Monday May 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
An open letter to President Ramotar
MR. PRESIDENT, Decentralization of power and authority in a nation is as essential to democracy as national elections. The perception of citizens that they are in charge, that they have a say in how their affairs are handled, is enhanced by the existence of local administrative institutions to which they have direct access, that are directly accountable to them, and which they have the power to change periodically through local electoral plebiscites. Such local authoritative and administrative structures, Mr. President, which we refer to as Local Governments, represent an important and vital pillars upon which democracy can be built in a nation. Without them the building of democracy in any nation becomes just an elusive concept, a symbolic affectation, and as the brother Robert Nesta Marley describes, “an illusion that is easily pursued, but never attained”. Every nation can be described as a conglomeration of community interests and concerns, and those interests and concerns are best addressed and administered by democratic institutions that are closest to the people. And Guyana is not an exception. All across the geographical communities that make up our nation there is burgeoning dissatisfaction over the absence of local Government Elections. Citizens in many, maybe most of our local municipalities, are being deprived of one of the most important democratic prerogatives in human societies. That is, to select from within their neighborhood proximities, leaders in whom they have confidence to manage the day to day affairs of their communities, and grant them relief conditioned by the political distance that exists between grass roots communities, and estranged and often non-empathetic officials in central Government. Mr. President, local Government elections in Guyana are a constitutional prerogative that is long overdue. The main obstacle to the holding of such elections, as we all know, is your Party’s political vacillation on the issue, a product of its uncertainty of how it would fare in such elections, given the wide spread dissatisfaction over its performance at the national level. Rather than yielding to the demands of the public
and the constitution, we have seen, as have occurred in Georgetown, a hubristic and arbitrary imposition of unqualified persons who are affiliated with your Political Party, and who do not have the confidence and approval of the municipality’s population as expressed by their political representatives, in position to make decisions on their behalf. This amount to one of the most odious abuses of national power and authority, and as in other such manifestations as we have witnessed over the past two decades, proclaims to segments of our communities in no uncertain terms that they have no constitutional or legal rights which your party and Government feel duty bound to recognize and respect. But they do Mr. President, they do have such rights. And the fact that your party and Government, in its actions with respect to Local Government Elections, with respect to the administration of justice in Guyana, with respect to the rights of citizens to due process and the presumption of innocence, equality under the law, and freedom from abuse, torture and extra judicial capital punishment, display contemptuous intolerance for those noble principles essential to the sustenance of democratic and social equilibrium in a nation, will not diminish the resolve of the people to agitate and struggle for what is a civic entitlement. Frederick Douglass, formerly one of the enslaved in this part of the world stressed that, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress”. And how well we have seen that in operation
in Guyana. So we must make this demand from the powers that be. We must courageously demand rights to which we are constitutionally entitled, and do so unwaveringly until they are either heard, or that power is replaced with one that will be compliant with constitutional and legal imperatives. We must resist the tyranny occasioned by an avaricious quest for political hegemony, regardless of which political party is at the helm of Government, not necessarily with blows, but with words and legal actions designed to remove its presence from our lives and that of the generations to follow. Mark A. Benschop (Supporters and friends of the: - Independent Party/ Benschop for Mayor campaign, and other patriotic Guyanese) Tony Budhan Karen McCall Keith Henry Nicole Cole Leroy Nelson Karen Abrams Ravindra Seepersaud Natalle Levius Fitzroy Sobers Keith Williams Naresh Singh Wayne Forde Teddy Bruckshot Sandra Benjamin Brian Yasmin Kendora Marks Gobin Harbhajan Ron G. Morrison Bryan Benn Marcia Fraser Patricia Botchway Hubert Wong Cindy Dian Sookdeo Latoya Lopes Chantella Alleyne Andrea Niles Mccorg Keisha Sohan Nigel Lewis Mystikal Qyne Hanifah Anndis & Dustin Fraser Rudy Gonsalves (aka Guyana Rudeboy) Ayanna Yassen, and others)
Yarrowkabra Housing Scheme members seeking help from President
DEAR EDITOR, I am a member of a housing group in Yarrowkabra, which has been in existence for approximately 13 years now. We have faced and continue to face numerous challenges as the group membership continues to evolve - with members losing interest and the difficulty in transfer of ownership from one person to another. The constant cry from the members is the need for the basic necessities— water and electricity. In June 2009, I wrote a ‘Letter to Editor’, which was published in most of the local print media, detailing our challenges in having land transferred from members in default to new members. A that point in time, we had been in contact with Lands and Surveys officials and were told that in order for the requested transfers to be effected, the Lands and Surveys Department had to send letters to the defaulters, requesting that they indicate their interest or non-interest in retaining legal right to the land they had been allotted. A six-month period was given in which they were required to respond, and then the letters had to be sent to the Office of the President for final approval. In desperation, I had appealed, via my ‘Letter to the Editor’, to the then President of Guyana, President Bharrat Jagdeo, to look into this matter for us with a view of having it resolved. To date, the matter remains unresolved. I am now appealing to His Excellency President Donald Ramotar to look into this matter for us and if the documents can be found, to approve our request for the transfer of house lots within our housing scheme. Currently, three houses
are complete and four are in work-in-progress stage. The fact that after all these years we have still been unable to secure the basic utilities of water and electricity for our scheme has resulted a very slow rate of development and waning interests on the part of the members. In 2011, one of our group members wrote a letter to the Honorable Prime Minister Samuel Hinds in an effort to get the Government to assist us regarding supply of electricity to the area. His response advised that he had passed our enquiry to GPL for an estimate to be prepared, after which he would meet with us. We never heard from him again. We would like to hold the Honorable Prime Minister to his word, since it is now 2014 and three years have elapsed since his promise was made to us. I have been with this group from its inception and over the years, have invested quiet a lot of funds to keep it going. Now, I don’t know what to do. As far as I am aware, this housing scheme is the only one of its kind in Yarrowkabra, and with proper development, would greatly enhance the area. A few months ago, I wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys in an effort to follow up on the process that begun in 2009. It
is my understanding that most of the former staff are no longer there. In response to my letter, a gentleman called and informed me that there is no housing group in that area and that I should not try to sell land that does not belong to me. At the time I received the call from the gentleman, I was not in the best of health and couldn’t respond to him as I should have, but I would now like to say to that gentleman that I have never tried and would never try to sell land that does not belong to me. If I was a dishonest person, I would not have written to the Lands and Surveys Department and constantly publish letters in the newspapers for the general public to read. I am trusting in the Lord that this time someone will take the time to help us straighten out this matter. Arthur Taylor President Yarrowkabra Housing Group
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Kaieteur News
Bauxite Union blasts unsafe mining practices at RUSAL The Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU) yesterday expressed alarm at last Saturday’s accident on the Mines Road, Kwakwani, which involved 10 bauxite workers attached to the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI/RUSAL). GB&GWU stated that on the eve of Guyana’s 48th independence, the nation is confronted with another accident by the foreignmanaged BCGI/RUSAL. “This company, which the Government of Guyana has minority shareholding, is once again engaged in unsafe practices in the execution of its mining activities.” The accident, which occurred on Saturday last involved a minibus transporting bauxite workers on a road that continues to see poor maintenance by the company. According to the union body, the bauxite company continues to get away with bad corporate practices and disrespect for the Laws of Guyana because the government is uncaring and disrespectful to the category of workers employed. “The 2012 ruling of the High Court is yet to be respected by the Minister of Labour in the form of reissuing letters to commence compulsory arbitration
…after injury to 10 workers proceedings…The situation is made worse by an opposition that prefers to turn the other way as sections of this society, its constituents, continue to be violated and abused by the government and BCGI.” The union lamented that the accident occurred in a company-assigned vehicle on a company roa when workers were being transported in the execution of their duties. GB&GWU said that the accident is another industrial one resulting from negligence and gross occupational safety and health shortcomings which highlights the risk which BCGI workers face on a daily basis. “…We are reminded that accidents do not just happen but are themselves a result of failure to observe measures appropriate to their prevention.” According to the union, Occupational Health and Safety breaches present a threat to labour’s safety and are not matters to be taken lightly nor can it be compromised. “The safety of workers at the BGCI has been compromised for some time now and all efforts made by the Union to have the
Ministry of Labour address these problems have been ignored,” said the union. “The continued refusal of the Ministry of Labour to act in the interests of BCGI workers to resolve their grievances heightens the belief of this company’s disregard for the laws, workers’ rights, including their safety, has the full support of an uncaring Government.” The union said that there are many instances that can be cited and used as example the fact that in May 2009, BCGI workers had cause to protest working with malfunctioning vehicles, and 67 workers were suspended. Industrial action was taken after some workers fell ill, one of whom is now permanently disabled. On 30th June, 2010 there was an accident of similar nature, and two workers lost their lives, 15 were seriously injured and others traumatized. In 2011 a mine at Aroaima caved in, where a worker was covered and lost his life. The union charged that the number of serious accidents that occurred in BCGI has never been experienced before in the bauxite industry. “GB&GWU asks in this season of independence how long more, how much more blood has to be shed, injuries sustained, lives lost, families dislocated and workers traumatized before the Government of Guyana holds BCGI accountable to the Laws of Guyana.”
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
Monday May 26, 2014
CFATF begins final review of Guyana By Abena Rockcliffe The Caribbean Financial Action Taskforce has begun its regular reviews of countries within its jurisdiction and Guyana’s fate will be decided on Thursday. Guyana’s report which was recently submitted will be reviewed to see if the country has complied with the CFATF recommendations including the passage of the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill. With Parliament being adjourned until June 19, it is highly unlikely that the National Assembly will be able to pass the AML/CFT Bill before Thursday. Guyana has already been blacklisted regionally by CFATF and this resulted in a change in which other Regional jurisdictions are transacting business with this nation. But international sanctions would be the proverbial “final nail in the coffin” for Guyana, should the nation be blacklisted globally. This could occur when the parent body for CFATF, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meets later this year. CFATF began meeting in Florida yesterday and this will last through Thursday. Guyana is expected to make an appearance before the regional body today represented by a team led by Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall. Numerous calls placed to Nandlall yesterday went unanswered. Government maintains that the positions taken by the Opposition parties—A Partnership for National Unity
…fate to be decided by Thursday (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC)—are unfortunate, given the looming deadline and the devastating consequences non-passage of the Bill will have for Guyana. CFATF has already publicly stated that should Guyana be found to be still non compliant, it will report the country to FATF for a review by its International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG). Once that is done, the country could be liable to further sanctions, including being put on the international blacklist, having already been blacklisted regionally by CFATF. Aside from the government’s position, many entities have lamented the stalemate that characterized the Special Select Committee that was set up to address the AML/CFT Bill. The Private Sector Commission was quite vocal on the need for the Bill to be passed. Recently, the Ministry of Tourism declared that it was facing a challenge in the placement of ads around the Caribbean. AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, in a recent interview with this publication said “come hell or high water,” his party will be sticking to its original position of ensuring the operationalization of the Public Procurement Commission. He said his colleague, Trevor Williams, who sits in representation of the AFC on the Public Accounts Committee, has given clear indications that there is no fast tracking of the process to name the five commissions to make up the Procurement
Commission. He pointed out too that his party had set out a road map which had indicated certain deadline for the passage of the bill but it has not been adhered to or even come close to adherence by the government. He said that it was the government side that insisted at the end of the last sitting of the National Assembly that it be adjourned until June 19. Ramjattan said that the government must have known that that will prevent any chance of the Bill passing before the Florida meeting. Hence CFATF will have as a report that Guyana has not passed the Bill. “They (the government) wants that which will happen upon the non-passage of the Bill to occur so that they can blame the opposition, they will put all the blame on the opposition…They will make their regular propaganda chants on television and so on. He said that the AFC will “hold out” because the party has seen “too much suffering at the financial level in Guyana with the absence of the Procurement Commission, “and it is a constitutional mandate that must be implemented He said he thought the government was concerned how Guyana can “go down” by not having the Bill passed. “But this government will prefer its corruption in the absence of the Public Procurement Commission along with all the hardship that the Guyanese people will face with the anti money laundering bill not being passed, that is the caring nature of this government.”
Monday May 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Monday May 26, 2014
Letters... Where your views make the news
Some simple crime fighting solutions
DEAR EDITOR, Crime has been in the world from earliest times but there should be continuous efforts in every society to control it by implementing effective laws and inflicting severe penalties on those who blatantly violate these ordinances. A police force is indispensible in every country; there are a few instances where there is this establishment without a standing army. Costa Rica and Switzerland do not have regular armies but police. Guyana needs and must continue to have a Force that lives up to the motto: “Service and Protection�. Many Guyanese hate and distrust policemen. All policemen are not the same: some are professional and dedicated: others are incompetent and corrupt. We must admit that police are
human and face many challenges personally and within the performance of their legitimate duties. Over the years, there has been a breakdown in law, order, discipline, morals, the fear of God and respect for the accepted norms of civilized society. Since there are causal factors to any social phenomenon, we must ascribe these deteriorating circumstances to racial and power politics, too many single parent families, a decline in religious observances, unemployment, a culture of corruption as a concomitant of low wages and salaries, high cost of living, extravagant living resulting in need and poverty. To have a Force with some ethics and integrity, there is need to improve pay and conditions. There should be provision to compensate
adequately policemen injured or killed in the line of duty. The recruitment process should be rigid; proof of good character, reasonably high achievement in education (good character, well-rounded personality). On-the-job training should be holistic—-seminars, work-shops, advanced training and communication skills to foster good public relations. Rogue policemen must be dealt with condignly for brutality to prisoners and execution style killings. Finally, in these advanced scientific and technology days, the police should be well equipped with modern weapons and reliable apparatus to help detect and solve crimes. The Force needs more manpower to deal fully with offences. No one should be above the law and our courts of justice should be well staffed with Magistrates and Judges to deal with cases expeditiously. Penalties should serve as a deterrent. The debate on the death penalty should be nationally promoted because Guyana and a couple of other Caricom States have a high murder rate per capita. The proliferation of narcotics and illegal guns causes excessive violence. Malcolm Maynard
Monday May 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Who will be tonight’s... Re-commit with greater fortitude (From page 10) choices. These range from online training, to Pageant Prep classes and then possibly the ultimate Pageant Academy. Pageant Prep, for example, helps young women through several tested techniques to overcome anxiety and build confidence for those few critical life-changing hours. Training is also done to help the selected candidates develop skills to facilitate showcasing their refined image throughout the pageant. It also provides vital information on how to deliver the best answer during the “dreaded final question.” Even in India the preparation is also intense. When contestants are chosen for pageants they are housed in a training camp for approximately one month where meticulous training is done. During this period the contestants are refined in several areas. These include Fashion and styling, Heath and Fitness, modeling, spirituality,
conduct and seminars on how to exude the presence of a queen. Each category is headed by an expert who is designated to training the women and transforming them into queens. Even a dermatologist is hired to ensure that skin care is paid attention to. A hair specialist, dental surgeon, a diction coach, grooming expert and a makeup artist are also attached to the transformation booth camp. The training in essence is done to transform the women’s understanding of womanhood and life. This process is not just about aiming for physical perfection, as delegates undergo several training seminars on the “do’s and don’ts” of proper conduct. And this of course is a very important aspect of the programme as contestants, if chosen to be the queen, will have to interact with diplomats, ministers and even heads of state. They are even
trained on how to speak on controversial topics. Potential queens are also taught that they must also possess a certain tone of voice and as such, women in India are given several lessons in voice intonation. And just when you thought this must be the ideal power transformation programme, another element was added. Past queens were summoned to deliver presentations to the potential winners on how they can possibly secure the title and sound advice on how to answer the final question. The Franchise Holder and her committee have reportedly said that our girls have been through training that is of an international quality. We have seen snippets of the product of their power package, during the beauty with a purpose segment and I will say no more. Let the battle between beauty and brains begin and may the best girl win.
Monday May 26, 2014 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): You can get your way without resorting to anything sneaky or underhanded today -- just speak forcefully (and tactfully) and you are sure to sway the right people. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You feel quite energetic - and deeply amused by the things going on around you. It's one of those days when almost anything can get a smile or guffaw out of you, so enjoy the good times! ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Your good advice makes a real difference with that friend or coworker who seems to have lost their way. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You need to take charge today -- otherwise, things are going to spiral out of control in no time. The good news is that people are looking for leadership, so you ought to be able to slide into place. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): It's just way too easy for you to get stuck within bureaucracy today, so make sure that you're avoiding government offices and corporate call centers equally. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): Thoughtful energy is pulsing through your brain today, making it simple to break down problems into their component parts. You're on track to find a big answer to an old challenge.
********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): Your allies need some love today so give them whatever they ask for -- well, within reason. You have some great social energy that could come in handy as you move through the day. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): You are feeling pretty strange today -- everything is intensified somewhat. It may be a good idea for you to pull back from the person who's provoking you, unless it feels like a positive thing. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): You can't help it -the details are just jumping out at you! Even though you'd rather broaden your view, there's just no way for you to keep from narrowing down until you've found the source of the problem. .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): Expect a deal on a purchase you make today -- if you don't get one right away, then don't be afraid to ask. ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 Feb. 18): Nothing interesting is happening today -- or at least that's how it feels. You might not even look up from your phone as a high-speed chase zips by, actually. ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20): Poetry is the best way to communicate today -even with those who claim to hate it.
to Guyana’s development
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster joined with the Regional Democratic Council and residents of Region Three at a flag-raising ceremony in commemoration of the country’s 48th Independence anniversary. The ceremony, which was held at the Regional Office at Vreed-en-Hoop was wellattended and included a number of cultural items. Minister Webster said that as another significant milestone is celebrated, it is only fitting that citizens recommit themselves with even greater fortitude to serve and move forward as a united people. “Today we stand proud as citizens of a young but vibrant and matured nation that has grown into a progressive state of economic stability and social development…the Guyana in which we live today is very different from the one that was obtained after independence. We have enhanced our physical
- Minister Webster at Region Three flag raising landscape and the quality of life of our people…” Minister Webster said. She spoke of the bright prospects that Information Communication Technology (ICT) holds for Guyanese, especially as it relates to the creation of employment. “ICT can enhance the lives of our women through education and job training opportunities, promote literacy, improve access to health care, enable them to better exercise their legal rights and support their participation in decision making at all levels including in the highest echelons of government.” She also expressed the hope that political parties in Parliament will try to put aside their differences and work together in the interest of the people whom they represent. Meanwhile, Regional Chairman, Region Three,
Julius Faerber spoke about the lobbying for political independence by Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham and subsequent events leading up to the country finally gaining independence in 1966. The Chairman said that over the years, the country has witnessed tremendous growth and development in all sectors. In Region Three, a total of $297.3M was spent last year on capital works of which 99.5 percent was completed and $2.7B on current works of which 99.9 percent was completed. From the Region’s budget this year, works will be carried out in areas such as Leguan, Zeelandia, Ruby, Parika, Stanleytown, Salem, Bagotville, Goed Fortuin, Hague Backdam, Zeelugt, Vergenoegen, Fellowship, Rumzeight, Patentia, Canal No.1 Polder, Parfait Harmonie, Western Hogg Island, Makouria, and Wales among other areas. He took the opportunity to call on residents to desist from dumping garbage in the waterways especially during the rainy season, and also warned again vending on the roadways and squatting. Cattle nuisance is another problem the Regional Chairman said, and informed that the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) have employed a number of stray catchers. Persons whose cattle have been impounded would have to pay as much as $7,000 per animal for their release. Subsequent to the remarks, the Golden Arrowhead was hoisted by ranks of the joint services stationed in Region Three. (A GINA release)
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Monday May 26, 2014
Former army chief Sisi poised for victory in Egypt election CAIRO (Reuters) Egyptians vote in a presidential election today expected to sweep former army chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi into office, reviving strongman rule three years after a popular uprising raised hopes of democracy free from military influence. Sisi has been widely regarded as Egypt’s de facto leader since he toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last July and cracked down on his Muslim Brotherhood in the bloodiest chapter of the country’s modern peacetime history. He has acknowledged the scale of Egypt’s problems, including an energy crisis and Islamist militant violence that has driven away foreign investors and tourists, hammering the economy. “The challenges present in Egypt are so many,” he told Reuters in an interview this month. “I believe that within two years of serious, continuous work we can achieve the type of improvement Egyptians are looking for. Sisi’s sole competitor is Hamdeen Sabahi, a leftist
politician who finished third in the 2012 election which brought Mursi to power. Polling stations open at 9 am (0600 GMT) and although the result appears a foregone conclusion, a big turnout would be seen as a strong mandate for Sisi’s rule. Supporters regard Sisi, who resigned from the military earlier this year, as a decisive figure who can stabilize Egypt, a strategic U.S. ally in the heart of the Arab world. His opponents, mostly in the Islamist opposition, say he is the mastermind of a coup that robbed Egypt’s first freelyelected leader of power. They fear Sisi will rule Egypt with an iron fist just like other former military men did, and say he will protect the political and economic interests of the generals and businessmen who amassed fortunes before the 2011 uprising which toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak but remain influential. Security forces have largely driven the Brotherhood underground after hundreds were killed and thousands arrested. More than a thousand Brotherhood
Abdel Fatah al-Sisi supporters have been sentenced to death on charges including inciting violence after the army overthrew Mursi. Foreign governments condemned the rulings but none has taken concrete steps to pressure Egypt into improving its human rights record. “Egypt’s presidential elections will not wipe the country’s human rights record clean after 10 months of gross violations,” said a
statement by rights group Amnesty International. Members of the prodemocracy movement that led the protests against Mubarak in 2011 have also been jailed, and many cases of torture by the security services have been reported by human rights groups. Sisi must tread cautiously. Abuse by police was one of the triggers for the 2011 revolt. Although supporters hailed Sisi as a hero when he removed the Brotherhood from power, there is growing discontent over rights abuses in the streets. Secular activists have become more vocal since the security crackdown against Islamists was expanded to include liberal groups, including the April 6 movement which helped to start the 2011 uprising but has since been banned. On Saturday, hundreds of people marched through downtown Cairo calling for an
end to what they called military rule. “Down with the military regime! The voice of the revolution is coming from the streets and the factories!” screamed mostly young men and women. “Bread! Freedom! Social justice!” they chanted, echoing more of the rallying cries of the 2011 uprising. Mahmoud Omran, a 23year-old student who spent four months in Cairo’s Tora Prison after participating in street clashes in 2011, called the election “pointless”. “Why vote? No matter what percentage Sisi wins by, he will be president after spilled blood,” he said. Though Sisi’s support appears to be shrinking, many Egyptians worn down by three years of political turmoil still view him as a hero for ending Mursi’s divisive time in office. “Sisi saved us from the Brotherhood and what they were doing to us,” said Ibrahim, 47, who works for an
import-export company in Cairo. Monitors from the European Union and U.S.funded Democracy International are observing the vote, and more than 400,000 security forces have been deployed to secure polling stations across the country. Sisi secured 95 percent of votes cast in advance by Egyptians overseas, but an opinion poll by the Washington-based Pew Research Center suggests a more mixed picture inside Egypt, with Sisi viewed favorably by 54 percent and unfavorably by 45 percent. The Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies have vowed to escalate a “revolutionary wave” this week, though it has been many months since they were able to mobilize large numbers in the streets. The Brotherhood has urged its supporters to boycott the election.
‘Chocolate King’ Poroshenko claims victory in Ukraine presidential poll KIEV (Reuters) Billionaire Petro Poroshenko claimed Ukraine’s presidency yesterday after exit polls gave him an absolute majority in a first round of voting and, vowing to end a conflict with pro-Russian rebels, he pledged to align his country with Europe. Exit polls gave Poroshenko, a confectionery magnate with long experience in government, more than 55 percent of the vote, well ahead of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in second place with just over 12 percent. If confirmed by results today, there will be no need for a runoff vote on June 15. Ukrainians, weary of six months of political turmoil, hope their new president will be able to pull their country of 45 million people back from the brink of bankruptcy, dismemberment and civil war that prevented voting in parts of the Russian-speaking east of the country. “All the polls show that the election has been completed in one round and the country has a new president,” Poroshenko, 48, told a news conference. His businesses have earned him a fortune of over $1 billion and the nickname the “Chocolate King”. At his campaign headquarters, he told supporters the majority of Ukrainians had given him a mandate to continue a course of integration with the rest of Europe but said his first priority was to travel to the
Petro Poroshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
east of the country to end “war and chaos” caused by armed pro-Russian separatists there. He said he was ready to negotiate with opponents and offer amnesty to those who laid down weapons - but he ruled out any negotiation with killers and “terrorists”. Pro-Russian separatists barred people from voting in much of Ukraine’s Donbass industrial heartland, turning the main city of Donetsk into a ghost town, after days of violence in the surrounding region in which at least 20 people were killed. Asked by a foreign journalist about relations with Russia, Poroshenko, speaking in fluent English, said he would insist on respect for Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”. He also said Ukraine would never
recognize Russia’s “occupation of Crimea”, the Black Sea region seized by Moscow in March. But Poroshenko will have to try to find common ground with Ukraine’s giant northern neighbor, which provides most of its natural gas and is the major market for its exports. He was later quoted saying that he would “certainly” meet Putin since Russian involvement was essential to establishing stability. Yesterday’s election marked the culmination of a revolution that erupted last November, forced proRussian President Viktor Yanukovich to flee in February and spiraled into an existential crisis when Moscow responded by declaring its right to invade Ukraine to protect its large Russian-speaking population.
Monday May 26, 2014
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Libyan premier wins congress backing after ex-general’s threats TRIPOLI (Reuters) Libya’s new Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq won a vote of confidence from parliament yesterday in defiance of a renegade former army general who has challenged the assembly’s legitimacy. Maiteeq, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, was initially elected two weeks ago after a chaotic parliamentary session that some lawmakers had rejected as illegal. Libya’s legislature is at the center of a growing standoff between rogue former general, Khalifa Haftar, with a loose alliance of antiIslamist militias, and proIslamist factions positioning for influence in the North African country. The Europe Union’s special envoy yesterday called the crisis Libya’s worst
since the 2011 war ousted Muammar Gaddafi, with the fragile government struggling to control brigades of former rebels and militias who are now key powerbrokers. Lawmakers met yesterday under heavy security to vote to approve Maiteeq’s government, a week after militia forces claiming loyalty to Haftar attacked the congress to demand lawmakers hand over power. “The congress has granted Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq its confidence. Out of 95 members, 83 voted in favour of his government,” Abdulhamid Ismail Yarbu, an independent lawmaker told Reuters. Another lawmaker confirmed the votes for Maiteeq, a businessman who
will be Libya’s third premier since March after months of unrest in the OPEC oil producer. There was no immediate response from a spokesman to Haftar, a former Gaddafi ally who broke with the Libyan autocrat in the 1980s, sought exile in the United States and returned to help fight in the 2011 war to end his one-man rule. Three years after a NATObacked revolt toppled Gaddafi, Libya still has no national army, no new constitution and its parliament is caught up in infighting that has delayed the country’s transition to full democracy. Powerful rival brigades of former rebel fighters, still heavily armed with antiaircraft cannons and armored vehicles, often make
Even before he is crowned, India’s Modi struts the global stage NEW DELHI (Reuters) Narendra Modi will be sworn in today as India’s prime minister at a glittering ceremony that will be as much a show of his determination to be a key player on the global stage as a celebration of his stunning election victory. For the first time in India’s history, a clutch of South Asian leaders will be among the guests watching Modi’s inauguration at the presidential palace in New Delhi - including the prime minister of arch-rival Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies swept India’s elections this month, ousting the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty in a seismic political shift that has given his party a mandate for sweeping economic reform. Even before his inauguration, Modi made waves on the global stage, where once he was treated by many with suspicion - and by some as a pariah - for a rash of Hindu-Muslim violence that erupted 12 years ago in Gujarat, the western state he ruled. Modi, 63, has spoken with the presidents of the United States and Russia, and he has become one of only three people that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe follows on Twitter. The U.S. administration denied Modi a visa in 2005, but President Barack Obama has now invited him to the White House.
Narendra Modi The low-caste son of a tea stall-owner, Modi has given India its first parliamentary majority after 25 years of coalition governments, which means he has ample room to advance reforms that started 23 years ago but have stalled in recent years. Many supporters see him as India’s answer to the neo-liberal former U.S. President Ronald Reagan or British leader Margaret T h a t c h e r. O n e f o r e i g n editor has ventured Modi could be so transformative he turns out to be “India’s Deng Xiaoping”, the leader who set China on its path of spectacular economic growth. The BJP has long advocated a tough stance on neighbor Pakistan, with
which India has fought three wars since independence from Britain separated them in 1947, and Modi has been seen as a hardliner on issues of national security. In that respect, Modi’s decision to invite Sharif for his inauguration and bilateral talks came as a surprise and raised hopes for a thaw in relations between the nuclear-armed rivals, particularly frosty since 2008 attacks on the city of Mumbai by Pakistan-based militants. “Modi has already displayed his political dexterity and diplomatic skills in inviting Nawaz Sharif, among other leaders, to his swearing in,” wrote columnist Prashant Jha in the Hindustan Times today. “But will he be able to stay the course? What happens after the first terror attack?” Vikram Sood, former head of India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, told Reuters that inviting all the leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was “an astute” diplomatic gesture. “This augurs well for the region, and an improvement of relations all over the region is possible if these moves are followed by other steps, bilaterally and multilaterally,” he said.
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
Ahmed Maiteeq demands on the weak state. Each is loosely allied with competing Islamist and antiIslamist political forces squaring off for control. In March, the parliament ousted one premier, and his successor also asked to step down after his family was attacked by gunmen. Yesterday’s vote took place in a former Libyan royal palace because the parliament building was closed after the attack a week ago. Tripoli military brigades
stationed their armored trucks around the building and surrounding roads. The coastal capital was calm after the vote. Western governments are concerned Libya’s instability may worsen and spill over into its North African neighbors, who are still emerging from the political unrest following the 2011 Arab Spring revolts. The European Union’s special envoy to Libya, Bernardino Leon, visiting Tripoli on Sunday urged the rival factions to work toward some consensus to overcome the “worst crisis” since the civil war to oust Gaddafi. A week ago, Haftar started what he called a military campaign against Islamist militants in the eastern city of Benghazi. He also later claimed responsibility for the attack on parliament in Tripoli. Several military units have allied with him, threatening to split the nascent regular forces and network of different militia whose complex allegiances
often mix tribal, regional and political loyalties. Haftar ’s call for a campaign against extremists has touched a nerve with many Libyans fed up of violence, especially in Benghazi where hardline Islamist groups like Ansar alSharia have been blamed for bombings and assassinations. Supporters are even making comparisons to Egypt’s former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who forced the Muslim Brotherhood from power. But it is not clear how much broader militia and army support Haftar can win. Any attempt to form a wider anti-Islamist alliance threatens to provoke a reaction from powerful rival brigades who allied with the Islamist politicians tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Complicating alliances, tens of thousands of former fighters are also on the government payroll in semiofficial security positions with the ministries of defense and interior in a fragile bid to co-opt them.
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Monday May 26, 2014
China’s state-owned sector told to cut ties with U.S. consulting firms (Reuters) - China has told its state-owned enterprises to sever links with American consulting firms just days after the United States charged five Chinese military officers with hacking U.S. companies, the Financial Times reported yesterday. China’s action, which targets companies like McKinsey & Company and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), stems from fears the firms are providing trade secrets to the U.S. government, the FT reported, citing unnamed sources close to senior Chinese l e a d e r s . ” We h a v e n ’t received any notification
of this kind,” said M a rg a r e t K a s h m i r, a spokeswoman for Strategy& - formerly Booz & Company - in an email, adding that serving clients in China and globally continues to be the company’s main priority. “We are unaware of any government mandates,” added Bain & Company spokeswoman Cheryl Krauss. A McKinsey spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment. A spokeswoman for BCG was not immediately able to comment. The companies have large operations in China, the FT reported. McKinsey, BCG and Strategy& all have Chinese state enterprises as clients, the newspaper said. China warned this week it would retaliate if Washington pressed ahead with allegations that the Chinese officers hacked into U.S. nuclear, metal and solar companies, including Alcoa Inc, Allegheny Technologies Inc, United States Steel Corp, Toshiba Corp unit Westinghouse Electric Co,
the U.S. subsidiaries of SolarWorld AG and a steelworkers’ union. Officials in Washington have argued for years that cyber espionage is a top national security concern. The May 19 indictment was the first criminal hacking charge the United States has filed against specific foreign officials. It follows a steady increase in public criticism and private confrontation, including at a summit last year between U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In the wake of the charges, Chinese media labeled the U.S. government a “high-level hooligan,” while officials in Beijing accused Washington of “double standards” on issues of cyber spying. China also said it would investigate providers of IT products and services to guard “national security,” and “economic and social development.” It also banned new central government computers from using Windows 8, Microsoft Corp’s latest operating system.
A combination photo shows five Chinese military officers who the U.S. has accused of cyber espionage. Top row: Sun Kailiang (L), Huang Zhenyu (R), bottom row L-R: Wen Xinyu, Wang Dong and Gu Chunhui in FBI released photos. REUTERS/FBI/Handout via Reuters
Monday May 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Thai protesters test military’s resolve (Reuters) - Thailand’s military tightened its grip on power yesterday as it moved to quell growing protests, saying anyone violating its orders would be tried in military court. It also took its first steps to revitalise a battered economy, saying nearly a million farmers owned money under the previous government’s failed rice-subsidy scheme would be paid within a month. The military overthrew the government on Thursday after months of debilitating and at times violent confrontation between the populist government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the royalist establishment. Critics say the coup will not end the conflict between the rival power networks: the Bangkok-based elite dominated by the military and the bureaucracy, and an upstart clique led by
Yingluck’s brother and former telecommunication mogul Thaksin Shinawatra. The Shinawatras draw much of their influence from the provinces. The military detained numerous people including Yingluck and many of her ministers, party officials and supporters. Leaders of antigovernment protests against Yingluck were also held. The military said anyone detained would be freed in a week and yesterday it relaxed restrictions on Yingluck, allowing her to go home though she remained under military supervision, a senior military official said. “She is free to come and go as she pleases but will have to inform us as a sign of mutual respect and we will have soldiers guarding her home,” said the officer, who declined to be identified. The military has thrown
UKIP poised for victory in Europe vote (Reuters) - Britain’s antiEU UKIP party has chalked up strong gains in elections to the European Parliament, polling more strongly than Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative party and opposition Labour party in early results yesterday. With 15 out of 73 seats declared, the UK Independence Party, which wants Britain to leave the European Union, had won six seats, the Conservatives five seats and Labour four. “The political earthquake that UKIP promised is firmly underway tonight,” said Patrick O’Flynn, who was elected as a UKIP MEP for the East of England European Parliamentary constituency. “The British people have spoken: they want control of their nation, they want some of their money back, they want control of their borders
too. And any party who doesn’t hear the message loud and clear is in for another shock less than a year from now when we fight again at the general election.”
out the constitution, censored the media and dismissed the upper house Senate, the last functioning legislature. On Sunday, it said anyone accused of insulting the monarchy or violating its orders would face military court. Power lies in the hands of army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha and his junta and their priorities are stamping out dissent and tending to the economy. An army spokesman warned against protests and told the media to be careful in its reporting too. “For those who use social media to provoke, please stop because it’s not good for anyone,” deputy army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in a televised statement. Despite the warnings, a small crowd of protesters, some holding handwritten signs such as “Get out Dictators”, formed outside a Bangkok shopping centre and grew through the day. Hundreds of soldiers, most with riot shields, lined up to contain the crowd and there was some shouting and pushing and at least two people were detained, a Reuters reporter said. By late afternoon about
General Prayuth Chan-ocha 1,000 people had gathered at the Victory Monument, a central city hub, confronting soldiers at times but there were no clashes. In his first public comments since the coup, Thaksin said on Twitter he was saddened and he called on the army to treat everyone fairly. Thaksin was ousted as prime minister in a 2006 coup and has lived in self-exile since a 2008 graft conviction. The military yesterday met leaders of state and private commercial agencies, economic ministry officials, central bank and stock market officials and business leaders. “The economy needs to recover. If there is something
wrong, we have to find quick solutions,” Thawatchai Yongkittikul, secretary general of the Thai Bankers’ Association, told reporters, citing General Prayuth. “The burning issues that need to be solved are the ricebuying scheme and the budget plan for the 2015 fiscal year.” A rice-subsidy scheme organised by Yingluck’s government failed, leaving huge stockpiles of the grain and farmers owed more than $2.5 billion. The military said all farmers should be paid in a month. The military also said King Bhumibol Adulyadej will today endorse Prayuth as leader of the ruling military council, an important formality in a country where the monarchy is the most important institution. On Saturday, the army said the king had acknowledged the takeover. An undercurrent of the crisis is anxiety over the issue of royal succession. The king, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, is 86 and spent the years from 2009 to 2013 in hospital. The military, which has launched 19 successful or attempted coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, has banned gatherings
of more than five people and imposed a 10 p.m to 5 a.m. curfew. But that has not deterred critics who since Friday have held small protests, not just in Bangkok but in the north and northeast, Thaksin’s main strongholds. But former Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang, who is now in hiding, told Reuters by telephone that he doubted the ability of Thaksin’s loyalists to oppose the takeover. “This is very serious indeed, it’s very bad,” Chaturon said. “It seems they’ll detain a lot of people and we don’t know for how long. It’s going to be very oppressive.” The latest turmoil in a nearly decade-long clash between the establishment and Thaksin has hurt Southeast Asia’s secondbiggest economy. In the first quarter, the economy shrank 2.1 percent. Many countries have issued travel warnings for Thailand, damaging tourism which accounts for about 10 percent of the economy. The United States condemned the coup and suspended about $3.5 million in military aid and various training exercises and visits by commanders.
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Kaieteur News
Monday May 26, 2014
CCJ president wants Kamla’s approval rating rises Indo jurists to join court Poll: Respondents less confident in Government NEWSDAY - President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron is urging qualified jurists among the Indian community to seek positions in the court. Addressing devotees at an Indian Arrival Day D i n n e r, h o s t e d b y t h e Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha on Friday night at the Radisson Trinidad Hotel, Port-of-Spain, Byron charted the history of the Indians over the past 169 years in Trinidad and Tobago. Noting that the history of Indians was one of struggle, sacrifice and determination, Byron said given the hurdles that members of the race have overcome, “it is inevitable that the CCJ will become reflective of the diversity of the region.” “Indo-Trinidad must become intrinsic to the CCJ by applying to sit on the Bench,” he said to much applause from the audience. “Given your capacity, you can pioneer in another area
Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron of national development to shape the direction of Trinidad and Tobago.” The CCJ, which is based at 134, Henry Street, Port-ofSpain, was established in 2001. It has an original and appellate jurisdiction. Byron, of St Kitts and Nevis, spoke of the contributions made by several prominent Indians toward the development of the country.
Saying that Rudranath Capildeo, a former Leader of the Opposition, was central to the political independence of this country, Byron said the seeds of the CCJ were sown under former prime minister Basdeo Panday’s tenure as leader of the United National Congress. His listed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Tajmool Hosein, Sir Shridath Ramphal, Sir Fenton Ramsahoye and former CJs Sir Isaac Hyatali and Satnarine Sharma as outstanding individuals who had contributed immeasurably to the legal history of the Caribbean. Byron, who also serves as President of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, said the CCJ provided an opportunity for ordinary folk to seek final judgment on matters “at an affordable cost.” “The CCJ has financial and legal independence, free from any connection from the national government,” he said.
STRONG SUPPORT: People’s Partnership supporters wave flags, party memorabilia and blow horns during Saturday’s anniversary celebrations at Mid Centre Mall, Chaguanas. —Photo: DEXTER PHILIP Trinidad Express - For the first time since 2011, more citizens of Trinidad and Tobago approve of the job Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar is doing than those who don’t, a new opinion poll has shown. Commissioned by the Trinidad Express, the poll conducted by local company Solution by Simulation (SBS) indicated that 48 per cent of respondents interviewed approve of the job PersadBissessar is doing as prime minister compared to 42 per cent who disapprove. Her approval rating of 48 per cent compared to 37 per cent in 2013 and 38 per cent in 2012. From May 12 to May 21 SBS interviewed 700 adults throughout the country via telephone calls. Persad-Bissessar fired former minister of the people Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh on March 25 following an incident with a cabin attendant on a Tobago flight. On March 31, she revoked the appointment of Chandresh Sharma as Tourism Minister after he
resigned following an alleged incident at the Grand Bazaar mall involving Sharma’s former girlfriend Sacha Singh. The poll also shows that while respondents approve of Persad-Bissessar, their confidence does not extend to Government, with only a 27 per cent approval rating in the Government overall. At the fourth anniversary of the People’s Partnership Government, this poll finds an increase in the share of the population that approve of the job that the Prime Minister is doing. Forty-eight per cent approve of the job she is doing, compared to 37 per cent in 2013 and 38 per cent in 2012. However the poll does not only reveal “good news” for the Government: the public has a low level of confidence in the government and in public institutions in general; the approval of the Prime Minister is polarised along racial lines; and there is near unanimous concern about the crime situation. In this report, the results of the poll are compared with exclusive Express polls conducted in April 2011,
November 2012 and May 2013. This is the first time that the Express Government Anniversary poll was conducted by Solution by Simulation. The previous polls were conducted by Market Facts and Opinions (MFO). It is reasonable to make comparisons since contemporaneous MFO and SBS polls have reported near identical support for the government, while SBS polls have generally reported higher numbers for the Opposition and lower levels of undecided persons than contemporaneous MFO polls. Solution by Simulation interviewed 700 adults in Trinidad and Tobago via live telephone calls from May 12 to May 21. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/3.7 per cent. The poll was commissioned by the Trinidad Express Newspaper. The polling sample was selected to correctly represent the location, race, age and socio-economic characteristics of the population.
Ganja advocates demand gov’t develops 12-point plan for the industry Jamaica Gleaner - Ganja stakeholders have stepped up their advocacy for the decriminalisation of the weed and have given the Government 120 days to develop a 12point plan to reform the industry. Emerging from the first Cannabis Conference held at the University of the West Indies last week, stakeholders have called for the criminal records of persons convicted for smoking small amounts of ganja to be expunged. They are also calling for the laws to be amended to allow for the personal use of small amounts of ganja in private. In addition, the group of stakeholders says Government should recognise the religious rights of Rastafarians to use ganja for worship and sacramental purposes.
But while they want ganja to be decriminalised for personal use by adults and for religious purposes, the advocates say Government must maintain its ban on the smoking of all substances in public and must put in place safeguards and education programmes to reduce juvenile use and demand for ganja. The stakeholders also want policies to be implemented to regulate the medical cannabis industry and stricter penalties for the illegal exportation of ganja. They say a policy mechanism should also be in place to protect small and traditional cultivators for a minimum period of three years, in addition to other policies and reform actions to encourage control, protection and public education.
Monday May 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
Pressure mounts on UWI as Bar Association criticises firing of Professor …Group plans ‘massive protest’ for today Jamaica Observer OPPOSITION to the sacking of Professor Brendan Bain continued to mount Friday as the influential Jamaican Bar Association (Jambar) took the University of the West Indies (UWI) to task while expressing concern that the controversial decision could have an adverse impact on experts giving testimony in Jamaica. At the same time, a group that started an online petition in support of Professor Bain said it has planned “a massive protest” for today at the UWI’s main gate starting at 8:00 am. The group, which said that more than 1,900 persons have already signed the online petition that has been sent to UWI Vice Chancellor Professor Nigel Harris’ e-mail address, stated that the protest was being staged because of Harris’ silence in the face of mounting opposition to Professor Bain’s dismissal as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Network. “Stand up for what is right. We will not be silenced. Join thousands of other people from across Jamaica outside the vice chancellor’s office (across from UWI Mona Campus main gate). This is not about your ideological background but about the principle of
standing up for justice,” the group said in an e-mail sent to petitioners and the media. The UWI has been the target of heavy flak since last Tuesday when it announced that it had cashiered Bain because he has lost the confidence of the community that the CHART was established to serve. C H A RT, w h i c h i s funded by the United St a t e s P r e s i d e n t ’s Emergency Plan for AIDS R e l i e f ( P E P FA R ) , i s designed to equip health care workers and counsellors with the skills to treat persons living with HIV. The programme also has an education component aimed at ending stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. The UWI made its decision after being pressured by a coalition of 33 gay and human rights lobby groups from across the Caribbean to fire Bain because of expert testimony he gave in a constitutional challenge brought by a gay Belizean man against that country’s criminal code. The Belizean, Caleb Orozco, had argued in September 2010 that the code, which states that “every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person or animal shall be liable to
Brendan Bain imprisonment for 10 years”, violates his right to the recognition of human dignity, to personal privacy and the privacy of the home guaranteed by the Belize constitution. In August 2012, Professor Bain, regarded as a pioneer in clinical infectious disease practice in the Caribbean and a leading medical authority on the HIV epidemic in the region, offered expert testimony in the case. He pointed out in his testimony that the risk of contracting HIV is significantly higher among men who have sex with other men (MSM), adding that this was true for Belize, as well as other countries, including those that have repealed the law that criminalises anal sex.
Howai: Clico assets sold for $5.6B NEWSDAY - FINANCE Minister, Larry Howai, said a bundle of Clico assets including two malls, two distilleries and an energy firm were sold for a sum of $5.6 billion, fifty percent above the initial valuation price of $3.7 billion. He spoke last Friday night in the Lower House in reply to a motion on the adjournment by Diego Martin North East MP, Colm Imbert, who had asked if the assets were being underpriced in a “fire sale” of sorts. Imbert said the Government had never denied a press report last June that Valpark and Atlantic Plazas had respectively been sold for $102 million and $60 million, even as he himself valued Valpark at about $300 million. Imbert accused the Government of breaching its obligation to report to the House regularly with updates about what is happening with Clico and the Hindu Credit
Larry Howai Union (and their assets). He urged that rather than the Government negotiating to secretly sell Angostura to a local conglomerate, this Clico asset should be offered for sale to the public in an initial public offering (IPO) Imbert also asked why does the Government allegedly want to sell Clico’s insurance portfolio to a foreign firm, on the dubious claim that if it is
sold locally it could pose a systemic risk to the local financial system? Underlining it all, Imbert said Clico’s assets had been earning profits that he said were $2.5 billion in 2011, $642 million last year, and “significant profits” this year. In reply, Howai said the Government had spent $20 billion to rightly intervene in Clico’s affairs. He promised “full accountability and transparency”, plus the broadest consultation over the sale of Clico’s assets. Howai said that based on valuations done by Ernst and Young, and Raymond and Pierre, 2013 saw valuations of Valpark for $61 million and of Atlantic for $33 million, with ultimate sale proceeds for the two malls being $99 million. He said the Government is now considering the sale of other Clico assets, namely the “W Hotel” in Florida and Colfire, although there has been no decision on a possible sale of Angostura.
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Colombia’s Zuluaga pushes Santos to presidential runoff vote (Reuters) - Opposition candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga won most votes in Colombia’s presidential election yesterday but fell short of a first-round victory and will face President Juan Manuel Santos in a runoff that casts doubts over peace talks with Marxist rebels. Zuluaga had 29.3 percent support and Santos trailed on 25.6 percent with returns in from almost 99 percent of voting tables. They had needed more then 50 percent for victory so will now go to a runoff on June 15. The election was largely seen as a plebiscite on Santos’ strategy of negotiating a peace deal with Marxist guerrillas to end a 50-year-old war that has killed some 200,000 people. Zuluaga, a right-wing former finance minister, accuses Santos of pandering to terrorists and has suggested he would scrap the peace talks in favor of U.S.backed military campaigns similar to those led by his mentor, former President Alvaro Uribe. “Security is important to us; we are 100 percent with Zuluaga,” said Jose Gomez, 39,
as he left a Bogota polling station with his wife and daughter. Santos, 62, fell out with Uribe after launching peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) instead of sticking to Uribe’s strategy of forcing the group’s surrender on the battlefield. Santos appeals to Colombians who hope the guerrillas will negotiate peace and lay down their weapons after seeing top leaders killed and their numbers halved to about 8,000 fighters over the last 12 years. The talks in Cuba have yielded agreements on three items of a five-point agenda, including one deal just signed in which the FARC agreed to step away from the drug trade and another which would allow the FARC to take part in politics. Zuluaga, 55, has galvanized conservative Colombians who believe the talks will fail like three similar attempts since the 1980s, including one that allowed the FARC to bolster its ranks and extend its involvement in the cocaine trade.
Although the results on Sunday were a blow to Santos, he could receive the backing of two other candidates, Enrique Penalosa and Clara Lopez, who both support negotiations with the FARC and together garnered close to 24 percent Of the vote. The fifth candidate, Martha Lucia Ramirez, is skeptical of the talks and her supporters may swing behind Zuluaga. She had about 15 percent support on Sunday. Santos launched the peace talks in 2012 and said they will likely collapse if he does not win a second term but Zuluaga - and Uribe behind him - says the government is negotiating from a position of weakness. If he wins the runoff, Zuluaga says he will give the FARC eight days to lay down their weapons and will halt the peace talks if they refuse. That appeals to many Colombians outraged at the possibility that rebel leaders could eventually hold seats in Congress and potentially avoid prison sentences for crimes committed during the war.
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Kaieteur News
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DRIVER and SALESMAN for Gas Trucks on East Coast, West Coast and East Bank Demerara. 266 4427 Gardener 18-35yrs, hardworking, punctual, team player no experience & no education needed – Call: 646-2108 Chef/ Baheir & Kitchen assistant to work & live in Buckhall Essequibo River – Contact: 592-690-4860 Drivers, visiting & security officers. Apply within NM Security Solutions Inc, Lot “O” Ruimveldt Georgetown – Tel: 225-5773/76 24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl, office assistant & handyman- Call: 670-8893/684-2838 Accounts clerk with 4 Subjects CXC, 2 yrs experienced, knowledge of Peachtree WBD area – E-m a i l : sase_shewnarain@hotmail.com. Vacancy exist for one personal home tutor – Please contact: 676-2812
TO LET 1 - Four bedrooms house with all modern conveniences, semi-furnished - $300,000 monthly, Happy Acres – Tel: 231-7839 (working hours) Three bedroom apartment & studio @ Eccles – Call: 6447000, 233-3133 or 233-2369
One bedroom apartment for rent. Call: 664-2861 between 7:30am to 5pm Fully furnished apartment as low as - $4,000 per day @ Secrete Villa Albouystown, Georgetown branch or call: 223-0994 All prices have been reduced as low as - $4,000 per day @ Secret Villa, Land-Of- Canaan or Call: 266-5243-5 WANTED 3 female general workers between ages 22-35yrs, 1 male general worker between ages 18-30 – Contact: 2256337 Live out domestic babysitter and live in babysitter –Call: 225-0188, 223-7500 (Monday to Saturday) (8:15am-4:15pm) One domestic worker, one domestic cook @ East Coast Demerara – Contact: 6115398, 621-8478 One handy boy, live in accommodation and free meals –Call:628-1756or228-5655
Monday May 26, 2014
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel:644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 B & C Driving School: Lot 5 Hadfield Street Lodge- call: 225-0150, 229-7258, 680-6826 WANTED Pacific Development Inc – Looking to buy empty lands in all areas. Contact 2278274, 223-6035 General domestic maid at Lot 8A Eccles Public Road, E.B.D - 233-2408 or 233-2631 One shop attendant & one handy boy to work in the interior Call: 681-6044 One daytime security, 1 gardener/farm worker, also one house & land @ Covent Garden Island for sale - Call: 265-3586
2 bedrooms apartments @ Factory Road Paradise, ECD. Large living, dining, etc. One month’s security - $38,500 monthly - Call: 625-9939, 6722677 One furnished upper flat 3 bedroom, @ Pike St Kitty, long & short term - Tel: 6448015 One bedroom apartment bottom flat @ Newtown Kitty -$25,000 – Tel:227-5985, 660-7952 WANTED Barbers and tattoo artist opposite Kitty Police Station – Call: 621-8812 Live in experienced cook and waitresses 18-30yrs, accommodation free. Salary negotiable - Call: 698-7172 One Honest counter clerk, 3yrs experienced selling Japanese Spare Parts – Contact Ray’s Motor Spares & Auto Sales: 231-7839 (working hours)
Earn a certificate in cosmetology, wig designs or nails alone, limited spaces – Call Abby: 619-7603, 666-5241
2006 Toyota Tacoma fully loaded - $3.5M - Tel:6857659, 622-0445 2-1RZ mini bus BLL & BJJ diesel, good working condition – Call: 628-1342 or 226-6071
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. COOL TECH : Repairs Services & Installation of all types if homes appliances: Air Condition & Refrigeration units - Tel: 233-2008; 675-4959 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar:2310655,683-8734 House plan drafting from$10,000 electrical works and estimates services available. Tel:667-2189,646-6572,629-8750 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call: 225-9032, 647-2943 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 662-6045 Building and need exceptional quality service at an affordable price – Please contact Rica on 223-2695/ 661-6073 Luxury building construction, general contractors, general building construction concrete, wood, ceiling, roof, etc – Call: 592-6954062, email:anojaisari@yahoo.com
Toyota L-Touring & Fielder Wagon, At192, AT212, AE110 Corolla Raum, Fun cargo, RZ minibus, IST –Tel: 644-5096, 697-1453 STAR CARS AUTO SALE: Premio, Spacio, Allion, IST, Feilder, Altezza, new Raum, Axela, Carina 212 – Call: 679-3140, 615-1199 First Class Auto: Allion, Premio, Spacio, IST, 212, Fielder, Raum, Allex, Runx, Bluebird, Axela - Tel:6098188, 638-3045 One Toyota Land cruiser Prado, PMM Series Call: 225-0188, 223-7500, Mon-Fri 8:15-4:15pm, Sat - 8:15-1:15PM Unregistered Spacio, TV Flair Kit, Noah mini buses BSS series – Call: 697-0294 Toyota Marino excellent condition, automatic, AC, CD, Mags -$750,000 - Tel: 619-1047 Toyota Avensis 2003, PRR series 18" Rims, leather interior, HID, A/C, Alarm, TV, $3.250M, immaculate condition! - Tel:609-7257, 602-5974 ALYEA AUTO SALE: SPACIO 2004, DARK INTERIOR, FOG, PRICE TO GO. LOT 40 CROAL STREET G/TOWN – TEL:622-3823/ 231-5789 One Toyota RAV4 automatic model UA-ACA 21W (Rav-4) Plate PPP series – Call: 2276903, Cell: 676-6109 Price: $3.8M
MASSAGE The Gent’s Spa: Be pampered by our beautiful masseuses, H-Hands, wet bliss. Won’t You Let Me? – Contact: 657-5979 EDUCATIONAL IAE –Camp Street – Registration has commenced Forms 1-5 (fulltime school); day & evening, adult CXC classes – Call: 683-5742, 223-0604 WANTED Workers for land dredge, 1 male bahier - $80,000 monthly – Tel: 694-2310 Person to draw cones from machine and sell.Good Rates - Tel:227-1830
EDUCATIONAL Balloon Decorating Classes – 31st May 2014 – Call: 2253133 or 613-7513 for more information and to register. Foundation/ summer classes: Form 1, 2 &3 – JulyAugust. Mathematics, English, Spanish, Music, I.T, etc – Call Mr. Lee: 227-7850 Just completed Level 6? Need transition/foundation classes – Forms 1 & 2 – Call Mr. Lee: 227-7850
Monday May 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Lewis Hamilton finishes second to Nico Rosberg at Monaco BBC Sport - Nico Rosberg beat Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a tense fight for victory in the Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton, still angry from what he saw as Rosberg’s gamesmanship to seal pole in qualifying, tracked him for much of the race. The Brit dropped back with an eye problem in the closing stages but held off Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was fourth in a race punctuated by two safety car periods. The race was a slowburner which came alive in the closing laps as Ricciardo challenged Hamilton, and a series of dramatic incidents led to constant changes for the lower points positions. It started with enormous
tension between Hamilton and Rosberg following the controversial outcome of qualifying. Rosberg was cleared of wrongdoing on Saturday after a stewards’ investigation into a trip into the escape road on his final qualifying lap, which prevented Hamilton completing his own lap and challenging him for pole position. The stewards declared it an innocent driver error, caused by the German pushing too hard on his final qualifying lap. But Hamilton clearly believed that Rosberg had done it deliberately, a view that was shared by a number of ex-F1 drivers in the paddock. Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said before the race: “This thing
we have with Lewis accusing the ot h e r o f d o i n g something stupid; I tried to fix this morning with Lewis but I couldn’t. If they hit each other at the first corner then they have a problem with me.” They didn’t, Rosberg converting his pole into a comfortable lead as Ricciardo’s slow getaway left Alonso boxed in behind him and team-mate Sebastian Vettel, and also hampered by a brief lack of electrical power from his hybrid system. Raikkonen took advantage, slotting into fourth at the first corner behind Rosberg, Hamilton and Vettel and ahead of Ricciardo and Alonso. The first safety car was employed on the opening lap after McLaren’s Jenson
Blake’s blistering anchor leg spurs Jamaica to 4x200m world record Jamaica Observer BAHAMAS, Nassau — A scintillating anchor leg of an unofficial 19 seconds flat by Yohan Blake propelled Jamaica to gold and a world record run in the men’s 4x200m, while the women finished second in the 4x100m on the first day of the inaugural IAAF World Relays in The Bahamas. The quartet of Nickel Ashmeade, Warren Weir, Jermaine Brown and Blake sped to 1:18.63 minutes to erase the old mark of 1:18.68 held by the Santa Monica Club of the United States of America since 1994. The expected challenge of the Americans never materalised as they placed third but were later disqualified. Second went to the tiny Caribbean island of St Kitts and Nevis in 1:20.51 minutes ahead of France, third in 1:20.66 minutes. The Jamaicans pocketed US$50,000 for their victory and will get another US$50,000 once the world record is ratified. Earlier, the Jamaicans with Rasheed Dwyer, Jermain Brown, Jason Livermore and Warren Weir won their heat in fine style establishing a championship record of 1:20.15 minutes ahead of France in 1:21.45 and St Kitts and Nevis with 1:21.97. The US quartet of Maurice Mitchell, Curtis Mitchell, Isaiah Young and veteran Wallace Spearmon easily won the second heat in 1:21.35 to be the second fastest into the final. The women’s 4x100m team, running without Olympic champion Shelly-
Ann Fraser-Pryce, had two poor baton changes and had to settle for silver behind the Americans. Jamaica started with Carrie Russell, Kerron Stewart, Schillonie Calvert and Samantha HenryRobinson, and despite messing up badly on the final handover, finished second in 42.28 seconds. It was actually faster than they did in winning their heat earlier in 42.29 seconds. The US quartet of Tianna Bartoletta, Alexandria Anderson, Jeneba Tarmoh and Lakeisha Lawson, who entered the final with the same time as the Jamaicans, struck gold in an impressive 41.88 seconds. Meanwhile, both Jamaican mile relay teams advanced to the finals with the second fastest times behind race favourites the Americans. In the women’s 4x400m, the Jamaican team of Christine Day, Anastasia LeRoy, Shericka Jackson and Kaliese Spencer clocked a season’s best 3:24.95 minutes and placed second behind the US quartet of Deedee Trotter, Jamaicanborn Sanya Richards-Ross, who had a storming second leg, Monica Hargrove and Jessica Beard in 2:23.84 minutes. Nigeria with 3:27.07 minutes had the third fastest time and Great Britain fourth with 3:27.30 minutes. The Russians failed to show, and based on this, Jamaica should be able to secure at least a silver medal. The men’s team of Javere Bell, Edino Steele, Dane Hyatt
and Rusheed McDonald ran the Americans, without Lashawn Merritt, close all the way but finished second in 3:01.17 minutes. The US won in 3:01.09 seconds. It was the closest a Jamaican team came to actually beating the Americans in decades. However, Jamaica will have to significantly improve if they are to medal entering the final with the fifth fastest time overall. Host Bahamas (3:00.30), Great Britain (3:00.74) and Trinidad and Tobago (3:01.06) registered faster times. The first final of the day, the men’s 4x800m, was won by Kenya, but barely just in 7:08.40 minutes ahead of the fast finisher Polish team in 7:08.69 minutes. The US won bronze with 7:09.06 minutes. Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich, Sammy Kibet Kirongo and Job Koech Kinyor established a huge 40m lead after three legs, but anchorman Alfred Kipketer clocked a bullet 49 seconds for his first 400m and 60 seconds for the last 400m and barely had enough legs to hold on for a facile victory. The Kenyans were well outside their world record of 7:02.43 minutes set in 2006. The East Africans were at it again, this time their women struck gold in the 4x1,500m in a world record of 16:33.58 minutes. Mercy Cherono, Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon, Irene Jelagat and Hellen Onsando Obiri easily dispatched the American into second spot with 16:55.33 minutes. Australia copped the bronze with 17:08.65 minutes.
Button knocked Sergio Perez’s Force India into a spin on the exit of Mirabeau. Vettel retired immediately with turbo failure as the race was restarted on lap four, and there was a typical Monaco stalemate until another safety car on lap 28 - triggered by a crash at the chicane by Sauber’s Adrian Sutil. Almost the whole field took the opportunity to make their pit stops, but Hamilton complained over the radio to the team, saying they should have brought him in immediately they saw the crash, rather than wait until the safety car was actually deployed. “Why didn’t we stop the lap before?” he asked, heightening the sense of paranoid competition building in the team. “I knew we should have pitted on that lap. I also knew you wouldn’t call me in.” After the re-start on lap 31, Rosberg began to get messages that he was using too much fuel. Hamilton tracked him closely, but was never able to get close enough to make an attempt to pass him. He suddenly dropped back with 12 or so laps to go, coming on the radio to the team to say he “couldn’t see out of his left eye - it’s impossible”. But although the team prepared for a pit stop, he increased his pace. In the closing stages,
Ricciardo closed in quickly, catching Hamilton by lap 72, with six laps to go, but the Mercedes driver managed to hold him off until the end. The result moves Rosberg back into the championship lead, four points clear of his team-mate. “Lewis drove really well and pushed me massively hard but I was able to hold on,” said Rosberg. “I had great pace,” Hamilton said. “I felt I was really strong today but it’s a very difficult place to overtake.” Raikkonen ran third until the first pit stops, after which he needed to stop again on the next lap to replace a tyre punctured when he was hit by Marussia’s Jules Bianchi, dropping him to 14th place. Raikkonen recovered to challenge Magnussen for seventh place in the closing stages, only to try an over-
ambitious move on the Dane into the Loews hairpin on lap 73. Both ended up stuck in the barriers, dropping Magnussen to 10th and forcing Raikkonen to pit for a new nose cone. He finished 12th. Button had passed Magnussen for sixth behind Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg at the start of the same lap and he finished there ahead of Williams’ Felipe Massa and Marussia’s Jules Bianchi. The Frenchman’s eighth place was the best finish in the small team’s four-year history and Bianchi managed to score their first points for ninth place despite a penalty for serving a previous punishment in an incorrect fashion. Lotus’s Romain Grosjean was promoted to eighth in the final standings, with Magnussen 10th.
Wolf’s Furniture Store softball set to start June 8 Wolf’s Furniture store softball tournament is set to commence on June 8 for over 35 and open teams. Entrance fee is $20,000. The first place team will be given a trophy and $100,000 and the runner up a trophy and $40,000. Organsier Samuel Kingston said that the tournament will be played under lights at a venue to be announced and only the first eight teams that entered will be accepted. He added that only round hand bowling will be allowed. For more information teams can contact Kingston on 6149536.
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Monday May 26, 2014
GCA’s Hadi’s World Inc first division two-day cricket Jhonny Gonzalez Chanderpaul hits patient 179, Nandan defeats Clive Atwell with technical decision scores 100 & Ross grabs 9-Wkt match haul Boxing News 24 - WBC featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez (56-8, 48 KO’s) retained his WBC title Saturday night with a 10 round technical decision on Saturday night against #12 WBC fighter, Guyanese Clive Atwell (12-1-1, 7 KO’s) at the Convention Center in Acapulco, Mexico. The referee stopped the bout after Gonzalez was cut over his left eye from a head-butt. The fight then went to the cards with Gonzalez, 32, winning by the scores of 99-89, 96-92 and 98-90. Gonzalez dominated the entire fight with his hard power shots and stiff jab. Atwell was much too slow to get anything going with his offence in the fight and he ended up taking one-way punishment from the 1st round until it was finally stopped in the 10th. Atwell would fire back with his shots, but he was so slow that it made it easy for Gonzalez to get out of the way of his shots without getting hit. With this win, Gonzalez could be facing 34-year-old Jorge Arce next in another mismatch. Arce is not ranked in the top 15 by any of the sanctioning bodies at featherweight, but that’s probably not going to stop the World Boxing Council from sanctioning a Gonzalez-Arce fight. A Gonzalez-Arce fight would be just a money fight and not likely one that would be competitive. Arce has a huge following in Mexico, so a fight between him and Gonzalez would gather a lot of attention from the fans if nothing else. Gonzalez would be too much for Arce and would likely stop him early the same way Nonito Donaire did. The fight that fans want to see is Gonzalez vs. Abner Mares in a rematch. Gonzalez stopped Mares in the 1st round in their fight last year in August in a big upset win. They were hoping to face each other in a rematch, but Mares suffered an injury during training resulting in the fight not being able to take place.
By Sean Devers Everest, Transport Sports Club (TSC) and DCC all had to settle for first innings at the end of a rain hit final day of their Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Hadi’s World Inc first division twoday cricket competition yesterday. Heavy overnight and intermittent rain throughout the afternoon condemned all three matches to draws with not a ball being bowled on the second day at DCC in their contest against GNIC. At Camp Road, Chanderpaul resumed on 131 and added 124 for the fourth wicket with Joseph (59) before Everest eventually fell for 365 an hour after tea, at which time the Umpires put a premature end to the fixture with just under an hour and a half left in the match. Scores: GCC (172), Everest (365) Everest resumed on 216-3 and continued the grid GCC into the ground as the Bourda Boy produced a sloppy
Taignarine Chanderpaul in defensive mode against GCC yesterday in his 179 for Everest. fielding display despite a fivewicket haul from off-spinner Tariq Dharmlall on the large ground. Wicketkeeper Perry once again contributed with the bat before he was removed by Dharmlall at 244-4 to break the century stand. The resolute 17-year-old Chanderpaul, with nine First-Class matches to his name, was in ultra defensive mode in his painstaking innings which last 324 balls. The left-hander, who posted his maiden division one century on Saturday, before falling 21 short of what would have been his second career double century following his ‘double’ at the under-15 level against Transport. After hitting 24 fours and two sixes in his responsible but subdued knock, the son of prolific Test Shiv Chanderpaul, played a rare impetuous shot when he tried
to clear the in-field off the delivery which ‘stopped’ on him and skied a catch to midon off Dharmlall who toiled for 34.4 overs for his 5-113. After Chanderpaul’s demise at 346-6, Troy Gonsalves (37) and Adrian Singh (22) contributed with the bat towards the end. Singh supported Dharmlall with three wickets. At Eve Leary, the 29-yearold Devon Nandan notched up an even ton decorated with 11 fours and four sixes and off-spinner Kevin Ross had a match haul of 9-98 for TSC against the Lawmen who ended the match on 114-6 in their second innings. Scores: Police (187 & 1146), TSC (254). Played in mostly overcast conditions, TSC began the day on 189-6 enjoying a slim two-run first innings lead and extended it to 67 by the time they were bowled out. Nandan played an array
of audacious shots during his ton as pacer Seon Daniels took 3-27 while left-arm pacer Randy Knights (2-21) and Kelvin Letch (2-57) bowled well on a slow track for the Cops. Knights hit three fours and a six in an undefeated 28 before bad light stopped play five minutes before the scheduled 17:30 hrs close as the 39-year-old Ross followed up his 6-68 in the first innings with 3-36 in the second with tempting flight to the indecisive Police batsmen, operating into the wind with the small straight boundary behind him. At DCC, a wet ground denied the home team a possible win, after GNIC were set to follow-on today. DCC made 352-7 declared on the back of a typically pugnacious 165 from Christopher Barnwell and dismissed GNIC on the stroke of close of play on the opening day for 167.