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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
Donald Ramotar - a kinsman of King Canute The lid blew off the pressure cooker when the Guyana Elections Commission announced the total votes from the 2,299 polling stations that dotted the landscape for the May 11, 2015 elections in Guyana. The announcement also exposed the dangers of delaying the final vote count. One day after the elections the political parties announced what purported to be the findings from the statements of poll from its workers in the field. The coalition comprising A Partnership for National Unity plus Alliance For Change had announced that it had won the elections by a sizeable margin. Minutes later the People’s Progressive Party said that it too had secured a commanding lead in the elections judging from its statements of poll. In the end the elections were the closest in the history of Guyana, virtually a dead heat but the coalition won. In a democracy one accepts the will of the people; here the government says that it is not prepared to accept the outcome of the elections. This is contrary to an agreement it entered into with the Guyana Elections Commission. In fact, there was a Code of Conduct and all the contesting parties actually agreed to the terms and conditions. The basic tenet is that all should accept the result of the polls. The PPP was one of them that insisted on this. Donald Ramotar, Clement Rohee and Bharrat Jagdeo were adamant that they would abide by the decision of the electorate. This has ceased to be the case. The People’s Progressive Party is the only entity in Guyana that is refusing to accept the final outcome. History records that the PPP has never demitted office easily; it has always had to be dragged out or kicked out. Every diplomat in Guyana has certified the elections. In fact, the American Charge d’Affaires, Bryan Hunt, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn and Canadian High Commissioner, Dr. Nicole Giles, at the end of the polls, declined to meet with President Donald Ramotar at Office of the President. They contended that Office of the President was not the place to discuss political matters. They had earlier said to him that he should accept the results. In fact, they said as much when they met him at Freedom House. Since then members of the previous government, every civic organization, diplomats appointed by the PPP, members of the party and the international community have all said that Ramotar must accept the results. But Ramotar holds the opposing view. He, with prompting from Bharrat Jagdeo, stands like King Canute, trying to hold back the tide. There is more; we have been exposed as a people who smile when someone makes a suggestion. We nod and pretend that we are in sync with the proposer of the recommendation but we ignore the recommendation as soon as we leave the company. Because of this there has been no implementation of any recommendation made by the various foreign observer missions. Each over the years has been looking at Guyana’s archaic electoral laws and systems; each had made recommendations for their modification. Of course the government has listened but has done nothing for nearly two decades. Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr. Nicole Giles, put this failure into perspective. She said that when the recommendations are made and the government takes office, it believes that it has at least five years to adopt the recommendations. However, time passes quickly and before one knows it, it is time for elections again and no attempt has been made to modify the laws. Having said that, we now come to the situation where the only entity in denial is the PPP. Perhaps that party believes that it can call for vote recounts in perpetuity thus stalling the elections indefinitely. Perhaps, the PPP believes that ruling Guyana is its birthright and that no one else should. By now the leaders must realize that the party holds the safety of the country in its hands.
Saturday May 16, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
The Coalition will do what is best for the people and the country DEAR EDITOR, Under the stewardship of former president Bharrat Jagdeo, the PPP leadership waged one of the most bitter, nasty and racial election campaigns in recent times. They thought they were going to win the election and continue to govern the nation in the same dictatorial manner as they did for the past 15 of the 23 years in power. But it was not meant to be because the people had a different agenda; they did not want a government that rules in its own interest and not theirs. The general election results have caught everyone at Freedom House, including Jagdeo, by surprise, because of their pompousness. Even though they have used any and every means necessary including
character assassination and personal attacks on the leaders of the opposition, they quickly realized that they were no match for David Granger, Moses Nagamootoo and the rest of the coalition team. What they did not know is that while they were making plans to rule and dictate to the people, Guyana’s future was in the hands of the Almighty who decides. As the Scripture states, “man makes plans but God decides.” The way things unfolded during the week stunned Jagdeo and the PPP, so much so that they have refused to concede and accept defeat. The people voted against the PPP not only because their policies were archaic and seemed out of place, but also because they were tired
of the suffering and discrimination. So instead of becoming the government, the once all-powerful PPP is now relegated to the opposition for the next five years or perhaps more. Many, including some of their own supporters, believe that the PPP has caused its own defeat because of its stubborn and high-handed approach to governance. After becoming a minority government in 2011, President Ramotar governed the country as if he had a majority. Not only did he ignore the requests from the opposition to have tripartite talks, he also continued to govern in a cavalier style and in the process disrespected Parliament-the People’s House. To make matters worse, secret contracts were awarded to relatives and
friends of the ruling party’s leadership for huge kickbacks; the administration refused to establish the Procurement Commission and pawned the country’s pristine forests to foreigners without any regard to the destruction of the environment. But the straw that broke the combined opposition’s back was when the Minister of Finance illegally spent G$4.5 billion that was not approved by Parliament in 2014 and then decided to go to Parliament for approval. If this was not dictatorship, then I do not know what is? Further, Jagdeo’s fingerprints are all over this obscenity. The opposition had pleaded with the PPP administration to stop its reckless and arrogant behaviour, but President (Continued on page 5)
Time to refocus, reposition and restore this beautiful country of ours DEAR EDITOR, Let me firstly state categorically that I am not in any way affiliated to any political party, but as the outpouring of felicitations continues to inundate social media and other channels of communication, I too would like to join the plethora in offering my congratulatory message to the Honourable David Granger and his dynamic team for an exemplary accomplishment; one that came in the face of immense and unrelenting adversity. I sat in my apartment on foreign soil and followed every infinitesimal detail prior to the election and moments before the declaration, which took an eternity for reasons which are well documented. Nonetheless, the bottlenecks created were not sufficient to deny the rightful winners their hard fought victory in what was reported by the observers as a free, fair and transparent process. In the end, good sense prevailed. However, because I am apathetic about politics, my knowledge about His Excellency is absolutely negligible. However, for his party to have endorsed and retained him as their presidential candidate for two successive terms, even after defeat the first time, speaks volumes about the respect which he commands
among his colleagues. However, as soon as all formalities would have been completed and the new government assumes office, though the task will be humongous, the new government should spare no effort to commence the clean-up campaign unhesitatingly. As Guyanese, the time is opportune for us to be supportive and throw our weight behind the new government. There is no time for divisive or vindictive politics. No time for racial slurs, character assassination, defamation of character, talks of redemption etc. Rest assured that the atrocities inflicted were not just confined to one ethnicity as it is perceived and peddled by a clutch of half-witted individuals bent on reprisals. This is the dawn of a new era and those reprehensible traits which divided us on ethnic grounds back in the sixties must be obliterated. If we do not make a concerted effort now to foment a behavioral change, then relations with each other will continue to be strained. In these contemporary days, it is amazing to read the litany of inappropriate comments and profanity hurled by both ethnicities at each other with flagrant disregard. We cannot judge this new government by the
indiscretions of previous leaders. We need to give them a fair chance to transform the image of Guyana. It is time that we look beyond the colour of the skin and texture of the hair, and confine our judgment based upon issues. We do not need to be rocket scientists to see that race-based politics have destroyed Guyana. And, it is now time that we change the political culture. We need a culture where we are free to express our views. We should not be apprehensive that if we make any dissenting comments against the administration that we would be reprimanded or that there will be serious repercussions. We should not be marginalized or ostracized because our political views differ from that of another’s. After all,
we are all different and there is strength in diversity. This is the dawn of a new era, an era that I am ebullient about. It is time to reposition ourselves. There is no room any longer for nepotism, cronyism and political malpractices. It is time to restore pride, character, decency and dignity to this nation - desirable character traits which have sadly eluded us. Ultimately, in closing, I must say that I am oozing with confidence that this new government will incontrovertibly lead us successfully. Once again, congratulations are in order to His Excellency and the other members of the effervescent team. Savour this moment and God bless you in this journey of restoration. Raul Khan
My “Guyaneseness” DEAR EDITOR, I spent the last few days feeling tense, waiting with bated breath for the election results; it was the last thing on my mind when I went to bed at night, and the first thought when I awoke. Why? Because no matter where I live, I am Guyanese. I love my Indian music, my beef curry and dhal puri, my pepperpot, my cook up rice, my souse, my cow heel
soup, my soca music. I am comfortable in Buxton, in Crabwood Creek, in Lethem, in Bartica. I commend my parents for their work in raising me to be Guyanese first, for teaching me that my nationality triumphs over my race. I yearned for the leaders of my country to reflect those traits, and soon, my waiting will be over. Yuri Westmaas
Saturday May 16, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Congratulations to the alliance The leaders of the PPP are DEAR EDITOR, I write to express my congratulations to the APNUAFC alliance for their victory at the polls and to offer my best wishes to the President (elect) and Prime Minister (elect), and the soon-to-beinstalled new government, as they take on the challenges of implementing their elections promises. I am not surprised at the results of the elections. The PPP’s loss is due to arrogance, wrongdoing and blunders. Its leaders should accept defeat now and start rebuilding the
party. The current PPP is no longer the party of Cheddi Jagan and for which sugar workers and others gave their lives. For the sake of their supporters and the well being of the country, they should concede defeat and not subject the populace to any unnecessary stress at this time. While there may be jubilation at the APNU-AFC victory, in my view, the fundamental problem of racial voting has not been solved, and it will be up to the new government to take action for
change. The policies and programmes of the new government, and the actions of its leaders and officials will either improve or worsen the situation. President-elect Granger and Prime Minister-elect Nagamootoo have a golden opportunity, one which had been offered previously to Messrs Ramotar and Hinds but sadly mishandled - to mould Guyana into truly a nation of one people with one destiny. Time will tell if they succeed. Harry Hergash
The Coalition will do... From page 4 Ramotar ignored their pleas, and instead told the nation that he would not allow the opposition to frustrate his party’s initiatives to develop the country. The point is, the PPP only took the opposition seriously when the AFC brought the “no confidence” motion to Parliament. In order to avoid defeat of his government, President Ramotar prorogued Parliament and after a few months, called the election for May 11—a day of infamy for the PPP. The truth is the PPP is perceived as a deeply contemptuous, inconsiderate and corrupt party. Even if most of the politicians are not individually corrupt, the perception of corruption is what matters. Frequent accusations about ministers and senior government officials involved in corruption and other wrongdoing have alienated the masses from the PPP. And the people are generally fed-up and frustrated with the PPP for its abuse of Parliament and for turning it into a rubber stamp. The unseemly abuse of parliamentary privilege and the use of parliamentary time not to advance the nation’s business, but to indulge in party politicking and personal insults, have annoyed Guyanese. In calling the election, the PPP/C claimed it would retain power and capture 40 of the 65 contested seats. The APNU+AFC Coalition, on the other hand, foresaw victory with 60 percent of the votes. Based on the final results, none of what has been predicted or anticipated was accurate. The reason is race has and continues to be the main factor in how people vote in Guyana. It is not very healthy and cannot continue if democ-
racy is to survive. We are all cognizant of what took place with the elections of the 1970s and early 1980s. Was it because of racial voting? Obviously, Guyana is not like most countries, where the electorate votes on issues ranging from economic, social, political, health care, education etc. and not on race. Racial voting also exists in Trinidad and Tobago, but it is not as overt as in Guyana. Although race voting has reached a boiling point in Guyana, it is still being practiced much more by the PPP than the APNU+AFC Coalition. In fact, in this election the Coalition had urged voters not to vote on race but on issues, and which party is better equipped and qualified to move the country forward. An appraisal of their manifestos shows that very little separates the two main political parties ideologically, or in relation to plans to correct the dire economic situation Guyana finds itself deeply mired in. With Guyana being the second poorest and the second most corrupt country in the Hemisphere, after Haiti, the newly-elected Coalition government is fully aware that they have to implement very strict laws to reduce corruption and develop a more strategic economic policy to shore up the rice, sugar, mining and poultry industries which are the backbone of the country’s economy. This must be done urgently in order to reduce the poverty gap, improve the wellbeing of the people, especially the poor and the lower-income working class, as well as to improve the nation’s standing in the region. The silly election season has come and gone in earnest, but no one except the PPP has to wonder about who won the
election. Its refusal to concede victory to the Coalition is bordering on asinine, childishness behaviour to say the least. It is nothing more than hogwash. Now that the Coalition has won, it faces some very acute challenges. First, the parties have to stay together for the five years, come what may, if they are to be re-elected. Second, in forming the government, compromises will have to be made, egos buried and maturity reign supreme. Third, the Coalition has to differentiate itself from the PPP by being accountable and transparent to the people, unite the people and make changes to the Constitution. And last but not least, there should be no discrimination based on race, ethnicity, creed or party affiliation; all must enjoy the fruits of the country equally. I am stuck with the confidence and certainty that the President-elect, Brigadier (retired) David Arthur Granger and the soon-to-be Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Khemraj Ramjattan, Joe Harmon, Raphael Trotman and Carl Greenidge, among others, will buck the PPP trend in all aspects and respect all Guyanese, treating them fairly and with dignity and pride. After all, they are decent and honourable patriots who will do what is best for the people and the country. I strongly believe that the APNU+AFC Coalition will do what is best for the country and the people. It is time for the healing of the nation to begin. Dr. Asquith Rose
proving to be sore losers
DEAR EDITOR, The elections are over and the leaders of the losing PPP are proving to be sore losers, bent on maintaining power in their hands, no matter what. Imagine, they question the word of President Jimmy Carter, a proven friend of democracy in Guyana; they question all the credible international observers who have all verified that the election was free and fair; they question the private sector, the religious voices, civic organizations and even their own Robert Persaud who has called the election for the coalition; they even question the Elections Commission and accuse all and sundry of “rigging” the elections against them. But the Guyanese people reject their claims with a resounding: “Eh! Eh!”, “No, Sir!” It is sad and pathetic that my father ’s party has descended to the level it has reached with its laughable claims. To those who will now have to go back to Freedom House and face the wrath of
their supporters, I say, be humble, accept your faults, apologize to the nation and most of all, resign and make way for the genuine young people in the PYO to take the lead while committing themselves to coalition politics. The PPP will never die, but these worn out “leaders” have to go , first among them is Mr. Jagdeo, who has singlehandedly destroyed the legacy of President Cheddi with his private indulgences and his public race baiting and slander mongering totally opposite to Jagan’s political demeanour and private lifestyle. Mr. Ramotar should resign from the leadership of the PPP, because he is the one who destroyed the strong party organization which Jagan built over many years in the 2011 elections I saw the weaknesses, evident as the elections proceeded, and the complaints from key PPP people on the ground all pointed to Mr. Ramotar as the person responsible.
Luncheon, Teixeira, Benn, Nandlall, Manickchand, Kumar, Rohee and Anthony should all resign and be replaced by younger, vibrant leaders committed to coalition politics. The people have spoken. Let President Granger and Prime Minister Nagamootoo begin the hard work to restore Guyana to the dreams our forefathers worked so hard to attain in their lifetime. They never saw those dreams come true and that is why we have to hold hands and work diligently to realize those dreams for our next generation. No person or party is more important than our nation. No personal ambition or personal gain is more important than our nation. No ideology, or religion, or race is more important than our nation. God bless Guyana and keep all Guyanese safe and sound. Embrace change and embrace the progress to come. Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr.)
Judgment day is coming for all who have done this nation wrong DEAR EDITOR, Judgment day is coming for all who have done this nation wrong. I do hope that among so many necessary acts and efforts which are needed to rebuild Guyana, the new Coalition government would start with retrieving our stolen wealth from the outgoing ‘heisters’ of Guyana, whose pockets are overflowing with ill-begotten gains at the expense of the future generations and so many Guyanese and their children. These heartless people must be sought and pursued in every corner of the globe and be brought to justice; for they have no shame, no love and no compassion in their empty, soulless beings. Just go Mr. Ramotar, we had enough of your arrogation of governance. And this goes to all those who hijacked the State to engender greed and perversion. They will not
enjoy their loot here! We want our money back. Enough is enough! I just hope and pray the new government, in principle, will do whatever it takes to once and for all, hold these people accountable and make them living examples that a new precedent will be set in this nation and serve as a deterrent to all corruptible souls. The Coalition government has the discipline, the loyalty to the nation, the honour, courage, intelligence and human dignity to rid this nation of its ills. And I do know with its wherewithal, it can bring us back from certain death to a people of higher belonging. We have nothing more to lose but everything to gain now. No family can live happily in a home it destroyed. No people can live in peace and harmony without unity and mutual love and respect for each other. No nation can be blessed and prosper in a land
of racial divisiveness, where one race thinks it’s better than the other. United we stand, divided we fall, (charity begins at home) as we have been doing sixty long years now. Finally, forty-nine years of national retreat is more than enough to bring us to the realization that we can’t live without each other as Guyanese; that we need each other to have a nation with a progressive attitude, so we don’t have to be runaways and be insulted daily in other people’s lands as weak without national pride, when we have a better one here. Long-live Guyana, longlive the Coalition! Ivelaw Thomas
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Kaieteur News
Saturday May 16, 2015
No evidence of irregularities in 2015 polls As the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C) continues to come under fire for refusing to vacate office, the ABC countries are holding firm to their conviction that elections were free and fair. No irregularities were found during the 2015 polls, they insist. Though individually they have already expressed their confidence in the conduct of elections the United States Embassy and the High Commissions ýof the United Kingdom and Canada moved to issue a joint statement yesterday reiterating their strong and considered opinion that the voting and tabulation processes in the recently held elections were free, fair and credible. Over the last few days, the PPP/C has been relentless in its criticism of the elections process, alleging that it was cheated of victory by way of collusion between its main opponent, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) and the electoral body itself, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The PPP/C is but one of the six parties that contested the May 11 polls, and the allegations of being cheated have only surfaced from the PPP/C camp. On Thursday, GECOM released figures which showed that the APNU+AFC effectively ended the PPP/C’s 23-year rule as it scored a
- ABC countries insist
US Chargé d’Affaires, Bryan Hunt
Presidential Candidate, Donald Ramotar (centre) flanked by other PPP/C candidates narrow victory in the General and Regional Elections. But the 5,360 gap has done little to appease the PPP/ C who has made it known that it will not concede defeat despite the preliminary results by the electoral body indicating that the coalition will form the next government. The party is now banking on a recount. A recount, the party hopes, would show that it is the victor but Returning Officers of several Electoral Districts have, with reason, refused to conduct it. Despite this, the party has been calling repeatedly for a recount, this time of 22 ballot boxes in Region Four, a known opposition stronghold and the Region being touted as the one largely responsible for the coalition victory. But the ABC countries yesterday said, “Despite investigating, in collaboration with other observer missions, repeated allegations of irregularities, we have found
nothing that would materially impact the integrity or credibility of the process.” This statement was issued mere hours after the PPP/C hosted a press conference where it sought to detail several alleged discrepancies that occurred in these elections. As he engaged members of the media at Freedom House, Robb Street, Georgetown, the party’s presidential candidate, Donald Ramotar, told members of the media that GECOM has undertaken to facilitate a recount have 22 ballot boxes in Region four after his party uncovered “evidence” that the polls have been rigged by the coalition. This, he said, was after a meeting with GECOM earlier yesterday. The PPP is alleging that there are serious differences in numbers between their Statements of Poll (SOPs) and the data that GECOM is using in tabulating the result of the elections. “Significantly, these differences disclose a consistent pattern of a subtraction of votes from the PPP/C and additions to that very number to the
APNU+AFC. Of even greater importance, this information was corroborated by a verification exercise conducted by the Returning Officer for Region Four at which both Political Parties were present,” Ramotar claimed. He told members of the media that this was done by random selection of 22 SOPs. Against this backdrop, Ramotar said he requested a recount of those ballot boxes to be done in the presence of all political parties and the observer teams. More importantly, Ramotar asked that the process of tabulation and disclosure by Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield if the elections results could be put on hold until the recount is completed. The elections body yesterday said that the results of Monday’s elections for a new government will be revealed by today, after midday when the period for which the parties may raise objections would have elapsed. Ramotar also lashed out at the international observers questioning their integrity in face of acceptance of a “rigged elections.” “This elections, here,
now, also goes to the integrity of the observers that are involved. If they gave a clear bill of health to an election that is clearly rigged, I don’t know if anybody would want them in their country to observe any elections,” he said adding that it was also in the interest of their integrity that a recount is done. The ABC countries have already dismissed the PPP claims of fake SOPs, with the British High Commissioner to Guyana, James Gregory Quinn stating that he supports GECOM’s position that while the fake SOPs were discovered, they were not tabulated as part of the preliminary results. In response, Ramotar said that Quinn is “dead wrong” but the Presidential Candidate could not say from whence the fake SOPs originated. Despite the PPP clearly ‘kicking up a storm,’ the ABC countries made it know that GECOM has an effective verification and dispute resolution process that is functioning well. “International experts continue to observe this process. We encourage any political party with concerns about any preliminary results to use the established process with the Guyana Elections Commission to make those disputes known rather than resorting to the media,” they urged. GECOM, the ABC countries reminded, is working to complete final results as early as possible under local law as it called for continued patients and for all political leaders to respect the final results. “We also call on all political parties to keep their promise to respect the Code of Conduct for Political Parties.” In light of new allegations by the PPP/C, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) also expressed full confidence in GECOM and its adherence to the law and procedures. “We have no material information to indicate that the results as released by
Canadian High Commissioner, Dr. Nicole Giles
British High Commissioner, James Gregory Quinn GECOM will change based on allegations by the PPP/C. We are therefore asking that the PPP/C accept the results and commence with transitioning to the new government for the benefit of all Guyanese who are yearning for normalcy to resume.” The PSC said the business community is at a standstill and this prolonged process is creating damage to the economy and the citizenry. As is customary, GECOM will officially declare the victor and the allocation of seats in the National Assembly. Despite the delay, Ramotar is asking the electorate to “wait a little longer” in the interest of “democracy.”
Saturday May 16 , 2015
Kaieteur News
PM to engage citizens on preventing child abuse KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller is expected to lead a child protection campaign across the island, starting on May 28, in Clarendon, where she will engage citizens on ways to prevent child abuse. Making the disclosure on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) current affairs programme, ‘Issues and Answers’, Youth and Culture Minister Lisa Hanna, said the prime minister will be engaged in “courageous” conversations. “She will outline what the Government is doing, and has done to arrest child abuse and to protect our children,” the minister said, noting that the Administration is doing its part, such as amending both the Child Care and Protection Act, and the Criminal Justice (Administration) Act to come up with harsher penalties for child abusers. “You (parents) have a responsible role to play as well. We have several policies and
Portia Simpson Miller programmes, and there is an underbelly that we have to confront as a country,” Hanna said, in reference to men who impregnate teenaged girls, and then murder them. She said the amended legislation will see greater scrutiny for parents and guardians, as well as community members who know of children in need of care and pro-
tection, but fail to make reports to the authorities. The minister noted that the Child Diversion Policy, which serves as a “tool of restorative justice,” is used primarily to put the child offender on a path away from the criminal justice system and its attendant negative features, and that several parish committees are being set up to assist.
China to invest $50 billion in Brazilian infrastructure Brasília (AFP) - China will invest $50 billion to help overhaul Brazil’s aging infrastructure, Brasilia said Thursday, ahead of an official visit by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. “There are $50 billion in new projects,” said Jose Graca Lima, Brazil’s undersecretary of state, who oversees Asia and Oceania. “We shall have to await the end of the visit to expand upon which projects,” he said, without providing details. Battling a fifth straight year of poor growth and mired in a bruising graft scandal in-
volving state oil giant Petrobras, Brazil is seeking to revamp its sagging infrastructure ahead of next year’s Rio Olympics, the first Games to be held in South America. A Brazilian government source said Brazil, Latin A m e r i c a ’s biggest economy, was determined to overhaul its dilapidated roads, railways, airports and ports ahead of the Olympics. The Chinese cash infusion is set to cover various sectors, including transport and energy. Li arrives in the capital Brasilia next week for the of-
ficial visit, during which he will also travel to Rio de Janeiro, before touring neighboring countries. The Chinese premier will visit Colombia, Peru and Chile on the South American swing, aimed at boosting Beijing’s influence in the region. China has been Brazil’s chief trading partner since 2009 and one of its main sources of foreign investment. Bilateral trade between the two BRICS nations jumped by a factor of 13 between 2001 and 2013, reaching $83.3 billion.
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Saturday May 16, 2015
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GUYANA NEEDS ITS BEST PEOPLE AT THIS TIME The publisher of this newspaper, Mr. Glenn Lall, will not agree or like some of the things that I will say in this column, but he will always respect my right to say them. When I first learnt that the opposition coalition had won the elections of May 11, 2015, my first thoughts were not about David Granger or Moses Nagamootoo. My first thoughts were about Glenn Lall. I immediately called him and expressed my congratulations to him. He asked me why I was congratulating him. I told him that the victory was his work. He reprimanded me. He took no credit whatsoever for the victory. He said it had nothing to do with him, or with Granger or with Nagamootoo. It was for him the work of God, and it was God that had delivered this country out of the hands of the People’s Progressive Party Civic. I could only reply that in that case, he was the instrument of God, because it was only one man and one man alone that stood up to the wrongdoing of the PPPC regime. That man was Glenn Lall. When everyone else was timid, he was fearless. When
so many were afraid, he was brave. When everyone was silent, he let scream his opposition to what he saw was happening. He was particularly peeved about two tendencies that had taken over the government. The first was the PPP/C’s proclivity to make a wrong appear as right. This is why the result of the May 11 elections is seen as a victory for moral politics. The electorate has opted narrowly as it did - for opposing those in government who believe that a wrong should be a right. The electorate has also voted against the PPP/C’s treating of Guyana as if it were the personal property of their leaders. The results of the elections therefore offer hope that there will be a fairer and more even distribution of the wealth of Guyana, instead of the PPPC’s affinity to handing out resources to its cronies and friends. The man who first protested against these things was Glenn Lall. He has to therefore be seen as the forerunner to the movement that emerged, and which ultimately led to sufficiently large enough fissures in race
voting to permit a new government. We have not, obviously, as yet disposed of ethnic politics, but a crack has emerged, one that offers hope for the eventual demise of race voting. A new government will soon assume office. It will be expected to move away from the politics of wrong being right, and the economics of deploying the resources of the State for the personal benefit of self, friends and cronies. In other words, the new government will be expected to uphold a higher standard of governance. Glenn will be watching them just like he watched the PPPC. The new government will also have to chip away at the racial polarization of Guyana’s politics. In this regard, the new government will have to
be inclusive. The result of the elections was a virtual statistical dead heat, with the coalition barely getting its nose in front. The coalition therefore cannot by itself represent a government of national unity and it should cease parroting this falsehood. Since the PPPC is not going to come on board, this presents a dilemma in terms of achieving a broadbased government. One way to attenuate for this is to involve persons from civil society at all levels of government. Glenn Lall has made it clear that he does not want anything from the government. All he wants is the good of Guyana. But while he is not seeking any position or favours, I believe that he has certain skills that
the new government should utilize. He may not like me saying this because he is not after power, or prestige of positions. One thing has stood out about Glenn Lall over the years I have known him: he understands business. He was not born with a gold spoon in his mouth. He is a self- made man. He worked very hard, at times sleeping at airports, in order to make himself the successful person he is today. Over those years he has learnt a lot about business. There is no one who can fool him about the cost of buying or constructing anything. He has been there, done that, and has all the knowledge about these types of matters. This is why he was able to expose the high cost of tenders for
‘You are no longer a Minister’ - changes office locks, - PS tells Irfaan Ali refuses him entry
Dem boys seh...
Locked out from office: Irfaan Ali
Irfaat get chase out from de Ministry Yesterday dem boys put a death announcement in de papers. Was about de death of the Pee Pee Pee See. Last night was de wake at Babu Jaan and nuff people tun up, but nobody see Donald Dumb. Ever since de last election results come out he go in Ohh Pee and lock he self inside and refuse to come out. During de day, yesterday, he summoned dem diplomats to meet wid he at ee office. De day before that, dem did meet wid he at Freedom House and dem was very frank wid him. Dem tell ee that he lost de election. He get vex and he tell dem that he got to get a recount. Dem tell he that he can count till he tun APNU green or AFC yellow, you still lose de elections. Suh when he summon dem yesterday, dem send back a strong message to him reminding him of their meeting wid him de day before Dem remind him that nutten ain’t changed and that GECOM done mek one announcement that suggest that he no more de president. When dem diplomats don’t him, he pressure go up and then he fall on he knees. He refusing to get up. A man call from de States and tell dem boys fuh tek he forklift from Eccles fuh lift out Donald from Ohh Pee. Irfaat is Donald own, own bai suh he did exactly wha de Donald do. He also move in de Housing Ministry and refuse to come out. Dem boys hear that de PS didn’t need forklift fuh move him; all de PS order was new locks fuh de entire place. That is because de day before dem see he fetching out all kind of thing that wasn’t he own. Yesterday he go to fetch way more things and one junior officer told him “You are no more de Minister and you can’t enter here no more.” He shame, tun he face and walk out. De fat crook and de Shaat scamp move out from dem office and tek up residence in de Barriott. Dem and all lock up demself in a room. Dem think dem can hide from de people in de country. Talk half and remember, lang time done; shaat time lef.
projects in Guyana. This is why he has an eye for overpriced items. I know he will not like me saying this, but I would like to see the new government involve someone like him in providing oversight over the Tender Board. I am confident that those bogus contractors and their inflated estimates will not pass muster if he has a role in overseeing the evaluations of the tenders. Guyana needs now to utilize its best human resources. And amongst the best of them all is Glenn Lall.
Permanent Secretary, Emile McGarrell
Government ministries appear to be readying themselves for a new administration. The readiness was never more evident than on Thursday after former Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali, went to work at the Ministry of Housing, Brickdam, and found that he could not enter the offices. This was because the locks had been changed. Housing officials confirmed yesterday that the order to change the locks came down on Wednesday from Permanent Secretary (PS), Emile McGarrell. This was after the PS learnt that vehicles were moving several boxes and files from Ali’s office. One of the vehicles was a black SUV, bearing
registration plates, PPP 7328. Staff members took photos of the vehicle being loaded with boxes of files. Several staff members had to give statements on the role they played in the removal of what is suspected to be records. On Thursday, an angry Ali was informed that he was no longer the Minister and therefore could not have access to the offices. According to one staffer, Ali turned up and asked his driver to open the door. The driver told him that the lock had been changed. An upset Ali enquired who gave the order. He was told that it came from upstairs. He was then reportedly informed by a junior staffer
that since he was no longer a Minister, he could not enter the office. The staffer said that Ali started “cussing” and stormed out of the building. Another staffer, Ali’s secretary, came to work and was met by the locked doors. She broke down in tears because she could not enter. The Ministry and its operational arm, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) were under investigation by the opposition during the last Parliament for large swaths of lands on the East Bank and elsewhere which ended up under highly questionable circumstances into the hands of a few developers. Almost 10,000 families
have applied for house lots but there are no lands available. Under regulations, Permanent Secretaries are in charge of the day-to-day runnings of Ministries while the Ministers should have been responsible for developing policies. However, it is a known fact that lines have become blurred over time with Ministers taking direct control. According to information emanating out of the Ministry yesterday, the Permanent Secretary is reportedly ready and willing to work with the yet to be sworn-in David Granger Government and has also encouraged the staff of the Ministry to do the same.
Page 10
Kaieteur News
Saturday May 16, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Donald Ramotar once asked me what is “the poetic essence of history” In a letter in the Kaieteur News, published several years ago, long before he became President, Donald Ramotar, inquired about something I wrote in one of my columns, “the poetic essence of history.” I didn’t reply. I felt if I had defined the term, it would not have made an ounce of difference to Ramotar. I didn’t offer a definition because (at the time) I felt Ramotar had become
disrespectful of the poetic essence of history when in a conversation at Bakewell’s, he bluntly told me that the giant of a woman, Andaiye, a founding member of the Working People’s Alliance, was racist against Indian people. I couldn’t believe what I heard. This woman was married to a white man, formed a political party that was multiracial, and that party fought to weaken a Black-led
government, working in fraternity with the PPP in the seventies and eighties. More importantly, I knew this woman close up and personal. For someone like Ramotar who knew Andaiye as a fierce fighter to refer to her as a racist was an indication of a fallen mind. But this was what the PPP had become - people who turned their back on history and would one day see the
poetic essence of history cascading down right in front their eyes, banishing them into the dustbin of history. Observers are now urging the PPP to get on with the business of being in the opposition and work hard to the next election. I don’t see the PPP surviving in a physiological state that would allow it to be an energized competitor in the next election in 2020. In my column of December 19, 2014 titled, “The PPP will physically die should it lose power,” I explained why the PNC survived after 1992, but the PPP will not after May 2015. Here is what I wrote back then. “There is the inevitable judicial inquiry from which the PPP will not escape. The PPP will not survive the findings. The skullduggery involving murder, corruption, land-grabbing, sexual criminalities, judicial venalities, racial preferences, personal abominations will degut the PPP. Many of the fulcrums on which the PPP now stands, will be dissolved if the PPP loses power. Gone will be the Rice Producers’ Association, GAWU, NAACIE, the millions that come from favoured contractors, criminalized businessmen, and the
debauched nouveau riche. These funds when they go, will literally wipe out the resource base of a fallen political party. There is absolutely none with any kind of talent or skills in the PPP to maintain its existence as an opposition political entity. Once the PPP falls from power, it will die. All PPP leaders are scared of this reality.” Ramotar has days (maybe even a day) remaining before he moves out of the presidential compound. As his car drives out, he will not look back because if he does, he will see the poetic essence of history printed graphically in the court yard of the presidential secretariat. I didn’t want to explain to Ramotar what the term meant, because one day I know he would have seen the poetic essence of history unfolding before his very eyes. The bestial, sadistic levels to which the PPP descended under Jagdeo when Ramotar was General-Secretary of the PPP, were bound to come back to haunt them Now it is haunting them. Ramotar doesn’t need someone to explain to him what the poetic essence of history means. He just has to study the percentage of politics and the politics of percentage,
Frederick Kissoon and he will see the poetic essence of history. In 2011, he lost the election by one parliamentary seat and he governed. In 2015, he lost the election by one parliamentary seat again, but this time history has stepped in. Ramotar wants to rule once more with his one percent loss. History told him that this is not the way history works. Ramotar got 32 seats and he ruled. This time, history will not repeat itself History catches up with you one day. It has caught up with Ramotar. Mr. Ramotar believes history is like the Guyanese people that he and his benefactor, Jagdeo, can pulverize, bend and shape to their liking. In 2011, Ramotar became President. The International Observers said that the 2011 elections were fair. In 2015, the International Observers made the same pronouncement but Ramotar rejects it Suppose one tells Ramotar that the 2011 elections were not free and fair and that he had three years of free, illegal power. What would he say? Was the 2001 election free and fair? It was and so was the 2015 one. Give up Mr. Ramotar!
Saturday May 16, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 11
GCCI laments hampered business The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) issued a public missive yesterday, to the effect that it is deeply concerned by the apparent refusal of the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) to accept the results of the 2015 General and Regional elections. The organization made note of the fact that all the observer missions, both local and international, have deemed the elections to be free and fair. It added that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), sometimes to the agitation of sections of the population, went to great pains to ensure that all the results published were accurate and beyond question. Yet, the incumbent has refused to accept defeat. GCCI said, “The uncertainty created by this state of affairs has caused business, productivity and the entire country to grind to a halt. As a nation, we cannot continue to suffer because of the machinations of parts of our political establishment. We therefore urge all parties to accept the results of the elections. There is a legal recourse available for all those who are dissatisfied
…blames sloth in declaration of results with any part of the electoral process.” Since Monday-Election Day-Regent Street, the main commercial Street in Guyana, has been dormant. The owner of an established clothing store on Regent Street for over ten years had told Kaieteur News, “Well it is all mixed feelings for me. I am anxious to know who will be the next President, if is Granger or if Ramotar will come back.” “But it is like the city is dead. I opened from 8:00 hrs and I closed up within two hours because people are not out. Everyone is staying in but I would not waste my time opening today. I really want them to hurry and announce the results, because it is killing business for me.” Another downtown businessman said, “Oh my goodness, I am scared and other businesses are afraid of what is going to happen during this time, because it is a very serious election. I know Ramotar got much to lose and I saw how they rile up the supporters around the country and then G r a n g e r come with this “game changing plan”.
“It is a tight race and people on both sides are ready to fight within the second. But I more worried about what will happen after the results. This entire period is slowing up business though.” Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Persaud, had said that the business community is very nervous and several have been closed out of caution. He said that the unrest in Sophia on Monday night has also had an effect on businessmen. On that night, Riot police, backed by soldiers had to defuse an explosive situation in ‘C’ Field, Sophia, after an angry mob torched several vehicles
and attacked a pastor’s home in the belief that PPP/C supporters had set up an illegal polling station in the area. The building was actually a PPPC Command Centre, which had no ballot boxes, as several residents had believed. The Lot 589 ‘C’ Field property which came under attack is owned by Pastor Narine Khublall. The riot all started because of a rumour, reportedly spread by a passing minibus driver, who claimed that the PPP/C has set up an illegal polling station at the location. As the rumour spread, several angry residents began converging in front of Mr. Khublall’s property, where a PPP banner
GCCI President, Lance Hinds had been on prominent display for the past two months. The rumour was fuelled by the sight of heightened activity at the house, as the PPP mobilized its supporters to vote. In all, eight vehicles, including a minibus and three SUVs, one of which belonged to PPP
candidate Joseph Hamilton, were destroyed by the time police and army ranks brought the situation under control. Persaud said that the Commission is disappointed with the incident and it is hoped that the situation does not repeat itself.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday May 16, 2015
Take it to the courts - EU advises aggrieved figures Even as it joined in recent declarations that the General and Regional Elections were nothing short of transparent, the European Union (EU) has advised those aggrieved to take their objections or complaints to the courts. The EU is calling on all actors to respect the legal procedures. In a press statement it contended that Monday’s polls ”were largely peaceful, transparent and inclusive with a high turnout and good performance of electoral authorities.” The Brussels, Belgiumbased body has effectively joined with one of its member states - the United Kingdom - and the United
States and Canada as well as the various observer missions, including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Commonwealth and the Carter Center, deployed in Guyana to commend the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for an efficient and well-organised election process. The EU’s call for grievances to be addressed by legal means comes at a time when Donald Ramotar and the party he headed in the elections, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/ C), are crying foul at their turn of events. The PPP/C has made known that it will not concede
defeat despite the preliminary results by the electoral body showing that the coalition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) will form the next government. Figures released by the GECOM on Thursday revealed that the coalition scored a narrow victory in the General and Regional Elections, effectively ending the PPP/C’s 23-year rule. In light of this, the PPP/C has criticized the elections process and results, alleging that it was cheated of victory, by way of collusion between the former Opposition and GECOM. A recount, the party hopes, would show that it is the victor but returning officers of several electoral districts have, with reason, refused to conduct it. The PPP/C is but one of the six parties that contested the May 11 polls, and the allegations of being cheated have only surfaced from the PPP/C camp. Notwithstanding, the EU has commended GECOM for what it terms “an efficient and well-organised election process.” Of note, the back-
Digicel wins major awards in London
Head of the European Delegation, Ambassador Robert Kopecký and-forth has caused a delay in the declaration of the elections results by GECOM and Guyanese have taken to social media cites and letters in the local dailies to vent their frustration at the holdup. Yesterday, the body which has 28-member states has called “on all actors to respect the legal procedures and to address any possible grievance through the channels established by the law.” The EU has been supporting Guyana financially but earlier this year the body temporarily put on hold its two latest partial payments, totalling Euro$43.7M until all eligibility criteria, including budget oversight, are “satisfactorily” addressed. This followed the prorogation of parliament by President Donald Ramotar late last year, and the calling of the elections about two years before they were expected. The EU yesterday said that it looks forward to strengthening its bilateral and regional cooperation and continuing close collaboration with Guyana’s Pro Tempore Chairmanship of CARIFORUM, in particular, in the run up to the EUCELAC Summit and the EUCARIFORUM Top Level meeting slated for June 11.
Digicel took home the “Best Consumer Service Innovation” Award for its Easypay utility payment service in Papua New Guinea which was collected by Digicel Board Member, Vanessa Slowey Digicel Group took home two awards at the annual Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards 2015 held recently at the Sheraton Park Hotel, Piccadilly, London. The two awards – both in the Consumer Service Innovation category – were for Digicel’s Redkneeenabled utility payment service called Easypay that allows customers in Papua New Guinea to purchase electricity at any time directly from their mobile phone and the second for Digicel’s roaming service, “Roam Like You’re Home”, which sees customers paying local rates while travelling abroad and reducing roaming costs by more than 95 per cent. Working in partnership with the country’s incumbent electricity utility provider, Digicel and Redknee provided an alternative solution to the existing prepaid electricity voucher top-up payment method, where rural customers had to travel long distances to vending sites that were only available during business hours – a process was time
consuming, costly and inconvenient for the customer. The roaming service, “Roam Like You’re Home”, is the first of its kind in the region as it gives both prepaid and post paid customers the freedom to use their phones to make calls, receive calls for free, send SMS and use data all at the same price as at home crushing normal roaming rates. Commenting on the awards, Digicel Group CEO Colm Delves, said; “Digicel is always looking for innovative ways to make technology really work for the benefit of our customers. As a total communications and solutions provider, we’re all about delivering the best content, services and value to customers on their mobile phone. I want to congratulate the teams who worked hard to deliver these innovative services – their awards are well deserved.” Redknee’s CEO, Lucas Skoczkowski, commented; “I would like to congratulate Digicel on winning these awards. Digicel and Redknee have worked together to develop many innovative consumer services for their subscribers, and I am pleased that Global Telecoms Business has recognized Digicel’s achievements.” Digicel Group Limited is a leading global telecommunications provider with operations in 33 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific. After 14 years of operation, total investment to date stands at over US$5 billion worldwide. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.
Saturday May 16, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Essequibians make demands of the new govt Essequibo triplets
With A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) soon to form a new Government, many Essequibians who supported the coalition with a view to bettering their lives would want the elected leaders to pay attention to issues that continue to affect them. Devika Persaud is one such Essequibian. The singleparent said that she was forced to join the coalition because she was struggling to take care of her triplets. “I expected the government to have done more by assisting me and my children but they didn’t and I was forced to do security work to take care of my children.” With fewer jobs available, especially for women on the Essequibo Coast, Persaud said that she had to fight through the court in order to obtain public assistance for her three young girls, who are identical triplets. Persaud said that she expects better from the New Government who she hopes would place emphasis on the issues affecting Essequibians. Attention, she adds, must also be paid to other singleparent women, the elderly, youth unemployment and those affected by some form of disability. These are some of the focal problems that are affecting Essequibians. We are expecting the new leaders to focus on those to bring about some form of relief to those affected. Persaud, who campaigned for the coalition with her three daughters, would like to see a garment factory established in the Region. This, she explained, would open employment for women who have but few jobs to turn to. She is also calling for better policing in the interest of better protection for women
Mother of triplets
who live by themselves and the elderly. Residents living in Dartmouth have also expressed the need for better roads and jobs for the Youths. Many teenagers who have written the Caribbean
Examination Council are at home since jobs in the Region are slim. Essequibians who support the formation of a new Government are expecting the new leaders to deliver on their promises.
Page 22
Kaieteur News
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Saturday May 16, 2015
Kaieteur News
St Kitts Opposition boycotts opening of new term of Parliament
Page 23
NIP calls for official election declaration - in the interest of peace, order and good governance
Members of Parliament from the government side at the ceremonial opening of National Assembly.
BASSETERRE, St Kitts The Opposition St KittsNevis Labour Party (SKNLP) boycotted the opening of Parliament Thursday – the first sitting since the party lost the February 16 elections – levelling several allegations against the Team Unity government. In a statement issued before the sitting, the SKNLP pointed to what it said were “very troubling developments” in the twin-island federation, including the “arrogance and height of disre-
spect which this Government is showing for our Parliamentary traditions”; the closure of the Electoral Office on Central Street, Basseterre, without an acceptable explanation; and “rampant sacking of public servants by this Government without due authority”. “As a serious step towards demonstrating the disgust of the people of this country with the indecency, disrespect, and dishonour committed to date by this government, the Parliamen-
tary Opposition has decided to abstain from participation in Parliament at its opening . . . ,” said former prime minister Dr Denzel Douglas who had been due to be sworn in, during the first sitting, as Opposition Leader. Douglas’ SKNLP served four consecutive terms in office before losing to the Dr. Timothy Harris-led Team Unity, a coalition of the Concerned Citizens’ Movement, the People’s Action Movement, and the People’s Labour Party.
Jamaica Hosts Regional Civil Aviation Meeting
The Gleaner - A contingent of directors general, state and other high-level representatives from the Central Caribbean, the United States and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), met at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, St Andrew, for the 14th Directors of Civil Aviation Meeting for the Central Caribbean from May 1113. The meeting took place as the global aviation community intensifies efforts to improve aviation safety and security, while implementing measures that will enhance environmental sustainability and the efficiency and capacity of regional air navigation. It was hosted by the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) under the chairmanship of its director general, Nari Williams-Singh. It has historic significance as the first such meeting to be convened in Jamaica and reflects the country’s strategic leadership and participatory roles in regional and global aviation fora, as well as its growing dominance as an aviation jurisdiction within the Caribbean. It also supports efforts under way to position Jamaica as a gateway
Dr. Morais Guy (right) in discussion with B. St Michael Hylton (left) and Nari Williams-Singh and logistics hub of choice in the Southern Hemisphere. While acknowledging the success of the region’s collaborative efforts, which have resulted in high safety standards and an above-worldaverage effective implementation of the standards and recommended practices of the governing body for international civil aviation, ICAO, Dr Guy indicated that there can be “no hiatus” for civil aviation authorities or the industry players which regulate and operate the industry. He advocated that in a dynamic industry that demands the ultimate in versatility and performance, “success can never be
retrospective, but forwardlooking”, he said. Williams-Singh chaired the meeting which ended with the adoption of a resolution and action plan for implementing established strategies in a variety of areas. These include aviation safety management; the implementation of air navigation under the regional performance-based air navigation plan, aviation security and facilitation activities in the North American and Caribbean Regions, and the collaborative arrangement for the prevention and management of public-health events in civil aviation.
The National Independent Party, (NIP) has joined calls demanding the final declaration of the results of the Regional and General elections to be made in accordance with Article (65) of the Constitution in the interest of Guyana for peace, order and good governance. Leader of the NIP, Attorney-at-Law Saphier Husain Subeda, in a release yesterday condemned the acts by officials of the Guyana Elections Commission, (GECOM) to participate in any recount of votes thus, delaying the process of declaring a winner of the election. Citing the case of Petrie versus Attorney General (1968) and Esther Perreira versus the Chief Elections Officer, (1998), Subeda said that “whether there being either an act or omission which affects the results of an election” is a matter for an election petition, and cannot hold up the governance of the country. The Attorney detailed that according to Section 88, “a duly appointed candidate, or counting agent is present when the counting of the votes is completed, may request the Returning Officer
to recount…Returning Officer may refuse the said request if in his opinion it is unreasonable”. According to Subeda, reasonable request must show the likelihood of success to such an extent that it may affect the General results of the elections, but the requests must also be considered as to the interest of the state, since provision is made in the constitution for Elections Petition to settle electoral disputes. The NIP Leader says that based on the aforementioned circumstances, the Guyana Elections Commission in accordance with Section (99) of the Representation of the Peoples Act Cap 1:03 should publically declare the result and cause same to published in the Official Gazette as soon as possible and not later than(15) fifteen days thereafter. Given that the preliminary results have already been declared, the NIP noted that the Chief Election Officer must act in accordance with Article 177 (1) of the Constitution and tender the results of the Election/and state clearly the name of the person designated as Presidential Candidate in
Leader of the NIP, Attorney-at-Law Saphier Husain Subeda favor of whom more votes are cast than any other list. The Party further demands that the Chairman of the Elections Commission acts pursuant to the Article 177 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana upon said tendering of the results and advice of the Chief Elections Officer to declare the results forthwith, and state the person elected as President of the Republic of Guyana in the General and Regional Elections held on May, 11th 2015 and have said person sworn in as President by the Honourable Chancellor of the Judiciary.
Homeless clothes thief appears in court People who wash and hang their clothes in the backyard to dry would usually expect to return and find them there. However, this was not the case for Albouystown resident Andel Harris. He returned and found all his personal belongings gone. There were just the clothes pegs left hanging on the lines. Luckily, Andel Harris found the perpetrator and summoned the police. Kevin Christopher, 19, of Lot 39 Houston Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara appeared in court yesterday to answer to a charge of simple larceny. Christopher pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on May 13, at Albouystown, he stole a large quantity of Harris’ clothing. Police Prosecutor, Corporal Shawn Gonsalves, told the court that Harris and the defendant know each other. He said that on the day in question, Harris took a
quantity of clothing to his female friend for her to wash and hang inside her yard to dry. Later in the day the woman made checks for the clothes and discovered that they were missing. She informed Harris and he became suspicious. He took a walk up James Street, Albouystown, and saw the defendant well dressed in one of his jerseys. At the time the defendant also had a black bag in his hands. The victim opened the bag and found more of his clothes inside. He then escorted Christopher to the police station. Christopher, who told the court that he was homeless, explained that he was walking in Albouystown when he was greeted by a group of strong men. He said that the men asked him if he was new to the village and he replied in the affirmative. The defendant claimed that the men beat him up and slit his throat with a razor blade. He stated, too that “an Indian guy” who knew him,
asked the men to stop. Further, he added “I get put out and I ask them boys weh they living and I went to the yard. I pick up the clothes and kept some for myself to wear”. The Prosecutor informed the court that two dark three quarter pants and a jersey were recovered from the defendant. Those were the clothes he was wearing when he was apprehended by the police. A probation report was ordered by the Magistrate before the defendant is sentenced. This matter will be called again on June 5.
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U.S., China set for high-stakes rivalry in skies above South China Sea When the U.S. navy sent a littoral combat ship on its first patrol of the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea during the past week, it was watching the skies as well. The USS Fort Worth, one of the most modern ships in the U.S. navy, dispatched a reconnaissance drone and a Seahawk helicopter to patrol the airspace, according to a little-noticed statement on the navy’s website. While the navy didn’t mention China’s rapid land reclamation in the Spratlys, the ship’s actions were a demonstration of U.S. capabilities in the event Beijing declares an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the area - a move experts and some U.S. military officials see as increasingly likely. “It’s not inevitable but if we are betting paychecks I’ll bet that they will eventually declare one, I just don’t know when,” said a senior U.S. commander familiar with the situation in Asia. ADIZs are not governed by formal treaties or laws but are used by some nations to extend control beyond national borders, requiring civilian and military aircraft to identify themselves or face possible military interception. China sparked condemnation from the United States and Japan when it imposed an ADIZ in the East China Sea, above uninhabited islands disputed with Tokyo, in late 2013. Chinese military facilities now under construction on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratlys, including a 3,000metre (10,000-foot) runway and airborne early warning radars, could be operational by the year-end, said the U.S. commander, who declined to be identified. Recent satellite images also show reclamation work on Subi Reef creating landmasses that, if joined together, could make space for a similar sized airstrip. Growing concern in Washington that China might impose air and sea restrictions in the Spratlys once it completes work on its seven artificial islands is likely to be on the agenda when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets Chinese leaders in Beijing this weekend for previously scheduled talks. TOUGH TO ENFORCE Asia’s rising power claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malay-
sia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims. China has said it had every right to set up an ADIZ but that current conditions in the South China Sea did not warrant one. Enforcing such an ADIZ would be difficult even with two airstrips capable of handling fighter planes in the Spratlys, as well as an expanded airstrip on Woody island in the disputed Paracel island chain further north because of the distances involved, regional military officials and experts said. The Spratlys for example lie more than 1,100 km (680 miles) from the Chinese mainland, putting China’s wellequipped airbases along its coastline well out of reach. “Even with the new reclamations, it is going to be a stretch for China to routinely enforce such a zone that far south,” said Richard Bitzinger, a regional security analyst at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. The Japanese and U.S. military ignore the ADIZ above the East China Sea, as does Japan’s two major carriers, ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines. A study produced by the independent U.S. Congressional Research Service earlier this year noted that while China’s air force actively monitors that zone with ground radar from its coastline, it had generally shown restraint in enforcement. China’s planes were unlikely to maintain a constant presence over the East China Sea, the study noted, citing a U.S. air force assessment. RISK OF ESCALATION The South China Sea might prove more problematic for China given the complexity of the dispute and the possibility of challenges from the U.S. navy and air force. Indeed, on Tuesday, a U.S. official said the Pentagon was considering sending military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation around the Chinese-made islands. China’s Foreign Ministry responded by saying Beijing was “extremely concerned” and demanded clarification. On Friday it accused the Philippines of working together with the United States to “exaggerate the China threat” over the Spratlys. China had recently warned Philippine air force and navy planes at least six times to leave the Spratlys, the Philippine military commander responsible for the region said last week.
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Obama seeks to reassure Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev Gulf allies, sees no early sentenced to death for 2013 attack end to Syria war
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks after hosting a working session of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at Camp David in Maryland (REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE) U.S. President Barack Obama said yesterday that Washington would help Gulf allies face conventional military aggression but also get them to work more in their own defence against any unconventional menace, such as destabilising Iranian actions in the region. Speaking to Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television following a rare summit with Gulf Arab leaders he described as “very frank and honest”, the U.S. leader reiterated his reluctance to take unilateral American action overseas. Obama said Syria’s civil war would “probably not” end before he left office, describing the situation as heartbreaking but adding that Washington could never on its own have brought that conflict to an end. Many states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are critical of what they see as Obama’s hesitant approach to the war in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad is backed by their regional rival Iran. Obama said he sought to reassure Gulf states anxious over U.S.-led efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, saying Tehran would have to “reearn the trust of the international community” by accepting close monitoring of its nuclear work. “The alternative is not to have any idea what is taking place inside of Iran and that is, I think, a much more dangerous situation for everyone in the region,” he said.
IRAN CONCERNS The United States and five other world powers are seeking to reach a final deal with Iran on curbing its nuclear program by a June 30 deadline. The GCC agreed in a joint communiqué that a “comprehensive, verifiable” accord with Tehran would be in their interests. Obama said the U.S. military would help Gulf Arab states defend against any conventional armed threat, such as Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. When it came to non-traditional threats, Washington would work with Gulf Arab states to improve their own special forces, intelligence, and capability to stop weapons smuggling. He suggested concerns about non-traditional threats centred on Iran. “When we talk about the need for us to have joint capabilities to address destabilising activities and conflicts in the region, some of those are directly related to the concerns surrounding Iran,” he said. Obama rebuffed a suggestion by the interviewer that Syria could be his “Rwanda”, a reference to the 1994 genocide that came to haunt the then administration of President Bill Clinton. “You have a civil war in a country that arises out of a long standing grievance: It was not something triggered by the United States, it was not something that could have been stopped by the United States,” Obama said of Syria’s conflict.
FRANK “One of the things that I said in the summit... is all too often in the Middle East region, people attribute everything to the United States,” he said, adding he was “very frank with the GCC leaders ... The United States ultimately can only work through Arab countries who are also working on their own behalf to deal with these issues.” He said the United States had not launched missiles at President Bashar al-Assad in 2013 because his government had given up its stocks of chemical weapons. In 2013, the United States threatened military intervention against Syria’s government after sarin gas attacks in August of that year killed hundreds of residents in Ghouta, a rebel-controlled suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus. Damascus has denied using sarin or any chemical weapons in battle during Syria’s ongoing civil war. On May 8 this year, diplomatic sources told Reuters that international inspectors had found traces of sarin and VX nerve agent at a military research site in Syria that had not been declared to the global chemical weapons watchdog. Diplomats and analysts said the finding of VX and sarin supported assertions by Western governments that Assad had withheld some of his stockpile, or had not disclosed the full extent of Syria’s chemical capability or arsenal to the OPCW.
Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by a U.S. jury yesterday for helping carry out the 2013 attack that killed three people and wounded 264 others in the crowds at the race’s finish line. After deliberating for 15 hours, the federal jury chose death by lethal injection for Tsarnaev, 21, over its only other option: life in prison without possibility of release. The same jury found Tsarnaev guilty last month of placing a pair of homemade pressure-cooker bombs on April 15, 2013, as well as fatally shooting a policeman. The bombing was one of the highest-profile attacks on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001. Tsarnaev, dressed in a dark sport coat and light-colored shirt, stood quietly as the sentence was read, remaining expressionless as he had throughout most of the trial. During 10 weeks of testimony, jurors heard from about 150 witnesses, including people whose legs were torn off by the shrapnel-filled bombs. William Richard, the father of bombing victim Martin Richard, described the decision to leave his 8-year-old son to die of his wounds so that he could save the life of his daughter, Jane, who lost a leg but survived. Prosecutors described Tsarnaev, who is an ethnic Chechen, as an adherent of al Qaeda’s militant Islamist views who carried out the attack as an act of retribution for U.S. military campaigns in Muslim-majority countries. The jury’s decision does not mean Tsarnaev will face imminent death. Defense attorneys are likely to appeal the sentence, a process that can stretch out for many years. “I know that there is still a long road ahead,” said survivor Karen Brassard, whose
left leg was badly injured in the attack. “There are going to be many, many dates ahead. But today we can take a breath, and actually breathe again,” she told reporters. An appeal could focus on a number of issues, including the court’s denial of a defense plea to move the trial out of Boston or refusal to challenge the graphic photos and videos that the jury saw of the bombs’ detonation and the severe wounds they inflicted. “Prosecutors do have a burden of proof to show that people died, but the appeal argument would be that there is a balance to be struck and they went over that line,” said David Weinstein, an attorney in private practice who in prior jobs as a state and federal prosecutor brought deathpenalty cases. DEATH PENALTY CONTROVERSIAL IN MASSACHUSETTS The death penalty remains highly controversial in Massachusetts, which has not put anyone to death in almost 70 years and which abolished capital punishment for state crimes in 1984. Tsarnaev was tried under federal law, which allows for lethal injection as a punishment. Polls had shown that a majority of Boston-area residents opposed executing Tsarnaev. Opponents included Martin Richard’s parents, who said in an open letter to the Justice Department last month that they wanted Tsarnaev to face life in prison rather getting a death sentence that would likely lead to years of appeals, keep the defendant in the spotlight and prevent them from trying to rebuild their lives. Just three of the 74 people sentenced to death in the United States for federal crimes since 1988 have been executed. The first was Timothy McVeigh, put to death in
June 2001 for killing 168 people in his 1995 attack on the federal government office building in Oklahoma City. Other people convicted of attacks labeled as terrorist by the U.S. government, including 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and shoe-bomber Richard Reid, drew life prison sentences. Prosecutors focused heavily on Tsarnaev’s turn to radical Islamist views, showing the jury copies of the al Qaeda magazine article that demonstrated how to build a pressure-cooker bomb. “The defendant claimed to be acting on behalf of all Muslims. This was not a religious crime,” said Carmen Ortiz, the top federal prosecutor in Boston. “It was a political crime designed to intimidate and coerce the United States.” Tsarnaev’s attorneys admitted his involvement in the attack from the start of the trial, but argued that he was a junior partner in a scheme hatched and run by his 26year-old brother, Tamerlan. Tamerlan died after a gunfight with police four days after the bombing, which ended when Dzhokhar ran him over with a stolen car. A Roman Catholic nun who is a prominent opponent of the death penalty, Sister Helen Prejean, testified for the defense she had met with Tsarnaev and he told her “no one deserves to suffer” as his victims had. Prejean, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, said she believed he was “genuinely sorry” for his actions. But the jury found Tsarnaev deserved execution for six of the 17 capital charges of which he was found guilty. Those counts were the ones tied to the bomb that he personally placed at the marathon finish line, which killed Richard and 23-year-old Chinese exchange student Lingzi Lu.
Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
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PM responds to Deputy DPP’s Emailgate statement: I am stressed Trinidad Guardian - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar Thursday admitted to becoming stressed out after reading the reports of Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan HonorePaul criticism of her over the Emailgate probe. She made the admission during a Mother’s Day function at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s. The PM initially began by recalling to the gathering “all the good times and memories” she had as a child growing up. She then recalled a personal incident with her grandson, who had told his aunt that he was stressed. After the narration about the incident, however, Persad-Bissessar then said: “But I woke up this morning I was like my grandson, I am stressed. I open the newspaper (and) I am stressed.” Persad-Bissessar said, however, that she opened a new school in Maraval hours before and after her stressful morning, “the day has turned out so wonderfully well.” Persad-Bissessar did not specify what story or stories stressed her out, but the T&T Guardian’s front page story had the headline “Deputy DPP slams PM for Emailgate claims - No one cleared.” That story indicated that despite claims to the contrary by Persad-Bissessar in an interview in Parliament and at a public meeting of the UNC in Diego Martin in the past few days, Honore-Paul said in a statement that neither the PM nor former attorney general Anand Ramlogan had been cleared and the case was still
wide open and being investigated by the police. The police and Integrity Commission are still investigating the allegation by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley in May 2013 about a plot to murder a T&T Guardian journalist and also to bug the Office of the DPP following a story about the early proclamation of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) bill. During a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister, Rowley had told the Parliament that the emails were allegedly sent from addresses belonging to Persad-Bissessar, Ramlogan and other senior Cabinet ministers and Government officials, including the PM’s then national security adviser Gary Griffith. The PM and her colleagues denied the allegation and Persad-Bissessar called on acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams to launch a probe. Last week, Leader of Government Business in the House, Housing and Urban Development Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, said the Government was in possession of information from the US Department of Justice indicating that the emails were fake. Persad-Bissessar also subsequently said Rowley was suspended from Parliament last week in order to clear her and her colleagues’ names as the Parliament is to be dissolved next month. But Honore-Paul said on Wednesday it would be misleading to suggest anyone had been cleared in the matter.
“While it is true, that after receipt of the information from the Department of Justice, the police team led by Superintendent Baldeo Nanan did send a report to Deputy Commissioner of Police Glen Hackett, it is not true that such report cleared Mr Anand Ramlogan and Mrs Kamla PersadBissessar in respect of this investigation,” Honore-Paul said. Persad-Bissessar also commented on Wednesday’s roundtable meeting in Port-ofSpain involving trade union leaders, former prime minister Basdeo Panday and others. “Recently I saw a lot of men all ganged up and sitting at a roundtable. I saw all these men and their one aim was to get Kamla out,” she said. “I want to tell you ... we women are very strong and with my strength and your support I will be the woman left standing.” She said she would like to make sure she was not the first and last woman to head a government in this country. She told the mothers and grandmothers in the audience that her Government was committed to regularising thousands of squatters across the country and that she was working hard to take care of all the children in the nation. She said she will also “champion the issues of gender equity because women who are mothers can at times become our greatest teachers.” Persad-Bissessar said: “The denial of fundamental human rights on the basis of gender has absolutely no place.”
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar with students of Paramin Roman Catholic Primary School during the official opening of the school at Saut D’eau Road, Paramin Hill, Maraval. PHOTO: KRISTIAN DE SILVA
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Rockets shoot down Clippers to level series at 3-3 (Reuters) LOS ANGELES - A Corey Brewer-inspired Houston Rockets overcame a 19-point deficit in the third quarter to set up a Game Seven decider in their Western Conference semi-final series with a stunning 119-107 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Reserve Brewer, who finished with 19 points, poured in a brace of threepointers to spark a rousing display by the visitors in the final period as the Clippers offense wilted for Houston to tie the best-of-seven series at 3-3. Powerful shooting guard James Harden contributed 23 points and Dwight Howard weighed in with 20 along with 21 rebounds for the Rockets, who will return to their home
Saturday May 16, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You're unstoppable today, Aries. It seems you can do anything. Your confidence and energy are high. There's no question that you're ready to take the world by storm.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You can't help but notice that your home looks a bit drab, Libra. Today you could plan to do something about it. It won't take much money, just time and a little creativity.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) It's likely that you're being held back by certain traumatic past events. Before you can make further progress in your life, Taurus.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You have a to-do list a mile long today, Scorpio. You may spend a lot of your day running errands. It certainly takes a lot to run a household, as you no doubt realize.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You could receive some sort of windfall today, Gemini. Use it wisely. Consider buying some time to figure out what you want to do with your life.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You're ready for a career change, Sagittarius, or at least a change of venue. Have you considered telecommuting one day per week?
CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you've been held back by worries over the integrity of a relationship or the long-term prospects of a partnership, you can dispel concerns by confronting the person directly.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) What is your dream, Capricorn? Answer that question as specifically as possible today, then set about attaining that goal.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Your energy may flag a bit today, Leo. There's nothing to worry about, though you could take better care of your health.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) This may seem odd, Aquarius, but you may not be the person you think you are. There are indications that you have hidden talents. If they come out today, no one will be more shocked than you!
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Today is meant for socializing and connecting, Virgo. Your creativity is at an all-time high, so also try to work in some quiet time where you can do some writing or painting.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You're about to experience a major change in your life's direction, Pisces, and it may occur today. Keep your mind open to all sorts of possibilities.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) has his shot blocked by Houston Rockets forward Josh Smith (5) in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. (Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports) court for the series decider on Sunday. “We defended and we ran, we got stops,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale told reporters. “That group ... they fought and they played their tails off. “Brew (Brewer) went in and got seven defensive rebounds, 10 total, along with 19 points. That was huge. “We had to win this game today to get back to Houston, and in Houston we’ve just got to take care of business.” All-Star point guard Chris Paul scored a team-high 31 points and 11 assists for the Clippers while forward Blake Griffin added 28 but the home team were left bewildered after squandering a second chance in a row to close out the series. GAME FIVE POUNDING The Clippers, bidding to reach their first ever Western Conference final, had traveled to Houston with a 3-1 series lead for Game Five on Tuesday but were pounded 124103. “We were trying to run the clock out and we stopped playing,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. “The pressure mounted. It happens, but it’s hard to happen when you have a lead like that.
“We gave this one away, there’s no doubt about that.” The Rockets now have a chance to add their name to an exclusive list of comeback kings as only eight teams have rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series, the most recent being the Phoenix Suns against the LA Lakers in 2006. With Paul and Griffin sparking the offense, the Clippers made a fast start and twice streaked nine points in front before ending the first quarter with a 29-25 lead. Though Harden poured in two three-pointers to help the Rockets take control for much of the second period, the Clippers fought back and a driving layup by J.J. Redick earned the home team a slender 64-62 advantage at halftime. Roared on by increasingly vocal fans, the Clippers then took control with sizzling offense allied to strong defense, a driving reverse layup from Paul giving them a 19point cushion before they ended the third quarter leading 92-79. Once again, though, Houston clawed their way back and a driving dunk shot by Brewer tied the score at 102-102 with a little more than four minutes left before his
second three-pointer of the night put them ahead for good. The Clippers missed 15 of their last 16 shots from the field and were outscored 4015 in the fourth quarter.
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Fraser-Pryce kicks off three-peat bid in Shanghai Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
SHANGHAI, China (AFP) – Olympic champion ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce will face Jamaican rival Veronica Campbell-Brown at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting tomorrow as she begins her quest for a third straight 100m
world title. Fraser-Pryce’s first 100m of the year will be closely watched after an injury-hit 2014, and comes just a few months before she returns to China for the August world championships in Beijing. The 28-year-old won 100m
Olympic gold at Beijing’s Birds Nest stadium in 2008, but she will be tested tomorrow with the highly decorated Campbell-Brown among five rivals with personal bests below 11 seconds. Campbell-Brown, 33, was the overall winner in the 100m
event in last season’s 14-meet Diamond League series and won at the IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakech. Fraser-Pryce pulled out moments before the 200m at Shanghai Stadium last year, and she has raised doubts about defending her world title in the longer sprint in Beijing. The Jamaicans are among four Olympic gold medallists and six world champions in Shanghai as the Diamond League season gets underway, starting in Doha yesterday. Elsewhere, the 110m hurdles includes the top three finishers from the 2013 Moscow world championships and will be a major attraction in the home city of retired Chinese great Liu Xiang. Liu, who won Olympic gold in 2004, will bid farewell in a specially organised ceremony after he brought a halt to his career last month after struggling for years with injury. - One-lap wonders World champion David Oliver will meet Olympic titleand world record-holder Ar-
ies Merritt, with world silver and bronze medallists Ryan Wilson and Sergey Shubenko also in the field. “I like where I am at with my hurdling at the moment,” Oliver said, adding that he was “very happy” to win the 2013 world title after failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. “I am even more motivated to try to defend my title this year,” said the American, in comments released by organisers. Shanghai will also see the world’s two greatest one-lap runners go head-to-head, with world champion LaShawn Merritt and Olympic titleholder Kirani James facing off ahead of an expected showdown in Beijing. “I think it is always a milestone to add another title to your name,” James said, about the expected clash in the Chinese capital. “So I think it is extremely important that at the world championships I try to perform well.” In the field events, the high jump will see a mouthwatering clash between Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko and Mutaz Essa
Barshim of Qatar. Both men jumped just short of the 22-year-old record of 2.45m last year. Bondarenko, the world and European champion, reached 2.42m last June, before Barshim produced 2.43m in Brussels last September to clinch the Diamondleague title. But Barshim played down expectations that he may be on the verge of breaking the world record. “I need time. There are no short cuts for that,” he said. “I might jump high, but I am not really experienced for that world record level yet.” Other Shanghai highlights include the long jump, where British 2012 Olympic gold-medallist Greg Rutherford will take on Russian world champion Aleksandr Menkov. The Diamond League meeting will include 16 events: eight for men (200m, 400m, 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, 110m hurdles, high jump, long jump, discus), and eight for women (100m, 800m, 5000m, 400m hurdles, pole vault, triple jump, shot, javelin).
Argentine security chief slams Boca over possible pepper-spray attack (Reuters) BUENOS AIRES -Argentina’s security chief slammed Boca Juniors on Friday for failing to protect River Plate players who were attacked with what appeared to be pepper spray during their superclasico match. Four River Plate players were taken to hospital on Thursday after they were targeted following half-time in one of Argentina’s most hotly-anticipated matches, forcing the knock out tie in the Libertadores Cup to be abandoned. The incident marked a new low in Argentine soccer violence. Soccer in Latin America has a troubled history of fan violence and the situation in Argentina has worsened considerably in recent years with the rise of barra bravas, organized hoo-
ligan firms. National security secretary Sergio Berni also heaped criticism on Conmebol, the South American Football Confederation, for taking over an hour to call off the game. “Security inside clubs in the responsibility of the clubs themselves,” Berni said in an interview with local station Radio America. “Then, there was total negligence on the part of the Conmebol authorities who should have made a quick decision whether or not to abandon the match.” Several River players emerged from an inflatable tunnel onto the pitch after the break clutching their faces and rubbing their streaming eyes, with the match deadlocked at 0-0. The rivalry between the two Buenos Aires sides is one of the most heated in the world. It pits Boca, a traditionally working class side from the port area of the city against their more up-town rivals known as the “Millionaires.” Boca’s Bombonera stadium was a cauldron of drums and the chants of the club’s
passionate supporters, who sat just inches from the touchline separated by high wire fences. Few players relish the visit with away supporters barred from attending Argentine matches in a bid to curb violence. Conmebol was due to meet on Friday to discuss what, if any, sanctions to impose on Boca. Conmebol officials at the game said the organization would decide whether to eject Boca from the tournament, or call for a replay or the match to be completed at a neutral venue. Boca’s stadium was closed to the public on Friday. “We will carry out investigations inside the Bombonera which has been closed to preserve any evidence,” local prosecutor Martin Ocampo told TV station C5N. River players were escorted from the pitch under an umbrella of riot shields as missiles rained down from the stands. Boca player saluted their fans, drawing condemnation on social media.
River manager Marcelo Gallardo, whose side were 10 up after the first leg, called the incident “deplorable” and “shameful.”
Boca president Daniel Angelici apologized for the incident but maintained the team should not be punished for the actions of fans.
“We will accept the responsibility that we have but I don’t think the players are responsible,” he told reporters.
Boca Juniors’ Daniel Osvaldo (L) gestures after the Copa Libertadores soccer match against River Plate was suspended in Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 14, 2015. (Reuters/Enrique Marcarian)
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Patriots’ star Brady appeals 4game ‘Deflategate’ suspension Reuters - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on Thursday formally appealed a four-game suspension for his role in “Deflategate” after his team, one of America’s most highprofile sports franchises, delivered a blistering rebuttal of an NFL investigation into the matter. National Football Commissioner Roger Goodell later said he would personally hear Brady’s appeal, overruling the league’s players union, which called for an independent arbitrator to hear the case when it filed the appeal on Brady’s behalf. “Given the NFL’s history of inconsistency and arbitrary decisions in disciplinary matters, it is only fair that a neutral arbitrator hear this appeal,” the union said in a statement announcing Brady’s move. League spokesman Brian McCarthy said Goodell would act on the appeal “in accordance with the process agreed upon with the NFL Players Association in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement.” Brady’s appeal pits the NFL’s most popular player against the most profitable sports league in the United States at a time when it is reeling from criticism over its handling of players involved with domestic violence and a
concussion settlement for retired players that could ultimately cost $1 billion. The league suspended Brady without pay for the first four games of next season, fined the club a record $1 million, and forced the Patriots to give up two draft choices for purposely deflating footballs used in the team’s 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts that put it into the Super Bowl. In a website created to dispute the investigation findings, the Patriots said the report’s conclusions were “incomplete, incorrect and lack context.” Two days after independent investigator Ted Wells steadfastly defended his conclusions implicating Brady and two Patriots employees in the scheme, the team fired back. “There is no evidence that Tom Brady preferred footballs that were lower than 12.5 per square inch and no evidence anyone even thought that he did,” according to the team’s counterclaim, written by attorney Daniel Goldberg. Goldberg represented the club and was present during all interviews of team personnel conducted at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots also included Nobel Prize Laureate Roderick MacKinnon’s “scientific conclusion” that challenges the
Wells report’s rejection of scientific explanations as to how the footballs could have naturally lost air pressure. Wells said he believes a series of text messages by two Patriots employees implicated Brady, a three-time Super Bowl most valuable player, who is married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen. The Wells report identified the two Patriots employees, officials’ locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski, as the ones who deflated the footballs. The Patriots, who suspended both indefinitely last week, have not said whether they will appeal the club’s penalties. “Texts acknowledged to be attempts at humor and exaggeration are nevertheless interpreted as a plot to improperly deflate footballs, even though none of them refer to any such plot,” the Patriots said in the 20,000word rebuttal, posted on Wellsreportcontext.com. OUT OF CONTEXT The Patriots said the word “deflator” used in the texts cited by Wells in his report was taken out of context. “Mr. Jastremski would sometimes work out and bulk up — he is a slender guy and his goal was to get to 200 pounds,” the team, which has
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady warms-up (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)
until May 21 to appeal its punishment, said in the rebuttal. “Mr. McNally is a big fellow and had the opposite goal: to lose weight. ‘Deflate’ was a term they used to refer to losing weight.” Deflating the balls would likely allow Brady a better grip, especially in the cold and wet conditions during the AFC title game in January. New England subsequently defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 to win the Super Bowl. Experts believe Brady has a chance to get his suspen-
sion halved, as the penalty is severe by NFL standards. For example, the league assesses the same suspension for firsttime violators caught using performance-enhancing drugs. In addition, the league is on a losing streak of sorts after penalties on two high-profile players involved in domestic abuse, Peterson and former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, were reversed on appeal. Brady has denied any knowledge of how the balls lost air after being examined by a NFL referee.
He refused to surrender his phone to Wells but Brady’s agent, Donald Yee, said the quarterback had a lot of personal information on it and did not want to hand it over. The team and its fans are showing few signs of throwing in the towel. On their Twitter account, the Patriots changed the avatar to the back of Brady’s No. 12 jersey. Patriots fans this week set up a website to seek donations to pay the team’s $1-million fine and had collected $15,691 by Thursday afternoon.
ZURICH, May 15 (Reuters) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter is opposed to proposals to expand the number of teams at the World Cup and would like to keep the number of participants to 32 if he is re-elected, he said on Friday. He also suggested playing more intercontinental playoffs to resolve the discussion about how many places should be awarded to each region, and that a continent which hosts the World Cup should wait at least 12 years before staging it again. Blatter is standing for a fifth mandate as FIFA president on May 29 and two of his three challengers, former Portugal forward Luis Figo and Dutch FA president Michael van Praag, want to
expand the World Cup to 48 and 40 teams respectively. ”I will tell you that we should remain with the system we have had, and the best system is the one with 32 teams,” Blatter told reporters at FIFA headquarters.” First of all, we have realised that 32 teams is the best mathematical system, because you can play it 28 or 30 days,” added Blatter, who is runaway favourite to be reelected.” Secondly, the contracts we have for the next World Cups, they are all done with 32 teams.” FIFA will hold an executive committee meeting on the day after the presidential election to decide how to distribute places at the World Cup.At the 2014 World Cup,
Europe had 13 places, Africa 5, South America 4.5, CONCACAF 3.5, Asia 4.5, Oceania 0.5 and Brazil qualified as hosts.” There shall not be a revolution, there shall just be a discussion on that and we are doing (this) on the next day (after) the election with the president who is elected,” said Blatter. A “half place” means a slot in a two-leg playoff against a team from another continent.There were two such ties last time, pitting Uruguay against Jordan and Mexico against New Zealand, but Blatter implied that more “half places” could be used.” That’s a good idea, and you are not so far away, this gives a little bit more incentive...
American Pharoah targets Soccer-Blatter wants to Preakness sound of silence keep 32-team World Cup Reuters - The sound of silence will be the perfect backdrop for Triple Crown hopeful American Pharoah who, as has become habit, will be wearing ear plugs for today’s Preakness Stakes in Baltimore. American Pharoah, the 25 Preakness favorite, and stablemate Dortmund both have sensitive ears and the two colts will be ‘plugged in’ for the second leg of U.S. thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown to help drown out the crowd noise. “Having a lot of people, a crowd around makes Pharoah nervous,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert told reporters after morning gallops yesterday. “After his first race, in which he was terrible, we determined he was sensitive to
sound. He’s a very gentle horse, but his ears are so sensitive. We started putting cotton in them.” When Baffert felt that the visible cotton plugs looked rather crude, he decided to get a pair of proper earplugs for both of his Preakness contenders. “They cost about $6 a pair,” he smiled. While American Pharoah has commanded the spotlight in the build-up to the 140th running of the 1-3/16 mile Preakness, Baffert warned that Dortmund (7-2) should not be overlooked. Dortmund set the pace in the 1-1/4 mile Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and stood up to the challenge presented to his outside by Firing Line for better than 1-1/8 miles before finishing third.
“Dortmund came in undefeated and he still ran a very gallant race,” Baffert said. “I really thought when they turned down the backside that he would win it, the way he was cruising along. “He got a little tired, but since then he’s come back and he’s really trained well. I expect another big effort out of him. “All of the horses that ran in the Derby that are here, they look like they are training really well. It should be a very competitive race.” Most eyes at the Preakness, however, will be firmly fixed on American Pharoah whose Derby victory was a fifth win a row to stir hopes of a possible first Triple Crown sweep since Affirmed in 1978.
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Kaieteur News
Saturday May 16, 2015
Victory Valley/Scheme win Foo hits ton & fifty LABA Inter-Ward title in Berbice trail Fudadin to lead Berbice in Inter-County cricket
LABA President, Lawrence Simon (right) poses with the winning Victory Valley/Scheme team after their Inter-Ward win. Victory Valley/Scheme won the inaugural Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Inter Ward Championships last weekend at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court Linden with Keifer Tappin putting in a Most Valuable Player (MVP) performance. Tappin dumped in 22 points to help Victory Valley/ Scheme beat Kwakwani 72-54 in the final of the first tournament for the newly elected LABA. Forwards, Trevor
Profit scored 21 points while Harold Adams added 19 points in the comfortable victory. For Kwakwani, Leonard Primo and Dominique Douglas had 12 points each to lead the side, while Stanton Rose and Sheldon Thomas supported with eight points apiece. The team from Kwakwani had an unusual poor offensive showing in the game. In the third place game, Block 22/Wisroc defeated
Amelia’s Ward Front 47-44 with Sean Adams scoring 14 points for the winners; Rawle Williams supported with 10 points. For Amelia’s Ward, Akine Wilson also had 14 points. Primo copped the Most Rebound award while Chris Williams was rewarded with ‘Most Assist’ at the presentation ceremony. The LABA has committed to ensuring that its latest development programme is proliferated throughout the year.
Gatlin storms to 9.74 seconds 100m lifetime best (Reuters) DOHA - Justin Gatlin blasted out a warning that he is ready to challenge Usain Bolt’s 100 meters hegemony when he stormed to a lifetime best 9.74 seconds to win the event in the opening Diamond League meeting of the season yesterday. In a sizzling night’s action Mo Farah suffered a rare loss, to Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet over 3,000m, Pedro Pichardo and Christian Taylor joined triple jump’s exclusive 18-metre club and Jasmin Stowers continued her heady rise in the 100m hurdles. As always, however, the 100m was the race everyone wanted to watch, with the big question being whether 33year-old Gatlin would start this season in the form he finished the last where he posted six of the year’s seven fastest times. The twice-banned doper
wasted no time in answering as he was first out of the blocks and clear by halfway, punching the air after clocking the world leading time and leaving second-place American Mike Rodgers trailing by more than two meters in 9.96. Jamaican Bolt remains the favorite to retain his world title in Beijing later this year but knows he will have to be right at the top of his game and fully fit to hold off the challenge of the 2004 Olympic champion. “It was a magical night for me,” Gatlin said. “Doha is a great place for me and with that performance I put out a statement.” Double world and Olympic distance champion Farah was hoping to do the same in the 3,000m and looked in control until just after the bell. However, the Briton, who
broke the world indoor twomile record earlier this year, struggled over the equivalent distance in Doha. When Ethiopian duo Gebrhiwet and Yomif Kejelcha burst past him, Farah was unable to hold them off and, although he clawed his way back into contention on the home straight, he finished second to clear winner Gebrhiwet. Fans alongside the triple jump pit were treated to a memorable night as Cuba’s Pichardo soared to 18.06 meters with his third jump, making him the third-best triple-jumper ever behind Kenny Harrison and Jonathan Edwards. There was more to come, however, as Taylor flew to 18.04 with his final jump of the night — becoming only the fourth man to clear 18 meters. Fellow American Stowers hammered a stacked field with her third personal best of the year and a Diamond League record 12.35 seconds in the 100 hurdles as Olympic champion Sally Pearson came fourth and Dawn HarperNelson finished last. The Diamond League continues in Shanghai, China tomorrow.
After two one day trials and a two days trial, the senior selection panel of the Berbice Cricket Board named a strong 14 man squad to represent them in the upcoming four day and one day inter county tournament which was set to commence on Saturday May 16, 2015. Missing are West Indies all rounder Narsingh Deonarine who is injured and National Senior opener Shimron Hetmyer who was selected to represent Guyana under 19 which will take part in the tournament. In the first one day trial played last Friday, Berbice B made 276 for 8 off 45 overs due to a late start. Former national under all rounder Joemal LaFleur topscored with 93, Rajiv Ivan 46, Kevin Ramdeen 38, Balchand Baldeo 35 and David Latchaya 31. Niall Smith took 3 for 50 and Kevon Jawahir 2 for 30. Gudakesh Moti and
Jonathan Foo took a wicket each. Berbice A replied with 220 for 7 off their allotted overs to lose by 56 runs. Foo made a matured 116, Assad Fudadin 21, Ashkay Homraj 18 and Shimron Hetmyer 17. Keyron Fraser took 2 for 20, Joemal LaFleur 2 for 25 and Raun Johnson 1 for 45. In the second match, Bramble XI made 227 all out with former Berbice under-19 batsman David Latchaya making an impressive 103. He was supported by Anthony Bramble 32, Kevin Ramdeen 27 and Joemal LaFleur 26. Veerasammy Permaul took 3 for 39 and Arif Chan 3 for 23. Fudadin XI replied with 177 for 7 off 45 overs. Jonathan Foo top scored with 57, Ashkay Honraj 27, Shimron Hetmyer 25 and Fudadin 25. Raun Johnson took 2 for 18 and Keith Fraser 2 for 17. In the only two day match, Berbice A; 270 all out with
David Latchaya continuing his good form with the top score of 62, Anthony D’Andrade 47, Rajiv Ivan 45 and Devendra Bishoo 39. Keon Joseph and Niall Smith took 2 for 36 each, Veerasammy Permaul 2 for 67 and Jonathan Foo 2 for 19. Berbice B in reply were struggling at 55 for 6 with Kandasammy Surujnarine offering the only resistance with 42. Raun Johnson took 2 for 11 and Devendra Bishoo 2 for 6. The second day was washed out due to seepage on the pitch and heavy rainfall. The team is: Assad Fudadin (Captain), Kandasammy Surujnarine, Joemal LaFleur, Jonathan Foo, Anthony D’Andrade, David Latchaya, Rajiv Ivan, Anthony Bramble, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Gudakesh Moti, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Niall Smith.
Michael Jordan to take trademark case to China’s highest court (Reuters) SHANGHAI Michael Jordan will take a trademark dispute with a Chinese sports firm to China’s supreme court, lawyers for the basketball star said on Friday, escalating one of several cases accusing local firms of illegally imitating global brands. The former Chicago Bulls star sued Qiaodan Sports in 2012, saying the sportswear firm located in southern Fujian province had built its business around his Chinese name and famous jersey number “23” without his permission. Earlier this year, a court ruled in favor of Qiaodan over the trademark dispute, and this ruling was recently upheld by the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court, an official at the Chinese firm and legal representatives for Jordan told Reuters. Jordan will now take the case to China’s top court, a spokesman for Jordan’s legal team said in an emailed statement. “In light of the trademark dispute ruling, we intend to appeal to the Supreme People’s Court for retrial,” the statement said, adding that a separate case with Qiaodan Sports over naming rights was still ongoing. Jordan is known as
Michael Jordan (Reuters/Chris Keane) “Qiaodan” in basketball-mad China, which also has a homegrown superstar in former Houston Rockets player Yao Ming. Asked about the latest ruling, Ren Juan, a member of Qiaodan Sports’ legal department, said: “Qiaodan Sports will respect the judgment of the court.” She declined to comment further. Reuters could not reach the Beijing court for comment. In 2013, the state-run Xinhua news agency said Qiaodan Sports had sued Michael Jordan for damaging its reputation and demanded $8 million (£5 million) in compensation.
Jordan’s case is one of several involving foreign firms facing trademark tangles in China. Apple Inc paid $60 million in 2012 to settle a case over its iPad trademark, while state media reported last month that an affiliate of U.S. shoemaker New Balance had lost a trademark case against a local firm. Jordan, who has a net worth of $1 billion according to Forbes, is the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team and has a lucrative endorsement contract with Nike Inc, which makes Air Jordan shoes.