life but, darling, we can fill it wid perfect moments –after de elections.” Talk half and wave bye bye to Uncle Donald.

Right now the vast majority of people in Guyana are anxious for the final declaration of the results to be made. They must be patient. They must not allow themselves to be provoked into violent action, because this would only further set back the process. It is not the first time that the declaration of results has been delayed. It was either in the 2001 or 2006 electionsmay have been in the latterthat the PNCR took action in the courts to delay the release of the results until certain prescribed procedures were

followed in relation to how the declaration was to be made. This case took almost two weeks and the official declaration was set back by this period. It is not likely that this time around the wait will be this long. For one, despite the fact that the PPPC has called for a recount in all region, they have called for a recount of all the ballots. They have however called for a recount of a significant number. It is possible though to undertake the recount in the various regions simultaneously. As such, this

recount is not likely to delay the results by more than six hours. Guyanese who have been waiting for a long time for the results, will I am sure, be willing to wait an additional six hours for the recount to take place. Patience and responsibility is therefore necessary. Right now, it is not the recount that is primarily delaying the results. Even if there were no requests for a recount, GECOM would not have been ready with the final results because they have a long procedure which they are required by law to go

through, and also those involved must also be given time to sleep. They are not machines which can go on and on without rest. Patience and responsibility! These should be the watchwords at this time. Do not be lured into provocation! Do not be provoked into violence. Stay calm! Stay patient! Have no fear, the will of the Guyanese people cannot be denied.

PPP/C concedes defeat, begins clearing out offices Officials of a number of Government agencies and Ministries seem to be packing up and leaving, ahead of the official announcement of the winner of Monday’s General and Regional elections. Yesterday, amidst reports of movements of files and other official documents, Kaieteur News managed to determine that this was indeed the case. This was a clear indication that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic was conceding that it had lost the elections. At the Ministry of Labour, next door to the Guyana Fire Service headquarters in Stabroek Market area, two staffers were seen packing items into a dark colored Toyota SUV with license plate number PPP 4200. The secretive movements reportedly attracted the attention of members of the public and even staffers yesterday with photographs taken. At the Ministry of Housing, Brickdam, a black Toyota SUV, tinted and bearing PTT number plates, was reportedly seen fetching boxes and heading to an East Bank Demerara location. There were reportedly similar movements at several other ministries and key Government agencies. A Partnership For National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition has indicated that it will be examining a number of contracts and other transactions by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic. Yesterday, top official of the coalition, Joe Harmon, urged for Guyana to stay alert and report any suspicious activities. He said: “Government and officers are acting like bandits.” Meanwhile, Presidential

Persons packing items and boxes into the SUV. Candidate, Brigadier (Ret’d) David Granger, said that indeed reports have been received of boxes and other items being moved. However, no complaints have been made. “We are aware that some movements are taking place and it is our view that the PPP is using this period to delay the declarations so that they can get on with whatever they were planning to do.” The 10th Parliament was

suspended and fresh elections called in January after the PPP/C faced a major crisis in the National Assembly - a no-confidence vote. Monday’s elections were closely watched and the toughest for the incumbent (PPP/C) since gaining power in 1992. Yesterday, the coalition said in a statement, that it has received reliable reports that PPP Ministers and agents

under their direction, are in the process of removing materials and documents from Government ministries around the city. “There are also reports of widespread shredding of documents in Ministries and government offices. APNU+AFC calls on the law enforcement agencies to protect all government property from these illegal acts of sabotage and vandalism.”

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Thursday May 14, 2015

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Ramotar, McKoy, Jagdeo, Surujbally and God If this country is to be saved and made into a modern country, then God has to come down personally and address the Guyanese people. Guyana has some unbelievable humans that God has to directly speak to. We start with Steve Surujbally. Even though he was educated in communist East Germany from a scholarship during the Cheddi Jagan premiership in the sixties, Surujbally never behaved like a typical communist person. I don’t think he was ever a communist. But Surujbally always showed traits associated with communist culture, just like his friend, Ramon Gaskin who studied in communist Europe too – arrogance. At every press conference Surujbally hosts, the arrogant deportment is there and it masks the responses to journalists’ questions that are related to areas of competence, not to mention that the GECOM boss is paid handsomely. One of the trends in his style that I have noticed over the past ten years is the

proclivity to say; “I want to do it right so there can be no criticism and challenges.” I have Googled Surujbally and have pulled up several statements to that effect, But what business is that of his over whether someone will challenge what GECOM does? Surujbally should not perform his tasks at GECOM and be concerned with what others think of him and what court challenges will greet him. I would like to think he has to do what is legal, proper and correct within the confines of the law and not worry what others are likely to say and do. I think this is basic thinking of humans. Once you are backed by legal and moral laws, then, do what you have to do. A cricket umpire cannot refuse to give a batsman out because the players will protest One simply has to laugh at Surujbally’s observation that GECOM can no longer continue with its Jurassic system, that it needs to function with high-tech stuff. But who was the boss of GECOM the past fifteen years?

Didn’t he know this in 2006 and that he had nine years to move to the hightech mode? Maybe arrogance prevents the working of novel ideas. Over to Ramotar. Donald Ramotar has told not only Guyana but the world that he is leading the opposition by over 30,000 votes. With just about ten percent of the statements of poll left to be certified, surely that lead makes you the likely winner. Basic commonsense would apply here – you want the final declaration quickly so you could be sworn in. Instead Ramotar wants recounts in three regions that will take GECOM’s final announcement way into Friday. That makes no sense at all. Using logical deduction, you want to feel that Ramotar is not in the lead. This would

not make sense to any school child anyway in the world. Next we have the champion himself. He holds a press conference at the most uncivilized hour and lambasted Surujbally and spoke of electoral irregularities including multivoting. Commonsense goes out the window again just as in the case of Ramotar. If the PPP is wining, and will win according to both Ramotar and Jagdeo, why then, you want to make charges of ballot tampering and level accusations against GECOM? You won, therefore, the election was smooth and didn’t interfere with your victory. It is not a trend in modern election history that it is the loser who cries not the winner? Jagdeo got a rude awakening when the

international observers clearly and unambiguously told the press that they saw no evidence of Jagdeo’s claim of multiple voting. Can we take it to mean then that by crying the PPP feels it has lost? Finally, Mr. Jagdeo again and Kwame McKoy. Both are alleging that McKoy was assaulted at Saint Sidwell’s School during an incident there on polling day. But the cameras showed vividly that David Granger and Joe Harmon protected McKoy and he went unhurt into a waiting police car. There is a large photograph of McKoy on the front page of the so-called beacon of truth, Guyana Times with McKoy on a hospital bed with injuries to his face. Are Jagdeo and McKoy

Frederick Kissoon lying? The polling day incident is on video. But stupidity forms part of Mr. Jagdeo’s bag of tricks. Now a member of the international team has openly disputed the PPP’s claim that McKoy was attacked. This is a serious time in the history of Guyana and I don’t want to be light in my columns. But it is possible that after he left the school, McKoy tripped and fell on the hospital floor while they were painting his face?

PPP/C requests recount of votes throughout the country The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has requested a recount of votes from sections of all ten administrative regions, citing as one reason cases where polling agents were allegedly intimidated and forced to flee from their stations. This was announced at a press conference at Freedom House, yesterday, at a time when tensions were running high and both parties were claiming to be ahead in the polls. Attorney-at-Law Priya Manickchand even attested to being at the receiving end of intimidatory tactics, in her capacity as an Assistant Elections Agent (AEA). According to her, during the course of her duties, as she entered a polling station to observe the process, the gates were surrounded by a large crowd, forcing her to leave before a further scene was caused. Manickchand also declared her view that the elections were not conducted in a free and fair manner, in contrast to what the overseas observers had reported. However, when reminded of her comments, she later denied ever saying such. The PPP/C legal guru,

…says it’s the party’s ‘legal right’

PPP/C party officials Anil Nandlall, who was present, also said that any talk of the party going to the court at this time, is mere speculation. He said that he had heard such a rumour and had read comments to that effect on social media. When pressed, he stated that the party had no formulated plan to present a case to the High court, nor

was the step necessary. The call for a recount is nevertheless a move that could in fact; possibly delay the official announcement of an election winner. Nandlall maintained that this is the legal right for his party to demand such a recount, whether the elections result was delayed or not. According to him, the

elections were not over, that the second stage of the process, verification of the results, is not yet over. Nandlall also persisted in his statements that the PPP/ C was leading A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) in the polls. Asked why, if the party was leading, it was still demanding a recount; the response was that it was in an effort to ensure the integrity of the process. Asked whether the party considered the irregularities to be of such a serious account that a recount was necessary, Manickchand stated that the irregularities could have an impact on the allocation of the regional seats.

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 11

Commonwealth observers call for … Cites vote buying and patience and restraint misuse of state resources

The Commonwealth Observers with Chairperson Kate Wilkinson in center By Jarryl Bryan The Commonwealth Observer group yesterday released its findings, citing inflammatory rhetoric and misuse of the state media among issues to go into its report, while issuing calls for patience and restraint as the nation awaits the declaration of Monday’s elections results. Consisting of nine officials, the commonwealth panel, headed by Kate Wilkinson, a former New Zealand Government minister and parliamentarian met with the media at Cara lodge yesterday at 09:30hrs. Whi l e c o m m e n d i n g

Guyana’s legal framework that allows for a credible election and the large numbers of all- female polling staff, the group highlighted several discrepancies it observed during its mission. Some of these anomalies included allegations of direct vote buying and the misuse of state resources in an effort to induce votes. Wilkinson noted the domination of state media by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C), stating that fair access was not granted to all contesting parties. The group highlighted instances of biased reporting during the elections

campaign, expressing its concern especially after the media houses would have signed unto a code of conduct compelling them to provide fair, accurate and balanced coverage. Wilkinson also expressed the group’s disappointment in the inflammatory rhetoric and personal elements displayed by some political leaders while campaigning. She noted that such behavior was in direct violation of the political parties’ code of conduct the contesting parties signed on to. The New Zealand diplomat also pointed out instances where the portraits

of the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Education were prominently displayed in many primary and nursery schools during voting. According to her, the polling day staff seemed unaware of instructions from Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to have them removed. She also spoke of the disturbances on E-Day, in particular when PPP/C political candidate Kwame McCoy was forced to leave the St. Sidwell Primary school prematurely after an angry crowd surrounded the gates in opposition t o h i s presence.

The Commonwealth body however commended the actions of A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) presidential candidate David Granger, as well as police and polling staff in diffusing the situation to allow McCoy safe passage. Asked whether the veracity of McCoy’s injuries were ever verified, the observer stated that they were not by them. The observer group, which will be leaving Guyana on May 17th, is expected to prepare a detailed final report containing recommendations for the improvement of the electoral process.

Their report will be submitted to the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, who will then disseminate it to GECOM, political parties, C o m m o n w e a l t h governments, thence the public. Urging the authorities to seriously consider the proposals, they also promised that, if requested, the Commonwealth will provide the technical expertise to ensure its implementation. The team, which was deployed to 6 of the 10 administrative regions, was able to observe the opening of polls, voting and the closure of polls.

APNU+AFC urges GECOM to declare winner so nation’s business can move forward A Partnership for National Unity plus the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) is calling on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to officially declare within the shortest possible time, the winner of the 2015 election so that the country can move on. Additionally, a team from the APNU+AFC met with the Commission yesterday evening to impress upon the entity, that the recounting of the ballots before the results are declared is not only premature but against the law. The team comprised of APNU+AFC’s Presidential Candidate, David Granger, APNU General Secretary, Joseph Harmon, AFC’s cofounder, Raphael Trotman, APNU’S Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, APNU’s Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, and AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan. Granger told members of

…Says recount of ballots premature, against the law the media that the APNU+AFC delegation met with the full commission and expressed its concerns in the delay of making a declaration of the results of the 2015 General and Regional elections. The politician said that it articulated to the Commission, that the delay has forced business to come to a virtual halt and has fuelled much uncertainty and tension in the country. He said that the coalition made it known to GECOM that the longer the delays, the more dangerous the country is becoming day by day and “the more likely we were to move to the edge of disorder.” Additionally, Harmon expressed that at this time, he wants to urge the Guyanese populace to remain calm and trust in the leadership of the APNU+AFC.

APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate, David Granger “We have gotten certain assurances from the elections commission and we will bring a resolution to what is happening here. We were told by GECOM that they will

be sharing 94 percent of the ballots they have counted with the public and the press tonight, and you will be able to make your judgment as to where we stand in this process. I trust that as soon as you do that you will be able to make the necessary deductions of what is happening in these elections. In the meantime, please be calm for violence will do nothing for us. We are the next government and we are asking you to trust us,” the APNU General Secretary appealed. Trotman then spoke to the request by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/ C) to GECOM for a recount of some of the already counted ballots. The AFC executive member said that the opposition understands that the Commission begun the

recounting process and asked for them to cease the exercise forthwith. “We believe the request for a recount, though they have started, was done in error and the commission should not continue beyond the few started,” the lawyer added. He noted however, that the election body was unable to declare prior to its 9 pm press conference last night, if they will concede to the opposition’s request. Trotman emphasized that the reason the APNU+AFC asked for the process to come to a halt, was based on the fact that no reasons were given to GECOM by the PPP/ C as to why the recount was needed. “What we have is just a plain request but no reasons given why,” he added. Harmon said, too, that there were no reasons

provided to the election body and it gives the impression that it was not a request but an instruction to the Commission. He said that the PPP/C needs to realize that it is just another contesting party and should therefore adhere to the protocols in this regard. The APNU+AFC team also related that Williams wrote to GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, pointing out that the opposition has a different interpretation of the laws and as such, believes that a recount can only be deemed legal and effected, until the results for the election is declared. Anything before that is only premature, the members said. Granger said that he believes the government’s “premature” request for a recount of some of the ballots, seems to be a deliberate plan to delay the possibility of having early results and to cause great distress.

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 14, 2015

Election results…

GECOM’s new data has Coalition in the lead GECOM’s CEO, Keith Lowenfield

After a long wait, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced preliminary results of the May 11, General and Regional elections. The released figures indicate that Guyana may very well be on its way towards being run by a coalition government. During a press conference last evening, GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, told media operatives that only 1,809 of 2,299 Statements of Poll have

been processed. He said that tabulation of the processed statements has shown A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) in the lead. According to the raw data given to the media as part of the results of the General Elections, APNU+AFC has acquired 157,347 votes while the PPP/C acquired 157,304— a difference of 43 votes. APNU+AFC has since described this as a selective release by GECOM of the

election data. The party said that this is cherry-picking on the Statements of Poll and is creating unnecessary confusion. The data is void of 490 Statements of Poll which are still to be processed; Region Four accounts for a whooping 276 of the unprocessed statements. Processing the outstanding amount will reflect an increase of the number of votes for the coalition. This is based on the fact that Region Four is a stronghold of the coalition. This year’s voting trend is showing that nothing has changed in this regard. Region Four has 891 polling stations, of the 615 counted, APNU+AFC has 77,296 while PPP acquired 46,117. APNU therefore secured 31,179 more votes. GECOM had promised to announce 94 percent of the results by last evening. However, when the time arrived, Lowenfield said that this was no longer possible because of the “dynamism in the environment.” The “dynamism” referred

Verdict in Presidential term limit court case looms Chief Justice (Ag), Ian Chang is set to hand down a decision in a court case through which Georgetown resident Cedric Richardson is seeking an interpretation of the provisions in the constitution regarding the two-term limit for the Guyana presidency. The constitutional challenge to interpret Guyana’s two-term limit for the presidency was set to continue on Tuesday, but since final submissions were made in the matter, last Friday, notices of a date for a decision by the Chief Justice are now to be announced soon. The Constitutional challenge was filed in February by Attorneys-atLaw Emily Dodson and Shawn Allicock on behalf of Richardson. According to details emerging from the case, Richardson said that he is a

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo qualified elector and he argued that Act No. 17 of 2001 which was passed by a twothirds majority of the National Assembly unconstitutionally, curtails and restricts his sovereign and democratic rights and freedom as a qualified elector to elect

former President Jagdeo as the Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Richardson indicated that he wanted the court to determine whether that Act of 2001 was unconstitutional and in compliance with Article 164 (2) (b) of the Constitution. He further questioned whether it restricted and curtailed the democratic rights and freedom of the electorate, by eliminating Jagdeo from participating in elections as a presidential candidate. Richardson also wants the court to determine whether a referendum should not have been held, instead of the National Assembly having the powers to decide to limit the number of terms of a President to two. In 2000, the Guyana Constitution Reform Commission recommended a maximum of two terms in office for a President. The Laws of Guyana were changed in 2001, and assented by former President Bharrat Jagdeo himself, making it clear that “A person elected as President after the year 2000, is eligible for reelection only once.” Respondents in the matter include Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman.

to was the PPP’s request for a recount of some statements of poll in all of the 10 administrative regions across Guyana. APNU+AFC had requested that the recount be halted and the official declaration of results made at the soonest possible time.

The Chief Elections Officer Lowenfield and GECOM’S Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally have assured that tabulation of all votes will be completed overnight and final results should be available by 10am today. This assurance has been

made even as GECOM is contemplating a recount of votes in all ten districts at the request of the ruling PPP. Already recounts have been completed in Districts one and two. The PPP call comes even after observers stated that elections were free and fair.

Over 42,000 views for elections streaming channel in 3 days By Desilon Daniels As Guyana waits with bated breath to learn the conclusive results of the 2015 general and regional elections, Guyanese here and abroad are also paying keen attention. This interest has seen a local organisation racking up over 42,000 views on its live streaming channel since May 11. Though the civil society organisation (CSO) known as Guyanese for Peace (GFP) has only been around for a few weeks, the organisation has been receiving quite some buzz, particularly since Election Day. When contacted by this newspaper, a GFP representative shared that the group has been providing live streaming coverage of the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) press conferences, along with expert analysis and other relevant information on the current elections process. Through its Ustream channel, GFP has garnered over 42,300 views since Monday. GFP added that it has reached over 9o, 000 persons in 10 countries. Of course, the majority of these people are Guyanese. In an interview with Kaieteur News, an Englandbased Guyanese explained that he has been using GFP’s streaming service along with those of the National Communications Network (NCN). However, he said, he preferred GFP’s stream as it was clearer, though it was a few minutes behind that of NCN. “I think it’s very useful to have conferences available online,” the 24 year old said. The young man recently experienced elections in England and could not help but compare it to Guyana’s. “Being in the UK and experiencing their elections only a week before ours, I have inevitably made comparisons,” he admitted. “Maybe that’s unfair since we’re not a first world country but their results were available the next day.” He continued, “Official

In a handful of days, the Guyanese for Peace group has managed to garner over 40,000 views on its Ustream channel results were constantly available on most UK news sites when their elections were a few days ago, but it’s really difficult to get trustworthy info on Guyana’s. So having streams available makes it easy for me to keep up to date.” He emphasised that it was important for Guyanese outside of Guyana to have access to information on the ongoing elections process in their home country. “This election has been highly anticipated and fiercely contested and as an adult, this is the first election campaign I’ve followed closely so I’m excited to see the outcome,” he said. Meanwhile, outside of its streaming services, GFP has been working diplomatically across many groups to call for inclusive government. Further, the group has been calling for reforms to the “winner takes all” political

system in Guyana. The group believes that this political system “may be the root cause of some kinds of tensions based on the fear of being excluded after a single party takes government”. Further, the group said it recently wrote to the leaders of PPP/C and APNU+AFC, asking for a number of things to be considered no matter whom the winner was. These things included the demonstration of modesty and decorum following the results. The group said it also wrote to the Diaspora and requested temperance in their online posts and comments. Guyanese for Peace is a group of Guyanese that has been networking among themselves to seek support for the efforts of all those working towards peace, stability, respectful engagement and inclusive prosperity in Guyana.

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Mining camp attack…

Dredge owners say police colluding with perpetrators - express fear for their lives Dredge owners, Mario Figuera and his wife, Alisha, have expressed fear for their lives following an attack on their camp by shotgun toting security personnel from another gold mining operation last week. The attack, which was partially caught on video, took place at their camp in District H45, Konawaruk, on Sunday, is alleged to have been orchestrated by a rival mining concern, Tesouro Mining Company, on whose land they are prospecting. The couple says they have no confidence that the police will conduct a professional investigation, since there appears to be collusion between the perpetrators and the police hierarchy. It is reported that the attack, which left one excavator operator nursing shotgun wounds to the back of the head, arose from a desire to force the Figueras to pack up and leave the location on which their mining operation is taking place. According to Mario Figuera, at first they were allowed to work on the land, but after rumours started that the land was producing a high quantity of gold, Tesouro became envious and began encroaching on their portion of land. The distraught man stated that he had secured and served an injunction against Tesouro Mining last week, but on Sunday last, four gun-toting men, wearing uniforms with the Tesouro insignia, invaded his camp. In the video, viewed by Kaieteur News, Figuera could be seen trying to reason with the lead gunman, showing him the injunction. Upon noticing that he was being filmed, however, the gunman immediately began cursing the cameraman and

raised his shotgun. Figuera immediately stepped in his path, blocking his shot as the cameraman fled. Stating that they had received orders to “shoot up the entire camp”, it is alleged that the terror squad then roamed throughout the camp, shooting any mining equipment within sight, as the terrified employees sought refuge. Figuera has placed his losses at in excess of $60M. It was during this fracas that the worker, Ray Murray, an excavator operator, was shot in the back of his head as the men fired at several drums of fuel. The couple expressed fear for their lives, stating that when it came to police making arrests in the matter, they were dragging out the investigation. According to them, when the police reached the location, the security guards who carried out the dastardly attack were present in the Tesouro camp. They are alleging that during initial attempts to apprehend the men, officials in the camp made several calls to Georgetown, with the result that the police abandoned their duties. Tesouro Resources is owned by a prominent city businessman. According to the couple, their workers, who are still in the mining camp, are traumatized and fearful for their lives too, since the gunmen have promised to return in three days after their rampage. Commander of ‘F’ Division, Courtney Ramsey, had a completely different update. According to him, the police, having arrived at the camp, did not find the suspects there. He stated that his ranks are currently combing the backlands for

The mining camp’s terrified workers, who are currently trapped

Mario Figuera armed with the injunction confronts one of the gunmen.

them. Meanwhile, the injunction issued by Chief Justice Ian Chang was intended to bar Tesouro from interfering with Figuera mining operations until May 18, the date for a court hearing.

Linden River Front Festival For Caricom Weekend Linden River Front Festival which could rival the Linden Town Week in its impact on the community is proposed for Caricom Day weekend - July 3 to July 6, next. According to the Director, Samuel Wright, this Festival is a celebration of the unique river front and its essential role in the social and economic development in

Linden. “This inaugural Festival will be continuous and simultaneous celebrations at various venues along the River Front; and the planned events will reflect activities that currently occur on the River Front. The Festival will focus on the events in a shorter time span than the Linden Town Week and at the same time;

allow a branding of the pulse and the potential of the River Front.” Wright said that some of the scheduled events are entertainment with performing artistes, a river side cleanup, a community breakfast/brunch, jazz and contemporary music performances, cycle races, regatta, a film festival and a Timehri/Linden Boat Cruise.

Schools record poor attendance From page 6 mourning or something,” said the caretaker of the school. The poor attendance was not limited to only public schools. There were also reports of similar occurrences at private schools. Attendance at School of the Nations, a private institution was very poor as most of the students in attendance yesterday were students who had to write IGCSE, a Cambridge examination. Just after 15:00hrs spotting school children was very rare across the capital city. The various bus parks were empty. Over at Berbice, the attendance was also relatively poor, as villages across the Ancient County were tense. In the mining town of Lin-

den at the Mackenzie High School there was a scarce population. Students were sent home half day. At the Linden Foundation there were many vacant seats in classrooms, which forced teachers to send home students as teachers were leaving. Even in far off Bartica and Itaballi children hardly went to school as fear and tension spread across the nation with the pending elections results. Despite these reports, the

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Education, Suelle Williams, said that there have been no reports of these occurrences. She urged parents to send their children to school which continues as normal. Some parents who refused to send their children to school yesterday maintained that they will not be sending their children to school with the growing tension which precedes the announcement of the elections results.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

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Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Burundi General says he has deposed absent president seeking unconstitutional third term People celebrate in a street in Bujumbura, Burundi (REUTERS/ GORAN TOMASEVIC)

Major General Godefroid Niyombare

Deposed President Pierre Nkurunziza A Burundian general said yesterday he had deposed President Pierre Nkurunziza for seeking an unconstitutional third term in office and was forming a transitional government, after more than two weeks of protests against the reelection bid. But as cheering crowds streamed onto the streets of Bujumbura, sporadic gunfire was heard in the centre of the capital, and it was not immediately clear how much support Major General Godefroid Niyombare had. With Nkurunziza having gone to Tanzania to discuss the crisis with East African leaders, the presidency dismissed the declaration by Niyombare, who had been fired as Nkurunziza’s intelligence chief in February, saying on Facebook that the coup had been “foiled”. “We consider it as a joke, not as a military coup,” presidential aide Willy Niyamitwe told Reuters. But late last night, Nkurunziza’s whereabouts were unclear. A Tanzanian official said he had not attended the talks in Dar es Salaam, and had left to return to Burundi. But Niyombare said the capital’s airport and all border crossings were closed. The East African leaders condemned the bid to oust him and called for a return to “constitutional order”. The U.S. State Department urged “all parties to immediately end the violence and exercise restraint”. But spokesman Jeff Rathke said he could not confirm that a coup had taken place. Activists say more than 20 people have been killed in weeks of protest against Nkurunziza’s re-election bid,

plunging Burundi into its worst crisis since an ethnically fuelled civil war ended in 2005. 70,000 REFUGEES The United Nations said more than 70,000 Burundians had fled to neighbouring states in a region with a history of ethnic fighting. “The region will not accept, nor will the region stand by, if violence does not stop or escalates in Burundi,” Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said after the summit. It was hard to establish who was in control in Burundi. The state broadcaster, often a primary target in state takeovers in Africa, was surrounded by troops. An employee inside told Reuters some soldiers had tried to enter while others resisted. That did not deter crowds from dancing and singing in the streets. Some sat on top of cars. A Reuters correspondent saw little sign of the police, hated by protesters for breaking up demonstrations by force and widely considered loyal to Nkurunziza’s party. Niyombare had made his declaration that Nkurunziza had been overthrown to reporters at a barracks in Bujumbura. “Regarding President Nkurunziza’s arrogance and defiance of the international community, which advised him to respect the constitution and Arusha peace agreement, the committee for the establishment of the national concord decide: President Nkurunziza is dismissed, his government is dismissed too,” he said, surrounded by several other senior army and police officers, including a former defence minister.

It was not clear if the army was fully under Niyombare’s command. In the 12-year war, the formerly Tutsi-led army fought rebel groups from the Hutu majority, including one commanded by Nkurunziza. The military is now officially mixed, and has become a symbol of reconciliation, but the presence of rival factions creates possible faultlines. YOUTH WING Many Tutsis say the Imbonerakure youth wing of Nkurunziza’s ruling party has been armed and has been threatening Tutsis. The U.S. government has also voiced concern about militias being given weapons. The ruling party has denied all the allegations. Diplomats in New York said the United Nations Security Council discussed Burundi during a monthly lunch with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday. Ban himself called on all parties to exercise calm and restraint. Opponents say Nkurunziza’s bid for another five years in office violates a two-term limit set down in the constitution and in the Arusha peace deal that ended the civil war. A constitutional court, however, ruled that the president could run, finding that his first term, when he was picked by parliament rather than by popular vote, did not count. Critics say the court is biased. Niyombare, also a former ambassador to Kenya, said he was working with civil society groups, religious leaders and politicians on forming a transitional

government. Western donors, including the United States and the European Union, have criticised

Nkurunziza’s decision to stand again. The European Union and Burundi’s former colonial ruler, Belgium, had

said they were suspending some aid, particularly support for the elections, due to the violence.

Israel gets into gritty detail to warn off Hezbollah (Reuters) An Israeli official made unusually detailed allegations yesterday of secret Hezbollah guerrilla sites in Lebanese villages, driving home its warning that civilians there risk bearing the brunt of any future war. Though neither side appears keen on coming to blows, Hezbollah has been building up its arsenal since the last, inconclusive conflict of 2006 and Israel regards the Iranian-backed Shi’ite guerrillas as its most immediate threat. Worried that thousands of precision-guided Hezbollah rockets could paralyse their vital infrastructure, Israeli planners have long threatened to launch a blitz against suspected launchers in Lebanon, even if that means harming civilians. A senior Israeli intelligence official took the unusual step yesterday of showing foreign correspondents aerial photographs of two Lebanese border villages, Muhaybib and Shaqra, with dozens of locations of alleged rocket silos, guerrilla tunnels, and anti-tank and gun nests marked out. Each of the some 200 Shi’ite villages in southern Lebanon “is a military stronghold, even though you can walk in the street and you’ll see nothing”,

said the official, who could not be named in print under military regulations. Hezbollah, whose fighters are helping Damascus battle the Syrian insurgency, says its capabilities have improved since the 2006 war with Israel but does not publish deployment details. The Shi’ite movement, which is a major military and political power in Lebanon

and has never accepted the existence of the state of Israel, describes itself as a defensive force for a country far outgunned by its southern foe. Should there be another conflict with Hezbollah, the Israeli official said, Lebanese civilians would be allowed to evacuate, but not at the cost of Israel suffering unbridled rocket salvoes.

Letters... Where your views

To prosecute or not... From page 4 Nigel Hughes, Khemraj Ramjattan, Raphael Trotman and Moses Nagamootoo being the directing legal minds for any prosecution. So, there is no room to allege ethnic bias or to inflame ethnic passions. Just the act alone of prosecuting these individuals will signal a marked change in the rule of law in Guyana and that alone would land the Coalition significant political capital among their base and among those who voted against them. For the sake of law and order, the advancement of the rule of law, demonstrating accountability and broadcasting integrity, prosecution has to occur. Not only does it firmly

signal there is change in governance and there is a new sheriff in town, it also shows that the new government is open to scrutiny if it stumbles and that people power is now alive. If the Coalition fails to prosecute, it will be accused of seeking to subvert the rule of law to avoid future prosecution if it falls afoul of the law and of breaking its promise. Surely, if it fails to prosecute, a reformed, ethical and multi-ethnic PPP with new trusted leadership will harp on the fact that it cleansed and purged itself of the very same trash while the Coalition did nothing to prosecute these rogues. M. Maxwell

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ABC envoys call on parties to respect results Following a visit to the People's Progressive Party/ Civic's (PPP/C) Freedom House, Robb Street, headquarters, the American, British and Canadian (ABC) diplomats in Guyana called for political parties to respect the results of Monday's General and Regional election polls. Speaking to members of the media outside Freedom House, yesterday, Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy, Bryan Hunt, accompanied by British High Commissioner, Gregory Quinn and Canadian High Commissioner, Dr. Nicole Giles, reiterated the ABC diplomats' wishes for political stakeholders to respect the provisions under Guyana's election laws. “The talking point we have been using with all the politi-

cal parties is that we hope that they respect the results and respect the judicial process that exists for contesting them if they have issues with the campaign,” said Charge d'Affaires Hunt. According to the envoys, the visit to Freedom House was a routine call to receive the party's perception on how things were going with the electoral process. Hunt clarified that the envoys had visited all the parties to gather their impressions on the elections as they finalise their recommendations. “It is very important to get ideas in real time as to what all the political parties believe could have been potential issues or concerns during the polls. So we're giving every-

one the opportunity to comment to us as to what their perspective is,” said Hunt. British High Commissioner, Quinn, affirmed the envoys' purpose for visiting the PPP/C, as they have done so with other political parties. Commissioner Giles emphasised the importance for the parties to continue communicating with each other. “I think it's really important at this point that all the parties keep talking and keep communicating and that the provisions under elections law are followed,” said Dr Giles. She further related that stakeholders continue to work together, so that Guyanese get “legally certified” results as quickly as possible.

Thursday May 14, 2015

$700 million court case against Liz Harper’s son further delayed The case against Reagan Pollard, the son of People’s Progressive Party Civic, PPP/ C Prime Ministerial candidate, Elisabeth Harper, was once again put on hold. Pollard is involved in a bitter court battle over $700 million owed to the overseasbased LLC Puruni Mining. Earlier last month, an adjournment was granted in the matter after Pollard failed to file his defence in response to the court action against him, last December. Yesterday, the matter, which was scheduled to be heard before Commercial Court Judge, Justice Deo Rishi Persaud was once again deferred to a later date. However, this time the adjournment was due to the fact that only an attorney representing Pollard showed up to the hearing. As such, the case is set to continue May 22. The lawsuit brought against Pollard outlined that the local miner was given the money by the overseasbased company to be invested in the mining industry. However, investors never received the agreed returns.

Reagan Pollard The investment was subsequently amended to become a loan agreement that Pollard agreed to repay. However, the legal document which was filed last December stated that, Pollard was scheduled to repay US$230,000 by last October but he has either “failed, neglected or refused,” to honour the agreement. The court documents specified that the defendant

only issued payments to the tune of US$31,614. According to court documents on April 17, 2012, Puruni LLC formally entered into a joint venture agreement with Pollard and his company, Reflex Mining Company Inc., for the purposes of operating a dredge or dredges on Pollard’s mining claims. The investors had agreed to fund the joint venture by providing a loan up to US$3 million but invested a total of US$2.8 million over a period of time. The deal turn sour after the investors were not receiving the agreed returns from Pollard. Pollard eventually met with the investors who agreed to amend their previous agreement and settle the matter by turning their investment into a loan that he agreed to repay. This was after the investors threatened legal action against him. A document purporting to be some kind of promissory note was then prepared and signed by Pollard and his mother, Elisabeth Harper, agreeing to honour the commitment to repay the $700M loan with interest, beginning October last year.

Stillborn baby…

WDRH files report with Ministry of Health We e k s a f t e r Te r e s a Lalltoo delivered a dead baby girl at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the We s t Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), has sent in a detailed report of the incident to the Ministry of Health, according to the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO’s) secretary. It is still unclear whether the GPHC has submitted its report. The Public Relations Officer of the GPHC, Sabatini Daniels said that she is unable to comment on the issue. Efforts to meet the CMO or his secretary were futile up to press time. The CMO, Shamdeo Persaud, had initially told Kaieteur News reporter that when the Ministry of Health received the report of the incident, he contacted the WDRH and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), requesting a report on the issue from both institutions. Lalltoo was admitted to the WDRH on Saturday April 18, 2015 complaining of the regular labour pains, but these soon dissipated as the

day went by, leaving her with only a cervical dilation of three centimeters and a failure to progress to the ideal 10cm. Because of this, the next day, the doctors opted to put her on oxytocin drip to assist with inducing her pain and contractions; a bad choice, in light of the fact that there was no one a v a i l a b l e t o s t a ff the operating theatre should the worst case scenario have occurred. After what one of the doctors, according to the mother, called “an experiment,” they decided to rupture her water bag since she had dilated to about 6cm. It was at this point that all the problems started, Miss Lalltoo reported, because as soon as they did that the umbilical cord came out and got lodged in the vagina. This constriction caused the baby to receive a d i m i n i s h e d s u p p ly of blood, leading to a decreased heart rate and eventually death of the foetus itself. Seeing what had gone wrong, the doctors attempted to replace the cord and tried to birth the baby normally but were unsuccessful,

causing only damage to the mother herself and with no staff for the theatre at the WDRH, she was s u b s e q uently rushed to GPHC where the baby was delivered dead the following day. Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Pe r s a u d , f r o m information given in the report by the family, said that to his knowledge GPHC would not have had any doing in the foetus’ demise, as on arrival to the i n s t i t u t i o n t h e f o e t u s ’s heartbeat had already stopped; more than likely the fault may have been at the WDRH. He disclosed too, that doctors and nurses who would have attended to Teresa Lalltoo, the woman t h a t g a v e b i r t h to the stillborn last Monday at the GPHC, have been summon to give a report on their account of what transpired on the day of the woman’s admission to the facilities. After continuous contact between the secretary and the brother of the woman, Dave Lalltoo, it was revealed that WDRH finally sent in the report which was allegedly ordered by the CMO.

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

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OBAMA meets two Saudi Derailed Amtrak train lacked princes after King sends regrets LATEST U.S. safety controls

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef (C) and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE) U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday went out of his way to play down the absence of Saudi King Salman from a regional summit with Gulf leaders that is likely to be dominated by tension over U.S. efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Iran. Obama met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office on Wednesday after King Salman pulled out of the visit last week. “The United States and Saudi Arabia have an extraordinary friendship and relationship that dates back to (President) Franklin Roosevelt,” Obama said at the start of the meeting. “We are continuing to build that relationship during a very challenging time,” he said. Obama said they would discuss how to build on a ceasefire in Yemen and work toward “an inclusive, legitimate government” in Saudi Arabia’s impoverished neighbor, where Iransupported Houthi rebels have been under attack by a Saudi-led coalition. King Salman decided abruptly to skip the White House meeting and a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the president’s Camp David retreat in Maryland outside Washington on Thursday. The White House has sought to counter perceptions that his absence was a snub that would undermine efforts to reassure the region Washington remains committed to its security against Iran. “King Salman, when he met directly with Secretary of

State John Kerry in Riyadh last week, did not express any specific concerns about the agenda at Camp David,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said yesterday. U.S. officials have said the right leaders were attending the summit, which they portrayed as a working meeting rather than a symbolic get-together. The Gulf Cooperation Council includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. The absence of many top Arab leaders, in addition to King Salman, is viewed as a reflection of frustration with Obama’s pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran and a perceived U.S. failure to support opposition fighters in Syria. The president called Saudi Arabia a critical partner in the fight against Islamic

State militants and highlighted his interactions with the two leaders who came in King Salman’s place. “On a personal level, my work and the U.S. government’s work with these two individuals ... on counterterrorism issues has been absolutely critical to maintaining stability in the region but also protecting the American people,” Obama said. Obama does not have private meetings on his public schedule with the leaders from the other countries, although a dinner is planned on Wednesday for the full group at the White House. Crown Prince bin Nayef said his country attached great importance to the “strategic and historic relationship” with the United States.

Emergency workers look through the remains of a derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (REUTERS/LUCAS JACKSON) The commuter rail route where an Amtrak train left the track on Tuesday was not governed by an advanced safety technology meant to prevent high-speed derailments, investigators said yesterday. A system called “positive train control” (PTC) automatically slows or even halts trains that are moving too fast or heading into a danger zone. Under current law, the rail industry must adopt the technology by the end of this year. The investigation into the cause of Tuesday’s crash, in which seven people were killed, has only just begun but initial examination of the train’s data recorders determined the train was traveling 106 miles per hour (171 km per hour) in a 50-mph (80-kph) zone. It would have been impossible for a train to reach such speeds if PTC had been

in place, officials said. “Based on what we know right now, we feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident would not have occurred,” said Robert Sumwalt, a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board. Amtrak has begun installing components of a PTC system but the network is not yet functioning, federal officials said. Amtrak officials did not respond to calls for comment. Federal rules require the national rail network to have an operating PTC system by the end of the year, though many lawmakers have endorsed rail industry appeals for more time to comply. In March, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to extend the deadline for implementing PTC until at least 2020. Both Republicans

Aircraft, farm deals on the table for China’s Li in South America BEIJING (Reuters) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will sign aircraft, currency and agricultural deals when he visits South America next week, an official said yesterday, a part of the world where China has deep trade ties but traditionally limited political influence. Li will travel to Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Chile on the May 17-29 trip, and, as is common with visits by top Chinese leaders to resourcerich nations, will sign what will likely be a series of impressive agreements. China, the world’s second-largest economy, is

buying oil from Venezuela, copper from Peru and Chile and soybeans from Argentina and Brazil, for example. Peru and Chile also both have free trade deals with China, and Colombia is looking at one. In return, China has invested a total of more than $100 billion as of the end of last year, according to Assistant Chinese Commerce Minister Tong Daochi. “During Premier Li’s visit to these four countries, we will discuss important issues like industrial cooperation, infrastructure, free trade zones, technical economic

cooperation, training and financial support,” Tong told reporters. “We expect that through further deepening this cooperation, China and Latin America will join hands to promote global prosperity and recovery.” Giving a flavor of what would be agreed, Tong said that China and Chile would sign currency swap and yuan settlement agreements, while in Brazil there would be a Brazilian beef export deal. In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $250 billion in investment in Latin America over the next

10 years as part of a drive to boost resource-hungry C h i n a ’s i n f l u e n c e i n a region long dominated by the United States.

and Democrats supported the measure which will now go to the Senate floor. “This accident is exhibit A for ending the delays and getting positive train control in place,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. The Association of American Railroads has said it wants PTC in place but blames logistical challenges like acquiring radio frequencies and placing transmitter towers for the delay. “This is not off-the-shelf technology; it has had to be developed from scratch,” said Ed Greenberg, spokesman for the trade group. Installing radio towers and other hardware at congested rail junctions, like the site of the Philadelphia accident, poses unique challenges, according to former and current officials. PTC control would go as far as overriding a train conductor who was exceeding posted speed limits, said Joseph Szabo, who stepped down in January as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. “If there is a red signal you can’t pass it, if there is a speed restriction, it will slow you down,” he said of the override system.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday May 14, 2015

Jamaica to get more IMF funds despite not hitting target

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips (left), listens keenly as Chief of the International Monetary Fund’s Staff Mission Team to Jamaica, Dr. Uma Ramakrishnan, addresses journalists at Tuesday’s media briefing. (Photo: JIS) KINGSTON, Jamaica Jamaica is on course for a ninth drawdown from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), totalling US$40 million, based on the country’s 2015 first quarter performance. This is despite recording a shortfall in the 7.5 per cent primary surplus target. Set a target of $121.3 billion (US$1.05 billion) for the end of March 2015, Jamaica registered $117.2 billion (US$1.01 billion), a shortfall of J$4.1 billion (US$35.6 million). That has been attributed to lower than projected revenue inflows for the period, as a result of the impact of drought, among other factors. However, the new Chief of the IMF’s Staff Mission Team to Jamaica, Dr. Uma Ramakrishnan, said the shortfall was not a worry. She said it was not expected to affect the island’s four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme. The IMF official gave the assurance during a media briefing yesterday following the mission’s

review of the country’s performance. Dr. Ramakrishnan described the missed revenue performance target as a “minor deviation”, assuring that “all [other] quantitative targets, to the end of March 2015, were met.” “What is really critical for us [is maintaining] the central focus of the programme, which is the government’s commitment to achieving the 7.5 per cent primary surplus for the year,” she noted. The mission chief said once the “critical” programme goals remained intact, “which, we think, is the case for Jamaica, we have routine procedures that we follow to go ahead with the completion of the review without delay (and) on time, to keep things on schedule and on track”. The IMF Executive Board is tentatively scheduled to deliberate on the mission’s review, which was carried out over the last week, next month. Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Peter Phillips reaffirmed the government’s

commitment to a maintaining a high primary surplus target, noting that “Jamaica has achieved the 7.5 per cent of GDP outturn . . . since the inception of the programme”. He said attaining that minimum target underpinned the primary objective of Jamaica’s Economic Reform Programme, which is to reduce the significant level of debt build-up over many years. “It is, therefore, important to note that the fiscal deficit is $3.6 billion, better than targeted, and this outturn supports our debt reduction objective,” he added. Noting that the EFF was midway into its implementation, Dr. Phillips said that Jamaica’s performance under the programme, to date, has been exemplary, adding that the administration’s efforts are paying off as the economy is “showing positive signs of recovery”. Notable among these, he outlined, are: a 2014/15 fiscal year inflation rate of four per cent, the lowest in 48 years; and a decline in the current account deficit of the balance of payments from 13.4 per cent of GDP in 2011/12, to 5.9 per cent in 2014/15, with further narrowing down to 2.4 per cent, anticipated for 2015/ 16. Additionally, Dr. Phillips said the Net International Reserves stood at approximately US$2.4 billion at the end of last month, with the stock of gross reserves representing over 20 weeks of projected import of goods and service; while the debt to GDP ratio declined from 140.7 per cent at the end of fiscal year 2013/14, to 138.5 per cent at the end of 2014/15.

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Brady and NFL prepare to... Andy Murray beats Jeremy... From page 29 the scheme, Ted Wells, an attorney hired by the NFL to look into the allegations, said in a 243-page report. Wells on Tuesday angrily disputed remarks by Brady’s agent Don Yee that the NFL “reached a conclusion first, and then determined so-called facts later.” “All of this discussion that people at the league office wanted to put some type of hit on the most popular, iconic player in the league - the real face of the league - it just doesn’t make any sense,” he told reporters during a conference call. “It’s really a ridiculous allegation.” While the team and head coach Bill Belichick were exonerated of wrongdoing in the scandal, New England was still fined $1 million and forced to give up two draft choices, a first-round pick in 2016 and a fourth-round pick in 2017. After their victory over the Colts, the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 to win the Super Bowl, which some now view as tainted. ARBITRATOR IS KEY Matthew Mitten, professor of law and director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University Law School, said if a truly independent arbitrator - one without ties to the NFL - is chosen to hear the case, Brady is likely to have his penalty reduced.

“It’s pretty unlikely they would say, ‘Well, there wasn’t any justification to impose any discipline,” he said. “It’s more likely the suspension would be cut to a game or two.” Once Brady, 37, formally files an appeal, Goodell will have a week to announce he will hear the case, or appoint a hearing officer of his choice. The Patriots have not said whether they will appeal the penalties imposed on the team. Speculation is that Goodell will choose Harold Henderson to hear an appeal of Brady’s case. A former NFL executive, he heard the appeal of Minnesota Vikings player Adrian Peterson, who was suspended last season for beating his child with a switch. Henderson upheld Peterson’s suspension but the players union took the case to federal court and won. The judge sent the case back to the NFL for further proceedings under the collective bargaining agreement. He will also hear the 10-game suspension handed to Greg Hardy for a domestic abuse incident. If Brady loses his appeal, he could turn to the court system just as Peterson did. A defamation lawsuit would be difficult for Brady to win because the burden would be on him to prove not only that what was said about him was false but that it was said with reckless disregard for the truth, said Robert Corn-Revere, a media lawyer in Washington. “He would have a real uphill battle,” CornRevere said.

Thursday May 14, 2015 ARIES (MAR. 21APRIL 20) Travel for business purposes may bring the highest returns. Your dedication and fortitude when dealing with humanitarian groups will enhance your reputation. TAURUS (APR. 21MAY 21) You are best not to say too much to colleagues. Don't allow personal problems to conflict with professional duties. GEMINI (MAY22-JUNE 21) Make the necessary changes that will enable you to advance financially. Take time to deal with the concerns of children. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) Try to calm down emotionally about personal financial matters. Take care of any medical problems if they've been troubling you. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Your pursuits may end up being fruitless. If you're uncertain of your feelings, keep your opinions to yourself. VIRGO (AUG. 23 -SEPT. 23) Use your creative talent in order to accomplish your goals. You can make a serious attempt at quitting those bad habits that you've picked up over the years. You can mix business with pleasure to get favorable results.

LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) Secret activity is evident. Be careful when dealing with superiors. It might be best not to spend your money on luxuries today. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) You need to be active and spend time with friends you enjoy. You will accomplish the most in the work environment today. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) Be aware that minor accidents or injury may prevail if you are preoccupied. Enlist the aid of family members and consider the feelings of your mate. Do not allow colleagues to hinder your ambitions. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.JAN. 20) Children will want to help, too. Residential changes, renovations, or moves are likely to disrupt your routine. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) If you can work at home, do so. Your mind will be wandering to exotic destinations. You will learn a great deal about yourself if you go somewhere secluded. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) You're eager to learn. If you're already in a relationship, use this added energy passionately. You should be making plans to spend some time with the ones you love.

From page 31 appeared at ease in the new conditions. “My legs were a bit tired at the start but they started to feel better after a few games,” said the Scot. “I played a good match. “He has a big serve, it was tough for me. But I hung in, moved well and didn’t give him loads of opportunities. I served well throughout the match. “I’m happy with how I adjusted to conditions, I made it difficult for him to win free points. “I don’t know how my body will feel over the next days, but I’ll try to spend as much time recovering and resting as possible.” Chardy, ranked 38th, created the first opportunity with two break points at 3-2, but a spectacular backhand winner from Murray saved the first and set the tone for what was to follow. Murray saved the second and then got the break himself with some wonderful backhands before closing out the set comfortably. Another winner off that side gave him the breakthrough early in the second set and a limp backhand into the net from Chardy offered up a third and final break after one hour and 25 minutes. Fourth seed Nadal responded to Sunday’s defeat by Murray with a 6-2 6-0 win over Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan, while second seed Roger Federer takes on Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas later on Wednesday. In the women’s draw, second seed Simona Halep

Real reject Morata... From page 28 saved brilliantly from Claudio Marchisio and Bale nodded over when well placed. “Juventus deserve to be in the final while we missed our chance,” Real defender Sergio Ramos told Spanish television. “After the first goal it seemed like the tie was won but that wasn’t the case at all,” added the Spain international, whose side now face the prospect of ending the season without winning any of the Champions League or Spanish league and Cup. Ronaldo, level with Barca forward Lionel Messi at the top of the 2014-15 scoring charts, became the first player to score at least 10 goals in four different Champions League campaigns. He jointly holds the alltime goals record for the competition of 77 with Messi.

thrashed Alison Riske 6-3 60, Victoria Azarenka beat fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-2,

7-6 (7-2) and sixth seed Eugenie Bouchard saw off Zarina Diyas 6-3, 6-4.

Injured Pietersen... From page 29 Friday - at their request - I’ll be travelling out to India,” he wrote. “It’ll give me a good opportunity to cool down and assess what I’m going to do next. I’m just sorry it won’t be putting on an England shirt.” Should they qualify for the knockout stages, Sunrisers will also be without their New Zealand pair of fast bowler Trent Boult and batsman Kane Williamson, who will leave after Sunday’s game to join the national squad ahead of their first Test against England starting on May 21. However, they can count on the encouraging form of

Eoin Morgan and Moises Henriques besides captain David Warner and the availability of Dale Steyn, who has been part of the playing XI in just four games so far. Sunrisers’ retention of Williamson has caused New Zealand to abandon plans to field him - albeit belatedly - in their final pre-Test warm-up which begins against Worcestershire in Worcester on Thursday. Corey Anderson will still travel up to Worcester as planned on Thursday but Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Brendon McCullum will arrive early next week, along with Williamson.

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Thursday May 14, 2015

Barcelona FC to face tax fraud Swimmers being affected by trial over NEYMAR transfer closure of National Aquatic Center and Colgrain Pool Neymar was bought from the Brazilian club Santos in 2013. (Reuters)

BBC Sport - A Spanish judge has ordered Barcelona Football Club to stand trial over claims it tried to mislead tax authorities. The club bought the Brazilian player Neymar in 2013 for what they said was

•57m euros ($41m; $65m). But a judge in Madrid said he believes the club knew the fee was far higher - and so more tax should have been paid. The club’s current and former presidents have 10 days to respond to the court.

Barcelona and its former president, Sandro Rosell, h a v e previously denied wrongdoing. The current president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, previously said that the findings were “open to interpretation” and that he would challenge them. The club said it paid •57m for Neymar, 23, with his parents receiving •45m of the fee. But investigators allege that the fee for Neymar’s transfer from Brazilian team Santos was closer to •83m. As a result, Barcelona has not paid about •13m in tax, say prosecutors. The Spanish news agency, Efe, said the club could face a fine of more than •22m if found guilty. All parties have 10 days to file papers in their defence before the court. No trial date has yet been fixed. Barcelona need only one more victory to win the Spanish league, and reached the Champions League final after beating Bayern Munich 5-3 on aggregate on Tuesday.

Aquatic Centre used as Polling Station National athletes continue to be treated with disdain by the powers that be at the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, custodians of National sports facilities. Preparation of Guyana’s swimmers to two international events has been affected with the closure of the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal on the East Coast of Demerara and Colgrain Swimming Pool, Camp Street in the City. A reliable source has told Kaieteur Sport that the multimillion dollar National Aquatic Centre has been closed since May 10 the day before National Elections which took place on May 11 last. This facility was also used as a polling station and has remained closed since. What is even more alarming is the fact that the water level in the pool is very low which can affect the efficient operations of the pool if it remains so. Kaieteur Sport has also been reliably informed that as of yesterday, May 13, the

Colgrain Pool, located on Camp Street, the other pool that is used by swimmers has been closed until further notice. Among the swimmers whose training schedules are being disrupted by the closure of these two national facilities are those preparing for the Pan Am Championships set for Toronto, Canada and the World Championships to be held in Kazan, Russia, both in a few weeks. This development will certainly impact negatively on the athletes being properly prepared. The PAN AM Games will be held in Toronto, Canada from July 10 - 26. Swimmers selected to go, Omar Adams (Dorado) and Onika George (Silver Shark). The FINA World championships will be in Kazan, Russia from July 24 to August 09, 2015. Swimmers listed from Dorado Swim Club: Hannibal Gaskin, Britany Van Lange, Soroya Simmons, from Dolphin Swim Club: Jameela Sanmoogan.

Real reject Morata United director hits back fires Juve into final

at fans’ criticism of Glazers Reuters - LONDON Manchester United’s “oneyear experiment” without Champions League football has not seriously harmed profitability although it was painful, the club’s group managing director Richard Arnold said yesterday. United’s worst Premier League finish in 2013-14 meant they were absent from Europe’s Blue- riband club competition this year, giving further ammunition to critics of the Glazer family who bought the club 10 years ago. Marking the anniversary of the Glazers’ takeover of England’s biggest club, the Independent Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) this week issued a statement accusing the Americans of “ownership crime” saying they had saddled the club with debt. However, Arnold said the owners’ “long-term vision” meant the three-times European champions remained strong, on and off the pitch, and were still competing for the world’s top players. “Yesterday was the 10year anniversary of the our current owners and that longterm approach they’ve taken, the vision they’ve shown and the decisions they’ve made have borne out on and off the pitch and they’ve been

Richard Arnold, Commercial Director of Manchester United, poses before a news conference in Hong Kong June 23, 2011. (Reuters/Bobby Yip) strong,” Arnold said at the Daily Telegraph Business of Sport forum in London. “(MUST) would have their view. I wouldn’t agree with it. “It’s a unique position to be in, the way that fans feel about a club and that is at the heart of everything we do. You can’t take that for granted.” United are virtually assured a top-four finish in the Premier League, after slipping to seventh last season, meaning a return to the Champions League, albeit probably via a playoff. Arnold said the real pain of not rubbing shoulders with the likes of Barcelona, Real

Madrid and Bayern Munich was felt by the players and fans rather than the club’s bean counters. “Whatever you call the competition, not being at the top table that you can be in is a matter of pride, it’s where the players want to play, it’s what the fans want to see, not being there hurts, it’s a key achievement milestone for us. “In taking the long-term vision, structuring the business to be profitable and having a diversified income stream, it’s a much smaller number than people expect in how it’s affected our profitability and our ability to compete economically for the best players.

Juventus’ Alvaro Morata scores their first goal. (Reuters/Paul Hanna) Reuters - MADRID Juventus shattered Real Madrid’s dream of a recordextending 11th European crown when Alvaro Morata scored against his former club to secure a 1-1 Champions League draw with the holders yesterday and send Juve into the final 3-2 on aggregate. Cristiano Ronaldo netted a 23rd-minute penalty to give Real the upper hand before Morata stunned the Bernabeu when he rifled a shot into the roof of the net off goalkeeper Iker Casillas 12 minutes into the second half. Spain forward Morata, a Real academy graduate considered surplus to requirements, also scored in the Italian champions’ 2-1 win in the first leg in Turin and Juve will bid for their third

triumph in Europe’s elite club competition when they face Barcelona in Berlin on June 6. Real pushed desperately for the goal that would have taken the game to extra time but squandered a host of chances and Juve remained on course for a treble of European and domestic league and Cup titles. “Many people said Juve was not a team that deserved to be here and we have proved them wrong game after game,” Juve midfielder Arturo Vidal told reporters. “They (Real) have some spectacular players but we are a very united team,” added the Chile international. “We all know what Barcelona are, they have an incredible side, but we will see who is the best and we will

put our lives on the line.” After Ronaldo’s penalty following a clumsy Giorgio Chiellini foul on James Rodriguez, Real could have been further ahead at the break. Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema all wasted chances on a warm night in the Spanish capital with Real dominating as expected. The match opened up in the second half and Juve were rewarded when forward Morata found space in the area after a clever layoff from Paul Pogba. MISSED CHANCE Chances came thick and fast at both ends and Rodriguez powered a shot narrowly over the crossbar, Real keeper Iker Casillas (Continued on page 27)

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Brady and NFL US STRIPPED OF LONDON prepare to battle 2012 Olympic relay medals over ‘Deflategate’ suspension

A fan wearing a souvenir t-shirt from Super Bowl XLIX and listing New England Patriots players including quarterback Tom Brady waits in line to hear Brady speak at Salem State University. (Reuters/Brian Snyder) Reuters - The National Football League’s hardline stance on Tom Brady and his role in “Deflategate” sparked predictions on Tuesday that the star quarterback could see his four-game suspension reduced through an appeal. The severity of the punishment for the New England Patriots star combined with a spate of overturned NFL sanctions bode well for Brady in the appeals process, experts said. The four-time Super Bowl champion and one of the league’s marquee players has said he will appeal the penalty, handed down on Monday for his part in deflating footballs for the AFC title game in January. The appeal, which must be lodged by Thursday at 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT), would follow a flurry of questions about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s handling of other high-profile cases last season. Brady’s four-game suspension is seen as harsh by many, who note it is the same as what is handed to first time offenders violating the league’s rules on performance-enhancing drugs, and double the number of games Goodell initially gave Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice for a domestic violence incident. The league later changed Rice’s punishment to an indefinite suspension of the running back, who knocked out his wife in a New Jersey elevator, only to have that decision turned aside on appeal. “The NFL has typically won most of the appeals, but they’re on a bit of a losing

streak lately,” said Robert Boland, a former NFL agent and currently professor of sports management at New York University’s Tisch Center. Brady’s failure to cooperate with the investigation - one of the reasons cited in the penalty might not stand up on appeal, Boland added. “It wasn’t that he failed to appear or speak to the NFL, it was that he refused to give up phone records that were personal to him,” he said. “I think that may be an overstep. There’s a real possibility that this penalty will be reduced.” ‘MISDEMEANOR IS A FELONY’ The NFL took a harderthan-usual line with Brady in the wake of an outcry over its handling of domestic abuse cases this season involving several players, including Rice. “I don’t think you would have seen this penalty a year ago,” said Michael Cramer, director of the Texas Program in Sports and Media at the University of Texas-Austin. “This is a strong penalty. “It is almost like the NFL has told us a misdemeanor is a felony and we now have to consider that and it forces people to say he must have really done something wrong.” The NFL said the Patriots likely deflated the footballs below league standards on purpose so Brady could grip the ball better in cold and wet conditions during their 45-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts that put New England in the Super Bowl. Brady was “more probably than not” aware of (Continued on page 27)

The United States 4x100m relay team. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - The entire United States 4x100m relay team have been stripped of their London 2012 Olympic silver medals as a consequence of Tyson Gay’s drugs ban. Former 100m and 200m world champion Gay was suspended for a year after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid. The 32-year-old returned his London 2012 medal when his suspension was announced in May 2014.

Now the International Olympic Committee has told US Olympic bosses that the whole team must return their medals. The IOC wrote to the US Olympic Committee on Wednesday, telling them to collect the medals from Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Ryan Bailey, Jeffery Demps and Darvis Patton. “We will begin efforts to have the medals returned, and support all measures to protect clean athletes,” said a US Olympic Committee

BBC Sport - Former Fifa executive committee member Reynald Temarii has been banned from football for eight years for accepting money from former Asian Football Confederation chief Mohamed bin Hammam. Temarii was found to have violated Fifa ethics codes relating to “conduct, loyalty, confidentiality, conflicts of interest and offering and accepting gifts”, a Fifa statement read. The head of the Tahiti FA accepted 305,000 euros (£220,000) from Bin Hammam in 2011 to cover costs arising from an appeal against an earlier ban. That suspension, handed down in 2010, came after Temarii, along with fellow executive committee member Amos Adamu, offered to sell his vote in the bidding process for the 2018 World Cup to reporters from the Sunday Times. Both men were stripped of

the right to vote in the 2018 and 2022 hosting contests as a result. Tahitian Temarii, who was also president of the Oceania Football Confederation at the time, lost his subsequent appeal and served a one-year ban, while Nigerian Adamu was suspended for three years. Qatari Bin Hammam, another former Fifa executive committee member, was initially banned by world football’s governing body for bribery before the 2011 presidential election, in which he was standing against incumbent Sepp Blatter. Bin Hammam overturned

statement. Kimmons and Bailey ran with Gay in the final, as did Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, including a four-year suspension between 20062010. Gay’s results from 15 July 2012 - the date he first used a product containing a banned substance - were annulled. His one-year suspension was backdated to 23 June 2013, the date he tested positive at the US World Championship trials.

The American team finished second in London’s Olympic Stadium behind Jamaica, who were anchored by Usain Bolt on their way to a new world record. Gay and his team-mates set a new US record with their time of 37.04 seconds. If the medals are reallocated, Trinidad and Tobago - who finished third in 38.12 seconds - would be awarded silver. Fourth-placed France would take the bronze instead.

Fifa: Tahiti FA chief Reynald Temarii banned for eight years

Former Fifa executive committee member Reynald Temarii has been banned from football for eight years. (Getty Images) that verdict only to be suspended following a review of AFC accounts by

Fifa, which accused him of repeated violations of the ethics code during 2008-2011.

WADA LIFTS BAN OF RIO... From page 33 year’s World Cup in Brazil were flown to Switzerland, adding pressure on Brazilian sport chiefs to get a WADAapproved lab up and running for the 2016 Rio Games. While operational, the Rio

lab will have to quickly get up to operating a full capacity with the Rio Games a little over a year away. “My people believe they are capable of doing the job and so they have been reaccredited,” said Reedie.

“They now have to build up capacity because normally we would ask a laboratory to do 3,000 tests in a year, I don’t know how many the IOC will want to do but it will be more than 3,000 in a period of 16 days.”

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Thursday May 14, 2015

Manny Pacquiao: Retirement KXIP find elusive win; RCB slip to fifth decision on hold after surgery Wriddhiman Saha blazed away at the start for Kings XI Punjab with a 12-ball 31 © BCCI.

ESPNcricinfo - Kings XI Punjab secured a 22-run consolation victory, after their bowlers trussed up an explosive Royal Challengers Bangalore top order, in a raincurtailed 10-overs-a-side contest in Mohali. Axar Patel played impactful hands with bat and ball, holding together the back end of the Kings XI innings, before claiming two wickets and conceding only 11 runs from his two overs. Seamers Beuran Hendricks and Anureet Singh also helped defend 106 for 6, which was kickstarted by Wriddhiman Saha’s 31 from 12 balls. Kings XI began their innings at full pelt, as Saha swiped Mitchell Starc to the legside boundary off successive balls in the first over, before carting three fours and a six over long-on to loot 20 from Sreenath Aravind in the second. His dismissal bought Royal Challengers some cheaper overs, followed by two more wickets. Manan Vohra holed out to long-off for 11 in the fifth over, before Glenn Maxwell picked out deep midwicket two balls later, off Harshal Patel. David Miller would help the hosts briefly regain impetus, slamming two towering sixes off the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal, but got himself stumped off a wide

soon after to collect a score of 14 from 4 balls. Axar Patel would see the innings to its conclusion, hitting a six and a four in his 15-ball 20, while George Bailey hit 13 from 9. Kings XI still had enough batsmen to finish more violently, but were curbed by

Harshal Patel and Starc, who conceded five and six runs from their final two overs respectively. The fall of the first wicket dampened Royal Challengers’ advance too, after Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli had hit 33 runs from the first 17 balls, before Kohli played Anureet Singh onto his stumps. Gayle was caught behind off Sandeep Sharma soon after, before AB de Villiers also failed to move the chase along falling for 10 from 9 balls. Mandeep Singh gave the visitors some hope, cracking his first ball to the cover fence, then reverse-sweeping Axar Patel for four two overs later. But wickets continued to fall at the other end, and boundary attempts were repeatedly thwarted. The required rate had leapt to 12.66 with three overs to play, but Beuran Hendricks delivered a five-run over that claimed a wicket, then Axar Patel removed Mandeep. Royal Challengers had not found the boundary off the last 22 balls, when they ran out of overs, at 83 for 6. Scores: Kings XI Punjab 106 for 6 (Saha 31, Harshal 2-12) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 84 for 6 (Axar 2-11, Anureet 221) 22 runs. Match reduced to 10 overs a side.

Manny Pacquiao arrives home in the Phillipenes. (AFP) BBC Sport - Manny Pacquiao says he is close to making a decision on whether to retire from boxing. The Filipino, 36, returned to his home country yesterday following defeat by Floyd Mayweather in their world welterweight superfight on 2 May. “I will focus on healing my shoulder. After that, I will announce continuing my career or retirement,” he said. “I’m not saying I am going to retire, but it’s near. I’m already 36, turning 37 this December.” Despite a unanimous points defeat in Las Vegas, Pacquiao, a six-weight world champion, was welcomed back to the Philippines by fans as he paraded through the streets of capital city

Manila on the back of a truck. Pacquiao, who is also a congressman in his home country, had his arm supported by a sling following surgery on his injured shoulder - a problem he said had hampered him during the fight with Mayweather, the most lucrative in boxing history. New figures released by American networks Showtime and HBO said the fight shattered the previous record for total pay-per-view buys with 4.4m purchases of the fight in the United States alone. That generated $400m (£254m) in domestic sales while total revenue is expected to exceed $500m (£318m). Following the fight, Mayweather, 38, called

Pacquiao a “sore loser” and has ruled out a rematch. But Pacquiao, who is the subject of a Nevada law suit after being accused of failing to declare his injury prior to the bout, said he would consider fighting the undefeated American again. “I [would] like that. I want that. But my focus right now is my shoulder, my work as a congressman and my family,” he said. Pacquiao also said he had accepted his defeat by Mayweather, but that after reviewing the fight on video he still believed he won by a slim margin. “I reviewed the fight and kept score. I won by two points, but a decision has been made and we have to accept it,” he added.

James scores 38 as Cavaliers take series lead over Bulls Reuters - (The Sports Xchange) - The Cleveland Cavaliers moved one win away from the Eastern Conference final after beating Chicago 106-101 in Game Five of their semi-final series on Tuesday. Lebron James finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Kyrie Irving scored 25 points, and Iman Shumpert grabbed a crucial offensive rebound in the final minute as Cleveland took a 32 lead in the best-of-seven series. It is the first time either team won consecutive games in the series and the Cavaliers will attempt to close out Chicago on Thursday at the Bulls’ United Center. If Chicago win then Game Seven would be played on Sunday in Cleveland. The Bulls were again without forward Pau Gasol due to a hamstring injury, and forward Taj Gibson was

ejected in the fourth quarter after an incident involving Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova led to both teams tangling under the basket. Gibson appeared to push Dellavedova down while going for a rebound, while Dellavedova pinned Gibson’s left leg between both of his. Gibson kicked Dellavedova while trying to shake free and was ejected after officials separated both teams. Chicago guard Jimmy Butler had 29 points and nine rebounds, including a pair of late three-pointers to give the Bulls hope, and guard Derrick Rose added 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. However, 12 of Rose’s points came in the first quarter. The Bulls head home trying once again to stave off elimination from James, who has had a hand in ending Chicago’s season in three of the past five years.

LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against Jimmy Butler (21) in the second quarter in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. (David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

Campbell sacked as Windies female Coach Due to Whatsapp message

Vasbert Drakes

Sherwin Campbell

Long serving West Indies women’s cricket Coach Sherwin Campbell, conspicuously absent from the team currently campaigning in round three o f t h e I C C Wo m e n ’s Championship in Sri Lanka, has been sacked by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Campbell, who was instrumental in the rise of the West Indies women into the top half of the international women’s rankings over the last seven years, has been replaced by fellow Barbadian Vasbert Drakes, the former West Indies allrounder. Campbell allegedly sent a private message via Whatsapp to a senior member of the team in which another senior player was the subject of much discussion. However, the discussion was relayed to a member of the WICB who found the c o a c h ’s m e s s a g e a n d discussion to be in poor

taste. A source close to the situation said Campbell never intended the message to go past the person to whom it was sent. “Sherwin was having what he thought was a private conversation with someone and shared his views about a senior member of the team and the person sent the message to the WICB official. The message was then taken to the WICB and after investigating they thought that it would not be wise to have Campbell coach the team at this point in time.” Under Campbell’s reign, the West Indies became one of the top women’s team and received lots of attention on the world stage. He enjoyed a good relationship with the WICB and the players, but according to the source after seven years, there was definitely going to be issues that would crop up. “However, this one was probably not dealt with in the

best manner by Campbell and he paid the ultimate price.” Campbell played 52 Tests, scored 2,882 runs at an average of 32.38 and a best of 208. He also featured in 90 ODIs, scoring 2283 runs at an average of 26.24 and a best of 105. Drakes, who has taken over has the experience of working with the Barbadian women’s team and has been touted as a good coach by his peers. His first assignment is t h e I C C Wo m e n ’s Championship which is a m u l t i - y e a r, b i l a t e r a l competition between the top eight international women’s sides that will lead to qualification for the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup to be hosted by the England & Wales Cricket Board. The West Indies women, meantime, will be matching skills with Sri Lanka in a series of four matches, with the last three, counting as qualifiers for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.

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Injured Pietersen abandons Sunrisers return ESPNcricinfo - Kevin Pietersen’s return to the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad has been scuppered by a calf injury suffered while making the triple-century for Surrey that helped build a tidal wave of protest at his continued England freeze-out. Andrew Strauss, England’s new director of cricket, has blocked any potential Pietersen comeback this summer because of “massive trust issues” that soured the later stages of his England career and have contributed to his 18 months in the international wilderness. That decision seemed to signal a speedy return for Pietersen to play for Sunrisers in the final stages of the IPL but he had a scan on a damaged calf in London on Wednesday and returned to the Kia Oval with a noticeable limp. The prognosis was that the injury was expected to take a couple of weeks to heal. His mood was soon to be enhanced as Surrey, led by their openers Steve Davies and Jason Roy, pulled off a dramatic run chase against Leicestershire, ensuring that his unbeaten 355 - the highest score of his life would at least set up a victory for his county, if not resurrect his England career. Sunrisers’ CEO K Shanmugam had announced that Pietersen would join the team on Friday in Hyderabad. He was bought

Kevin Pietersen will not return to Sunrisers because of injury. © Getty Images. by the franchise in this year’s auction but was allowed to return home to England to play county cricket at his request. They lie third in the IPL table and had hoped that Pietersen would give them additional firepower in their last home game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday as they press for a top-four place. Tom Moody, the head coach, had also been excited by his return. “It is great news that KP will be joining

Andy Murray beats Jeremy Chardy at Italian Open

Andy Murray took his winning run on clay to 10 matches. (Getty Images)

BBC Sport - Britain’s Andy Murray took his winning run on clay to 10 matches with victory over France’s Jeremy Chardy at the Italian Open. The third seed, who considered skipping Rome to rest for the French Open, came through 6-4, 6-3 at the Foro Italico. He goes on to face French 13th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Belgian David Goffin in the last 16. However, fellow Briton Heather Watson was beaten 6-1, 6-1 by Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the second round. Murray, 27, beat Rafael Nadal on clay for the first time on Sunday to claim his second clay-court title in a week. He chose to play in Rome to get match time at sea level, as opposed to the altitude of Munich and Madrid, and he (Continued on page 27)

us earlier than planned,” he said. “To add a world-class batsman to our squad at the business end of the tournament is a huge bonus.” Pietersen’s priority will now be to recover fitness in time for his stint with St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League. His future with Surrey remains uncertain. Sunrisers purchased Pietersen at his base price of 2 c r o r e r u p e e s (approximately GBP 200,000) at the IPL player auction in February. They agreed to release Pietersen ahead of the season to allow him to press for England selection. In an irate column for the Te l e g r a p h n e w s p a p e r Pietersen accused the ECB of being “deceitful”. He signed off the column by confirming he would be flying out to India to honour his IPL commitments. “Under the agreement of releasing me from my IPL contract, Sunrisers Hyderabad have the right to recall me for the final stages of the tournament, so on (Continued on page 27)

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Thursday May 14, 2015

Urling pleased with progress of Men’s Programme

Confident structured development will be achieved

FIFA Officials with Urling at Leonora. The Golden Jaguars following their 2-0 win against St. Lucia at the Providence Stadium.

By Franklin Wilson With just a few months in office after being appointed by FIFA in October of 2014 following administrative turmoil, Chairman of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Normalization Committee Clinton Urling says he is satisfied with the general progress of the game so far. The main mantra of the GFF NC is ‘Let Football Play’ and that has been the name of the game ever since they began serving. Guyana has resumed playing international friendly matches with the full support of overseas based players along with the local based players. Since the commencement of 2015, a total of four friendly

international matches have been played by the Golden Jaguars (winning 3 losing 1) who are preparing for the CONCACAF leg of FIFA World Cup Qualifying Round 2 against St. Vincent & the Grenadines on June 10 and 14 next. The Olympic Under-23 squad has also commenced training and very soon more details will be released on the reviving of the ‘Lady Jags’ who will also compete in the Olympic Qualifying competition. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport, Urling said he is satisfied with the progress of the Senior Men’s national programme so far. “Our WCQ campaign began in December last year when the NC made the decision to reactivate the

men’s squad and to include the best players who can represent Guyana, which includes players residing overseas. Since then, we have played four international friendlies in 6 months, including hosting two. This is noteworthy because for the previous two and half years we had not played a home friendly match.” Urling posited the view that the matches played were instructive in having the Technical Staff analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the players in order to determine the best squad to represent Guyana when their round of WCQs begin next month. He also stated that the inclusion of overseas professional players bolsters

the chances and pedigree of Guyana’s football. The GFF NC appointed Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz and his Assistant Wayne Dover to respective two-year contracts since a solid Technical Programme is paramount to the development of the game in Guyana. Charting the way forward in this regard is newly appointed Technical Director, Claude Bolton who inked a four-year contract with the federation. Commenting on the recent loss to Suriname in an international friendly match in the Dutch Caribbean country, Urling said that you cannot expect to win every game. “What is important is that we give our team the best possible opportunity to succeed and that they are competitive in every game played. The team comprised mostly local based players and it gave the Coaching staff an opportunity to see the depth of the team and to determine what adjustments need to be made to our local based players to get them more primed for international competition.” The GFF NC is now further challenged with the Under-23 Olympic team also being in training for next month’s Qualifying, Urling

said they are not daunted by the fact that two teams will be on the road at the same time. “The coaching staff makes the determination as to how best we proceed with both teams. We are fortunate to have secured the same coaching staff for both teams. This allows for better coordination and affords the coaching staff the opportunity to identify future senior team players earlier and to hone their skills to fit in and excel in the senior team eventually. Of course, there is some overlap with players belonging to both teams; that could only be a helpful situation.” The GFF has made a major leap forward to acquire its own ground with the signing of a 30-year lease

with the Eccles/Ramsburg NDC to take control of the Providence ground. Urling notes that this is a major move by the federation but they will also in the short term, be making moves to the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport to have access to spanking new the Leonora ground. “We will reach out to the MCYS and secure a commitment from them to use Leonora as an option. Guyana is fortunate to have many fields, so we have options when it comes to playing surfaces. However, the GFF needs a dedicated facility for its national teams and with the recent signing of the lease for the Providence ground, in the near future we will have such a facility.”

Enterprise SC to host SOFTBALL on May 26 The Enterprise cricket ground is expected to come alive on May 26 when the club hosts an Independence Softball tournament starting at 09:00 hrs. Eight male and four female teams will be accepted and entrance fee for the male category is $100,000 and $6,000 for the female. Interested teams can contact Richard on 6923237 or Alex on 625-6754 for more information. Trophies and cash incentives will be up for grabs and among the teams expected to take part are Regal, Enterprise, Trophy Stall Angels and Wellwoman.

Thursday May 14, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 33

Demerara cricket trial called off By Sean Devers The selectors mandated with picking the Demerara players to participate in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Four-Day Senior Inter-County cricket competition yesterday called off the second and final day of the second and final cricket Trial at DCC ground due to anticipated inclement weather. After the first three-day t r i a l a t Wa l e s w a s condemned to a ‘match simulation’ session due to unavailability of 10 players, some of whom were in Trinidad playing semiprofessional cricket, and called off after the opening day, a second match was fixed for DCC on Tuesday and yesterday. The Malteenoes pair of Shemroy Barrington, who scored an undefeated 103

Robin Bacchus before he was called in by the selectors and leg-spinner Steven Sankar, who captured 4-47 out of the seven wickets for the 212 runs made by Vishaul Singh’s X1 on day one, were the standouts. Opener Robin Bacchus was the only other batsman to

Steven Sankar past 25 with a responsible 54 in an opening stand of 162 with Barrington. The GCB Inter-County tournament is set to commence on Saturday with two first round games. And although the results of the General and Regional

Elections are not likely to be known before today this should not affect the tournament since up to yesterday afternoon the GCB had not officially postponed the competition. The team to represent Demerara should have been selected yesterday afternoon. Berbice play the Guyana Under-19 team at Enmore ground and Demerara faceoff with Essequibo at Wales on Saturday. The second round commences on May 21 with Demerara and Berbice battling at GCC Bourda and Essequibo clashing with Guyana Under-19 at Enmore, while in the third and final round, which is scheduled to start on May 26, Berbice take on Essequibo at Wales and Demerara oppose the U-19s at Everest.

WADA LIFTS BAN OF RIO doping lab for 2016 Olympics Reuters - MONTREAL The Brazilian lab stripped of its accreditation for not meeting standards had its credentials restored by the World Anti-Doping Agency yesterday, clearing the way for it to conduct tests at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Laboratorio Brasileiro de Controle de Dopagem (LBCD) in Rio de Janeiro was dropped by

WADA in 2013 after failing a number of blind tests to detect banned substances. But WADA’s executive committee granted reaccreditation to the Rio lab after it completed the required remedial work stipulated in the International Standard for Laboratories. “This is essential to properly conduct an

Deandra Dottin

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CMC) – West Indies Women defeated Sri Lanka Women by five wickets in the opening One-Day International of the five-match series at the R Premadasa Stadium yesterday. Scores: SRI LANKA WOMEN 149 all out off

49.5 overs (Prasadani Weerakkody 42, Sripali Weerakkody 24 not out, Lasanthi Madushani 23; Hayley Matthews 3-19, Anisa Mohammed 2-15). WEST INDIES WOMEN 153 for five off 40.1 overs (Deandra Dottin 84 not out, Merissa Aguilleira 30; Eshani Kaushalya 2-4).

Shemroy Barrington flicks during his undefeated century on Tuesday.

Rockets soar over Clippers to avoid elimination

Olympic Games,” WADA chief Sir Craig Reedie said after the anti-doping agency’s Foundation Board meeting at its Montreal headquarters. “You can’t have a situation where athletes go into competition and then find out the laboratory does not do the job properly.” Samples taken at last (Continued on page 29)

Windies Women beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets

Team should be known today

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) is defended by Houston Rockets forward Terrence Jones (6) and guard Corey Brewer (33) in the second half in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. (Reuters) Reuters (The Sports Xchange) - James Harden and Dwight Howard delivered when it mattered most for the Houston Rockets, who averted playoff elimination with a 124-103 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game F i v e o f t h e We s t e r n Conference semi-finals on Tuesday. Harden posted 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Howard added 20 points and 15 rebounds as the Rockets forced a return trip to Los Angeles for Game Six on Thursday by thriving in the paint and playing with

defensive vigor. Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 but if the Rockets can even the series on Thursday, Game Seven would be back in Houston on Sunday. The Rockets matched their Game Three total for points in the paint (36) by halftime and finished with 64 as they took full advantage of DeAndre Jordan’s foul trouble, with the Clippers center picking up three by the break while logging just nine first-half minutes. Jordan finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds but was largely neutralized as a

rim protector. Forward Blake Griffin paced the Clippers with 30 points and 16 rebounds, while guard Chris Paul added 22 points and 10 assists. The guard trio of J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers, instrumental in two blowout wins in Los Angeles, shot a combined 8for-33. Rockets coach Kevin McHale tweaked his lineup, starting forward Josh Smith in place of Terrence Jones. Smith finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Jones added 12 points and five boards.

t r o Sp

The Pool at the National Aquatic Centre yesterday with a low water level.

Swimmers being affected by closure of National Aquatic Center and Colgrain Pool Aquatic Centre used as Polling Station

Real reject Morata fires Juve into final Juventus’ Alvaro Morata celebrates scoring their first goal with Arturo Vidal and team mates. (Reuters/Sergio Perez) Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210