Monday May 19, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
A series of injustices being Our country may very well end meted out to UG Law graduates up in chaos and degradation DEAR EDITOR, I refer to an article captioned “UG law graduates to play second fiddle to UWI’s” published in Sunday Stabroek, May 18, 2014 in which commentary is attributed to yours truly and which I stand by. I humbly ask that the following be added for a broader discussion still on the subject matter. Mid-April, our learned Head of the University of Guyana (UG) Department of Law Mr. Sheldon McDonald, sought opportunity to inform media present at a handing over of law texts to the UG Library by the KIVO Foundation that: “The spin that is being placed on the current situation as regards the (UG law) students who are going to Law School is slightly unfortunate. The Attorney General (Hon. Anil Nandlall) has announced that the Heads of Government have taken a decision on the issue that was taken to them by the Government of Guyana. It is a decision of the highest order of the Community determining certain actions from the Council for Legal Education (CLE), a creature of the Community. The Chairman of the Community, the Honorable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves carried out those instructions yet we still see bylines like ‘UG students still in limbo.” Given the trajectory of Stabroek News reporting and the new developments reported on this situation, I
wonder whether the Caricom Community has entered into a new phase of how organs, “creature(s) of the Community” engage the Community on matters that have been “determined” by the Community. Secondly, it is my humble submission that even though in the regular order of business the CLE’s arrangement with UG for the top 25 law graduates was only granted a year’s extension to cover the previous year and would have self determined in 2014, the conduct of LEC/UWI/ HWLS by the decision by the CLE to determine the automatic placements in February of 2014 was u n r e a s o n a b l e u n d e r the pervading circumstance . I humbly submit that after the application process to Hugh Wooding Law School was opened to all, including UG law graduates it created legitimate expectation that the arrangement of automatic placements would subsist and those successful
at the Entrance Examinations also would be allowed admittance. Additionally, the open and close of the application process; duly responded to by UG students, as well created and cemented a legitimate expectation that those applications would be considered on the merits of Grade Point Average (GPA) and Entrance Examination grades and not on the basis of space as is the present conundrum with a preference for UWI law graduates first. One wonders if there is not a series of injustices being meted out here and whether by their conduct the CLE is estopped from denying UG graduates admittance only on the bases on space when the long standing practice is to judge the applications based on GPA attained and Entrance Examination grades. Sherod Avery Duncan Student-at-Law, Class of 2014 President, UGSS, 20092010
DEAR EDITOR, I strongly believe that the majority of Guyanese like myself are now extremely frustrated with the manner in which the affairs of our country are being attended to. It seems that we are forever mired in a situation where wrangling between those in the highest offices has become the norm, and this is getting us nowhere, in fact, causing a continual regression in our position on all fronts. Are the people who we have elected to facilitate our progress really concerned about our advancement, or are they only interested in either staying in power or achieving power. Are they really knowledgeable about how to achieve this progress, or are they just politicians who just know how to influence others? Are they willing and able to negotiate with one another so as to arrive at the compromises which are necessary for us to arrive at solutions acceptable to all, or
are they just narrow-minded and just feel that they are always right and the other side is always wrong? In the light of this continued impasse between those on both sides of this never-ending divide, I would therefore make a humble appeal to those in the government and the opposition to realise that there is always the need to try to see the other point of view, as none of us is allknowing. In support of this I would like to quote from the biblical text that says: “… there is a time for knocking down and a time for building…” “a time for embracing and a time to refrain from embracing…” “a time for searching and a time for losing…” “a time for war and a time for peace…”
I am sure that the scriptures of the other faiths which we Guyanese practise contain tenets such as these, though in different words. They tell us that, just as we need to oppose so as to ensure that the other side becomes cognisant of the truth, there always comes the time when we should seek to work together towards one end, or nothing beneficial will result. May those in authority and those on the other side at all levels of our society see the need and take the time to build and embrace and search and follow the path of peace, or our country may very well end up in chaos and degradation like so many countries in our present world. Roy Paul
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Kaieteur News
Monday May 19, 2014
Dredging of Demerara Channel important to Gov’t. agenda
- Minister Ali “The time has come to develop an integrated Maritime Plan and the Government (of Guyana) has a major responsibility to ensure the facilities are there.” This was the thrust of the remarks made by Minister of Tourism, Industry & Commerce, Irfaan Ali at the Shipping Association’s (SAG) Awards Presentation event held earlier this month. The annual presentation took place at the Pegasus Hotel to tangibly recognise the immense contributions of outstanding maritime industry operatives. “The dredging of Port facilities and the dredging of the Demerara Bar (navigational channel) are just a few of the fundamental issues that must be addressed. It is becoming an important aspect of Government’s agenda,” the Minister reiterated, adding that it speaks directly to a noticeable increase in incoming and outgoing trade. The Minister disclosed that he had recently attended a meeting of Heads of Government in CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) at which the movement of goods in the region was a key agenda item. Even before this meeting, he said, this issue had become part of a three-pronged competitiveness programme that involves developing a Public/Private (sector) Partnership to develop Port Georgetown, facilitating
foreign investment, and taking on board recommendations from maritime operators in Guyana. “In the first quarter of 2014, the government would have liked to complete a road map in relation to the development of Port Georgetown,” he stated, but noted that this will be done in the shortest possible time, especially the dredging of the Channel and Port. He assured the Shipping Association and the guests who are all players in the local and regional maritime industry that shipping in all its permutations remains a top agenda item in the nation’s competitiveness strategy. “We cannot improve the competitiveness of our manufactured products, or even bring down the prices for imported products if we do not address this issue,” he contended. It affects every stakeholder – consumers, importers, exporters of locally manufactured products, and operators across the shipping industry. The Minister offered kudos to every person and organisation, particularly the SAG who have worked assiduously to “heighten the level of interest” in developing the Port through increased collaboration with the government. He gave the assurance that Government stands committed to developing the road map to chart the course forward for the shipping industry. The planned agenda, he said, is hinged on developing modern terminals along with the capacities of the related agencies. A YEAR OF MEASURED SUCCESSES The Minister’s remarks
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
Members of the Shipping Association of Guyana pose with their recently presented awards. directly addressed the call made (once again) by the Shipping Association’s Chairman, Desmond Sears, who had earlier delivered a report on the SAG’s activities. The past year, he said, was a relatively measured one with mixed successes. The Association’s planned and spontaneous activities were executed with the valued support of the association’s members, some of whom received awards that evening. The main role of the Shipping Association is to act as the liaison between operatives in the Shipping industry (including Maritime Transportation) and the Regulatory agencies such as the Ministry of Transport, the Maritime Administration Department and the Guyana Revenue Authority. The SAG is also mandated to actively represent the interests of its members at local, regional and international levels, ensuring the highest standards of maritime efficiency, and to facilitate speedy movement of imports and exports. “We continue to strive to widen the scope of our focus to include related agencies since we believe in standing united in order to achieve the benefits for the good of our
nation,” the Chairman stated. The major activities undertaken by the SAG included advocacy for the modernization of the Demerara Harbour in the short term. The Harbour and the Demerara Navigational Channel were singled out for special attention since it is the hub of commercial shipping in Guyana, and it is where the largest wharves and terminals are located. “Arising from a 2012 directive issued by Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, a Port Development Working Group was established and tasked with producing a proposal for upgrading the Georgetown Harbour,” the Association’s Chairman noted. After weeks of deliberations, a Concept Document was handed over to the Minister for consideration. It was agreed that capital dredging of the navigational channel was the most necessary element of the proposal and required urgent attention. “This has been placed at the top of our agenda going forward,” he reported. The SAG’s executives also participated in strategic meetings with the
Ambassador of the Republic of Mexico and with the Trade and Investment Officer in the British High Commission, the objectives of which were to garner their support and assistance for the port development drive. In addition, officials had substantial discussions with representatives of a prospective developer, DP World about their proposal to build a single container terminal at West Demerara. Members have been studying the proposal, and all agree that with a modern, upgraded Harbour, Guyana would be able to exploit new economic opportunities and be better positioned to participate in the lucrative cruise industry. In addition, officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs sought the Association’s support for the completion of the draft National Drug Strategy Master Plan and “the SAG will do everything in our power to assist this process that has implications for Port Security,” Mr. Sears informed the gathering of terminal owners, importers and exporters, ship owners and agents. He noted that the Association has been working with the Government to develop new national
initiatives such as a Deep Water Port in the Berbice River, and two Container Terminals at Linden and Lethem. Both of these communities are expected to play key roles in the bilateral arrangements being negotiated with the governments of the Northern Brazilian states of Roraima, Boa Vista and Amazonia. The plan, which is already being negotiated, includes utilization of Guyana’s road networks to transport Brazilian produce to and through Port Georgetown. The main role of the SAG is to act as the liaison among the commercial sector, the governmental oversight bodies and the local maritime industry. The association intends to continue pursuing the establishment of its own Demurrage Company with anticipated input from other Caribbean shipping organizations. “The world and its technologies are advancing rapidly and with Guyana’s economic evolution at stake, it becomes imperative that we upgrade our facilities sooner rather than later in order to participate in this fast advancing maritime industry,” the SAG Chairman concluded.
Monday May 19, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Ramotar commissions $37M drainage pump at Rose Hall Town
The Rose Hall Town Pump Station in operation yesterday. By Leon Suseran Flooding in Rose Hall Town and nearby areas along Port Mourant on the Corentyne is expected to be a thing of the past as a $37M pump station was commissioned yesterday by President Donald Ramotar. He was accompanied by Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy; CEO of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth; Region Six Chairman, David Armogan; and Interim Management Committee (IMC) Chairman of Rose Hall Town, Bevon Sinclair. The old structure was decommissioned in the 1970’s and since then there has been no pump in the area. Wordsworth, giving an
overview of the project, stated that many other drainage facilities around Guyana would have suffered similar fates. A number of sluices have also been rebuilt and old ones recommissioned, such as the one at Alness, Corentyne. In February 2013, a contract for the resuscitation of the pump at Rose Hall Town was awarded to Harrichand Toolsie General Engineering and Supply Services. It was completed in June of last year, works of which consisted of rebuilding the old pump house, “removing the old pump…and installing a new pump which has a discharge capacity of 120 Cubic Feet per second.” The hydro-flow pump,
one of 14, was acquired under the Indian Line of Credit Contract. Along with the pump at Rose Hall Town, similar projects have been completed in Canje and at Number 66. “Pumps will also be completed at Number 43, Eversham and Gangaram, similarly in other regions, we have other projects ongoing,” Wordsworth explained. Region Six Chairman Armogan praised the drainage capacity of the pump. “In four to six hours, it can pull all of the water out of the Rose Hall Town area, and it also helps to pull all the water out of areas drained through the Rose Hall system, so it is a tremendous boost,” Armogan said.
Man accuses wife of being pregnant for his friend-court hears A New Amsterdam man was charged and placed before the court after he allegedly inflicted a severe beating on his wife and threatened her with a gun after accusing her of having an affair with his friend. The man had become incensed when the woman claimed that she was pregnant for his friend. Hegland Stephen 23 a Graphic Artist of Lad Lane, New Amsterdam, on Friday appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Issacs-Marcus in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court on two charges. The prosecution is alleging that on Wednesday 7th May he assaulted Darmattie Barratt so as to cause her actual bodily harm. He is also accused of threatening the woman on the same date so that a breach of the peace may occur. Prosecuting Sergeant Godfrey Playter told the court that on the day in question, the woman was at home with their child when the accused came in sometime during the night and accused her of having an affair with one Boston who is his friend. He also accused her of being pregnant for the man.
The woman vehemently denied both accusations, but was given a sound trashing and subsequently put out of the house by the man. Her belongings were also thrown out. After she returned for her child, she was ordered to walk in the dark to a nearby playfield where she was beaten again and threatened. The accused told her to lie down on the ground and pulled out what appeared to be a gun from his waist. He then left her and went away. The woman made her way
to the Central Police Station where the matter was reported. She was accompanied to the New Amsterdam Hospital where she was examined and a medical certificate was obtained. The accused was subsequently arrested and charged. He was placed on $35,000 bail on the charge of Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm and $20,000 bail on the Threatening Behaviour charge. He will have to return to court on Friday.
Armogan said that “Even though we are currently in a sort of El Nino period, should the rains come very heavy, the water will go off the land in a day or two because of the capacity of the pump to push the water out. So this will bring a lot of relief and help to the people of this area.” Minister Ramsammy noted that the weather patterns demand the use of these pumps “and it has become the major task of the government to remedy the situation.” Now that the drainage and irrigation facility has been boosted, Ramsammy stated that hundreds of acres of rice farming that came to an end many years ago can now be brought back.
Other pump stations, he noted, are being put in place. At Number 43 and Adventure, Corentyne, the capacities of those structures are being improved. Armogan said that at Bengal, Corentyne, for the first time, pumping facility is being installed, while at Number 19 and Number 66, “we are installing pump stations.” At Gangaram, Canje a new pump station is currently under construction while a new pump is being installed. “Are these pumps going to solve our problems entirely? The answer is ‘no’—— we still have to relate it to the amount of rain we have.” People, too, have a responsibility, Armogan urged, as he spoke out
against the stealing of the fuel. President Ramotar, in delivering the Feature Address, urged the residents and community leaders to care the facility. He said that the facility will ease many difficulties which were formerly faced by farmers in the front and back lands in Rose Hall Town. He then talked about the Opposition Budget Cuts and their disapproval and skepticism of the Amaila Hydro-Power project as well as the nonpassage of the Anti- Money Laundering Bill. The president then cut the ribbon leading into the facility; unveiled a plaque; switched on the pump and viewed a demonstration as it became operable.
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Kaieteur News
Cuban Five…
Gonzalez praises work of Guyana Solidarity Movement
Fernando Gonzalez Llort (centre) looks at some of the newspaper clippings pertaining to his incarceration and Guyana’s stance on the issue by President of the Guyana Solidarity Movement with Cuba, Halim Khan. After spending 15 years in prison, one of the Cuban Five, Rene Gonzalez met with President of the Guyana Solidarity Movement with Cuba, Halim Khan in Cuba, recently. September 2013 marked the 15th anniversary of the detention of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino Salazar, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez Llort, and Rene Gonzalez Schewerert. The Five were detained while monitoring from the city of Miami, the movements and activities by violent groups and individuals engaged in planning terrorist acts against Cuba, which led to thousands of deaths and people with disabilities for
more than 50 years. This case was described as a political case and the Cuban Five were labeled political prisoners. Last year, René González was released after serving his time and returned to his homeland. The President of the Guyana Solidarity Movement with Cuba explained that Gonzalez commended the work of Guyana Solidarity Movement in its fight for the freedom of the Cuban Five throughout the years. Khan said during all these years only Gonzalez’s mother Magali Llort, his sisters Lourdes and Martha, his wife Rosa Aurora Freijanes and other family members were able to visit him. And even
they averaged only one visit a year. He explained that despite this form of isolation, like his four brothers, Gonzalez received on daily basis volumes of mail of solidarity that filled the mail rooms of the prisons. On Sept. 12, 1998, a heavily armed FBI SWAT team arrested the members of the Cuban intelligence network in Miami. The five agents were tried under hostile circumstances and convicted on low-bar charges of “conspiracy to commit” everything from espionage to murder and sentenced to impossibly long prison terms, including one double life sentence, plus 15 years.
Monday May 19, 2014
46th GAPE Anniversary… Call made to bridge the gender gap and have more women engineers The Guyana Association of Professional Engineers (GAPE) on Saturday night celebrated its 46th Anniversary with a grand dinner at the Georgetown Club, Camp Street Georgetown. Underscoring the tone of the event was the address by the feature speaker Sophie Makonnen, the International Development Bank (IDB) Country Representative to Guyana who spoke to Gender equality in the area of Engineering and the need for there to be more women engineers. Makonnen, in addressing the audience of Engineers and selected guests, articulated the concerns of the gender divide and started with how the gender gap was being closed by the IDB. She was adamant however that more is needed within the Bank to further the cause. Makonnen said Labour market change over the past 30 to 40 years has seen the rise of women education and increased equity and fairness. She outlined however that it is not just about equity and fairness, “it’s much more than that, it’s about strengthening women’s participation in the labour force because women, like men, have been working for centuries.” According to Makonnen, it’s also about making sure the labour force harnesses this untapped potential for advancing development and empowering women. She said that women who are
Nkechi Mc Pherson receiving her award for best engineering graduate Diploma in Technology (Geological) from GAPE President empowered can make their own career decisions and open business, develop communities and help provide for their families and proliferate economic growth. She further outlined that education is a critical factor in closing the gender gap and having greater women penetration in the labour market. She posited that the increase of women in the labour force has brought about change in the gender balance of occupational groups such as doctors and nurses, but there are cases where this has not changed. Makonnen pointed to skilled trades such as construction and other professional occupations like engineers and computer science as areas where not much change
has been made. The IDB rep outlined that there is definitely a skill gap in those areas, something which she said is universal and not limited to a particular country. “Although the participation of women in higher education has increased, there is no contesting that, they are still underrepresented in certain fields, so a large gender gap has persisted over the years in these particular fields.” According to Makonnen, non-traditional occupation is defined as a group representing 25 percent or less for a given entity. She outlined a lot of factors that contribute to women not being in the engineering profession as (Continued on page 17)
Monday May 19, 2014
Kaieteur News
Education Minister gets Honorary... (From page 13) your life’s work in service to your community, especially to the end of violence against women and children, and the education of all Guyanese young people, Lesley University is honoured to confer upon you the Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.” Both honorary awardees, Manickchand and Lowry, were required to deliver separate addresses to the graduates, an undertaking that
Manickchand extensively laced with her gender-equality conviction. She passionately appealed to the graduates to embrace the global cause of gender equality, which can often be hampered by challenges including poverty, hunger, health care and even educational inequality. And educational inequality is evident in some sections of the world, Manickchand observed, even as she pointed out that “when a girl
is not allowed an education somewhere else in the world simply because she is a girl, it will affect your lives…because we are interconnected.” “Whatever your passion, whatever you plan to pursue, wherever you work, wherever you live, wherever you play, consciously and strategically set to use your value, your training here, to bring about gender equality,” Manickchand told the graduates.
Call made to bridge the gender... (From page 8) well as the decline of women who do enter that profession and outlined that more mentoring for women by either male or female professionals within engineering is needed. Saturday night’s event was graced by the Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, himself an engineer, his wife and the leader for the Alliance for Change Khemraj Ramjattan along with his wife.
Among the other highlights was the granting of awards to undergraduates who excelled at their engineering studies (Phillip Allsopp Award for best engineering graduate at the University of GuyanaDiploma in Technology and A.M.B Sankies Award for Bachelor of Engineering) as well as the induction of a fellow female member to the prestigious engineer association.
Engineer Stuart Hughes in concluding with a vote of thanks recalled his years as an undergraduate and expressed that from then to now the gender penetration gap for women engineers has not changed much. He proposed an incentive to award those women engineers who have been outstanding in their line of work as a way to recognize the gap and bring attention to it.
Monday May 19, 2014 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): You're a visionary! Today brings a new way of seeing the world, and you may be more excited than anyone else in the room. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): People all seem to be pulling in different directions today -- which could cause some serious strife, or even power struggles. ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Adopt a new point of view today -- think of it like playing dress-up or window shopping. Your great mental energy helps you see the ramifications of your new ideas, and may help you change for the better. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): How's your cash flow? Today is perfect for making tweaks to your budget or for finding new ways to bring in money -- though some of them may stretch you beyond your comfort zone. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Try something a little different today -- you need to explore your options, and it may feel as if you're trapped. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): You stumble upon something new that may shake up the way you store your files or stuff. It could be an online thing, or maybe you just peek over someone's shoulder and have your mind blown.
********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): Do something romantic - even if you're unattached. A big display of some kind is sure to get you the right kind of attention and move you in a bold new direction. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): In order to get what you want, you are almost certainly going to have to compromise. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): Big ideas are the currency of the day, and you need to make sure that you're making the most of your brainy energy. .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): Financial arrangements are everything right now -- and your mindset is perfect for handling them. It's a good time for you to ask big questions about how you want to live your life. ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 Feb. 18): Your great energy feels almost limitless -- so get on it and make sure that you're doing what needs to be done. It's a great time to enlist others in your cause, too. ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20): You feel enthused about a plan that others consider unrealistic. Now is not the time to convince them -- in fact, you should just get to work on it and let your results speak for themselves.
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“Possessed” woman found dead in drain A 43-year-old Craig, East Bank Demerara (EBD) woman, who was reportedly “possessed by spirits” for the past four days, was found dead early yesterday in a shallow drain a few houses away from her residence. Dead is Marcel Cummings, a mother of five of Lot 183 Craig, EBD. Her body was discovered in the drain around 06:00 hrs yesterday by villagers. According to the dead woman’s brother, Ivor Cummings, since last Tuesday, his sister who works at the Pritipaul Singh Investments, started to behave in a really strange manner. “She was behaving as if she was possessed. She wasn’t sleeping in the nights, she just praying loud, loud and waking up the whole neighbourhood. She was stamping the floor and saying the ‘Blood of Jesus is against you. Get out, Get out’.” Ivor Cummings said that at first he did not think his sister was possessed because she was praying to Jesus and she called up all her friends and family members and prayed for
them. According to Cummings, his sister prayed for persons and pleaded with them to change their bad ways and welcome the Lord in their lives. “We couldn’t do anything because she wasn’t doing anything bad. She wasn’t cursing, she was just praying and her family members even prayed with her,” the brother stressed. He explained that during the day his sister was normalshe cooked, cleaned and did everything a mother would do, but in the nights, she prayed continuously and chased “spirits” out of her yard. Cummings said on one occasion his sister got up at 03:00hrs and was walking around in the yard with olive oil in her hands, chasing the “demon” out. “She went into all the apartments and prayed for everyone. We even prayed with her. The next day, two pastors came to the house to pray with her and she was even praying more than the pastors, and louder,” Cummings said. He added that his sister
Dead: Marcel Cummings was involved in a triangular love affair and he has his suspicions. “Since she started behaving like that, she kept saying that she was wrong to get involved with a married man and that Jesus has forgiven her for that.” Cummings explained that a few hours after his sister left home for work on Saturday he received a call from one of her colleagues who informed him that his sister “tek in.” “When I went to collect her, I see her lying on the floor with her hands stretched out and I could have seen that the other workers were scared of her. I put her in the car and take her home and she said that she see a lot of evil around her that is why she started praying at her work place.” Cummings further added that when his sister reached home, she went up to her room and started to write in an exercise book. “When the place got dark, she came downstairs and she asked my other sister to borrow a long electrical cord to take upstairs. She said that she has to complete her writing by (Saturday night). Later Saturday, we didn’t want to leave her alone so my sister slept with her and she said that Marcel blindfold her eyes and she was walking around in the room, praying.” Cummings told Kaieteur News that a little before 06:00 hrs on Sunday when his sister woke up, she noticed Marcel was missing. “She went outside and saw a crowd and she thought that Marcel was “possessed” again so she sent her son who discovered that his aunt was dead. We then went up to her room and when we read the book she wrote, it had her experience in Trinidad, her affair with a married man and it also had, if we miss her, we must check in the drain,” Cummings told this publication, acknowledging that his sister might have predicted the way she would die. Marcel Cummings leaves to mourn her five children and five siblings.
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Kaieteur News
Monday May 19, 2014
BOG Governor laid to rest From page 19
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Presdient Ramotar offers words of condolence to Valarie Williams, the wife of the late Bank of Guyana Governor. Governor of the Bank of Guyana, Lawrence Williams was laid to rest Saturday afternoon after a funeral service at St George’s Cathedral. He died of cancer in a city hospital on May last. Among those paying tribute to the late Governor was Finance Minister Dr
Ashni Singh. “Lawrence Williams served as Governor of the Bank of Guyana since 2005, making him the second longest serving Governor in that institution’s history. His total service to the Bank amounted to 35 years, having been first recruited by the Bank in 1979, immediately after he graduated from the
We need to reclaim... (From page 10) Claudette Singh, who spoke about her interactions with the Lall’s family. President Ramotar in his remarks congratulated the family for their innovative idea and stressed that the family is a perfect example for other young entrepreneurs to follow. President Ramotar added, “I like this type of investment. I am excited about the plans to manufacture plantain and cassava chips which will link to real production in our society. And if I may offer some advice, I would suggest that with such a venture, you go into some level of contract farming to have a ready market for your raw materials.” The President then appealed to local supermarkets to have local products on their front shelves.
University of Guyana.” He was therefore the Bank’s longest serving employee of the current
generation, Ashni Singh said. Also attending his funeral Service were President Donald Ramotar, members of the government, members of the parliamentary opposition, private sector operatives and people from all walks of life. “Small wonder that Lawrence Williams earned appointment by then President Bharrat Jagdeo in 2005 as the head of the Bank of Guyana,” Dr Ashni Singh said. “It was also President Jagdeo who would later in 2011 award Lawrence one of Guyana’s highest national awards, the Cacique’s Crown of Honour, for distinguished service to the financial sector and to central banking functions in particular,” he added. Williams was laid to rest in Cane Grove Methodist churchyard, East Coast Demerara.
Two soldiers shot at... From page 9 Private Henry was still undergoing surgery up to late last night, while his colleague was treated in the Accident and Emergency unit. While a senior army official stated that the ranks were injured during a training exercise involving Ak-47 assault rifles, relatives of Private Harding say they have received reports that he was shot in a barrack-room by a Lieutenant, who was playing with a pistol. The incident reportedly occurred at around 16.00 hrs. A senior army official told Kaieteur News that the two soldiers and other ranks were
training with Ak-47 assault rifles and Lieutenant Hope and Private Harding were caught in the crossfire. They were flown to Georgetown via helicopter before being taken by ambulance to the GPHC at around 20.00 hrs. But Vanitta Harding, the recruit’s mother, said that she overheard ranks at the GPHC saying that another rank was cleaning a firearm and accidentally shot her son. But Ms. Harding alleged that the same ranks were reluctant to speak to her when she enquired about the circumstances surrounding the incident. “They say that they can’t tell me anything until tomorrow (today) because the matter is under investigation. I need the truth because my son is still in the operating theatre.” Tasleema Harding, the wounded recruit’s wife, said that she got a call at around 20.00 hrs from an official at the GPHC, informing her that her spouse had been shot. She then contacted her mother-in-law and relatives then went to the GPHC.
Monday May 19, 2014
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.
FOR SALE Toyota Forklift - Excellent condition, 4,000lbs capacity, 117" Lift, Solid Wheels, Automatic Transmission, 4 Cylinder LPG Motor. Call: 604-6108.
Pure bred Rottweiler puppies, 8 weeks old – Call:682-2148 or 618-2903 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 Clean garden earth, also Bobcat & Excavator rentals. Tel: 626-7127 Pure bred pit bull, 6 weeks old – Call: 661-1601 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. Snow cone carts and hot dog carts. Call 667-2575 Ten 5000 Gallon Fuel Tanks, fifteen 12 feet satellite dish, 10 houselots Riverview - Call: 2662076, 266-2207, 601-3194, email:rnetram@yahoo.com Chowmein/noodle equipment, including five roller machines. One mixing machine. 2 steamers, drying system. Call 661-3878 Pit-bull pups - Call:619-6086 or 699-7077 2 Perkins Marine Engine, 4 Cylinder – Contact: 621-6251 Zmodo Surveillance camera system, 4&8 channels only. All necessary accessories included – Tel:609-2815 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 One smoothie machine and ice machine – Call:231-0655 or 683-8734 Pure Rottweiler pups, parents are imported pedigree dogs Call: 264-2870 or 672-6402 after 6pm 665-9140 or 639-1431 Loving, fluffy puppies – Call:645-0240, 685-0942
LAND FOR SALE House lots in Friendship - Tel 692-8513 or 223-0733 At Eccles Housing Scheme price $6.5M - negotiable Call: 616-6000
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
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 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) LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj Building. Tel 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 DRESSMAKING Jean is offering courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral & cake decoration @ 153 Barr Street Kitty – Call: 6702653, 618-1706 VACANCY One General Domestic – Call: 667-5717 or 650-4761
Two storey house at Retrieve Linden. Price $11MCall: 641-7979 20 acreage Cultivated farm, 3 bedrooms fully furnished located Pomeroon river – Tel:672-7827 Nandy Park - $24M, AA Eccles - $55M, Lamaha Garden -$35M, West Bank $21M – Contact Diana:2272256, 626-9382 CATERING Roxy’s Catering: We cater for any special occasion, also available daily breakfast, lunch & snacks – call: 223-0092, 223-0095 EDUCATIONAL Balloon Decorating Classes – 31st May 2014 – Call: 2253133 or 613-7513 for more information and to register. VEHICLE FOR SALE Unregistered Toyota Noah, with TV, Rims, Camera - Tel: 629-2619 or 663-2700 CAR RENTAL Aidan’s Car Rental, Canter & Pickup - Call: 645-7981/ 698-7807 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:6431131 VACANCY One Trainee refrigeration A/ C Technician – Tel:231-0655, Call between Monday-Friday (8:00am-4:30pm)
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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
SALON
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 House in Diamond/Grove – Tel:692-8513 or 223-0733 Prashad Nagar: Self contained studio (fully Furnished)-US$100.00 weekly. Tel: 612-3194, 223-8258
VACANCY
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. COOL TECH : Repairs Services & Installation of all types if homes appliances: Air Condition & Refrigeration units - Tel: 233-2008; 675-4959 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar:2310655,683-8734 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 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 662-6045
Accounts Clerk & Cashier. Apply with written application & passport size picture to Survival @ 173 Sheriff St., Campbellville. Call 227-5286/9
For the Cheapest House plans, engineering, architectural drawings & estimates – Contact T.Boodhoo:625-9883 HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING AND ESTIMATES FOR ONLY $10,000- CALL:6949843/227-2766
One female clerk – Call: 2315171
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 STAR CARS AUTO SALE: Premio, Spacio, Allion, IST, Feilder, Altezza, new Raum, Axela, Carina 212 – Call: 679-3140, 615-1199 First Class Auto: Allion, Premio, Spacio, IST, 212, Fielder, Raum, Allex, Runx, Bluebird, Axela - Tel:6098188, 638-3045 Toyota Raum, 1 new model Toyota Raum, 1 Feilder Wagon, PPP & PSS Series – Call:614-4614, 223-9329 1 Allion rear bumper $40,000, 1 AT192 PKK series $800,000 negotiable, 1 metallic red Ipsum $1.6M negotiable Call : 611-7034 1 AE100 Toyota Corolla, excellent condition - AC, Mag rims, alarm, DVD player, etc. Price $825,000. Call 612-9625, 225-3217,695-6461 Unregistered Toyota Raum: year – 2004; black interior, HID lights, power door, TV navigation. Tel 617-5536
MANAGER/SUPERVISORS at Xenon Hotel Charity / EBo. ACCOMODATION PROVIDED. Attractive Salary is offered – Contact: 223-5273/4 DRIVER and SALESMAN for Gas Trucks on East Coast, West Coast and East Bank Demerara. 266 4427
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
Drivers, Porters, checkers, accountant. Apply R.A Soda Factory @ Good Hope Bond. Driver & salesperson @ #7 Bakery. Call 330-2399
Exist for Pharmacist: Apply with written application at Survival Shopping Complex @ 173 Sheriff St. Campbellville – Tel: 2275286/9
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
CAR RENTAL Dolly’s Car Rental - Call: 225-7126/ 226-3693 dollys autorental@yahoo.com/ www.dolly sautorental.com
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 18)
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Kaieteur News
Brace for more challenges says Finance Minister KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – A tight budget, public sector reform and the implementation of major projects, are some of the challenges which Finance Minister, Dr Peter Phillips says Jamaicans will be forced to deal with in the near future. According to Phillips, with the fourth quarterly International Monetary Fund (IMF) test out of the way, the next phase which the country is about to enter, is more difficult than the previous one. “It is easy to not spend in real terms, it is much more painstaking to tackle the details of the subtle changes that have to be made in each area of public administration .It does not attract a grand
Dr Peter Phillips headline, but it is absolutely important,” Phillips said. On Friday it was announced that Jamaica passed its fourth quarterly
IMF, test, under the current agreement for an Extended Fund Facility with the multilateral lending agency. A recommendation will now go to the Executive Board of the IMF for approval for the disbursement of US$96 million to Jamaica. The submission will be made next month. Last week, Alejandro Warner, the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Director, commended the Government of Jamaica for maintaining political support and civility in the implementation of the Extended Fund Facility. He said this was admirable, in light of the complexities of the programme and the social challenges that the country faces.
Bermuda premier survives Jetgate crisis meeting HAMILTON, Bermuda CMC — Premier Craig Cannonier remains the island’s leader after surviving a three-hour emergency meeting between ruling One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) MPs and members of the OBA executive a t t h e party’s headquarters on Saturday over fresh fallout from a year-long affair dubbed “Jetgate”. Asked if 51-year-old Cannonier was still the Premier of this British Overseas Territory, Deputy Premier Michael Dunkley replied: “Yes, he is.” Cannonier ’s survival came hours after a government backbencher launched a withering attack on his handling of the affair and the opposition Progressive Labour Party (PLP) called for government heads to roll.
OBA chairman Thad Hollis said after the meeting: “We had a great afternoon — we’re working together through some difficu l t issues. The inquiry is still ongoing. We will have further to say when it’s concluded.” It has been confirmed that US developer Nathan Landow and other businessmen had contributed US$300,000 to the OBA’s 2012 election campaign following a meeting with Cannonier after the Premier and two of his cabinet colleagues flew to Washington, DC on Landow’s private jet last year. On Wednesday Hollis, who announced the party would conduct a full investigation into Jetgate, said the OBA had not received $300,000 from Landow and his associates.
Craig Cannonier There is no law that requires political donations in Bermuda to be publicly disclosed. Following the meeting, Cannonier said: “We have had a good meeting, a fruitful meeting. I can simply state we will continue with our inquiry.”
JPs urged to join fight against crime MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - (JIS) — Governor General, Sir Patrick Allen has challenged Justices of the P e a c e ( J P s ) t o join the national fight against crime. The Governor General said that the time has come for all JPs and other wellthinking Jamaicans to let their voices be heard, and their presence felt in clamping down on criminality. Addressing a meeting of Westmoreland JPs at the Sean Lavrey Faith Hall in S a v a n n a - l a - M a r, on
Thursday, Sir Patrick said “as Jamaicans we all have a dream to live and enjoy a good quality of life …we are going to take Jamaica back from the hands of criminals and as Justices of the Peace, you all have a role to play”. He encouraged the JPs to be proactive in their approach to leadership, and to engage the youths in their respective communities. The Governor General also urged the 427 Westmoreland JPs to join his
‘I Believe’ initiative’, and to take the programme’s message into their communities. He said the ‘I Believe’ initiative has been gaining traction among the youth, and that the support of the JPs will be a further boost. The meeting between the Governor General and the Westmoreland Justices of the Peace was convened b y t h e p a r i s h ’s L a y Magistrate Association, led by President Colin Hitchman.
Monday May 19, 2014
Advocacy groups want UWI lecturer sacked over anti-gay comments Jamaica Gleaner - A University of the West Indies (UWI) professor has found himself in a prickly spot after testifying in Belize that gay men are at a higher risk of contracting the HIV virus, and that it was in the best interest of that country to retain its anti-same-sex relationship laws. Professor Brendan Bain, director of the university’s Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Programme (CHART), told the Belize Supreme Court that countries which have repealed their buggery laws have seen an increase in HIV/AIDS rate among the population of men who have sex with men (MSM). He argued that a change in the law could have a deleterious effect on Belize’s economy. However, his testimony has not gone done well with some 35 advocacy groups across the region that have demanded that he be sacked from some positions at the UWI. In a letter to Bain, the UWI’s vice-chancellor, E. Nigel Harris, indicated that key stakeholder groups in the fight against HIV have voiced their displeasure with his testimony and continued leadership of CHART, and as such an advisory committee has been convened to look into his suitability to retain his current position. The move comes after advocacy groups wrote a second letter to Harris demanding that Bain be removed “from any leadership position in the CHART programme and all positions of representation at the university on issues of HIV and AIDS”. In the correspondence to the vice-chancellor and
copied to CARICOM’s secretary general, Ambassador Irwin LaRoque, on April 24, the groups lamented that the UWI was dragging its feet in removing Bain from directing the CHART programme and other HIV/AIDS-related outreach efforts. On May 6, Harris informed Bain that a meeting was scheduled for last Monday to consider his “leadership of an institutional body that has a responsibility for the conduct of a regional endeavour affecting diverse members of our communities and funded by funds allocated by a USA-based agency committed to combating HIV/AIDS”. Harris said the groups had also expressed that they had been adversely affected by Bain’s testimony “in support of the retention of a law in Belize whose existence continues to discriminate against persons who practise same sex”. The vice-chancellor made it clear that the committee would in no way be examining Bain’s freedom as an academic to express certain views an d conduct scientific research in his own capacity. Harris stated that Bain was being given the option to present a written or oral testimony to the committee. He also said the committee would not be considering the facts of the case before the court, but would only be focusing on whether Bain is suitable to continue being the director of CHART. It is unclear if last Monday’s meeting had taken place as scheduled and efforts to contact Bain were unsuccessful, as he was said to be off the island.
Brendan Bain When the vice-chancellor was contacted for a comment, an assistant informed The Sunday Gleaner that the matter was still being discussed and Harris did not wish to speak until it was concluded. Bain had appeared as an expert witness before the Supreme Court in Belize in the matter of Caleb Orosco and the United Belize Advocacy Movement vs the Attorney General of Belize, supported by various church groups. Orosco and the United Belize Advocacy Movement are contending that Section 53 of the country’s criminal code, which outlaws same-sex relations between consenting adults, is discriminatory and should be struck from the books. Bain, who is said to be a devout Christian, had presented more than five different studies, which he claimed showed that MSM are at a higher risk of contracting the disease and it will be costly for the country. A similar challenge has been mounted against Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law, in which Bain is reportedly to be called as an expert witness by the Jamaican Coalition for a Healthy Society, which is batting for the retention of the law.
Chikunguna disease confirmed in Florida MIAMI - CMC – The viral mosquito borne disease, Chikunguna, has been confirmed in three Florida counties. According to the Florida Department of Health, the three cases are women who recently travelled to the Caribbean. A 29-year-old from Broward county, a 30-yearold woman in Miami-Dade County and a 44-year-old woman in Hillsborough County have been diagnosed with the disease.
Symptoms of Chikunguna usually begin three to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito and can include fever and severe joint pains, often in the hands and feet, according to the department. Other symptoms can include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or rash. People at increased risk for severe disease include newborns exposed during delivery, those 65 or older and people with medical conditions such as high
blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease. The mosquitoborne illness was first detected in the Caribbean in December 2013. To date the Chikungunya virus has been confirmed in Anguilla, Aruba, Virgin Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Barthelemy, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Maarten (Dutch) and St Martin (French).
Monday May 19, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Barbados is open to labour talks with T&T Trinidad Guardian - With T&T has over 13,000 vacancies in its public service, and Barbados is letting go about 3,500 public sector employees, Barbados Finance Minister Christopher Sinckler has said his government is open to mutually beneficial cooperation in this area. After he addressed investors gathered at the Port-of-Spain Marriott for an ANSA Merchant Bank event Wednesday, Sinckler said: “Indeed, there are a lot of very skilled people in Barbados. Of course, we have our campus of the University West Indies, and we churn out social scientists of all sizes and shapes.” He said: “We’re encouraging people to look for opportunities beyond Barbados and there are Caribbean territories that require that skilled labour. A lot of skilled labour from Barbados come here (to T&T). They go back and forth, and we are encouraging them to look for those opportunities.” Earlier he had told investors that while the Barbados central government employs about 21,000 the overall public service is about 25,000 strong. “Our goal is to bring the overall public service down to about 20-21,000, which is really where it should be,” he said. Asked if the island nation plans to issue any more bonds to boost its reserves and refinance some of its debt, he said: “Not at this stage, certainly not on the wider international market because we feel the forex situation has settled down. The reserves are slowly building back and so there is not an immediate requirement to get to the market.” He added that in June, the Barbados government will be going “on a fairly extensive non-deal road show to meet with international investors in London, Boston, Chicago, New York, and then later in the year, we will be going further west.” He said the Barbados government will be doing this “so that investors understand what is really happening, and our efforts to return stability to the economy, and of course, to bring economic growth.” Turning to ANSA Merchant Bank Managing Director Gregory Hill, he added, “Of course, the T&T market is always there. There are projects that we are doing with ANSA and with others.” Hill hailed the present as an ideal time to invest in
Christopher Sinckler Barbados. He said: “If you believe Barbados is a strong economy in the medium to long term, you would see that the global markets clearly over-reacted to some of the changes in the Barbados economy.” He said global investors have a unique opportunity “to buy (into) Barbados now at the right price” and increase their returns on their investment because Barbados is a long-term viable economy. On Barbados’ target for foreign reserves, Sinckler said: “Our target for 2014 is roughly around 16 weeks of import cover. Anywhere between BD$1.1 billion (US$550 million) and BD$1.5 billion.” When reminded this is already where Barbados reserves are at, he said: “Sure we’re almost there. The issue is to just keep it there. Our outflows (of forex) match our inflows, so that we don’t have to tap into the reserves. We can do all of our transactions, and there is no reason to tap in, and that’s where we want to be,” he said. Having mentioned talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during his presentation, he answered the question of whether Barbados was looking to implement an IMF programme like debt-
burdened Jamaica: “Not a formal programme but we have a very good collaborative working relationship with the fund through the Article IV consultation process, but also technically. “There are a number of things which they are doing with us over the next couple of years, including the monitoring of the reforms of the state institutions for greater efficiency particularly in fiscal affairs.” He said that from June, through a regional technical assistance fund, the IMF will be conducting a comprehensive review of all taxes and duties in Barbados, including value added tax and personal income tax. Sinckler said he expects to have a report in a few months and that would determine what changes are required to make the system more efficient. To arrest declining tax income, he said, “We’ve now moved to consolidate the tax administration functions of the four major tax institutions in Barbados, under a single umbrella, the Barbados Revenue Authority.” That is part of Barbados fiscal reform process as well, he said, because the Barbados government knows that on average between 2030 per cent of the loss of tax revenue comes through inefficient administration. He said: “If we can improve administration we will be able to increase the returns.” In a separate interview, Central Bank of Barbados Governor, Delisle Worrell, said that in an economy like Barbados, the key element is the critical importance of foreign exchange. “Small, open economies like ours are engines that run on foreign exchange and that’s the crucial difference between a small economy and a large economy like Brazil. A large economy like Brazil can grow
As many as 26 Colombian children killed in fire on church bus (Reuters) - As many as 26 people, most believed to be children, were killed and others injured in northern Colombia when fire broke out on a bus taking them to a church event, local media reported. The mayor of the town of Fundacion near the Caribbean coast told Caracol Radio the burned bodies of 26 children had been found and President Juan Manuel Santos lamented on Twitter an accident causing at least 15 deaths. The mayor, Luz Stella Duran, said 40 to 50 children had been travelling on the bus accompanied only by the driver. Around 10 children were receiving medical attention, she said. Pictures on local media web sites showed the charred, smoking frame of the burned bus. It was not clear how the fire started.
on its own resources because everything that it needs it can produce domestically. “If you are small, the world is ruled by economies of scale. So if you look at any small economy, even the most diversified one is only going to have five or six activities that they are able to produce at internationally competitive prices.” The central banker said the range of consumption that a small country needs to support modern lifestyles is vast compared with what the small country produces. So that economy always has to be run through the foreign exchange engine, which is the essential difference between large and small countries. Asked if he would aggree that there are more ways in which the economies of Barbados and T&T are similar than there are differences, Worrell said the main difference is that the Barbados is a service economy while T&T produces physical goods. Worrell said: “This makes your economy easier to manage in certain respects.
For example, it is easier to trace the inflows of foreign exchange in the T&T economy. When Barbados was a sugar economy, it was easier for us to do that as well. We exported a certain amount of sugar and there was a certain amount of foreign exchange that came in.” While stating that tourism is difference as the foreign exchange inflows are more difficult to trace, the central banker said: “Effectively the way the two economies works is exactly the same. We have more in common in terms of the challenges of dealing with an economy where you do not have the diversified production structure, which limits options in terms of how the economy is expanded and stabilised.” Worrell was asked this question: If there are more ways in which the economies of Barbados and T&T are similar, is there a lesson that Barbados can learn from T&T with regard to the flotation of the TT dollar in April 1993? He said: “Not really because the gain that T&T gets from its devaluation is the fiscal
gain. Because T&T exports physical goods—such as oil, natural gas and petrochemicals—it knows how much foreign exchange it is getting and most of the foreign exchange comes to the Central Bank.” He agreed that this means that T&T gets more TT dollars from its exports when there is a devaluation. Asked if the situation was not the same for Barbados, Worrell said: “No, no no because we do not actually know or see the physical dollars from tourism. They come into the economy but you can’t say how much is due.” He said that if Barbados were to devalue, it could get less Barbados dollars from it because the apprehension about devaluation, even before you devalue, causes people to take defensive positions. Worrell said that happened last year which was one of the reasons the Barbados authorities has been at pains to reassure people that “there is no prospect of a devaluation in Barbados.”
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Kaieteur News
Monday May 19, 2014
Monday May 19, 2014
Kaieteur News
TURKEY PROSECUTOR: 3 FACE CHARGES IN MINE DISASTER ISTANBUL (AP) — Three people were arrested on charges of negligence in the Turkish mining disaster that killed 301 people, a prosecutor said yesterday. The suspects are among 19 people still in custody. Prosecutor Bekir Sahiner said the three were also accused of the crime of causing the death of more than one person, a charge that doesn’t imply intent. In a news conference in Soma, where the disaster took place, he said that one of those arrested was the company’s operations manager. The manager is Akin Celik, though Sahiner didn’t name him. A total of 25 people were initially detained and six of them have been released, Sahiner said. The charges can lead to sentences of between three and 15 years in prison, according to the Turkish penal code. Other company executives were among the
detained as Turkish officials investigate the mining disaster. The Dogan news agency reported earlier that Ramazan Dogru, general manager of the mine owned by Soma Holding was detained. Government and company officials have insisted that the mine was inspected regularly and negligence wasn’t a factor in Tuesday’s tragedy. But reacting to widespread public anger, government officials promised to investigate and pledged that any mine officials found to be negligent would be punished. The Milliyet newspaper said Saturday that a preliminary report by a mine safety expert who inspected the Soma mine suggested that smoldering coal caused the mine’s roof to collapse. The report said the tunnel’s support beams were made of wood, not metal, and the mine had too
Two young girls pray at the cemetery in the coal miners’ town of Soma, Turkey, yesterday. (AP Photo/Emre Tazegul) few carbon monoxide sensors. Company officials have described safety standards as high, noting that the mine contained 50 gas sensors and employees were provided with gas masks.
On Saturday, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said rescue workers retrieved the bodies of the last two miners missing in the disaster, putting the death toll at 301. Authorities then sealed the mine entrance with bricks.
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Myanmar democracy icon challenges powerful army MANDALAY, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar ’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday challenged the powerful army to help amend the constitution that is barring her from running for president in next year’s general elections. The Nobel laureate said that that the army is dutybound to safeguard the country and should not be involved in running the administration. Her comments during a rally in the second largest city of Mandalay drew loud cheers. Myanmar started moving from a half century of dictatorship to democracy three years ago, but the army still lurks heavily in the shadows. The 2008 constitution drawn by the former military rulers gives the army 25 percent of all parliamentary seats, allows it to appoint three cabinet ministers and have veto power in changing the constitution. Suu Kyi spent much of the last 20 years under house arrest, but she has been cozying up to the military since she was elected to
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi parliament in 2012, in hopes of winning favors so the constitution could be changed before the 2015 polls. An article in the constitution says anyone whose spouse or children owes allegiance to a foreign power cannot become president or vice president. Suu Kyi’s sons are British nationals. Several other provisions are also under scrutiny for revision, and some proposed changes would strengthen self-government in regions of the country dominated by ethnic minorities.
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Balkans flooding threatens Serbia power plants, 37 dead
Bosnian people are rescued from their flooded houses by boat in the village of Vidovice near Orasje 200 kms north of Sarajevo, yesterday. (AP Photo/Amel Emric) (Reuters) - Soldiers, police and villagers battled to protect power plants in Serbia from rising flood waters yesterday as the death toll from the Balkan region’s worst rainfall in more than a century reached 37. Twelve bodies were recovered from the worst-hit Serbian town of Obrenovac, 30 km (18 miles) southwest of the capital, Belgrade, but the
number was likely to rise as waters receded. “The situation is catastrophic,” Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters. Hundreds of soldiers and residents scrambled to raise sandbag barriers around the perimeter of the Kostolac power plant east of Belgrade, where a Reuters cameraman said waters from the swollen
River Mlava, a tributary to the much larger River Danube, had come to within a kilometre. Workers at the plant joined the effort, digging up a road in a bid to divert waters that threatened to flood nearby coal mines. The Kostolac plant supplies 20 percent of Serbia’s electricity needs. Russian cargo planes
carrying boats, generators and food joined rescue teams from around Europe and thousands of local volunteers in evacuating people and building flood defences after the River Sava, swollen by days of torrential rain, burst its banks. Rains eased and flood waters receded yesterday in some of the worst-hit areas of Serbia and Bosnia, but the Sava was forecast to rise further. Thousands of people have been displaced. Serbia’s EPS power utility said a fresh flood wave also threatened Serbia’s largest power plant, the Nikola Tesla in Obrenovac. Flooding had already cut Serbian power generation by 40 percent, forcing the cashstrapped country to boost imports. “More and more water is getting closer but for the timebeing the sandbag defence barriers are holding,” Tanjug news
agency quoted Kostolac general manager Dragan Jovanovic as saying. The economic impact of the floods is likely to be huge, devastating the agricultural sector vital to both the Serbian and Bosnian economies. Vucic said a fire and flooding of surface mines on Friday at the Kolubara coalfired power plant southwest of Belgrade had caused damage of at least 100 million euros (81.4 million pounds). “These are the kind of waters not seen in 1,000 years, let alone 100,” Vucic told a televised cabinet session. He said 12 bodies had been recovered from Obrenovac after waters dropped from a peak of some three metres (10 feet). At least five more were reported dead elsewhere in Serbia. In Bosnia, 19 people were confirmed dead, with nine bodies recovered from the
northeastern town of Doboj after what the regional police chief described as a “tsunami” of water. A Reuters cameraman at the scene said half the town was still submerged. Soldiers delivered food and medical supplies by truck, boat and bulldozer. Cranes lifted medical workers into some homes and removed stranded residents from others. Zeljka Cvijanovic, prime minister of Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic, compared the devastation to Bosnia’s 1992-95 war, in which 100,000 people died. “The damage is such that we cannot recall even after the war,” she told reporters. In Croatia, the government said one person had died and two were missing in flooded villages in an eastern corner of the country near Bosnia and Serbia. The army used amphibious vehicles to help evacuate some 3,000 people.
Iran voices tougher line on planned nuclear reactor DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran appeared to take a harder line in its nuclear dispute with world powers yesterday by dismissing as “ridiculous” one idea that could allay Western concerns about a planned atomic research reactor. The fate of the heavywater reactor at Arak, which has not yet been completed, is one of several thorny issues in talks between Iran and six powers aimed at reaching a long-term deal on Tehran’s nuclear program by an agreed July 20 deadline. “It is ridiculous that the power of the (Arak) reactor would be cut from 40 megawatts to 10 megawatts”, nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi said, the official IRNA news agency reported. Western powers fear the Arak plant - 250 km (150 miles) southwest of Tehran - could provide a supply of plutonium - one of two materials, along with highly enriched uranium, that can trigger a nuclear explosion once operational. Iran says it would produce isotopes for medical treatments, and denies any of its nuclear work is aimed at making a bomb. If operating optimally, Arak could produce about nine kg (20 pounds) of plutonium annually, enough for about two atom bombs, the U.S. Institute for Science and International Security says. Araghchi made no other
Abbas Araghchi reference to the idea in the remarks carried by IRNA, and it was not clear whether such a reduction in electrical power at the planned facility had been formally proposed at the latest round of talks last week. But possible options that could allow Iran to keep the reactor at Arak while satisfying the West that it would not be used for military purposes include reducing its megawatt capacity and altering the way it will be fuelled, experts say. Iran’s atomic energy organization chief said in February Tehran was prepared to modify Arak, while insisting that Western concerns over Arak were a ploy to apply pressure on Tehran. The fate of Arak was a big hurdle in talks last year that led to a landmark agreement
to curb sensitive aspects of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for some easing of sanctions. Araghchi said Iran’s negotiating team would do its utmost to get an accord by July 20 based on the country’s “red lines,” but it would not be a “tragedy” if no deal was reached by then. Iran’s red lines include preserving the Arak reactor and maintaining the enrichment capabilities. He said the talks would resume in Vienna on June 1620. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on his Twitter account that a deal was “possible”. “Back from Vienna after tough discussions. Agreement is possible. But illusions need to go. Opportunity shouldn’t be missed again like in 2005,” Zarif tweeted. Zarif was referring to a 2005 proposal for Iran to convert all of its enriched uranium to fuel rods, making it impossible to use it for nuclear weapons. The proposal was rejected as the United States was not prepared to accept any level of Iranian nuclear enrichment. Today, Western diplomats privately acknowledge that forcing Iran to halt all uranium enrichment, as stipulated in U.N. Security Council resolutions, is unrealistic given the scale of the work and resistance from Tehran.
Monday May 19, 2014
Kaieteur News
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India’s Modi grapples with first challenge - filling his cabinet NEW DELHI - (Reuters) India’s prime minister-to-be Narendra Modi was huddled in discussions with close aides and advisers yesterday, finalising the names of people to join his cabinet and grappling with the crucial decision of who will be his finance minister. Two days after he won a thumping victory in the general election, there was little clarity about who Modi would include in his team, even in other key portfolios like defence, interior and external affairs. The alliance led by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 336 of the 543 seats in India’s lower house of parliament, making it the first time in a quarter of a century that the country will not be led by a coalition government. One of his most important decisions will be whether to name front-runner Arun Jaitley to the finance minister’s post. Jaitley is eminently suited, sources in the BJP said, but he was defeated in his race for a parliamentary seat and that is a minus point.Yet Jaitley is a former commerce minister, is regarded as a capable administrator, and is one of the few people in the party who has experience but is not too old at 61. Modi and his inner circle have played their cards close to their chests and are unlikely to reveal who will take senior cabinet posts until a meeting of the BJP parliamentary leadership tomorrow, one senior party
leader said. Modi was considering merging some ministries to streamline government, other sources said. The meeting is expected to confirm Modi as the party’s parliamentary leader, after which he will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to formally start the process of forming the government. He is likely to be sworn in as prime minister this week. The BJP was last in power 10 years ago, and some of the ministers who served then are now past their sell by date, leaving Modi a relatively small pool of experience at his disposal. On the plus side, the party’s runaway success in the election has brought a lot of new faces into the decision-making lower house of parliament. All government ministers have to be members of parliament, either the upper or lower house, although they have six months to comply. Jaitley remains a member of the upper house. Like outgoing finance minister P. Chidambaram, Jaitley is a corporate lawyer and a suave Englishspeaking politician seen as a moderate in the Hindu nationalist BJP. He would be a popular choice with investors. “It doesn’t change the situation all that much,” said a senior figure in the party, referring to Jaitley’s defeat in the city of Amritsar. “He’s already a member of parliament and he is a trusted person for Modi-ji. It’s still a strong possibility. Whether
Narendra Modi he lost is not a big issue.” Another party source concurred he remained the front-runner for finance. “If you look very carefully we don’t have too many options,” the source said. Other sources close to Modi’s campaign say the final decision on who will become finance minister has not yet been taken, with other names being mentioned that include Deepak Parekh, the chairman of the Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited, and K. V. Kamath, a former chairman of Infosys and CEO of ICICI, a bank. Neither has political experience but sources have said Modi may look to competent leaders in the states, or even try to bring professionals into his cabinet. On Saturday, Jaitley himself was asked about the shortage of experienced hands available and seemed to hint that Modi might draw
Labour seeks inquiry into Serco after sexual assault allegation (Reuters) - The Labour Party has urged the government to investigate the way outsourcing company Serco runs an immigration detention centre after an allegation of sexual assaults there. The call follows a report in the Observer newspaper that Serco failed to properly investigate an allegation that one of its staff repeatedly assaulted a female resident at the Yarl’s Wood centre in central England. In a statement, Serco said the sexual assault accusation had been investigated and that there was no case to answer. Serco is trying to restore its reputation after a series of scandals over contracts including one when it was found to have overcharged the British government on a deal to monitor criminals with
tags. The Observer based its report on an internal Serco document, which it said was made public last week after a four-month legal battle with the company. “These are shocking allegations of a despicable nature,” said Yvette Cooper, Labour spokeswoman on home affairs. “We asked the government to instigate a joint inquiry of Serco operations by the prisons and borders inspectors over two months ago. That action is now unavoidable and the government must accept our case and hold that inquiry,” the MP added. Keith Vaz, chairman of parliament’s home affairs select committee, planned to summon senior Serco figures to parliament next month to discuss the issue, the
Observer reported. Yarl’s Wood is a holding centre used mainly to house women who are facing deportation. Cooper had previously called for an inquiry after the death of a 40-year-old woman there in March. “When a complaint of sexually inappropriate behaviour between a member of staff and a resident was brought to our attention in January 2011, the matter was investigated by our own team as well as by the Home Office Professional Standards Unit and Bedfordshire Police,” said Norman Abusin, Serco’s director at the Yarl’s Wood centre. “All parties concluded that the allegations made against our employee were false and no criminal charges were brought.”
on younger blood. “I think you know, politics abhors a vacuum, and when people are given a responsibility they fill in that space that is required, it is only then that people occupy that space,” Jaitley told television network CNN-IBN. Modi, 63, is entering New Delhi’s power circle for the first time after running the western state of Gujarat for 13 years. He was named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate last year and ran a stunning election campaign with a tight group of trusted aides, sidelining many senior party leaders. A stream of BJP dignitaries called on Modi at the Gujarat government’s Delhi office yesterday, and the prime minister elect was due to discuss the cabinet with the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization that is an ideological parent to the BJP. Like many of the BJP’s top brass, Modi was a fulltime volunteer in the RSS before joining mainstream politics, but his free-market economic
vision at times clashes with the organization’s India-first leanings. During a religious ceremony on the banks of the Ganges river in the holy city of Varanasi on Saturday, Modi sat flanked by his closest lieutenants, party president Rajnath Singh and long-term aide Amit Shah. After Modi, the person who emerged with the most glory in the election was Shah, who ran the BJP’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh, where the party won an unprecedented 71 seats out of 80 in the country’s politically most important state. Shah, who served as home minister in Modi’s home state of Gujarat, is the new prime minister’s most trusted aide and would be an obvious choice for a top job if it were not for one thing he has three charges of murder against him. Almost every other major post seems to still be up for grabs, with no clarity yet on who will take over defence, foreign affairs, trade and the home (interior) ministry.
Expectations are that these top jobs will go to seniors in the party, including party president Singh, who is being considered to run the powerful home ministry or defence ministry but may be unwilling to leave his current job. Sushma Swaraj, who led the opposition in the lower house of parliament for the past five years but is not close to Modi, is also likely to get a top post as is party treasurer, businessman Piyush Goyal. Modi, who campaigned on promises of “smaller government, more governance,” may look at restructuring and merging some ministries, in particular those that deal with energy, BJP sources said. India currently has separate ministries for petroleum, power, coal and renewable energy. “There will be less number of ministries...that decision should come when the cabinet is decided,” said Gopal Agarwal, a member of BJP’s executive committee who was until recently the head of its economic cell.
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Monday May 19, 2014
GCB inter-county U-19 cricket
Demerara capture double crown with 6wkt win against President’s X1 in Final By Sean Devers A carefully constructed unbeaten 77 from Man-ofthe-Match Taignarine Chanderpaul yesterday gave Demerara a four-wicket win against the President’s X1 in the final of the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) under19 inter-county 50-over tournament at Bourda. In a final, watched by a handful of spectators and which lacked excitement and spark, President’s X1, led by 54 from Sunil Singh fell for 148 in 43 overs on a slow track before Chanderpaul, who batted 48.5 overs and faced 154 balls and Ronaldo Renee (28) added 77 in a second partnership as the host laboured to 150-4 to add the 50-over title to their three-day trophy. Played in brilliant sunshine on a slightly heavy outfield, Chanderpaul, who hit four fours, two off the last two balls of the contest with nine runs required for victory from 12 balls, and Renee
joined forces in the third over at 8-1 after National under-19 opener Brian Sattaur (7) played a reckless swipe, high to mid-on off pacer Gavin Moriah. The pair made free scoring a most difficult task in a partnership as exciting as watching paint dry as they took 20 overs to post the 50. There were intermittent flashes of brilliance with Renee hooking pacer Ronaldo Mohamed for four and Chanderpaul smashing spinner Damian Waldron for an exquisite four after elegantly caressing Moriah to the boundary. Renee was bowled by Ryan Shun after batting 57 balls to leave the score on 852 in the 28th over and Demerara lost two more wickets as they struggled to score freely. But Chanderpaul, a first-class left-hander, timed the run chase to perfection and after taking 118 balls for his 50, and achieved victory for his team with successive
boundaries off Mohamed with seven balls to spare. Earlier, President’s X1 lost Shun (1) with two runs on the board before Singh and Waldron (23) took the score to 53 when Waldron was trapped LBW. Mohamed chipped in with 23 before he was bowled by leg-spinner Steven Sankar at 98-4 after Chanderpaul, bowling leftarm spin, had Nick Ramsaroop (1) stumped. Sankar, Cleon McEwan and Michael Hubbard each took two wickets for the Champions but the batsmen on both teams struggled to score in an atmosphere that was as depressing as the present state of Guyana’s cricket.
GSA’s Woodpecker National... From page 28 Alec Melville Third Matthew Phang Fourth Girls Under 17 Larissa Wiltshire Winner Taylor Fernandes Second Rebecca Low Third Makeda Harding Fourt Boys Under 19 Nyron Joseph Winner Ben Mekdeci Second Alec Melville Third Matthew Phang Fourth Girls Under 19 Akeila Wiltshire Winner Larissa Wiltshire Second Taylor Fernandes Third Most Improved Boy Ben Mekdeci Most Improved Girl Makeda Harding Most Outstanding Boy Shomari Wiltshire Most Outstanding Girl Makeda Harding Trophies were handed out by Robert Fernandes representative of the sponsors Woodpecker Products Ltd.