Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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

EDITORIAL

When the police mock justice The conduct (or misconduct) of the police force has reached alarming proportions in the country; so much so that it is high time that civil society makes its position known publicly. One corporate citizen donated a set of lights to assist the police in their operations so it is all the more compelling that the private sector step up and condemn police excesses. This observation is in keeping with the thought that no one can definitively speak to the integrity of the ballistics evidence produced in the recent prosecution and subsequent acquittal of two policemen. The police did the ballistics examination and proffered the results in court. Therefore the arrant nonsense coming from the police hierarchy in casting aspersions on the Director of Public Prosecutions Chambers must be seen for what it is; an unrepentant police force not keen in accepting responsibility for its dismal performance and certainly not keen on reforming its operational and administrative culture. There is no demonstrated commitment on the part of the police to support the efforts of the Minister of Home Affairs to present a clean police image to the public. It is hard to imagine that the findings of the ballistics examiner who operates out of the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters would have been ignored by the Crime Chief and charges laid against the two whose weapons had not fired the fatal shot(s). There is no reason to doubt the facts put forward by the DPP as that official certainly did not have a stake in the matter. What makes the puerile police statement so much more unacceptable and insulting is that the third rank was not charged but was a witness in the court matter. If this is not the height of stupidity and a blatant display of incompetence then maybe there is need for a new definition. It is reasonable to assume that all weapons would have been tested and the findings contained in the ballistics report. For a long time citizens and visitors to this country have been wondering daily to what new depths the force can sink and it is always a revelation that there is no limit to their ineptitude. Just the other day the Brickdam police attempted to pervert the course of justice by seeking to have the mother of 15-year old Alex Griffith identify the Cadet Officer who shot the lad in his mouth. If they had succeeded in getting their way it means that her identification evidence would have been tainted and therefore inadmissible in court because she did not see the actual shooting and would have been subject to the hearsay rule. What is of serious concern is the possibility that forensic evidence can be manipulated to best serve the interest of the force even to the point of securing convictions. It has happened elsewhere and since we are always pointing to what happens in other places it is only sensible that we in this country examine the potential and opportunity that the local sleuths have to imitate their foreign counterparts. There have always been doubts in the minds of the more informed in this society that the ballistics evidence conveniently linking notorious criminals to certain crimes were contrived as a matter of expediency and as a way of appeasing the public outcry and pressure from perceived influential groupings. The fact remains that the constant abuse meted out to people by a police force accustomed to implicit official approval of its animalistic behavior is not in a hurry to reform itself no matter who the Commissioner is. Minister Clement Rohee will not do himself any favours by relaxing on his demands for a professional police force; if anything he has not shown the sternness required in dealing with their continued intransigence in performing to public expectations. This again raises questions about his commitment to see things through outside of political parameters and control.

Saturday May 17, 2014

Letters... Where your views make the news

The power of political precarity DEAR EDITOR, This is the plain truth. The People’s Progressive Party is afraid of elections. Indeed, it is afraid of what any referendum on its rule – quantifiable or abstract – is going to reveal, and the subsequent consequences thereof. On a symbolic level, the inevitable loss it is facing at local government elections would further undermine the mythos of electoral invincibility within which the PPP has shrouded itself, one which has already suffered a tremendous blow with the results of the 2011 general elections. In praxis, the inevitable local government electoral loss would undermine the machinery that the party has put in place to usurp legitimate local government infrastructure to consolidate and extend its hegemony, particularly during general elections campaigning. Faced with the possibility of electoral defeat, the structures are slowly being laid down for the creation of a pre-totalitarian state. The classic signs are there: proliferating acts of brutality by the police and the condoning or obfuscation of the same by the government; the increasing impunity with which government and ruling party apparatchiks flaunt the legal system; the attempts to muzzle the free media even as the state media is abused in the interest of the ruling party; the undermining of democratic structures and the subsequent imposition of autocratic ones; and the resistance of democratic mechanisms like local government elections. What Guyanese need to understand, a lesson that we should have learned

from our previous history, is that totalitarian regimes are not abruptly thrown into existence by the flip of switch. More often than not they are the result of the failure of a body of citizens to recognize and resist a gradual undermining of democratic systems within a particular polity. Fully invested in the myth that democracy had returned in some static and infallible form in 1992, we fell complacent, even comatose, like Rip Van Winkle, for twenty years, and awoke to our own Thirty Five Tyrants, the PPP Central Committee. Now awake, it is time that the collective citizenry of Guyana realize the tremendous power at our disposal, the power of political precarity. I have come to realize that the defining element of any polity is precarity. In authoritarian, oligarchic regimes, the burden of precarity – a tenuousness of existence, a perpetual existential angst – is imposed upon the average citizen. The more democratic a polity, the more of that burden of precarity is placed upon the political leadership. For the first time since coming to power, the PPP is facing that precarity and it is afraid. It is afraid of the empowerment and resulting autonomy of Amerindian communities; it is afraid of young people from its own strongholds articulating their disgust and discontent; it is afraid of a media free to investigate its mismanagement of taxpayer funds under its control; it is afraid of any external intervention that seeks to educate the average citizen about the mechanisms of participatory

democracy; it is afraid of writers that have grown up under the shadow of its reign challenging its perjured narrative of democracy and freedom and competence. Recently, the usually reserved and d e m u r e Vi n c e n t A l e x a n d e r i n uncharacteristically strong language decried “the blatant misrepresentation of facts” (KN, May 15) in the government’s posturing on local government elections and the management of the Georgetown City Council. Factual misrepresentation is of course the staple of corrupt authoritarian regimes. In his seminal 1977 essay on the dictatorship in then Czechoslovakia, Václav Havel made the following observation: “This is why life in the system is so thoroughly permeated with hypocrisy and lies… Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics. It pretends not to possess an omnipotent and unprincipled police apparatus. It pretends to respect human rights. It pretends to persecute no one. It pretends to fear nothing. It pretends to pretend nothing.” As a people we cannot continue to accept the lies that an increasingly desperate regime seeks to feed us to hide their increasingly palpable fear. Like Alexander, more of us need to reach that breaking point where we refuse to facilitate these blatant attempts to deceive us. Ruel Johnson

It seems as if the tradition of the noble profession is being “watered down” DEAR EDITOR, It seems as if the tradition of the noble profession is being “watered down”. I read in the newspapers in Guyana that the Supreme Court has advertised for suitable candidates to apply to become Senior Counsel and over in St. Vincent and the Grenadines the press reported that lawyers were opposing the $10,000 fee requested to apply for “silk”. As I know it, the practice was that lawyers had to be invited to apply for silk and not every ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ can apply to become a member of the Inner Bar. It seems as if this tradition of the noble profession has changed, so much so that some appointments are made not because of the performance and for appropriate deportment and decorum, but because of

political connections. The newspaper reported that the last set of Senior Counsel appointments was in 1996 and six persons were elevated and from that number, it seems as if two were political appointees. I hope that those responsible for the selection will note the comments made by Teni Housty, former president of the Guyana Bar Association. As I write I recall the comments made by former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, that he (Jagdeo) would ensure that Nigel Hughes is not elevated to Senior Counsel. That statement of course sent the message that the President of Guyana had/has an input in selecting senior counsel. I cannot understand why the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is demanding an application

After all is said and done Clement Rohee is first and foremost a Guyanese and he like everyone else will be affected negatively by an unprofessional police force moreso if his party is voted out of office. We need to ensure that the actions of the police do not reflect governmental approval of a betrayal of public trust.

fee as much as $10,000 — $6,000 to be paid at the time of the application and the balance when appointed.

The ECSC retains the title of Queen’s Counsel. Over in Belize, like Guyana, (Continued on page 7)

Fight on, Ms. Carol Sooba, many are backing you! DEAR EDITOR, Imagine this scenario for it is real, two antagonists; one understandable and the other fundamentally incapable, locked in a grim power struggle. One means good and the other has caused an entire city of Georgetown to be ruined – Garbage and filth at every street corner, clogged drains, overflowing sewage, obnoxious scent, airborne diseases on the increase within the entire municipality. For me and many others Ms. Carol Sooba is a SUPER STAR. One woman with guts and gall stands up to a bunch of eccentrics. For two decades of leadership they have caused an entire city to become a slum; a city which was once titled the “Garden City”-. What a Shame! We have a good opportunity to regain some glory to the city of Georgetown by working with Ms. Sooba, but these opportunists have chosen to ridicule her in the most antagonistic, demeaning and violent manner. What a disgrace! Ms. Sooba has displayed great patience, commitment, integrity and above all forbearance beyond the normal human capacity. Many men would have called it a day, but this gem of a woman stays on to save an entire city. Fight on, Ms. Carol Sooba, many are backing you! Nazar Mohamed

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Kaieteur News

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

Appalled at the ghastly acts committed by the police DEAR EDITOR, It is very difficult to fathom how Dameon Belgrave’s life was tragically ended on October 5, 2012, we believe by the police, and no one has been found guilty. That is, for a large part, what it is to most of us. But it is also the furtherance of something far more sinister, and a milepost marking our society’s continued descent into chaos. We are shocked, appalled, horrified and outraged. Dameon Belgrave was cut down in the prime of his life. We were upset when two rogue cops burnt the genitals of then fourteen-year-old Twyon Thomas at Leonora Police Station in October 2009. We grieved at the ghastly murder of Shaquille Grant at Agricola on September 11, 2011, by scoundrels in the

police force. We recoiled in horror for Colwyn Harding who was brutally beaten and sodomized by the police at the Timehri Station. And today we are shocked when a villain in the police force shoots 15-year-old Alex Griffith in his mouth. For all the promises initially being made by the Minister of Home Affairs and the top brass in the force to bring the rogue cops of such heinous crimes to justice, one wonders about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. More than that, we are equally shocked and outraged to know that in Guyana the police have mastered the skills of how to brutalize and kill innocent Guyanese in cold-blooded manner and then get others to cover-up for their crimes.

Even in cases when a few are charged, they are set free because for some reason very weak cases are always presented. The people know that the police will kill more innocent Guyanese. This is not the end. Far from it. The police force has become a killing machine and yet, neither the Minister of Home Affairs nor the uncaring PPP regime have said or done anything. And for the police to say that they have been made a scapegoat clearly shows that they are dishonest. The police ought to know that their job is to serve and protect and not to brutalize, sodomize and murder innocent civilians. Public inaction and silence which are glaringly evident in police brutality and murders is driven by a few (Continued on page 7)

Swift action must be taken against all rogue elements DEAR EDITOR, The Georgetown Hub of the Global Shapers Community is a group of young Guyanese citizens whom - in many ways - are exceptional in their potential, and work to make meaningful contributions to their communities and the country as a whole. The Hub is part of a global non-political, nonpartisan and social development community, geared towards promoting the greater good for all human kind. On Wednesday 5th May, 2014 news broke of a very unpleasant encounter experienced by 15-year-old Alex Griffith, who was reportedly shot in the mouth by a police officer of the Guyana Police Force.

The Hub is deeply saddened not only by this act, but by similar incidents that are in direct contravention of Article # 5 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights which states: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.” In keeping with our core beliefs, the Georgetown Hub renders unequivocal support of the basic human rights for all individuals living within our beautiful country. As a result, the members of the Georgetown Hub would like to encourage the relevant authorities to take swift action against all rogue elements who continue to tarnish the reputation of the Guyana

Police Force. As young citizens, we are extremely concerned about the frequency of allegations and seeming trend of human rights violations that continue to plague our country. More so, our concerns squarely lay in the realization that these acts of brutality are perpetrated by the very officers who took a solemn oath to serve and protect our citizens. We further urge the relevant authorities to make swift their investigations and pronouncement on this matter, so that the victims of this unfortunate occurrence can receive both the relief and justice they deserve. Georgetown Hub Global Shapers Community

Police brutality in Guyana is sickening

DEAR EDITOR, The intentional use of verbal attacks and excessive force by an authority figure, which oftentimes ends with bloodshed, bruises, broken bones and sometimes even death, represents expressive forms of brutality. These acts carried out by members of the police force are forms of brutality that are experienced by some members of the Guyanese society, particularly the young black male. The officers of the Guyana Police Force have been entrusted with powers more than the average citizen. They have the power to arrest, seize property, and even use deadly force in certain circumstances. Many of them from time to time have been accused of abusing those powers and when it is proven that they did, the officers are not fired or prosecuted. In most of these cases sadly, they are either transferred to another division in a different location or sometimes suspended as a means to pacify or appease the public outcry for the time being. Undoubtedly, these minor punishments for such unjustifiable crimes are by no means a deterrent to prevent them from recurring. There is sufficient evidence that police officers act and behave like they are above the law, and they abuse their powers as they wish, without fear of being reprimanded or disciplined. Our society is at real risk and the safety of the citizens is in jeopardy, because the very people entrusted with the responsibility to protect them are the perpetrators. The criminal acts carried out by some law enforcers are

characterized as “police misconduct” - the beating of a young boy and his mother in the hinterland community with a branch while being taped; the shooting of three innocent protesters in Linden July 18, 2012; the burning of a young man’s genitals; the shooting of 15-year-old Alex Griffith in his mouth while playing Russian roulette with his life. These cases of “misconduct” also include sexual abuse - the brutal baton rape of Colwyn Harding – and profiling - a Rasta man in public transportation is presumably a drug dealer or a mule; a car with four black men is more likely to be stopped and checked; the driver of an expensive vehicle is a considered target for a potential bribe, police corruption, false arrest and political repression. These forms of police brutality are mainly directed towards the vulnerable groups in our society - the poor, the weak, and sadly, the black youth in a country of many races. According to Amnesty International (2009) the police force has brutalized these vulnerable groups. It was observed that some of the punishments accorded to the suspects included shooting, beating, verbal and

psychological abuse. Most of these forms of brutality are always a blatant violation of the suspect’s constitutional rights, and should and must be stopped. Despite the presumed new leadership of the force and varying departments and divisions, the prospects for change still remain dismal and uncertain. Why should one have to write in order to see the commissioner of police, when he told the nation he has an open door policy? Were his utterances mere rhetoric and a political stunt? With the constant elevation of crime in our society, the Guyana Police Force has a lot of work to do, not just in retraining and reeducating its members so they would be more knowledgeable of the laws and the constitutional rights of the people they are mandated to protect and serve, but also to change its tainted image. The members of the force, especially the outpost/station police and traffic officers, have to be more respectful and chivalrous to citizens when exercising their duties if they are really serious about rebuilding the lost trust and confidence between police and citizens. Jermaine Figueira

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PPP/C rejects bid to lower toll at …Opposition voting strength Berbice River Bridge approves the resolutions By Gary Eleazar Punctuated with perceived threats of murder, incessant heckling and even a bout of blackout, the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government on Thursday rejected a motion to reduce the tolls for crossing the Berbice River Bridge, but it was in the end approved by the Full House given the voting strength of the Political Opposition. The Motion was successfully piloted by A Partnership For National Unity’s (APNU) Joseph Harmon, who argued that the tolls being charged by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc was excessively high and meant to only enrich a few. He said that arguments that the company is a private one are nullified by the fact that under the Berbice Bridge Act, the Minister of Public Works has responsibility for the setting of the tolls. Harmon said that the Bridge earns an average of $1.5B annually, and as such the company can afford to reduce the tolls charged. The APNU Member reminded that Government signed a concession agreement for the construction and operation of the Bridge for 21 years even

Government Chief Whip, Gail Teixiera holding up the poster of Dr. Walter Rodney

APNU Members of Parliament flashing the photo of the late Satyadeow Sawh though it has a proposed lifespan of 30 years. He also lamented the access to information in relation to the operations of the Bridge and said that this is the case given the infamous “Brassington Clause”. This clause, he said, binds all to deal with all information in the concession arrangement as secret and confidential. He said that with Government holding some $950M in shares in the bridge, it is incumbent of the Administration to have its Director on the board call for the reduction of the toll. Harmon noted that when the toll was calculated, then President Bharrat Jagdeo announced that it was done

to cover operating costs, make repayments and earn a profit. The APNU Member of Parliament lamented that there was nothing in the consideration of the toll “about public good, only money”. Harmon pointed to a number of bridges across the world, including neighbouring Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil where the tolls for bridges in those countries are either free or far below that which is being charged to cross the Berbice River. He used the opportunity to point out that between August 1 and 12 last year, the company conveniently lowered the tolls, at which

point in time there came the heckles that this was to facilitate the PPP Congress which was being held in Berbice. Minister of Tourism

In fact, it was pointed out during the debate that NICIL has sold its 950 million shares in the company to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). In fact, NICIL retains only one single share in the company and has no directors on the board whilst NIS only has a single director.

“I will not reduce the toll for any person in Guyana until we have determined economically that it will be a benefit,” Robeson Benn. Industry and Commerce, Irfaan Ali, who was the first to refute claims made by Harmon, categorically denied that the National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) has any ownership stake in the company.

The single largest shareholder behind the NIS is Former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s best friend, Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop through the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation and Queens Atlantic Investment Inc. He has two directors on the eight member board, namely Avalon Jagnandan and Ravi Ramcharitar. Ali argued that “The Government has no direct ownership stake in company”. He further stated that if the Government were to intervene it would be a breach of contract and “take us back to those dark years when Government imposed its heavy hand on private capital”. The Minister also responded to comparisons in the tolls at the Demerara Harbour Bridge as against the Bridge over the Berbice River. According to Ali, the Demerara Bridge is owned by the Government and benefits from annual subsidy and in contrast, the Berbice River Bridge is a Public Private Partnership which does not receive any subsidy. Ali said that like any private company, it is required to generate enough revenue to run its operations as well as make its payments.

Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn, under whose responsibility the Bridge Falls, was adamant that he would not reduce the tolls as is called for by the motion without any consideration of the various market forces. “I will not reduce the toll for any person in Guyana until we have determined economically that it will be a benefit,” asserted Benn. The comment by Benn was condemned as arrogance, to make such a statement even before the motion was voted on. According to Minister Benn, the motion brought by APNU represents a shot fired across the bow of all who want to invest in Guyana. He said that for Government to interfere with the private company would be a de facto nationalization of the bridge. Benn argued that this time around it would not be the nationalizing of foreign owned companies that would have run roughshod over Guyanese: “we would be taking away from our own people…the very people you want to help in a short sighted way.” The Minister argued that if Government were to impose on the company to reduce the toll it would be “the worst thing that ever happened in Guyana…we would be taking away from our own people; unheard of.” According to Benn “it’s easy to shout reduce the tolls to get some vote; it’s just like saying reduce the VAT….We will not go back to the days of irresponsible management of the economy.” The Minister was adamant that the proposals by Harmon “cannot fly” and as such he could not accede to the move which he claims will result in a destruction of the operation of the Bridge in a few years. The Minister suggested (continued on page 23)

Saturday May 17, 2014

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

The challenge is to sustain our growth momentum in a hostile political environment DEAR EDITOR, It was the German Philosopher and revolutionary Karl Marx who famously wrote that ‘philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways; the point however is to change it’. Change, it is said is the only constant. As the French saying succinctly summed it up, ‘the more things change, the more they remain the same’. The two sayings may appear contradictory but on closer examination they are not and point to the dialectical nature of society, one in which changes are inevitable but do not take place in a linear or a straight line method. Lenin captured that point very well in his very lucid publication ‘One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward’ in which he pointed to the dangers of moving too fast ahead of the masses without taking into account the objective and subjective factors which obtain at any given time. According to Marxist scholars, we live in a material

world where everything changes. This is true of objects (material things) as it is true of society. Hence the term ‘dialectical and historical materialism’ which describes the changing nature of both man, the physical environment in which he lives, as well as the society of which he is a part. Put in a different way, we live in a changing and dynamic environment where changes take place all the time. Take our own society. We started out as a slave society in which the production relations and the mode of production was basically that of master and slave. This was to change later on to one in which there was a semi-feudal production mode where the peasants, especially on some parts of Essequibo, were tied to the system in an almost semifeudal manner, where they were forced to almost empty their pockets at the hands of the big farmers who in exchange for their labour provided them with goods

and other basic items from their shops. The workers were doubly exploited, firstly in the form of low wages and secondly from high profit margins from their business operations. Guyana, after a hard and prolonged struggle waged by the PPP, managed to free the country from colonial rule and the right to vote by all Guyanese, regardless of literacy, income or property qualifications. The result of those developments was the election to office of the PPP administration led by the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan, but just a mere six months later the relatively advanced constitution was suspended and an interim pro-British administration was installed in place of duly elected leaders. Four years later, in 1957, elections were again held which was convincingly won by the PPP, despite a split in the Party engineered by Forbes Burnham with the support of foreign and local vested interests. The PPP went on to win the elections of 1961 but was again

Appalled at the ghastly... From page 5 crippling factors. The first is fear. The culture of police brutality, shootings and murders of innocent citizens has been tacitly accepted, so it continues unchecked. This blunts the impact of the atrocities, and makes the masses believe that they are safe so nobody will kill them. Second, the privileged classes will express shock and dismay at the atrocities committed by the police, but when it comes to the exercise of political influence to arrest the problem such token expressions fade away very easily and quickly. Third, the look-the-other-way syndrome by the PPP regime has allowed the police to perfect their killing dexterities in relative obscurity thus making the masses vulnerable. The regime does not have the courage and credibility to attack and expose this problem head-on. There has been a profound miscalculation about the size and nature of police violence and misconduct. The ineffectual Minister of Home Affairs and the top brass in the police force have buried our heads in the sand and treated the lawless behaviour by some rogue cops as a criminal fringe in the force, never willing to recognize, far less acknowledge, that these

rogue cops have moved away from the principles of the force to become a force of their own. Where do we go from here? Indeed, if we are to get closer to solving police brutality and murders, the Minister of Home Affairs should be replaced as quickly as possible. He is quite obviously out of his league in the position he holds, and oblivious of the depths of the crimes committed by rogue cops. How could the Minister be expected to take the nation forward when every single crime leaves him clueless? Sadly, the murders of Dameon Belgrave and Shaquille Grant, the sodomizing of Colwyn Harding and the shooting in the mouth of Alex Griffith, to name a few, will be just miscarriages of justice, and life will go on as normal. Unfortunately, this is where we are today in Guyana. It has now become sadly

obvious that the Mickey Mouse police force is incapable of solving any crime, even if the evidence is staring them in the face. The charade has now run its full course. It is now time to send for the real police from one of the first world countries. What we are seeing is the complete failure of the PPP regime’s crime plan, if there was ever such a plan. Again, like the PPP, everything is public relations, everything is about talking, making grandiose statements and what they are doing or going to do. The reality does not matter. What is the PPP’s crime plan? Have they articulated a comprehensive crime plan? It is all about promises and trying to bamboozle people. Guyana is a hopeless, failed State. For certain the leaders are hopeless. Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish Singh

manipulated out of office in the elections of 1964, which saw the coming to power of a PNC-UF coalition government. The democratic and constitutional gains made by the PPP were soon eroded by the PNC administration which rigged all elections from 1968 to 1992. Under pressure from democratic forces both within and outside of the country, the PNC administration was forced to give in to democratic reforms which saw the widelyanticipated PPP/C administration return to the seat of Government after an absence of close to three decades. The dialectics of change and development is once again playing out in present day politics, both at the municipal and national levels. The current fiasco at the City Council between the Mayor and City Council and the Town Clerk is a good case of municipal politics which has almost reached hilarious proportions. The most recent Court ruling has deemed the actions of the Mayor and the City Council to remove Ms. Carol Sooba as Town Clerk ultra vires and outside of the limits of authority of the Council. It will be interesting to see how the Mayor will respond to this ruling having done everything possible to subvert the Office of the Town Clerk and prevent her from carrying out her duties. At the level of our national politics, the situation playing out in our parliament today is no less intriguing with the combined parliamentary seeking to block spending on key and critical expenditure items and using their one-seat majority to blacklist the country as is currently the case with its blunt refusal to support legislation to pass the antimoney laundering and countering the financing of terrorism bill. The history of Guyana’s

politics, especially its postcolonial history is basically one of struggle against reactionary and antidemocratic forces, led by the PPP and now PPP/C administrations. In the end, the forces of progress always prevailed over the forces of reaction. This is in keeping with the laws of historical and dialectical materialism, where despite setbacks and temporary reversals, the forward march of history is inevitable and predetermined. Our country is without doubt on the forward march. The late Dr. Cheddi Jagan during the days of PNC dictatorship always reminded us that the struggle will be long and hard, but victory is inevitable. We have come as a country and as a people a long way since the difficult

days of colonial rule and PNC dictatorship. Guyana today is a free and democratic country that is well respected among the community of nations. We have shed our image as a pariah state and we are now ranked not as a Less Developed Country but have advanced to the ranks of a middle income country. The PPP/C government must be given credit for this achievement despite the several challenges it has to contend with both in terms of our domestic politics and a harsh international economic environment. Guyana has undergone fundamental transformations both in terms of our body politics and in our economic and social landscape. The challenge before us is to sustain our growth momentum in the face of a hostile political environment. Hydar Ally

It seems as if the... From page 4 members of the Inner Bar are known as Senior Counsel (SC), but in that Central American country, there are dozens of Senior Counsel - more than any other member state of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Some of them were political appointees and a few were not worthy of “silk”. Even in England there was dissatisfaction, and the appointments of Queen’s Counsel were suspended in 2003 for certain reform measures to be

put in place in order to have “openness of system and not to discriminate the appointment from branches of government. A nine-member panel was appointed comprising retired judges, senior lawyers, as well as non-lawyers. The newspaper advertisement in Guyana stated that applications should be sent to the Office of the Chancellor, but no mention was made as to the method and the names of the persons who are tasked with the selection. Oscar Ramjeet

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Conditions in the “Quiet Chief Justice denies that he “recused himself” Room” at NOC violate rights Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang said, yesterday, that he never recused himself from hearing a quo warranto prerogative writ. The matter which was filed by a lawyer for the City Hall-elected Town Clerk (ag) Royston King, seeks to challenge the legitimacy of Government-imposed Town Clerk (ag) Carol Sooba. Chang said that Attorneyat-law Nigel Hughes came before him on Thursday morning. Chang said that he reminded Hughes that there is a current matter being heard in the Court of Appeal. The Chief Justice said that he cautioned the lawyer and opined that they should wait until that matter is completed before he is asked to listen to the new writ. Chang said that it was Hughes who asked for it to be assigned to another judge.

The Chief Justice said that it was erroneously reported that he “recused” himself. The quo warranto was filed Tuesday morning by Attorney Nigel Hughes and served on the de facto Town Clerk (ag) Carol Sooba. Subsequently, Sooba filed an application in the High Court asking the Chief Justice to quash the decision by the Mayor and Councillors who voted to remove her as Town Clerk and replace her with King. The application also asked that King not be allowed to perform any Town Clerk duties among other things. Sooba’s application was heard the next day (Wednesday) and the Chief Justice granted the request in the interim that the Mayor and City Councillors give reason and authority for their decision to have King replace

Sooba. Apart from the High Court matters, the Local Government Ministry, Sooba and King had expressed dissatisfaction with the Chief Justice’s April ruling, and two separate matters are before the Court of Appeal challenging his decision. Up until Thursday, City Hall had two acting Town Clerks, one voted-in by the Mayor and City Councillors of Georgetown, Royston King; and the other appointed by former Local Government Minister, Ganga Persaud. More than a year ago the Minister appointed Sooba who was soon rejected by the Mayor and Councillors. They claimed that she refused to adhere to the decisions of the Council and act accordingly as the secretary to the body.

Tripped transmission lines caused Demerara shutdown Thursday night The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) is again asking for patience as the entire Demerara system went down Thursday, leaving consumers fuming. According to the stateowned GPL, around 22:32hrs, one of the two transmission lines between Sophia and Garden of Eden tripped, resulting in a shutdown of the Demerara Inter-connected System (DIS). “Due to the time this incident occurred it was not possible to undertake a detailed inspection of the transmission line to determine the reason for the trip. An inspection is currently in progress, focusing on the section of the line traversing the backlands of Garden of Eden and Friendship, where the line protection calculated

- GPL the fault may exist.” According to GPL, the Demerara Inter- connected System was incrementally restored with all circuits repowered just after midnight. “Unfortunately power supply to consumers on the East Coast between Industry and Success was further affected by a burnt connection on a switch at Industry. The burnt connection was found at 01:15 hrs, repairs were completed and power was restored at 01:51hrs.” GPL also said that on Wednesday, an unknown incident resulted in damages to four parts of a circuit supplying sections of

Kingston, Cummingsburg and Werk-en-Rust area in the city. “Repairs were completed by19:28hrs and power restored to all consumers. In undertaking the repairs, the supply to consumers in other sections of Kingston, Cummingsburg and Werk-EnRust had to be interrupted. Investigations are ongoing into what may have precipitated the damage to the circuit. GPL will undertake an upgrade to a section of the circuit this Sunday to reduce the impact any future fault this may have.” The power company, in its apology, stressed that there is likely to be more power interruptions as it progresses with its development agenda for 2014. GPL is building seven new substations and running new transmission lines along the coastlands in a Chinesefunded US$40M project. “We are pleased to announce that the supply for most of our consumers in South Georgetown has been switched to our new substation in North Ruimveldt. Further, we are currently preparing to commission our new substation at Columbia (Mahaicony) and the power

By Latoya Giles Child Rights Activist, Nicole Cole, has said that the mere fact that children at the New Opportunity Corps are placed semi-nude in a “quiet room” is a violation of that child’s fundamental right. Culture Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, on Thursday said that he could not agree with the statement that there is a “detention room” at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) but rather that there is a “quiet room”. There are reports that the “detention room” is even worse than the Brickdam Police lockups, and that it is for children who “misbehave”. Minister Anthony said that he is aware of a “quiet room” but would not be able to know if there’s a separate room. “Is that a standard operating procedure, in this kind of torture camp style?” Cole queried yesterday during an interview with Kaieteur News. According to Cole that kind of treatment goes hand in hand with “Prisoners of War”. “You have them semi nude but what could these children have done to be awarded such inhumane treatment?” Cole asked. Cole said that she did not see the nexus in punishing the child and removing the clothing. Cole further questioned the reason for a “quite room” at the NOC. “Is it to punish or change the behaviour or have them stay silent?” Cole said that there is need for a rethink of punitive measures. “Guyana is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child and it’s not right to put children in their underwear as a form of punishment. That alone says directly that something is wrong with the institution,” Cole told Kaieteur News. The Minister sought to explain to the media the grounds that would warrant officials to send “students” to the “quiet room.” Anthony said that if one is to visit the NOC, there are open dormitories and from time to time the students would fight. “What we do is separate the aggressors,” the Minister

told the media. Dr. Anthony was further grilled about whether in this “quiet room” there are containers for the “students” to defecate and urinate in. He maintained that the children are only in the “quiet room” for a limited time and are given meals. “We can’t starve anyone; if you check the budget we are given adequate money for this cause,” the Minister said. He said that rules of institution do not allow for children to be kept there for more than 24 hours. “If children are kept for so long we should investigate that claim,” Anthony said. When pressed further about whether the children are placed into this “quiet room” practically naked, Mark Dover, an official at NOC, said that the males are only allowed to wear “boxers”. He said that it was a security measure taken by the NOC. Medex Carol Daniels, who is also stationed at the NOC, said that the females are placed into the “quiet room” in “tights” and brassieres. She said, however, that it is the same bra straps the females would use to tie around their necks. She said that there have been cases like that before. Daniels said that she would make checks on the females in the company of other staff members. She maintained that there have been no cases where an actual bra was removed, even though she said that they would use it to tie around their necks. Daniels said that females are given a medical examination which consists of

“cavity searches” when they have absconded from the NOC. According to Daniels, the females would be told what is being done before the actual examination is done. According to the woman, the teenage girls would lie on examination tables, covered, and she would examine them. The medex said that she would never insert her fingers. “I’m so trained that I know what I’m looking for without any insertion…so I’m just looking to see any lacerations or penetrations,” the medex told the media. Within the last week several allegations have been emanating from the NOC about caregivers committing sex acts on teenagers. Parents of teenagers have come forward and told harrowing stories about sexual abuse. Cole has also called for the total “shut down” and a total revamp and sanitation of the system should be conducted forthwith. Cole said that if there is a next institution, social workers need to be at the forefront and lead the cause On Friday, Head of the Child Care and Protection Agency, Ann Greene, secured a High Court order to remove four of the teenage girls from the NOC. Greene said that the girls will remain in protective custody. Last Wednesday Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster, said that she had asked the Child Care and Protection Agency to investigate the alleged sexual molestation of female inmates of the New Opportunity Corps.

City Hall woes can only be solved with Local Government Elections - AFC

Alliance for Change (AFC) Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo has asserted that the government’s failure to solve the problems of City Hall is because it has for so long not held Local Government elections. According to Nagamootoo, part of the problem is that Government refuses to hold elections so that “the people of this country and of the City can be given an opportunity to help bring a solution to put the kind of leaders in City Hall who would be responsible and responsive and the AFC

shares the view of all stakeholders who have said that it is unacceptable not to have Local Government elections after 17 years when they have become due.” Nagamootoo disagreed with Government’s position of wanting to put an Interim Management Council (IMC) in place in an attempt to solve the current problems of the council. Among other things there are two Town Clerks (Continued on page 23)

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THE DEMERIT SYSTEM WILL CAUSE THE PPP TO LOSE POWER A demerit system is used in many jurisdictions in the developed world as means of dealing with road traffic violation. The demerit system however is far from perfect and has many drawbacks. The first of these is that it constitutes a system of double punishment for errant rivers. Under the demerit system, a driver is not just penalized with a harsh fine but he or she may also be then subject to having points affixed to his license which when accumulated can lead to disqualification. In this regard the system is extremely controversial because someone should not be punished twice for an offence, first by either being charged or having to pay a hefty fine and then on top of that accumulating points which can lead to his license being disqualified. Guyana does not need such a system. We have a few thousand drivers on our roads. We do not have millions of vehicles plying our roads and thus requiring a system of weeding out drivers. Our laws are already geared to do so by having persons driving dangerously being brought before the

courts which has the power to revoke their licenses. The demerit system has never been shown to reduce road accidents of road fatalities. In fact this system was implemented for purely economic reasons. It provides justification for the insurance companies to jack up your insurance premiums every time a driver accumulates points for offenses. This demerit system was tailor-made for insurance companies. They are prime beneficiaries of this system. The more points that are accumulated by rivers, the more premiums they will receive. In a small economy like Guyana, this can have serious effects because it will lead to an increase in taxi and minibus fares because these are the vehicles that the police love to stop and when drivers receive their points for offenses, the insurance companies in Guyana will have reason to increase the premiums. This increased cost will then be passed on to consumers. It is therefore unfortunate that Guyana has decided to copy that system. It is unfortunate for a number of

Dem boys seh ...

Guyana build Marriott without money Dem boys now understand why dem can’t hear from Steve Suruj, de man in charge of elections in Guyana. He try he best to find people to wuk and now that he find de people he got trouble finding wuk fuh dem. One of dem boys got a daughter who meet time fuh register to vote suh de man ask he wife to carry de child to register. When de lady go in de centre she see eight people. From de time she enter dem eye light up; was de first wuk dem was getting to do for de week. Three of dem ask de li’l girl she name. Two of dem decide to find out she name and address then two of dem had to tek she fingerprint. By this time de girl start to get vex but because she decent she bite she lip but one of dem people see suh dem tell she that what dem doing was wukking in duplicate and where necessary, in triplicate. Imagine that after de girl gone home four of dem go in a car to verify that she live at de address. Steve don’t know it yet but dem people glad that local government elections ain’t starting yet. Is longer dem got de wuk. De supervisor does sit and look important. When people visit she does act like if she checking something. Dem boys hear when she tell one of de clerks that she see a woman live at Sausage Street. She had to be thinking bout food. Is when a clerk look at de file she manage to tell de supervisor that is a ‘V’ and not a ‘U’. Now dem boys want to know how she tun Savage into Sausage but then again, strange things does happen every day. Who don’t know that de Guyana Government build de Marriott without extra money from anybody? A US$60 million project get build fuh US$20 million and Guyana didn’t use child labour. Guyana is de only place that does expel foreigners and frighten to tell dem to leave de country. And dem boys seh that Luncheon picking fight wid everybody. He pick fight wid Ah Kneel and he looking fuh pick fight wid Donald. Talk half and watch out fuh de Marriott opening.

reasons. Firstly, it will fatten the revenues of local insurance companies. Secondly, it will further fatten the pockets of corrupt traffic officers. Even police who are not in the traffic department will now want to stop motorists willy nilly in the hope that they can catch them committing an offense and thus be able to extract not just one set of bribes but two sets of bribes: one for the offense and the other for waiving the points that the drivers would be liable to receive for the offense. What we will have is double corruption. A demerit system cannot work where corruption is so rampant. It will further corrupt the system. It should never have been implemented. Already the traffic fines are so prohibitive that they have

encouraged corruption. A driver would prefer to give a policeman a $2000 bribe rather than face the prospect of having to pay a fine of $7, 500. Now that driver will know that he can be disqualified if the police rank issues a ticket and gives him points for the alleged offense. No driver wants to face the prospect of having his license being taken away and so that driver may be induced into paying further bribes. Only this time the sums will not be a few thousand dollars but will be tens of thousands of dollars. If this demerit system is implemented in Guyana, the public transportation system will shut down. Many drivers of hire cars, minibuses and goods carrying vehicles already have to pay massive bribes to traffic ranks to avoid

prosecution and harassment. Now when the powers of the traffic ranks are increased by this demerit system it will mean that these public transportation operators will be at the total mercy of corrupt traffic cops. If this demerit system is implemented, I predict that there will be strike by public transport operators because they will be at the mercy of traffic cops. The government should leave the legislation on the books. We can always boast that Guyana has advanced legislation. But this demerit system should not be introduced until such time as the corruption within the Guyana Police Force is reduced. To implement this demerit system at this time will entrench and deepen corruption on the roads. It will

lead to an increase in bribery, a steep rise in insurance premiums and a skyrocketing of fares. That is not something that any government should desire in the year in which local government elections are to be held. The fact that Cabinet could have given its consent to this piece of legislation shows how far out of touch it is from reality. If the PPP implements this demerit system, they can as well back their bags and leave office because they will be booted out of office. In fact whichever government utilizes this system will not enjoy public support.

Three arrested for the brutal hacking of security guard Three persons have been arrested following the vicious hacking of a 40-year-old Security guard at Pigeon Island, East Coast Demerara. The hacking occurred around 15:00hrs on Thursday. Two of those in custody for the brutal hacking of Persaud are Eman Rupnarine, 30, and Bayo. Two other suspects are still at large. The owner, Alston Khan for the Lot 25 Pigeon Island house where the vicious attack took place was also arrested for selling unlicenced alcoholic beverages. Karan Persaud, of Pigeon Island Squatting Area, is clinging to life at the GPHC. He was stabbed multiple times about his body by four men who were reportedly under the influence of alcohol. Persaud’s neck and one of his fingers were almost severed. His nose was sliced off by the men who subsequently escaped. The security guard underwent emergency surgery on Thursday and was placed in the Intensive Care Unit. He was again taken to the theatre for another surgery around 10:00 hrs yesterday. According to a police source, after statements were taken from eyewitnesses on Thursday, investigators went in search of the men and arrested two out of the four. According to information received, Persaud was drinking at a bottom house when four men walked into the yard and approached him. They asked that he show them where the urinal was located.

Injured: Karan Persaud

“He (Persaud) show them and turned away and one of the men asked he (Persaud) why he couldn’t get up and take them to the urinal and they started arguing,” an eyewitness who requested anonymity said. According to the eyewitness, the men first took a bottle and hit the man on his head after which they pulled out knives and started stabbing him to the abdomen. No one was able to intervene, despite Persaud’s desperate his cries for help.

“After they stabbed him, two of them hold him down and one of them take the knife and slice his nose off and throw it on the ground,” the eyewitness related. The man’s reputed wife Lilowtie Samaroo said she was at home when her son informed her about the brutal attack on her husband. “I run and go in the yard next door to wheh dem went chopping he and I keep shouting for help and I tell de four of dem (suspects) that I (continued on page 23)

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Need for independent inquiry into unlawful police killings - APNU A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) through its leader, Brig. David Granger, has expressed its alarm at the recurring reports of the unlawful killings by members of the Guyana Police Force. The coalition is calling for an independent inquiry into all reports of police killings over the past eight years. Granger said, yesterday, at the party’s weekly press conference at its Hadfield Street Headquarters, that the police force admitted that, between January 1, 1997 and October 18, 2012, its officers had killed 255 people. Granger said that the United States Department of State, in its Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2013 said that the Police Complaints Authority reported 14 unlawful killings by the police for 2012. He said he is alarmed that the pattern persists under the Rohee reign, adding that there continues to be numerous

confirmed reports of police killings. Shawn Nidal Watkins, 42, who was shot dead by the police in May 2012; Shaquille Grant, 17, shot dead by the police in September 2012; Dameon Belgrave, 21, shot dead by the police in October 2012; and Tony Ogle, 46, Leon Gittens, 24, and Quincy Alexander, 33, who were shot dead by the police in February 2013, were some of the killings he identified. The National Assembly had passed a motion of “NoConfidence” in July 2012 and repeated the call of the partnership to President Donald Ramotar to revoke Rohee’s appointment to the Ministry since he was not capable of bringing the scourge of unlawful police killings to an end, APNU stated. Also supporting Granger’s comments was APNU Parliamentarian, James Bond. The lawyer opined that the

occur in a slothful manner when they are brought before the courts. He reminded that the Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2013 suggests that there was an unlawful killing per month. This warrants immediate attention, he added. The coalition’s Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Winston Felix, said that the actions of the officers of the force reflect rank indiscipline. They continue to violate certain human rights.

Dameon Belgrave, shot and killed in October 2012 Guyana Police Force lacks the training to properly respond to certain crimes and as such he reiterated the coalition’s call for the comprehensive reform of the sector. Bond also expressed his disgust at the fact that prosecutions for unlawful killings by police officers

BELGRAVE KILLING Dameon Belgrave, who was celebrating his 21st birthday at the Hadfield Street Fish Shop, was allegedly shot and killed by a police officer. Two police officers were charged with manslaughter but the case was subsequently dismissed by a city magistrate on May 8, as a ballistics report showed that the bullet that killed Belgrave did not belong to the firearms of the officers charged. It reportedly came from the weapon carried by a third officer who was not charged for the crime. Felix said that the investigation belonged to the force and all those involved should have been held, firearms seized, marked and examined and lodged, and bodies of all examined for gun powder residue. He added that (continued on page 24)

Saturday May 17, 2014

Another person charged for death of Pegasus taxi driver A new charge has been brought against Lorenzo Forde, the teenager who was detained several weeks ago for the murder of Pegasus taxi driver, Rudranauth Jeeboo. Yesterday, Forde reappeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, before Magistrate Fabayo Azore charged jointly with 21-yearold Shawn Edinboro for the offence. The duo was not required to plead to the offence, which read that between December 27 and 28, 2013 at Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt, they murdered Jeeboo, a taxi driver attached to the Pegasus Hotel. According to the details relating to the case, about 21:00 hours on December 27, 2013 Jeeboo left his Lot 25 Craig S t r e e t a n d D e l p h Av e n u e , C a m p b e l l v i l l e residence for work. The following day, the body of the taxi driver was discovered in a pile of g a r b a g e a t C a n e Vi e w Avenue. Jeeboo had sustained several injuries about his b o d y. Investigators checked the phone records o f t h e d e c e a s ed, which showed that his cellular phone which was stolen was still in use. It led them to Forde, who was later taken into police custody. When the teenager was

interrogated by the police he confessed that he and two others murdered the taxi driver, dumped his body and drove away with his car. He even took them to the spot where they dumped Jeeboo’s body. The man’s car was reportedly discovered about 10:30 hours on December 28, last, abandoned at a road in Tucville Terrace with no number plates. Police Prosecutor Steven Telford told the court yesterday that the number two accused, Edinboro, was arrested in relation to the crime after his finger prints were found on the interior of the car, which belonged to the taxi driver. Telford revealed that the 21-year-old unemployed man, who resides at Parfaite Harmony, West Bank Demerara, has another pending murder matter at Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. Telford said the pending murder case at Sparendaam is alleged to have been committed p r i o r t o t h e murder of the Pegasus taxi driver. Telford said there are seven witnesses in the matter and the Prosecution is ready to commence the Preliminary Inquiry (PI). As such the matter has been adjourned to June 2 for commencement of the trial.

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GINA ‘distasteful’ campaign ad… “A lot of nonsense is being said and much of that is being scrapped in order to malign the PNC [People National Congress] Reform and we won’t have any of it so our lawyers are working and we are going to mount a robust defence to ensure that the truth is told.” This is the assertion of Opposition Leader retired Brig. David Granger as he spoke to the recent developments with regard to the apparent smear campaign in which the Government Information News Agency (GINA) placed advertisements aimed at criticizing the Party with respect to Dr. Walter Rodney’s Commission of Inquiry (COI). Attorney General Anil Nandlall had commented on the ads, calling them “distasteful”. Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon said he didn’t share the AG’s view and posited that GINA exercised its autonomy and sought to publicize the happenings of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry for those who didn’t hear it on the news, read it online, in the newspapers, or

Saturday May 17, 2014

Robust defence to be mounted to ensure truth is told - Granger

saw the live streaming. According to Granger, the Party had anticipated the behaviour of the GINA and the PPP/C Administration during the Walter Rodney COI. “As you know, the Commission was established in February and given an unrealistic deadline of four months, which means that in about a month’s time it will expire. I had written to both President Donald Ramotar, and Sir. Richard Cheltenham, Chairman of the Commission, about our concerns, particularly i n t e r m s o f reference number four and we could not cooperate with the Commission under those terms, although we said we would participate in order to protect our Party’s reputation and its interest and we have been doing that,” said Granger. Granger said that his Party called upon the COI itself and not the President or the PPP/ C Administration to pursue the truth. He stressed, “we have nothing to hide and were the truth to be told, the people of Guyana would understand

better how Dr. Rodney came to be in possession of a certain device in a brown paper bag, why he agreed to have it tested at a certain place at the dead of night, and what he intended to do with that device because a walkie talkie doesn’t speak to itself.” The PNC/R leader said that his Party would like to know the truth. “We are not jumping to conclusions and the government has tried to make this a political Commission of Inquiry and we have already seen the relaxation of certain rules of evidence, so that people are getting up and talking about their dreams and premonitions and their guesses. They heard somebody who said something about an accident occurring.” Granger outlined that attention should be placed on how Rodney was killed and not on hearsay and premonitions. “So far we have had four witnesses in two months and we don’t know anymore about the circumstances under which Dr. Walter Rodney was killed. We would like to get an

Leader of the PNC/R David Granger answer to that and we will support any aspect of the Inquiry which helps the public

to get the truth about Dr. Rodney’s death,” he noted. Also speaking on the issue was PNC/R youth representative, James Bond, who argued that in the COI the fourth and fifth hand representations have led Guyanese down a road of “fanciful imaginations” away from the truth and understanding of the demise of Rodney. He said further that PPP “propaganda machinery becomes serious when a senior member of Cabinet comments and calls it distasteful… that is the state we have reached in terms of the propaganda being spewed from the PPP/C. Then

the Cabinet Secretary would seek to say that ‘he ain’t speaking for me’… that shows that the propaganda machinery is almost comical.” According to Bond, we “are cogni z a n t o f t h e i r machinations which are not new by the way but we believe in the power of the Guyanese people to discern between fact and fiction and downright lies. We have some serious concerns; hearsay evidence is being allowed to be banded about not only in the Commission but via the GINA and Chronicle and other state media as to what is really going on the Walter Rodney COI.”

Govt. fails to disclose post 2011 spending on Jagdeo The National Assembly met on Thursday and while the Government provided a number of answers to questions posed by members of the opposition it failed to give any answers in relation to queries on the expenditure it would have made on former President Bharrat Jagdeo, since he demitted office in 2011. Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, at the beginning of the session yesterday confirmed that the answers had not been provided but did indicate an optimism that it would be at some point in time. Checks with the Parliamentary staff during the sitting revealed that the answers would not have been provided during that sitting since they were not in receipt of any. A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU), Desmond Trotman, had tabled the queries to the Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh for a response. The political opposition has always been critical of what it calls uncapped benefits encapsulated in the Former Presidents (Benefits and Facilities) which in May 2009, the then President Bharrat Jagdeo assented to. Trotman wanted to find out what is the total health expenses/claims met under the Act for former President Jagdeo and or his dependents for each month since he

demitted office in 2011, up to the end of February. Jagdeo recently was the subject of screaming headlines when he chartered a private Lear Jet to fly to Florida where he went for treatment of Dengue Fever. Checks later disclosed that when he was airlifted to the Florida hospital, he had in his entourage his best friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop and that they used a private luxury Learjet instead of an air ambulance. Air ambulances are planes or helicopters that have been specially fitted with medical equipment and beds and would also include medical personnel accompanying the aircraft to treat the passenger as they are taken to the hospital. The jet was charted from Jedami Aircraft Charter, LLC, registered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This publication understands that the chartering of a Lear Jet, from Florida to Guyana and back for a medivac, would cost between US$35,000 and US$40,000. APNU was also seeking to find out what is the monthly cost of providing security for personal and property(s) under the Act for former President Jagdeo since he demitted office in 2011 to the end of February, 2014. APNU is also seeking to

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo elicit answers in relation to the cost of providing transportation local and overseas, inclusive of cars and drivers, including air cost and road under the Act for the former President and or his dependents for each month since he demitted office in 2011 to the end of February 2014. The coalition is also seeking to find out what is the electricity charge paid under the Act for former President Jagdeo, for each month since he demitted office to February 2014. On May 28, 2009, then President Jagdeo assented to the controversial Former President’ (Benefits and Facilities) Bill, bringing it into law. Under that Act, he would receive free medical attention and medical treatment, paid for by the state, or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by him for the medical attention or treatment of himself and the dependant members of his family. Duringhisterminoffice,Jagdeo initiatedmanycontroversialprojects, among them the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project, the Marriott Hotel project, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Expansion Project and the failed Skeldon Modernisation Project.

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Revision and adjustment of nursing programme may counter failure An urgent revision of the nursing programme is perhaps one of the crucial factors in countering an alarming failure rate among students who participated in the Professional Nursing programme last year. This conviction was voiced by Assistant Director of Nursing at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Brother Owen John. “The way I see it is that if you have a situation where you are having a high failure rate for people that you would have screened and brought in to be trained...it means that these people were qualified and therefore it means that something is wrong with the programme,” intimated Brother John. Moreover, he is convinced that an 11 per cent failure rate among the Professional Nursing students across the country is perhaps not the fault of the students themselves. “This says something about the programme and so I would not want to necessarily blame the students; of course they would have to bear some level of responsibility but this did not happen at one nursing school, this happened across the c o u n t r y, ” n oted Brother John. The Professional Nursing Programme, according to him, is standard at all nursing schools - Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Charles Roza and St. Joseph Mercy – all of which recorded alarming failure rates. “How come all of these people failed this one exam? These are people with a lot of CXCs but yet they failed these exams,” said the Assistant

- Asst Nursing Director

Assistant Director of Nursing, Brother Owen John Nursing Director who expressed his belief that there is need for the Professional Nursing Programme to be examined and some adjustments made. In the past, he disclosed that the School of Nursing fell under the purview of the Georgetown Hospital but is currently managed directly by the Ministry of Health. “So what you find is that control over the nursing students is no longer there. The hospital in the past had the opportunity, for example, to plan the nurses’ rotations but that doesn’t even happen anymore,” said Brother John. This development, according to him, has created a void in terms of the exposure the nurses in training are permitted. Added to this, there have been some talks, in the recent past, about the professionals best suited to deliver nursing education. With the move by the Ministry of Health to

increase the intake of nursing students over the years coupled with the migration of some qualified nurses, moves were made to channel the expertise of some other professionals, outside of nursing, towards pedagogy. In fact Brother John is convinced that “the whole health care landscape has been robbed of very, very good quality health care workers who have migrated to various parts of the world...so what we have is the “ravelling.” However, it is the view of Brother John that the preference is to have nurses teach nurses. He explained that since the utilisation of other professionals to fill the gap is linked to the paucity of nursing professionals to function as nursing educators, efforts should be made to retain the good quality nurses. “Apparently some people seem to feel the way to do it is just train more nurses, but who is to supervise and manage them?” questioned Brother John. He asserted though that “there is however no disputing that, doctors could and are playing a meaningful role in nurses’ education; but nurses, in my opinion, can better understand nursing issues,” said Brother John. However it remains the belief of some that nursing education should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Brother John noted. This, according to him, would mean that the Education Ministry would be required to recruit professionals with sound

13-year-old among three arrested in Maryland’s killing of Guyanese Maryland, US (WJLA) Prince George’s County Police have made three arrests in connection with a fatal stabbing on the Northwest Branch Trail last weekend. The victim has been identified as 19-year-old Akinleye Warner of Langley Park. He is reportedly from Guyana and moved to the U.S. with his father. He is also a former student of Covent Garden Secondary School, East Bank Demerara. Police said Warner traveled to the Park with three acquaintances who went to the area to conduct a drug deal. During the attempted transaction, Warner was stabbed. He was found on a

park trail suffering from multiple stab wounds. “The investigation reveals the suspects are gang members who committed the crime in order to gain notoriety within the gang,” police said Thursday. Police said they have arrested and charged three current and former Buck Lodge Middle School students with first-degree murder; 15-year old Nelson Rivera-Anaya dropped out of the institution last month, but 14-year-old Angel Contreras is a current student, as is an unnamed 13-year-old who is too young to be named and charged as an adult. “I’m in shock,” says

Mirian Aquino, who cannot believe her son Roberto’s classmates are accused of killing a 19-year-old. “I couldn’t believe that it’s coming from middle school. I mean, just to be in a gang and things like that, it’s really getting out of hand.” “Es mi familia,” says Manuel, the uncle of the accused 13-year-old. He says he doesn’t believe his nephew was the one who actually stabbed victim Akinleye Warner. Rivera-Anaya & Contreras are currently being held at the Department of Corrections on a no-bond status. The 13-year-old is being held at the Cheltenham Youth Facility.

health education backgrounds to undertake such a task. In the meantime though, he is convinced that “a lot more could be done; but right now there are too many gaps and until we get to that point where we can really deal with some of the issues we have, we will continue to struggle in this area.” According to him, there are a number of fundamental areas that must be addressed in nursing care. He emphasized the need for intensified moves towards reducing the operational pressure at the GPHC, for instance, even as he pointed out how challenging it usually is to cater to the needs of

patients from across the country. “Our resources here are overwhelmed...people from all over the place are coming here; people are bypassing all of the other regional hospitals to come to the GPHC and our nurses can’t cope with the volume of work,” said Brother John. Moreover, he is concerned that “people just don’t understand the underlying factors sometimes,” when there are some unfortunate deaths at the GPHC. “We are taxed with too much work and people just don’t see that,” said Brother John who has been a nurse for just over four decades. “We are not like the police

who (may) get a reward for capturing a criminal; we have, at times, one or two nurses with 40 patients and if somebody dies under those nurses’ watch they are lambasted in the press,” stressed Brother John. In fact he is convinced that if nurses in some developed countries were to operate under the pressure that some nurses here work they would be hailed as heroes. Nevertheless, Brother John noted that another daunting situation that obtains in nursing today is that some persons who enter the system are merely “seeking an income and are in fact not passionate about the profession.”

Page 22

Kaieteur News

PROPERTY FOR SALE Property for sale.Call:627-5416 Double lot with house at East Bank Demerara, one block away from Public Road Call: 621-1766 FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Pure bred Rottweiler puppies, 8 weeks old – Call:682-2148 or 618-2903 Tibetan terrier pups for sale. Colours are: white, fawn and mixed – Call: 649-4247 Suites, beds, desk, guitars, divider, radio set, table –Tel: 226-2284 Spare for washing machine, microwaves,fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 PORK WHOLE SALE, WHOLE, HALF & QUARTER CARCASS. NO HEAD! NO TROTTERS! – CALL:2662711, 609-4594 1-CAT 320 excavator, 1-22 RB long boom dragline, 1helmet & hammer, 1-120G motor grader -D4H CAT bulldozer- Good conditionCall:660-4021/275-0578 Toyota 4 Runner, great condition – Call:223-9719, 227-1028 Well established auto parts store. Fully stocked with all used Japanese Parts, serious inquiries only – Call: 6192090 Clean garden earth, also Bobcat & Excavator rentals. Tel: 626-7127 Pure bred pit bull, 6 weeks old – Call: 661-1601 Two stalls for sale at Port Kaituma – Contact: 6846428, 618-7983 PVC Ceiling Panels, PVC Mouldings, Medallions. American Standard!!! – Call:614-8564, 680-0862 Cold Storage Facility: freezing & cold storage facilities. Affordable price @ BM Enterprise Inc., Houston GFL Wharf Call: 227-8176/77. Internet Café and Game Arcade equipment (complete controllers/glass case/etc Contact Alwin: 696-4832 Snow cone carts and hot dog carts. Call 667-2575 Food warmer and Deli case . Call: 696-9999 One 4 month old female pure breed German shepherd - Contact: 638-5778 One smoothie machine and ice machine – Call:231-0655 or 683-8734.

FOR SALE Toyota Forklift - Excellent condition, 4,000lbs capacity, 117" Lift, Solid Wheels, Automatic Transmission, 4 Cylinder LPG Motor. Call: 604-6108. Pure Rottweiler pups, parents are imported pedigree dogs Call: 264-2870 or 672-6402 after 6pm 665-9140 or 639-1431 Fully furnished two-storey house at North East La Penitence - $17 Million. Contact 691-1521 Chowmein/noodle equipment, including five roller machines. One mixing machine. 2 steamers, drying system. Call 661-3878 One tractor driven water pump on trailer. New. Bargain price. Call 227-1830 Nine & seven months old female German shepherd for sale – Contact: 263-5755, 6834832 Canadian rebuilt Perkins Duetz engine, Lincoln generator welder, model M with winch, 320 excavator – Call: 691-2921 1 MF290 Tractor, 1 Toyota Tacoma, STIHL chainsaws, tractor parts, STIHL blower, STIHL paint sprayer, pressure washer, etc – Call:689-8884 Hilux Surf, PHH 9550, reasonable condition, price negotiable – Call: 660-5818 2 Perkins Marine Engine, 4 Cylinder – Contact: 621-6251 Ten 5000 Gallon Fuel Tanks, fifteen 12 feet satellite dish, 10 houselots Riverview - Call: 266-2076, 266-2207, 601-3194, email:rnetram@yahoo.com Zmodo Surveillance camera system, 4&8 channels only. All necessary accessories included – Tel:609-2815

Diamond (Land with foundation) $3.2M, Pearl (2 lots 100ftX50ft each with house -$13M), Parafaite Harmonie (100ftX50ft) $2.2M – Tel:675-7292 House on 7 Acres of Land @ Canal No 2 - $15M. Call: 6899379, 686-4994 or 225-3070 Lot 81 Lamaha Street. No Agent! – Call: 673-5882 Prime Business property, huge land space, 200’X50', next to Police Outpost @ Mc Doom. 233-0570 Prime Business. Established Business, Three storey building 220 South Road Lacytown Georgetown – Tele: 227-1042, 601-3369. Serious callers only! 2 Storey concrete property in Parfaite Harmonie, size 24’X57’, Price: $16M – Call:622-1782/658-5803 1-3 storey business property @ Middle St. G/Town, 2 business properties @ Whim Public Road, price negotiable Call: 619-7134, 225-6481 Nandy Park (need work) $21M. Parfaite Harmonie (new) -$17M Contact Diana:227-2256, 626-9382 Two storey house at Retrieve Linden. Price $11MCall: 641-7979 2- Storey 10 rooms hotel/ restaurant/bar with attached apartments upstairs and downstairs, large storeroom Call: 222-2514

Saturday May 17, 2014

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 One barber shop / salon with 5 stations at David & Queen Streets Kitty – Call Alana: 646-0268 G.T TOOLS RENTAL: CONCRETE SAW, RANDSOM & MORE. EVERYDAY SPECIALS – CALL:675-0767 OR 6275098

VEHICLE FOR SALE

Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773

Toyota Land Cruiser 105 series, 2000 model enclosed, 5 door, 7 seats, mint condition – Tel: 668-3581

Natural beauty salon & spa: Grove Market Street EBD Tele: 265-4138, 652-5800. We specialized in everything for women. Earn a certificate in cosmetology, wig designs or nails alone, limited spaces – Call Abby: 619-7603, 666-5241

One upper flat @ 6th Street Cummings Lodge ECD – Call:622-3580 One bottom flat (30x42) Carmichael Street; ideal for business/office. Contact Vishnu: 680-6946, 618-9771 One bedroom semifurnished apartment @ Diamond, preferably single working / studying female $28,000. Contact Vishnu: 6806946, 618-9771 Secured Concrete bond 87’X32’, Public Road McDoom, next to Police Outpost. Suitable for storage/ factory, etc. Tel 233-0570

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.

House in Diamond/Grove. Tel 692-8513 or 223-0733 House to rent 1-3 bedrooms @ Anna Catherina W.C.D – Contact J. Allie: 276-0818

We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar:2310655,683-8734

Prashad Nagar: Self contained studio (fully Furnished)-US$100.00 weekly. Tel: 612-3194, 223-8258

HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING AND ESTIMATES FOR ONLY $10,000- CALL:6949843/227-2766

House for rent & household articles for sale. Call Tele # 269-0959/617-8905

House plan drafting from$10,000 electrical works and estimates services available. Tel: 667-2189, 646-6572, 6298750 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call: 225-9032, 647-2943

CAKES & PASTRIES Courses in cake decoration, pastry making & cookery; also edible images and Wedding dresses for sale. Call: 670-0798

Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 662-6045 For Cheap House plan & estimates – Contact T.Boodhoo:625-9883

CAR RENTAL LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj Building. Tel 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 FOR SALE/RENTAL Mining Claim – Rent/ Sale: located at R.Bwcknoch Creek L.B Essequibo River 1S! miles from river mouth – Call: 672-8749 American Pool Table – Call:277-0578

Dolly’s Car Rental - Call: 225-7126/ 226-3693 dollys autorental@yahoo.com/ www.dolly sautorental.com Progressive Auto Rental: Cars & SUV for rental- $4,000 & up per day- Call: 643-5122, 628-2284 , E m a i l : p r o _ autorental @yahoo.com Wings Car Rental- Call:643-1131 Aidan’s Car Rental, Canter & Pickup - Call: 645-7981/ 698-7807

LAND FOR SALE House lots in Friendship - Tel 692-8513 or 223-0733 At Eccles Housing Scheme price $6.5M - negotiable Call: 616-6000 Over 70 Acres of Transported land for sale at Coverden, East Bank Demerara, serious inquiries only – Call: 661-6993

Smart Choice Auto Sales: Unregistered: Premio, Spacio, Allion, Allex, IST, 2 1 2 , F i e l d e r, Vo x y – Call:652-3820; 665-4529 Toyota Spacio – TV/DVD/ CD, body kit, reverse camera. Never registered $2.1M. Call:617-2891 2006 Toyota Tacoma fully loaded - $3.5M – Tel:6857659, 622-0445 Seinta and Noah with Body Kits – unregistered and top notch condition with terms available – Call:641-8647

COOL TECH : Repairs Services & Installation of all types if homes appliances: Air Condition & Refrigeration units - Tel: 233-2008; 675-4959

Nandy Park - $24M, AA Eccles - $55M, Lamaha Garden -$35M, West Bank $21M – Contact Diana:2272256, 626-9382 One transported house & land for sale – Call: 655-5158

SALON

EDUCATIONAL Balloon Decorating Classes – 31st May 2014 – Call: 2253133 or 613-7513 for more information and to register. CATERING Roxy’s Catering: We cater for any special occasion, also available daily breakfast, lunch & snacks – call: 223-0092, 223-0095

New Model Hilux Surf and RX8 – Very clean vehicles. Terms available – Call:6418647 Stick gear and automatic Pitbull and RZ buses at the best prices around – Tel:641-8647 2008 Blue Bird - $3.0M, 2005 Spacio - $2.1M, 2006 Premio - $2.3M. ALL VEHICLES FULLY LOADED & UNREGISTEREDCall:642-7295 RZ Minibus BLL Series – price negotiable – excellent condition – call: 673-7934 Toyota L-Touring & Fielder Wagon, At192, AT212, AE110 Corolla Raum, Fun cargo, RZ minibus, IST –Tel: 644-5096, 697-1453 1 -1RZ, 15 seater, automatic mini-bus, BNN 3760 - $1.5M Negotiable. Good condition, never used for public transportation – Tel:628-0310 ; 672-5429 STAR CARS AUTO SALE: Premio, Spacio, Allion, IST, Feilder, Altezza, new Raum, Axela, Carina 212 – Call: 679-3140, 615-1199 Pre-order: AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 Unregistered Toyota Raum: year – 2004; black interior, HID lights, power door, TV navigation. Tel 617-5536 Toyota Raum, Silver; year – 2002; PMM series with alarm. Call 621-5244 DAF 55-210 sand truck, GMM series; $2.8M negotiable.Call 623-8302 Cactus Auto Sales: Reduced prices, Premio, Spacio, Allex, AT212, etc. Call 681-4208, 220-6262 (Continued on page 23)

Saturday May 17, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 23

City Hall woes can only be solved... From page 8 (City Hall’s Royston King and Local Government Ministry’s Carol Sooba) and no Local Government Commission in place to decide who could be fired or hired. To have an IMC in place according to the AFC Vice Chairman “is like injecting within the problem, a new problem which is this government.” “We believe that the solution to Georgetown is not foisting a Carol Sooba as a show piece of the citizens and the Council but for the government to be able to do the right thing, clean the Augean Stable and hold Local Government elections,” said Nagamootoo. The holding of Local Government elections according to the AFC Vice Chairman “will encourage the citizens of this country to step forward, it will encourage people of quality to step forward, they do not have to be politicians, they do not have to be members of a political party, they just have

AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo to be decent concerned citizens who must say enough is enough and we want a right to vote in a new council.” He said further that “tinkering with it and putting one set of people in an IMC is not going to work anymore.” Meanwhile A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) through its leader David

PPP/C rejects bid... From page 6 to Harmon that the motion be put on hold to facilitate further consultation. Harmon, in calling for a vote, reminded the House that the motion was filed in December 2013, “so when the Minister says we should have time, and we are in May of 2014, a lot of time has passed.” He further pointed out that the issue of the reduction of tolls across the Berbice Bridge was part of the Budget discussion in 2012, “so this is nothing new.” Harmon further went on to chastise Benn and added that “saying he will not reduce the toll smacks of arrogance; he has no regard for the resolutions of this House and the people of Berbice.” Harmon was adamant that a “powerful case has been made for the reduction” and called for the vote. When the Speaker put the vote to the House the ruling Administration was loud in its disapproval but was

overwhelmed by the Opposition’s affirmative vote for the Minister to reduce the tolls to cross the Berbice River Bridge. Other speakers to the motion included APNU’s Amna Ally who had seconded it as well as PPP’s Faizal Jafarally and Moses Nagamootoo, the Vice Chairman of the Alliance for Change. At one point during the vociferous debate, Minister Ali rose to object to a photo of slain Minister of Agriculture, Satyadeow Sawh being flashed by ranks in the Opposition back benches. The Minister complained to the Speaker that he felt that it was a threat to his life as a Minister. It was pointed out to him that Government Chief Whip Gail Teixeira had only moments before been flashing a picture of Dr Walter Rodney. That poster had the word ‘assassinated’ boldly emblazoned on it.

Three arrested... From page 9 know all of dem. One who name Prakash ask me if I see he do anything and I shouted yes and he pelt a brick at me but it missed,” the woman recalled. She added that while she was shouting for help, the men were constantly stabbing her husband who had fainted and had blood gushing from his neck. “He fall down and then they hold him up and brace him to the wall. They just continue stabbing he. I thought he was dead. When

they (Persaud’s attackers) finished with him they run away and we run over in the yard,” the wife said. She added that her husband was lying face down. When she turned him over, she noticed his nose was sliced off and he had multiple wounds about his body. “People were walking on his nose and so because we didn’t know,” the wife said. He was rushed to the GPHC in a taxi and was taken straight to theatre for immediate surgery.

Granger at a press briefing yesterday made their position clear over the problems with City Hall. According to Granger, “We feel that the entire process involving the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development is badly flawed and that it constitutes an unusually intervention in the work of the City Hall with the intention of frustrating the elected councilors.” He noted that APNU is fully in support of the elected councilors, “We are in support of the appointment of Royston King as the Town Clerk and we feel that the whole purpose of local democracy is to ensure that the persons who have been elected and who are still in office regardless of how long, are allowed to choose the officers who going to administer the City Council.” According to Granger, “It is quite clear that the appointment of Ms. Sooba has caused a great deal of mismanagement in the City Council and she is unwanted by the elected officials and it is not for the government to continue to impose an unworkable situation on the City Council, its causing a problem and the way to solve the problem is to remove Ms. Sooba and that is my position and the position of APNU.”

VACANCY Drivers, Porters, checkers, accountant. Apply R.A Soda Factory @ Good Hope Bond. Driver & salesperson @ #7 Bakery. Call 330-2399 Accounts Clerk & Cashier. Apply with written application & passport size picture to Survival @ 173 Sheriff St., Campbellville. Call 227-5286/9 Exist for Pharmacist: Apply with written application at Survival Shopping Complex @ 173 Sheriff St. Campbellville – Tel: 2275286/9 DRIVER and SALESMAN for Gas Trucks on East Coast, West Coast and East Bank Demerara. 266 4427 Vacancy exist for Helper/ maid and a cosmetologist. Call 227-4799 Bakers and table hands to work at Bakery in Best Village W.C.D – Call: 254-1399, 6272515 One Trainee refrigeration A/ C Technician – Tel: 231-0655, Call between MondayFriday (8:00am-4:30pm) MANAGER/SUPERVISORS at Xenon Hotel Charity / EBo. ACCOMODATION PROVIDED. Attractive Salary is offered – Contact: 223-5273/4 One female clerk – Call: 2315171 One General Domestic – Call: 667-5717 or 650-4761

TO LET One newly built 2 storey concrete house, 2 bedroom for short or long term Bartica Call:685-2707 TWO BEDROOM APARTMENT in Charity Housing Scheme – Contact: 771-4180, 687-5814 Rooms - Tel:225-9223 Furnished executive one or two-bedroom suite in Diamond. Ideal for foreigners. Call 609-2466 Furnished and unfurnished two bedrooms apartment in Eccles, for short or long term Tel: 643-1131 Kitty - $US700, Ogle $60,000- US750, AA Eccles house-US1200, Subryanville -US800 – Contact Diana:2272256, 626-9382 1 - Four bedrooms house with all modern conveniences, semifurnished - $300,000 monthly, Happy Acres – Tel: 231-7839 (working hours) 2 Bedroom bottom flat self contained at 270 Grove Housing Scheme E.B.D Call: 686-1663

From Page 22

WANTED Live-in domestic to work in Mahaicony River, age 18-40 years. Call 613-6613 or 225-6571 Male and Female – 18-25yrs to work in a Window Factory. Applicant from the East Bank only.Telephone #600-5253 One gardener/ handyman to work at Parika E.B.E Contact: 697-3846. Eperienced cashier to work @ Western Union Mon Repos / 38 Ketley St Charlestwon, over 18yrs send application @ Humprey Bakery 38 Ketley St.

1 AE100 Toyota Corolla, excellent condition - AC, Mag rims, alarm, DVD player, etc. Price $825,000. Call 612-9625, 225-3217, 6956461 Unregistered Toyota Noah, with TV, Rims, Camera - Tel: 629-2619 or 663-2700

Toyota Raum, 1 new model Toyota Raum, 1 Feilder Wagon, PPP & PSS Series – Call:614-4614, 223-9329 TOUR Orella, Capoey Lake, Santa Mission – May 25th & 26th 2014 – Contact Joy:218-1285, 649-9059

Barbers and tattoo artist opposite Kitty Police Station – Call: 621-8812 Cars to work at GR Taxi Service – New Base at Sheriff St, Opposite Survival Supermarket. Base Fee $6,500 – Contact:614-6202 Urgently needed, live-in waitresses to work in Bar. Reasonable salary offer – Tel: 259-0574

Attractive live in waitressCall:327-0252/674-4665

Republic Park Family needs live-in aid/domestic. Alternate week off - $12,000. Police clearance needed – Call:627-5098, 675-0767

One Honest counter clerk, 3yrs experienced selling Japanese Spare Parts – Contact Ray’s Motor Spares & Auto Sales: 231-7839 (working hours) Female Cleaner for Yard work, 2 references are required – Call: 226-9492 Handyman messenger, must know to ride motorcycle and have sound education walk with two reference – Call: 226-9492

One AB Dick Operator – Call: 269-0044, 269-1274 Experienced workers for interior: Pitt, marack & jet men, please contact:600-7344 between the hours of 8am & 2pm, Monday – Friday Attractive Live-in waitresscall:228-5129/604-8277

2 Ton freezer canter, GRR Series – Call:658-3209 First Class Auto: Allion, Premio, Spacio, IST, 212, Fielder, Raum, Allex, Runx, Bluebird, Axela - Tel:6098188, 638-3045

Cashiers needed to work in supermarket on East Coast, preferably with computer knowledge between 2545yrs – Call: 629-8469

Carpenter - $6,000, Mason $6,000, Porter-$4,000, to work in Tuschen Scheme. Call: 6848231

Model ‘M’ Truck Driver to driver into interior must be sober headed & ability to service truck & trustworthy Call: 226-9492 VEHICLE FOR SALE

WANTED Live out domestic babysitter and live in babysitter – Call:225-0188, 223-7500 (Monday to Saturday ) (8:15am-4:15pm)

DRESSMAKING Jean is offering courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral & cake decoration @ 153 Barr Street Kitty – Call: 6702653, 618-1706

Work from home earn $5,000 -$20,000 - Contact: jobfairworldwide. com - Call: 622-1957, 9 AM-5 PM (Mon–Fri) Contract hire cars & male dispatchers to work at Flambouyant Taxi Service – dispatchers preferably from E.B.D- Tel:678-4470, 2180702 Pacific Development Inc – Looking to buy empty lands in all areas. Contact 2278274, 223-6035 General domestic maid at Lot 8A Eccles Public Road, E.B.D - 233-2408 or 233-2631 One experienced welder; must have knowledge about grill work & able to work with limited supervision. Call 613-3879 Land to buy in La Parfaite Harmonie, Eccles, Herstelling & all low income land. Call: 675-7292, 218-5591 One nail technician & hairdressers to work in salon also station to rent weekly – Contact: 677-2219, 699-7043, 231-1787 Stall ‘A’ Bourda Market require experienced workers Call: 227-3407

NOTICE

Roti/Puri Cook, pastry maker, counter servers, handy boy- Apply @ Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce St.

Flambouyant Restaurant & Bar has reopened its doors to the public Located: 271 BB Eccles H/Scheme E.B.D Call: 233-2849, 678-4470

Full time care giver for elderly person, light housekeeping and meals on W.C.D – Call Natasha 2690287

Page 24

Kaieteur News

Saturday May 17, 2014

Conservancies water levels Cops say slain boxer was fall amidst dry weather Body with bullets in head…

armed robbery suspect

Police stated yesterday that slain ex-boxer, Trevor Bumbury, was a suspect in several robberies. Close associates linked him to Charlestown resident Rafeek Mohamed, who was dumped in the Atlantic Ocean five months ago after he was blasted in the face with a shotgun. Bumbury, 48, of Charlestown, was found dead in the vicinity of DIDCO, Ruimveldt, last Monday. Two .32 bullets were later extracted from the back of his skull, but police are yet to make an arrest. While Bumbury’s close relatives say they have no idea who killed him or why he was slain, police sources said that he was a suspect in several burglaries and robberies. Kaieteur News was told that Bumbury was seen with “a set of money” and was “sporting heavily” the day before he was slain. He had reportedly later left for the

Trevor Bumbury Meadowbank wharf after drinking heavily. Bumbury’s son, Trevor Edwards, said that his father worked at the Meadowbank wharf and that on Sunday, his father told him that he was going there to collect money from four boat operators. Police believe that criminal elements use the area to dispose of stolen items.

Sources who know Bumbury suggest that he suffered a fate similar to an alleged criminal associate, Rafeek Mohamed, whose body was found near the Atlantic foreshore in the vicinity of Ruby Backdam, Essequibo on December 17, 2013. While Mohamed’s spouse stated that he sometimes offloaded fishing vessels at the Meadowbank wharf and sold clothing, police sources said they had information that the Drysdale Street, Charlestown man was a member of a gang that was involved in robberies and burglaries, including safecracking. It is alleged that this gang would often dispose of their loot at the Meadowbank area. Sources who knew Mohamed suggested that the gang member was slain shortly after he was involved in “a job over the river”. No one was ever arrested for his murder.

Government has issued an El Nino watch as water level at the conservancies fall. Authorities have issued an El Nino watch as rainfall for the last three months remained below the expected average. The dry spell has led to a worrying drop in the water conservancies According to the Ministry of Agriculture, after consultation with its Hydrometeorological Office, and taking into consideration predictions from various Regional and International Forecasting and Weather Agencies, it decided to issue the watch.

For March, the Georgetown weather station recorded a little more than half of what was expected with other facilities indicating a similar below average trend. The Ministry said that according to the El Nino/ Southern Oscillation (ENSO) diagnostic discussion issued by Climate Prediction Center (NCEP) and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society on 08 May, there is now more than a 65 per cent chance that the Northern Hemisphere will experience El

Nino conditions by the JuneJuly-August (JJA) period. The Ministry has since established a Special El Nino Working group to monitor and plan actions to reduce any adverse impact of a possible El Nino on agriculture production. Government would be paying keen attention to the El Nino, a weather pattern that comes with an extremely dry spell. With the country heavily dependent on water for its acres of farmlands, any drought would be worrying.

Men trained in culinary arts for ... From page 17 culinary arts. The programme curriculum was designed and supervised by Mrs Penelope Harris, Principal of the Carnegie School of Home Economics. Speaking at the graduation ceremony, she confessed that for her, the experience was a ‘dream come through’ since she had always dreamt of teaching an exclusively male class. She is confident that this batch of men has been given a good start to excellence in the kitchen, but encouraged them to continue practising and exploring to develop expertise. The course was specially tailored to meet the unique needs of the group. One of these was a vegetarian emphasis which is one of the hallmarks of Adventism. Mrs Harris said that this special course was offered as a part of an ongoing effort of her school to meet the specific needs of various entities which may desire customised training for their personnel. The graduates were excited with their newfound knowledge, or in some cases

sharpened skills. Some deemed it a privilege to have been able to attend the prestigious Carnegie. The men were reminded of their ability to make a meaningful difference. They were encouraged to transfer their experience into improved family life, better nutrition, and better health while sharing what they had learned with their wives, girlfriends, and children. Dr Cummings chal-

lenged them to “establish cooking schools and classes [in their communities] and give house-to-house instructions in the art of cooking wholesome foods”. The graduation ceremony was followed by an exhibition of the various dishes the men had learned to prepare during the course. The Men’s Ministries Director intends to conduct a similar programme again next year.

Need for independent ... From page 10 if they recovered a warhead it should have been compared with whichever of the firearms were fired to determine which gun it came from. Felix opined that proper investigation should have sifted out that the two officers did not commit the act. He said, “I think it is the duty of the police to take a step back and take a second look at all of their failings, and outline for the force the way forward.” The former Top Cop added, “Coming to clean your face in the public is not good

for the organization. Running to the public crying is not a proper response. There are two parties to it, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Police, and both should have observed where elements were going wrong.” The former Top Cop added that the administration needs to pay attention to police discipline. He also suggested immediate training of the officers. “Nothing can strengthen an institution like training; it brings in structure and I am supportive of the reform process,” Felix concluded.

Saturday May 17, 2014

Kaieteur News

Pro-business Modi storms to historic election win

NEW DELHI (Reuters) Narendra Modi thundered to victory yesterday in election, trouncing the ruling NehruGandhi dynasty in a seismic political shift that gives the Hindu nationalist and his party a mandate for sweeping economic reform. Modi’s landslide, the most resounding election victory India has seen in 30 years, was welcomed with a blistering rally on India’s stock markets and raucous celebrations at offices across the country of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where supporters danced, let off fireworks and handed out sweets. The BJP looked certain of a parliamentary majority, giving the 63-year-old former tea-seller ample room to advance reforms started 23 years ago by current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but which stalled in recent years. Speaking to a sea of people dressed in the party’s official orange colours and chanting his name in his home state of Gujarat, Modi thanked the nation, and immediately addressed concerns his proHindu leanings would sideline minorities. “The age of divisive politics has ended, from today onwards the politics of uniting people will begin,” Modi said. “We want more strength for the wellbeing of

the country ... I see a glorious and prosperous India.” Singh’s Congress party suffered its worst ever wipeout, a big boost to Modi’s goal of ending the dominance of the NehruGandhi family that has governed for most of the 67 years of independent India. Singh, whose party looked set to win less than 50 of the 543 parliamentary seats at stake, congratulated Modi with a telephone call. Party president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul quickly conceded defeat. The desire for change has been so strong that voters put aside concerns about Modi’s Hindu-centric politics. “India’s economy was in the doldrums. We have hope that he’ll lift up the economy, that he’ll create jobs,” said Shailesh Jha, 29, embracing a jubilant group of friends at the B J P ’s Delhi headquarters. Jha echoed the sentiment of those who believed Modi’s promises of economic growth to meet the demands of millions of youngsters who reach working age each year and could boost India’s productivity if given jobs. With more than six times the seats of its closest rival, Modi’s is the most decisive mandate for a leader since the 1984 assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi propelled her son to office.

Since 1989, India has been governed by coalitions. By 10 p.m. (1630 GMT), the BJP had won or was winning in 282 seats in parliament, counting trends showed, comfortably across the halfway mark of 272 required to rule. An alliance led by the party was ahead in 340 seats, TV channel NDTV said. Responding to the news, Indian markets got off to a roaring start, with the rupee breaking below 59 to the U.S. dollar, an 11-month high, and the benchmark stock index (.BSESN) jumping 6 percent to a record high before paring its gains. Betting on a Modi win, foreign investors have poured more than $16 billion into Indian stocks and bonds in the past six months and now hold over 22 percent of Mumbai-listed equities - a stake estimated by Morgan Stanley at almost $280 billion. Unlike his predecessors, Modi will not have to deal with unruly partners as he implements reform. That could usher in profound economic changes, with some supporters imagining him as India’s answer to Margaret Thatcher. He will try to replicate his success in attracting investment and building infrastructure in Gujarat, the state he has governed for more than 12 years.

White House calls China’s actions in Vietnam dispute provocative ( R e u t e r s ) - C h i n a ’s decision to place an oil rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea is a provocative act and raises tensions in the region, the White House said yesterday. “We consider that act provocative and we consider it one that undermines the goal that we share, which is peaceful resolution of these disputes and general stability in the region,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said at his regularly scheduled briefing. “We’re very concerned about dangerous conduct and intimidation by government-controlled assets operating in this area,” Carney said. Anti-Chinese violence flared in Vietnam this week after China put an oil rig in an spot claimed by Hanoi. The move is the latest in a series of confrontations between China and

neighbours over small islands in the oil-and-gas r i c h b o d y o f w a t e r, prompting fears that Beijing has adopted a more assertive approach to territorial disputes after seeing Russia annex Crimea. The White House statement was the most direct U.S. criticism of China since the placement of the oil rig escalated tensions in the region. During a trip through Asia in April, Obama provided reassurances to several countries that while the United States wants to see maritime disputes settled through diplomacy, it would live up to its obligation to defend its allies in the region. “These events highlight the need for the claimants to clarify their claims in accordance with international law and to reach agreement on appropriate behaviour and activities in disputed

areas,” Carney said. He added that while the United States does not take a position in the disputes, it opposes any efforts to settle them by intimidation or coercion. The Philippines, one of Wa s h i n g t o n ’s c l o s e s t allies in Asia, has said China is reclaiming land on a reef that both countries claim, and is building what appears to be an airstrip on it. It has offered the United States the use of an u n d e r d e v e l o p e d n a v al base on a nearby island to ensure U.S. warships can enter the vicinity. Carney said he disagrees with a statement by China’s foreign ministry that it is in fact the U.S. announcement it will pursue a more active role in Asia - the so-called rebalancing - that is stirring tensions by emboldening Vi e t n a m a n d o t h e r s t o behave more aggressively to territorial standoffs.

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Antiguans vote for new government on June 12 C A R I B A R E N A ANTIGUA.-Antigua St. John’s - The date for general elections in Antigua and Barbuda is June 12. Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer made the long announcement during a public rally in Potters before a massive crowd of supporters Thursday night. Spencer, who teased the audience by saying that the date would be given in due time, first gave the dates for nomination day and for the Writ for elections to be issued by governor general Dame Louise Lake-Tack. However, after the date was given, supporters went into a frenzy with shouts, cheers and laughter. Spencer said the Writ was issued yesterday, paving the day for nomination day on May 21 and general elections thereafter. He noted that taking into account the dates with a minimum of 21 days and a maximum of 28 days after nomination day for elections to be called, he called on supporters to guess the date. The prime minister asked the crowd if they had any idea of the date and said he was leaving them to speculate. Spencer then suggested June 17, 18 and 19 as the dates, but the massive crowd shouted “No” and then gave chants of “tell us, tell us, tell us.” Spencer said the date for the election was moved from his back pocket to his side pocket after consultation with Almighty God in terms of what to do and when to do it. “This thing was in my back pocket for quite a while,” said Spencer to loud laughter, cheers and clapping. “In recent days I would have had to move it to the side pocket, and its right in the side pocket, right here. But it’s time for me to move it right here,” said the prime minister

Baldwin Spencer motioning to his front pocket area. Spencer said the United Progressive Party (UPP) stands by its record and is deserving of a third term in office to continue to transform Antigua and Barbuda. He said his government is moving to build a new society and create a charter for the future development of the country. With this goal in mind, Spencer said this election is very critical. “We can’t go back to them old vagabonds. We are moving forward. It is forward and upward with the United Progressive Party and your humble servant,” said Spencer. He told supporters that it is necessary to recognise and appreciate that although victory is seemingly in sight, they cannot drop their guard. Spencer admonished the mammoth gathering to continue to go out into the trenches and spread the good news of the UPP because it is not over until “it is over”. The UPP head said it is time to put the opposition Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) into oblivion because the political institution is a curse upon the

country. “We have got to get rid of the curse once and for all,” Spencer said to loud cheers. He continued, “We’ve got to galvanize, we got to really deal with this situation in an effective way. And I have no doubt, as I said before, that you are ready. You are ready to take them on and defeat them; and defeat them for yourself, for your community and for your country. That is the task.” The announcement of the date was followed by the gospel rendition, “We will do it again” by a female supporter. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Spencer has hinted that some politicians putting themselves up as candidates for the June 12 general elections would have some difficulty getting their names onto the ballot. He said all the candidates who are looking to be elected or reelected would have to organise and ensure that they become properly nominated. “Tomorrow, May 16 (today), the Writ for the 2014 general election will be issued. So that’s the first step. And the second one is the whole question of nomination, because you know, you have to get your name on the ballot,” said Spencer. The prime minister continued, “And let me warn you you know, I am looking forward to that day because there is one particular individual or a couple of them (who) may have problems getting their names on the ballot.” Spencer said that he does not foresee any of his candidates encountering difficulty in this regard. “...we (don’t) have any problem on this side at all. We gone clear. But a few of the others, I’m not quite sure.”

T&T Government denies reports of imminent coup PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government Thursday denied reports of an imminent coup as hundreds of workers and commuters made their way early of out of the city. Communications Minister Vasant Bharath in a taped message to media houses described the plot as a hoax and “part of an orchestrated campaign” to establish the oil rich twin island republic. He said “this is the second rumour in the past week aimed at

disturbing the public peace” adding “there is no truth in the rumour about attempted coup in Trinidad and Tobago”. On July 27, 1990, members of the radical Jamaat Al Muslimeen group led by Yasin Abu Bakr staged an insurrection aimed at overthrowing the then ANR Robinson administration. Bakr led more than more than 100 members in coordinated attacks on the Parliament and the lone television station. At least 24

people, including one legislator, Leo Des Vignes, were killed during the six day insurrection that ended on August1. Bakr and his men were tried for treason, but the Court of Appeal upheld the amnesty offered to secure their surrender, and they were released. However, The London-based Privy Council, the country’s highest court, later invalidated the amnesty, but the Muslimeen members were not re-arrested.

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Sighs of relief as Forbes gets non-custodial sentence Jamaica Observer SENIOR Superintendent James Forbes stood uneasily as Resident Magistrate Stephanie Jackson-Haisley signalled her intention to send a strong message in handing down her sentence on him.Anxiety and fear of imprisonment were clear in his expression, but that quickly turned to relief when the magistrate announced that he would be fined $800,000 or serve six months at hard labour for attempting to pervert the course of justice. RM Jackson-Haisley said her decision was influenced by the fact that Forbes had an unblemished career and because of the glowing character testimonies that were offered. “SSP Forbes, in dealing with the matter in the way he did, was reprehensible and I must give thought to that. All persons are subject to the law. The message that is sent is that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated and a term of imprisonment would certainly send that message,” the magistrate said. At that point the anxiety showed on the faces of his two co-accused — member

of parliament Daryl Vaz and businessman Bruce Bicknell — as well as the battery of cops who had turned out in support of their embattled colleague. But it was a collective sigh of relief that went through the courtroom when the judge handed down the non-custodial sentence. Less than an hour after the sentence was handed down the money was paid over to the Government and Forbes was a free man. Earlier a packed courtroom heard character testimony from veteran journalist Fae Ellington, Reverend James Henry and Mountain View resident Venessa Taylor. Ellington told the court that she knew Forbes in a professional capacity for 25 years when he was head of the Police Federation and while she was invited to train the staff at the Constabulary Communication Network, which he headed. “He was a good leader. Although he was firm and stood up for what was right, if a position he had was challenged he would listen and if it made sense he would

Deputy Superintendent Robblin Wedderburn (right) points as Senior Superintendent James Forbes and his attorney Jacqueline Samuels-Brown prepare to enter the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court for sentencing Thursday. Forbes was ordered to pay $800,000 or serve six months at hard labour after being found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice. (PHOTO: MICHAEL GORDON) change his perspective and position,” Ellington said. Outside the court, Ellington and Forbes’ former boss, retired Superintendent Ionie Ramsay, hugged each other and paid glowing

tributes to the convicted cop. Forbes was charged following a meeting he organised at his Oxford Road office with Bicknell and two policemen who had ticketed Bicknell for speeding in 2012.

Suriname shelves plans to raise funds through international bond PA R A M A R I B O , Suriname - CMC - Suriname has shelved plans to issue an international bond this year and is expected to turn to the loan market to finance the acquisition of an equity stake in a gold mining project with US-based Newmont, according to US-based rating agency Fitch. The country is expected to raise up to US$200m through the loan, which would allow the government to exercise its option to acquire a 25% share in the new US$1bn venture. The South American country had been looking to a bond offering of around US$500m to finance stake purchases in the Newmont mine as well as in a mining project with Canada-based Iamgold, before settling for one loan for one project instead. A loan is seen giving the government greater flexibility in structuring the transaction, which is expected to match debt repayments with the project’s revenue stream. “Given current low debt levels and the favourable amortization profile, Suriname

could accommodate its planned loan without jeopardizing fiscal sustainability,” said Cesar Arias, associate director at Fitch Ratings. The acquisition of an equity interest in the v e n t u r e , h o w e v e r, w i l l increase the fiscal accounts’ exposure to swings in gold prices as well as to construction delays and uncertain exploration costs. “The government is not experienced in the field of gold mining,” said Arias. “It will have to learn how to be a full partner in a large undertaking like this one.” The loan will account for 3.6% of Suriname’s GDP, according to Fitch, which estimates that the c o u n t r y ’s d e b t - t o - G D P ratio will hit 30% in 2015. The proposed Newmont development consists of several open pits, a gold ore processing plant and related infrastructure. Suriname was rumored to have hired Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs to arrange the bond offering.

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Djokovic subdues feisty Ferrer, easy for Serena Reuters - Novak Djokovic stayed on course for his third Rome Masters title although he was forced to dig deep to beat a tenacious David Ferrer 7-5 4-6 6-3 in a high-quality quarter-final yesterday. The Serb looked to be in full control when he led 5-2 in the opening set but Spaniard Ferrer fought back to 5-5 and although he lost the opener the tone was set for an intense duel. Djokovic eventually prevailed on his second match point having double-faulted on his first, the point in between being a 38stroke baseline rally of extraordinary quality. Djokovic will face Milos Raonic in the semi-finals after

the Canadian beat Roger Federer’s conqueror Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. On the other side of the draw Grigor Dimitrov reached his first masters Series semi-final when German veteran Tommy Haas retired from their match with a shoulder injury. Celebrating his 23rd birthday Dimitrov was presented with a cake on the court which his coach Roger Rasheed splatted all over the Bulgarian’s face. “It was one of the most memorable days of my life,” said Dimitrov. “I was just talking to my team, it’s my first win on my birthday, so it feels good. It’s a bit unfortunate, the way it ended up. But I’m

just a happy birthday boy today.” Top seed and defending champion Rafa Nadal faces Briton Andy Murray in the night session. In the women’s Italian Open at the same atmospheric Foro Italico venue top seed Serena Williams breezed past Shuai Zhang 6-1 6-3 in a one-sided contest. The American roared out of the traps, winning five games in a row and crushing any chance of resistance from the Chinese. Zhang raised her game towards the end of the first set and made a decent fist of the second, but Williams’s driving forehand and serving

Saturday May 17, 2014 ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) Concentrate on your job. Try to curb your bad habits. Entertainment should include your whole family. TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) You can get a lot done if you get your hands on the right equipment. Your ideas will be well received. You will learn valuable skills if you sign up for seminars today. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) Contracts will not be as lucrative as you think. You can learn valuable information if you listen and observe what others are doing and saying. Female colleagues may be able to help you get the job done. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) Social activity should be on your agenda today. Money may slip through your fingers. Watch your tendency to live for the day and to spend too much on entertainment and children; it could set you back. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Organize your day to avoid any setbacks that might ignite temper flare-ups. You may find acquaintances being deceptive. You must follow your desires and dreams. VIRGO (AUG. 23 -SEPT. 23) Do your chores and get on with the things you enjoy doing. Don't be too quick to judge your loved ones. You will enjoy interaction with others today. LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) Take time to deal with le-

gal documents and the affairs of people who you may be indebted to. Don't let others make you feel guilty or insecure. Don't get involved in other people's private doings. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) Avoid lending money or belongings to friends. Don't settle for less than the best. Your dramatic approach to life has probably gotten to your mate. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) This is a great day for a trip. Valuable information can be yours if you listen to those with experience. Work on legitimate financial deals that may enable you to bring in some extra cash. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.JAN. 20) Use your innovative mind to surprise youngsters. Sort situations out as best you can. Watch your spending habits. Your high energy must be directed into productive goals, or frustrations will occur. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) You're in need of love. Your mate is going to want and need some attention. Residential moves look hectic and sudden changes in your life are likely. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Too many opportunities and too many changes going on. Changes to your self image will be to your benefit as long as you don't over pay. Check into art objects or precious stones. You can do well in group endeavors.

power was too much for the world number 43. Williams will get the chance to avenge her Australian Open defeat to Ana Ivanovic in the semis after the Serbian 11th seed followed up her impressive win over Maria Sharapova with a thrilling 6-4 3-6 6-4 win over Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro. Home fans were given something to shout about when Sara Errani reached the semi-finals with a superb 6-3

Yohan Blake: Jamaican... From page 33 for you! I’d be happy for you to take it...#BeastTheBall” Bolt has also talked of switching sports after hanging up his track spikes, saying he “has the skills” to play for Manchester United, while the coach of the Jamaican national football team, Winfried Schaefer, is reportedly interested in using the world’s fastest man. “I love cricket more than I love athletics,” said Blake during a visit to Lords in August. “I practise at home because I have a bowling machine, which I set to 90mph because I like the speed.” Yorkshire, however, could face competition for his signature, with Australian side Sydney Sixers previously expressing an interest in his services. “If he can do what he says he can do - and I have no reason to disbelieve him - Yohan would be a marquee player for me to sign,” said Sixers chief executive Stuart Clark. Blake could compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer, although he remains undecided as to whether he will take part in the event for the first time. He will run in the United Kingdom for the first time since London 2012 when he competes over 150m at the Great City Games in Manchester this weekend. (BBCSport)

4-6 6-2 victory over world number two Li Na - her first career win against a player ranked in the top three. Djokovic, seeking a 19th Masters Series crown, was never given a moments rest by Ferrer once the hustling Spaniard got into his stride, but at 3-2 in the second set he looked on course to finish the job in straight sets. Then a brief spell of rain halted play and on the resumption Ferrer broke Djokovic’s serve and went on to lock up the second set and force a decider. Again the Serb forged ahead but Ferrer refused to be subdued by the more powerful Serb, scrambling back to 3-3. Ferrer then had a sniff of a chance in the next game,

missing a golden opportunity to eek out some break points at 15-30, but Djokovic held firm and then broke to lead 53. Djokovic wobbled on his first match point, serving a double-fault but he was not phased and went on to win a punishing baseline exchange in the next point and claimed victory when Ferrer hit a tiredlooking backhand wide.

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Ansa McAl resumes support as Slight change but Kennard East Demerara Football Association Memorial Turf Club horse race football league set to start meet still set for this Sunday

Eight clubs along the East Coast corridor will compete for championship honours over the next six weeks when the curtains go up on the East Demerara Football Association (EDFA) 2014 Senior League at three venues along the east coast starting Sunday May 25 next. Ansa McAl, situated in Betterverwagting ECD and touted as a community oriented organization, has always been in the forefront in past league tournaments but was not called upon for corporate support since 2011, the last time that these championships were staged basically because the executive structure of the host entity was in shambles for a prolonged period. The situation has recently been rectified when the EDFA recently hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elected officials to conduct its business over the next few years. To this effect Ansa McAl has willingly resumed the sponsorship arrangement and yesterday morning its Public Relations Officer Darshanie Yusuf was joined by Stag Brand Coordinator, John Maikoo in a press conference at that East Coast location to unveil the sponsorship package for the tournament. Both Ansa McAl executives congratulated the organizers for their tireless effort in making the tournament a reality. Ms. Yusuf said that though her company has not assisted the EDFA, her executives have been busy rending similar support to football clubs on the West Coast, Upper Demerara and other regions. She also reminded of her company’s input in other projects in the community. Ms Yusuf said that her company had also performed renovation works on the Betterverwagting ground while upgrading the washroom facilities. Mr. Maikoo said that he felt that the East

Coast League was somewhat neglected and his company felt an obligation to revitalize it. He wished the organizers well and told them that he was anticipating fruitful relations. Organizing Secretary (EDFA), Joseph Wilson, was grateful for Ansa McAl’s support and expressed gratitude on behalf of his fellow executives. He acknowledged the past input of his benefactor and said that their return would certainly boost the plans and objectives of the EDFA. Consequently, Mr. Wilson revealed that apart from the imminent tournament, his executives have planned a packed itinerary which includes matches in the Under-13 and Under-20 categories. He said that only last week his entity had organized a workshop where 14 coaches participated. Mr. Wilson further revealed that his executives will soon run off a beginner’s referees’ course. Two other executives of the EDFA, First Vice President, Sheron Abrams and Assistant Secretary/Treasurer, Dellon Adams were also at the function. Meanwhile, when action commences next Sunday, May 25, Buxton United will take on Mahaica while Victoria Kings tackle Ann’s Grove at the Buxton Community Centre Ground. The competition continues on Monday May 26 at the Betterverwagting Community Centre Ground with another double header. Thereafter, matches will be staged at weekends, up until July 13, with the Victoria Ground being the other venue. The winning team receives $200,000 while the runners up take home $150,000. The teams finishing 3rd and 4th will receive $100,000 and $75,000 respectively while each participating team will receive an appearance fee of $14,000 to help offset training costs.

As turfites gear up for the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) one day PreIndependence horse race meet set for tomorrow at the Club’s Bush Lot Farm facility, the organizers have been forced to make a slight change to the programme. A release from the KMTC informs that the race among the three year old has been cancelled and replaced by the J3 handicap event (those animals that have never won an event), over 6 furlongs and for a winner ’s purse of $150,000 and trophy. Otherwise the programme remains unchanged and the organizers have reiterated that the action will be sizzling. More than 60 horses have entered for the day’s meet and those jockeys will be competing for more than $4M

in cash. The feature event, the D1and Lower will be contested over one mile with the winning jockey riding off with the $500, 000 first prize and trophy. Then there is the G1 and Lower race over 6 furlongs that nets the winner $300,000 and a trophy while the race for the ‘I’ Class animals over 7 furlongs carries a winning purse of $250,000 and trophy. The event for J1 and Lower horses has a winning take of $200,000 and trophy and precedes the final event of the day, the J3 and lower for a winning purse of $150,000 and trophy. Already, most of the top horses have registered for the event and turfites would be entertained by such animals as Treacle,

S e t t l e i n S e a t t l e , Fresh Again, Run Nana Run, Some Legend, Red and Lovely, It’s My turn, Stormy Flame, Damascus Dream, Quiet Strom, No Body Wants me, Gold Rush, Wild Grinder, Princess Page, Rosetta, Bridal Stone Corner, Super Bowl, Bunny Signs, Triple, Key for the Killer, Swift way, Nobre Import, Royal Cash, Little, Cat Messiah, Wild Grinder, Mary Ann, Funny Side, Famous Pride, Party Time, Prince Bayaya, Speed Vision, Windy Killer and De Gump among others. The outstanding jockeys, trainers and stables will receive trophies and other prizes compliments of Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Bourda Market and the organizers. Race time is 13:00hrs.

RHTY&SC to host 24th Annual Awards ceremony tomorrow Akshay Homraj is cricketer of the year The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club will tomorrow host its 24th

Annual Awards ceremony at the St. Francis Community Developers Training Centre

where a total of 40 awards would be shared, including the prestigious male and female cricketer of the year. National Under-19 player Akshay Homraj who has been named male cricketer of the year will receive a $500,000 prize package which includes a return ticket to the USA. West Indies female allrounder Shemaine Campbelle who is the current National female sportswoman of the year will receive the female cricketer and runner-up cricketer of the year awards while national player Rajiv Ivan would receive a $100,000 gold medallion for his benefit year. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster will present a comprehensive report of the club’s activities for the past year while President Keith Foster, among others will also deliver remarks. Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill is expected to deliver the feature address while the club during the ceremony would also be hosting the Scotiabank Tribute to Teachers, Berbice River Bridge Tribute to Retired Cricketers and Tribute to Heroes programmes. Popular Radio Announcer Franklyn Langhorne and Major James Fraser would be honoured under the Tribute to Heroes programme.

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GCB 50-over U-19 Inter-County cricket...

Berbice scrape past Demerara advance to tomorrow’s final with thrilling win over E’bo President’s XI by three runs By Sean Devers Demerara beat Essequibo by four wickets in their final preliminary round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) 50-over under-19 InterCounty cricket match at Enmore yesterday in a thrilling finish to qualify for tomorrow’s final when they will oppose the President’s X1at Bourda. A second successive half century from Skipper Kemo Paul, who followed up his unbeaten 53 against Berbice with a well crafted 62 spearheaded Essequibo to 233 off 49.4 overs. Taignarine Chanderpaul (65) and man-of-the-match Brian Sattaur (81) put together 147 in one of the better constructed opening partnerships at this level. But once the openers departed Demerara just managed to reach 235-4 off 48.1 overs despite good bowling from off-spinner Akil Wallace (104-13-0) and Keanu Harry (3-57) Demerara won the toss and invited Essequibo to bat on a slow track with dark angry clouds hovering ominously over the Enmore area. Avinash Persaud (14) was removed by pacer Keon Morris, back in the side after missing the last game due to time-off problems and the visitors were 36-1. With just under an hour completed in the contest, a sharp shower sent the players scurrying off the field with Essequibo well placed on 641 from 11 overs. Demerara, who had lost both of their prior games, had to win with bonus points to qualify for tomorrow’s final. When play resumed, Ricardo Peters and Shivendra Himraj picked the gaps nicely with aggressive stroke-play as Essequibo, who beat Berbice in the last round at the same venue after losing to the President’s X1 in the first round, continued to do well in the shorter version of the game, the only format played in Essequibo. Peters looked good until he was taken at point off spinner Cleon McEwan for 44 from 48 balls with five fours to leave Essequibo on 76-2, ending an entertaining second wicket stand of 40 with Himraj who made 13 and was removed by leg spinner Steven Sankar at 84-3 while Parmesh Parsaton (3) was bowled by McEwan three runs later as the home team put the brakes on the scoring on the large ground. Paul was joined by Harry

and they consolidated the position with a confident 29run fifth wicket partnership before Harry was run out for 10 at 116-5. Akini Adams joined Paul and struggled to get the ball away, putting extra pressure on Paul who was starved of the strike. He was dropped on the mid-wicket boundary on 17 off Chanderpaul who bowled left-arm spin instead of right arm seam as he did in the three-day competition. Adams wasted his luck and steered the next ball to slip, Essequibo slipping to 142-6 with Adams soaking up 33 balls in his sedate knock before the versatile Chanderpaul broke the partnership as the sun returned. Travis Drakes (9) was caught at long on as he irresponsibly looked to hit Chanderpaul out of the ground against a very strong wind with 15 overs to go instead of trying to give the in-form Paul the strike. When Ryan Adams arrived at the crease at 162-7 Essequibo were digging themselves into a deep hole. Just when a partnership was building, Paul who reached his fifty from 68 balls, ran himself out after facing 78 balls and hitting four fours to leave Essequibo on 202-8 with 38 balls left in the innings. Adams with a crucial unbeaten 34 ensured the last two wickets added another 32 runs before Paul Williams (1) was run out with two balls left in the final over. Chanderpaul (2-32) and McEwan (2-38) were the most successful bowlers for Demerara who began quietly which was a surprising ploy, especially by the usually explosive Brian Sattaur, who began by taking two boundaries off Drakes in the first over. Chanderpaul then

elegantly whipped Paul to the mid wicket boundary in the next over. But once spin was introduced the run rate dipped, Chanderpaul and Sattaur posting 50 in 13.5 overs. Chanderpaul was his usual level-headed self while the burly Sattaur displayed remarkable restraint and after 15 overs the score was 58 while 75 runs were scored from the first 20. The run rate was never above what was required but with all 10 wickets in hand and the pugnacious Sattaur still there Essequibo knew if they could remove Sattaur their chances of victory would be greatly enhanced. The openers saw the 100 up in 23.2 overs and the pair scored easier as their innings progressed in what was turning out to be an excellently calculated run chase. From 75-0 in 20 overs the pair changed gear and galloped to 125 in 26 as they scored at 10 per over off the next six overs. But with the score on 147 a tired looking Sattaur threw his wicket away when he was caught in the deep off Harry when well set for the first ton in the competition. His 81 lasted 105 balls and included eight fours and six and his demise again opened the gate for Essequibo. Chanderpaul soon followed at 164-2, stupendously caught at mid off by Mohendra Balbudar off Harry who removed Sherfane Rutherford (4) at 164-3. But Kemol Savory and Ramnarine Chaturia (36) added 57 in mounting pressure before Paul sent back Chaturia at 221-5. Savory (29) and Sankar (5) then finished the job for Demerara with 11 balls to spare to hand Essequibo a heart-breaking loss.

By Zaheer Mohamed Berbice snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the President’s XI in the final preliminary round game of the Guyana Cricket Board Inter County Under-19 50 overs tournament yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club. In a game which was reduced to 42 overs, the President’s X1were set 120 for victory and were cruising at 96-2 after 34 overs before a spirited effort from the Berbice spinners, led by man-of-thematch Arif Chan (3-15) and Balchan Baldeo (3-22) handed them a three-run win. After the President’s XI lost opener Sunil Singh (04) with the score at 15, Ryan Shun and Avishkar Sewkarran steadied the chase with a second wicket stand of 81. The pair started cautiously, rotating the strike at will to ensure the asking rate was on par. Shun square drove pacer Niall Smith for four and stroked him for a couple forcing skipper Sharaz Ramcharran to turn to an all spin attack. Shun caressed left arm spinner Parmanand Ramdhan for boundaries while Sewkarran swept leg spinner Viendra Gooniah to square leg, but just as when it seemed that the President’s XI would reach home without much hiccups, Ramcharran decided to change his bowlers around, the strategy paid dividends. Off-spinner Baldeo dragged Sawkarran out of his ground and wicketkeeper Hackeem Hinds made no mistake, he departed for 27 (1x4). Shun was then caught and bowled by Gooniah for 40 which came off 103 balls and contained four fours, leaving the score at 100-3. Nick Ramsaroop (04)

Man-of-the-match Arif Chan (left) collects his prize from Match Referee Colin Stuart. drove Baldeo to long off boundary before he was caught and bowled by the said bowler at 107-4 with 13 runs required from three overs. Chan had Damion Waldron (00) taken at the wicket two runs later before accounting for Kelvin Sewpersaud (02); the score was 112-6. The President’s XI needed seven runs from the final over bowled by Chan with four wickets in hand, but only managed four. Kareem Mentore (02) and Gavin Moriah (00) were the batsmen dismissed. Ramcharran and Gooniah had one wicket each. Earlier, Berbice batted first after winning the toss and found themselves in

trouble at 50-4. The top order was guilty of throwing their wickets away with reckless shots. Martin Singh (01) was the first to go bowled by Moriah with only two runs on the board. Shimron Hetymer (07) was caught off Vivian Albert who also sent back Baldeo (18) and Ashkay Homraj (12) in quick succession. The Berbicians never really recovered losing wickets at regular intervals. The lower order led by Ramdhan who top scored with 25 (3x4 1x6), Smith (17*) and Chan (12) propped up the total somewhat which proved to be a handful in the end. Albert captured 3-21 and Daniel Lewis 3-26.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday May 17, 2014

Spurs’ flow versus Thunder’s Heat and Pacers set for East Final clash of familiar foes one-two punch in West final Reuters - The San Antonio Spurs lost all four of their regular season games to Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder but a suspenseful, hard-fought series would be no surprise in their clash for the Western Conference title. While Oklahoma City owns bragging rights from those head-to-head meetings, San Antonio owns the rings, having won four NBA titles in the glorious career of forward Tim Duncan and fallen just shy in last year’s seven-game NBA Finals to the Miami Heat. The ball-sharing flow of the top-seeded Spurs will once again be measured against the Thunder’s onetwo knockout punch of league MVP Durant and dynamic guard Russell Westbrook when the teams

launch their series on Monday in San Antonio. Durant, who won his fourth NBA scoring title this season with a career-high 32point average, and the speedy, high-leaping Westbrook averaged 21.8 points to give opponents fits. Oklahoma City are hungry for victory, eager for another chance at the NBA title after falling in five games to the Heat in the 2012 Finals. The Spurs, meanwhile, deploy a deep bench to keep their core veterans such as Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili fresh and to keep pressure on the opposition with their motion and ball movement. San Antonio posted a 6220 record, three games better in the standings than Oklahoma City, who lost Westbrook for almost half the season after knee injuries. An impressive six Spurs averaged double figures this season. Highly respected coach Gregg Popovich juggles a lineup with a distinctly international flavor that, besides Parker of France and Argentina’s Ginobili, includes Mario Belinelli of Italy, Frenchman Boris Diaw, Australian guard Patty Mills and Brazilian Tiago Splitter. INJURY WATCH

Injuries could sway the balance. Parker, critical to the Spurs’ attack with his daring drives to the hoop and soft jumper from mid-range, left Wednesday’s second-round clincher over Portland early in the second quarter due to a strained left hamstring. Last year a strained hamstring limited him in San Antonio’s agonizingly close bid for the NBA title against Miami. All-Star guard Parker was optimistic in a text message he sent to the San Antonio Express-News after taking an MRI. “It’s OK; not too bad,” said Parker, who turns 32 on Saturday. “Not as bad as the NBA Finals (last June). NBA Finals was a Grade 2. This one is Grade 1. So should be fine for Monday.” Parker averaged 23.5 points in the first four games of the Western Conference semi-finals against the Blazers before hurting himself in Game Five. The Thunder also have a concern as power forward Serge Ibaka of Congo was forced to leave Thursday’s series-clinching win over the Los Angeles Clippers due to a calf injury. Heading into Game Six against the Clippers, Ibaka was averaging 12.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game.

Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) hugs Miami Heat guard Ray Allen (34) after the Heat defeated the Brooklyn Nets in game five Reuters - LeBron James and the two-time defending champion Miami Heat have rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs and now face the familiar, but unpredictable, Indiana Pacers as the last hurdle to another NBA Finals. Miami, who have lost one game this postseason, are looking to become the first team to win three straight NBA titles since the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2000s, but the brawny Pacers could present a challenge.

Indiana will host Miami in tomorrow’s opener of the bestof-seven Eastern Conference Finals by virtue of finishing first overall in the East with a 56-26 record, two games ahead of the second-place Heat. But which Pacers team shows up at Bankers Life Fieldhouse is the question after a regular season that saw Indiana soar to lofty heights only to sputter at the end of the campaign. Indiana, who last year pushed the Heat to seven games in a grueling East Final, looked like world beaters for much of the season as smooth forward Paul George, a dogged defender with a silky jump shot, raised his game. They charged out to a 4613 mark, yet turned lackluster toward the finish, losing 13 of their last 23 games and then struggled to beat the eighthseeded Atlanta Hawks in seven games in their opening playoff series. Rumors swirled about Frank Vogel’s future as coach as the imposing Roy Hibbert went into a funk and seemed to disappear, quite a trick for a 7-foot-2 (2.18 m) center. Hibbert, who averaged 22 points in last year’s bruising

playoff series against Miami and their smaller front line, was held scoreless in two games and averaged a mere five points a game in the Atlanta series. The big center came back to life with 28 points in a Game Two win in Indiana’s six-game series triumph over the Washington Wizards in the second round. The younger, deeper Pacers will need more of that kind of performance to end the run by the Heat, whose leading man James is averaging 30 points a game in the playoffs including a 49point outburst against the Brooklyn Nets in round two. “We’ve been through a lot,” veteran Pacers forward David West said after scoring a game-high 29 points in their series clinching win over the Wizards on Thursday. “This group has stayed strong. We trusted in one another even when we had some internal turmoil. “It’s only going to get tougher. We’ve been talking about this series all year,” West said about getting another crack at Miami. “We’re going to need everything from everybody.”

Saturday May 17, 2014

Kaieteur News

CONCACAF Women’s Championship...

United States to host Road to World Cup Canada 2015

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iami – The Confederatio n of North, C e n t r a l America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) yesterday announced that the United States will host the CONCACAF Women’s Championship 2014, which also serves as the finals of t h e C o n f e d e r a t i o n ’s qualifying tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015. A record 31 nations from across the region have indicated interest in participating in the preliminary qualifying process, from which eight teams will emerge to play in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship 2014, to be played in the U.S. in the fall of 2014. Venues and exact dates of that event will be announced in the near future. “Given our region’s historically outstanding r e s u l t s i n w o m e n ’s competition, CONCACAF is proud to call itself the world’s home of women’s football,” said Confederation President Jeffrey Webb. “Today, we have further evidence of that, in the record number of potential entrants seeking to join Canada — host of next

Canada celebrates after winning the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournament in Cancun, Mexico. (Photo: Mexsport) year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup - at the Finals in 2015.” “The number of teams set to participate in our regional qualification process demonstrates the growth of the women’s game across the Confederation – especially in the Caribbean and Central America,” said Webb. “We know we have some of the strongest women’s teams in the world right here in CONCACAF, in two-time world champion United States, along with Canada and Mexico. We are looking forward to seeing some of our other Member Associations join those illustrious ranks very soon.” C O N C A C A F ’s qualifying tournament will award three direct tickets to the FIFA Women’s World

Cup Canada 2015. A fourth CONCACAF team will reach a playoff with a South American rival, with yet another World Cup ticket on the line. “We at CONCACAF couldn’t be more pleased to see our Member Association, Canada, set to host the largest edition ever of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as the tournament expands to 24 nations in 2015,” said Webb. “We know Canada is prepared to put on a great show, both later this year for the FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup and next year for the World Cup. Taking into account also the successful FIFA Women’s Under-17 Wo r l d C u p r e c e n t l y completed Costa Rica,

Yohan Blake: Jamaican sprinter wants Yorkshire cricket chance Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake claims he has held talks with Yorkshire over a proposed move to cricket when he retires from track and field. The 2011 world champion, 24, has a personal best of 9.69 seconds but played as a fast bowler in high school. “I’ve been wanting to play for Yorkshire or in England. After running, I’ll put my mind to that,” Blake told BBC Radio 5 live. “We have some talks with some of people and we are looking forward for it.” Yorkshire said Blake was “welcome” to play for them, tweeting: “Let’s get that sorted; come and have a net with us.” A club spokesman added: “At this stage, we’re flattered that Yohan has expressed an interest in

Yohan Blake

being involved and playing with Yorkshire. We’re always on the lookout for

fresh talent. “Let’s get him in the nets and see what he’s made of.” Blake plays for Kingston Cricket Club when the athletics season is over and claims he could be the world’s fastest bowler regularly reaching speeds of 85-90mph when he is practising. Nicknamed “the beast” for his quirky pose before races, he took silver behind compatriot Usain Bolt at London 2012. He plans to retire from the track at 29 and switch to cricket, though he joked he is already “good enough to make England’s team”. Surrey batsman Kevin Pietersen - recently axed by England - tweeted Blake: “There is a batting slot at number four in England side (Continued on page 25)

there’s no doubt that CONCACAF has earned the title of ‘Women’s World Cup Central.” CONCACAF Member Association Costa Rica hosted the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup during March and April, commencing a period of just over one year during which the CONCACAF region will host all three of FIFA Women’s World Cup events.

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GABF names Presidential Team to face RB Nets Quincy De Santos will Captain the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Under-19 Presidential team that will face Georgetown Second Division Champions, Republic Bank Nets this evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from 18:30hrs in a supporting game of the Federation’s Inter Association Series which features Linden, Georgetown and Berbice teams. De Santos has as his deputy, Jonathan Puran while the other players are Nathan Saul, Daniel Haynes , Marvin Durant, Daniel Ramlagan, Kelwin Griffith, Malcolm Powdar, Jeremy Jerrick, Tahquille Johnson, Kelvin Yorrick and Somesh Danram. Naylon Loncke is the Coach with Herbert Adams as his assistant. The second game for the Presidential Team will be Sunday May 25 against Pepsi Sonics Second Division side and will also be contested at the Sports Hall at 20:00hrs when the GABF Inter Association series continues. Only Under-19 players

who are participating in training sessions conducted by GABF will be considered for selection to Guyana teams. Players who participate in training sessions as part of any regional or National Junior Squad or Team without the approval of the GABF are likely to be ineligible to play for any club under the umbrella of the GABF which references clubs affiliated to Georgetown, Linden or the Berbice Amateur Basketball Association. The Guyana Under-19 squad will be expanded in June in preparation for the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) which is scheduled to be held in Guyana from July 25-29, 2014.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday May 17, 2014

GSA/Woodpecker National Junior Squash Championships

SIR VIV HELPS HPC Harding shows victory over Lewis was no fluke prep for Bangladesh-A

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Makeda Harding (left) beat Sara Lewis at the GT Club on Thursday night

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he Guyana S q u a s h Association (GSA), in collaboration with its corporate sponsor Digicel Guyana, held night-three of its 2014 National Junior Squash Championships sponsored by Woodpecker Products Ltd. at the Georgetown Club on Thursday evening last. Matches are being contested in eleven age group categories and keen competition between players was again evidenced on Thursday night. Makeda Harding showed that her victory over Sarah Lewis in the Kraft Skilled level tournament was no fluke as she was again victorious but this time she had to go the full distance to secure the win. Harding won the first game 11 – 7 but Sarah rallied to win the second 11 – 6 and then the third 11 – 7. The fourth game could have gone either way but Harding scraped through winning 11 – 8 then closed out the match with an 11 – 7

win in the fifth. Ta y l o r F e r n a n d e s secured two wins in the girls Under 17 category, first taking care of Rebecca Low scores being 11 – 9, 11 – 1, 11 – 3 and then shortly after beating Savannah Mendes 11 – 2, 11 – 2, 11 – 3. Anthony Islam suffered mixed fortunes during the evening as he defeated Gianni Carpenter 11 – 3, 11 – 5, 11 – 0 in the Boys Under 13 category but lost to Alex Cheeks in a very competitive match 3 - 11, 11 - 5, 3 – 11, 4 - 11 in the Boys Under 15 category. His twin brother Daniel also suffered mixed fortunes during the evening. In the Boys Under13 category he defeated John Phang 11 – 2, 11 – 6, 11 – 0 but lost to Shemane Griffith 11 -2, 11 – 4, 11 – 4 in his boys Under 15 match. Full results of Thursday’s matches: Girls Under-11 Paige Fernandes beat Beau Fernandes 11/3 11/8 Kirsten Gomes beat Aliyah Persaud 11/4 11/6 Madison Fernandes defeated

Hand in Hand 2nd Div. 40 overs KO - West Berbice

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otton Tree Die Hard became the first team to reach the semi finals of the Hand in Hand seconddivision 40 overs knock-out cricket competition in West Berbice following their defeat of No.3 in their first round encounter; they then benefitted from a bye that allowed them passage to the semis. Playing at Cotton Tree, the match was reduced to 30 overs due to rain. Die Hard choosing to bat first made 181-6 in their 30 overs; Roshan Gaffoor with an unbeaten 36, Tage Singh 36 and Permaul Singh 24 were the leading batters. Bowling for No.3, Alim Rahaman and Sean Asgar took two wickets each for 20 and 30 runs respectively. When No.3 replied, they were reduced to 129 in 28.2 overs; Sean Asgar 24 and Andrew Tageram 23 were the top scorers. Doing the damage with the ball for Cotton Tree were Kevin Shewtahal 2-20, Pooran Persaud 2-20, Ahkram Rahaman 2-24 and Nashad Gaffoor 2-27.

Haley Carpenter 11/3 11/0 Boys Under-11 Novices James Mekdeci defeated Tome Reis 11/7 11/6 Liam Carpenter defeated Chad DeAbreu 11/8 20/18 Boys Under-11 Shomari Wiltshire defeated Nechemiyah Levans 11/2 11/2 Nechemiyah Levans defeated Nathan Rahaman 11/6 11/6 Ethan Jonas beat Gareth DaSilva 11/1 11/0 Zachary Persaud beat Gareth DaSilva 11/5 11/2 Demetrius DeAbreu defeated Michael Alphonso 11/8 2/11 11/2 Dominic Collins defeated Rajiv Lee 11/5 11/7 Boys Under-13 Shomari Wiltshire defeated Lucas Jonas 11/5 11/2 11/2 Daniel Islam beat John Phang 11/2 11/6 11/0 Anthony Islam beat Gianni Carpenter 11/3 11/5 11/0 Girls Under-13/15 Rebecca Low beat Maya Collins 11/1 11/6 11/7 Savannah Mendes beat Jamila DaSilva 11/1 11/2 11/2 Makeda Harding defeated Sarah Lewis 11/7 6/11 7/11 11/8 11/7 Boys Under-15 Shemane Griffith beat Daniel Islam 11/2 11/4 11/4 Alex Cheeks beat Anthony Islam 11/3 5/11 11/3 11/4 Girls Under-15/17 Taylor Fernandes beat SavannahMendes11/211/211/3 Taylor Fernandes beat Rebecca Low 11/9 11/1 11/3 Boys Under-17 Ben Mekdeci defeated MichaelRamroop11/211/511/1 Alec Melville defeated Matthew Phang 11/7 11/5 11/6 Boys Under-19 Nyron Joseph defeated Jael Gaskin 11/3 11/3 11/3 Matches were scheduled to continue last evening from 18:00hrs at the Georgetown Club.

ave Hill, Barbados – Head coach of the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre team Graeme West said the presence of Sir Vivian Richards in the training camp ahead of their series against Bangladesh-A is a welcomed boost for the side’s preparations. Sir Viv will work with the coaching team at the Sagicor WIHPC that is headed by West to prepare the 13-member squad for their series of two four-day, three 50 overs-a-side and two Twenty20 matches – all to be played in Barbados from May 26 to June 15. “ To w o r k a l o n g s i d e someone like Sir Viv is a privilege and his presence offers a number of things to the players as we prepare for the upcoming matches,” said West. “First, the players can see the importance of this camp when someone of the calibre of Sir Viv is standing there and observing them, talking to them, offering some mentoring to them. The value that brings to the programme, you cannot put a price on it.” Sir Viv is the latest former West Indies player currently either involved with coaching or advising a number of West Indies teams. The others are West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson, West Indies team operations manager Richie Richardson, West Indies batting coach Stuart Williams, West Indies Women’s head coach Sherwin Campbell, West Indies Women’s assistant coach Ezra Moseley, West Indies Under-19 assistant coach Robert Samuels and Sagicor WIHPC bowling coach Vasbert Drakes. West said: “Also, when you look at the experiences that he had and the teams in which he played, he helped to create a culture of winning – and this is one of things we want him to emphasise during our sessions with the players – how to create and maintain a winning habit. “We need winners and we need winning teams and we need champion players, and they do not come any bigger than Sir Viv.” The two-week camp formally opened on Tuesday and West said that Sir Viv had already begun to make his presence felt with the players. “In the few sessions he has had so far, you can still see that hunger, that passion, that desire for West Indies to be successful still burns within him,” said West. “He can also add value with the batsmen in terms of little technical and tactical approaches that can help them, but he is also very keen on helping them to build confidence and self-belief. It’s a great opportunity for all of us and it raises the bar in terms of what we are able to offer.” West said the aim of the camp and the brief series against the Bangladeshis was to help emerging and fringe players to sharpen their skills and turn the heat up on the players in the senior West Indies squad which will soon begin a home series against New Zealand. “We have looked at a lot of the performances of the players from the regional tournaments and there were a number of

successful performances and some of those players have been chosen for this squad,” said West. “We are starting to look through the footage and the statistics that have come through to try and make the guys aware of the areas in which they need to improve. All of the batsmen, if they could average another five or six runs an innings, could make a difference to their numbers.” He said: “The players will be challenging for places on the senior team, so we need these guys to have an awareness of what they need

Assad Fudadin in the nets to work on. “They have the best part of two weeks to do this and try to enter the four-day matches against Bangladesh with the players really, really clear about how they will become better players.” West said this Sagicor WIHPC team was slightly different in composition to previous squads, which focussed on giving greater exposure to younger, less experienced players. “We have players that are more experienced,” he said. “The first three groups had huge potential, but they did not play enough to have the understanding of how to play in certain situations. These players have far more experience and have played 40 or 50 first-class games. It’s about looking and refining little things to give them the ability to move their games forward.” Squad - Sunil Ambris, Ronsford Beaton, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel Cummins, Assad Fudadin, Leon Johnson, Ashley Nurse and Chadwick Walton. Match schedule May 26-29: 1st Four-day match – Windward Cricket Club, Lucas Street, Barbados June 2-5: 2nd Four-day match – Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados June 8: 1st 50 overs-a-side match – Kensington Oval June 10: 2nd 50 overs-a-side match – Windward Cricket Club June 12: 3rd 50 overs-a-side match – Desmond Haynes Oval, Black Rock, Barbados June 14: 1st Twenty20 – Kensington Oval June 15: 2nd Twenty20 – Three Ws Oval, Cave Hill, Barbados (WICB Media Release)

Saturday May 17, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 35

EBFA U-17 League kicks off today

Double header set for Grove Playfield AFNA Netball Umpire Trainer / Tester Veronica Harris (centre) seen during a training session yesterday at the GOA Headquarters.

AFNA Umpire / Trainer begins 3-day Workshop

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mericas Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA) Umpire Trainer / Tester Barbadian Veronica Harris arrived in Guyana on Thursday to commence a 3-day Umpiring Workshop for aspiring netball umpires. The sessions which started yesterday at the

Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Headquarters on High Street, Kingston saw in attendance President of the Guyana Netball Association (GNA) Lavern FraserThomas, Vice-President of the GOA Noel Adonis, who gave brief remarks and welcomed the official and participants. The Workshop apart

from developing the knowledge of aspiring umpires will also cater for players and coaches who are interested in enhancing their understanding of the sport. According to a release, the objectives of the exercise are to (1) – to have a pool of preliminary umpires who will be well motivated and equipped to move on and

East Coast Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ opens in Haslington

FLASHBACK! Action in last year’s competition which was won by Plaisance. The Haslington Market Square will come alive tonight when the East Coast segment of the Banks DIH-sponsored Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal Competition opens with eight matches, commencing from 18:00 hrs. The first two teams to kick off the tournament are defending champions Plaisance and Nabaclis and right away fans will have the opportunity to see the East Coast kings in action. According to a member of the Organising Committee, while Plaisance is usually a potent force in the Futsal format, all the teams have been busy honing their skills to near perfection and predicting a winner seems to be a difficult task. The official admitted that from feedback 18:00 hrs 18:30 hrs 19:00 hrs 19:30 hrs 20:00 hrs 20:30 hrs 21:00 hrs 21:30 hrs

received this year’s competition even though it has been shortened to just three days will provide exhilarating action for futsal fans who are being urged to get to the venue early to get the best vantage point. “We are expecting three days of frenetic action, the teams have been preparing with intensity and I can assure fans that they will not be disappointed with the skills and standard that will be on display.” He said all 16 teams feel that they have a good chance of representing the East Coast in the national playoffs so in addition to bragging rights for being the East Coast champions, there is the possibility of the winner going all the way to the Caribbean Tournament slated for Trinidad and Tobago if they are crowned national champions.

THE FIXTURE FOR TONIGHT IS SEEN BELOW: Plaisance vs Nabaclis Buxton ‘B’ vs Beterverwagting ‘B’ Buxton ‘A’ vs Melanie Damishana ‘B’ Melanie ‘A’ vs Mahaica Vryhied’s Lust vs Church Yard United Paradise vs Ann’s Grove Punters Ann’s Grove Young Warriors vs BV ‘A’ Golden Grove Superstars vs Victoria Eagles

become qualified umpires, (2) - to identify at least one person in the country who will be able to maintain continuous assessment of the umpires and to maintain contact and provide feedback and guidance to umpires. The sessions are expected to resume today and among the areas that will be covered are (1) - starting the game, (2) - working on footwork, (3) - substitutions and team changes which will include group work and presentations, (4) - throw-in and short pass.

Competition in the inaugural Cult/East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Under-17 league is set to get cracking this afternoon at the Grove Playfield with double header action from 14:00hrs. Afforded the opportunity to set a positive tone for the rest of the tournament which has attracted eight clubs are Herstelling and Mocha Champs. Herstelling has been showing encouraging improvement ever since becoming a member of the EBFA over one year ago and will be seeking to continue their upward climb. They {Herstelling}will start this game with a slight advantage over Mocha Champs given the fact that Mocha did not field a team in the recently concluded Trophy Stall Under15 tournament which Herstelling competed in. Today’s feature game brings together Timehri Panthers and Agricola Red Triangle; both teams will be playing their first junior game for the season like Mocha Champs. While the exploits of both teams are well documented at the senior level, they will now have the chance to chart a new course in the junior realms. Kick off time is 14:00hrs and officials of sponsors Continental Group of Companies are expected to be on hand to witness this afternoon’s action. Cult energy drink will be on sale and patrons are asked to support.

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GCB 50-over U-19 Inter-County cricket

Berbice scrape past Demerara advance to tomorrow’s President’s XI by three runs final with thrilling win over E’bo Berbice top scorer Parmanand Ramdhan hits through the off side

Brian Sattaur on drives

Taignarine Chanderpaul is tight in defense

Ansa McAl resumes support as East Demerara Football Association football league set to start

John Maikoo (right) hands over the championship trophy to Sheron Abrams in the presence of his fellow executives and EDFA officials.

East Coast Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ opens in Haslington 26 DAYS FIFA World Cup Countdown Tournament starts in:

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