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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
Possessing the requisite wisdom With the dawn of every new administration, the primary concern of the populace is that we experience greater development than ever before. It should not be difficult for the David Granger-led government to recognise that for Guyana to develop, and has now become necessary, catch up with our more progressive Caricom neighbours in the next decade, we will one way or another have to accelerate the pace of growth. It is imperative that bickering politicians will have to take some time out to agree on the major fetters to our efforts. The factors for development are multiple and diverse. We all know, from our personal experiences, that there isn’t one simple answer to the question why each of us becomes richer or poorer. Hence, we shouldn’t be surprised that the question of why whole societies become richer or poorer also cannot be given one simple answer. Different experts have different views about the relative importance of the conditions and factors that make countries richer or poorer. The factors they most discuss are so-called “good institutions,” which may be defined as laws and practices that motivate people to work hard, become economically productive, and thereby enrich both themselves and their countries. Among the good economic institutions that motivate people to become productive are the protection of their private property rights, predictable enforcement of their contracts, opportunities to invest and retain control of their money, control of inflation, and open exchange of currency. For instance, people are motivated to work hard if they have opportunities to invest their earnings profitably, but not if they have few such opportunities or if their earnings or profits are likely to be confiscated. There is no doubt that good institutions are important in determining a country’s wealth. To our credit, we have introduced most of the above institutions in the last twenty-five years. So why haven’t we progressed farther? There is the question of time. A long history of government doesn’t guarantee good institutions but at least permits them; a short history makes them very unlikely. One cannot just suddenly introduce government institutions and expect people to adopt them and to unlearn their long history of backward organization. Our politicians must appreciate we are a very young work in progress. An additional factor behind the origin of the good institutions is that in our country, Europeans introduced corrupt “extractive” economic institutions, such as slave and indentured labour and confiscation of produce, to drain wealth from our country. There were also authoritarian political institutions. In our case “extractive economic institutions” meant practices and policies designed to extract incomes and wealth from our entire society to benefit the foreign imperial power. For instance, even though we produce sugar, not a single refinery was established here to give a higher value added product. This was unlike countries such as Canada and Australia where European settlers had to work themselves and they developed institutional incentives rewarding work. When the former colonies like ours achieved independence we inherited the extractive and authoritarian institutions that coerced the masses to produce wealth for dictators and the elite. In the ‘settler’ colonies of Australian etc., they were left with institutions by which the government shared power and gave people incentives to pursue. The extractive institutions retarded economic development, but incentivizing institutions promoted it. But while we acknowledge the comparative youthfulness of our nation, this does not give our political elite an exemption. It is an indictment of their maturity that while the questions above were confronted by the founders of our independent nation, some seem to revel in finger-pointing. Unless the institutions undergirding our flawed systems are modified to match our circumstances and patience is exercised to ensure their rules are inculcated in our people (including mainly themselves), we could be arguing about our ‘underdevelopment’ for decades to come. It is hoped that our leaders, today and beyond, possess the requisite wisdom to avoid us having to squabble.
Friday May 22, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
This is not about witch-hunting, but about holding corrupt people accountable Dear President Granger, Leading up to the elections, your coalition made much ado about stomping out corruption and corruptors if elected to government. You made the case that corruption was a cancer that had metastasize across Guyana’s institutions and needed to be surgically removed to restore public confidence. The Guyanese people listened carefully to your argument - and agreed with your assessment - and on May 11th, decided that you and your coalition were best equipped to handle the task. In your address to the
department heads yesterday, you outlined your expectations and goals in this regard, and from all accounts, the speech was well articulated. It however fell short of substantive action and many are now asking if your campaign speech to forcefully deal with corruption was just that - a speech. A s y o u k n o w, M r. President, it is a mandatory requirement that all civil servants resign their post prior to mounting the political campaign trail. (We saw this in the case of Elisabeth Harper) However, most of the department heads
who elected to become political candidates did not resign and are currently still on the job. In keeping with the pervasive corruption within the government ministries, these individuals willfully set out to perpetrate fraud by breaching policies and laws. Allowing them to remain in office is to reward and condone corruption therefore - they must be asked to resign. The Guyanese people expect nothing less and we assert that this is not about witch-hunting - but instead about holding people accountable for corruptive
practices. I wish to register my personal disappointment that these individuals were given a pass. It gives the impression that your precampaign commitment to forcefully tackle corruption and corrupted people was just rhetoric. We, the Guyanese people, are not impressed with your handling of this issue. We are watching to see that you correct yourself by dealing with these civil servants, the likes of Alexie Ramotar, who donned political robes to hit the campaign trail as candidates. Berkeley Van Bowen
PPP lost this election because of rampant discrimination DEAR EDITOR, Please allow me space in your letter column to extend congratulations to the APNU-AFC on their election win. PPP lost this election because of rampant discrimination. Rampant victimisation. Rampant nepotism. Rampant racism. Rampant corruption. Many can attest to the discrimination experienced under the PPP. I do wish to share one of my many painful experiences. I do believe that going public would have a catarrhal effect
on pent up resentment. I was one of the medical graduates from the class of 2000. Our final examination results were not consistent with results of the preceding four years. Students, including myself who were consistently performing well, were marked down severely in our final examinations. Because credits were very skewed to our final examinations, our final grades were severely impacted. Unfortunately, average students in the preceding four years, that had political connections,
had their grades unfairly boosted. Appealing was not an option since the appeal process was governed by the agents of the PPP. One student took the University to court to appeal his grades. The arrogant agents disregard the court’s findings. This discrimination continued as we did our internship at GPHC. I finally had enough, resigned and renounced my citizenship. Presently, I am the first doctor from our batch of the year 2000, to become a consultant in the UK. I literally completed my
postgraduate examinations in record time. I write not to vilify anyone. I write not to champion witch hunting. I write not to promote ethnic divide. I write to bring to the fore one of the many reasons why many professionals left Guyana under PPP rule. I will now reapply for my Guyanese citizenship. I will never forgive the PPP and their wicked agents. Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS Msc MRCP(UK) Consultant acute medicine North Middlesex University Hospital
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Why the Granger presidency is Appeal to new administration to already keeping us up at night resolve cricket crisis. It Is Time DEAR EDITOR, This country has just released itself from a fifteen year long cave of psychological oppression which only now that the people are free can they begin to comprehend how dark and dangerous it was. The Jagdeo years will go down in this country’s history as a quasi-tyranny under which outspoken critics were slandered and victimised while the rest remained in fearful silence. And that is why it is essential in the formative days of this Granger presidency that we call him out for every small thing he and his ministers do so they all hear it loud and clear that politicians can never again in this nation benefit from that silence, and that climate of scared acquiescence, that allowed vagabonds to rule with such impunity. So here are a couple of things that are bugging us. First, the naming of the Guyana International Conference Centre. We have no problem with Granger naming it after President Arthur Chung. It’s just the way he decided and announced it. It’s like he woke up this morning and had a brain storm. Quite frankly, it comes across as whimsical and authoritarian, and is no way to go about such a decision. At the least, it should have been one for his new Cabinet, and ideally one resolved in the
Parliament. What better way to honour the late President? And before that, it should have been debated in the letters pages, and on social media, and been the subject of television panels. Maybe someone else’s name could have been proposed…In other words, the proposal needed to be thrown out to the people, chewed over for a while, and for a collective decision to be made. Secondly, the naming and swearing in of the partial Cabinet today was just piss poor. (We will excuse the running out of parchment paper. Blame that on Ramotar who never thought he would have to do all this swearing-in rigmarole and that life would return to normal). Again what is disturbing is not the renaming of the ministries, but the complete lack of any explanation of the reasoning behind the numerous decisions. Tell us what is the purpose of the Ministry of Social Cohesion, except to keep Amna Ally happy, even though she is not the most unifying member of the APNU? Why is it now called the Ministry of Social Protection instead of the old name Social Security and Human Services? Why is it the Ministry of Communities? Tell us why did we hear only later that Youth, Sports and Culture is to be absorbed under Education and what is the
rationale behind that? Tell us the reason why we hear the Ministry of Natural Resources is to be controlled by the Office of the President, despite having huge authority over the c o u n t r y ’s e c o n o m i c activity? To us, this seems like a dangerous centralisation of power. Tell us why the Ministry of To u r i s m i s n o w o n l y tourism? Is it because it is an AFC position? Just throwing out the name of a new ministry and attaching a minister to it emphasises personalities over purpose, faces over functions. And tell us why are there no complete bios on any of the new ministers? Tell us who is Simona Broomes. What are her qualifications for her position? Tell us why was Basil Williams picked as the new AG, when many in the legal community are shaking their heads? TELL US. This is no way to start. Governments are duty bound to be transparent, inclusive and answerable to the people and this smacks of high handedness and secrecy. The country has had quite enough of that and we urge all people to speak up and never give this new administration a moment of rest. It is not through cheerleading but through criticism that we will get the government we deserve. Taken from www.gtmosquito.com
DEAR EDITOR, I wish to extend sincere congratulations to His Excellency David Granger, Hon Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, the newlyappointed Ministers of the Government and the entire membership of the APNU/AFC Coalition on your outstanding victory at the 2015 General and Regional Elections. The people have clearly voted against one-party political domination and have placed their confidence in the coalition in keeping with the universal trend. I look forward to and am
supportive of the new dispensation and in particular the expected restoration of honesty, i n t e g r i t y a n d accountability at all levels of national life. The spectre of corruption has for far too long tarnished and retrogressed our economic and social developmental aspirations. It is against this backdrop that I wish to single out the administration of cricket as a major national tragedy as for five years now there has been inordinate turmoil in our cricket. I remain adamant in my belief that there is no lawful executive body of the
GCB. I fervently appeal to the new administration to ensure that the lawlessness that presently obtains in our cricket is immediately consigned to oblivion and that legal elections, order, accountability and integrity are restored to our national game. The time for change in our cricket is now. Malcolm Peters (Former President of the Berbice Cricket Board and Former Vice-President of the Guyana Cricket Board) for and on behalf of the Stakeholders of Guyana Cricket
Humility in a leader can only strengthen his leadership DEAR EDITOR, Many years ago, when Mr Jagdeo took office as President of Guyana, I suggested via the print media that Mr Jagdeo go calling at the home of Mr Hoyte and ask that Mr Hoyte join him in walking across Guyana together and telling the nation that while their approaches may be different, their common intent was the good of this nation. My suggestion was premised on the example shown by Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham. The two men spoke often, perhaps disagreed very often, but the nation knew (and saw) that they spoke constantly. That
erased a lot of skepticism in the minds of the people. I am an advocate of pro-active leadership and I wish hereby to ask of President Granger to drive home to Mr Ramotar for coffee one morning or join him one morning at the National Park and let the talks between these two gentlemen commence. The confines of offices make for too formal postures. That can come later. There is nothing to lose but so much to gain. Can’t adversaries be informal or friendly notwithstanding? The welfare of over 700,000 Guyanese is involved. Taajnauth Jadunauth
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
U.S. official in Israel to discuss Mideast nuclear arms ban A senior U.S. official is in Israel to discuss the possibility of a compromise that would keep alive the idea of someday banning nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, U.S. officials and U.N. diplomats said on Thursday. Today is the final day of a month-long review conference on the 1970 nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) at United Nations headquarters in New York. The conference has bogged down on several issues, above all the failure to convene a planned 2012 conference on a Middle East weapons of mass destruction (WMD) ban. Without agreement on the Middle East issue, diplomats said treaty signatories might fail to agree approve final outcome document at the conference. Last month, Egypt, backed by other Arab and non-aligned states, proposed that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convene a regional conference on banning
WMD as called for at the 2010 NPT review meeting, with or without Israel’s participation. Washington and Israel oppose the idea. The United States has been trying to come up with a compromise that satisfies the Arabs but does not alienate Israel, diplomats said. A State Department official said on condition of anonymity that Assistant Secretary of State Tom Countryman was currently in Israel to discuss the WMD-free zone and other issues. “Both the United States and Israel support the creation of a WMD-free zone in the Middle East,” said Kurtis Cooper, a spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations. “We are working closely with our Israeli partners to advance our mutual interests, including preserving the NPT.” Israel neither confirms nor denies the widespread assumption that it controls the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal. Israel, which has
never joined the NPT, agreed to take part in the review conference as an observer, ending a 20-year absence. Diplomats were skeptical about Countryman’s prospects for success. The call for a 2012 conference on a regional WMD ban, approved at the 2010 NPT review meeting, infuriated Israel. But diplomats said Israel eventually agreed to attend planning meetings. The planned 2012 conference never took place, which annoyed Egypt and other Arab states. Egypt’s latest proposals, Western diplomats say, are intended to focus attention on Israel. Washington and Israel say Iran’s nuclear program is the real regional threat. Iran says its program is peaceful. It is currently negotiating with world powers to curb it in exchange for lifting sanctions. The Jewish state has said it would consider joining the NPT only once at peace with its Arab neighbors and Iran.
Ireland looks set to back gay marriage in landmark referendum Ireland votes today on whether to allow gay marriage in a referendum that could make the once deeply Catholic country the first in the world to adopt the policy by popular vote. The reform is backed by all political parties, championed by big employers and endorsed by celebrities, all hoping it will mark a transformation in the last country in Western Europe to decriminalise homosexuality just over two decades ago. Opponents, including noticeably low-key church leaders, have raised concerns over parenthood and surrogacy rights for gay couples. But polls indicate
that the referendum will be passed by a margin of as much as two-to-one. “My message to people is that if you believe in equality, do not be complacent, do not leave it to others,” said Prime Minister Enda Kenny, a practicing Catholic who has spoken of his personal journey to become a leading advocate for gay marriage. “Say yes, yes to inclusion, yes to rights, yes to love, yes to equality. Take away those burdens for people and let them be who they are.” A number of U.S. states recognise gay unions as do Brazil, France, New Zealand, Britain and other countries,
but none have extended civil ma r r i a g e t o s a m e - s e x couples by way of a national referendum. Recent votes in Slovenia and Croatia were rejected. Pollsters say a ratification may hinge on whether younger voters, tens of thousands of whom have registered to vote in recent months, actually turn up to cast their ballot. Results, which will be declared on Saturday, will also be closely watched for an urban/rural split. When voters legalised divorce by a razor thin majority in 1995, only five of the 30 constituencies outside Dublin backed the proposal.
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Rowley: We will not waste time playing the blame game if elected Trinidad Express - Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley has promised the business community if he is elected to office his Government will hit the ground running, and will not waste time witch-hunting the former Government or playing the blame game. Speaking at Wednesday’s “Beyond the Ballot” breakfast meeting hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce at the Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s Rowley also promised to address concerns raised by the private sector, including the shortage of labour, crime, corruption, traffic and public procurement. “What we expect is that when a PNM Government comes into office we will do like we did in 1991 when we came in office in a very difficult period-we didn’t spend time crying and complaining and blaming the NAR for taking us to the IMF, we buckled down and made some very serious interventions that took us out of where we were and some very positive things happened in that period. In 2001 we came back into office and we did not waste time chasing down the previous administration. We set about trying to monetise oil and
Friday May 22, 2015
Sole-sourcing a thing of the past - New Health Minister
Dr Keith Rowley gas and we created the LNG industry,” he said. Asked if his party had any intention of phasing out the CEPEP and URP work programmes to deal with the labour shortage in the private sector, Rowley said this will not be done, but a PNM Government will not allow the programmes to grow to such an extent that they threaten the need for labour in the private sector. He said it could not be right that while the budget for make-work programmes was growing and the country’s employment has reached full
capacity, the private sector continued to experience problems in getting labour. “There is a disconnect between those things, so we will have to balance thatpeople who need support will get support and persons who are there on the basis of excesses, we will curb the excess.” Asked by businessman Arthur Lok Jack about how he intends to manage the national budget with a view to getting value for money, Rowley said a PNM government will ensure there is accountability and good governance. He said the party is not opposed to borrowing, but the money must be spent on areas that will build the country and the country must be in a position to repay its debt. “I grew up in a household. I had five brothers and a father who lived off the earnings of a peasant farmer. We were taught from at home that it is not what you work for but it’s what you do with it,” he said. “In the house I live in now I could never have built if I didn’t borrow 30 years ago and built it. Borrowing allows you to do things now because you don’t have the cash in hand.
Newly-appointed Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton, (at centre) meets with senior officers within the sector yesterday. As he made his way through sections of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) yesterday hugs, kisses and congratulatory remarks were offered to Dr George Norton. Dr Norton was on Wednesday sworn-in as Minister of the Public Health Ministry under the newly-elected A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government. His trip to the all-too familiar GPHC yesterday represented his first official visit to the Public Health institution in the capacity of senior Minister of Public Health. Because of his political appointment, Dr Norton is required to give up his position as Head of the GPHC Ophthalmology Department which he has held for several years. Moreover, his visit to the hospital yesterday was to meet with departmental heads, some of whom he has worked with for many years. Among those he met with yesterday were Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud; Permanent Secretary within the Health Ministry, Mr Leslie Cadogan; Chief Executive Officer of the GPHC, Mr Michael Khan; Director of the Institute of Health Science Education, Dr Madan Rambarran; Directors within the Nursing Department and other senior functionaries. Ahead of visiting the GPHC, the Public Health Minister met with staffers at the Brickdam, Georgetown, Ministry of Health, headquarters. During an interview with this publication yesterday the Minister admitted that he is
now grooving into the new position. “I must say that at one stage I was nervous, but then when I take into consideration the seriousness of the Health Ministry in any country that sobers me up and tells me that the work has now begun,” said the new Minister. He related that over the years he was troubled by a number of areas within the health sector ranging from the high rate of maternal and child mortality to the high incidence of suicide. Another issue of concern that has been gaining the attention of Dr Norton for a number of years is that of the whole system of procurement of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. And according to him, during his tenure he will be aiming to make sole sourcing of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to the Health Ministry a thing of the past. Sole sourcing, he pointed out, meant that procurement from a single entity, the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Company in this case, was done through a Cabinet order. But according to Dr Norton, “that is not the way to go. We have got to go through that method of having everybody on a level playing field by having a bidding process...it doesn’t mean that these (contracts) will always be awarded to the lowest bidder.” This is in light of the fact Dr Norton noted that some cheap medications that are sourced in India, for example, are not of the high quality of some high-priced medications that are sourced in Texas, United States. “My experience tells me
that some of these highpriced medications are so much more superior than what we can get from Pakistan or Bangladesh or from India...so those are some of the factors we will have to take into consideration,” the Health Minister stated. Another factor that must be considered is the need for healthy competition, said Dr Norton. “We just can’t have sole sourcing; you need to give other companies the opportunity to come and present their cases to you, and make it in such a way that the pre-conditions do not limit them from applying, and that is what has happened in the past.” Such issues along with the need for proper training of medical personnel, he asserted, will not go unaddressed. “If I am allowed to, and can get my way, I will concentrate particularly on those...” he added, even as he turned his attention to the importance of job satisfaction in the whole scheme of things. He was at the time making reference to the fact that measures must be put in place to ensure that the medical personnel do not merely “go through the motion of coming to work and doing a job, finishing at a certain time and going home.” Instead he is hoping to help transform the public health sector to one where the medical personnel’s primary focus is to make a sick person feel better. “I am worried about how things are right now. I want persons, doctors and nurses, to be a part of the team, like the patients’ relatives and the patients themselves,” Dr Norton emphasised.
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
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REVAMP LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTORAL LAWS For the first time, Guyana’s next parliament will only have two parties represented. The United Force will not be there as it was for so many years prior to 2011. One of the disappointing but predictable outcomes of the 2015 elections has been the failure of any of the smaller parties to gain seats. The new parliament will therefore have the APNU+AFC on one side and the PPPC on the other. The 2015 elections marked the demise of the smaller parties. The elections were a major setback for these parties. It is doubtful whether any of them can muster, in such a polarized political environment, the wherewithal to contest any more general
and regional elections. Five years from now, there is little hope that anything is going to change. Local government elections are expected to be held next year. If this is done, the two main political groupings, APNU+AFC will once again dominate the political landscape. There will be no place for the third parties. Yet, it should be observed that the best nursery for small parties has always been in local government. Many a party in other countries first sought to gain footholds and strongholds by contesting State elections. They have then graduated to power at the national level. The local government system therefore is a good incubator
for smaller parties. But in Guyana’s present polarized political climate, it is doubtful whether the smaller parties have any chance in local government elections should they be held under the present system, and should they be held next year. The results of the 2015 elections, should by themselves offer some food for further thought as to how best the system can be made more representative. Revamping our local government electoral system to make it more representative, can serve as a useful model as to how to proceed at the national level. There is much scope for reform of the electoral system for local government elections. The PNCR and the
This year’s homicide rate continues to be ahead of last year’s figures, with police revealing that there have been 60 reported murders between January and May 18. The figure is a seven percent increase for the same period in 2014, when there were 56 reported murders. According to the Police Public Relations Department, which looked at the period between January and May 18, there was a six percent increase in serious crimes, such as murder, robbery under arms, robbery with violence, robbery with aggravation, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape and
kidnapping. A release showed a 15 percent decrease in armed robberies, an 18 percent decrease in armed robberies involving the use of firearms, and an 11 percent decrease in armed robberies in which instruments other than firearms were used. But police also recorded a 70 percent increase in reported cases of rape, while burglary has decreased by 11 percent. Investigations are continuing into the murder of Ramesh Puran who was shot and killed during an armed robbery at Belvedere Squatting Area, Berbice, on May 14, 2015. Two of the three men who
were arrested have been released. Investigations are also continuing into the murder of Sean Anyes of “D” Field, Sophia, who was shot and killed during an armed robbery at his home on May 1, 2015. One suspect was questioned and later released. In relation to traffic, there were 41 road fatalities up to yesterday from 32 accidents, compared to 43 road fatalities from 40 accidents during the similar period in 2014. Due to the prevailing rains, the Guyana Police Force is urging motorists and other road users to exercise greater care and attention as they use the roadways.
60 MURDERS IN LESS THAN FOUR MONTHS
PPPC had parried for years in deciding what sort of split was desirable for the system. Should it be a 40-60 constituency/PR split or should it be 60-40. The time that they took deciding on this would have been better spent preparing the country for a situation where every community would pick its own leaders and have elections to determine who would represent each community, based simply on who gets the most votes. In other words, why not have a first-past-the-post system. Take Georgetown for example. Georgetown is physically demarcated into wards. But there is no run-off election for each ward. Instead, wards are grouped together. In some cases the voters from three wards will have to vote for one candidate. A better option would be to have elections for each ward and based on the number of wards agreed upon, then that will be the number of seats in the Council. In other words, what I am proposing is totally doing away with the PR element of the elections. The downside of this, and of course of the irony, considering my original argument in favour of small
parties, is that PR at least offers smaller parties a chance. But does it? The smaller parties had absolutely no chance in the national and regional elections. They were marginalized under the very system that theoretically was supposed to grant them greater representation. There is therefore no reason to assume that by keeping a PR element in local government elections that smaller parties would do better. In fact, these smaller parties may do better in very small communities and wards where their leaders may be well-known and popular. They stand a better chance there than under the present system. The advantage of moving towards a full first-past-the-
post system is that it may blood young talent, and this in turn may force the larger political groupings to make more accommodation for emerging leaders. This in turn will encourage the emergence of new blood and could have a positive impact in encouraging independent candidates to try. If the new government is serious about the things that it preaches, it may want to consider discussing with the opposition, a total revamp of the system of local government electoral laws along the lines outlined above.
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Kaieteur News
Friday May 22, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Venality and vendetta: Educating a nation Letters and more letters are appearing in the newspaper with the cry - let there be no vendetta. The conversation among the middle and upper classes is about the new government developing Guyana and for it to forget about vendetta. Most people, even the working people who are always given to emotional eruptions and want tit for tat, feel the APNU-AFC team should concentrate on development and not be sidetracked with going after the PPP. This is what is meant by vendetta – going after people just because you are in a position to hurt them. Vendetta defined from any angle has no place in society when Governments change. Simply put, vendetta is the chauvinistic mistreatment of others just for the purpose of displaying the possession of authority. The most banal example is the new mandarin saying to one of his subordinates, I will
deal with you because your party lost. That subordinate had a right to endorse a party of his choice. If his party loses, why should he be attacked in his office by his new boss? Once the subordinate was qualified for the job he got and he did his job professionally, then if with a change of government he meets with the hand of victimization that is wrong. I don’t anticipate any manifestations of vendetta as the APNU-AFC administration settles down. The story of PPP vendetta against PNC personnel is a long and sad one, and it has stained the legacy of Cheddi Jagan. Adam Harris is yet to be paid monies due after he was removed from the Chronicle in 1992. Scores of Foreign Service Officers were fired, of whom Aubrey Norton is the most famous of that bunch. It is not only that they were dismissed, but monies due were withheld.
Two such Foreign Ministry officials took the Jagan Government to court and won - Keith Michael Austin and Dr. Cedric Grant. Dozens of high level officials at Customs and Excise were victims of a witchhunt by the Jagan Government after 1992. Some of these people still point to the role of Ramon Gaskin as the hatchet man for Jagan. One case I still remember vividly, involves my friend Laurie Bancroft. Bancroft returned with a Masters in Customs Administration when the Jagan Government came into power in 1992. On reporting for duty, Bancroft was peremptorily dismissed. Here was a senior Customs officer removed simply because he was employed with the previous regime. That is vendetta. Most definitely, we have left that political sarcoma behind in 2015. But what about the concept of justice and its delivery to a nation?
While avoiding the pathway of vendetta, the APNU-AFC leadership cannot avoid the road to justice. This country was plagued the past fifteen years with the disease of theft of public money. The Guyanese people talked about corruption every day. It became an obsession for this nation. The APNU-AFC has a moral obligation to lay bare the facts of corruption so this country’s citizens can be educated about the financial venalities that swallowed up this land. Some of the most abominable situations need to be researched and the facts given to the Guyanese people. One of the obsessive interests I have in this education project is the Nirmal Rekha case of 2004 at the Ministry of Finance. It wasn’t an outside investigation into Rekha that one can describe as bias. The inquiry was conducted by the Guyana
Driver escapes death as vehicle runs overboard
The submerged vehicle. Inset: Kevin London Kevin London had woken up early yesterday morning, determined to have a productive day. Hours later while reflecting, London believed the day had been a good enough one. However, that perception soon changed; he had never expected that shortly after lunch, he and his car would be submerged in a canal.
Shortly after struggling to save his life, a drenched London explained that the accident which saw his car plunging into the North Road Canal had been completely unforeseen. When questioned about what exactly happened, London could only reply, “I got out.” After taking a moment to collect himself, the
trembling driver explained that he was coming from Kitty when a car (number given) hit him from behind and sped away. According to London, he was heading west along North Road while the other driver was heading south on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive. “I was coming from Kitty and I barely see the car
coming, so I slow down. By the time I slow down, he lash the back of my vehicle and I end up overboard,” he said. “When the car went down, I end up pushing the door and I got out…it was hard but I pushed.” At the time, he said, he was alone and the windows were fortunately down. London added that he is thankful to be alive.
Revenue Authority itself. It found that Rekha signed more than fifty bogus dutyfree letters. This columnist has a copy of the findings and it says “over fifty.” How much is over fifty? How can a Permanent Secretary sign over fifty dutyfree letters and you put that down to a mistake? To date, Rehka was never removed from his job. He is still there. The Guyanese people were never told what exactly Rekha didn’t do or did but wasn’t wrong. Here is my question. Is a re-look into that enigma a vendetta or a natural search for justice? One area of interest all Guyanese have, is who were the persons that were compensated after the CLICO collapse when NIS bought CLICO shares in the Berbice Bridge? Many ordinary folks and
Frederick Kissoon lower working class people lost out badly in the CLICO collapse. This included my wife’s pension. At the time she worked at GO-Invest and GO-Invest’s pension scheme was administered by CLICO. Is a re-look into this conspiracy a vendetta? If the answer is yes, then I boldly beg to disagree. Vendetta and justice are not related. They have nothing in common. One is based on silly human attitude; the other is a sacred value.
Dem boys seh...
From President to Protester Life is a circle and karma is a bitch. Dem same people you mash while going up in life does step aside and leh you fall hard. Donald was president last week and some of he people was Ministers of de govament. When dem talk Georgetown shake and Guyana tremble. They were de untouchables. But some of dem fall suh hard that dem still lef pun dem face; dem can’t ketch dem length or breath to face dem same people when dem was going up. De others who find dem foot but not dem tail end up walking wid placard in front of GECOM. From president last week to protester dis week. De Ministers fall from lords and gone to de dogs. What a life. De Creatah does allow you to do what you like but not for as long as you like. Dem boys use to warn dem every day but dem didn’t listen. Dem do people de gods. Dem step pun dem, dem spit pun dem, kick dem and treat dem wid disdain and disrespect. When people had problems and use to protest dem use to look through dem window and laugh. Dem use to get de police fuh terrorise de people. De same police tun and tell dem yesterday wid a smile, “De shoe deh pun de other foot and it tight.” De one time Education Minister give Irfaat, another onetime Minister, a placard wid wrang spelling. She is de one who seh “no child will be left behind”. Irfaat get lef far behind. Dem boys seh that if there is one word she should know to spell correct is HYPOCRISY. She got Irfaat wid he own spelling—HYPOCRACY. When dem boys was protesting fuh radio licence Donald tell dem to stop and in three weeks he gun regularise de industry. Three months pass, then three years come and he gone. Now he protesting wid placard in he hand, begging GECOM fuh regularize he vote. Dem boys hear he get de same answer wha he give Guyana. De Bally Bai tell Donald wait three weeks. But when Mr Lowmein hear that he seh, “Boss dem have confidentiality clause.” That is what dem use to tell people when dem didn’t want answer any question or don’t want to give account fuh dem action. Anyhow, dem boys seh that de protest is to divert attention from de investigations that gun put dem in jail. De pumpkin jumpsuit done mek and press, and de cots done mek up. And some strong men waiting fuh tek out dem wrinkle. When Labba Lip hear that, he seh, “Soulja Bai, I will serve de sentence fuh all of dem.” Talk half and wait fuh more wrang spelling in de protest.
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 11
Guyanese man wanted for grisly murder of DC family, housekeeper Washington DC (Fox News) - The manhunt for the quadruple murder suspect believed to have killed a Washington executive, his family and a housekeeper before torching their mansion and escaping with $40,000 in cash is now focused in Brooklyn, police said yesterday. Daron Dylon Wint, who Washington police said previously worked for Savvas Savopoulos at American Iron Works, is believed to be hiding some 230 miles northeast of the crime scene, which he fled in Amy Savopoulos’ Porsche after committing the murders and setting their home on fire. “We have information that we believe Mr. Wint is currently in the Brooklyn, N.Y., area,” Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters yesterday. Lanier said authorities believe 34-year-old Wint is connected to the family through Savopoulos’s business. “It does appear that this was not a random crime,” she said, adding, “We have not ruled out that there are others involved.” She said Wint should be considered armed and dangerous. Police reportedly believe Wint, a career criminal who has been arrested for assault and rape in the past, held the family over a period of several hours, forcing them to have a parcel of cash delivered to their home. Law enforcement authorities from the NYPD, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Secret Service were assisting in the investigation, Lanier said. The murders took place on May 14, just blocks away from Vice President Joseph Biden’s official residence on the grounds of the U.S. Naval
Observatory. Washington police issued a warrant for Wint’s arrest late Wednesday after DNA from pizza crust left at the scene turned up the match. Fox affiliate WTTG reported that police were seen outside a home Wednesday night in Lanham, Md., where they believe Wint lives with his father. The station reported Wint has an extensive criminal history that includes traffic violations and charges for domestic violence, burglary and assault. Savvas Savopoulos, 46; Amy Savopoulos, 47; their son, Philip, 10; and housekeeper Veralicia “Vera” Figueroa, 57, were found dead on the second floor of their burning home in northwest Washington. Authorities were led to New York City in their search for Wint after the man’s girlfriend, who lives in Brooklyn, called police and said he had been staying with her, according to law enforcement sources. The woman, who has not been named, claimed Wint was headed back to Washington, D.C., to turn himself in. The New York City Police Department told Fox News that a Brooklyn home was searched yesterday in the case. “We had information to believe he may be here, and right now in the South Brooklyn area,” New York City Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told reporters. “He has some relatives here and some friends here. We’re investigating that with them right now.” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser described the murders as “an act of evil.” Authorities say Wint entered the home some time before midnight on May 13. They suspect the four victims were held at the home against
The DC home where the grisly murders took place
Wint (left) and the four victims - (top) Savvas Savopoulos and Amy Savopoulos (bottom) their son, Philip and housekeeper Veralicia “Vera” Figueroa their will overnight before they were killed May 14. The fire was reported to authorities at approximately 1:15 p.m. that day. The Washington Post reported, citing three law enforcement officials close to the investigation, said that police linked Wint to the murder scene by analyzing DNA from the crust of a Domino’s pizza that had been ordered to the house on the night of May 13. The delivery man told WTTG that he delivered two pizzas to the house and was paid with cash left in an envelope outside the front door. Earlier Wednesday, Nelitza Gutierrez, the family’s longtime housekeeper, told WTTG that a package containing $40,000 in cash was scheduled to be delivered to the Savopoulos house on the morning of the fire. The money was withdrawn from an account at American Iron Works, according to multiple local
reports. When firefighters arrived at the home, the money was unaccounted for, as was a blue Porsche that was registered to Amy Savopoulos. The vehicle was found late that afternoon in the parking lot of a church in suburban Prince George’s County, Md., where it had been torched. Police released surveillance video over the weekend showing a man running near where the Porsche was abandoned. Lanier said authorities believe Wint is the person in that video. Shortly after the fire at the family’s $5 million mansion, Gutierrez revealed that she had received a text message that morning telling her not to come into work because the family was sick. Sources close to the investigation told WTTG that Savvas and Amy Savopoulos, as well as Figueroa, were all found dead in chairs and were doused with gasoline. Philip Savopoulos was found in his
bed, burned beyond recognition and with lacerations to his body. Lanier told reporters that no vehicle is registered in Wint’s name and said it was unclear how he traveled to New York. “Possibly a bus, but we just don’t know,” she said. The New York Daily News reported that Wint grew up in Guyana and moved to the U.S. in 2000. He joined the Marine Corps the same year and received an honorable
discharge for medical reasons before working as a welder, according to the newspaper. Lanier urged Wint to turn himself in, saying, “Right now you have just about every law enforcement in the country that is aware of his warrant and looking for him.” A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Wint’s arrest. Authorities said he was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue-hooded sweatshirt and white tennis sneakers.
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Kaieteur News
Friday May 22, 2015
Unused IFMAS modules to be implemented once feasible - Finance Minister Winston Jordan - No proper record of how Govt.’s assets were sold, transferred or disposed of By Kiana Wilburg Finance Minister Winston Jordan says that once no plausible reason can be provided as to why parts of the Integrated Financial Management and Accounting System (IFMAS) are not in use, then the public can rest assured that it would be implemented immediately. The computerized accounting system was created by the Canadian company Freebalance. It is
intended to ensure accountability and transparency regarding how taxpayers’ money is budgeted and spent by the government. A specially tailored system was made for Guyana by the company, and it was implemented on January 1, 2004, under former President Bharrat Jagdeo. It comes with seven components: Appropriation, Expenditure, General Ledger, Budget Preparation & Reporting
System (BPRS), Purchasing, Revenue and Asset & Inventory Modules. After ten years, the Purchasing and Asset and Inventory Modules are the ones still to be implemented. Last year, this newspaper carried a series of articles showing how liability for assets and monies could be improved if all the modules belonging to the IFMAS system were operable. The new Finance Minister told this newspaper, that he
Man chopped, shot following cattle theft allegations A Corentyne man is now recovering from a gruesome attack that was allegedly launched against him by a fellow villager, over the alleged theft of cattle in the village of Liverpool. Mark Simon, 29, was chopped and shot about his body after he was reportedly involved in an argument with another man last Tuesday, over missing sheep. He is now recuperating in the male surgical ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The injured man explained from his hospital bed that on the day in question, the police came looking for him because another villager made an allegation against him over the theft of his livestock. Simon, who was not at home
at the time, was informed of the police’s visit by his mother. The woman was informed to take her son to the station the following day (Wednesday). There are speculations that Simon’s attacker went to the Police Station to make a report. After not getting any satisfaction he reportedly returned and launched the attack. Simon recalled that the man (name given) confronted him about the issue and he told him he did not steal the animal. He said that upon hearing that the man left in a hurry and returned with a gun and cutlass. “He lef’ and return with a gun and cutlass and shot me in my left knee and back. Then he chopped me on the right thigh and left foot, just above the ankle,” Simon recounted. He added that after the man attacked him he fell to the ground and slid into a nearby trench, while his perpetrator
made good his escape on a bicycle. Simon was rescued by a relative, who lifted him out to the public road. He was then placed in a car and they headed to the Whim Police Station to make a report, but before the car could have stopped at the station, they were instructed to take the injured man to the hospital. He was taken to the Port Mourant Hospital but was later transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Subsequently, he was transferred to the GPHC. So far he has undergone surgery to have the bullets removed. Simon related that sometime in October last, his attacker had sent a youth to kill him. He said that he had chopped the assailant in selfdefence and had spent six months at the New Amsterdam Prison, before the matter was settled. Meanwhile, the suspect is still on the run as the police continue their investigation.
will look into the matter as he is familiar with the system. “That system was initially brought here under a grant agreement with the Canadians. Any subsequent module to be added will be under that licence and would have to be paid for by us…I have not spoken to the staff here, but what I understand is that when it was first put in, we had two or three modules working and later on, we had two or three more added, and we would have paid for that process,” Jordan expressed. He added, “You have to bring in the people to activate it and so forth, but I will be the first to admit that the others which are not in place are extremely useful.” The Finance Minister said that were the Asset and Inventory module in place, the system of handing over of assets would have been “much easier and believable.” That very module provides the ability to create an inventory for asset entries, provide the ability for tracking issues and receipts; provide the ability to enter receipts for deliveries to stores via the Purchasing Module; provide the ability to make adjustments to reflect inventory average and shortages; and provide the ability to provide queries and reports on current inventory, stock activity and receiving reports. The unimplemented Purchasing Module provides the ability to create purchase requisitions and orders with self-creating commitments to reserve the necessary funds; provide the ability to record the receipts and return of goods and automatically update the purchase order to reflect the transactions; complete integration with the payment process to reflect payment for goods ordered and received; and provide the ability to create an asset
record when goods are received. Jordan continued: “I am not saying that people have cheated, but I am saying that because it is not in place, you still have to go and verify that these assets are in place. For example, if ‘X’ ministry says these are the vehicles we are handing over, you still have to verify through carrying out a check that the records reflect the truth”. “There is no proper register of the properties of the ministries, or an asset register that says over the last five or three years of your time in government, these are the assets which were transferred, disposed of or sold.” Jordan said for this purpose, the Asset and Inventory Module “would be beautiful.” He vowed that it is something he will definitely look into. He said however, “We have to find out how much under the licence is required to get it up and running.” “If I ascertain that we don’t have to pay, then I would try to find out what is stopping us from activating it. I have to find out a reason why. And if no plausible reason can be given, I will have it activated immediately, provided that we can do so.” The Finance Minister said that if it requires “a humongous amount of people, then we will have to prioritize our activities”. It is important to note that the Former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh had said that over 400 persons have been trained to use IFMAS. Jordan noted that he would “love to see it happen” because with government’s assets “no one can tell you where it is at.” He said that no one seems to be able to keep a proper asset register, which would also include the gifts received from international bodies. He recalled that the country’s Auditor General, Deodat Sharma had complained bitterly that the Finance Ministry’s system for recording gifts and assets is very poor.
Finance Minister, Winston Jordan Sharma in a previous interview with Kaieteur News, had even said that should the two unused IFMAS modules be operationalised, it would certainly make for an easier and more efficient audit of government books. With this position, the guardian of the national purse has continuously called for the two modules to be activated. Doug Hadden, Vice President of Sales of the Canadian company which develops the IFMAS, had said that he is unaware of any case where a government bought the system and did not use all of the modules. He said that while Governments are treated with a sense of privacy, he would advise that all the modules be used. Though the former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh contended that the two unimplemented modules are for a more mature environment, it is important to note that when Guyana got the IFMAS system, which was secured at a cost of $132M, it was specially tailored to suit the country’s needs. AFC’s Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan had said, “Not to want the implementation of those two most important modules which were paid for and delivered to the Government, exhibits an operation akin to a Pablo Escobar running the Drug Enforcement Agency. Just like what Escobar would have done at the DEA, they have knocked out the intelligence system which could have caught them.”
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 13
Mining pit tragedy…
GM’s is final body pulled from pit By Jarryl Bryan All ten miners have been recovered from the ill-fated Mowasi, Potaro mining camp which collapsed last Sunday, with Leyland Jones, the General Manager of the camp, being the final body to be pulled from the deadly mining pit. The dead have been identified as Leyland Jones, 38, called ‘Foots’ of Grove, East Bank Demerara; 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. Six injured miners were identified as Alex Green, 28, of Lima Essequibo Coast; Regan Green, 21, of Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast; Collymore Lewis, 34, of Moraikobai Mission, Mahaicony; Sheldon Adams, 32, of Beehive, East Coast Demerara; Lazarus Andrews, 49, of Nappi, Central Rupununi and Henry Xavier, 37, of Paramakatoi, North Pakaraima. On Monday, five of the dead miners were first retrieved from the pit and transported to the city the next day, where they were placed at Lyken Funeral Home. On Tuesday, two more victims were pulled from the pit and even as preparations were being made to have them transported to the city, the final three were recovered.
Dead: Leyland Jones Kaieteur News understands that Jones’ workers were on the scene and were able to identify the last body to be pulled as that of their GM. It is expected that the five remaining bodies will be transported to Georgetown in time for the post mortem today at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Mortuary. GGMC INVESTIGATION The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), having completed its investigation into the fatal incident, ruled on Tuesday, that several unsafe mining practices led to the tragedy. In fact, the GGMC revealed that Imran Khan, owner of the mining operation, had been following dangerously unsafe mining practices as far back as 2013. GGMC, following their investigations into the tragedy, ruled that the operator failed to adhere to standard safety practices when mining beyond 50 feet. Further, the GGMC ruled that the pit limits were too narrow to allow for safe operation, especially with the
Rescuers carrying one of the bodies (arrow indicated) from the deadly pit current mining method being used. KHAN’S CONFLICTS WITH GGMC According to a release from GGMC, Edward Hopkinson, the rightful owner of the mining claim had made a complaint on August 8, 2013, that Khan had been mining on his concession without approval. An investigation by GGMC revealed several mining breaches. These caused the body to secure two injunctions, a cease work order and an order for Khan to remove within 48 hours. In a counter move, however, Khan secured an injunction against Hopkinson and GGMC on August 21, 2013, restraining them from interfering in his operation until a hearing on September 10th, that same year to continue the injunction. When nothing came out of the hearing, the injunction remained against Hopkinson and the regulatory body,
Don't expect oil benefits... From page 3 has found a deposit of a “significant' amount of oil in the Stabroek Block. The company said this discovery was made in one of the two wells it dug, in the Liza-1 drill site which realised more than 295 feet of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone. In the released statement, President of ExxonMobil Exploration Company, Stephen Greenlee, said, “I am encouraged by the results of the first well on the Stabroek Block…over the coming months we will work to determine the commercial viability of the discovered resource, as well as evaluate other resource potential on the block.” According to the oil company, the well was “spud” on March 5, 2015. The well data will be analysed in the coming
months to better determine its potential. The drilling, started under the previous administration, was almost a no-start after neighbouring Venezuela objected to ExxonMobil's presence in the area. Venezuela is claiming a huge swath of Essequibo, including a part of the international waters. The situation had seen ExxonMobil refusing to back down, saying that it has an agreement with Guyana and not Venezuela. Guyana has insisted that a Venezuela's claim on a part of Guyana is null and void as it has been settled years now. Guyana's other oil search attempts have not been without problems. In 2000, Surinamese gunboats ejected a rig hired by Canadian-owned CGX Energy with that country claiming it was in their waters. However,
Guyana had taken the matter to the world body, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) which made an award in 2007, allowing CGX to carry on its business. CGX well did not find oil in commercial quantities in the Berbice offshore concessions and a partnership in the Georgetown area with Spanish-owned Repsol also did not fare well. In 2013, Venezuela seized the RV Teknik Perdana vessel which was doing work for Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Inc. Venezuela claimed that the ship was in its waters. Guyana had refuted this, accusing Venezuela of bullying and threatening its security. A significant portion of foreign exchange spent by the country is on oil.
Dead: Michael Gardner
Dead: Esmond Martin
Dead: Jason Trotman
allowing Khan to continue his enterprise. According to the GGMC, as recent as April 1, 2015, officers from the commission inspecting operations in Pepper Creek, found that Khan was still operating in an unsafe and dangerous manner, but when GGMC’s technical officers made attempts to advise and sanction the personnel, they were shown the injunction barring them from acting. ‘OVERBURDEN’ According to a closely placed mining expert, the ‘overburden’ or dirt that was
dug out of the pit was placed dangerously close to the edge of the opening. According to the source, with the rainfall, the water seeped underneath the dirt and boulders, eventually dislodging the mass and sending it cascading into the pit. The workers within the pit would have had little warning before being buried alive. Randy, brother of one of the victims, Michael Gardner, spoke to the media at Lyken Funeral Home after relatives identified the body. “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. I hope as the government change, things would be different.” The police are currently conducting their investigations.
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Kaieteur News
Men jailed after stealing phone, jersey City Magistrate Alex Moore sentenced an Albouystown man to six months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to a simple larceny charge, when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Damien James admitted to the court that on February 14, at Regent Street, he stole one BlackBerry cellphone valued $25,000, property of Dexter McLean. According to the prosecutor, on the day in question, McLean placed his phone on a stand on Regent Street. The defendant approached the victim, distracted him and made good his escape with the phone. Several weeks after the incident, McLean spotted
Orin Chester the defendant on Regent Street and summoned the police. James was apprehended, told of the offence, arrested and charged. Meanwhile, Orin Chester
was also given a six-month jail term on a simple larceny charge by Magistrate Annette Singh. Chester, of 123 South Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara, pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on May 19, at Fabric World Store, Regent Street, he stole two jerseys and four hats, valued $1,500 – the property of Rashad Baksh. Police Prosecutor, Adunni Inniss told the court that on the day in question around 14:25hrs the defendant was caught by the store manager stealing the items. The matter was reported to the police and he was arrested and charged. In addition, Chester was also charged with damaging a car window valued $17,000, on May 19, at Albert Street. The car was the property of Ramchand Mangru. He pleaded guilty to the charge and explained to the magistrate that he did not commit the act intentionally. He told the magistrate that he and another man were involved in a scuffle next to the car. Chester said that he dodged when the man was about to punch and the man hit the car window instead. After hearing his explanation, a not guilty plea was recorded for him. This matter will be called again on June 11, for the commencement of a trial.
Friday May 22, 2015
Suitable candidate identified to head GPHC’s Ophthalmology Dept. A new Head of Ophthalmology is expected to be shortly appointed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). This move has become imperative with the appointment of Dr George Norton as Minister of the Public Health Ministry, formerly the Ministry of Health. Dr Norton’s Government appointment follows on the heels of the May 11, 2015 National and Regional Elections which saw the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition being elected to power. He will function as senior Minister within the Ministry while Dr Karen Cummings will function as the junior Minister. The newly-appointed senior Health Minister held the position of GPHC’s Head of Ophthalmology for several years. And based on his knowledge of the personnel of the public health facility, Dr Norton during an interview with this publication yesterday disclosed that currently the only person who can fill his former capacity is Consultant Ophthalmologist and Glaucoma Specialist, Dr Shailendra Sugrim. Ahead of undergoing extensive training in the field, the Health Minister yesterday confided that Dr Sugrim was
Dr. Shailendra Sugrim
Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton
a medical student who he personally helped to groom. “I remember teaching Dr Sugrim as a medical student. He is brilliant, brilliant by any standard...and he wanted to do Ophthalmology, and I was so pleased that you can get somebody who wanted to do Ophthalmology...” recounted Dr Norton. At the time, Dr Norton intimated that the possibility of advanced training in Ophthalmology was rather slim. However, he informed that he lobbied for post graduate training for the young doctor. But the proactive young doctor did not sit around waiting. “He did his own part, he went to Cuba off of his own but couldn’t get post graduate (training). Eventually he ended up having his postgraduate done in Bangladesh,” related the Public Health Minister.
And based on the training that the young doctor was able to undergo, the Health Minister confidently assured that Dr Sugrim is today a well trained Ophthalmologist who is ready to take over. “He will take over from me. He is such a meticulous person that I can even see him heading the Georgetown Hospital as Director of Medical and Professional Services. He is young, he is intelligent and he has got all of the energies needed,” the Minister added. When Dr Sugrim’s advancement is taken into consideration, the Health Minister noted that it stresses the importance of training. And according to him, as the new Health Minister he plans on making, among other things, training of health personnel a priority.
GNBS to enforce mandatory gold standard The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has informed manufacturers of gold jewellery, and the General public, that the National Gold Standard “Specifications for Gold Articles – GYS 50: 2010 was recently made mandatory. As a result, in the latter half of this year, the GNBS will commence the monitoring of gold jewelry manufactured and offered for sale in Guyana, by enforcing the requirements of this National Standard. The Bureau, under its Standards Compliance Programme, will begin to monitor the operations of manufacturers, including
goldsmiths, to ensure that gold articles are labeled in conformity with the requirements set out in the national standard. Lloyd David, Public Relations Officer noted, “The standard, which is also a CARICOM Standard, highlights a range of requirements which are important for the streamlining and monitoring of the gold sector in Guyana. “It highlights the designation of pure gold content in part per 1000 or karat ranging from 9 karat to 23 karat and addresses key manufacturing aspects such as, the content of the initial raw material, alloying, soldering, settings and the
manufacturing environment. In addition, it stipulates criteria for sampling, assaying, tolerances and marking of the product... The standard addresses the determination of gold articles using the modified fire assay method of testing and the formulae to produce alloyed gold of a specified purity… Guidelines for best practice of melting and casting are also included in the standard.” He also said that, “the monitoring and enforcement of the standard will include the annual registration of manufacturers with the GNBS, routine inspections at sale outlets to ensure conformance to labeling
requirements, and the sampling and testing of gold articles offered for sale to address underkarating…The GNBS will utilize the services of its Gold Testing Laboratory to carry out tests which will ensure that the karat declared on jewelry by manufacturer’s is accurate.” Manufacturers of gold jewelry will be notified of the effective date for the commencement of enforcement activities by the GNBS. Meanwhile, manufacturers can begin to work towards compliance by obtaining copies of the standard to verify requirements for compliance.
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 27
M&CC, EU to partner in City Hall restoration project Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green, has announced that plans are afoot to restore the rundown City Hall building to its former glory. Green said that the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has been in discussions with a delegation from the European Union (EU) as well as the National Trust Guyana, to decide the way forward for the restoration of the 125year-old structure. The Mayor made the announcement as he engaged members of the press at his office on Avenue of the Republic yesterday. This was the first press conference he held since the recent change of administration, with the former government being one the M&CC has severely criticized. “We can now exhale in Georgetown,” the Mayor reflected, adding that the city had been “stultified” for the last 23 years. Green spoke of works that are currently underway to transform Georgetown. Once referred to as the Garden City, Georgetown over the years has been dubbed “the Garbage City” by critics and concerned citizens. Speaking of plans
The 125-year-old City Hall building
City Mayor, Hamilton Green afoot to change this negative image, Green told members of the media that the capital’s restoration includes City Hall, an accredited heritage site. He said that yesterday he and Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, as well as members of the National Trust met with a European Union delegation and decided the way forward. Green said the project is one which would require the “green light” from the Ministry of Finance and the recently sworn-in Minister, Winston Jordan, as well as the head of the Ministry of Communities (formerly Ministry of Local Government) Ronald Bulkan. He said they have already
given the go-ahead. “We are on a new road, a happy road,” Green said, adding that Council is looking at putting together the programme before the end of
the year. The restoration of the building is one which will require experts and the EU has promised to help in this regard, according to the Mayor.
Linden/Lethem trail takes beating from rains
Travellers were forced to construct a makeshift bridge to cross over a washed away section
The rainy season is here again and the sorry story is replaying itself all over. Many parts of the more than 250 miles long Linden/ Lethem roadway are almost impassible, with at least part
being totally washed away. Near Annai, in the Rupununi, Region Nine, an entire section of the trail has broken away due to the fast flowing waters from the nearby mountains.
Travellers were forced to construct a makeshift bridge to cross. Reportedly the Ministry of Infrastructure has been seeking to conduct emergency works along
sections. The trail is a critical link between Guyana and Brazil and serves as a main artery to border area, Lethem, mining and logging areas, and several communities.
Green said another meeting is scheduled with the EU and National Trust on Monday. Greene took umbrage to the money given by the previous administration last year for “renovation works”. He said “it appears as though the (previous) government and our people here felt that it is just a cut and paste operation: remove a board and replace it.” The Mayor described City Hall as a unique structure, “one which has very intricate seams and movements, and it can only be restored with the advice of experts who worked on buildings of that kind, like the European Union and the National Trust. He spoke too of the reluctance of the previous administration to carry out instructions given by a team which offered advice on the restoration of the heritage site. Two overseas-based consultants, an architect and an engineer from the United States and the Caribbean, came to Guyana and made recommendations to arrest the deterioration of the building. According to Green however, the former administration was not keen on carrying out the instructions given. He said, however, he is confident that this government will now do what is necessary. “It’s a massive operation. Georgetown is at best a difficult city, but we think we are up to the challenge now that we have a government that is in sync,” he said. The city Mayor lauded the new Government’s approach to
the handling of heritage sites. Green also mentioned the work recently commenced in the city in areas contiguous to the now renamed Ministry of the Presidency, formerly Office of the President (OP). The project is a collaborative effort by the government, the municipality, private sector and other stakeholders, under the leadership of President David Granger. The Mayor sounded a call for all to come on board as efforts are being made to “make Georgetown the most beautiful city in the Caribbean.” “We can’t do it alone. It requires the cooperation of every citizen and we will, very shortly, be having a series of meetings with the business community and citizens to discuss with them how we can work together. The President has shown us the way,” the Mayor said. At present, the Independence Arch located on Brickdam is almost completely restored, the Mayor reported, but he said it is just the beginning. “It will not happen overnight, because the damage done to this city by the previous administration and Town Clerk was quite severe,” Green said. He urged the media to assist in persuading persons to not litter, to have them clean their own drains and teach the youth to not stray from the “little culture” in Guyana. “We’re moving towards beautifying this city and this country,” he said. The main message, he said, is to mobilize the community members to take responsibility for their areas.
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Kaieteur News
Friday May 22, 2015
Former cop freed of Agricola Tourism Authority never supplied teen’s shooting death false visitor data - Director After hours of deliberation, a mixed 12member jury returned a verdict of not guilty in favour of former Policeman, Terrence Wallace, setting him free of murder, yesterday. Wallace was arraigned for the murder of Agricola teenager, Shaquille Grant. He was on trial for Grant’s murder before Justice Navindra Singh and the aforementioned jury at the Georgetown High Court. The matter was prosecuted by State Counsel Judith Gildharie-Murslain and Narissa Leander. Attorney-at-law Sonia Parag represented Wallace. Grant, 17, of 110 Caesar Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara, was shot and killed after ranks on a mobile police patrol swooped down on a group of youths in the community on September 11, 2012. Subsequent to investigations, Tactical Services Unit (TSU) ranks Terrence Wallace, Warren Blue and Jamal Lewis were charged for the murder. The latter two had reportedly evaded the course of justice. Lance Corporal Blue subsequently met his demise during his involvement in a botched robbery attack, last December. At yesterday’s hearing, the ex-policeman quietly thanked members of
By Jarryl Bryan
Dead: Shaquille Grant
Freed: Terrence Wallace
the jury before leaving the confines of the High Court. Giving a sworn statement in his defence on Wednesday, the ex-cop told the court that he did not fire the shots that killed Grant. He said that he did not shoot Grant because he posed no threat to him. Wallace further stressed that he had no cause to shoot the teenager. He claimed that he was summoned to Agricola, after his cousin telephoned him and informed him that some boys had gathered in his (cousin’s) yard. Wallace said that he joined fellow officers, Blue, Lewis and others, at Agricola, where they attempted to track down the gang of boys. He said that as they approached the gang, one of the boys, Romel Bollers pulled out a gun and fired a shot in their direction.
Wallace said that he immediately returned fire, targeting Bollers. The officer related that he shot the suspect but at the same time, two other gunshots were fired from behind him; he did not know who fired the shots. He later saw that Grant had also been injured. A total of fifteen witnesses were called upon to testify in the trial. Among them, was Romel Bollers, an eyewitness, who claimed that the policeman shot him and friend as they lay on the ground. Bollers contested that there was any exchange of gunfire between himself and police officers. He instead told the court that he was reaching into his pants for his cell phone, when police began to fire shots in the direction of him and his colleagues.
The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) yesterday sought to clear the air over allegations that visitor arrivals provided by their Director during press conferences were false and misleading. According to Director of GTA, Indranauth Haralsingh during a press conference at the GTA’s Sophia office, the figures were derived from the Management Information System for Tourism (MIST). This system, according to Haralsingh, analyses data from the embarkation/ disembarkation (E/D) cards provided by Guyana’s immigration to all incoming/ outgoing passengers. The passengers are required to fill out information such as nationality, age, gender, country of birth, residence, intended length and place of stay and purpose of visit. The cards are then delivered to the GTA in batches of 51 each, for the authority to input the info into MIST, after which the cards are returned to immigration. It is from this data that the amounts of tourists are determined. He also explained the distinction between a tourist and a visitor. Haralsingh described the system as foolproof, since every person
...Expresses optimism of sector being transformed arriving has to fill out a card. According to him, data is currently being pulled from the main ports of entry e.g. Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Ogle Airport, Moleson Creek and Lethem. He gave further assurances that the MIST system was designed directly by the Caribbean Tourism Authority under United Nations World Trade Organization (UNWTO) definitions. The data, he explained, was crucial for the purpose of Government planning, policy, investment, research, informing the public and shareholders, as well as market research. He also declared that based upon the data, arrivals had doubled over the past 12 years Based upon preliminary figures from the GTA, Guyana’s quarterly performances with regard to arrivals for 2015 are ahead of last year’s first quarter figures. Data show that the period of January-March 2014 had 40,713 arrivals, versus the 46,369 for the same period this year. Haralsingh also spoke of several key elements of tourism to be addressed, in
order to transform the sector, including airlifts, improved connectivity and marketing, as well as more emphasis on the heritage market. He also revealed that the “Guyana, ‘South America undiscovered’ brand would be continued. Regarding his new boss, Minister of Tourism Cathy Hughes, Haralsingh expressed appreciation for Hughes’ background in tourism and travel, stating that it would be a boost to the ministry. He was also of the view that the tourism sector would be transformed under the new administration.
informed her that treatment for her son was completed and all he needed was care. She said that the doctors had recommended “Linden Hospital” as the best choice to offer such care to the teen; he was subsequently transferred to the mining town’s hospital. But less than a week after his transfer he died. The lad’s father, Taramdeo Ramdat, said that after his son’s death on Monday, logger Travis Simeon, the other individual involved in the accident, was taken to Linden to identify the body as that of the youth. He said that the police then informed him that Simeon was already charged and the case is scheduled for the Providence Magistrate’s Court on “Thursday”. He said the exact Thursday was not specified and they (the parents) are now in a state of confusion as they are not sure which day to turn up for the court hearing. The boy’s mother said that dealing with the death of her eldest child has not been easy. She said that her son did not fully recover while at
the GPHC, however, while on his way to Linden he had opened his eyes and it appeared as if he saw her and started to make movements as if he was trying to communicate. She said that from that she thought he would progress, but he didn’t. Meanwhile, Simeon has expressed much remorse following the accident and has been cooperating with the authorities. On the day of the accident, Paramdeo was riding his cycle on his way home from school when he collided with Simeon who was riding his motorcycle. They were both rushed to the Guyana Defence Force’s medical centre at Timehri, then to the East Bank Regional Hospital, and later were transferred to the GPHC. Paramdeo suffered severe head injuries and was in an unconscious state from the time of his admission to the hospital, he never regained consciousness. Simeon suffered a broken jaw and internal bleeding. He went through a series of surgeries before he was discharged.
Director of Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Indranauth Haralsingh
Teen succumbs months after highway collision
Months after being hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) 15-yearold Richard Paramdeo, of Kuru-Kururu Soesdyke/ Linden Highway, succumbed almost two weeks after being transferred to Linden Hospital Complex. He died on Monday morning last. Paramdeo, a student of Dora Secondary, was involved in a motorbikebicycle collision in the KuruKururu cemetery area on March 5, 2015. The youth had been a patient of the GPHC Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for quite a while, until his health had apparently improved, and he was transferred to the male surgical ward. According to the teen’s mother, Babita Ramdin, doctors at GPHC had
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Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
New gov’t motivates youth-driven clean up city campaign Armed with brooms, rakes, gloves and garage bags, a group of youths says the change of government has motivated them to assist in changing the face of the garbage-filled Capital city. The youths of the ‘Let’s Keep Georgetown Clean’ initiative were the ones who stepped in to clean up the mess left behind on Saturday, after Brigadier David Arthur Granger was sworn in as the country’s President at the Public Buildings, Brickdam, Georgetown. Since then, the movement has been gaining momentum and its founder, Sherod Duncan says this will continue until Georgetown is restored to the Garden City it once was. Speaking to Kaieteur News, Duncan said that they are excited about the change of government and are working to do their part in transforming Georgetown to what it has the potential to be. Already, the Guyana Chapter of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network and Caribbean Come Alive Network Inc (CANI) has come on board with the project, while popular business places like Church’s and Palm Court have pitched in financial support. Duncan explained that the work is being executed by youths on a voluntary basis. He reported that thus far 50 youths have joined in and stand ready to continue working to improve the city. According to him, the group will be focusing on small- and medium-sized projects that will help to keep the city clean. He told Kaieteur News that he was quite excited to see the newly-elected
Mexican govt. congratulates President Granger Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Jose Antonio Meade
Founder, Sherod Duncan during the clean-up action outside Parliament last Saturday President out on his second day in office assisting the City Council and the Ministry of Public Works to get the city clean. Duncan said too that he already made an overture to the new government to pitch in. “We will also be looking to take down the campaign materials for all parties,” Duncan told this newspaper as he noted that it had, in the past, been customary for party paraphernalia to remain in public places long after elections would have concluded. Tomorrow the group will be out working in the heart of the city, as clean-up action is planned for the entire Regent Street, and on Camp Street, between Hadfield and Lamaha Streets. “Indeed there is a lot of goodwill in the air and we’re hoping to effect a change in the mindset of the people,” he
said, alluding to the garbage culture in Guyana which has left the roadways, pavements, yards, drains and public areas in general being dominated by litter. To support his notion of goodwill, Duncan pointed to the fact that he had started the Facebook page for the movement since 2013 and it had garnered less than 100 followers, but since the cleanup activity last Saturday at Parliament Building, it has jumped to over 1500. Duncan is overwhelmed at the support that is pouring in from civil society, pointing out that there was even a lecture and some of his students as well a pastor and members of his East Ruimveldt church have signaled their intent to join in on the activity. “The thing that is driving us are the beliefs of two powerful men,” he said, as he
Gardener denied bail on burglary charge A gardener was yesterday remanded to prison on a break and enter charge after he was unable to provide the court with his address. Magistrate Annette Singh read the charge to Wilfred Tinnie, 43, who gave his address as Lot 209 Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. Particulars of the charge stated that on May 18, at Diamond, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Lloyd Muesa and stole one bottle of non alcoholic wine and five louvre panes valued $3,100. Police Prosecutor, Adunni Inniss did not provide the court with any facts about what transpired on the day in question. However, she
Page 29
Wilfred Tinnie objected to the defendant being released on bail citing that he has no fixed placed of
abode. Inniss informed the court that the man lives in the streets. Upon hearing her statement, the accused became annoyed and replied “do not belittle me like that. I don’t smoke weed, drink…” He said that he sleeps outside in the yard under a shed at the aforementioned address. The investigating rank then explained to the magistrate that he visited the address and was informed that the defendant does not reside there. This matter was adjourned until June 4.
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quoted Mahatma Gandhi’s popular saying “Be the change you want to see in the world” and former United States President John F. Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” “We can’t see the President out and do nothing. We must help,” said Duncan.
The Government of Mexico has sent a congratulatory message to President David Granger, following his victory in the General Elections held May 11, according to a press release from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The release stated that Mexico reaffirms its determination to continue to strengthen the traditional ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. Jose Antonio Meade, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, described Guyana as an important partner in the Caribbean Region.
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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: 6831312, 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 R E PA I R S AT L O W 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
Kaieteur News
WANTED One experienced cosmetologist (must have atleast 1 year experienced) preferably on E.B.D. Contact: 645-3010 1 Maid, 40years and older to work in SurinameContact: (+597) 322-5442; (+597) 651-6666 Diesel mechanic to work in the back dam, must have experienced in repairing Perkins, MWM engines, etc Contact: 661-4265 Staff for plant shop On East Bank Demerara, Training in Georgetown. Plant knowledge an advantage. Tel: 648-1821 Office clerk: CXC English, mathematics. Live in, live out babysitter/domestic- Call: 219-5354 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 Farm workers male only – 3045 years old –Call: 265-3586 Diesel Mechanic to work in Georgetown -Tel: 218-5105
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FOR RENT
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PROPERTY FOR SALE Property @ 62 Bent Street Wortmanville Georgetown – Tel: 660-5019; 629-6101 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 Property @ Lot 63 West Ruimveldt, Estate Housing Scheme Georgetown – Contact Mark: 618-9744 For sale in Central Georgetown: Spacious house in desirable Bel-Air, New Haven Residential neighborhood. Call: 6748851 Two storey concrete and wooden business place located at 35 Ketley and Howes Street, Georgetown. Tel: 623-9679
LEARN TO DRIVE
1 Three Storey building, established business - Call: 227-1042; 601-3369
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FOR SALE/RENTAL
Friday May 22, 2015
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Assistant cook- Carnegie or grilling experience would be an asset- Call: 225-7933/ visit us at 172 Sheriff street Skidder, tractor & chainsaw operator to work at GuyAmerica-call:260-4580,660-2100 Hotel Manager for Xenon Hotel in Essequibo. Send application and resume to rtilak@adamantiumholdings.com Accounts Clerk send application and resume to rtilak@adamantiumholdings.com I N T E R N AT I O N A L EMPLOYMENT: NURSE, TEACHERS,CARPENTERS, ELECTRICIANS, COOK, WAITERS, BELL BOYS, HOUSEKEEPERS, STOREKEEPERS, SECURITIES. CONTACT: 231-6296; 650-9880/ www.plzrecruitme.com FOR SALE One accent Hyundai- Price $250,000 neg- Contact: 610-0517
XBOX 360 250GB (with black OPS 2 season pass) with 4 controllers & games –Call: 683-8386 Sale! Dell Computers complete from -$55,000 free educational software and games, Blackberry -$14,000 @ FutureTech: 231-2206 Attention designers! Exquisite & exotic UK fabric on sale- Contact: 218-1475, 6939260, 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 neg - Call: 664-7014 I-phone 5C for sale, brand new in box -$105,000 –Tel: 679-7899 or 617-6556 20lbs Tex & Shell gas cylinders -Tel: 228-5688, 6281756. Owner leaving country. Continued on page 31
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 31
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views
Those who caused the PPP’s downfall are now trying to remain relevant DEAR EDITOR, This narrative of rigged elections from this PPP clan simply cannot be laughed away. Guyana needs a strong opposition and electoral integrity to strengthen our democracy and for these reasons, these assertions must be analyzed. Frankly, I do not think the real reason for these positions and statements is about democracy or electoral integrity. These vagabonds who have hijacked and caused the downfall of the PPP are doing this to remain relevant, to hold onto the reins of the PPP and for selfpreservation and immunity. They want the immunity offered by sitting in Parliament. They want to be atop the PPP for when the investigation starts into their corruption and misfeasance, they will use that perch to try to argue it is political victimization at work as opposed to legitimate investigation and prosecution of banditry and personal crookedness. The narrative of stolen elections they are parading is also a clever ploy to try to subdue an angry, upset and disgusted PPP membership and to prevent that very same membership from rising up and purging and prosecuting these rogues. This is not about democracy, it is about this very bunch of charlatans trying, yet again, to autocratically impose upon and dominate the PPP, even as they are responsible for the PPP’s loss of power. The ludicrous statement from Leslie Ramsammy about the election being rigged by the ABC countries because of the potential for finding oil in Guyana highlights his puerile PPP-taught anti-West pedagoguery. To use his chieftain’s famous phrase ‘show us the evidence’. Ramsammy and his lamenting cohorts must first prove fraud. These are the creatures who held power for the past 19 years and did nothing to reform the electoral system to
prevent any possibility of fraud. Now, the frauds cry fraud. If we are to accept Ramsammy’s bizarre theories, the ABC countries chose the opposition over the PPP. Wouldn’t it make the PPP a complete clown school for offering up the most lucrative oil exploration rights to companies from the very Western countries they dread? If we are going to discuss oil-driven buffoonery from Ramsammy and friends, why is it that the PPP offered some of the best oil exploration contracts to a small-time twobit player called CGX, which has been pathetic in its exploration efforts to date? Who is to blame for masquerading with two-bit CGX and bringing ExxonMobil late to the table and losing power shortly after? Was this CGX outfit started by individuals with close ties to the PPP regime? Do senior PPP leaders have significant stock in this outfit? CGX is incidentally cochaired by Jagdeo’s personal friend, Dr. Suresh Narine. On this point, I call on the new Coalition government to investigate these contracts. What about the fact that these troglodytes cozying up to Venezuela for all these years and lapping up the Pectrocaribe goodies effectively jeopardized this country’s sovereignty and prevented the entire Essequibo offshore region, which has the greatest potential for an oil find, from being explored. It took the very same Americans whom they love to bash to march into Essequibo and drill for oil and tell the Venezuelans to go to hell. Let us address the PPP’s electoral concerns and expose them. The first concern was the PPP’s call on May 12, 2015 for recounting of ballot boxes in Regions 1, 2 and 8 because of claimed rejection of votes for spurious reasons. GECOM counted these boxes and, based on press reports or lack thereof, there were no major discrepancies. Secondly, we hear of PPP’s counting agents
fleeing polling stations out of fear. Where is the evidence – names, polling station numbers and locations, reports made to the police, media reports done within hours of close of polling, emails reportedly sent, etc? Put up the bloody evidence or shut up. The third claim is of electoral misfeasance due to an extremely high number of rejected ballots in the areas where their agents were absent. Again, as demanded in point number two above, the PPP has to present the evidence or accept this is bogus. The fourth claim of “…unusually high turnout of voters which raises suspicion of possible electoral transgression” has to be one of the most stupid rants about electoral sneakiness. This is an election in which 409,894 voted. It is the highest vote count ever. There were more voters at some polling stations than registered voters because voters not registered can vote with the presentation of proper IDs. The fifth claim from the PPP is there were fake Statement of Polls (SOPs). Admittedly, there is a telling lack of information from both the PPP and GECOM on this matter. That said, GECOM did discover the fake SOPs. The presence of fake SOPs is not enough to trigger a recount. As long as there are genuine SOPs for every polling station and there is evidence that only the genuine SOPs were tabulated and the fake SOPs excluded, there is no basis for a recount of ballot boxes. To date, the PPP and GECOM are silent on whether there was an exercise, after the discovery of the fake SOPs, to verify the SOPs already entered and subsequently entered to create the final electoral tally were all genuine. If that was done, the election result is valid. The public needs to hear from the PPP and GECOM on this issue. Instead of demanding a recount of the entire election,
Gambling continues near the Sisters Village Police Station DEAR EDITOR, It has been over one year now since I expressed my disgust at an illegal practice that took place in Sisters Village East Bank Berbice. On January 13, 2014, it was published in Kaieteur News. I wish to remind those in authority, specifically the police force, that this illegal
act is perpetual and nothing was done about it. I also wish to remind them that the location where this illegal gambling is being done has not changed. It is a spot that is recognized to be a wash bay some three hundred metres away from the Sisters Police Station. This illegal act is affecting the lives of many,
especially our children. Many children are now seen doing same at various locations. Are the police a part of this illegal act? Why was nothing done to stop this illegal gambling? Again, I request that those in authority take the necessary actions to stop this illegal act. Worried Resident
that should have been the request. If this was not requested by the PPP or not done by Gecom, it highlights the shocking incompetence of the PPP and Gecom. The PPP provided to Gecom 22 SOPs it claimed showed significant difference between the numbers of these SOPs and Gecom’s information. Again, we have no information on these 22 SOPs, no photos, which polling stations they relate to, the numbers for each party on them, etc. Gecom has not informed the public if any of these 22 SOPs were fakes, if numbers were altered on them or if the PPP’s 22 SOPs were different from Gecom’s and the other political parties. Were there fake SOPs for any of these 22 ‘randomly’ selected polling stations? The PPP knows that anyone could alter a handwritten vote tally to a party on a SOP from 207 to 267 or from 119 to 109 with a simple stroke of a pen. The question is who planted the fake SOPs? Which party has the means to create and produce fake SOPs? The fact that some very senior PPP leaders accepted the election results even as the fake SOPs argument was continued by the PPP holdouts suggests that the
fake SOPs was a non-issue to these leaders in the sense that these leaders were satisfied that Gecom did the necessary rechecking of all SOPs to ensure only genuine SOPs were entered into the final vote tally. If there was genuine belief that some of the SOPs used to create the final vote count were not valid, there was no way any PPP leader, no matter how reasonable, would have yielded. The PPP would have been united in its resistance in rejecting the results and rightly so. In this regard, it is instructive to look at the timing of the PPP’s meeting on the 22 SOPs, which coincidentally collided with Gecom’s reporting the discovery of fake SOPs. It is also instructive to examine the PPP’s actions. When a party claiming it is leading demands a recount, it suggests that party knows it lost the election and hopes the recount delivers some serious discrepancy to either swing the election numerically or more realistically, to provide a basis for a legal challenge to demand a new election. The first recount demanded by the PPP failed to provide any significant discrepancy. M. Maxwell
From page 30
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Kaieteur News
Friday May 22, 2015
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
Finance Minister warns that C’bean economies face formidable challenges BASSETERRE, St Kitts – The board of governors of the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) ended a two day meeting yesterday with Jamaica warning that there is no doubt that Caribbean economies face formidable challenges. Finance Minister Peter Phillips told the closing ceremony that the challenges to Caribbean economies include climate change, fiscal pressures, high debt ratios, high energy costs, low savings in both the public and private sectors and consequently low investments, “which have had detrimental economic effects on many of our economies, in particular the borrowing member countries”. “There is also a peculiar situation that the small island states of the Caribbean face that needs to be explored further,” said Phillips, who will take over the chairmanship of the board of directors as Jamaica prepares to host the 46th annual meeting of the board in May next year.
Phillips said it is true to say that despite their ‘middle income’ designation, the vulnerabilities of the region resulting from small size, narrow resource base of most if not all of the countries, exposure to climate related hazards have led to economic underperformance that is greater than in other ‘middle income’ countries. Further, the Caribbean region has been most severely impacted by the 2008 global economic crisis and indeed the effects of that crisis have been most prolonged, he said. He said the consequence of these factors is that the Caribbean is now the most highly indebted sub-region of the world and Caribbean states are the most likely to be overwhelmed by the risks inherent in the global economy. “Because of its ‘middle income’ status, debt solutions available to highly indebted poor countries cannot be accessed by the highly indebted countries of the Car-
Dr Peter Phillips ibbean. “We have to recognise that many of our countries will not be able to achieve faster growth and sustainable development and will not achieve the targets for the Post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals if the issue of the debt overhang is not addressed. We hope that the world community would join us in the dialogue about this issue,” he argued.
Caribbean Development Bank suggests overhaul of regional airline industry BASSETERRE, St Kitts A study commissioned by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has recommended a major rethink of the regional airline industry and the setting up of a CARICOM Airlines Association to identify opportunities to reduce costs, create greater synergies and earn more revenue. It has also proposed the creation of an Air Transport Reform Authority to address longer-term strategic issues at the regional level. These were among the steps identified to place the industry on a firmer footing to facilitate its relaunching into the global marketplace as a stronger competitor. Findings of the study ‘Making Air Transport Work Better for the Caribbean’ were presented at a seminar held Wednesday as part of CDB’s 45th Annual Board of Governors’ Meeting in Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis. The overarching recommendation is for greater cooperation among regional governments and carriers and with other foreign airlines and a harmonising of administrative and regulatory policy and operations. The study looked at the history and present make-up of the regional air transportation industry and, in particular, the performance of the state-owned airlines: Carib-
bean Airlines; Air Jamaica; LIAT; Surinam Airways; Bahamasair; and Cayman Airways. To ensure completeness of analysis, the study covered the 15 full member states of CARICOM, two CARICOM associate members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) – Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands – and one non OECS associate member, the Cayman Islands. The study, carried out between the last quarter of 2014 and March 2015, was undertaken against the background of airlines continuing to make losses and shareholder governments, under tight budgetary constraints, concerned about having to prop them up indefinitely. It found that regional airlines were consistently re-
cording losses with the aggregate of accumulated deficits for Caribbean Airlines (CAL), LIAT and Bahamas Air (BA) estimated at approximately US$1billion. Specifically, the study recommended a double-pronged approach if a turnaround is to be achieved. The first is for the airlines to set up a CARICOM-centric Airlines Association to share best practice and identify cost reduction and revenue enhancement opportunities that could be pursued jointly. The second is the establishment of a high-level Air Transport Reform Authority to address the longer-term structural, institutional and industrial barriers. The Authority would consist of proven aviation professionals, accountable to the region’s taxpayers.
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Kaieteur News
Curry, LeBron headline 2015... (From page 38) (10 First Team votes, fourth All-NBA selection • Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers (one First Team vote, seventh All-NBA selection) Third Team • F: Blake Griffin, Clippers (two First Team votes, fourth All-NBA selection) • F/C: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (six First Team votes, 15th All-NBA selection, tying Kobe and Kareem for most all-time) • C: DeAndre Jordan, Clippers (12 First Team votes, first All-NBA selection) • G: Klay Thompson, Warriors (no First Team votes, first All-NBA selection) • G: Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers (no First Team votes, first AllNBA selection) As is always the case, the voting results were met in some quarters with criticism. Why isn’t Westbrook on the First Team? (Seems awful
tough to knock either Curry or Harden off ... then again, let’s not forget what Westbrook did over the last few months of the season.) No spot for Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard? No love for Most Improved Player Jimmy Butler? What about DPoY and MIP runner-up Draymond Green, arguably the title-favorite Warriors’ most important player beside Curry? No members of the Atlanta Hawks, despite a franchiserecord 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the East? And, hey, wait a second, where’s John Wall? Didn’t he start his second straight All-Star Game, serve as arguably the second or third best player in the East this season, and tear up the playoffs to the tune of a postseason-topping 28.4 points created by assist per game? Well, they all received All-
NBA votes and “award points” — five points for a First Team vote, three for a Second Team vote, one for a Third Team vote. Leonard actually received more points (155) than either Thompson (122) or Irving (112), but because the teams require voters to pick two forwards, two guards and a center — and because Kawhi can’t claim hybrid forward/guard status after spending just 1 percent of his floor time at the two for San Antonio this year, according to BasketballReference.com’s play-by-play data — he comes up short. We’re sure the famously hot-tempered Leonard is angry enough to use his manhole-cover-sized hands to start flipping over tables as a result of his “snub.” Then again, maybe he’s outsourced his angst to Duncan, who can really wreck shop like a rock star:
Friday May 22th 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Being married to someone for many years takes work, Aries. No one said it was going to be easy. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today is a great day to make your big move, Taurus. If there's something in the love and romance department that you feel you need to act on, this is the day to do it. It's now or never. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Take your focus off you and concentrate on someone else for a day, Gemini. This doesn't mean focusing so the person will stop and pay attention to you. CANCER (June 21–July 22) It might take an extra few minutes to get out of bed today, Cancer, but it will be worth it when you do. You will find that the more honest you've been with people, the more payoffs you will receive. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Don't try to fit into a mold you simply don't belong in, Leo. You may have gone through a major transformation lately in which you went from being a square peg to a round peg. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) There may be subtle messages in people's words today that you need to attend to. Other people could be trying to send you hints in order to push your buttons. Confront them on this behavior.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Don't keep playing along with the games if you no longer want to repeat the same drama. By placing yourself in a victim role, you're opening yourself up to manipulation and control by others. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today is excellent for you, Scorpio. You should be encouraged to take action in any artistic realm. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Go weed the garden, Sagittarius. If you don't have a garden, start one. It's important for you to get into the Earth today, so roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) There's great opportunity for romance today, Capricorn. Love the people you're with, but don't smother them. The more you loosen your grip on a situation, the more you will gain control of it. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) The active and receptive natures of your being are coming together. There's a balance between these two aspects. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today is a fantastic day for you. Your sensual, caring nature will be appreciated, Pisces. Whether you actively pursue it or sit back and relax, you will receive the love and good fortune you desire.
Friday May 22, 2015
Schools Cricket and upgrading... (From page 37) Coaches sent the various schools across Guyana. Before I played for Guyana at under-19 level, I learnt to play cricket at the Stella Maris Primary school. We were coached by the late Mr Headley who was an Umpire. When I progressed to the Richard Ishmael Secondary, National cricketers Derrick Kallicharran and Andy Jackman were sent by the Sports Commission which was then located in Brickdam where Rex Collymore and the late William Jeffery were in charge of the cricket programme. We practiced at the GTU ground on Woolford Avenue and at our school ground on which the North Georgetown Primary school is now located and had to take part in every sport unless a ‘medical’ preventing participation, was produced to the Games Master. The best ground on Woolford Avenue was the then Tutorial School ground which is now no longer a ground while Students from Stella Maris, St Joseph’s High and North Georgetown Secondary would play on the ground opposite the Stella Maris Primary. Queens College, which produced Dr Roopnarine and former West Indies Vice-Captain Roger Harper, had three grounds with pitches which were used for Northcote and 3rd Class cricket competitions in which QC participated. Now those grounds cannot host any club cricket. St Stanislaus College also had a cricket ground. The East Ruimveldt Secondary and North Ruimveldt Multilateral opposite each other on Mandela Avenue were excellent cricket grounds which, under the past Administration became virtual ‘Jungles’. This is also the case with many grounds on the East Coast including the LBI ground, East Bank had Diamond, the old Providence and an immaculate little ground behind the Sterling products Ltd. West Demerara boasted venues such as Versailles, Uitvlugt and Lenora where
first Division cricket was played. Many of these grounds are owned by the State controlled Sugar Estates. It is understood that the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) wants to refurbish the LBI ground where their indoor practice facility is located and where Inter-County cricket was played in the past. However, the past Government, which was at loggerheads with the GCB has given the Board the ‘Royal run-around’ and reports reaching Kaieteur Sport is that the GCB has now written to Guysuco official Berbician, Veeman Walters. It is hoped that with the change of Government this issue will be looked at while cricket grounds in Essequibo like Suddie and Hampton Court which hosted InterCounty cricket, no longer host matches at that level. You get the picture? New facilities is all well and good but if improvements are made to the ones we already have by resurfacing them and putting in Stands with roofs and washroom facilities, not
only cricket but football, hockey and athletics can be accommodated at these venues. In their Manifesto APNU+AFC promised funding to all sporting associations and assistance for traveling for National teams which will be welcomed by the respective associations. Only Football and Cricket receives any substantial funding from their parent body, the ICC and FIFA respectively. The revival in Sports in Guyana will forge unity in communities, lessen crime, alcohol use and drug abuse by providing youths with a positive avenue to hone their sporting talent. Sports in Schools, providing Coaches to teach PE teachers (who should be placed in all Secondary schools), upgrading grounds and facilities, funding for National teams to travel overseas and developing a patriotic culture from the school level, should go a long way in reviving the standard of all sports in the beautiful 183,000 sq mile land called Guyana.
Friday May 22, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Super Kings v Royal Challengers, Qualifier 2, IPL 2015
CSK’s second chance in captain’s hometown Only once has a side won both the eliminator and the second qualifier games in the IPL. Chennai Super Kings did that in 2012, but went down to Kolkata Knight Riders in the final. Royal Challengers Bangalore will want to become the second side to do so, but find Super Kings in their way. Royal Challengers put in a complete performance in the eliminator to beat Rajasthan Royals by 71 runs. Led by AB de Villiers and Mandeep Singh, they took 86 off the last six overs. Super Kings will likely not be so accommodating at the death. MS Dhoni’s men have comfortably beaten Royal Challengers in both league games this season, in Bangalore and in Chennai. In both those games, Super Kings batted first. It will be an interesting decision for Virat Kohli to make if he wins the toss. Four out of six IPL games in Ranchi have been won by the chasing side, and the victory margin in the fifth was only seven runs. Royal Challengers prefer to chase, especially in batting-friendly conditions at home, but this is a larger outfield and not as high-scoring a venue as Chinnaswamy Stadium. Super Kings have played a lot more in Ranchi than Royal Challengers have seven games against two and will be more familiar with the conditions. What will have bothered
them is how their chase unraveled against Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier. They were 86 for 2 at the halfway stage when Harbhajan Singh dismissed Suresh Raina and Dhoni off successive deliveries, blows from which Super Kings never recovered. Mumbai Indians were 86 for 0 at the halfway stage, and Kieron Pollard catapulted them to 187 for 6. Super Kings have struck consistently with the new ball this season, something they could not do in the first qualifier, and will want to in the second. Head-to-Head - Super Kings lead Royal Challengers 11-7 in the head-to-head. Raina made 62 off 32 to lead Super Kings to 181 for 8 in Bangalore. Ashish Nehra’s 4 for 10 kept Royal Challengers to 154 for 8. Raina’s 52 off 46 took Super Kings to 148 for 9 in Chennai. Nehra claimed 3 for 19 as Royal Challengers were dismissed for 124. In the spotlight - Suresh Raina is having his poorest IPL season, in terms of runs as well as strike-rate. His lowest season run-tally prior to this one was 421 in 2008, and his lowest season strike-rate was 135 in 2011. This time he has made 346 runs at 122. However, both his fifties have come against Royal Challengers. These are the two most productive attacks this season. Super Kings have taken 93 wickets at an economy-rate
of 7.56 and a strike-rate of 18.9. Royal Challengers have 86 at 8.38 and 16.6. With so many power-hitters in both line-ups, it will come down to which set of bowlers holds up better under pressure. Team news - Barring lastminute surprises, both sides should go in with the same XIs. Chennai Super Kings (probable) 1 Dwayne Smith, 2 Michael Hussey, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Pawan Negi, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Mohit Sharma. Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Mandeep Singh, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Sarfaraz Khan, 7 David Wiese, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 S Aravind. Pitch and conditions The pitch appeared pretty dry on the eve of the game. The average first-innings score in IPL games in Ranchi is 150, suggesting a surface more to Super Kings’ liking than Royal Challengers’. The city is expected to sizzle at a maximum of 41 degrees but conditions will not be so extreme in the night. No rain is forecast. Stats and trivia · Royal Challengers beat Super Kings by five wickets in the only game between the two sides in Ranchi, in 2014
Chris Gayle
Dwayne Bravo
· Virat Kohli has scored the most runs in IPL games between the two teams - 694 with six half-centuries at an average of 46.26 and a strike-rate of 126.87 · Dinesh Karthik has 17 dismissals in IPL 2015. The season record is 19 by Kumar
Sangakkara in 2011 Quotes - “The guys are getting pretty tired at this stage of the tournament. To get rid of a game and a bit of travel would have been good. But we are not afforded that luxury. We have to dig pretty
deep. Happy that we have another opportunity... in Ranchi which has been good to us.” Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming on having to play the second qualifier. (ESPNcricinfo)
Figo: Sepp Blatter’s rival pulls out of FIFA election Luis Figo has joined Michael van Praag in withdrawing from the FIFA presidential election on 29 May. Ex-Portugal midfielder Figo, 42, pulled out on the same day as Van Pragg, 67, to leave Prince Ali Bin AlHussein of Jordan as Blatter’s only rival. Blatter is favourite to win a fifth term as president and Figo said: “This process is anything but an election. “This process is a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man - something I refuse to go along with.” Each of FIFA’s 209 member associations have a vote in the election and Van Praag, who is president of the Dutch football federation, says he will now support Prince Ali. The English Football Association also intend to support Prince Ali, while the Scot-
Sepp Blatter has been FIFA president since 1998 tish FA had previously said they would back Van Praag. The Dutchman held a joint news conference with Prince Ali in Amsterdam on Thursday, urging his supporters to get behind the Jordanian to unseat Blatter.
“Prince Ali Bin AlHussein convincingly demonstrated that at this moment in time he is the candidate who has the biggest chance to challenge Sepp Blatter,” Van Praag said. ”It is impossible that Fifa moves on with its current presidency,” he added. Figo also highlighted the need for change in his withdrawal statement. ”I travelled and met extraordinary people who, though they recognized the value of much that had been done, also concurred with the need for change, one that cleans up Fifa’s reputation as an obscure organization that is so often viewed as a place of corruption,” he said. ”I have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing Fifa leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with Jesus
Christ. Nobody told me about this. I saw it with my own eyes.” He also questioned an election process in which a main candidate - Blatter - had not produced a manifesto “so that federation presidents know what they’re voting for”. Figo added: “There has not been a single public debate about each candidate’s proposals.” The latest withdrawal comes after another presidential candidate, Frenchman Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA deputy general secretary, pulled out in February. Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder David Ginola, backed by a betting company, originally announced his intention to stand against Blatter in January, but withdrew two weeks later. The vote will be held in
Luis Figo Zurich at FIFA’s annual congress and requires the winning candidate to secure a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting.
If subsequent rounds are required then a simple majority is all that is required for victory. (BBCsport)
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Kaieteur News
Friday May 22, 2015
England v New Zealand
Joe Root and Ben Stokes lead hosts’ fightback Joe Root and Ben Stokes rescued England on an entertaining first day of the opening Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. Coming together with England reeling on 30-4, they shared a fifth-wicket stand of 161. But both missed out on hundreds - Stokes leaving Mark Craig to be bowled for 92 off only 94 balls and Root edging Matt Henry behind to fall for 98. Jos Buttler fell to the last ball of the day for a patient 67 to leave England 354-7, with Moeen Ali unbeaten on 49. The position of strength is in contrast to the disarray of the morning session and is thanks to the class of Root and the counter-attacking brilliance of Christchurchborn Stokes. Their alliance began with New Zealand making best use of their decision to bowl first on a green-tinged wicket with a ball moving in the air. But Root - England’s player of the year who has scored at least a half-century in each of his previous 10 Tests - busily changed the momentum before Stokes, promoted back to number six, dominated with some dazzling strokeplay. Root, elevated to vicecaptain, was strong square of the wicket, particularly on the off side, while left-hander
Ben Stokes hit 15 fours and a six in his thrilling counter-attacking innings. Joe Root during his innings. (Getty) Stokes began by scoring heavily through mid-wicket before playing all round the ground, including one hook for six. ”We got into a bit of a hole in first 45 minutes but to finish on 354-7, we would have taken that,” Stokes told Test Match Special. “Rooty over the last 1820 months has been in incredible form, and when you are in the middle his record fills you with confidence.” Their partnership was compiled at better than five runs an over and made an attack that was previously so dangerous look short of ideas. They were parted when 23-year-old Stokes, who seemed certain for a second Test hundred, misjudged the improving off-spin of Craig
and played no shot to a delivery that clipped off stump. Root, 24, would come even closer to a century - it would have been a third at Lord’s and fifth in the past year - before he under-edged to give impressive debutant Henry a third wicket. At 251-6, the day could still have been New Zealand’s, but Moeen, dropped down the order to number eight, was happy to be as watchful as Buttler in a stand of 103. After surviving two big early shouts for leg before, Moeen mixed careful leaves with flowing cover drives, while Buttler displayed powerful front-foot play and some deft touches behind the wicket. Their serene late-evening
Inadequate funds but boxers prepare for Pan American trials The absence of adequate funding has once again restricted the administrators of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) resulting in just four local boxers making the grade for the Pan American Boxing trials slated for Tijuana Mexico from June 4 – 9, next. Those selected for national duties are Dennis Thomas (75kgs), Delon Charles (56kgs), Dewani Lampkin (60kgs) and Jason Phillips (64kgs). United States based superheavyweight pugilist, Quincy ‘Biggy’ Small has also been selected and will join his colleagues in Mexico later this month. Recently promoted Level One coach, Sebert Blake, will accompany the team as the manager/coach with able assistance from Cuban coach, Francisco Hernandez Roldan. The boxers were recently encamped at the Andrew ‘Sixheads’ Lewis Boxing Gym (ALBG) and engage in roadwork sessions at 05:00hrs
each day. They are also tutored in the fistic aspect of the sport in the afternoons from 16:00hrs. Yesterday afternoon, Kaieteur Sport visited the training site and noted the boxers as they were taken through their paces. They engaged in simultaneous sparring sessions in the ring divided into four sections. Seòor Roldon shouted instructions while pausing intermittently to make jottings in a notebook. He explained that he was merely keeping records of the boxers’ progress in regards to their effective use of combinations as well as their fitness level. The Cuban coach said that the boxers are demonstrating remarkable aptitude but are still to attain top physical fitness. He is confident that they will get to that point in time for the tournament. Mr. Blake also shares similar sentiments.
He said that the boxers are applying themselves diligently to their tasks and he is very optimistic that they will do well at the qualifiers. The successful boxers will then move on to the PanAm Games scheduled for Toronto Ontario Canada in July. Blake is well aware of the climatic conditions in Mexico, having accompanied Shondell Alfred in her aborted bid to defend her WIBA bantamweight belt. He feels that notwithstanding this anomaly, the boxers, once they arrive in Mexico in ample time, could become acclimatized before their respective fights. Meanwhile, the administrators of the GBA are appealing to the business community for corporate assistance to offset the huge cost of the trip. Already, they have applied for the relevant visas but are still faced with astronomical costs for airfare and accommodation.
progress was ended when Buttler was trapped lbw by Trent Boult, New Zealand ending the day with the success they enjoyed in the first session. As Boult and newball partner Tim Southee repeatedly found dangerous areas, England’s top order crumbled to a combination of
good bowling and loose batting. Debutant opener Adam Lyth actually looked comfortable in making only seven and was unlucky to get a beauty from Southee that held its line and was feathered behind. Captain Alastair Cook aimed a hook at a Henry bouncer but
could only get a top edge before Gary Ballance’s poor footwork saw a Boult outswinger edged to third slip. When Ian Bell was bowled by a near-unplayable delivery from Henry, England were in a remarkably similar position to their last Test innings, 28-4 in the defeat by West Indies in Barbados. Since then, they have appointed a new cricket director in Andrew Strauss, sacked Peter Moores as coach and put Paul Farbrace in temporary charge. It looked like the new era was beginning in the same way the old one ended. Some middle-order character, led by Root and Stokes, ensured that was not the case. (BBCsport)
Delta Joins CONCACAF as Official Airline of 2015 Gold Cup Miami - The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and its commercial partnership agency, Traffic Sports, announced yesterday that Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will sponsor this year’s edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The agreement designates Delta as the Official Airline of the 2015 Gold Cup for the U.S., Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, an area which closely corresponds to CONCACAF membership throughout North and Central America, and the Caribbean. ”We are pleased to welcome Delta as the official airline partner of this year’s Gold Cup,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “Delta’s vast presence throughout the CONCACAF region makes this a natural alliance between both institutions. At CONCACAF we look forward to ensuring a longterm partnership of collaboration.” Delta joins CONCACAF as a first-time sponsor of the Gold Cup – the preeminent national team tournament of the North, Central America and Caribbean region. ”We’re delighted to sponsor the CONCACAF Gold Cup because of its reach — an audience of millions throughout Delta’s network in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Nicolas Ferri, Delta’s vice-president for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Delta wants to be the
best U.S. airline in the region and partnering with CONCACAF allows us to play an even bigger part in the communities we serve by supporting one of their greatest passions.” Delta has a well-established history of supporting soccer events in North America, including current backing for Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders FC, as well as support for England Premier League club Chelsea F.C. The sponsorship of this year’s Gold Cup was negotiated by CONCACAF commercial partnership agency Traffic Sports. ”Delta’s tagline, ‘Keep Climbing’ is truly representative of where Delta and CONCACAF are headed,” said Aaron Davidson, President of Traffic Sports. “And together we will climb faster than ever before.” The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played from July 7-26, involving 12 teams from the region. All 12 participating national teams have now quali-
fied for this year’s tournament — in alphabetical order: Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States. The Gold Cup will take place in 13 cities across the United States and Canada. Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Toronto will all host group stage double-headers. Baltimore and New York/ New Jersey will host the quarterfinals, while Atlanta will play host to the semifinals on July 22. Philadelphia will be the site of the thirdplace match on July 25, as well as the Final on Sunday, July 26. Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has established itself as the region’s most popular national team tournament, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of viewers across the region. The Gold Cup has been played 12 times since the inaugural edition in 1991.