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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
Politicising the public service Just over two decades ago public servants were just thatpublic servants. They were never openly involved in politics and they were the effective buffer between the political Minister and the rest of the staff. No public servant would have turned up at a political meeting wearing party colours, not even when the People’s National Congress appeared to be the major power in the country. Public servants were required to attend the congresses of the ruling party because the then Party Leader, Forbes Burnham, who was also the president of the country, said that they needed to explain to the people why certain things were happening at a certain time. These public servants were also required to attend General Council meetings of the PNC, but they were never considered to be politicians. They never held political office. Permanent Secretaries were the advisers to the Minister. They were the people responsible for offering critical advice to the Ministers who in turn was expected to seek the relevant political solution. Those old enough would realize that Permanent Secretaries were so removed from politics that they were never caught up in any movement. But this changed radically when President Cheddi Jagan assumed office. He immediately called for the resignation of all the Permanent Secretaries. There were some protestations from the wider society; President Jagan was politicizing the public service. To his credit, he said that presidents all over the world appoint those with whom they are comfortable. Indeed they appoint judges and other professionals. Pretty soon legally constituted bodies ceded their responsibilities to politicians. Things reached the stage where public servants felt beholden to the politicians. There was the case of the appointment of Justice James Bovell-Drakes as a judge. The Judicial Service Commission, a constitutional body, had approved his appointment but there was the then President Bharrat Jagdeo. Justice Bovell-Drakes had been a member of the youth arm of the People’s National Congress in his earlier days. So intense was Jagdeo’s hatred for anything that appeared to be in opposition to his party that he made the judicial appointment a political issue. It took the threat of a massive protest that could have shut down the judiciary to force Jagdeo to accede. Indeed, once the appointment was made, the political administration had no control over the appointed judge. But Jagdeo had one fail safe method-do not confirm the judge so that he would always be beholden to the political directorate. Many, not least among them Justice Jainarayan Singh was one who suffered. His crime was to rule against the government when all the evidence suggested that the government was wrong. The police had destroyed a building owned by Norman Trotz in pursuit of Linden London. Trotz petitioned the court and Justice Jainarayan Singh said that the government must compensate Trotz. That was only one case. In later days we saw the total politicization of the public service. Permanent Secretaries opted to join a political campaign. In the just concluded elections some of them even appeared on the ticket as candidates for a political party. The politicization of the public service was complete. The new President, David Granger, wants a professional public service once more. He is asking that once more the focus be put on people and public service rather than on a political party. Bias is a natural part of human life so he knows that there would be political bias but that should not affect professionalism. So where do we begin? Granger says that he proposes to have a school for public servants “so that they could learn to spell”. He also expects politicians to be good advisers to Ministers and not serving politicians. But there should never have been such a call. In many countries, public servants are allowed their freedom. We have seen ambassadors continue on office even when the presidency or the party changes. In neighbouring Trinidad and even in Jamaica, there is no interference with the public service. We had to be different because we wanted total control of the country.
Thursday May 21, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
President Granger has already put his stamp on the country DEAR EDITOR, David Granger has only been sworn in as President for a few days now, but he has already put his stamp on the country, not only with the re-naming of the Office of the President but also by initiating a cleanliness campaign in Georgetown and throughout the country. The collection of garbage and efforts to clean Georgetown which is the stronghold of APNU-AFC was not even mentioned much less discussed during the election campaign. However, dissatisfaction among city residents over the garbage situation ran deep. The PPP abandoned almost everything in the capital, including the Independence Arch – a monument it left to rot. It is well known that the Mayor and City Council do not have the power and wherewithal to solve the financial woes facing the city. The PPP administration refused to allow the PNC arm of the City to function in its official capacity. In fact, they sidelined the Council and allowed the PPPappointed Town Clerk to run the city. But during the election campaign, the President suddenly became a born-again convert to the doctrine of greater autonomy and self-determination for City Council. He promised that if elected, the PPP government would allocate a
share of the national budget to the City Council of Georgetown and other local authorities to manage the affairs of their respective cities. Again, this was another empty promise to the people. Georgetown has oftentimes been described as the Garden City. During colonialism, the British had expressed much wonder at its beauty. However, a trip around the Georgetown these days will reveal that it has lost much of its pristine condition and immaculate scenery. Its natural beauty has been destroyed not by acts of war or natural disasters but by environmental degradation and by the uncaring and unconscionable PPP regime. For years, the City’s beautiful waterways have become rife with pollution, sewage, garbage and silt. What Jagdeo and Ramotar did not do in 15 years, President Granger has done in less than a week after becoming president. He is leading the Coalition government to start a “clean up the city” campaign. The beautification program is accompanied by a public-education and awareness campaign. It will not be a one-stop project, but a n o n g o i n g a c t i v i t y. President Granger has declared zero tolerance towards uncleanliness with the enforcement of the Anti-
litter Act, which the police have paid very little attention to over the years. Cleanliness must be a habit that is inculcated in the minds of the young people from as early as at the basic school level. A filthy environment can affect the mind in a negative way. Perhaps that is why there is so much violence, physical and verbal, in the depressed communities. The fact is, Guyana had an uncaring regime when it comes to the environment. The people have found it amusing, if not bemusing, that the former government would allow garbage to pile up in the city and then at the same time try to promote tourism. Will tourists visit a country that has a stinking capital city? For too long, Guyanese have endured some very dark
days under the PPP and today they are thankful that the APNU+AFC Coalition has won the election. They were fed-up with being deceived for years. The people have seen what has been happening for the past two decades and did not want it to continue. They were not going to sit back and let the PPP oppress them anymore. So on May 11, they came together as one people and took back the country from the grasp of heartless politicians. They were ready for a change. It was time for new faces. There are a lot more issues to be addressed and I am just barely scratching the surface, but I am confident that the newly elected Coalition government will address all those issues and more. Dr. Asquith Rose
Where will our customers park now? DEAR EDITOR, We are business people operating for years now in the Bourda area on Regent Street. Within the last few days, we were told by police that our cars must be parked in an east to west/west to east direction, to ease congestion. This in our opinion would not make sense as it would be taking up a lot of space, with no place for customers to park. Until now, cars were allowed to park diagonally. To allow for the new request will mean one car taking up the space of three. Where will our customers park now? Our suggestion is that they cut the speed limit on Regent Street to 35 km/h and that would solve every problem… Regent St business owners
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Sugar workers need Guyana’s ethnic voting pattern immediate re-assurance has remained constant DEAR EDITOR, The evidence shows that Guyana’s ethnic voting pattern has remained constant with each passing election. This recent election was no different. I have come to the conclusion that the overemphasis on the need for cross-over voting as the solution to our ethnic polarization is not a very sound approach. When parties talk about cross-over voting, they mean voters crossing over to them from the opposite group, but not the other way around. For example, while APNU-AFC craved Indian Guyanese voters going over to the Coalition, they obviously were not counting on African Guyanese voters going over to the PPP. If 5% of African Guyanese had voted for the PPP, it would have looked good for the advocates of cross-over
voting, but the Coalition would have lost. I think more emphasis should be placed on how to produce a positive outcome from a seemingly negative political behaviour. The evolution of Partnership Politics from 2011 based on a genuine commitment to jointness may have provided us with more than a glimmer of hope. If we can add to that development, mechanisms for powersharing governance, we could make some headway. The results of the 2015 elections show that African and Indian Guyanese voted in traditional ways, with Africans generally voting for the APNU-AFC coalition and East Indians voting for the PPP. The Amerindians, as they have been doing in recent elections, divided their votes between the two entities, with the bigger share going to the PPP. While more Africans and
Amerindians voted for the Coalition, it is clear that a small percentage of East Indians gave their vote to the Coalition. It also seems that the PPP’s share of the African vote was miniscule. So what are the preliminary conclusions? First, while the support for both parties was dominated by one ethnic group, APNU/ AFC’s support seems to be more broad-based and representative of Guyana. Second, since APNU/AFC put before the electorate a National Unity platform and the prospect of an ethnically inclusive government, one can reasonably conclude that the Coalition voters voted for an inclusive government. Finally, the outcome of the elections shows that ethnic voting could create a multi-ethnic government with a genuinely multi-ethnic platform. David Hinds
DEAR EDITOR, My infrequent readings, of the Peeping Tom column, frequently unearth fallacies. On occasions, I have deemed them to be malicious. The most recent was in the column of May 19, 2015 in which it was postulated that “According to figures provided by Stabroek News, in Region 8 the PPPC lost by one vote”. While that is true, what followed: “With two additional votes in that Region, the PPPC would have held a majority in the National Assembly; there would have been a minority government” is fallacious and could only have been concluded out of ignorance; or total disrespect for the knowledge and intellect of the readership. An iota of knowledge of the proportional representation system would
only lead to one conclusion; that is that in such a system with only two parties obtaining seats there can never be a minority government. The minority government of 2011 resulted from three parties obtaining seats; none with a majority; and the party with the plurality prevailing. Knowledge of Guyana’s electoral system would have also enlightened the Peeping Tom that gaining an additional constituency seat does necessarily result in an increase of the overall number of seats obtained. It is the overall proportionality of
votes obtained that determines the final allocation of seats. A difference of two votes could not have offset a difference of approximately 5000 votes or given the PPPC a majority, which requires over 50% of the valid votes cast. Kaieteur News may be advised to review this idea of Peeping Toms, since inherent in peeping is the possibility of not seeing properly. The not infrequent fallaciousness of Peeping Tom may well be the validation of my hypothesis. Or is it the skill and competency of the peeper that make the difference? Vincent Alexander
Inherent in peeping is the possibility of not seeing properly
DEAR EDITOR, Firstly, I take this opportunity to heartily congratulate our new government and to wish us Guyanese well-deserved success as we confront the many daunting tasks awaiting attention. I also commend our new President for the re-assurances given so far as he so magnanimously did when he met with the employees of the erstwhile Office of the President. Based on my intimate connections with employees in the sugar industry, especially those in Berbice, I believe they also urgently require some assurances; after all, they are the largest bloc of employees in Guyana. The over-riding question thrown at me is: “Would the new government really convert the cane-fields into fish farms?” I believe the genesis of this question goes back to a letter in the media sometime ago to the effect that it
would be more profitable to convert the sugar cane fields to fish farms; this was conveniently manipulated during the elections campaign to drive fear in the minds of sugar workers. I know only too well that the sugar industry is plagued by numerous issues and untold problems to which solutions cannot be posited by a few simple sentences. However, given the rumblings among the anxious ‘rank and file’, the backbone of the nodal sugar industry, I believe a simple statement to dispel the fear of converting cane lands to fish farms will be most welcome among the concerned sugar workers who are the bona fide primary stakeholders of the sugar industry. There is really no need for me to belabor the importance of early strategic communication to allay undue and unnecessary anxieties. Nowrang Persaud
Measures need to be put in place to prevent anyone from witch hunting DEAR EDITOR, I think it is the height of impropriety for the Commissioner of Police to even think of posting senior officers in what surely was a clandestine act to preempt the incoming Minister of Home Affairs. I had cause to write a previous letter which your newspaper did not see fit to publish on the attitude of this particular office holder with regard to his senior officers. But perhaps this attempt might be more acceptable to whatever your editorial policy happens to be. The implications of several aspects of the Commissioner’s move need to be examined in the context of his professional worldview. First I would like to reflect on the significance of replacing Assistant Commissioner Leslie James with his deputy at a time when James is making some inroads
into the unsolved murder cases. Remember that Seelall Persaud was within the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for most of his career in the force, but ironically despite being the officer with the most overseas courses under his belt he has not one significant breakthrough that he could identify as his contribution to good detective work. Just pass by CID Headquarters to have an idea of what Persaud presided over. It would be interesting to know if he ever presented a proposal for disposing of those vehicles which have been an eyesore in that compound for over twentyfive years. If anything, experienced team players like Assistant Commissioners Marlon Chapman and Winston Cosbert have done more in terms of positive outcomes in
the field of criminal investigations. You may well ask why those men are not contributing in this line, particularly with the government’s apparent concern about getting on top of crime. The simple answer is control. The available evidence supported by anecdotes suggests that a burning Commissioner would like to retain the type of day to day control that he formerly had over CID. This would not be possible with an assertive Cosbert or Chapman. Leslie James is more self-effacing, and not given to being confrontational even in the face of extreme provocation that has been his lot since assuming the head of law enforcement under the current commissioner. However, James was never (Continued on page 31)
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Kaieteur News
Racial slurs cause driver to assault reporter
Terry Campbell A D’Urban Street minibus driver was on Tuesday, released on self-bail after he was accused of assaulting a News Update’s (Channel 65) reporter and news anchor. Terry Campbell, of Lot 11 D’Urban Street, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that on May 16, at Georgetown, he unlawfully assaulted Courdel Jones. According to reports Campbell and several other persons in a minibus were hurling racial remarks. Jones and an elderly woman who were occupants of the vehicle at the time became startled as the remarks were being hurled. The elderly woman intervened and the occupants of the minibus, including the driver began arguing with her.
Thursday May 21, 2015
Joseph Harmon sworn in as - Cabinet Secretary Minister of State Post likely for AFC
Courdel Jones However, Jones rose in defence of the elderly woman; he also made several comments on the issue. After Campbell heard the comments made by Jones, he stopped the bus, exited and dealt Jones several cuffs to his face. According to Jones, the conductor and other passengers participated in assaulting him. During a bail application, Campbell’s Attorney informed the Magistrate that the matter would be settled outside of the court. But this was quickly refuted by Jones. Nonetheless, the driver was placed on a bond to keep the peace pending the outcome of the matter. The case will be called again on June 9, before Magistrate Annette Singh.
President David Granger, yesterday swearing in retired Army Colonel Joseph Harmon as the Minister of State of the Ministry of the Presidency, a new position. President, Brigadier (Rtd.) David Granger, Commanderin-Chief yesterday swore-in retired Army Colonel Joseph Harmon as the Minister of State of the Ministry of the Presidency. President Granger explained that Harmon’s official position will be that of Minister of State with duties similar to those that were carried out by previous Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon. He explained that the difference will be that this position will now be a political
appointment, a Government statement said. The new administration, which was declared a oneseat winner in last week Monday’s General Elections, has vowed to build stronger cooperation and coordination among the different agencies and partners of the government and the regions. “We do not want an overbearing central government; we want a high level of coordination,” he said. He explained that the role of the Cabinet Secretary will now be separate. Under
the previous administration, the roles of the HPS and the Cabinet Secretary were carried out by one individual, Dr. Roger Luncheon. The President said that he expects that the Cabinet Secretary will be a public servant post and under agreement will go to the Alliance for Change (AFC), one of the factions in the governing coalition. Harmon completed his law degree at Cave Hill in Barbados before attending the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad. On
completion of his law studies, he served for some time in the army’s legal services department, where he was the Commanding Officer and he did prosecution work. After 23 years in the Guyana Defence Force, and another 15 years as a lawyer in private practice, Harmon became an “active politician” eventually becoming a face in the 10th Sitting of the National Assembly, as A Partnership For National Unity’s (APNU) Shadow Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.
Alleged chain snatcher granted bail Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, on Tuesday granted an alleged chain snatcher bail in the sum of $150,000, after he was on remand for several weeks. Kevin Mingo, 23, of Guyhoc Park appeared in court last month and denied
that on April 27, at Albouystown, whilst being armed with a gun, he robbed Anfernie Catanzaro of two gold chains. Mingo, a gold miner, further denied that on the day in question, at the same location, he robbed Patrick
Dundas of two gold chains. Mingo was granted his pre trial liberty after a bail application was made by his lawyer. The Prosecutor had no objections to bail and he will make his next court appearance on June 12. On his latter court appearance he was denied bail citing the seriousness, prevalence an d p e n a l t y attached to the offence. According to Corporal Bharrat Mangru, Dundas and Catanzaro were about to enter a car parked on James Street, when the accused rode up on his bicycle, pulled out
Kevin Mingo a gun and relieved them of the articles mentioned in the charge. It was also related by the Prosecution that Mingo after the robbery, tried to escape on the said bicycle but was caught by the victims.
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
Netanyahu renews support for two-state solution with Palestinians
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his commitment yesterday to a two-state solution of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, after backtracking on that pledge during a heated campaign for a March election. Speaking as he met with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on her first visit to the region, and a week after his new government took office, Netanyahu said: “We want a peace that would end the conflict once and for all ... I don’t support a one-state solution, I don’t believe that’s a solution at all, I support the vision of two states for two peoples.” He reiterated Israel’s longstanding demand that any Palestinian state established in land Israel captured in a 1967 war should be demilitarized, and said he hoped to discuss with Mogherini “how we can advance that vision forward”. One the eve of the March 17 election, with polls putting him behind centre-left rivals, Netanyahu went back on a 2009 pledge to back a Western goal of achieving a two-state solution with the Palestinians, saying he would not permit a Palestinian state to be
established under his watch. Although Netanyahu subsequently argued that he had not been opposing Palestinian state in principle, U.S. President Barack Obama said the comments had made it “hard to find a path” back to serious peace negotiations, and told Netanyahu Washington would have to reassess its policies in the Middle East. Peace negotiations brokered by Washington last broke off in April 2014 in a dispute over Jewish settlement building in occupied land and Palestinian accusations that Israel had
not fulfilled all the terms of a promised prisoner release. Mogherini told Palestinian leaders at a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah that Europe was committed to getting talks restarted, and similarly told Netanyahu she wanted to discuss “opportunities to relaunch the peace process” with him. Some EU diplomats believe Mogherini sees a chance for European diplomacy in the Middle East in the absence of a major new push from Washington as President Barack Obama approaches his final 18 months in office.
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Thursday May 21, 2015
Thursday May 21, 2015
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ELECTRONIC VOTING One solution to improve the efficiency of polling and the accuracy of tallying and declaring the votes cast in political elections is through the use of electronic voting. Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were used in all polling stations in India during that country’s general elections. These machines were initially introduced in India on a pilot scale and then eventually rolled out to be used in all elections. If these EVMs could have been employed in the hundreds of thousands of polling stations across India, how come they cannot be used in Guyana? These machines have a number of advantages. For one, once balloting is closed, the ballots do not have to be counted. They can be
tabulated electronically. Electronic voting also totally eliminates spoilt votes. In the last elections in Guyana, the PPPC lost Region Eight by one vote. The party wanted a recount of this Region. In other Regions, it felt that it may have picked up more votes had a large number of its votes not been classified as spoilt votes. In electronic voting there are no spoilt votes. As such, one ground of contention is removed. There is also no need to physically count the votes at the closing of the polls. The machines do this and provide a summary of the total votes cast for each party. The EVMs also safeguards against inaccurate counts and clerical mistakes. They ensure accurate tabulations. The machines
Dem boys seh ...
Soulja Bai got dem clapping Yesterday, was a day that mek people who never wear sunshades put on one. De Soulja Bai summon all dem heads of department, all dem get Pee Ess to de Convention Centre to read de Riot Act to dem. De meeting was set fuh 11. Dem boys peep Soulja Bai and notice he crawl in de place since ten o’clock fuh this 11 o’clock meeting. This kind of behavior baffle dem boys. Dem always know that people does got to go and wait pun de last head of state. De man had a reason. He want to watch dem full in dem face when dem walk in. Some of dem had on sunshades that cover up dem whole face, not only dem eye. Dem didn’t want Soulja Bai see de guilt in dem eyes. Is de first time dem boys notice so much thieves, scamps, hooligans and devils in one place. In fact dem had so much devils that people from Corentyne coulda smell de sulfah. And that is against de breeze. Imagine wha happen to dem pun de Essequibo Coast and Linden. Dem smell more than sulfah. Brassington was sitting there. He sit down next to Sharma, de husband of he partner in office. De Guyoil man sit down there too and de sulfah smell coming out. It mek Soulja Bai choke when he was talking. As he continue de meeting he talk nuff thing. He talk bout schooling and nobody clap. He talk bout retirement age and nobody ain’t clap because all of dem young. He talk bout salary increase and everybody clap. When he talk that he nah believe in witch-hunting all de crooks clap. Dem boys seh you shoulda see Brassington, he was clapping as cool as a cucumber. Dem boys was very surprise that he end up looking suh cool. But dem boys was standing next to some of dem who letting out air from dem behind like when car wheel puncture. And while some of dem was letting out gas at de meeting, de Telephone Company was letting out Shaama, and not C.N. He was heading de company, and de company head hear that Soulja Bai gun send plenty head rolling. De company decide fuh start de ball wid dem own head. Dem boys hear Soulja Bai seh that he don’t plan to roll heads suh easy. He want a prison warder close by when he rolling dem heads fuh de Wong Tings dem do. Su Wong marry Lee Wong. De next year, de Wongs have a new baby. De nurse bring out a lovely, healthy, bouncy, but definitely a White baby boy. Congrats, de nurse tell dem de parents. “Well Mr Wong, what will you and Mrs Wong name de baby.” De puzzled father looks at his new baby boy and says, “Two Wongs don’t make a white so I think I will name him Sum Ting Wong.” Talk half and watch Soulja Bai wong up some of dem scamps.
calculate the votes for each party and therefore there can be no fraud in the counting. The EVMs also allow in some cases for electronic transmission of the results. Eventually these machines are going to graduate to totally eliminate voter fraud. For example, it is only matter of time before fingerprint identification is integrated into the system, thus removing the possibility of persons voting for other persons. While the cost of EVMs is high, these machines can be reused multiple times and therefore recoup their costs. They also allow for a reduction in the number of polling staff at the polling stations, Polling agents are still required to observe the voting but you do not need more than two persons at the polling station other than the party’s polling agents. This will yield savings in costs. Of course, there are disadvantages. It does require some amount of technical expertise to be able to employ the many security features in the system. Some amount of technical knowledge is required of
those who will operate and oversee the system and this can throw up some challenges even in a highly literate society like Guyana. The system is also susceptible to suspicions. There is bound to be the belief that the machines are not tamper proof- and therefore they can be rigged. In the 1992 elections, there was a ridiculous rumour peddled in Guyana that the computers at GECOM were hooked up to the computers at Freedom House, the headquarters of the Peoples Progressive Party. A great many persons, not just idiots but many intelligent
individuals, believed this nonsense. In light of the high level of suspicion that permeates the electoral system in Guyana, the use of EVM’s will not reduce the level of mistrust. Yet, if Guyana is to improve its electoral management, it will eventually have to move towards using electronic voting machines. This decision however comes with the baggage of suspicion that the electronic voting can be compromised. One way of disabusing this suspicion is by rolling out electronic voting in phases, beginning with the elections
of political parties, sporting organizations and social clubs. The Guyana Elections Commission should obtain a few of these machines and offer to put them to use in the elections of these various social entities. Once people see how well they work, the roll out for political elections can then be done in phases. It is worth it.
28 Govt. vehicles suspiciously transferred days before elections, probe launched Days before the May 11 General and Regional Elections, several vehicles used by officials of the former administration were transferred to private officials. The matter is now being investigated by the new Government. According to sources from the Government and the Guyana Revenue Authority
(GRA), the Ministry of the Presidency has received a list of some 28 vehicles, including SUVs and cars that were transferred under suspicious circumstances between May 6-8, the week before the elections. Kaieteur News was reliably informed that they went to main family and friends of the previous
administration. Yesterday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, declined to comment on the matter saying that it was too early to make any statements. However, this newspaper was told that the list is in the possession of the President’s office, with engagements ongoing with the GRA on the matter.
7 year-old brain cancer patient succumbs …
Was unable to raise funds for surgery A seven-year-old child, who was suffering from a tumor of the brain, has died. Colleacia Harcourt, called Alicia of Litchfield Village, West Coast Berbice passed at around 6:30 pm, last evening. Harcourt who developed an intra-ventricular mass about two months ago, was scheduled to travel overseas for a neuro-surgical intervention but her family needed to raise to USD$35,000 or GD$7M for the surgery to be executed in Colombia. The family was only able to raise, GYD $ 2 million. Several weeks before her
diagnosis, Harcourt was described as a lively and talented child, who amused those around her. She was diagnosed after suffering from severe headaches coupled with episodes of vomiting. Medical Practitioners subsequently recommended A CAT scan and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain, which detected the malignant tumor. Harcourt needed urgent medical attention and intervention which was not available in Guyana. The JIPA network of Miami, Florida, USA had
7-year-old brain cancer patient, Colleacia Harcourt succumbed last evening
written the child’s parents to tell them that she can be saved if they can accumulate the funds for surgery in Colombia. However, the organisation stressed the importance of timely intervention; listing the deadline for surgery as May 23rd, 2015. Amidst the elections buzz last week, the child’s parents made an appeal to members of the public with the hope of raising enough money to get
her the necessary treatment. The parents, Shonetta and Travis Harcourt reported that the former Government had promised to make a $2 million donation since last April but that promise was never fulfilled. The frustrated couple had hoped that the elections process and the installment of the new President would have been completed in time for Colleacia to get the help she desperately needed.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 21, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
You lost a what… an election? In 1990, the communist, pro-Cuban Sandinista party in Nicaragua lost the General Elections. I saw Nigel Westmass of the WPA laughing his head off as he approached me. He had a Newsweek magazine in his hand. Nigel’s laughter was as large as the Amazon. He said, “Freddie look at this.” It was a cartoon in the magazine with President Fidel Castro sitting on a chair, and Daniel Ortega, the Nicaraguan president standing in front of him looking like a school boy before his headmaster, all scared of the punishment he is about to receive for a very terrible act. Castro said to Ortega, “You lost a what ... an election?” One could just imagine what went on inside Freedom House very early Tuesday morning when Ramotar, Rohee, Jagdeo, Teixeira, Charles Ramson Senior, Luncheon and others found
out the PPP was defeated. Rohee must have walked up to Ramotar and yelled; “Tell me you didn’t lose the election.” Gail Teixeira in her soporific Canadian accent would have shouted out, “Have we really lost the whole election Donald?” But it would have been the rage of Jagdeo that would have brought down the walls of Freedom House with his reverberations. A journalist at the press conference that Jagdeo held during the long wait for the GECOM results asked if it was true that Jagdeo had slapped Ramotar during a disagreement. Jagdeo muttered that it was all rumours. Such a rumour had to fly fast because for Jagdeo, the man who dominated Guyana with Napoleonic conquests, losing power was not scientifically possible. It would have been left to Jagdeo to imitate Castro and
shouted down to Ramotar with the inquiry, “You lost a what…the election?” For all PPP leaders fed on a diet of PPP’s messianic role in Guyanese history and the Jaganite mythology of invincibility, it was not humanely possible for the PPP to bring second in a national election. But here is where nonsense meets asininity. PPP leaders were fooling themselves during the campaign that they could not lose the 2015 poll. Baytoram Ramharack wrote a letter after the preliminary results were announced that contained the following words; “The coalition has succeeded in demonstrating that it was possible to destroy the one historically powerful weapon of the PPP/C that has been at the core of its very existence “ the ability to win General Elections.” Either Ramharack is being foolish or he is poor in his
research. The 2015 election defeat was not the first for the PPP. Ramharack had to know that the PPP lost the 2011 elections. Though I haven’t done the research, I believe there isn’t another Commonwealth state where a coalition is not possible after a General Election. If it wasn’t for that anomaly in our Constitution, this country would have been entering its fourth year as a new government. How can the PPP believe that it couldn’t lose general elections when that is what happened in 2011? What deceived the PPP is that they equated elections with power. The PPP lost the 2011 elections but still had power. This is where the PPP selfdestructed. It locked out completely from its mind what happened in 2011. And it did so because it still had domination over Guyana.
What happened in 2015 was a replay of 2011. The PPP got the same votes. APNU too. And the AFC. The result was the same - the PPP was defeated. Power evaded the PPP this time because the AFC and APNU teamed up. How Ramharack missed that should fool no one. He deliberately omitted the 2011 scenario. The question is why the PPP failed to do better in 2015 from what they got in 2011. That will take several columns. Obviously that will occupy the pen of all commentators who study the political landscape of this country. Obviously, the average citizen will want to know why. It should be explained to them. The PPP lost in 2011 and 2015 because every PPP leader was harboring under the illusion that the party of Cheddi Jagan could never lose an election. This illusion was
Frederick Kissoon dangerous because it blocked from reality the fact that the PPP from 2001 was no longer the party of Cheddi and Janet Jagan. Even when the PPP put Jagan’s son in Berbice to campaign in 2001, it lost. Even when the PPP appealed to Jagan’s daughter for support in 2015 and she gave it, the PPP lost. The PPP will continue to lose because Cheddi and Janet are dead. The PPP is billions of miles away from the PPP of the Jagan days, and Guyana has come a long way since Cheddi Jagan made the PPP undefeatable.
Thursday May 21, 2015
President David Granger signaled intentions to review the current retirement age for public servants, yesterday, saying that his administration also was not keen on placing too many Government workers on contracts. It was the first major engagement between the Head of State and Heads of Department since he was sworn in last Saturday at the Parliament Building. During the morning meeting at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre formerly the International Convention Centre at Liliendaal, the President said that he was expecting the quality of services to improve significantly across the country, with political appointments in the public service not likely to come anytime soon from his administration. He also said that he will be accepting a number of resignations from public servants who resigned from their posts to campaign for the People's Progressive Party (PPP) for the May 11. There were at least four senior officials and Department Heads under the Government whose names were on the lists for the PPP. These included Mahender Sharma, Head of the Guyana Energy Agency; Dr. Rajendra Persaud, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation; Collin Croal, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Local Government, Badri Persaud, Managing Director of Guyana Oil Company, Omar Shariff, Elisabeth Harper and Alexei Ramotar, Head of the troubled E-Governance Project. President Granger did not name the persons whose resignations he has accepted. It had been widely expected that a number of Heads of Department who have openly been in support of the previous PPP administration, would have been sent packing. However, President Granger made it clear that he was not in the business of witch-hunting. Rather he wanted all hands of deck. Regarding the role of public servants, Granger noted that they are the engine behind the smooth running of the executive, responsible for ensuring the necessary infrastructure and services are kept going to ensure a better quality of life for Guyanese. During his elections campaign work in recent months, especially in the hinterland, Granger said that he encountered large pockets of poverty with citizens having little or no access to television, radio,
Kaieteur News
telephone and even a newspaper. PUBLIC SERVICE ISAN ENGINE This all has to change, he said. The entire country must move forward and the engine to make that possible will be the public servants, he added. Systems will have to be strengthened in all the regions, spurred by a public service that will have to become more resourceful and reliable. Granger said that his vision for Guyana includes communities where people interact with community centres, playgrounds and increased economic activities. The reality is that pensioners in some communities face nightmarish experiences to collect their pensions. In the Rupununi, some paid $5,000 to travel to a location to collect their old age pension of $13,500. There is need for stronger regional administrations with banks, aerodromes and improved educational facilities in each region. President Granger, who is convinced that Guyana is the most bountiful and beautiful country in the Commonwealth, also announced plans to increase the number of townships, including for places like Mahdia and Mabaruma. A retooled public service will have to respond to needs of all the Regions. Granger warned that the public servants must live by different rules and not attempt to be politicians. Rather, they must exercise “administrative neutrality”. There will be no granting of fibre optic cable projects to close relatives. In the Granger administration, public servants will not advance unless they are assessed under what the President called a merit system. Educated Workers Very shortly, the administration will move to establish what is called the “Public Service Staff College”, that will offer Public Management and other developmental courses. The college will be established from the current training section of the Public Service Ministry. There will be little options for promotion in the public service unless persons are qualified. He stressed that it is not the business of public servants to be disloyal to the political bosses. The President has signaled intentions to renew ties with the Guyana Public Service Union and other bargaining bodies. The previous (continued on page 25)
- reviewing retirement age, contract employees - political appointments to go through the window - accepts resignation of public servants who campaigned - renewing relations with GPSU
Top department heads during yesterday's meeting with President David Granger at the Arthur Chung Convention Center, Liliendaal.
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Mining pit tragedy ...
Mowasi body count reaches nine As the search continues for the remaining victims of last Sunday’s horrific mining pit collapse at Mowasi, Potaro, rescuers yesterday pulled two more bodies from the deadly pit. This brings the total number of bodies recovered to nine. Rescuers are making attempts to get out the final one. Kaieteur News understands that the two bodies retrieved on Tuesday are at the Mahdia Hospital mortuary awaiting transportation to the city. Those killed in the mining disaster are Leyland Jones, 38, called ‘Foots’ of Grove, East Bank Demerara, who was the gold operations General Manager; his nephew Jason Trotman, 21; of Samatta Point, Grove Housing Scheme; Raymond August, 17, of 229 Bent St, Dartmouth, Essequibo; Bobby Brittlebank of 98 Wislock Housing Scheme, Linden; Michael Gardner of Better Hope, ECD; Sheldon and Orlando Clario; Esmond Martins; Trevon Phillips and Nanmore Kurt. Of the five bodies that were retrieved and
The grief stricken relatives of Michael Gardner
The Manager of the camp, Leyland Jones with his girlfriend transported to the city on Tuesday, one was identified yesterday as that of Orlando Clario. Three others were positively identified by relatives the morning after being brought up. They are
Brittlebank, August and Gardner. The injured have been identified as Alex Green, 28, of Lima Essequibo Coast; Regan Green, 21, of Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast; Collymore Lewis, 34, of
Marakaboi Mission, Mahaicony; Sheldon Adams, 32, of Beehive, East Coast Demerara; Lazarus Andrews,
49, of Nappie, Central Rupununi and Henry Xavier, 37, of Paramakatoi, North Pakaraima.
According to reports, eighteen workers were in the pit when the northern wall, (continued on page 29)
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Thursday May 21, 2015
New Govt. to have no more than 15 - Prime Minister, 15 Ministries - Pres. Granger Ministers sworn in The president and some of his new Ministers
President David Granger will move forward with a lean Cabinet. He will not have more than 15 Ministries unlike the previous administration
which had over 18. Yesterday at the Ministry of the Presidency, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, was sworn in
along with 14 Ministers, four of whom are junior Ministers. The conference room was packed to capacity with the wives, other relatives and
party members. APNU’s Amna Ally was appointed Minister of Social Cohesion while Ronald Bulkan will serve as the Minister of Communities, formerly the Local Government Ministry. The Ministry of Housing will be part of Bulkan’s portfolio. Former Finance Minister Carl Greenidge is now the Minister of Foreign Affairs and brings to the field a wealth of experience in diplomatic relations and negotiations. AFC Executive Member Cathy Hughes is Minister of Tourism, while Winston Jordan will serve as Minister of Finance, and Volda Lawrence, Minister of Social Protection. Hughes told this newspaper yesterday that she has great plans to develop the sector that she can hardly wait to execute her plans which are sure to transform the industry. Guyana’s new Minister of Public Health will be Dr. George Norton. He said that he is happy to serve the country in this capacity because he is passionate about the sector. The politician asserted that he knows what is required to return transparency and accountability to certain aspects of the sector and as such, will be making moves to address the sole sourcing of drugs at the earliest opportunity. AFC’s General Secretary, David Patterson, was appointed Minister of Public Works while Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine will serve as the Minister of Education. Dr. Roopnaraine said that education is going to be a massive challenge but he is nevertheless, enthusiastic about tackling it. Patterson said that he is eager to get to work for there is much to be done. He
intends to focus on examining the Region Nine road, reviewing all contracts and making recommendations on the way forward for the sector. The Minister said that he will also be preparing projects for the annual budget which has to be submitted within 60 days. APNU’s Basil Williams has been appointed Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. Four women have been chosen to serve as junior ministers within several Ministries. Simona Broomes, known locally for being a consistent fighter against Trafficking in Persons, will be Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection while Dr. Karen Cummings has been appointed Minister within the Ministry of Public Health. APNU’s Annette Ferguson is Minister within the Ministry of Public Works and her colleague, Nicolette Henry, will work along with Dr. Roopnaraine as Minister within the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports will be incorporated into the education sector. The Minister of Public Security, formerly the Ministry of Home Affairs, is expected to be AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan. He is expected to be sworn in
today. President Granger said that negotiations are still ongoing regarding the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Minister of Agriculture, but these are expected to conclude today and the Ministers appointed as well. SydneyAllicock, widely accepted as a pioneer of community-based tourism, will soon be sworn in as Minister of Indigenous Peoples. Granger said that the Ministry of the Presidency will be responsible for information. In charge of this Ministry is APNU’s Joseph Harmon. He added, “I don’t intend to micromanage. I intend in the fullest of time to not have commercial aspects of broadcasting managed by the state. I believe it should be involved in public broadcasting for matters such as health or disasters.” Ministries that have not been named such as the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment will fall under the purview of the President. President David Granger congratulated the Ministers appointed. He said that he looks forward to working with them and taking the country forward. ( See more photos of the new Ministers on centre)
Father of two slapped with wounding charge A father of two was released on $20,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty to a wounding charge when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Darrel Sinclair, 31, of 1998 Meadow Brook Squatting Area, Georgetown, denied the allegation which stated that on May 11, at Meadow Brook, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Desmond
McPherson. The defendant, who was unrepresented by an Attorney, offered to compensate McPherson, but he refused the offer. Police Corporal, Bharat Mangru had no objections to bail. Mangru was instructed to file statements in the matter. The case will be heard again on June 3, before Magistrate Annette Singh.
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Granger touts a professional public service During a meeting yesterday, Heads of Government agencies and Permanent Secretaries were addressed by President David Granger on what will be required of them and the code of ethics to be observed and upheld under the new administration. President Granger said that under his administration, public servants will be held to strict professionalism, transparency and integrity. During the meeting, which was held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, formerly the Guyana International Conference Centre, the President stressed the need for public servants to understand their role as servants to all citizens of Guyana. “It is my view that the public service is the engine of the executive, (and) it is essential to have an efficient public service.” For a country to have efficient service in education, housing, law and order and infrastructure, President Granger said there must to be a relevant public service. Equally important too, President Granger said that it is for the creation of the conducive environment in which all citizens can enjoy what he calls the “good life”. “It is we the public servants who create that environment in our day to day
work, so civilised life in Guyana is not possible without good public service.” For progress to take place and most important equality, President Granger reiterated that a responsive public service is the engine that will ensure this. A relevant public service, which has roots in all regions, was also stated as what is also needed to meet the needs of all citizens. “We need a public service that is reliable, and I mention this, the relevance, the responsiveness, the resourcefulness and reliability because I believe in having stronger regions.” The new President called on the public servants to improve efficiency and most importantly to increase the satisfaction, which citizens can derive. Quoting from a report done 62 years ago on Public Service, the President said, “The main purpose of a civil service is to be an organ for the presentation to Ministers of the product of organised thought and collective experience. This purpose cannot be achieved unless the civil service is composed of men and women of complete integrity who are able to give advice without fear or favour, partiality or prejudice”. With that in mind, President Granger told the
Zero tolerance for corruption ... From page 11 administrations under the PPP had severed relations with GPSU, arbitrarily announcing salary increases for public servants for a number of years, in breach of the collective labour agreements in place. Granger said that he will also be looking to raise the pay for public servants and it is a fact that morale has fallen significantly, affecting efficiency. Government will be examining the conditions under which police and teachers especially were working. The intention is to arrest the flight of workers from these critical areas. Regarding corruption in the public service, the Head of State, made it clear that corruption is linked to low pay. He expressed concerns over graft and the perceptions by persons that it is widespread. Guyana can no longer condone the giving of bribes for simple services…it must become an “unbribable” state. Addressing concerns raised that too many public servants are working under contracts, Granger saw a flaw in this arrangement…it liter-
ally places the worker at the mercy of the Ministers, forcing them to do and say what sounds to be the right thing. While contracts will not be done away with, the preference by the Granger administration will be to have workers know that their service of tenure is guaranteed. Among some of the top priorities of the new administration will be giving teaches laptops and connecting the jails, police stations and courts with wifi internet connections. According to President Granger, Guyana has a bright future and can escape the clutches of poverty with public servants counting themselves as a critical partner. Among some of the persons there yesterday were Chairman of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), Winston Brassington; Head of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Khurshid Sattaur; Auditor General Deodat Sharma; Chiefs of the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Rawlston Adams and Ramesh Geer, and Head of GINA, Neaz Subhan.
gathering that as new ministers assume office they will be relying on a cadre of public servants who are capable of presenting to their ministers the product of organised thoughts and collective experience. While being reminded of their relevance, they were equally reminded of their role. “We cannot function without a public service and if the public service tries to be politicians there will be catastrophe, there will be administrative catastrophe, the public service must live by different rules.” The President added that it is politicians who are the representatives in the Parliament who speak in the interest of the constituencies. As is also necessary, President Granger said that public servants must always be ready and willing to give sound advice to their respective Ministers and so aid in nation building, and the success of the Ministry. There will also be measures in place to deal with Ministers who do not heed advice given to them, President Granger said. “So if an expert gives advice on the acquisition on a sugar factory for example and the politicians refuse to accept the good example and we end up with a white elephant or we end up with a sort of mechanical catastrophe, the politician will pay the price,” he said.
“It means that whoever comes into office as your political minister, the public servant must be prepared to work without reservation and with devotion for the success of that administration.” Stating his non-interest in persons’ political affiliation, President Granger said that the public service must be established firmly on the basis of a merit system and not political partiality as he noted the merit system will ensure that career officials would not be selected on the basis of non- merit principles. PUBLIC SERVICE STAFF COLLEGE Given that a lot more will be required from public servants holding high office with responsibility for state assets, the President also announced the establishment of a facility to ensure this. “The Public Service must possess expert knowledge and high standard academic education and for that reason I intend to introduce a Staff College, so that everyone entering the administrative branches of the Guyana Public Service must do a course at the Public Service Staff College.” This would ensure that persons serving the nation would be more equipped, even as the present Public Service Training division of the Public Service Ministry will be upgraded.
Public Administration courses will be high on the training agenda while other basics in public service delivery would also be addressed with the aim bringing about a better understanding of how the public service is meant to operate. “So people will not enter and people will not be promoted unless they qualify to enter the public service, unless they possess that degree of expert knowledge which we require of our new public service.” In this regard, President
Granger said persons would now advance to higher ranks within the administrative system in the public service based on their experience and expertise. “It doesn’t serve the purpose of a good administration for a politician to be elected or selected or appointed as a Permanent Secretary and his or her subordinates know more about how the Ministry is run than he/she,” he added. Another aim of this Staff College will be to establish principles on which a career public service is built. (GINA)
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Thursday May 21, 2015
Greatest challenge is restoring shattered confidence in system of government - Harmon Assuming control of the administration of a country is no small challenge. This state of affairs was affirmed by Minister of State and Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Joseph Harmon, during a recent interview. But the greatest challenge as seen by Harmon, from his standpoint at the Ministry of the Presidency, which he now heads, is to restore the nation’s confidence in the system of Government. This, Harmon said, is crucial if the citizens are to feel confident enough to deal with Government officials and do so without having to resort to corruption or bribery. Moreover, the task at hand for the recently elected Government – the coalesced A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) – Harmon said is to ensure that the Government structure is respected and that the public servants understand their duties and obligation to provide public service. And according to Harmon, the public service provided must be of high quality. “First of all we have to establish confidence in Government so that people who are working in Government understand that their responsibility is service
to the people and that is what public service is and they (Government) are not the masters of the people but servants of the people.” And Harmon, in responding to a question about the fate of some workers who functioned in the capacity of advisors who were employed by the previous regime, pointed out that such contracts would have naturally expired at the end of the elections and at the swearing-in of President David Granger. He however asserted that some programmes under which these contract workers fall could continue until the end of this month. But according to Harmon, “they are not advisors to President Granger but advisors to the former President and therefore we will determine whether in fact he needs their advice. So it is a matter of disengaging and reengaging if necessary.” Harmon alluded to at least one advisor who had reported for duty on Tuesday while others have basically cleared out their offices as part of a process of transitioning. Explaining the transitioning arrangement, the Minister outlined that there are Cabinet Ministers and VIPs. The latter are those who operated under the former regime.
Harmon disclosed that as part of efforts to keep perceived corruption at bay, the new Government will be paying keen attention to a number of areas. These, he said, will include the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) Chairmanship, the Lottery Fund, and NICIL, which formerly was deemed a “oneman show” headed by
took on that function so overtime all of these functions seemed to be part of the Office of the President responsibilities,” added Harmon. And according to him, the new Government will seek to only appoint whom “we have the confidence in and (we will) give them the authority and mandate for them to do their work. As HPS I am not going
“We are tracking expenses, we are tracking public expenditure, we are tracking assets of the State and we are getting information” Winston Brassington. He however noted that the aforementioned areas are among those that must be governed by special legislations. He observed though that under the previous administration these areas were taken under the wings of the Government and signalled a lack of confidence on the part of the then administration in the persons who were appointed to manage those positions. “As time went by, as you lost confidence in some Ministers, you took on that function...if you lost confidence in a Board you
to be doing all of that. I am not going to be running NIS, I am not going to be running NICIL and I am not going to be running a Lotto Fund.” According to Harmon, the relevant Minister to attend to some of these areas is in fact the Minister of Finance. Mr. Winston Jordan has been appointed as Minister of Finance in the coalesced APNU+AFC Government. But Harmon has pointed out that a Board of the NIS that is properly structured and chaired will be allowed to do its work under guidance. “I am not going to be an HPS that will try to run everything. The Head of the Presidential Secretariat in the new structure of things will be a Minister of the Presidency and there are specific departments that fall under that Ministry for which I will be responsible under the
President of Guyana.” Harmon sought to point out that already Government has been giving keen attention to NICIL which attracted controversial attention under the previous administration. “We are tracking expenses, we are tracking public expenditure, we are tracking assets of the State and we are getting information,” said Harmon who related that the Government has been getting information from the previous administration as well as from independent sources to ascertain whether the information received is authentic. And even as he commented on reports of the destruction of information and/or assets at some Ministries ahead of the swearing-in of President Granger, Harmon asserted that the destruction of Government property is in fact a criminal offence. “Those things are unlawful...and where those things occurred, once there is evidence about it persons responsible will be dealt with according to the law,” noted Harmon as he pointed out that “we are now in the process of transitioning and we are in fact getting information which we will have to double check and
verify their accuracy.” But according to him, “The Guyanese people have been watching for a long time and they were waiting for an opportunity like this. Every single day people are telling us things. They are bringing documents to us which are basically to show that there were some practices in the past that were not above board and these are things as an administration that we will check.” Harmon however noted that the new Government will not be one to dwell on the past. He therefore recalled that “Brigadier Granger has said that as a nation we have to look forward.” As such he noted that appointed Ministers of the Government will be expected to envision Guyana in the future in terms of how they will take the country forward void of the excesses of the past. But according to him, specific personnel will be appointed to guard against corrupt practices of the past. Such personnel will be tasked with furnishing the Government with the uncovered information after which the way forward will be determined. But in the interim Harmon insisted that “as a nation we will not be held back by an interminable investigation of things that happened in the past.”
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
Overseas-based Guyanese was shot at close range - Pellets found inside body
Ramesh Puran and his wife Investigators have widened their probe into the brutal robbery/murder of overseas-based Guyanese, Ramesh Puran, 49. Puran, a father of three and of Richmond Hill, New York, USA, was shot and chopped dead on the evening of Thursday May 14 at his Corentyne home. The man had returned home on May 8, last, with his family to do some religious work, when four masked bandits armed with guns and cutlasses (three guns and one cutlass) attacked him and his family at their residence at 153 Belvedere Squatting Area, Corentyne, Berbice. Puran who is a regular visitor to Guyana was at home around 21:15h when they were accosted by the bandits. According to informed sources, investigators have widened their probe and have questioned a number of persons close to the family, as a lot of inside information is unfolding including some details on his financial transactions. Investigators are looking at a number of other issues as they seek to solve the murder.
Puran who was wearing several expensive pieces of gold jewelry, including rings, bands and chains, was attacked and robbed in the hallway in the upper flat of the house. He reportedly put up a fight and was shot and chopped. According to sources he was shot from close range with what appears to be a shotgun. A number of pellets were removed from his body. Two of the bandits had entered one of the bedrooms to attack the man’s niece, Tamarattie Seecharran, a housewife, who occupies the house with her husband, Dhanraj Narine and their 10month-old baby. The bandits sat on top of the woman while placing the cutlasses on her neck, threatening to slit her throat if she didn’t say where the US currency and jewelry were. Her aunt, who was in her bedroom, opened the door and saw the men hacking away at Puran. The woman immediately closed the door, removed the louvers and jumped 25 feet to the ground, injuring her back in the process. She got up and fled
in the muddy yard, screaming as she ran through the streets. Neighbours heard the commotion and came out, but were first held at bay after the bandits discharged a round to keep them off. While Puran was shot, Devika Ramotar who was the first to be attacked was also chopped twice in her head by the bandits after she started to scream for help. She and Puran were picked up and rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital where Puran was pronounced dead on arrival. According to relatives and neighbours, the police responded promptly, but by then the men had already left. The ordeal lasted about five minutes. In the meanwhile, a post mortem examination conducted on Puran’s body on Monday at the Port Mourant Hospital by Dr. Vivikanand Brijmohan, revealed that he died from shock and haemorrhage due to gunshot injuries. A man who would frequent the house and a number of others have been held for questioning
IAC makes donation to Sophia ... From page 23 one of the executive members of the IAC, conducted the presentation ceremony. He highlighted the role and agendas of the committee. He noted that “since 2003 the IAC has mandated a social outreach to lend assistance to persons. “This was made possible by many activities such as the 177th anniversary of Indian arrival in Guyana. Melas held all across Guyana last month.”
He said, “The IAC always wishes to make donations in the humblest way possible”. Aditya Persaud, another member of the committee, said, “The IAC does not only organise social events, it also renders assistance to victims of fires, flood, children in need and any other type of catastrophes…especially to the Indo Guyanese populace, but not limited to any ethnic group.” “I just would like to say
thank you for the assistance that you guys gave to us. It will help relieve some of the pain that we have to carry to know that we were robbed of our home. “I thank you very much and may you keep up the good work”, said a very emotional Farida Prashad. “I am very thankful for whatever you have given us and I will not give up on the works we do as a church,” Mrs Khuball added.
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Thursday May 21, 2015
Dead babies…
New government being held to its word The family of Teresa Lalltoo, the mother who gave birth to a stillborn, is pressing for justice for her female foetus. She is contending that the foetus died following some labour complications. The child was delivered on April 19, last at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Family members had initially told Kaieteur News that they were contacted by the then opposition, APNU+AFC, who had offered them legal support. With APNU+AFC as the new Government, the family is hoping that there would be justice for the loss due to the alleged negligence of health practitioners who were entrusted to care for Teresa Lalltoo. Ever since the incident Lalltoo has had very little to say, since she finds it very hard to gain strength and courage to speak about the tragic ordeal which lasted for about two days, and has left her physically and psychologically scarred. After her discharge from the GPHC, Lalltoo, returned to her Middle Road, Pouderoyen home, where she is still battling with the memories of the ordeal and physical inabilities. Lalltoo has been struggling to come to grips with the loss of her second child. She has an eight-year-old daughter. The distraught woman had disclosed the gross insult which was added to her injuries while being hospitalized at the GPHC. She was placed in the post natal ward where she had to endure watching the joys displayed by mothers who had
successful deliveries, cuddling their new born infants. When Kaieteur News reporter visited Lalltoo at GPHC, she was sobbing, bitterly. She could not speak about what she went through. Her brother, Dave Lalltoo, has been in the forefront of the fight for justice with the help of his best friend. A campaign called #Justice4Teresa had been launched. The family is adamant that poor decisions by doctors and nurses at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) were the main factors that led to the stillborn delivery. It has been opined that negligence by health institutions in Guyana, is an ongoing issue which continues to be swept under the rug by way of prolonged investigations.
The family members say that as they place their confidence in the newly elected government, that justice will be served. Lalltoo, a then second time extant mother was admitted to the WDRH on Saturday April 18, last, complaining of labour pains, but these soon dissipated as the day went on, leaving her with only a cervical dilation of 3cm and a failure to progress to the ideal 10cm. Because of this, the next day, the doctors opted to put her on oxytocin drips to assist with inducing her pain and contractions; a bad choice, in light of the fact that there was no one available to staff the operating theatre should the worst case scenario have occurred. After what one of the doctors, according to the mother, called “an experiment,” they decided to
Two men appeared yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to separate charges of damage to property. Robert McKenzie, 19, of Lot 194 ‘D’ Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on May 16, at North Road Bourda, Georgetown, he unlawfully and maliciously damaged an Alcatel cellular phone valued $13,000, property of Holly Anderson. It was further alleged that on the same day, McKenzie assaulted Anderson, so as to cause her actual bodily harm. The young man also denied this charge. Police Prosecutor, Bharat Mangru did not relate the facts to the court, neither did he object to the defendant
being released on bail. McKenzie explained to the court that on the day in question, after he came home from work his fiancée (Anderson) called his mother over the phone and started to disrespect her. The defendant said that he became annoyed, took the phone away from her and threw it on the ground. He stressed that his fiancée is in the habit of disrespecting his mother. Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry ordered McKenzie to pay a fine of $10,000 on the damage to property charge. He will return to court on May 22, for the commencement of trial in the assault charge before Magistrate Alex Moore. Meanwhile, Delroy Thomas of Lot 102 Last Field
Sophia, pleaded guilty to damaging a car bumper along with head lamps on May 16, at Cornhill Street, Georgetown. The court was told that the owner of the vehicle, Leon Glasgow, became aware of the incident after he heard a loud noise, while he was inside of his home. Upon hearing the noise he came outside and saw the defendant lying on the ground. The defendant told the victim that he ran into the car. Thomas, a father of two offered to compensate the victim for the damage to which he agreed. Thomas was given two months to compensate Glasgow. This matter will be called again on June 30 for reports.
Teresa Lalltoo and her eight-year-old daughter
Men charged with damage to property, assault
rupture her water bag since she had dilated to about 6cm. It was at this point that all the problems started, Miss Lalltoo reported, because as soon as they did that, the umbilical cord came out and got lodged in the vagina. This constriction caused the baby to receive a diminished supply of blood, causing a decreased heart rate and eventually, death. Natalie Caseley, another mother, is awaiting a response to her application for a court hearing at the Georgetown High Court, against the GPHC. She is certain that her
Jaden Mars’ mother, Natalie Caseley, on the protest line some time ago four-year-old son, Jaden Mars, was a victim of malpractice of health practitioners at that institution. Mars died December 2013. Caseley is anxious to receive information on the new investigation that the former Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran claimed to have launched close to a month ago.
She is also anticipating the day when the new government would “pick up” her son’s case as was indicated by Dr. George Norton at one of the APNU+AFC’s press conferences. Norton had said that APNU+AFC will pick up the Jaden Mars case, as “it may be the only correct thing to do.”
Another rapist strikes on E’bo A man from Charity remains in police custody after a 67-year-old woman claimed that he invaded her house and proceeded to physically assault her. The woman has also told the police that the man stole her money. According to reports, on Monday, night last, at Charity, the woman who lives alone said that some time around 3:00 hours, she was awakened by the man
invading her house. The woman said that the man gained entry through her kitchen and scaled her wall. He pounced on her while she was still in her bed. She said that the man proceeded to wrestle with her and to choke her. The woman said that5 she fought the invader. In the end he managed to steal some money she had hidden away. A report was lodged with the Police, at the Charity
Outpost and the suspect was arrested. The woman is currently complaining of an inability to swallow with ease. More recently, a man had invaded the house of a Richmond Housing Scheme woman who was also physically assaulted by the man. During the course of last year, a number of women were raped. Most of them lived alone.
Gizmos and Gadgets join city ... From page 24 forthcoming from entities such as B.K. International, members of the Private Sector and other stakeholders for using their equipment and other necessary resources to assist with critical drainage works in the city. According to King, “These works are vital to the health and development of the capital.” And citizens must take up their role too in the ongoing efforts. The M&CC in a release yesterday appealed to all citizens to organize themselves into groups and clean up their communities. It is ex-
pected that the cleanup efforts will be completed in time for the May 26, 2015 Independence Celebrations. According to the release this should include residents working towards cleaning parapets and frontages, cleaning of surface drains, and sprucing up their immediate surroundings. “Council believes that, this should be a community effort, and that all residents should participate in it. With only a few days left before Guyana celebrates its 49th Independence Anniversary, citizens must work together now to make Georgetown clean and
tidy.” The M&CC anticipates that this collective effort would improve the general aesthetics of the City. In the meantime, Council is working on a short—term plan to do substantial works in all communities in the City. This would facilitate community and other stake-holders' meetings, establishing community development groups, environmental awareness and education and awards to model neighbourhoods. “Let us work together to advance our capital with pride and glory,” noted the release.
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 29
Lusignan mechanic dies after Maternal death due to hypertension, lung distress motorbike, minibus collision The post mortem examination performed on 20year-old Yonette WilliamsGrey, the young mother, who passed away after a C-section on May10, last, has revealed that she died from compounded lung distress and hypertension (High Blood pressure). The Post Mortem was conducted yesterday by Dr Nehaul Singh, at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Grey was 37 weeks into her first pregnancy when she was first admitted as a patient at the Oscar Joseph Hospital at Charity. She was poorly attended to by nurses at that
Hospital and this compounded her medical condition. She was transferred to the Suddie Public Hospital where doctors performed an emergency operation on Grey. As a result of that procedure, doctors were successful in saving Grey’s daughter. Grey, who remained unconscious after the operation, was bleeding profusely, especially through her nostrils, ears and mouth. It appeared that the young mother was suffering from pregnancy related hypertension.
Grey was referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she later died. Her mother-in-law, Nellie Grey, said that doctors at the Suddie Public Hospital informed her that her daughter-in-law’s death was due to poor treatment meted out to her by nurses at the Oscar Joseph Hospital. The dead woman was married to Clifton Simon Grey, almost nine months ago. She has left to mourn a young husband and a ten-day old baby girl. Funeral arrangements for Yonette Williams-Grey are scheduled for tomorrow.
Mechanic, Ovido Kirton, 58, of 15 Richardstown, Lusignan, succumbed to his injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital, following a motorcycle and minibus collision in front of his home, Monday evening just before 20:00hrs. ‘Kaieteur News understands that Kirton was returning home from Mon Repos, a nearby village when the accident occurred. The man’s daughter, Andrea Kirton, said that her father was traveling from a westernly direction when he was struck by a minibus after he attempted to ride across the road, towards his home. A public spirited citizen volunteered to take the injured Kirton to the GPHC where Kirton subsequently died. He leaves to mourn his three children and wife, Bernadette Kirton. Police issued a report stating that the driver of the minibus is in police custody assisting with investigation.
Mowasi body count reaches ... From page 15 weakened by rainfall, collapsed, trapping the miners. Randy, the brother of one of the victims, Michael Gardner, was among those outside the Lyken Funeral Parlour, after relatives identified the body on Tuesday. “We heard he was in a 90foot pit. That is very dangerous and the stuff they took out of the pit they didn’t really move it, it was right there. So it was very careless. “My brother-in-law went in and saw it and he said it was suicide.” According to the man’s brother, his death was hitting them very hard since he was very close to them.
“We all lived as one with real love. We don’t know how we will deal with this.” Relatives added that Gardner was past the time he was due to come out of the interior. It is a normal practice that gold miners spend three months in the interior, before returning to civilization. Relatives were of the opinion that Gardner may have been pressured to continue working in Mowasi, due to the profitability of the claim. The man’s sister was also inconsolable. She said that she last spoke to her brother on Friday. Lavena Green, who turned up at the hospital, spoke of Esmond Martin, the father of her children. His body is
unaccounted for. Raymond August, her younger brother, has already been identified at Lyken. Her cousins, Alex and Regan Green, were also injured. According to her, Alex was supposedly on his way to Essequibo, while Regan Green is still in the interior. “Everybody is broken up at this time. His death is not something that we could accept but we have to deal with it. I can’t answer for anybody but for me, it is hard because I have two children for Esmond Martin, one two years old and another one year old.” She also confirmed that she spoke with Khan this morning via phone.
“He said that he is working hard and is not leaving until they have discovered everyone.” The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has already completed an investigation into the accident, and ruled that the operator’s negligent safety practices caused the tragedy. GGMC has also highlighted its sordid past with the operator, Imran Khan, who had filed an injunction in 2013 against the GGMC and the claim’s rightful owner, Edward Hopkinson, preventing them from interfering with the claim. The post mortem examinations for the bodies currently in the city have been set for Friday.
Dead: Ovido Kirton
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Kaieteur News
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Male Enhancement; 4 in each pack -$500 - Tel: 638-1627 37.5 acre land @ Kuru Kuru Linden Highway, one stall @ Stabroek Market. Serious inquiries only! Tel: 646-4149 Attention Loggers!!! Anchor seal wood wax 18000 5-G, N.C sanding sealer $4500 1-G, nail plates, metal straps - Tel: 2653541; 695-4785 Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc call:225-9032,647-2943 Great Deals on video games and all gaming consoles, PC games, phone games & applications – Call: 6722566; 265-3232 One Mitsubishi Canter, good condition, 2.5 ton, has dumper-$2.2M-Tel: 612-1848 Registered pure bred Rottweiler, first litter male & female. Viewing of parentsCall:231-5902, 227-2958 Fluffy, loving puppies - Tel: 645-0240 or 629-3814 Table model cone machine can be used as portable or stationed @ 1 Location, price $600,000/ negotiable. Contact: 612-7360; 660-0494 1 – 3years old female Rottweiler dog, good for breeding and guarding. Tel: 220-2277, 220-8904 & 6291471
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Advertisements; Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206 Your Dream Yard Today! Stunning designs, Assortment, colourful plant choices, Professional Landscapers Tel: 219-0468/ 648-1821 Balloon decorating for birthdays, weddings, anniversary etc, make your event extra special! Tel Maya: 642-6664 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS - CALL: 6294946 OR 225-4822 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building visadocumentsgy@yahoo.comCall: 225-6496, 662-6045 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar: 2310655,683-8734 Mahadeo Construction for all construction, carpentry, masonry, pluming, painting etc. Free estimates and plan Contact # 669-7376
XBOX 360 250GB (with black OPS 2 season pass) with 4 controllers & games –Call: 683-8386 4PC Toyota Rim/Tyre, 1 hydraulic engine hoist, 1 honey bee extractor machine, 1 mechanical vice. Contact: 626-5317 Attention designers! Exquisite & exotic UK fabric on sale- Contact: 218-1475, 693-9260, 651-0534, 231-5768 AMERICAN BULLY PUPS GOTTILINE REMYLINE – CALL: 220-7933; 6674845; 610-0068 32" flat screen TV $48,000, X-Box 360 with games $45,000, PS3 with FIFA 15 & 4 games $50,000 negCall:664-7014
WANTED
SALON
VEHICLE FOR SALE
1 Maid, 40years and older to work in SurinameContact: (+597) 322-5442; (+597) 651-6666
Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
Toyota Prado, Price$4.7M Neg. Call: 643-2403
Diesel mechanic to work in the back dam, must have experienced in repairing Perkins, MWM engines, etc Contact: 661-4265
One experienced cosmetologist (must have atleast 1 year experienced) preferably on E.B.D. Contact: 645-3010
Staff for plant shop On East Bank Demerara, Training in Georgetown. Plant knowledge an advantage. Tel: 648-1821
Landscape maintenance team seeks Hardworking, reliable workers 17-35 ages; on the job training -Contact: 219-0468 Domestic maid @ Diamond Tel: 227-8529; 626-8003 Female shop assistant to work in the interior, salary $80,000 age 25-35. Call:6757043; 664-5199 Experienced cashiers, apply in person with written application at Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce Street. Experienced salesgirls @ Christine’s Variety Store @ Lombard Street. Contact: 227-8529 Female worker wanted sound secondary education, computer literate- Tel: 612-1607
LAND FOR SALE Commercial lots available at Eccles E.B.D $14M - Tel:592227-2913 or 592-689-3033
EDUCATIONAL 9 Courses Diploma in Computers, $35,000.00@ MicroGraphics, Vreed-EnHoop. Tel: 264-3057. Keep Your Kids Secure & Safe. Register Now!
Parfaite Harmonie -$1.6M (80ftX50ft), $1.4M (80ftX50ft), house with land - $8M Parfaite Harmonie – Tel: 675-7292; 611-7223 FOR SALE One accent Hyundai- Price $250,000 neg- Contact: 6100517 TOURS Suriname Tour Trip Return, Independence Weekend (May 23-May26) Book Early Call: 644-0185; 639-2663; 665-5171 TO LET
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman, Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
Prime office space @ lot 239 Quamina Street, Central Georgetown, parking available in Private yard. Tel:592-227-2913, 592-689-3033
VACANCY Security guards, desk staff & male supervisor- Call:2250198 or 233 South road, Lacytown Work from home, earn $5,000-$20,000 daily Call Monday-Friday 9am-5pm #233-6517, 638-0595 www.jobfairworldwide.com 1 Coal burner, caretaker & security guard, Sawmill supervisor to work @ Yarrowkabra Highway. Tel: 226-0395
Office clerk: CXC English, mathematics. Live in, live out babysitter/domestic- Call: 219-5354
Gated luxury community: mall, pool, underground irrigation, swipe card entry$6USD per sq. ft.- Call:6090783
XBOX 360 320GB with FIFA 15, GTA 5, most wanted 2005 +2 controllers. Call:683-8386
Thursday May 21, 2015
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
Cashier & office assistant @ Shell Service Station Providence E.B.D shift work – (6am-3pm & 3pm12pm) - email: shellramsburg@gmail.com.
Smart Choice Auto Sale: Premio, Allion, Spacio, Fielder, Bluebird, Carina 212, IST - Call: 652-3820; 6654529 First Class Auto: 09 Allion, 05 Premio, 06 Allion, Bluebird, Rush, Spacio, Runx, IST, Carina 212, Verossa, Mark 2, Axio –Tel: 609-8188; 638-3045 1 Toyota Premio (PNN Series) in immaculate condition. Including: mag rims, HID lights, alarm. $2M negotiable- Call:679-9800 New model Allion: TV reverse camera, low mileage -$3,300,000 negotiable –Tel: 655-3400
1 Yard man, 1 general domestic maid, ages 25-35 must have police clearance, 2 references from previous jobs. Phone: 2238156; 665-1029
For Urgent Sale: Audi A4, PSS Series, good condition, going cheap, price $3.7M negotiable. Phone: 6107665, 656-5287
Concrete compound 175X350 @ Soesdyke Public Road, access to Demerara River, ideal for sawmill/fisheries, dockyard. Contact 682-4128; 693-5281
Security officers, kitchen Assistant, waiter, waitresses, engineer. Contact: 603-4094 Cashier supervisor, Western Union CSR, CXC, computer literate, apply @ Survival Sheriff St. (written application & passport picture). Tel: 2275286-9
One Toyota Allion 2004 Model & 1 new & unregistered Madza Axela, excellent condition -Tel: 6490956
Comfortable, breezy 3 bedroom bottom flat built in closet, overhead tank, fully grilled, parking for 2 carsCall: 641-2939
Experienced bond attendants: send written application & passport picture to Survival 173 Sheriff St, Campbellville. Tel: 227-5286-9
One bedroom apartment preferably working couple or single person- Call: 638-8858 One 2 bedrooms apartment @ 35 Howes Street- Contact Pet Boy Shop, between the hours 11am-6pm - $45,000 monthly
Experienced cleaners – Call between 7am-9am on 225-8572
Five bedrooms house @ 107 Lamaha Gardens & large parking, AC rooms, hot & cold, purified water system Call: 661-8908; 335-3590
GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE- CALL: 6750767, 627-5098 Newly built 2 bedrooms house @ Recht Door Zee, W.B.D- $35,000 monthlyCall: 619-5805, 641-0579 CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL: CARS & SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel: 698-7807 Reduce Your Opex- Low vehicular rentals for businesses. Call: 699-0313
Cutter/straight stitch/button tack/hole operators. Call: 222-2541 (8:00am-4:00pm Mon-Fri) One experienced legal computer clerk - Call: 2264283 Assistant cook- Carnegie or grilling experience would be an asset- Call: 225-7933/ visit us at 172 Sheriff street
2006 Suzuki Escudo, fully accessorized, duty free, 2003- Toyota IST fully accessorized, 2005 Allex, fully loaded. Call:609-2815 2 Ford F350 2006 model, extended cab 4X4, 6" lift kit, 35" tyres, diesel, auto, excellent condition - Tel: 610-5370 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
Skidder, tractor & chainsaw operator to work at GuyAmerica- call: 260-4580,6602100 Hotel Manager for Xenon Hotel in Essequibo. Send application and resume to rtilak@adamantiumholdings.com
PROPERTY FOR SALE Property @ 62 Bent Street Wortmanville Georgetown – Tel: 660-5019; 629-6101
Accounts Clerk send application and resume to rtilak@adamantiumholdings.com
Residential lots ad houses for sale at Eccles, E.B.D $7.5M. Tel:592-227-2913 or 689-3033 House with incomplete shop @ Tuschen Phase 2- Call: 682-2951
ACCOMODATION Saturdays & Sundays after lunch @ Inner Retreat Hotel Parika: Bar-B-Que & games: pools, darts, table tennis etc Phone: 260-4504. Inner Retreat Hotel Restaurant & Bar, Retreat Road Parika. Indoor / Outdoor bar in Picturesque setting – Phone: 260-4504
1 Flat 3 bedrooms house 32’x24’ @ Grove new scheme, E.B.D- Call:692-7938 Property @ Lot 63 West Ruimveldt, Estate Housing Scheme Georgetown – Contact Mark: 618-9744
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 31
Letters... Where your views make the news Colombia landslide: Managing and sustaining the Hope fades of finding survivors partnership of the new coalition Govt. Rescuers in Colombia are continuing to search for victims of a landslide which hit the town of Salgar on Monday but hopes are fading for more survivors. The number of bodies retrieved from the debris in north-western Antioquia province rose to 78. Locals and fire-fighters are searching a 40km-long (25 mile) stretch of land on the banks of the Liboriana river. The landslide was triggered by the river bursting its banks after heavy rain had fallen overnight. Most of the residents were asleep when the landslide hit at 03:00 local time (08:00 GMT). The neighbourhood of Las Margaritas was almost entirely swept away by a river of mud and debris. Gildardo Parra, 70, told the AFP news agency he had helped pull nine bodies out of the mud. “That area over
there by the school was full of little houses. All that disappeared,” he said. Local resident Socorro Rincon said she had lost 15 relatives in the disaster. Fire-fighters said hopes of finding anyone alive in the thick mud were dwindling. Officials said they still had no exact number of how many people were missing. “We’re doing a sweep and going house to house to verify precisely the number,” said Cesar Uruena of the Red Cross. Landslides are common in the mountains of Colombia, where heavy rain often sweeps away poorly built houses clinging to the hillsides. President Juan Manuel Santos, who visited the area on Tuesday, promised that the survivors would be provided with free housing under a government scheme. (BBC News)
Iraqi forces say thwart Islamist attack near Ramadi Iraqi forces said they fought off an overnight attack by Islamic State militants near the city of Ramadi, which the insurgents overran at the weekend in the most significant setback for the government in a year. Islamic State is seeking to consolidate its gains in the vast desert province of Anbar, of which Ramadi is capital, where only pockets of territory remain under government control. The IS advance has exposed the shortcomings of Iraq’s army and the limitations of U.S. air strikes. Government forces backed by Shi’ite militias have meanwhile been building up at a base near Ramadi in preparation for a counterattack to retake the city, where Sunni Islamic State forces have taken over tanks and artillery and large amounts of ammunition abandoned by fleeing Iraqi forces. The Anbar police chief, Kadhum al-Fahdawi, said reinforcements were arriving as Iraqi forces dug in. The U.S.-led coalition staged 25 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria since early on Tuesday. There was however no indication that the counterattack on Ramadi was imminent. Ramadi was Islamic
State’s biggest success since it captured the northern city of Mosul last year and declared itself an Islamic caliphate. While it has been forced to give ground in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s home town, and in the Syrian city of Kobani, the group still controls large areas of Iraq and Syria. In Syria, Islamic State made further advances, seizing around a third of the ancient city of Palmyra on Wednesday. The city is home to a World Heritage site and Syria’s antiquities chief has said the insurgents would destroy ancient ruins if they took control of it. While hundreds of statues have been taken to safe locations, there are fears for monuments that cannot be moved. But in northeastern Syria, Kurdish forces and U.S.-led air strikes have killed at least 170 Islamic State members this week, a Kurdish official and the Observatory said. SECTARIAN FEARS There are fears in Washington and elsewhere that the fighting in Iraq will become a polarizing clash between Shi’ites and Sunnis as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shi’ite, becomes increasingly dependent on the Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias to step in where the Iraqi military has failed.
DEAR EDITOR, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate His Excellency, President David Granger and his new APNU+AFC coalition government. This is indeed a historic moment for Guyana and it would be interesting to see how the coalition will work as one government. The coalition is a partnership, and as a Partnership Practitioner, I am particularly interested in how the coalition can be successful. I believe that a critical task for President Granger would be to get his coalition government to work as one unit and to manage and sustain the partnership over the next five years. Fundamentally, the reason why the APNU+AFC partnership was formed was to contest the 2015 Elections and to become a coalition government. Another reason why the partnership was formed was because individual efforts to contest previous Elections and win, had failed, hence, a decision was made to form the coalition. Having won the 2015 General and Regional Elections, the coalition has proven that together they can accomplish a common goal, great! But how will they manage and sustain this partnership now? I would therefore like to provide some information which I think the coalition may find useful. Firstly, they need to identify what is the added value that each of the six parties (each partner) brings to the coalition. This aspect is very important so that each partner can develop a clear understanding of how they complement the partnership and have an appreciation of the added value other partners bring to the process. If this understanding is clear, it will reduce competition in the coalition. Each partner has strengths and weaknesses; thus the focus of the individual political parties should be on complementing as against competition. Primarily since none of them could have achieved the results (won the Elections) without the other. For example, APNU will be managing some Ministries and the AFC will be managing others. The focus therefore should not be on whether the Ministries which are managed by one party are managed better than those managed by the other. This focus should rather be on having one efficient government which is made up of all of the Ministries.
Another key task for the new president is to build a diverse and effective team. The team should consist of five categories of people - the initiators, coordinators, implementers, strategists/ thinkers and finishers. President Granger in my assessment, is a very good strategist/thinker, therefore for him to have a good finish, he needs excellent initiators, coordinators, implementers and finishers on his team. Nevertheless, it may take some time for him to build the right team. Partnerships are built, managed and sustained on three key principles – equity, transparency and mutual benefit, therefore managing and sustaining the partnership in the new government will require that keen attention be placed on these. Partnerships are also essentially based on relationships. Mutual benefit therefore is imperative and this will help to build strong social capital within the government. If there is strong social capital within the coalition this will be transferred into the wider society. The greater the cohesion in the coalition, the greater the cohesion will be in the society. Hence this brings me to the aspect of the individual and societal goals in the partnership. While each political party joined the coalition to achieve one societal goal - to win the 2015 Elections, form the government and implement their Manifesto; the goals, aims and objectives of the individual parties should not be lost. If the individual goals, aims and objectives of the various parties are not met, this can become a source of contention in the partnership/ coalition government. Also very important, the political parties must understand that they are not equal partners. While there should be equity in the partnership/government, the parties are not all equal. Equity in the coalition must not be mistaken for equality. Equity means that each party must have an equal stake in the partnership/ government, but they are not necessarily equal. In order to manage and sustain the partnership the new president has to identify persons or organizations that can provide the following skills and keep them very close to his fingertips. Facilitation - this skill may be needed as the partnership/ government undertakes successful convening and
relationship-building, particularly in the early stages of the government. Negotiation - this skill will enable the government to achieve more win/win results within the partnership/ coalition. Since the government is made up of several partners with diverse underlying interests, skills for building consensus will be critical. As the coalition government progresses, the need will arise more and more for persons with the coaching skills both within and outside of government. Mediation skills will also be crucial to the sustainability of the coalition government. The government will have crisis situations and would encounter obstacles over the next five years, mediation skills will therefore be very important during these periods to assist the coalition
government to successfully navigate through the challenges. These skills should be within the government and also available externally. Finally, I will be watching this coalition government very closely as they manage and strive to sustain the partnership. As I was standing at the ‘Inauguration Ceremony’ at the Parliament Buildings last Saturday, when the President was greeting the crowds who were on the other side of the fence, a young man commented, ‘one thing about this man, he is more Leader than a President’. This was a very good observation by this young man and that is indeed an extremely valuable quality President Granger has and will need to make this coalition government successful. Audreyanna Thomas
Measures need to be put in place to prevent anyone from witch... From page 5 favoured for the position as head, and therefore the Commissioner seized what he saw as his moment to move, thus the arbitrary decision to post him to an office referred to as a special projects office - a throwback to a practice established by the late Laurie Lewis whereby out-of-favour senior officers were banished to twiddle their thumbs. This was a spiteful act culminating months of abuse, undermining and sidelining. The rumour mill had not even gone into full gear before the media was saying how qualified James’ replacement, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum is. What we all need to understand is we do not have to accept in perpetuity the practice of propelling people into high office because they are highly
favoured. In fact, if Blanhum is so bright then the place for him is within the administrative stream to better assist the commissioner with the onerous duty of running the GPF. I chose to highlight this specific attempt but this does not preclude a review of all intended postings which the executive has quite rightly and wisely advised against at this time. The new Minister of Home Affairs will have to be brought quickly up to speed on the performance of the police and to outline clearly his expectations if he is to effectively carry out his mandate. We all recognize that the government will not be witch hunting and therefore measures need to be put in place to prevent anyone from doing so. Name withheld
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 21, 2015
Trinidad ranks 26th out of 70 countries in Environmental Democracy Index Trinidad Express Trinidad and Tobago has been ranked 26th out of 70 counties with a score of 1.61 in a report from the Environmental Democracy Index (EDI). The Environmental Democracy Index is the first online public platform that tracks countries’ progress in enacting national laws to promote t r a n s p a r e n c y , accountability, and citizen engagement in environmental decision making. It also provides
some key insights into areas of practice. While the country did well with the access to information and justice, public participation in decision making process brought the county’s ranking down. The index was done as a commission from the World Resources Institute which is a non-governmental global research organisation which seeks to create equity and prosperity through sustainable natural resource management. Environmental democracy is rooted in the
idea that meaningful public participation is critical to ensure that land and natural resource decisions adequately and equitably address citizens’ interests. At its core, environmental democracy involves three mutually reinforcing rights: the right to freely access information on environmental quality and problems; the right to participate meaningfully in decisionmaking; the right to seek enforcement of environmental laws or compensation for harm.
Brazil blogger known for reporting on corruption found decapitated The decapitated body of a Brazilian blogger known for denouncing corrupt politicians has been found in a rural zone in south-eastern Minas Gerais state, police said yesterday. Evany José Metzker, 67, was reported missing five days before his body was found near the town of Padre Paraíso in one of Brazil’s poorest regions. “His hands were tied behind his back and his body showed signs of torture,” a police press officer said, adding that the murder was apparently motivated by Metzker’s recent investigations into child prostitution and drug trafficking. Metzker’s credit cards, a cheque book and his ID card were found near his body. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to be quoted by name. He said police were also looking into the possibility that the murder was a crime of passion. He would not elaborate. “It was a barbaric crime that has shocked Minas Gerais and all of Brazil,” Kerison Lopes, president of the Minas Gerais Journalists Union said. “He was decapitated, scalped and tortured.” “There is a climate of terror in the region that intimidates reporters from doing their job,” he said, adding that Metzker often
Evany José Metzker received death threats. Carlos Lauria, the senior Americas programme coordinator of the New Yorkbased Committee to Protect Journalists said that at least 14 Brazilian journalists have been killed since 2011 “in retaliation for their work, making Brazil a very dangerous country for journalists”. “Lethal violence against the Brazilian press is on the rise, impeding journalists from reporting critically on what is going on,” he said. “The level of violence [against journalists] in Brazil is unacceptably high.”
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
U.N. announces Yemen talks, Iran to allow ship inspection
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon yesterday announced talks between warring Yemeni parties in Geneva on May 28 to end over seven weeks of war, as Iran agreed for international inspections of an aid ship sailing to Yemen. The moves are aimed at defusing the deepening crisis in the southern Arabian Peninsula, where Saudi-led forces killed at least 15 Houthis in the latest air strikes of a campaign to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and regional Shi’ite powerhouse Iran are in a tussle over influence in the Middle East, where sectarian tensions are fuelling civil strife in Syria and Iraq that has killed hundreds of thousands of people. “The Secretary-General is pleased to announce the launch of inclusive consultations starting on 28 May in Geneva to restore momentum toward a Yemeniled political transition process,” the U.N. statement issued in New York said. A U.N. Security Council source said Ban was expected to attend the opening session. In New York, the U.N. Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the Yemen crisis. It issued a statement urging “all Yemeni parties to attend these talks and engage without preconditions and in good faith,” while also calling for the resumption of humanitarian pauses in the fighting. The foreign minister of the exiled Yemeni government based in Saudi Arabia appeared surprised by the announcement and said the Houthis must first disarm and quit cities they seized since last September first. “We didn’t get an official invitation,” Reyad Yassin Abdulla said by phone. “It’s very short notice. If it
happens, it shouldn’t be on May 28,” he added. But Yemen’s U.N. Ambassador Khaled Alyemany said all parties, including the Houthis, would attend. “Of course President Hadi will be represented in Geneva,” he told reporters in New York. “He might be sending Vice President and Prime Minister (Khaled) Bahah, he might be sending somebody else.” Houthi leader AbdelMalek al-Houthi announced “conditions” for their attendance of the talks in a speech broadcast on Wednesday, including a commitment by parties to a controversial agreement after the Houthis’ September takeover of the capital that integrated the militia into all the state’s institutions. “The only way to solve the political problem is dialogue in a neutral country over what has been agreed upon in advance in the peace and partnership agreement,” al-Houthi said. A conference organized by the Yemeni government, which was not attended by the Houthis, concluded in Riyadh on Tuesday by calling on the Houthis to drop their weapons and withdraw from the cities they had captured before any talks could begin. IRANIAN AID SHIP INSPECTION The U.N. announcement came as Iran announced that the Iranian cargo ship sailing to Yemen with 2,500 tonnes of food and medical supplies would submit to international inspections in Djibouti before continuing on to Yemen’s Hodaida port, which is under Houthi control. The move reduces the risk of a potential showdown between the vessel, which had been escorted by Iranian warships, and Saudi-led forces enforcing inspections on vessels entering Yemeni ports to prevent arms
supplies from reaching the Houthis. “We have decided to dock our ship in Djibouti so the United Nations inspection protocol can take place,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. The voyage had threatened to escalate a regional confrontation over Yemen, in which Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Muslim allies have carried out almost two months of air raids on Houthi fighters it says are armed by Shi’ite power Iran. Tehran dismisses the allegation. Saudi-led forces have imposed searches on all ships trying to enter Yemen to prevent weapons reaching the Houthis, who control much of the country. Reuters ship tracking data showed the Iran Shahed positioned southwest of Aden at 1446 GMT (10.46 a.m. EDT) yesterday. SUSTAINED BOMBING Residents said yesterday that overnight, warplanes carried out the most sustained bombardment of Yemen’s capital Sanaa since the offensive started, hitting army bases and weapons depots. The coalition has been bombing Houthi forces since March 26 in a bid to restore Hadi to power after the Shi’ite Muslim group forced him to flee the country. Tribal sources along the Saudi-Yemeni border also said that more than 15 Houthi fighters and at least one Saudi officer were killed in intense clashes along their common border near the Saudi city of Najran. Planes also bombed a Yemeni army camp in the northern border province of Hajjah. Residents said huge explosions had been heard at the camp, in a sign the strike might have hit missile storage facilities.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 21, 2015
Catching Up With Guyana U20’s Martyne... From page 40 experience like, and would you have accepted a call from Canada if they had contacted you? The experience helped define who I am as a person. It was equally about soccer as it was about pride, and representing my family and country. It was my first time travelling to Guyana, and seeing my family heritage. Standing on the field for the first time whilst facing a crowd of fans and hearing the Guyanese anthem play was a moment I’ll never forget. Being a bicultural Canadian citizen, it would have given me equal pleasure representing Canada if they had contacted me, however my experiences playing for Guyana is something I wouldn’t trade for the world. Being both Canadian and Guyanese, you are familiar with two different soccer cultures, one mature and one developing. Why is
the continued growth of women’s soccer around the world so vital, and how must it continue to develop? Women’s soccer is still developing in many areas of the world, and I am so very fortunate to have grown up playing in Canada surrounded by amazing talent and coaches who have developed many phenomenal players. Most of the Guyana Lady Jaguars currently live in areas of the world where the sport is highly developed, which allows us to showcase our talent and further our chances of advancing through qualifiers. Women’s soccer in Guyana is still developing, and our hopes as a team are not only to represent the country, but also inspire local girls to play. Right now in developing soccer nations it’s all about sparking interest and offering leagues for girls to participate in. As a role model for young female
players in Guyana, we hope we’ll start to see girls take off and soon join the national programmes. This summer Canada is playing host to the FIFA Women’s World Cup – even though you may not be participating and nor has Guyana qualified, what does it mean to you having the World Cup in the nation you’ve grown up in? Hosting the Women’s World Cup is exciting not only because the world’s greatest female talent will be playing on our home soil, but also because of the national pride and recognition it stirs up. Women’s soccer typically receives less hype than the men’s, but I believe having the World Cup here in Canada will not only unite Canadian sports fans, but also inspire female athletes to pursue their athletic goals. I’ll be travelling to Montreal in June to cheer on Canada, as well as witness some of the incredible skill of
Thursday May 21, 2015 ARIES (MAR. 21APRIL 20) You will have original ideas for ways to make extra money. Opportunities to pamper yourself may unfold. TAURUS (APR. 21MAY 21) You might be a tad overindulgent today. You will impress others with your initiative and ability to accomplish while on short business trips. GEMINI (MAY 22JUNE 21) They won't get away with it. You can make changes to your living quarters that should please family members. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) You should try to elaborate on an idea you have regarding a product or service for the home. Your own small business on the side could ease your financial stress. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Abrupt changes concerning your professional position are evident. Opportunities for advancement at work are apparent. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) Exhaustion combined with overindulgence could result in minor health problems. Rest and relaxation will be more favorable than you think. You may have difficulties with foreigners.
LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) Take part in stimulating debates that will allow you to show off your intelligence. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) Be careful that you don't spend too much time with a person belonging to someone else. You will be popular with acquaintances; however, loved ones could feel left out and insecure. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) You have bent over backward trying to help them and now it's time to let them stand on their own two feet. Be careful; your ideas are good but make sure that you're realistic and start off on solid ground. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.JAN. 20) You can make major accomplishments while on short trips. You may want to take another look at the investment you are about to make. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) Changes in your residence will be favorable in the long haul. Your boss won't be too thrilled if you leave things unfinished. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Plans to make physical improvements may lead to psychological changes, too. You will have to watch out for minor health problems related to stress.
the other competing nations. Is it safe to say that despite the reputation of the men’s team, Canada is actually a hotbed for soccer talent? Absolutely, often Canada is disregarded in the soccer world, however many people don’t know our women’s team is ranked amongst the top ten teams in the world. Our soccer talent is still in the midst of developing structures to showcase the talent we have to offer. Even spin-off sports like Futsal are becoming more well-known, and youth are growing up with a lot more soccer outlets than were available in the past. Expect a lot more from Canada in the near future. Since 2007, the Canadian men’s professional soccer landscape has grown dramatically with eight clubs across the nation and with them eight opportunities for local soccer culture to develop. Will the women’s game ever develop to this point, and if so, what steps must be taken
in your opinion? It’s not that we lack the talent, however we’re lacking the structure to continue skill development into early adulthood. For women, to continue competing at a high level, most are exported down to the United States to play for American colleges. Canadian schools are slowly starting to develop high levels of athletics, however it is far from the American standards. After graduation many players either move on to a recreational level, or some continue on to play in the NWSL. Canada is still developing the clubs to support a high level of women’s play after the U21 level. Like most Canadian sport pursuits, the men’s leagues will shape the structures that women’s teams will adopt in future years. At this point, I can easily see women’s leagues catching up to that of their male counterparts in the next decade. What are some things that you’ve taken from your
journey through matches with Guyana’s U20 side; how has this experience impacted your life? After years of competitive soccer, I’ve learned many life skills as well as athletic aptitudes. The matches played with Guyana have taught me that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. When I was eight years old I sat watching Christine Sinclair on TV and dreamt that one day I would represent my country on the field. Ten years later, as cliché as it sounds, I got to live out my dream and I know that there are so many female athletes who are more than capable of the same. This experience has shaped my work ethic, and proved to myself what I am capable of. This is a message I want to spread to all aspiring young athletes: Regardless of the level of play, if you’re passionate and willing to put the work in, never give up on your goals, no matter how slim the chances are. You’ll surprise yourself with what you’re truly capable of. (LastWordOnSports)
FIFA TDO commits... From page 39 areas and I’m sure it is the same in some of the other areas. So hopefully he’s going to be able to grasp the attention of the people of those areas and give them the opportunity to develop the game in each area and not just in Georgetown.” Corneal encouraged that the GFF needs to tap in to the various courses that are on offer to Member Associations (MAs) by FIFA each year. “They ask the federations to apply for at least three to four courses, CONCACAF does the same also, so they {GFF}need to use that opportunity to get coaching courses here for youth, senior, club and grassroots coaches which is one of the more important programmes offered by FIFA. Grassroots targets coaches who are in charge of 6 to 12 year olds.” Corneal said he has also urged the GFF to start implementing programmes in especially the far reaching areas not just the capital city and its close environs. “You want to ensure that your arms are reaching the full country because you know the geographics of Guyana is a lot different to most of the other countries and that must always be taken into consideration.”
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
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ICC advisory panel recommends Sterling wins Liverpool award, booed by some fans playing Tests under floodlights Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling. (Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith)
LONDON (Reuters) Raheem Sterling has been named Liverpool’s young player of the year but was booed by a small number of fans when he collected the award on Tuesday amid speculation that the England winger is angling for a move away from Anfield. Sterling was jeered by some supporters, while others shouted “Stay,
Raheem” as he picked up the accolade a day after British media reported that the 20year-old was poised to request a transfer. In February, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said that Sterling had been offered an “incredible” new contract, with some reports suggesting the club had put forward a deal worth 100,000 pounds per week.
Sterling denied he was a “money-grabbing 20-yearold” in an interview with the BBC last month but also said he was in no rush to sign a new contract. Liverpool, who finished as Premier League runners-up last season, have struggled throughout the current campaign and have failed to qualify for the Champions League. Speaking at the club’s awards ceremony, Rodgers said this season has been a struggle for fifthplaced Liverpool because of a number of “distractions”. “Expectancy from last season was going to be high,” Rodgers said. “Things that have happened, the distractions, you can’t plan for them. “It has been a difficult, trying season but the players will all be better for it next year. “The players need a rest but the club will continue to work hard to improve the squad and next year provides another great opportunity for us like last season.” Liverpool travel to Stoke City for their final Premier League match of the season on Sunday.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft will not appeal NFL’s ‘Deflategate’ penalty (Reuters) New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said on Tuesday he will reluctantly accept rather than appeal a $1 million fine and loss of draft choices imposed by the NFL against the Super Bowl champions for the team’s role in the “Deflategate” scandal. Electing not to escalate the Patriots’ confrontation with the league over the cheating controversy, Kraft said he disagreed with the NFL’s punishment but respected Commissioner Roger Goodell and wanted to end the “rhetoric” swirling around the issue since January. The National Football League punished the Patriots, one of the league’s most successful franchises, for purposely deflating footballs used in the team’s 45-7 playoff victory over the Indianapolis Colts that put New England in the Super Bowl. The NFL imposed a record fine and took away New England’s 2016 first-round draft choice and a 2017 fourth-round pick. At a news conference at an NFL owners meeting in San Francisco, Kraft said, “I don’t want to continue the rhetoric that’s gone on for the last four months.” He said he was “going to accept, reluctantly”
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft addresses the media during a press conference after their arrival in preparation for Super Bowl XLIX at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Hotel. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) the penalty given by the league and “not continue this dialogue and rhetoric. We won’t appeal.” In addition to the actions against the club, the NFL suspended star quarterback Tom Brady, one of the league’s biggest stars, without pay for the first four games of next season but Brady is appealing his punishment.. The players union on Tuesday formally
requested that Goodell recuse himself as the arbitrator in Brady’s case, saying his “history of inconsistently issuing discipline ... makes him illsuited to hear this appeal in a fair-minded manner.” Kraft was a key ally of Goodell when the commissioner faced close scrutiny for his discipline of players involved in domestic violence incidents.
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — An advisory panel of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has recommended that Test-playing nations should look at holding five-day matches under floodlights to attract more spectators. International One-Day and Twenty20 games are played at night with white balls, bringing in fans after office hours, but day-time Tests have seen dwindling crowds, especially in the influential Indian subcontinent. Playing Test matches into the night has been mooted by the sport’s governing body for the past two years, and balls of different colours have been tested to see if they can last the distance. The ICC’s cricket committee, which met in Mumbai over the weekend, said it had been encouraged by positive reports about the pink balls used in a four-day first-class match in Abu Dhabi in March and discussed daynight Tests at length. “As a result of these discussions, there will be a strong recommendation from the committee to member countries that they should identify opportunities to play Test matches that extend into the evening hours,” an ICC release said. But the committee, headed by former Indian captain Anil Kumble, said it was not in favour of reducing Tests to four days, although this proposal could be considered in future. “There was also discussion on the concept of four-day Test cricket, and while the committee was not of the view that Tests should be shorter than five days, the game will need to be open to considering proposals in the future that look to enhance the public appeal of cricket’s oldest format,” the committee said in the ICC release.
The committee’s recommendations will be placed for approval at the ICC’s annual meetings in Barbados next month. Australia hope to host the
first-ever day night Test against New Zealand later this year, but reports earlier this month said 17 of the 20 contracted Black Caps players opposed the idea.
Four Horsemen promotion has big plans for August 1st Emancipation meet The Four Horsemen promotion group says that they will be forging ahead with plans to host a one day mega horserace meet. This is despite another club releasing a programme for the day. According to Colin Elcock, it was decided at a meeting held by the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) in February at the Rising Sun Turf Club, Arima Park West Coast Berbice, that the clubs will return to their traditional dates in hosting meetings. According to information the Port Mourant Turf Club (PMTC) has a traditional date on August 1st while the Rising Sun Turf Club and the Kennard Memorial Turf Club has traditional race dates for later in the month. In light of the decisions made at the GHRA meet it was decided to forge ahead with plans for their emancipation meet. Elcock referred to the agreement that was reached at the February meeting which states - that race clubs will set their own respective dates only notifying GHRA of the intended race date. In the event two Clubs submit the same date, consideration will be given to the Club with the traditional date, moving away from the previous arrangement
where the GHRA and the clubs would sit at a meeting at the start of the year and decide on dates for the clubs. Another decision taken during that meeting was that the current classification system being employed in Guyana, does not accurately integrates horses coming from the United States classification system. The new ratings system will be worked out in conjunction with representatives of horse owners and trainers. The new system being implemented will appear alongside the current classification system on race programmes over a period of time to allow race fans to familiarize themselves with it. At that meeting it was also agreed that an Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by Mr. Vic Oudit will be put in place. The four horsemen promotion, while congratulating the new Government on their accession to office, is encouraging them to make a priority in passing the necessary horseracing legislation which will make the hosting of the activity easier. The previous government had the document for over two decades and never tabled it in parliament for passage.
DCC congratulates President Granger and New Government The President, Executive and Members of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) are proud to extend heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency, President David Arthur Granger and Prime Minister The Honourable Moses Veerasammy Nagamatoo of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, who conjointly spearheaded the “Unity Team” of the APNU+AFC Coalition to Electoral success at the recent General and Regional Elections of May 11, 2015, the club said in a release. It is with a feeling of reverence, humility and unbridled joy that the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) was singularly involved, played its part and readily contributed by way of inputs/intervention in hosting the APNU+AFC Youth-Volunteer Election Education Seminar at the Club’s Pavilion whilst
making its attendant facilities available. The Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) reiterates its abiding support for the efforts and programmes of the New Administration – sure in the knowledge that they will resolutely pursue their declared and committed policy of Inclusive Governance – forged in the white heat of Progress for and Unity of all Guyanese Citizens, both at home and across the Diaspora, regardless of political persuasion, affiliation, ethnicity, gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. May the Divine Architect of the Universe guard protect and guide the New Administration in its deliberations and decisions in moving this Dear Land of Guyana onward, upward and more importantly forward, to take its rightful place among the Comity of Nations.
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Kaieteur News
Oliver flies past rivals to set alight Bird’s Nest (Reuters) BEIJING - Justin Gatlin may have flown home but at least the Bird’s Nest Stadium could thrill instead to another 33-year-old American speedster, David Oliver, running the fastest 110 meters hurdles this year at Beijing’s World Challenge meeting yesterday. Gatlin’s fall-out with the organizers had led to him departing on the eve of the meeting in a huff but the smiling world champion Oliver proved a popular top of the bill with his second win in China in four days. Oliver clocked a worldleading 13.15sec to record a much more clear-cut victory than in Sunday’s Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, when he pipped Orlando Ortega by just 0.02sec. This time, the margin over the Cuban runner-up was 0.22sec. “That’s cool man, I’m very happy to be a star here. Everybody loves me here and it feels good to give a performance to the crowd,” Oliver told reporters after being feted by 35,000 fans. Oliver reckoned he had run poorly but was adamant the only thing that mattered was getting it right 98 days from now in the heats of the world championships in the same stadium when he starts the defence of his title. Ironically, it could have been Oliver’s own experience last year at this same Beijing meeting that may have caused the problem this year with Gatlin. In 2014, Oliver had pulled out on the day of his race with injury and the speculation was that organizers had asked Gatlin to leave because they feared a similar late withdrawal because he had
David Oliver of the U.S reacts after winning the men’s 110m hurdles event at the IAAF Diamond League Athletics in Shanghai May 17, 2015. (Reuters/Aly Song) his own minor injury concerns. Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown celebrated a return to the scene of her second Olympic 200 meters triumph by dominating the half-lap event. The seven-times Olympic medalist turned 33 last week but still believes she can run faster than ever after being cleared of a doping offence last year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. She was in a different league to modest opposition, enjoying three
meters to spare over American Kaylin Whitney when winning in 22.68sec. There was an encouraging comeback from Olympic high jump champion Anna Chicherova, who missed the end of last season with an injury to her right ankle. The Russian, deprived of the chance of competing in the European Championships, won with a final attempt clearance at 1.94 meters, before failing in her bid to top two meters.
FIFA allow Danish transfer window to open early COPENHAGEN (Reuters) FIFA have granted permission for the Danish summer transfer window to open earlier than planned, enabling clubs to strengthen their squads before registering for European competition in late June. The transfer window was due to open on June 28, six days after the UEFA deadline for the registering of players for the first qualification round for European tournaments. It will instead now open on June 15 in Denmark, giving the clubs a week to
supplement their squads. “As soon as we became aware of the date of the deadline, we reacted quickly to UEFA, who referred us to FIFA,” Danish football association (DBU) lawyer Jes Christian Fisker said in a statement. “We obviously want the best conditions for the Danish teams qualifying matches for UEFA tournaments. Therefore, it is positive that today we have received an extraordinary acceptance by FIFA to bring forward the opening of the Danish transfer window.”
Registration underway for seminar during ‘Maximum Sport’ anniversary celebrations ‘Maximum Sport, Combat and Strength’ television programme with Black Belt karateka, Maxwell Massiah, which sensitizes the public of the intricacies of the karate, boxing, martial arts, judo, arm-wrestling, powerlifting, bodybuilding, rugby, and the many other combat disciplines and aired on National Communication Network 11 (NCN 11), will be celebrating its one year anniversary. Massiah will host Guyanese world renowned bodybuilder, Laura Crevalle for a series of activities to commemorate the programme. Consequently, the organizers have planned a seminar for Wednesday June
3 at the National Cultural Centre starting at 18:30hrs. Registration has commenced and entrance fee is $2000. Ms Creavalle will not only share her vast wealth of knowledge and expertise, but also interact physically with the audience on various forms of beneficial exercise and diet for athletes and competitors and the general public. Further, there will be karate & self defense demonstrations, a male and female curling competition and other forms of inspiring entertainment, to compliment activities. Further information can be had from Mr. Massiah on 609-8132 or 672-8569.
Thursday May 21, 2015
De Villiers, Mandeep fifties crush Royals Mandeep Singh goes on his toes for an upper cut, Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2015, Eliminator, Pune, May 20, 2015 ©BCCI ESNPcricinfo - Royal Challengers Bangalore set up a clash with Chennai Super Kings for a place in the final as they sent Rajasthan Royals out of the tournament with a commanding performance. Two of the big three Royal Challengers batsmen failed, but the third, AB de Villiers, made up for that with 66 off 38. Mandeep Singh chose a knockout game to make the first half-century of the season from a Royal Challengers batsman not answering to those three big names. De Villiers and Mandeep added 113 for the third wicket at more than 10 an over to propel Royal Challengers to 180 for 4. On a ground with a highest successful chase of 166 in the IPL, it was too many runs in the pressure of a mustwin chase. Royals crumbled without any fight, losing wickets regularly to go down by 71 runs. On a hard and grassy but also two-paced pitch, Royal Challengers lost Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli to Dhawal
Kulkarni by the eighth over before reaching 50. Mandeep and de Villiers took a few deliveries to get their bearings before decisively batting Royals out of the match. Mandeep started the counter when he pulled and lofted Kulkarni for consecutive boundaries in the tenth over. Still, Royal Challengers were going at run a ball at the halfway mark. They were to take 86 off the last six overs, Royals’ death-bowling letting them down again as none of those overs went for less than 11. No batsman barring Mandeep and de Villiers was able to time the ball consistently on the Pune pitch. Mandeep was strong on the pull and the cut. Gradually, de Villiers found his hitting rhythm too, against left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma in the 15th over, when he slogged two sixes and powered a four to deep extra cover. James Faulkner went for 42 from four overs to end a disappointing season with an economy-rate of 9.46. Chris
Morris had a rare off day too, leaking the same number of runs. With such a stiff target, Royals needed their top order to come good. It wasn’t to be. Shane Watson chased and nicked a wide one from S Aravind in the second over. Sanju Samson’s promotion to No. 3 did not work as Harshal Patel bounced him out. With the asking-rate galloping, Steven Smith grew desperate for the big hit and holed out off David Wiese. Helpless to stop the exit of batsmen at the other end, and struggling to get the measure of the pitch, Ajinkya Rahane departed for 42 off 39 in the 14th over. There was to be no sparkle from Deepak Hooda. There was to be no finishing from Faulkner. There was to be only a heavy defeat. Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 180 for 4 (De Villiers 66, Mandeep 54*, Kulkarni 228) beat Rajasthan Royals 109 (Rahane 42, Harshal 215, Aravind 2-20, Chahal 220) by 71 runs.
Fyrish Black Sharks defeat Smythfield
ROCKERS 63-62 IN NAIL BITER The Fyrish Black Sharks held their nerves to edge past the more seasoned Smythfield Rockers basket club 63-62 when play continued in the NPG Inter Club Basketball competitions for teams in Berbice. The game which was played on Sunday at the Fyrish Basketball Court was intense from the start with the lead changing hands constantly. It was the Smythfield Rockers that took the early lead to end the first quarter at 16-11. The second quarter saw the game picking up pace with both teams scoring
constantly. However the Rockers were able to maintain their lead at 28-25 at the half way stage. The Black Shark dwelling in familiar territory fought back nicely to take the lead 50-48 at the end of another keenly contested session at the end of the third quarter. It was a see saw affair in the final segment as both teams played desperately for the win. However it was the Black Sharks that steadied themselves and moved away. The main contributors for the Black Sharks were Keenan Williams and Linden
Joseph with 14 points each, while Joel Fraser contributed 10 and Royel Franklyn had 8. Leading the fight for Smythfield Rockers was Sherman Braithwaite with 17 with support from Tyron Dey 16 and Shimroy McKenzie with 8. With the win the Black Sharks have advance to the semifinals. The competition continues on Sunday with New Amsterdam Warriors hosting Ithaca Hardliners at the Vryman’s Erven Basketball Court, in New Amsterdam, Berbice. Both teams are winless so far. (Samuel Whyte)
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
Windies Girls defend 156 to clinch series ESPNcricinfo – COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - A collective bowling performance, led by offspinner Hayley Matthews’ career-best 3 for 7, helped West Indies Women defend 156 against Sri Lanka Women and seal the series 3-1 in Colombo. After having opted to bat, West Indies slumped to 156 all out, with only four of their batters crossing double figures. Allrounder Sripali Weerakoddy carved up the top order, reducing West Indies to 44 for 3, before leftarm spinner Inoka Ranaweera inflicted more damage, claiming figures of 3 for 17 in 10 overs, including four maidens. Britney Cooper, coming in at No. 5, offered some source of resistance through 46 off 65 balls, but lacked meaningful support from the other end. This meant that the visitors were bowled out inside 48 overs. Sri Lanka’s resistance was flimsier as they folded for 125 in 45.2 overs. Chamari Atappattu fell early in the chase when she was bowled
by Stafanie Taylor for 2 by the fourth over. Weerakoddy couldn’t carry her bowling form into batting; she pottered around for 10 off 45 balls before Tremayne Smartt had her caught behind. Each of Yasoda Mendis (13), Nipuni Hansika (21), Shashikala Siriwardene (16) and Eshani Lokusuriyage (30) got starts but none managed a substantial contribution, Lokusuriyage’s 30 off 50 balls was the highest score. The last four Sri Lankan wickets fell for only 10 runs with Matthews bagging her career-best ODI figures after having made 24 off 23 balls. Smartt and Anisa Mohammad finished with combined figures of 20-2-51-4. Scores: WEST INDIES WOMEN: 156 all out off 47.3 overs (Britney Cooper 46, Hayley Matthews 24; Inoka Ranaweera 3-17, Sripali Weerakoddy 3-37) SRI LANKA WOMEN: 125 all out off 45.2 overs (Eshani Kaushalya 30, Nipuni Hansika 21; Hayley Matthews 3-7, Anisa Mohammed 2-23, Tremaine Smartt 2-28)
Truth ‘too shocking’ for IOC but pressure must stop: VIZER
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach speaks during a news conference at the end of the IOC Executive Board meeting in Rio de Janeiro. (Reuters/Pilar Olivares) BERLIN (Reuters) SportAccord president Marius Vizer has urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to end pressure on federations to withdraw their membership of his organization after he criticized the Olympic body last month. Vizer, who heads the international judo federation and the umbrella body SportAccord, which has about 100 sports federations
as members, had accused the IOC of being dated, blocking new events and lacking transparency among other things. Since Vizer’s scathing attack at the SportAccord convention, which he said was probably “too shocking” for the IOC, more than a dozen Olympic federations, including athletics, boxing, archery, taekwondo, triathlon, hockey and wrestling, have left, saying his comments did not represent them.
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Fifa: Israel football faces possible suspension vote Fifa president Sepp Blatter released a dove on Wednesday’s visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah. (Reuters)
BBC Sport - Fifa could vote on whether to suspend Israel from world football’s governing body over claims that it discriminates against Palestinian footballers. The Palestine Football Association (PFA) says the Israeli FA has violated rules relating to racism, players’ free movement and where clubs are based. It has requested the vote at the next Fifa congress on 29 May. Suspension would mean Israeli teams would not be able to take part in the the Champions League and Euro 2016. The matters were on the agenda in both 2013 and
2014, but compromises meant it never went to a vote. The Palestinians have raised three major complaints: · Palestinian players and officials are routinely restricted in their movement, making it difficult to play matches · Five clubs play in the Israeli league that are located in settlements in the occupied West Bank · They say the Israeli Football Association (IFA) is turning a blind eye to racism The Israeli federation has said it cannot be held responsible for restrictions imposed by the state of Israel, which frequently limits
Palestinians’ movement or holds up the delivery of goods because of security concerns. “I don’t think there is any football association around the world which can tell its government how to deal with security issues, including the Israeli Football Association,” said IFA chief executive Rotem Kamer. PFA chief Jibril Rajoub said: “We will never, ever accept any compromise, any agreement or deal outside the Congress. “If the other side insists on causing us suffering, we are not using violence or weapons, we are using the legal leverage of the Fifa
statutes. This is nothing to do with politics, this is a sport issue.” Fifa president Sepp Blatter discussed the issues with Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, before meeting Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Rajoub on Wednesday. Rajoub said the PFA will keep its proposals on the Fifa congress agenda. Blatter said he had proposed that Fifa organise a “peace match” between the Israeli and Palestinian national teams in Zurich. He claimed Netanyahu had promised to attend the event if it went ahead.
Hamilton staying at Mercedes until 2018
Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain waves as he celebrates his victory on the podium after the Chinese F1 Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit, April 12, 2015. (Reuters/Aly Song) MONACO (Reuters) Double Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has agreed a new three-year contract that will keep him at Mercedes until the end of 2018, the team announced yesterday. Although no financial details were given, media reports have suggested the Briton is in line for a bumper
pay packet amounting to more than $40 million (26 million pounds) a year. “Mercedes is my home and I couldn’t be happier to be staying here for another three years,” the 30-year-old Briton said in a statement that ended any talk of a move to rivals Ferrari in the near future. Hamilton, who has a 20point lead over team mate
Nico Rosberg in the current championship after five races, is already one of the highest earners in the sport along with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. German driver Rosberg, who is chasing a third successive Monaco Grand Prix win this weekend, agreed his own multi-year contract extension last July. Hamilton’s new deal ends months of uncertainty about the driver’s future, with speculation swirling since the middle of last year and increasing despite repeated assurances that all was on track. The champion has dispensed with the services of a manager and has been conducting much of the negotiations, and reading through contracts, himself. VERY PROUD The Briton, who won his first title with McLaren in 2008, has been backed by Mercedes since his teenage years and all of his 36 grand prix wins have been with the
German manufacturer’s engines. Fifteen of those victories, including 11 last year, have been for the Mercedes works team. “Mercedes-Benz began supporting me in 1998 so I am very proud that this contract means I will mark 20 years with Mercedes in 2018,” he said. Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said continuity was a key factor in delivering success. “Lewis enjoyed an historic World Championship season with Mercedes-Benz last year and it was a priority for this season to renew his contract for the next term,” said the Austrian. “We have taken the right amount of time with the process and not rushed ourselves. “The result is a strong agreement that will enhance Lewis’ association with the Mercedes-Benz brand, and that recognises and respects the market value of Lewis and of Mercedes in Formula One.”
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Embattled England face rising force NZ Captains Alastair Cook and Brendon McCullum are currently in very different places © Getty Images
ESPNcricinfo - Whatever dramas and controversies are floating around either England cricket or the world game - and at the moment there are plenty in both - there is something reassuring about the first Test of the English season. Whether Alastair Cook, Paul Farbrace and Andrew Strauss - captain, stand-in coach and new director of cricket - will be reassured come the end of the match is a moot point, but after all the off-field shenanigans at least the action moves back to the field. And it is an intriguing contest between teams currently moving in opposite directions. The recent update of the Test rankings had England and New Zealand swapping places; the home side down to the fifth, the visitors up to third. However, New Zealand’s rise is even more significant than that: a year ago they were seventh, which is the position England will occupy if they lose this series. Much has changed since the last meeting between the teams in 2013. The current crop of England cricketers are trying to look to the future but are often handed the hospital pass of needing to bat away questions about Peter Moores’ sacking, Kevin Pietersen’s continued banishing or something Colin Graves may or may not have said. New Zealand, meanwhile, are still regularly asked about their uplifting World Cup campaign and the glow, albeit dampened somewhat by defeat in the final, remains as does an air of confidence around the squad. Although this is a return to Test cricket they promise to retain the attacking brand of cricket instilled under Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson, led so strongly by the captain himself. It will be a challenge in early season English conditions, not least because a core of the Test side have arrived late from the IPL, but McCullum has always been clear: cricket is a game to enjoy and play to provide entertainment. The English public would love that to be shown by their team, too, although right now Cook would take a victory any which way. IN THE SPOTLIGHT The match-up between the two new-ball attacks will go a long way towards deciding the series. James Anderson remains an outstanding bowler but can’t forever shoulder the burden he currently does and Stuart Broad was inconsistent in the West Indies.
In the opposition, Tim Southee and Trent Boult now have two years’ further experience from when the teams last met in 2013 and are as compelling a duo as their England counterparts. They also benefit from the rightarm, left-arm combination. Opening the batting could be hazardous in this match. Kane Williamson and Gary Ballance are both destined for prolific international careers and, given the strength of the two new-ball pairings, the No. 3 batsmen of both teams had better not get too comfortable in the dressing room. Williamson is more advanced in his career than Ballance and since January 2014 has averaged over 70 in Tests. Ballance, though, has taken to the fiveday game like a duck to water: four hundreds in his first 11 outings including a show of notable resilience to put a poor World Cup behind him with runs in the Caribbean. TEAMS NEWS Adam Lyth will be England’s 666th Test cricketer - and has no qualms about the number of his cap - so becoming the sixth opening partner for Cook since Strauss’ retirement in 2012. Mark Wood may also be handed a debut in place of Chris Jordan as England aim to add greater cutting edge to their pace attack. Martin Guptill all but assured himself a recall, for his first Test since Headingley 2013, with his 150 against Worcestershire and is set to open alongside Tom Latham as Hamish Rutherford misses out. McCullum always likes a specialist spinner so Mark Craig’s place is secure leaving the third frontline quick as the final question mark. The suggestion is that Matt Henry will make his debut, preferred to the workhorse Neil Wagner, who would be able to consider himself unfortunate to miss out PITCH AND CONDITIONS Last year, Mick Hunt’s Test pitches produced two wonderful matches: Sri Lanka earned a draw nine wickets down and India, having had the toughest of conditions, secured a famous victory. On both occasions the side bowling first wasted helpful conditions; the pitches rarely break up so if the ball does swing or seam it must be taken advantage of, although McCullum suggested the surface felt dry “underneath the top”. The weather forecast suggests five dry days with mild (by English May standards) temperatures.
Thursday May 21, 2015
CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb addresses challenges in the region Miami - CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb sat down with ESPN FC on Tuesday to talk about some of the issues that are facing the confederation, including reducing the gap between the region’s members. In order to achieve this, the president points to the creation of a professional league in the Caribbean as one potential measure to promote the development of the confederation, something which is already under evaluation. ESPN: Concacaf has improved in many ways under your administration; what is the most significant change that you have made? Jeffrey Webb: In my opinion, the most significant change has been improving the recognition of our membership. CONCACAF is led by 41 national associations, we are a democratic confederation. ESPN: In general you’ve done a good job, but as you know, Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer damaged CONCACAF. Do you think you’ve salvaged the confederation’s image? JW: Our aim is to build our confederation from a starting point of transparency with CONCACAF’s members. It will clearly take time, but I think the investments we have made and the rebuilding of our legal or tax counsels has been tremendous. I think the investment carried out in
these two years will boost the confederation. ESPN: Talking about Caribbean soccer, are we going to have a league in the near future? JW: We would like to see a professional Caribbean league. I think when you look at the evolution of the game and you see CONCACAF, in order to challenge the United States and Mexico, we need Central American countries to continue their improvement and this will be very difficult for the Caribbean if there isn’t a professional league. It feels like there is an ever widening gap between Caribbean and Central American soccer and the only way to close that gap opens is through professional soccer. It’s going to need the investment and involvement of governments and CONCACAF. We have been working with the region’s leaders and we have analyzed the region’s capacity in terms of stadia and infrastructure. We are now looking at the market size and which markets
Jeffrey Webb
could sustain and develop a professional team. ESPN: What do you think is the reason behind the growth of the Jamaican league and its potential moving forward? JW: Sure, the Jamaican league is experiencing strong growth and I think that investment has stimulated development. For the last five or six years, the training of coaches has become a priority. When you see how they are growing it bodes well for the future, but it needs to be tested. The Jamaican league needs to challenge itself in the CONCACAF Champions League, not just in the domestic league. It needs to test itself against teams from Central America. That’s how it’s really going to grow. One of the biggest challenges in Jamaica is revenue generation. It is difficult to generate revenue, and thereby compete in the CONCACAF Champions League, due to the small domestic market.
JUVENTUS WIN COPPA ITALIA IN EXTRA TIME
Juve captain Gianluigi Buffon was rested so defender Giorgio Chiellini lifted the trophy. (Reuters) BBC Sport - Juventus kept their dreams of a treble alive as they won the Coppa Italia thanks to Alessandro Matri’s extra-time winner against Lazio. Juve have won Serie A for the fourth consecutive time and face Barcelona in the Champions League final.
They fell behind in Rome when Stefan Radu headed Lazio ahead but Giorgio Chiellini levelled with a fine volley. The final went to extra time before substitute Matri lashed home to seal a record 10th cup win. Juventus had not won the trophy since 1995
but will now hope to complete a treble - achieved by Jose Mourinho at Inter in 2010 when they play Barca in Berlin on Saturday 6 June. La Liga champions Barca could also be going for the treble as they face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final on 30 May.
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
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FIFA TDO commits to full support and guidance for Guyana Guyana and the cost to visit the far reaching areas, the Next Generation Project s p e a k s t o t h e implementation of the GFF District Alignment strategy. The North West District will have four associations – Essequibo, Bartica, West
By Franklin Wilson F I FA Te c h n i c a l Development Officer (TDO) for the South East Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago’s Anton Corneal says that Guyana can look forward to his and the world governing body’s unequivocal support as the nation continues to embark on a path towards building a solid technical foundation. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport at the Pegasus Hotel whilst he was wrapping up his latest visit to Guyana yesterday, Corneal said that he has seen positive changes in the landscape of Guyana’s football over the past few months and has complimented the FIFA appointed Normalisation Committee chaired by Clinton Urling for doing a fine job so far. “The Normalisation Committee is very vibrant and proactive trying to follow best practices and one is by hiring a Technical Director who as far as I have seen, understands Guyana’s football and some of the history so he knows exactly the direction they need to move forward.” The experienced Corneal, a former Technical Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, posited that it is important to implement a programme that has longevity and proper progressions with young
Anton Corneal players all the way up to the senior teams while noting that the history of Guyana’s football stands on its own. “You have done well sporadically; you’ve done well with your national senior teams. You’ve had times when your youth teams were very competitive in the Caribbean and sometimes at the CONCACAF level.” Corneal is of the view that with such a background, Guyana needs the kind of technical structure that is being implemented through the Next Generation Project (four year) that was rolled out by Technical Director, Claude Bolton last month (April) in order to be competitive and a viable federation. Given the vastness of
- Satisfies GFF on the right path Demerara and Georgetown. North East District comprise of Upper Demerara, East Bank, East Demerara and Berbice, while the South District has one association,
Rupununi. The district divisions would be used to deliver and monitor player and coaching development through the requisite programmes the
GFF will offer through FIFA and CONCACAF. “I know Mr. Bolton has already started to implement his plan and I’ve personally traveled with him to one of your outreach areas and seen the potential in some of those (Continued on page 32)
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Thursday May 21, 2015
Curry sparks Warriors to Game One victory over Houston Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) shoots a layup against Houston Rockets forward Josh Smith (5) during the fourth quarter in game one of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) (Reuters) Stephen Curry won his personal duel with James Harden as the Golden State Warriors overcame an early deficit and survived a late scare to edge the Houston Rockets 110-106 in Game One of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday. Curry poured in 34 points, six rebounds and five assists and added key buckets in the closing stages to give the top-seeded Warriors a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series in front of a raucous home crowd. The Golden State fans w e r e n e r v o u s e a r l y, however, when their team fell 16 points behind in the second quarter but the Warriors responded with a 16-2 run to seize control by halftime. Harden, who finished runner-up to Curry
for the regular season MVP award, nearly delivered a triple-double with 28 points 11 rebounds and nine assists, and caught fire in the second half to rally the Rockets. Houston have already proven capable of comebacks in overcoming a 3-1 deficit to oust the Los Angeles Clippers in the last round and used a late 7-0 run to pull within 108-106 with 14 seconds remaining. Curry, however, settled the nerves by making two free throws to seal things for Golden State, who got 18 points off the bench from Shaun Livingston. Houston center Dwight Howard suffered a knee injury in the first quarter, returned for a while but left for good in the fourth. Golden State will host Game Two today.
GTTA congratulates new administration President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), Godfrey Munroe yesterday issued a congratulatory message to Guyana’s new President and Prime Minister, following their election to the respective offices after the May 11 Elections. Below is the full message from the Table Tennis association: “The President and Executive Committee of the G u y a n a Ta b l e Te n n i s Association wish to congratulate his Excellency
President David Arthur Granger and Hon. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and their team on their assumption to the leadership of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Over the years, as a tradition, the standing Presidents have been the patrons of our association. The GTTA looks forward to working with the new Government and remains committed to supporting the development of the sports in Guyana.”
Thursday May 21, 2015
Kaieteur News
Catching up with Guyana U-20’s Martyne Alphonso
I
t is a massive year for women’s soccer, both Canadian and international; what better way to discuss it than with someone who has experienced both worlds? Martyne Alphonso is just that - a Canadian of Guyanese heritage, who plays internationally for Guyana. Currently attending Queen’s University, we had the privilege to speak with her about her experiences playing for Guyana and her thoughts on the development of women’s soccer. Yo u t o o k p a r t i n CONCACAF qualifying matches for the Guyanese women’s U20 national team in 2012 – what was the experience like, and how did it come about? I think the best way to describe it is simply surreal. At the time I was playing in a Spanish Futsal league in Mississauga, and my Guyanese grandparents were in the stands watching the game. One of the players on the Guyanese Women’s team also happened to be there and overheard my grandparent’s accent. After sparking a conversation with them while watching me play, she put me in contact with the coaching staff, and I was recruited for the team. Eight months later I was on a flight to Guyana for the CONCACAF qualifying
matches. Upon arrival in Guyana there were complications with my citizenship and passport papers, which delayed me from playing the first few matches. Luckily it was sorted out by the time our second round of games commenced in Cuba. Stepping onto the pitch for the first time in uniform was probably the most nervous and excited I’ve ever been. The experiences I’ve had with the Guyana Lady Jags have been unforgettable and hands down the best experience I’ve had thus far in my life. You’re from Toronto – in fact, many Guyanese players originate from outside the country. How did this affect the team dynamic? The team was compiled of players from across North America, the U.K, and a few Guyanese locals. Most of us live in the Toronto area so our practices prior to the qualifying matches consisted of only players residing in Ontario. Some of our players I met in Guyana, or in the airport, so it was tricky figuring out team chemistry until a few days before the matches. Luckily it came together in time, and we got to know each other’s style of play quickly. What was the (Continued on page 34)
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Martyne Alphonso (3 left back row) with fellow Lady Jags and Technical Staff at the conclusion of a training camp in Toronto.
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Windies Girls defend 156 to clinch series FILE PHOTO: Hayley Matthews followed up a brisk 24 with career-best figures of 3 for 7 Š Cricket Australia.
De Villiers, Mandeep fifties crush Royals AB de Villiers unfurls one of his trademark shots, Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore ŠBCCI
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