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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
Youths are the nation’s future In Guyana, youths are disproportionately affected by poverty, crime and violence. The quality of education as well as the limited opportunities available for entrepreneurship, skills building and employment is also not easily available to the young. This social and economic malaise is exacerbated for youths who are among the poorest and those living in the rural areas of the country. Frustrated and fed-up with their plight, a number of youths have indicated their desire to migrate to the Caribbean and elsewhere. Now is the perfect opportunity for the David Granger led-Government to renew trust and confidence in the youth and to convey to them that their issues matter and that the government is committed to addressing and finding solutions for them. The newly elected coalition government must reaffirm its commitment to invest in youths and to improve their conditions. It must allocate the necessary resources to support them considering it costs more to lock them up in prison. The fact that resources are scarce, there is evidence that social interventions are desirable and are a better longterm solutions for youths affected by the system. This presents an excellent opportunity for this government to work with youths to establish a youth organization similar to the Youth Core to address their problems and to facilitate their development to function effectively in society. It must focus on education, training, employment, entrepreneurship and empowerment with the overarching goal to foster a culture of positive development and their participation in the decisionmaking process on issues affecting their lives. The most valuable asset for the future economic and social development of the country is its young people. Regrettably, that asset is going to waste by inadequate education, migration and high unemployment. Youth unemployment has reached crisis proportions in Guyana due to the adverse impact of the economy. This has severely constrained the capacity of the government to stimulate economic growth and create employment. The World Bank reports that between 2007 and 2013 youth unemployment in Guyana was approaching 50 percent which is twice the normal unemployment rate. The main factor that accounts for this wastage of the youths’ assets is their lack of skills and poor education. Even more worrying is that enrolment rates in secondary schools is only 80 per cent on average and enrolment in postsecondary education is ridiculously below 15 per cent. Youth unemployment can lead to low morale, erosion of discipline, deterioration of knowledge and if the Granger ledCoalition government does not act, it could result in their involvement in crime and violence. Youths are critical to the country’s economic development. With such a large portion of the country’s youth being unskilled, uneducated and unemployed and the loss of skilled, educated youth through migration, it is perhaps a gross understatement to say that if this trend is not reversed quickly, the future will be bleak for Guyana. Youths believe that they are being constantly marginalized and disregarded, of being spoken to but not listened to, and that the education system is failing them. They are told that having a secondary education, doors will open for them to obtain jobs but the doors remain shut. Today, youths with tertiary education are without jobs and they have not had the option of training in anything else that is trade related or entrepreneurial. This cruelty had existed for a long time under the previous government but the youths are hopeful that the election of the APNU+AFC Coalition government will end this cruelty by enacting radical, new and innovative policies and programmes that will ameliorate their situation. Investing in young people is one of the wisest things for this government to do because today, youths are the most educated generation ever. However, there is a need to create free and fair opportunity for them; but will it happen; only time will tell. Centuries ago a philosopher said that the foundation of every state is the education of its youth.
Thursday May 28, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
Regular, hardworking PPP/C loyalists now have a real opportunity to reinvent and restructure their party DEAR EDITOR, It seems that even in defeat, those that head the PPP/C continue to do their best Cheddi Jagan impersonation. The difference here, however, is that the Cheddi Jagan-led PPP/C actually lost due to real, evidenced rigging and election manipulation, not fabled hocus pocus. This Jagdeo and Ramotar-led PPP/C lost because throughout their countless years in office, Guyanese witnessed c o n t r o v e r s y a f t e r c o n t r o v e r s y, arrogance and pomposity and unjustified favouritism to individuals devoid of any real talent or skill, illsuited for the positions they held. Those that head the PPP/C continue to frivolously frolic about in a state of delusional, poppycock, last-stand, straw-clutching. They stand in disarray and the best they can conjure up is to try to further confuse the regular, hardworking Guyanese people with baseless accusations. They are fooling no one but themselves, as Guyanese are no fools and have just proved as much in voting the PPP/C out of power. Accepting defeat in a gracious manner and not making an utter, soreloser mockery of yourself in the aftermath is one of the hallmarks of honour and it has become plainly obvious that those that head the PPP/C
have little to no interest in being honourable politicians. Rather than start to get the ball rolling on making the many necessary changes to the PPP/C’s hierarchy, principles and culture, so as to remain a viable option at some point, the PPP/C leaders prefer to gingerly prance about with no true tactic or strategy – just dopes on the ropes. Just three weeks ago, the PPP/C had the fanciest, most expensive signs and billboards – now they are left with legal printing paper and misspelled words that utter nothing but mere tomfoolery. Oh my, how the mighty have fallen! The PPP/C’s leaders need to wake up from their slumber and smell the molasses and hibiscus. And truthfully, look at their pathetic protests – a handful of now unemployed former government officials. Where are the masses of PPP/C supporters that marched in protest alongside Cheddi and Janet Jagan? I implore the “leaders” of the PPP/C to desist from their petty and bitter antics. You have been judged by the Guyanese people as inappropriate to continue the administration of Guyana’s governance and you must heed their decision. Your continued frolics will only bring further disrepute and dishonour to the great legacy your
founding father Cheddi Jagan bestowed onto the PPP/C. It is time to rebuild the PPP/C and return to the infinitely wise humanitarian principles and practices of Cheddi and Janet Jagan – the Jagdeoian and Ramotarian era has passed and will forever be frowned upon with disdain in Guyana’s political history. I equally implore the dedicated and committed PPP/C supporters to disregard and pay no attention to the unjustified bases upon which the PPP/C’s leaders premise their charadeladen protests. Pay them no mind, ignore their words and do not even give them the time of day. It is up to you now loyal supporters. The PPP/C leaders will not simply give up control of the PPP/C – it is up to you to drive them out and cause them to fade to black, such that they are no longer politically relevant. They cannot continue to lead a party that no longer has any supporters receptive to their shenanigans. It is time for them to go and it falls squarely upon your shoulders. The regular, hardworking PPP/C loyalists now have a real opportunity to reinvent and restructure the PPP/C according to their true desires, needs and wishes. It is your time – seize it! Cheddi B. Jagan II, Esq.
The Ministry of Citizenship under the President’s direct control is dangerous in light of Article 46 DEAR EDITOR, No matter how enamored and elated we are with regime change, it is our patriotic duty to challenge any government that moves in a dictatorial direction. I am alarmed with the creation of the ministry of the presidency. In my view, this ministry was created to undermine the C u m m i n g s b u rg A c c o r d , w h i c h specifically granted more powers to the Prime Minister. The two ministries under this Ministry of the Presidency are problematic for our democratic future. The Ministry of Governance is a case of direct presidential interference in the Prime Minister’s mandate as per the Cummingsburg Accord to drive constitutional change. We now have the PM, Minister of Governance and Minister of Social Cohesion dealing with constitutional change. The placement of the Ministry of Citizenship away from the PM’s domain as per the Cummingsburg Accord and under the Ministry of the
Presidency and therefore, directly under the presidency is even more disturbing in light of Article 46 of the Constitution, which allows the President, not the National Assembly, to strip any citizen of his/her Guyanese citizenship if he/she acquires foreign citizenship or even worse, if the President deems some act by that Guyanese citizen is consistent with acquisition of foreign citizenship. Placing the Ministry of Citizenship within the presidency in light of the chilling potential repercussions of Article 46 is troubling. For the sake of this country’s democratic future, we must analyze this from every worst case scenario angle. Will the presidency attempt to use this ministry to exercise presidential power to strip Guyanese of their citizenship if they are deemed critical of the new government? Would political opponents be exiled or forced to flee and then deemed stripped of their citizenship due to their presence in foreign lands? Is this part of a strategy to move this country into an
autocratic future and to use this power to politically pressure the people with their citizenship? Is there a plan afoot to prevent those from the roughly 600,000 Guyanese diaspora (and their children) - the ones who have given billions of US dollars in remittances - from returning to Guyana, particularly if oil is found? Will there be selective stripping of Guyanese of their citizenship to refashion ethnic demographics? Are there plans to use the Ministry of Citizenship to reshape ethnic composition of this country through selective immigration policies? Now that we are going to become oil-wealthy, is there an agenda afoot to kick out illegal immigrants from Guyana (predominantly Brazilians and Chinese)? Recent commentary has suggested this is being considered. The nation needs to know because these actions will have serious geopolitical and economic repercussions to the entire country. For (Continued on page 23)
We remain the children of one mother DEAR EDITOR, After seeing countries gain their independence and politicians “failing” their people, should we ask the simple and fundamental question - can we handle the responsibility of independence and the freedom? How have we as Guyanese handled the responsibility to rule and govern ourselves? Did we rule with justice? Are corruption and despotism part of our national psyche?
The Honourable David Granger is trying to address the corruption and despotism that has plagued the last ‘majority’. This is an exciting and new chapter in the writing and shaping of our history. We must commend Granger and Nagamootoo’s courage to join in a coalition, but they must also acknowledge the misdeeds of their predecessors so that these misdeeds are not perpetuated. The PPP, once guided by the lofty ideals of Dr. Jagan, morphed into an
unholy and racial child that misruled with injustice and corruption; for the Hon. David Granger to realize his lofty ideals, APNU must exorcise itself from its racial progenitor, the PNC, which also misruled with injustice and corruption. The racial depravity of both the PPP and PNC are an evil that divide us by the races of our forefathers to exploit us, but we remain the children of one mother Guyana. Stanley Niamatali
Thursday May 28, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Guyanese are smart and they are signaling how they want the country to be governed DEAR EDITOR, The Guyanese electorate has made another important decision about how they want to be governed, following the recent 2015 general and regional elections. As you may recall, the people of Guyana said quite unequivocally in the 2011 elections that they voted for a new dispensation. Specifically, they said, “They did not trust the PPP/ C, the APNU, or AFC with all the political power and wanted instead a system in which they could hold each other accountable for the way in which the country is organized and managed. Hence, the Guyanese people deviated from the old path of doing business and made a new dispensation of dividing the authority between the parties, but allowing shared responsibility of governance between them. This resulted in the PPP/ C being in charge of the executive for everyday governance and the opposition being in charge of Parliament, where changes to existing law or making new law, and deciding on the use of scarce national resources are to be made following rigorous debate, compromise
and agreement. The Guyanese people (are) smart and they (are) signaling how they (want) the country to be governed.” (SN 6.14.2014,” We must give the people what they voted for”). So what has transpired since the 2011 elections? The evidence shows that the results were not encouraging, for cooperation and compromise between the executive and legislative branches were poor and therefore unsuccessful. More disappointing was the fact that the path pursued through the courts initiated
The only benefit of all these political and legal steps was that it brought the voice of the people back into the game, and they changed direction again with the recently held 2015 elections. Table 1, accompanying this letter, shows the political dynamics during the period 1992 to 2015. Specifically, the people of Guyana during the period 1992-1997 gave the PPP/C complete authority in the legislature and the executive and they shut out the opposition from any control in either of these two constitutional offices.
APNU and the AFC, but not by the PPP/C, who could have chosen to join with either APNU or the AFC in some sort of shared governance, and that would have given the PPP/C control in the Parliament, along with executive authority which they already won in the 2011 elections. Regrettably, the PPP/C shunned this idea and forgot to be generous in its ‘marginal victory’, having won only a plurality; that is, coming first in the election but not winning with at least 51 percent of the vote in 2011.
Civic component disappearing, Mr. Sam Hinds, the former Prime Minister, being a major retiree. Meanwhile, cooperation grew between the AFC and APNU, culminating in the Cummingsburg Accord and the coalition to contest the 2015 general and regional elections against the PPP/C. This was the first genuine coalition party in Guyana and the people rewarded them with full authority and control of the Executive and Parliament, taking the Executive away from the PPP/ C and making them the
by the executive to resolve budget concerns, produced results that were less than optimal. This along with other difficulties culminated in the President of Guyana proroguing the Parliament and calling elections before the end of his term in an effort to forestall the no-confidence motion advanced by the opposition.
In 2011, the people of Guyana generated a new dispensation; they took away the power of the PPP/C in Parliament and gave it to the opposition (APNU and AFC), but left the PPP/C with executive power. This was a clear signal that the people wanted the political parties to work together for the good of the country. This message was heard loud and clear by
In other words, the PPP/C became a minority government for the first time in its history, having no knowledge on how to ‘build a bridge over troubled waters’ and therefore invoking the adage of the old people,’ Moon ah run till daylight ketch am.’ This outcome saw the downward spiral in the PPP/C, with key members leaving the PPP/C and the
opposition in the same category as the 1992 PNC in Parliament. ‘Being generous in victory in the 2015 elections’, the APNU+AFC has offered or is expected to offer the PPP/ C an opportunity at a unity government (SN article (5-252015),’ Ramotar invited to Independence Celebrations). To the time of writing, this does not seem to be going
anywhere, as the PPP/C wishes to challenge the last election results, forgetting the adage which says, ‘to be gracious in defeat’ and work towards a cooperating framework to engage the government and people of Guyana on constitutional reform and development ( SN, 5-25-2015, Ralph Ramkarran,’ Working with the gov’t best course for PPP’). Meanwhile, the people of Guyana will hold this new government accountable and will take action, if the promises made about improving the people’s welfare, being transparent, enhancing good governance and upgrading the constitution are not carried out. The first one hundred days is the first critical benchmark in this new dispensation; and preliminary actions taken so far suggest that movement is in the right direction. More encouraging is the involvement of the people who have been volunteering their time, talent and treasure in cleaning the environment. Expectations are high and we eagerly await the new dynamics and tangible changes that the new government has promised. C Kenrick Hunte
The shape of cultural development, post-2015 DEAR EDITOR, There is much debate going on, about the environment of our cultural development, arresting its neglected state and who should be tasked with this. This is not a new discourse, but what is surprising are the terminologies and assertions used and directed at souls not deserving of the contrived defamations being thrown around on facebook. Most of the persons in the dialogue in this public social media, I don’t know. I
however do know Ruel Johnson, so I will dismiss the others as enthusiasts and refer my concerns to Ruel, who is a colleague of mine. I must begin with a prologue; flashback - The controversy on Culture and the marginalization of Artists deemed outside of the PPP’s political construct of who are to survive began in early 1993. The first attempt to formulate a Cultural Industries Group was called the ‘Independent Media Workers’ it included myself, Paloma Mohamed, Obrey, and
many others. This was mid1992. Its aim was to vitalize the arts. The elections came and the name was stolen from us and clients we had were absorbed by Political friends of the PPP. Next was the ‘Creative Arts Association’ who had launched the Castellani House with its first exhibition in late October 1992. We were quickly sidelined and a board selected of Political rather than Arts practitioners. We were rendered no note of courtesy, saying ‘To hell
with you,’ and I can quote dozens of other instances and sequences, most of ‘The Creative Arts Assoc. left to Guyana. Ruel, to say that you were single, alone fighting this Government in the Arts, is ‘Fiction’. In May 19, 2005 you wrote an editorial for the Chronicle, demeaning Burnham and describing CARIFESTA 1972 as a burlesque. I angrily responded and demanded that Sharief Khan carry my rebuttal, which was published on June 9, 2005. I
have never called you a soup drinker or gatekeeper of the culturally void PPP, and you were working for them then. I have always advocated that the Department of Government that presides over the development of Culture be separate, in this case from Youth and Sport; that such a department be peopled by souls that understand what they’re doing, and have lived creatively in some substantial arena of the Arts. I can publicly advocate Dr. Paloma Mohamed as such
a person, I have worked with her over twenty years, when she consulted the Art community for CARIFESTA 10. Without her management the Guyana aspect of that festival could not have come off, it was the culturally vacant people the PPP (Continued on page 23)
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Thursday May 28, 2015
Bank of Guyana report shows…
2014 saw lower exports, imports - high decline in exports noted
The recently released 2014 report by the Bank of Guyana (BOG) has shown that the year registered both lowered exports and imports for Guyana. However, the country registered a higher decline in its exports while imports marginally decreased. In its 152-page report, the Bank indicated that total export receipts declined by 15.1 per cent or US$208M in 2014 from 2013. In 2013, the country had a total export of US$1,375.2M while last year saw exports in the sum of US$1,167.2M. According to the report, this downturn resulted from lower export receipts for gold, sugar, bauxite and “other exports”. Only timber and rice registered higher earnings for exports, the report added. For sugar, earnings amounted to US$88M, a 22.9 per cent decline from 2013, the BOG report showed. This decline was mainly due to a 34.8 per cent decrease in the average price since there was an 18.3 per cent increase in export volume; the volume of sugar exported amounted to 189,565 metric tonnes or 29,281 metric tonnes more than the level exported in 2013, while the average export price for sugar
decreased by 34.8 percent or US$248.2 to US$464.3 per metric tonne, compared to US$712.6 per metric tonne in 2013. In regards to rice, the BOG report showed that export earnings amounted to US$49.5M, 4 per cent above the 2013 level. This increase was due to high export volume and “continued favourable preferential prices from Venezuela”, the report said. Further, the volume of rice exported amounted to 501,209 metric tonnes, a 26.9 per cent increase or 106,220 metric tonnes more than 2013.The average export price of rice decreased by 18.0 percent to US$497.8 per metric tonne compared to US$607.2 per metric tonne in 2013, the report showed. Bauxite and gold both saw declines in their export earnings; for bauxite, earnings amounted to US$124.7M, 7.4 per cent below the 2013 level of US$134.6M while gold export receipts were US$469.8M, 27.6 per cent or US$178.7M lower than the 2013 earnings of US$648.5M. For bauxite, the decline was due to lower export volumes while for gold the contraction was attributable
to “persistent low world market prices” for the precious metal along with lower export volumes; the average export price per ounce of gold declined by 9.4 percent to US$1,218.1 per ounce from US$1,344.0 per ounce in 2013. Meanwhile, the value of timber exports rose by 38.8 per cent while total earnings from all other exports, which included re-exports, declined by 8.9 per cent. Similarly, the value of merchandise imports decreased, though the percentage decrease was smaller than that of the exports decrease. In 2014, imports decreased by 5.1per cent or US$96.2M to US$1,778.7M. This contraction, the bank said, was on account of lower capital goods, consumption goods and intermediate goods imported. Further, the report showed that in the consumption goods subcategory, the imports amounted to US$415.7M, a five per cent or US$22M decline from 2013. “This position was due to declines in the value of imports of other non-durable goods, beverages and tobacco, motor cars, food for
final consumption and clothing and footwear…while other durable goods and other semi-durable goods increased,” the report stated. In the intermediate goods sub-category, imports declined by 2014 3.9per cent or US$39.2M to US$966.6M from US$1,005.8M in 2013. While in the sub-category of capital goods, imports decreased by 81per cent or US$342M to $US38.7M. The latter position was due to a reduction in imports of industrial machinery by 47.2 per cent, agricultural machinery by 24.5 and transport machinery by 8.1 per cent. Meanwhile, higher imports were realized in the categories of mining machinery, other capital
goods and building machinery by 132.5 per cent, 8.2per cent, and 1.3per cent respectively. The BOG 2014 report
takes an in-depth look into Guyana’s economy and makes comparisons on the economy’s growth over the years.
New Ministry needs to examine public service decentralisation The idea of decentralising public services to increase efficiency and decrease transportation cost among the citizenry, is one the new administration will have to examine, according to Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix. The Minister’s statement was made in relation to the APNU+AFC’s (A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change) “first 100 days” plan as outlined in the party’s manifesto for the 2015 Elections. The manifesto had as one of its goals, that the new administration will seek the “establishment of passport and birth certificate licensing offices in Berbice, Essequibo and Linden.” According to Minister Felix, the implementation of such a plan would first need to be examined by the recently created Ministry of Citizenship to look into the possible concerns that could stem from the establishment of new offices. The Minister explained that such an examination would look into the need for such immigration offices in the different counties, outside the central Georgetown location. He added that once the need is there the next step would be to examine the personnel capacity in employing staff in said locations. “If the desire is to spread these services you would need to examine the capacity of the staff to deal with such public services,” said Minister Felix. The official
Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix also noted that the Ministry will then have to see whether an upgrade in existing offices is needed and to ensure that the necessary equipment is available for staff. The establishment of these offices, the former Police Commissioner said, could lead to a decrease in the deficiencies public services, which he said is a focus of the APNU+AFC administration. “This administration seeks to reduce deficiencies in serving the public, to reduce frustration among the public services,” said Minster Felix, which he added can lead to reduced line in these public agencies. As Guyana’s main passport office is located in the country’s capital, citizens across the country are required to travel to the city, at sometimes costly and far distances, in order to receive its services. The Citizenship Minister explained that by
spreading out such public agencies across the country, and thus increasing the availability of them to citizens, it would lead to the decentralisation of the service. However, he noted that the Ministry would also have to study the implication such decentralisation would have on the country’s public service. Minister Felix related that the administration is looking to take the public service to the people in order “to reduce the wasting of time” and the costly expenses incurred by those who have to travel far distances. “We would be taking these services to these location, and take it to the citizens, which would make it easier on them and increase efficiency in the dispensation of public services,” explained the Minister. He reiterated that decentralisation would seek to reduce travel and increase the performance of those working in the public sector. Moreover, Minister Felix said that an evaluation into the implementation of these offices would also look into the cost effectiveness of establishing these services in new areas. He said that the administration wants to make it as cost effective as possible. Asked whether the agencies would be established in new or existing buildings, the Minister reaffirmed that this will be examined in the Ministry’s assessment.
Thursday May 28, 2015
Kaieteur News
Planned march shows cracks in Venezuela opposition movement CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — One of Venezuela’s most high-profile politicians has called an antigovernment march on Saturday, but the main opposition coalition is not endorsing the protest, underscoring fissures among critics of the country’s socialist government. In a recording leaked from his prison cell over the weekend, former Mayor Leopoldo Lopez asked people unhappy with the administration of President Nicolas Maduro to take to the streets for a massive, peaceful demonstration to demand releasing political prisoners and scheduling a legislative election. The Harvard-educated Lopez, who represents the more radical wing of the opposition, has been jailed for 15 months in connection with a bloody street protest movement that swept
Leopoldo Lopez Venezuela in the spring of 2014. Tuesday, the coalition that includes Lopez’s party said it would not endorse the rally because it had been unable to reach a consensus under the circumstances. The statement suggested the difficulty of coordinating
with an imprisoned leader, though even when he was free, Lopez clashed with other opposition politicians about the wisdom of big street protests. Lopez and fellow jailed former mayor Daniel Ceballos say they launched a hunger strike last weekend to protest what they see as creeping authoritarianism. Human rights groups consider many of the jailed opposition politicians in Venezuela political prisoners, though the government says they are justly imprisoned on criminal charges including incitement to violence and disturbing the peace. Government officials have said Lopez is still eating, but the men’s families affirmed Tuesday that they really have stopped. “Their hunger strike represents the suffering of all Venezuelans,” Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori, said.
OAS recommends changes to improve electoral process in Suriname PA R A M A R I B O , Suriname - An electoral observation team from the Organization of American States (OAS) was impressed by several aspects of Suriname’s elections on Monday, but suggested several improvements including the introduction of campaign financing regulations and affirmative action to promote gender equality in politics. The mission commended Surinamese for their “exemplary civic spirit” and active participation in the election that was eventually won by the incumbent National Democratic Party (NDP) of President Desi Bouterse which got 27 of the 51 seats. It said the polling stations observed opened on time, were adequately staffed and fully equipped with all the materials required for the election, and it also commended political parties for the camaraderie shown throughout the day at polling stations. However, it said other steps could be taken to strengthen the electoral process. The mission pointed out that Suriname has limited regulations regarding political-campaign financing and information disclosure on sources of funding. In addition, no form of political
party direct or indirect public financing exists. It therefore identified the need for the country to discuss and incorporate regulations regarding political-campaign financing and to consider introducing some sort of public funding scheme for political parties. Additonally, the obsevers said they were pleased to observe the increased number of female candidates and the progress seen in their ranking in higher positions in party lists as a result of the efforts made by the National Assembly and civil society organizations. On this occasion 128 candidates, or 33 per cent of
Desi Bouterse the total number, were women compared to 90 in the last election. “The mission urges parties to continue providing women with more favorable positions within party structures and in the candidate lists in order to enhance their possibilities of being elected. Affirmative action measures, such as quotas and alternation mechanisms, could be introduced to promote gender equality in electoral competition,” an OAS statement said.
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Sir Shridath touts national unity Sir Shridath Ramphal, a former Guyana Government Minister and Secretary General of the Commonwealth, on Tuesday at the inauguration ceremony for President David Granger said this is a time for healing in Guyana as he commended the spirit of unity that permeated the Independence Anniversary commemoration. Sir Shridath, speaking at the Guyana National Stadium, said that at Independence all Guyanese aspired to Guyana’s worthy destiny to being one nation and one people, and this has been the case ever since. “We were one people then, and we have been ever since, save in our politics through which we sometimes deceive ourselves into believing that our motto of one people was false, it was not false and we must not let the vicissitudes of politics and the discord inherent in the democratic process diminish our oneness.” In the moment of transition, Sir Shridath said, it is the duty of all to work hard at destroying the myth of ‘otherness’ and cultivating by conscious effort a reality
Sir Shridath Ramphal
of oneness, which is Guyana’s historical birthright. Guyana, he said is now on the cusp of a great future, even though Eldorado may have been a city of the mind, but the nation of one people is poised for greatness. “The quality of our human resources matches the richness of our natural resources, and in their fusion is our future.” However, he noted that in moving forward there are great challenges ahead, both internal and external which is
Dem boys seh ...
Jagdeo is MIA When people get a dose of dem own medicine dem can’t swallow it. It bitter like gall or no good fuh dem soul. But dem like give people medicine. Jagdeo and he friends was de best at giving medicine. Dem give de whole country dem medicine fuh fifteen years only to find out de other day that dem can’t tek it dem own self. Jagdeo is de first one fuh get he own dose. He is de one that instruct Donald Dumb fuh charge de only two legitimate remigrants in Guyana that brought in duty free vehicles. De people didn’t even know that dem get blacklist and couldn’t leave de country. Is when dem tun up at de airport to go fuh a medical appointment in de States dem get stop from leaving de country. Dem boys can’t stop laughing on to now from de time dem hear de nice gyal magistrate tell Jagdeo he can’t lef de country and if he want lef, he go to ask she. Karma is a bitch. Dem boys seh wha go round does come round one day. And it does come rounds ten times wuss. De Creatah don’t sleep and he don’t forget. How you treat people is suh you gun get treat. If you treat dem wid evil, wicked and nasty is that same treatment you gun get. Dem boys seh that he suh shame that he don’t even come out he mansion fuh de security see he face. He cry suh till he face swell. Monday, when he come out de courthouse wid a fake smile, he tell de few protesters that he gun address dem properly in Berbice at de independence rally. De rally come and gone and de people still waiting to hear from him much less see him. Dem boys believe that he skip and gone backtrack to Suriname because dem ain’t see him since he lef de courtyard. Dem boys did call de Berbice Bridge to see if he cross and come to town Monday and de tellers seh that dem can’t remember if he pass. That’s why dem boys believe that he skip de country. And in case you forget, MIA is Missing In Action or Missing In Airport. And dem boys ain’t talking bout suicide although dem believe that suicide in de making fuh nuff of Jagdeo friends, associates and acolytes. Dem boys hear that all of dem soo-sooing. If wha happen to Jagdeo, awe leader, awe king can happen to he is wha gun happen to we. One of dem tell he wife, “Girl, Soulja Bai did seh if you do de crime, you got to do de time. And it look nuff of we gun got to do a lot of time.” Talk half and watch dem borders fuh Jagdeo and de rest.
why national unity must not be an empty slogan, but a living credo -an ethic of governance. “I congratulate the coalition of parties that has
taken a courageous first step in this direction, and I praise our people who have answered the question, ‘Do you want us together or apart?’ in a definitive way.”
Some twenty persons, including a baby, were in the speeding minibus which crashed on Tuesday killing one person at No. 42 Village West Coast Berbice. Dead is Lucklyn Elizabeth Rodney, 54, of Lovely Lass Village, West Coast Berbice. According to reports, around 14:00 hrs, the Pitbull Minibus BNN 7615 was being driven by Hurton Porter, 43, of Lovely Lass, West Coast Berbice. He was also injured. He was reportedly heading to the Independence Celebrations at the National Stadium. According to reports the road was wet and the speeding bus in the vicinity of No 42 Village, reportedly suffered a blow out of its right front wheel. The driver lost control and the bus careened
off the road and turned turtle. The left back wheel was also flat when investigators checked. Public spirited citizens rushed to the scene and helped to remove the occupants who were all rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital. Four persons were subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Those transferred were Chesney Semple, 16; Jewel Joseph, 23; Alana McKenzie, 28; and Murtland Richmond, 25. The four who remained at the Fort Wellington Hospital were Dallet George, 26; Princess Ince, 63; her twoyear-old grandchild, Shannon Ince, and Rayon La Rose. Two of them were later released during the night.
Sir Shridath added that for national unity, this is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a journey that never ends as the nation’s aspirations must not end nationally as Guyana is part of a larger family of the Caribbean Community. “We in Guyana are a major hand in bringing to creation and to which all within the community need to be vibrant and faithful in fulfillment of its integration goal.” He however lamented the fact that Guyana cannot be a model of good governance at home if it does not acknowledge that vibrant Caribbean homeland and give leadership in occupying it together. He believes that all that is needed for national unity is within the compass of the vision that marks this time of transition.
With regards to the President’s inauguration, Sir Shridath said already the earliest days of President Granger’s presidency has brought a path of healing and its concomitant quest of unity to Guyana. He said that it is each citizen’s solemn duty to support the new administration towards fulfillment of the trust the people of Guyana has reposed in him and his coalition colleagues. “May divine blessing hound these efforts and bring forth Guyana’s renewal through the efforts and cohesion of its people, the past is not impossible, indeed it is within our grasp particularly in the grasp of our young people who want to build a future that looks forward and not backward to the past.”
The other passengers were treated by a team of Doctors at the Fort Wellington Hospital and sent away. One person did not seek medical attention. Reports are that most of those in the bus were family members. The driver was supposed to pick up the passengers at 12:00 hrs but he only came around 14:00 hrs and was trying to make up for time. Investigators reported that a more that 300 yards skid mark was on the road and it was a good thing that nothing was coming in the opposite
direction when the bus veered across the road. The driver is said to be the nephew of the dead woman. In the meanwhile the police continue to appeal to drivers not to break the law and take advantage of situations like Tuesday Independence Day. Drivers are being urged to drive within the speed limit and not to overload vehicles. Family members were reluctant to speak about the accident. The driver is in custody and the investigation is continuing.
20 family members were in speeding minibus
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
The Chanderpaul issue: Sentiments are dangerous things Sentiments play a priceless role in civilization but when sentiments are determinants of human action without context, then, they become dangerous things. In life when we express sentiments we must understand the context in which we offer them. When you hear that your friend from way back in high school is in contention for the top United Nations job, you
root for him for sentimental reasons. But will you still do that if you find out that he has left a paper trail of financial controversies at every job he previously held? In Guyanese politics, sentiments have been destructive factors. Countless people love and adore Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan, because they remember their halcyon days with these two founding
fathers of the anti-colonial struggle. Those emotional journeys prevent them from accepting the plethora of sins both men committed against this country. I have a lot of memories of my time with the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) but I did not put sentiments in the way when I chose not to be politically active with the post-1992 WPA and supported the Alliance for Change (AFC) when it was born in 2005. Over dinner at Excellence Restaurant in Charlotte Street a few nights ago, I explained to Dr. David Hinds and Denis Chabrol the contours of WPA politics and
how those new pathways were not the WPA I knew. For me, the Alliance For Change was more strategically placed to dissolve PPP tyranny. I feel that many of the people I know in the seventies and eighties still cling to the WPA and want to keep it alive for reasons of sentiments. I have always been fond of Moses Nagamootoo and I have kept a personal letter he wrote to me about my intellectual ability a long, long time ago when he was the de facto Deputy Leader of the PPP. But sentiments should not come in the way and we choose to stay silent if Moses does not deliver in his promise of bringing a new culture to Guyanese society. Against this background I offer a few comments on the omission controversy that is swirling out of control in relation to Shivnarine Chanderpaul. It is utterly amazing and profoundly inexplicable that a nation competing in international sporting events, can select a team member for the specific purpose of a personal milestone and not for victory for the country. It seems that people want Chanderpaul to play in the current test series with Australia, so that he can break
Brian Lara’s record as the most runs scored by a West Indian cricketer. So Chanderpaul comes first and not country. Two reasons make this unacceptable. First, no country should do that because it sacrifices nationalist pride. Secondly, it becomes even more repugnant when the selection is made for a genre of sports that seldom sees a cricketer playing at age forty, and one who has lost his cutting edge. Every artist reaches a pinnacle then decline comes in. Michael Jackson had poor record sales on his last studio album before he died. After the initial listening, I have not played the latest studio album of Elton John even though I bought it last year. John has lost a large part of his talent after a career of fifty years as a singer. It happens to all humans. When the sun sets, you bow out gracefully. There is another angle in this controversy that no one has highlighted. Why should I be the captain of my country’s test team and I have to live with a player who has lost his prowess edge but he was picked just to make a few runs more to break a record? The failure to win will be attributed to the captain. Why should
Frederick Kissoon West Indies pick ten men to play a strong Australian eleven? In selecting Chanderpaul they would have gone with a player who is not in form. Some of the arguments in support of Chanderpaul’s selection is frighteningly inauspicious and if accepted sets an improper precedent. Does a team pick a player because he has a glorious record or because he has the capacity to create a victory? If it is the former then we are talking about the death of sports. A country then would select its past players all because their records are stupendous. So the Sri Lankan, Indian and Australian test teams should recall Muralitharan, Warne and Tendulkar respectively. It is never easy when one has to walk away from the cameras and the headlines, but it is inevitable as death. The memory I have of Chanderpaul was when he staged a two-man picket with then President Jagdeo at the Providence Stadium.
Thursday May 28, 2015
Kaieteur News
Mentally ill woman flees her parents’ home “Police never responded to alert” - mother A 24-year-old mentally challenged, Seon Nelson, of La Harmonie West Bank Demerara, has disappeared with both of her children ages four and two, after breaking down and burning the items in her home on Monday. It is alleged that sometime last week, the woman had a psychotic break in which she started to burn the items in her home, eventually breaking down the entire house on Monday before disappearing. It was suspected that Seon stole a boat from a neighbour and paddled it across the Demerara River, to Supply, East Bank of Demerara, with the two young children inside. That was the last time she was seen. Her mother, Maureen Nelson, said that her daughter is mentally ill and has frequent episodes every two to three weeks. Prior to this one, the latest was last month in which she spent only a few days in the hospital. According to Mrs. Nelson during her daughter’s latest visit to the clinic she escaped from the hands of her doctor, Dr. Bhairo Harry, because she didn’t want to take the medication they were providing. “I call the police and they say they are going to come but they didn’t come…The police ain’t doing anything. If they had come she would’ve been in the hospital and my grandchildren would be home safe,” a very emotional Maureen said. She also noted, “Seon does usually trip out because she doesn’t take her medication… I don’t know where she is. I’m worried about my grandchildren; I raise them from one day old, now I don’t know if they’re ok, if they eat, if they’re alive. I’m really afraid because my daughter mad.” The matter was reported to the Wales Police Station where there seemed to be some miscommunication between the police and the relatives of the missing woman. The policeman who took the initial report said,
“We were informed that the woman was found somewhere in town”. However, when this publication contacted the father of the missing woman, he said that she wasn’t found but that someone had said they saw her in town. But she was never located. Her mother is now pleading with authorities to institutionalise the young woman as soon as she is found, so she can get full treatment because of her frequent episodes that have taken some dangerous turns. She is described as “a short and average built woman, dark in complexion and very beautiful.” Seon Nelson was last seen wearing a red, white and black top and three-quarter pants and blue slippers. Her twoyear-old daughter was last seen wearing a blue top and a denim skirt. Her four-year-old son, Antonio, was last seen in a yellow shirt and black trunks with a red weather boots. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Seon Nelson is asked to contact the Wales Police Station on 592-267-2804 or the nearest police station.
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Standardization crucial to int’l market success As Guyana seeks to find new ways for its products to break into international markets, a local businesswoman has opined that better international standardization practices are needed to truly put Guyana on the map. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and owner of Global Seafood Distributors Allison Butters-Grant made the observation during a recent interview with this newspaper. Butters-Grant is a Guyanese remigrant who lived nearly 30 years in the United States. She graduated from a US university with a Degree in Business Administration and Accounting. According to the businesswoman, Guyana is chockfull of opportunities that are not being fully utilized. “There are lots of opportunities for our products in Guyana to go to the world, marketing those products and packaging those products are important to the people who produce them,” Butters-Grant said. She added, “One of the things I’ve realized here in Guyana is that we have all of the natural resources; what we don’t have is the standard that would fit into
CEO and owner of Global Seafood Distributors Allison Butters-Grant the outer world.” She noted that a product such as cassava leaves is in high demand in the United States. However, she said, this product is not going from Guyana, but rather from the Dominican Republic though Guyana has the potential to market it. She said, too, that this is the case with the popular plantain chips that are sold throughout Guyana. She explained that she recently spoke at a forum with
a number of women, and shared the importance and benefits of rebranding known products such as the packaged plantain chips. Butters-Grant said that oftentimes the product is simply provided in a plain package with nothing to truly set it apart. F u r t h e r, s h e s a i d , sellers can demand higher prices if their products reach new standards. “If you just went out there and got a label, the $100 goes up to $150. It’s everybody selling the plantain chip for $100 and nobody’s different,” she said. Butters-Grant’s business has been in existence since September. She said that she exports to the US and Jamaica and supplies seafood to the local market. She is able to reap extra benefits due to her products’
compliance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “It’s important that we package our products with the FDA standards, and maybe there should be a unit here for standardization for products from Guyana to reach the United States market,” she opined. She went on, “For instance, our seafood has to be passed by the FDA in order for it to reach the tables of the consumers in the United States.” She emphasised that with no proper marketing and rebranding, stagnation would occur. “We have to work a whole lot on our value added products so that we can be marketable to the world. Guyana should be the bread basket of the Caribbean. We have the resources: we have the land and we have the water,” she said.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday May 28, 2015
If UG is not transformed in five years, I'm a failure - Education Minister If the University of Guyana (UG) is not transformed into a thriving institution within five years, recently appointed Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, is prepared to accept a failure grade. He gave his word of honour during a recent interview with this publication pointing out that “if at the end of five years the University of Guyana is not a thriving University that can meet international standards; I would have considered that I would have failed.” But admittedly UG is currently in a parlous situation that must be urgently addressed. Its numerous challenges include a number of infrastructural shortcomings that are a direct result of the fact, that it has been starved of funds that it needs to function effectively. Moreover, it can be safely concluded that a wilting subv e n t i o n has been responsible for the current state of UG. “It (the subvention) has not been enough and I think that is a mistake,” said the Education Minister. “It is a question of priorities. We know that the money is limited, but it is how you prioritise and I believe that the University really has to be given a far higher priority than it has been given so far,” he added. Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine was able to give an informed analysis of the University in light of the fact, that he formerly held a position on the tertiary institution’s Council.
Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine According to him, the state of affairs at UG has led to “widespread demoralisation within the Faculties, within the community of lecturers and so on.” He intimated too, that the issues and problems of management of the University cannot be detached from the financial situation, since “you’re not going to be able to get your management to function properly if in fact, people are operating in this kind of cramped financial environment.” Mirroring the repeated calls from those close to the operation of the facility to plug more finances into the institution, Dr. Roopnaraine stressed that funding is one of the primary tactics that will help to significantly revamp the lone national University. “That is the first thing that has to happen. I don’t think that it’s magic that if we put money into the University things will improve overnight,
but what I do know, is that without adequate funding for the University, I really believe that we will continue to beat a sick horse to death...It (UG) can’t be improved without the funds,” asserted the Education Minister. Moreover, Dr. Roopnaraine, whose vision for the University is to see it move to a level where it is on par with regional universities, is hopeful that it will be transformed to the kind of institution that all citizens want for Guyana. “We need the funding, we need to re-energise the departments and the Faculties and that kind of thing,” added the Education Minister as he pointed out the need to engage very creatively and sympathetically with the workers’ Unions of the University. The Unions – the University of Guyana Senior
Staff Association and the University of Guyana Workers Union – had earlier this year engaged intense industrial action to highlight several concerns about the institution, including remuneration and working conditions. The University of Guyana Student Society had also
orchestrated protest exercises to highlight a lengthy list of concerns as seen by students attending the University. “We should be marching to the same drum,” said Dr. Roopnaraine of the proposed collaboration with the Unions. “I as Minister of Education will pay particular
attention to the University,” he added as he went on to underscore too, that the institution can only be as good as the students it enrols. “We have to ensure that the University will improve to the extent that the rest of the education system improves...we’ll get a better quality of students, we’ll be in a better position to produce, articulate and layout our own programmes,” asserted the Education Minister. And as part of the revolutionising of UG, Dr Roopnaraine alluded to the need for a strategic process that will serve to energise staffers of the institution with the view of encouraging them to bolster their performances so much so, that they will be eager to produce research and publications. “We need to even improve our library,” said the Minister as he considered the gargantuan task that translates to “...everything has to be done at the University.”
Charge Sergeant with conspiracy ... From page 3 (name of policeman) and I end up rolling and I shot the man. After I shot him, he did not fall and die, he end up running and jump in a car. I left and ride away and (name of policemen) left and go behind him (Khan) at the station,” Wayne wrote in his statement. Khan subsequently left Guyana and according to Wayne, that move delayed his death. “He was to return to the station the next day after I shot him, but he left and went away. If he had returned to the station, I would have finished the job when he walking out of La Grange Station because
I was to collect a higher caliber weapon to do it, but Khan never showed up,” Wayne said. But in August, Khan did return to Guyana to tie up some loose ends with his business regarding the sale of a high rise property on Hadfield Street where he previously operated a supermarket. Wayne said that he received a telephone call on August 9 from the Police Sergeant who informed him that Khan was seen at his lawyer's office on Hadfield Street. Wayne said that he was told to stake out the lawyer's office to see when Khan was leaving. It was around 14:00
hours that Wayne spotted the target and informed the police Sergeant. He claimed that it was on this day, that he saw the Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police outside the lawyer's office waiting for Khan. According to Wayne, the police Sergeant subsequently pulled up with some other persons in a heavily tinted vehicle and they too waited for Khan to emerge. When the businessman eventually left the lawyer's office and boarded a taxi, the Police Sergeant followed him in his vehicle. Wayne said that he was told to back off since “they told me they would take care of things from here.” A detective close to the case informed that it was based on this evidence that the DPP advised that the Sergeant be charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The Detective also informed that the retired Assistant Commissioner's alibi was corroborated by several persons; hence there was insufficient evidence to link him to the plot. However, another policeman will face disciplinary action for his role in the entire scheme. This newspaper was informed that the policeman had received certain information from the informant but did not act on it. The DPP has advised that further investigation be conducted in the matter.
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Thursday May 28, 2015
Kaieteur News
Hebrew Family of Guyana Court still awaits psychiatric evaluation celebrates Feast of Weeks for alleged child killer The Feast of Weeks Celebration
M
urder accused, Ryan Bob Semple, who allegedly sodomized and murdered nine year-old South Ruimveldt resident, Shaquan Gittens, made another court appearance yesterday before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry. Bob Semple was ordered by the Magistrate over one month ago to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after his Attorney, Paul Fung-aFat, attested that his client was not competent to stand trial. At yesterday's hearing the court was told that the defendant had received treatment, however the report was not ready. Semple is being evaluated by Senior Government Psychiatrist, Dr. Bhairo Harry. The matter has been adjourned until June 12. The partially decomposed, bloated body of Gittens, who went missing on April 1, was found in a trench in the South Ruimveldt backlands. According to reports,
Shaquan Gittens
Murder accused: Ryan Bobb Semple
Semple saw the little boy walking at night on Cane Vi e w Av e n u e , S o u t h Ruimveldt. He reportedly admitted to police that he 'tripped' the boy, causing him to fall to the ground. After Gittens fell, the accused said that he dragged him to an area approximately half a mile from the nearest house in South Ruimveldt. He allegedly tied the victim's hands and sodomized him. He reportedly choked the lad repeatedly until he passed out. The accused then
slept with Gittens under a tree. After realizing that the child was motionless the following morning, Semple severed the child's private parts and had sex with him again. He then took Gittens to a trench, where he dumped his b o d y. A p o s t m o r t e m revealed that Gittens died of manual strangulation and drowning. There were also signs of sexual assault. The post mortem also confirmed that the child's privates were missing.
O
n Sunday the Hebrew Family of Guyana observed the Feast of Weeks or Chag Shavuot. Just for the occasion wishes of joy and prosperity were extended for all those embracing the celebration.
The observance of this Holy Day is in accordance with the Torah or the laws given to Moses by The Creator of Heaven and Earth, as is detailed in Leviticus 23:15-22 and Deuteronomy 16:9-13. Moreover, the Feast of
We e k s m a r k e d t h e commencement of the wheat harvest in the land of Israel, where the children of Israel were commanded by The Creator to number seven weeks from the time the corn showed its first signs of (continued on page 21)
Prayer at The Feast of Weeks Celebration
Police detain friend of speedboat accident victim
J
umal France, the friend of 18-yearold, Trevon Benn, who lost his life while manning a 40-horsepower engine boat on Monday night, has been detained at the Charity Police Outpost. France has submitted statements to the police detailing what transpired on Monday night at Akawini. Benn's aunt, Donnette Joseph, said that her nephew and France were imbibing alcohol at Charity, on Monday, and she is still uncertain why her nephew went out Monday night with his friend to Akawini. "He beg France to take him to Akawini." Joseph said it was her
Dead: Trevon Benn nephew who had begged France to accompany him to
Akawini. According to Joseph, her nephew apparently crashed into a tree which fell and pinned him down. His badly injured body was only pulled from beneath the broken tree on Tu e s d a y b e f o r e b e i n g transported to the Suddie Funeral Parlor for a Post Mortem examination, which is expected to be performed on Friday. Over the years, residents of Pomeroon have suffered fatally in numerous boat mishaps. T h e M a r i t i m e Department has since cautioned residents about safety and using life jackets when traveling on water.
Albouystown murder suspect nabbed five and a half years later
T
hey say every rope has an end. This saying is true for Albouystown resident, Steve Allicock, a suspect in the 2009 murder of Wendell Tappin. Allicock was captured last Monday at Soesdyke, where he has been hiding out for the past five and a half years. He was one of the persons implicated in the 2 0 0 9 O l d Ye a r ' s D a y slaughter of Tappin in Albouystown. His father, Leonard, and his uncle, Randolph, were charged with the murder. Randolph Allicock never appeared before a judge but after a lengthy high court trial conducted by Justice
Dead: Wendell Tappin Diana Insanally before a 12member mixed jury, Leonard Allicock, was acquitted of murder. Initial reports are that
Tappin left his home on New Year's Eve to collect a phone that he had given to someone to charge in Hill Street, Albouystown, when he was confronted by two men; one of them held him down while the other chopped him. Steve Allicock, who police believe was the prime suspect in the murder, managed to avoid capture for more than five years. However, this newspaper understands that the police, acting on information received, staked out a house at Soesdyke where Allicock was suspected to be hiding. Soon enough their surveillance paid off and the police swooped down on the house where they arrested the suspect.
Thursday May 28, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Teresa Lalltoo’s stillborn baby… Coconut pests plague Pomeroon farmers The pain of a grieving mother
Coconut plantation
With the rapid devastation of acres of coconut trees that have come under attack by an uncontrollable pest, coconut farmers, who solely depend on the crop, especially those farmers in communities in the Lower Pomeroon River have concluded, that if interventions are not immediately made to them Pomeroon would be down in a few months. Desperate coconut farmers have said that they have been neglected by the Region Two Administration and by experts of the Ministry of Agriculture. Acres of coconut trees continue to die in rapid succession. Farmers said that the leaves of the coconut trees are turning yellowish and sometimes red. Coconut farmers said that the pest spreads to neighbouring crops, including the plantain and banana trees. Coconut farmer, Francis Raymond, of Grant Unity, in the Lower Pomeroon River, explained that the problem is very serious and sadly, no one from within the Agriculture Ministry has rendered assistance to the affected farmers. Raymond said that while he solely depends on coconut farming for a living, he indicated that the cost to cultivate coconut and further take care of the crop is way expensive than what he would receive from selling his produce. He said that currently he and other farmers have to purchase litres of “Monocrotophos” to treat the pest. The drug costs $4000 for a litre.”
Other coconut farmers have also indicated that it is costly to treat the pest that continues to plague the coconut trees, eventually killing it, while indicating further, that the pests are affecting some of the “best” coconut trees. “We need help to address this current issue. Pomeroon coconut farmers are dependent on coconut for a living.” Some coconut farmers who are skeptical about treating the affected trees with poison, lamented that they are unsure whether the poison would affect the water coconut. David Khancially, who has twenty acres of coconut trees, said that while he experiences the same problem as his fellow coconut farmers, he has not started as yet to treat his affected trees because he is unsure if the poison would affect the water coconuts.
He said he is holding out to see if help would soon filter down from experts from the Agriculture Ministry. While Pomeroon coconut farmers are peeved about the overwhelming problem faced, they hav e a l s o s h e d concerns about marketing. One popular farmer said that a lot of families have since abandoned their fields and have relocated because of the situation. He said that while he continues to monitor his field, he has been treating his crop. He however, stressed that while he continues to produce more, marketing is limited. He and other coconut farmers are awaiting the resuscitation of the Guyana Marketing Centre to be reestablished at Charity, as promised by President David Granger during his elections campaign on the Essequibo Coast.
Hebrew Family of Guyana celebrates Feast of Weeks From page 20 being ready for harvesting. “At the close of the Feast of Unleavened Bread or the Passover season, The Creator commanded that we begin counting from the day after the Sabbath (Sunday) seven weeks or 49 days; and on the 50th day we would celebrate and give thanks for our harvest which he had blessed us to reap,” explained a statement from the Hebrew Family. In this day and time, while some Hebrew Israelites reside
in the land of Israel, many Hebrews live in the western hemisphere, nevertheless the Holy Day of the Feast of Weeks maintains its significance to all. “We were commanded by the Creator to observe this holy day throughout our generations in all our dwellings,” added the statement which as it noted that the Hebrew Family of Guyana observed the Holy Day during which it extended a joyful, peaceful and prosperous season to all Guyanese.
A mother’s love for her child is one that cannot be compared to any other. The bonding between a mother and her child begins even before the child is born, so for a mother to lose a child at any stage in the child’s life, the pain is engraved deeply. For Teresa Lalltoo, 30, the mother who gave birth to a stillborn baby girl, the pain of losing her infant is still fresh even as she goes along living daily. Lalltoo has suffered physically and psychologically following her traumatic stillbirth delivery. It has been over a month since Lalltoo returned home without her child as was expected. The grieving mother is adamant that health practitioners at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) are responsible for her loss. She is convinced that they had made some bad calls during her labour. After having her brother, Dave Lalltoo speak on her behalf for some time, she has finally found the courage to speak up. Teresa Lalltoo said that she went back to the WDRH to confront doctors but was brushed aside by flimsy excuses. She said that she met with the doctor who had advised her to go home on the day that she went into labour and return when the pain became more intense. She recalled not being told anything of satisfaction on that visit. The doctor according to Lalltoo had promised her to contact her whenever there was a Board meeting. However he has failed to do so. The very restless mother has been making it her duty to keep in contact with the doctor but all she is being told by is that “the meetings have been canceled. Maybe in the
Teresa Lalltoo and her brother
next week or two the meetings will be held.” The woman has opined that there is an attempt by the hospital to cover up their negligence. The woman disclosed that while at the doctor ’s office she had enquired about the contents of the report that was filed by the hospital to the Ministry of Health. Instead of revealing what was written, the woman was asked to recount on what had transpired, which she did. After listening to the woman’s account of the incident, he then told her that it was not in synchrony with the report given by a nurse. Kaieteur News understands that the nurse was one that attended to Lalltoo while she was admitted at the WDRH. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) could not be reached for a comment on the report.
However, the CMO’s secretary who said that she was unable to give details on the reports confirmed that the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has filed the report on Lalltoo’s case as was requested by the CMO. Teresa Lalltoo, a mother of one, gave birth to a dead baby girl on April 19, 2015 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The woman was transferred to that institution from the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) after experiencing some labor complications and no staff capacity to deal with her condition at the time. Dr. George Norton has said that pending medical death cases will be picked up as soon as he is settled into his newly appointed position as Health Minister of Guyana.
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1 complete House @ 5th Field Cummings Lodge, 1-2 bottom flat @ 99 CC Eccles – Contact:625-2685 12 Offices @ 220 South Road G/Town –Tel: 227-1042, 6013369 1 (3) bedroom house situated at 17 Herstelling New Scheme –Tel: 233-5240 or 689-6965 One four storied building at Lot 14, Croal and Longden Street Georgetown. Call: 6631876 Five bedrooms house, 107 Lamaha Gardens & Large Parking; AC Rooms Hot & Cold, Purified Water System – Call: 661-8908, 335-3590 Unfurnished 1 bedroom apartment with AC & washing machine $50,000 in Granville Park ECD Call: 6813660 2 Bedrooms apartment on E.C.D –Call: 684-8906 Two bedrooms apartment in Grove Housing Scheme; 3rd Avenue – Call: 622-0784; 6281155
Live in waitress to work in a bar –Call: 604-6606 Waitress to work at bar, East Coast –Tel:612-2522
One mature and knowledgeable, live in maid, preferably from the country areas. Phone: 691-7790 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665.
TO LET Prime office space @ lot 239 Quamina Street, Central Georgetown, parking available in Private yard. Tel:592-227-2913, 592-689-3033 Furnished 2 bedroom bottom flat apartment with AC & Parking -$100,000 monthly & $10,000 daily – Tel: 665-2548 Apartments in Eccles, rooms in Albertown –Tel:698-7807 One three bedrooms top flat L.B.I East Coast –Call: 2267585
EDUCATION Super Deal for CXC 2015 Students: 9 Course in Computer studies -$30,000 @ Micrographics –Tel: 264-3057
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman, Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 MASSAGE Relaxing Massage ServiceTel:674-8147
Computerized Accounting 4 Courses @ $30,000: POS Quick Books, Excel 2013, Peachtree. Micrographics Vreed-en-Hoop–Tel: 2643057 Private customs brokerage training certificate course. Starting 29th June 2015. Register now and save! Call: 223-1506; 681-7567; 6948322
Thursday May 28, 2015
ACCOMMADATION Saturdays & Sundays after lunch @ Inner Retreat Hotel Parika: Bar-B-Que & games: pools, darts, table tennis etc – Phone: 260-4504. Inner Retreat Hotel Restaurant & Bar, Retreat Road Parika. Indoor /Outdoor bar in Picturesque setting – Phone: 260-4504
VACANCY Hire Car drivers to work with taxi service –Tel: 611-1018 or 622-0722 1 Coal burner, caretaker & security guard, Sawmill supervisor to work @ Yarrowkabra Highway. Tel: 226-0395 Cashier & office assistant @ Shell Service Station Providence E.B.D shift work – (6am-3pm & 3pm12pm) - email: shellramsburg@gmail.com. For a nursery and green house attendant: able bodied and experienced – Contact Eustace: 678-3859 Cutter/straight stitch/button tack/hole operators. Call: 222-2541 (8:00am-4:00pm Mon-Fri) Hostess, Porters, Bartenders,Waitresses apply 16 Mudlot Kingston, Tel; 2235274 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 Customer Service Representative for food court apply in person to Dixielee, Lamaha Street. Sales Clerk to work in a Bond send application to rtilak@adamantiumholdings. com Accounts Clerk must have CAT level 2/CXC-Maths and Accounts apply rtilak@adamantiumholdings. com One female clerk – Call: 2315171 CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YAHOO.COM/WWW. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel:698-7807
VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota Prado, Price$4.4M Neg. Call: 643-2403 First Class Auto: 09 Allion, 05 Premio, 06 Allion, Bluebird, Rush, Spacio, Runx, IST, Carina 212, Verossa, Mark 2, Axio –Tel: 609-8188; 638-3045 1 Toyota Premio (PNN Series) in immaculate condition. Including: mag rims, HID lights, alarm. $2M negotiable- Call:679-9800 New model Allion: TV reverse camera, low mileage -$3,300,000 negotiable –Tel: 655-3400 One Toyota Allion 2004 Model & 1 new & unregistered Madza Axela, excellent condition -Tel: 6490956 2 Ford F350 2006 model, extended cab 4X4, 6" lift kit, 35" tyres, diesel, auto, excellent condition - Tel: 610-5370 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 V8 Titan (2005) KIA SPORTAGE 2003 - Call:2751230 Unregistered Corolla Fielder 2003, body kit, fog, rear spoiler, dark interior, roof rack Call: 617-5536 Toyota AT212, good condition Call: 652-5762, 624-3686 One Toyota Alteeza, silver. PNN series. Immaculate condition. Tel: 649-9647 D. Persaud Auto Deal 03 Toyota Premio $2.3M, 03 Toyota Allion & Spacio $2.1M Tel# 681-7117, 2275950 Noah and Voxy Unregistered. Call: 668-0000, 603-7900 1 Toyota Raum, Excellent condition –Contact: 6801903 170 Carina PFF Series recently overhauled, needs some work, asking price $420,000 negotiable. Call: 6677337 1 Toyota Prado & Toyota Hilux both in excellent condition, owner migrating – Call: 601-0053; 691-8079 LAND FOR SALE Corner Lot Garnette & Republic Streets Newtown Kitty 58.4X30.8, ideal for business – Call: 645-0616 (no agents)
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Male Enhancement; 4 in each pack -$500 - Tel: 638-1627 Complete engine/ electric Lucas Mill - $1.2M. All mill spares and frame – Call: 6935281 Attention Loggers!!! Anchor seal wood wax 18000 5-G, N.C sanding sealer $4500 1G, nail plates, metal straps Tel: 265-3541; 695-4785 Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc call:225-9032,647-2943 Great Deals on video games and all gaming consoles, PC games, phone games & applications – Call: 6722566; 265-3232 Farm Produce: large quantity at wholesale price: cassava, plantain, etc –Call: 265-3586 Minibus roof rack – Tel:6932237; 219-0211 Sale! Dell Computers complete from -$55,000 free educational software and games, Blackberry -$14,000 @ FutureTech: 231-2206 Fluffy, loving puppies – Tel: 645-0240 or 629-3814 1 TCL 32" flat screen TV (used) $70,000, 2 old laptop -$20,000 each, 2 laptop battery chargers -$10,000 each –Call: 639-9149 One accent Hyundai- Price $250,000 neg- Contact: 610-0517 One stall Stabroek Market prime spot, 37.5 acres farm land Kuru Kuru Linden Highway Call: 679-1151, 225-7794 Cement mixer with diesel engine, this can mix approximately 10 bags at once – Call: 618-6577 1 Honda XR 125 Bike, In Excellent Condition -Call 2258066 LAND FOR SALE Commercial lots available at Eccles E.B.D $14M - Tel:592227-2913 or 592-689-3033 Gated luxury community: mall, pool, underground irrigation, swipe card entry$6USD per sq. ft.- Call:6090783 Omai Quartz Hill Mining Block, 303 Independence Boulevard land size 3489.16 sq ft Call: 622-9998 $1.8M (50FTX80FT) @ Parfaite Harmonie, 2 Storied Diamond property -$38M. We buy & Sell low income land –Call: 611-7223 Continued on page 23
Thursday May 28, 2015
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Migrant crisis: EU asks states to accept 40,000 asylum seekers BBC - The European Commission has called on EU member states to take in 40,000 asylum seekers from Syria and Eritrea who land in Italy and Greece over the next two years. Germany, France and Spain would receive the most migrants under the Commission's latest plan. The idea of using quotas to resettle those who have made it to Europe has caused controversy in some EU states. The UK government says that it will not take part in such a system. France, Spain, Hungary, Slovakia and Estonia have also all voiced concerns, and a final decision will be taken by EU governments after a
vote by MEPs. Denmark has the right to opt out of the plan while Ireland and the UK can decide whether they wish to opt in. 'FAIR DISTRIBUTION' The plan applies to Syrian and Eritrean nationals who arrive in Italy or Greece after 15 April 2015. The Commission said it could also apply to Malta if it also faced a sudden influx of migrants. This is in addition to moves announced earlier this month by the EU for a voluntary scheme to settle 20,000 refugees fleeing conflict who are currently living outside the EU. Of the 40,000 migrants considered "in clear need of international protection", the Commission says:
From page 22
Tens of thousands have tried to make the perilous Mediterranean crossing
PROPERTY FOR SALE Residential lots ad houses for sale at Eccles, E.B.D $7.5M. Tel:592-227-2913 or 689-3033 Property for sale, Grove $18M neg. Tel: 625-5461.
Germany would take in 8,763 (21.91%) France would take in 6,752 (16.88%)
Letters... Where your views make the news
The shape of cultural development... From page 5 planted [ one particular character comes to mind, not Frank Anthony ] that spearheaded the theft of more money than all the Artists/es had received for that CARIFESTA. Cut the bad mouth innuendos and green eye rhetoric Ruel, ‘The Arts’ constitute more, much more than writers. You have not ventured out into that myriad world as yet. Frank Anthony was clueless in that position, and
I accused him in the past of playing hide and seek; afraid to meet me and some writers when I requested a meeting that would have him answer questions on the Caribbean Press operations that you brought to the public awareness. He is typical of Donald Ramotar, and most of the PPP; evasive, contemptuous, delusional and deceptive. The work to be done in the Arts of Guyana must be piloted by an experienced practitioner who understands
the hues and contours of the Arts and how to apply them without hindrance to the spontaneous expression of the muses, in the interest of the national ethos. The History and Arts Council of yesteryear should be the case study and Dr. Paloma Mohamed has the background and accolades to manage that in the interest of its greater purpose with all the Brutus’s that constitute ‘our world’. Barrington Braithwaite
The Ministry of Citizenship... From page 4 starters, removing thousands of illegal Chinese and Brazilians could trigger retaliatory measures from these superpowers such as pullout of major investments and the tit for tat removal of Guyanese from these countries. In the case of Brazil, it would create a monstrous enemy at our border. Selective immigration policies for narrow political gains will deepen and intensify inter-group and intra-group ethnic conflicts within the society. Even within the very same ethnic group that swells from this selective immigration, the battle for resources will escalate and inter-group conflict
will take hold. The people of this nation come first. Indeed, in light of our oil discovery, we should carefully redesign our rules of citizenship and entry, but any ploy for political purposes is a danger to the fleeting stability of this country. When a nation and its people have suffered for 49 years, playing crass immigration politics with the lone economic salvation they have had in five decades in oil wealth is going to ignite this country. It might actually be the missing link to bring unity among the various groups, but at the risk of significant anti-immigrant fervour, further plunging the society into
chaos. Guyanese and the children of Guyanese are inviolable. This small country of 750,000 people has no need for a separate Ministry of Citizenship, and certainly not under the heel of the Presidency. No explanation for the basis of this Ministry of Citizenship makes it even more suspicious. In light of this creation of the Ministry of Citizenship under the Ministry of the Presidency, Article 46 of the Constitution must be removed or significantly amended to allow stripping of citizenship in only the most egregious and narrow circumstances. M. Maxwell
Spain would take in 4,288 (10.72%) Dimitris Avramopoulos, the home affairs commissioner, said it was not proposing "the fixing of quotas... for migration in general" and but it was "up to each member to decide how many refugees they will grant refugee status [to]". "We only propose - and we insist on that - a fair distribution of a concrete number of migrants in clear need of international protection across the European Union," he said. Countries would receive •6,000 (£4,250) for every person relocated on their territory under the latest proposal, the commission said. More than 1,800 migrants have died in the Mediterranean in 2015 - a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014. Some 60,000 people have already tried to make the perilous crossing this year, the UN estimates. Many are trying to escape conflict or poverty in countries such as Syria, Eritrea, Nigeria and Somalia. NAVALFORCE The Commission said
Italy and Greece were facing an exceptional level of migration, with Italy seeing a 277% rise in irregular border crossings from 2013 to 2014 and Greece seeing an increase of 153%. UN chief Ban Ki-moon has also urged Europe to do more to help migrants, calling for search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean to be "further strengthened". "I'm urging European leaders to address this issue in a more comprehensive way and a collective way," he said, adding that the "roots" of the problem in countries of origin must also be addressed. But UK International Development Secretary Justine Greening has rejected the European Commission's idea of mandatory quotas because she said it could act as a "pull for more migrants". French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said this month that asylum should be a right, not subject to quotas. Earlier this month, EU ministers backed plans for a naval force to set up to combat smuggling gangs, if necessary by military force, inside Libyan territorial waters.
Two story concrete and wooden business pace located at 35 Ketley and Howes Street Georgetown. Tel: 623-9679 FOR SALE IN CENTRAL GEORGETOWN: SPACIOUS HOUSE IN DESIRABLE BEL-AIR, NEWHAVENRESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. CALL: 647-8851 1 Flat concrete house 20X38 feet, land space: 100X200 feet. Tel: 694-1090 or 661-6073 Property at Covent Garden E.B.D, serious inquiries – Call: 265-3586 Property at Leonora New Scheme –Tel: 678-9851
LAND FOR SALE Land at Farm East Bank Demerara Call: 668-0000, 603-7900 10 Acres Kuru Kuru, High Way Roadside for Resort Business –Tel: 601-3369 or 227-1042
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Thursday May 28, 2015
Kaieteur News
Thwaites begs teachers to remain patient as wage negotiations continue The Gleaner - Education Minister Ronald Thwaites is appealing to public sector teachers to be patient as they continue their wage negotiations with the government. Public School teachers are at this hour continuing their protest in the demand for an improved wage offer from the Government. The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre understands that since yesterday morning, teachers at Hayes Primary and Junior High and Clarendon College in Clarendon; Cornwall College in St James and Buff Bay High in Portland have been demonstrating. This follows similar
reports at three schools Tuesday. Speaking to The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre earlier, the Education Minister said he had not received any reports of protest action today. However, he says he received one report Tuesday. The Education Minister says he understands the discomfort being felt by public sector teachers currently. However, Thwaites says teachers must remember their duty to the nation’s children. With just over four weeks remaining before the summer holidays, Thwaites says there will be serious disruptions if public sector teachers stay away from
Ronald Thwaites classrooms. However, he says if there are disruptions, the ministry will try to ensure that instruction is continued.
Petrobras ex-manager sentenced in corruption probe A former Petrobras executive was sentenced in Brazil to five years in prison for money laundering. Federal Judge Sergio Moro said prosecutors’ evidence suggested Nestor Cervero spent bribes on an apartment in Rio de Janeiro. Cervero is the second Petrobras executive to be convicted amid an ongoing investigation. He was fired in 2014 and arrested in January. More than 100 people have been indicted and 50 politicians are under investigation for taking bribes. Paulo Roberto Costa, former Petrobras director of refining and supply, was
Nestor Cervero sentenced to seven and a half years in prison last month. He signed a plea bargain agreement with prosecutors and will serve one year, under house arrest. The authorities have accused former
Petrobras executives and a handful of engineering firms of inflating the value of service contracts and banking the excess funds. Cervero’s lawyer, Edson Ribeiro, denied the charges at the time and did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the Reuters News agency. Last month Petrobras took a $2bn (£1.3bn) charge for costs related to corruption and published accounts for last year showing an overall loss of $7.2bn. The company’s results also bore an impairment charge of $14.8bn reflecting the decreased value of its assets. (BBC News)
Jamaica to roll out programme to keep out mosquito-borne Zika virus KINGSTON, Jamaica Government will soon roll out an integrated vector control programme to prevent the Zika virus from reaching the shores of Jamaica, and step up its public education campaign on the disease. The virus, which has caused a recent health scare in the South American country of Brazil, is spread by the bite of an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Its symptoms include severe fever, joint and muscle pains, headaches, rashes and conjunctivitis. These symptoms usually appear within three to 12 days following a bite. “We are going to come very shortly with an integrated clean-up programme, (including) drain cleaning, but the citizens of
Dr. Fenton Ferguson the country must also take responsibility for their health, even as Government must lead the process,” emphasised Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson. He said his ministry has already started a public
education campaign encouraging persons on ways to protect themselves if the virus should come to Jamaica, but stressed that having surroundings where people gather remain clean, is key to preventing all mosquito borne diseases. “It is the same Aedes Aegypti mosquito that is responsible for that Zika virus, and unless we clean up around our homes, place of worship, and workplaces, the country will be vulnerable to the disease,” the minister said. Dr. Ferguson recently met with the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa Etienne, and Jamaica would be getting support from that group with its vector control programme.
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Russia masses heavy firepower on border with Ukraine - witness
Tanks are seen on a freight train shortly after its arrival at a railway station in the Russian southern town of Matveev Kurgan, near the Russian-Ukrainian border (REUTERS/MARIA TSVETKOVA) (Reuters-Exclusive) Russia’s army is massing troops and hundreds of pieces of weaponry including mobile rocket launchers, tanks and artillery at a makeshift base near the border with Ukraine, a Reuters reporter saw this week. Many of the vehicles have number plates and identifying marks removed while many of the servicemen had taken insignia off their fatigues. As such, they match the appearance of some of the forces spotted in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and its Western allies allege are covert Russian detachments. The scene at the base on the Kuzminsky firing range, around 50 km (30 miles) from the border, offers some of the clearest evidence to date of what appeared to be a concerted Russian military build-up in the area. Earlier this month, NATO military commander General Philip Breedlove said he believed the separatists were taking advantage of a ceasefire that came into force in February to re-arm and prepare for a new offensive. However, he gave no specifics. Russia denies that its military is involved in the conflict in Ukraine’s east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting forces loyal to the pro-Western government in Kiev. Russia’s defense ministry said it had no immediate comment about the build-up. Several soldiers said they had been sent to the base for simple military exercises, suggesting their presence was unconnected to the situation in Ukraine. Asked by Reuters if large numbers of unmarked weaponry and troops without insignia at the border indicated that Russia planned to invade Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a conference call with reporters: “I find the wording of this question, ‘if an invasion is being prepared’, inappropriate as such.” The weapons being delivered there included Uragan multiple rocket launchers, tanks and self-propelled howitzers — all weapon types that have been used in the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kiev’s forces and separatists. The amount of military hardware at the base was about three times greater than in March this year, when Reuters journalists were previously in the area. At that time, only a few dozen pieces of equipment were in view. Over the course of four days starting on Saturday, Reuters saw four goods trains with military vehicles and troops arriving at a rail station in the Rostov region of southern
Russia, with at least two trainloads traveling on by road to the base. A large section of dirt road leading across the steppe from the Kuzminsky range to the Ukrainian border had been freshly repaired, making it more passable for heavy vehicles. The road leads to a quiet border crossing typically only used by local residents. On the other side is Ukraine’s Luhansk region, which is controlled by separatists and has been the scene of intense fighting. MARCHING ORDERS Valentina Melnikova, a human rights campaigner who works closely with families of Russian servicemen, said she had information that Rostov region was being used as a staging post for troops on their way to Ukraine. She said the information came from the mother of a serviceman stationed in the town of Totskoye, in the Orenburg region near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan. Melnikova said the serviceman heard from commanders that “they are going to be transferred to Rostov region after May 20 and then to Ukraine. They signed papers about non-disclosure of information and about acting voluntarily. “Of course it was an order. How could it be voluntarily? They are servicemen,” said Melnikova, who runs the Moscow-based Alliance of Soldiers’ Mothers Committees. Her account could not be independently verified by Reuters. In some cases where Russian citizens have been captured in Ukraine by forces loyal to Kiev, Russian officials have said they were there of their own accord and were either on leave from the armed forces or had quit the military. More military hardware trundles into the Matveev Kurgan railway station on goods trains every day. A train that pulled in on Tuesday was carrying 16 T-72 tanks, and a number of military trucks. A local woman who was at the station with a pre-school age girl looked at the tanks on flat-bed rail cars, sighed, and said: “Nothing surprises me anymore.” Over the four days, trains arrived delivering a total of at least 26 tanks, about 30 Uragan launchers, dozens of trucks as well as several armored personnel carriers and selfpropelled howitzers. On two occasions, after the trains had been unloaded, reporters followed the column of vehicles to the firing range — a location that has already been linked indirectly to the fighting in Ukraine.
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Kaieteur News
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Nishikori takes center stage, Halep... Undeterred by arrests... From page 31 1989 champion Michael Chang in his corner, needed to be at full-throttle throughout though. He saved a break point at 2-3 in the opening set and then struck decisively at 5-5, nailing a forehand winner at the end of a blistering 22stroke baseline rally for a decisive break. Nishikori was broken twice, at 5-2 in the second and third sets, but neither proved too damaging as he moved through to a third round clash with Germany’s Benjamin Becker who beat Spanish 32nd seed Fernando Verdasco in a five-set cliffhanger.
There was no repeat of Sunday’s scenes when a fan ran on to court for a selfie with 17-times grand slam champion Federer, the only trouble the Swiss encountering on Wednesday was a 4-2 second-set deficit which he quickly fixed. Federer, on collision course with Nishikori in the semi-final, will play Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur in round three after he beat Marcos Baghdatis 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-2. “I might even go so far to say I have actually almost never seen him play before,” Federer said of Sarajevobased Dzumhur. Eighth seed Stanislas Wawrinka also made progress
despite dropping a set against Serbian Dusan Lajovic as did respective French number ones Gilles Simon and Alize Cornet. Twelfth seed Simon led the home charge, beating Martin Klizan 7-5 6-2 6-3 while Cornet beat Romania’s Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) 6-2 7-5. It was a good day for the French with 12th seed JoWilfried Tsonga crushing Israel’s Dudi Sela, Nicolas Mahut beating last year’s surprise semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis, Benoit Paire also taking out a seed, Italy’s Fabio Fognini and Gael Monfils overcoming Diego Schwartzman.
Thursday May 28, 2015 ARIES (MAR. 21APRIL 20) You are best not to retaliate if members of your household are trying to pick a fight. Changes regarding your career direction will payoff handsomely. TAURUS (APR. 21MAY 21) Don't be too eager to start any debates. Keep your eyes and ears alert for any evasive or deceptive statements. Get back into the swing of things. GEMINI (MAY 22JUNE 21) Real estate investments could be prosperous. Your emotions are fluctuating, so be careful not to say things you'll regret. Romance can develop; however, it will most probably be short-lived. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) You will also encounter individuals who can help you further your goals. Avoid lending money or belongings to friends. Put your money into a safe place that will ensure a profit if you let it sit long enough. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Any capricious behavior will confuse loved ones and your mood swings will result in loneliness. You will have to face each issue separately and in person. VIRGO (AUG. 23 SEPT. 23) You can visit clients and make a big impression just by giving them some hands-on help. Overindulgence will be a problem if you are out in a social setting. You will be encouraged to get involved in a moneymaking venture.
LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) Social events held in your home will be successful and entertaining for all. Discuss your objectives with partners or peers. You may end up being blamed if anything goes wrong. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) Hassles with inlaws could put a damper on your day. Follow your gut feeling regarding your business ventures. Get ready to discover love, passion, and the desire to enjoy all that life has to offer. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) Enjoy the company of relatives today. Be prepared to deal with groups and organizations of greater magnitude. Do not invest in joint ventures. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.JAN. 20) Be up front if you don't want to be embarrassed. You will enjoy events that lean toward theater, art, or music today. Jealous coworkers may try to sabotage your attempts to get ahead. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) Get involved in groups that will help you meet established individuals. Cultural activities open your eyes to new ways of doing things. It's a good time to make changes to your living quarters that will give you more space. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Get promises in writing or you will be disappointed. Joining organizations will provide you with stimulating romantic contacts. Arguments with children or friends may leave you steaming.
From page 29 its ethics committee into the bidding process for the hosting of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. “The timing may not be obviously the best but FIFA welcomes this process and FIFA co-operates fully with the attorney general of Switzerland and the Federal Office of Justice,” he said. “Of course Congress will take place. One thing has nothing to do with the other.” AMIABLE IMPRESSION Blatter comes across as an amiable character with eccentric ideas about football but he has shown in the past that he possesses a ruthless instinct for survival and extraordinary political nous. In 2001, FIFA faced potential financial ruin following the collapse of its marketing partner ISL/ISMM and Blatter was subjected to intense pressure to reveal details of FIFA finances. He recovered from that obstacle and today his federation boasts reserves of more than $1 billion. Blatter faced further troubles in 2002 when FIFA’s then secretary general Michel Zen-Ruffinen claimed Blatter’s 1998 election victory was based on bribery and corruption. Blatter threatened legal action but never followed up the threat and when he beat Issa Hayatou of Cameroon by 139 votes to 56 in that year’s election, Zen-Ruffinen was soon out of a job. Four years ago, he was elected unopposed after his only rival, Mohamed Bin Hamman, was investigated in a cash-for-votes scandal and forced to withdraw. Blatter has mastered the FIFA electoral system where the 209 member associations each hold one vote, meaning that tiny American Samoa holds the same voting rights as soccer powers like Brazil or Germany. FIFA distributes revenue equally among its 209 members, a policy which helped the likes of Cape Verde to reach the African Nations Cup quarter-finals in 2013 and Costa Rica the World Cup quarter-finals last year. Only Europe, which holds 53 votes, has pledged to vote against Blatter and, although some other associations may break ranks, those would be unlikely to result in more than a small dent in Blatter’s majority. Outside Europe, federations see Blatter as the force which keeps the game truly global in the face of the growing financial power of a handful of elite European clubs and leagues. “He understands the
cultures of different parts of the world that make up FIFA, so it is no coincidence that most of the members would vote for him,” said Michel D’Hooge, 68, the honorary president of the Belgian FA and a FIFA executive committee member since 1988, told Reuters in August. “Of course, you can say that they feel good because they receive a lot of money and grants from FIFA - that is his political behavior.” Blatter, who has repeatedly said that he does not choose his executive committee, was said to be carrying on as usual on
Wednesday and getting ready for Friday’s election. “He is focused on the Congress and, for everybody involved, the stress factor is a little higher today than yesterday, but he is quite relaxed that he is not involved,” said De Gregorio. “He will accept what will happen.” “He is not dancing in his office, but he is very calm, he is fully cooperative with everybody. He is not a happy man but he knows this is the consequences of what we initiated. It’s a surprise that it happened today but not a surprise that it happened.”
Sri Lanka sacks... From page 30 unidentified players were dropped from the team for refusing to have sex with sports officials. Sri Lanka’s Children’s Minister Rosy Senanayake, who is also responsible for women’s issues, told reporters in Colombo on Saturday that she was closely following the case.
“It is a shameful incident,” Senanayake said. “We want to put a stop to this kind of behaviour.” She said she was closely monitoring the progress of the case and wanted the perpetrators brought to justice. Cricket is hugely popular in Sri Lanka and the women’s team are regulars in major international tournaments.
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‘I AM INNOCENT’, says Jack Shameful! Says Lara on Warner on FIFA corruption probe Chanderpaul’s omission
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (Trinidad Express) – Political Leader of the Independent Liberal Party Jack Warner has spoken up in response to international news reports that he has been named as one of the people being sought by police in connection with corruption allegations linked to FIFA. The following is his statement: My attention has been drawn to certain developments in world football which started several hours ago and is at the present time still ongoing. It has been reported that a number of FIFA officials have been arrested in Switzerland and that at least one raid conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigators in Miami is being executed at what I
presume to be CONCACAF offices. My name is being reported by international media as being one of those persons sought in connection with the probe. The people of Trinidad and Tobago will know that I quit FIFA and international football more than four years ago and that over the past several years I have recommitted my life to the work of improving the lot of every citizen of every creed and race in this nation. This is where I have let my bucket down. I have fought fearlessly against all forms of injustice and corruption. I have been afforded no due process and I have not even been questioned in this matter. I reiterate that I am innocent of any charges. I
have walked away from the politics of world football to immerse myself in the improvement of lives in this country where I shall, God willing, die. The actions of FIFA no longer concern me. I cannot help but note however that these crossborder coordinated actions come at a time when FIFA is assembled for elections to select a President who is universally disliked by the international community. At times such as this it is my experience that the large world powers typically take actions to affect world football. World football is an enormous international business. That is no longer my concern. My sole focus at this stage of my life is on the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Legendary West Indies batting icon Brian Lara has described the axing of Shivnarine Chanderpaul as shameful and has called on the West Indies Cricket Board to give the left-handed Guyanese an honourary send-off by selecting him for the two-Test series against Australia. The 40-year old Chanderpaul was left out of the West Indies 12-member squad for the first Test against the Australians which starts on June 3 in Dominica, effectively ending an illustrious career in which he scored 11,867 runs at an average of 51.37. The selectors, led by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, justified their decision by pointing to the plunge in his form over his
Annual End of School year windball - B’ce
Bohemia, St. Patrick’s among winners Members of the Participating teams during the opening ceremony.
Bohemia and St. Patrick’s were among the winners when the Berbice zone of the 18th Annual End of Primary School year Al Sport and Tour Promotions Windball competition continued recently at Welfare Centre ground. Defending Girls champions Bohemia Primary overcame Cumberland by two runs. Batting first, Bohemia scored 39-5. Julie Rose took two wickets for Cumberland who were restricted for 37-4 in reply. St. Therese’s beat Overwinning by six wickets. Overwinning took first strike and managed 34-3 with Gatesha Daniels scoring 10. St. Therese’s replied with 354; Crystal Mohabir took two scalps. The other teams taking part are defending
champions St. Alysious, Edinburg, Lochaber and All Saints. In the boys’ category, St. Patrick’s thumped Cumberland by two runs. St. Patrick’s batted first and posted 38-4. Kavishkar Dhani made 10 as Abdul Ramsammy took 2-12. Cumberland responded with 36-4. Ramsammy scored 10; Vuendra Bissoon claimed 210. St. Therese trounced Lochaber by 10 wickets. Lochaber made 37-3, taking first knock. John Andrew and Ravin Tudoor picked up two wickets each. St. Therese responded with 38-0. J. Andrews cracked 18. Overwinning got the better of All Saints. Overwinning scored 54-3 while All Saints mustered 46-5 in reply. All Saints hammered St.
Aloysius by 32 runs. All Saints rattled up 90-4, batting first. Ezekiel Hamilton led with 29, Deron De Jonge made 20 and Simeon Isaacs 13. Amar Crawford captured 2-4. St. Aloysius got to 58-8 in reply. De Jonge and Nicquan Samuels snared three wickets each. Sports Officer Alistair Munroe in his address to more than four hundred students along with parents at the opening ceremony spoke of the importance of education and sports. “This event is one of my biggest programme to date and I know you do look forward to it during the final term of the school year. Play hard and as you prepare to continue your education and I want to be the first to congratulate you on your success,” Monroe added.
“Enjoy every moment win or loose, you are all winners. We must work together and most importantly we must live in one love and unity for we are one people, one nation one destiny,” the organizer posited. He thanked AL Sport and Tour Promotions for their input. The tournament is being played across region six within six zones namely, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower, Central and Upper Corentyne and Black Bush Polder. The competition will also be contested at Wales CC, Uitvlugt CC, Leguan, Wakenaam, Timehri Farm, Enterprise CC, Unity/ Lancaster CC, Bath CC, Fair Field, Welfare Centre, Bush Lot Farm, No. 71 Village, Black Bush Polder, Bayrock and Georgetown.
Brian Lara was quite critical of Shivnarine Chanderpaul being denied the chance sign off on his own terms © AFP
last 11 innings in which he averaged 16. But Lara, who scored 11,953 Test runs, which Chanderpaul is just 87 runs away from passing, said the decision was another example of the way the WICB disrespects its players. “This has nothing to do with numbers or averages. What are they saying that Chanderpaul was given the last 11 innings to get the desired number of runs to break a record? “This has absolutely nothing to do with runs or numbers. It has to do with respect and Chanderpaul has earned the right to say goodbye in an acceptable way. In fact, he should be allowed to do it in his own way,” he added. Lara noted that most of the other cricketing nations ensured an honourary farewell to their heroes and reflected on India when Sachin Tendulkar retired. He asked: “What did they do? They organised a Test series in his honour and gave him a farewell in keeping with his contribution to the game.” Lara described Chanderpaul as an extremely competitive individual for whom cricket was his life. “From Guyana in 1994 when
he made his debut to his last Test innings he gave his heart to West Indies cricket and what do we do... drop him and that’s it,” he noted. Lara said it was time the WICB started respecting the contribution of its great players. “The manner in which they deal with their players is despicable and should no longer be tolerated. When you look back to so many of our heroes and the manner in which they were dumped, it makes you shudder.” Lara called for Chanderpaul to be reinstated for the two Test matches against the Australians and the series be established as his final series. “In that way, there will be no hostility and whether he makes a double century or a duck, it doesn’t matter, it will be his farewell series and the entire cricketing world will know that,” he added. Lara said he would be pleased to be at the grounds when Chanderpaul played his last innings. “He deserves it. The WICB and the Caribbean owe it to Shiv to send him off with dignity and respect. He has earned it,” added Lara. (T&T Guardian)
Arrested FIFA officials ‘corrupted world soccer’ says US Attorney General ZURICH (AP) - US Attorney General Loretta Lynch says bribery and corruption have been marring soccer for at least 24 years as FIFA officials solicited bribes from sports marketing firms and others surrounding its marque events. Lynch spoke Wednesday in New York as federal charges were unveiled against 14 people in a sweeping investigation of FIFA. Seven FIFA officials were arrested Wednesday in Zurich pending extradition to the US. Swiss prosecutors, meanwhile, announced criminal proceedings Wednesday intoFIFA’s awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Lynch says, beginning in 1991, those involved “corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves ... They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament.”
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World soccer rocked as top officials held in U.S., Swiss graft cases ZURICH (Reuters) Seven of the most powerful figures in global soccer faced extradition to the United States on corruption charges after being arrested on Wednesday in Switzerland, where authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups. The world’s most popular sport was plunged into turmoil after U.S. and Swiss authorities announced separate inquiries into the activities of the game’s powerful governing body. U.S. authorities said nine soccer officials and five sports media and promotions executives faced corruption charges involving more than $150 million in bribes. Swiss police arrested seven FIFA officials who are now awaiting extradition to the United States. Those arrested did not include Sepp Blatter, the Swiss head of FIFA, but
included several just below him in the hierarchy of sport’s wealthiest body. Of the 14 indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, seven FIFA officials, including Vice-President Jeffrey Webb, were being held in Zurich. Four people and two corporate defendants had already pleaded guilty to various charges, the department said. The Miami, Florida, headquarters of CONCACAF, the soccer federation that governs North America, Central America and the Caribbean, were being searched on Wednesday, the DoJ said. “As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world,” said FBI Director James Comey. “Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became
a way of doing business at FIFA.” The FIFA officials appeared to have walked into a trap set by U.S. and Swiss authorities. The arrests were made at dawn at a plush Zurich hotel, the Baur au Lac, where FIFA officials are staying ahead of a vote this week where they are expected to anoint Blatter for a fifth term in office. Suites at the hotel cost up to $4,000 a night. “DIFFICULTMOMENT” FIFA called the arrests a “difficult moment” but said Blatter would seek a fifth term as FIFA head as planned and the upcoming World Cups would go ahead as intended. Separate from the U.S. investigation, Swiss prosecutors said they had opened their own criminal proceedings against unidentified people on suspicion of mismanagement and money laundering related to the awarding of rights to host the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022
Undeterred by arrests, soccer boss Blatter plots another great escape
FIFA PRESIDENT Sepp Blatter ZURICH (Reuters) FIFA president Sepp Blatter is a master of getting out from tight corners and his federation’s initial reaction to Wednesday’s extraordinary events in Zurich suggested he has every intention of pulling off another great escape. Soccer’s governing body was thrown into disarray when several of its leading officials, including vicepresident Jeffrey Webb, were arrested in a dawn raid at the luxury lakeside hotel which for years has pampered FIFA visitors. They were detained pending extradition to the United States where they face federal corruption charges. Swiss authorities also opened criminal proceedings against
individuals on suspicion of mismanagement and money laundering related to the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA soccer World Cups to Russia and Qatar. B l a t t e r, F I FA’s president since 1998, was not among them. It was a day FIFA’s detractors had long waited for, after years of corruption allegations which critics say have not been properly dealt with. The initial outside reaction was that, surely, FIFA’s annual Congress could not go ahead as planned amid such turmoil, and even less so the presidential election where Blatter is runaway favorite to see off a challenge from Prince Ali bin Ali Hussein of Jordan.
Yet, within hours, FIFA’s head of media Walter de Gregorio was turning the situation on its head. The raid was a result of action that FIFA had itself taken, he told reporters. Far from being a disgrace, it was an essential, if undignified, part of a cleaning-up process Blatter began in 2011, at the start of his fourth mandate. And, while Blatter was not in the happiest of moods, the 79-year-old was ready for Friday’s election for a fifth term. De Gregorio said the Swiss investigation stemmed from a complaint that FIFA itself had made to Switzerland’s attorneygeneral’s office in November following an investigation by (Continued on page 27)
World Cup in Qatar. Data and documents were seized from computers at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters, the Swiss prosecutors said. Officials said that following the arrests, accounts at several banks in Switzerland had been blocked. The U.S. Department of Justice named those arrested in its case as: Webb, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, FIFA Vice-President Eugenio Figueredo, Rafael Esquivel and José Maria Marin. An authoritative source said the extradition process could take years if it was contested. The DoJ said the defendants included U.S. and South American sports marketing executives alleged to have paid and agreed to pay “well over $150 million in bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments”. “The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks,” she said. BILLIONS OF DOLLARS The international governing body of football collects billions of dollars in revenue, mostly from sponsorship and television rights for World Cups. It has persistently been dogged by reports of corruption which it says it
investigates itself, but until now it has escaped major criminal cases in any country. In particular, the decision to award the World Cup to Qatar, a tiny desert country with no domestic tradition of soccer, was heavily criticized by soccer officials in Western countries. FIFA was forced to acknowledge that it is too hot to play soccer there in the summer when the cup is traditionally held, forcing schedules around the globe to be rewritten to move the cup. Qatar’s stock market fell sharply as news of the Swiss investigation emerged. A Russian official said his country would still host the 2018 World Cup. Three years ago FIFA hired a former U.S. prosecutor to examine allegations of bribery over the awarding of the World Cups to Qatar and Russia, but last year it refused to publish his report, releasing only a summary in which it said there were no major irregularities. The investigator quit, saying his report had been mischaracterized. Most of the arrested officials are in Switzerland for the FIFA Congress, where Blatter faces a challenge from Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein in an election on Friday to lead the organization. Other potential challengers to Blatter have all dropped out the race. Prince Ali, who has promised to clean up FIFA if elected to the top job, said it was “a sad day for football” and called for leadership in the world body that could restore the confidence of hundreds of millions of fans around the world. English Football Association Chairman Greg
Dyke said Wednesday’s developments were “very serious for FIFA and its current leadership”. England had nominated Prince Ali as a candidate to succeed Blatter and would be backing him if the FIFA leadership vote went ahead. CONCACAF FOCUS Much of the U.S. inquiry focuses on CONCACAF, whose Trinidadian former boss Jack Warner was regularly dogged by accusations of corruption before he resigned in 2011, at which point FIFA terminated its investigations of him. U.S. law gives its courts broad powers to investigate crimes committed by foreigners on foreign soil if money passes through U.S. banks or other activity takes place there. Damian Collins, a British member of parliament who founded the reform group New FIFA Now, said the arrests could have a massive impact on the governing body. “The chickens are finally coming home to roost and this sounds like a hugely significant development for FIFA,” he told Reuters. “It proves that Sepp Blatter’s promises over the last few years to look into corruption at FIFA have not materialized and because he has totally failed to do this, it has been left to an outside law enforcement agency to do the job and take action.” The arrests could also have implications for sponsorship. German sportswear company Adidas, long associated with FIFA, said the soccer body should do more to establish transparent compliance standards.
Jack Warner released on multimillion-dollar bail PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Austin Jack Warner was released on TT$2.5 million (One TT dollar = US$0.16 cents) bail after he appeared in a magistrate court with respect to a request by the United States for him to be extradited to face several charges in a New York court. Warner, the former FIFA vice president, who appeared before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar, has been ordered to surrender all his travel documents and will reappear in court on July 9. Warner, who quit international football; in 2011, has maintained his innocence and is now being processed for his appearance before a local magistrate court. US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the corruption by FIFA officials was “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States”. “It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of
dollars in bribes and kickbacks. “And it has profoundly harmed a multitude of victims, from the youth leagues and developing countries that should benefit from the revenue generated by the commercial rights these organisations hold, to the fans at home and throughout the world whose support for the game makes those rights valuable.” In addition to the US investigations international media reports indicate that the Swiss prosecutors have launched a criminal case into the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, to be held in Russia and Qatar respectively. Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, speaking in Parliament confirmed that the extradition request had been made and said “it gives me no pleasure, the member is a member of this Honourable House and the matter is now in the hands of law enforcement officials and judicial officials for due process according to the laws of Trinidad and Tobago”.
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LeBron leads Cavs sweep of Hawks to reach NBA Finals (Reuters) LeBron James booked his place in the NBA Finals for the fifth straight year when the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Atlanta Hawks 118-88 on Tuesday to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Eastern Conference Final. James scored a game-high 23 points as the Cavs advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007, where they will play either the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets. For James, who returned to the Cavaliers after four seasons with the Miami Heat, it will be the fifth year in a row, and sixth overall, that he has played in the NBA Finals. In addition to his 23 points, James also made nine rebounds and had seven assists on Tuesday, doing most of his scoring in the first half as Cleveland opened up a commanding 59-42 lead by halftime. “We’ve worked our tails off all season to get to the this point, and to be able to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA finals is the ultimate, especially in this city,” James said in a courtside interview. “We’ll be ready to go (in the finals).” The Cavs were bolstered by the return of point guard Kyrie Irving, who had missed
Thursday May 28, 2015
Not true! Michael Holding refutes statements by WICB boss
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) handles the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) during the fourth quarter in game four. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports) the last two games with a knee injury. Irving played 22 minutes and scored 16 points. For the Hawks, who finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in the
East, point guard Jeff Teague led his team with 17 points, while forward Paul Millsap had 16 points and pulled down ten rebounds. The NBA Finals start on June 4.
(Jamaica Observer) Former West Indies fast bowler, turned cricket commentator Michael Holding has refuted statements by President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron that he has turned down requests to do television commentary. During a WICB town-hall meeting on Friday at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Cameron insisted that the WICB had not banned Holding or veteran broadcaster Tony Cozier from doing television commentary. Instead, he revealed that Cozier’s failing eyesight had been the main reason for his absence, while Holding’s commitments to UK company, SKY, had led to him turning down offers by the WICB. “The issue we have with Mr Holding is that our season runs counter to the season in the UK and whenever we ask him to do commentary he is always working with SKY back in the UK, so as far as they are concerned there are no issues,” Cameron had stated.
However, in a reply on Barbados TODAY’s website after reading the story which was published on Saturday, Holding said he had never told the WICB he was unavailable to do television commentary. Furthermore, Holding claimed he had not been asked by the WICB to do television commentary since 2012, when the production of West Indies cricket was moved from the hands of TWI/IMG. “As usual Mr Cameron is being a stranger to the truth. How come after being contracted by SKY since 1998 and working on cricket in the Caribbean since that time until 2012, all of a sudden my commitments to SKY started preventing me from doing cricket in the Caribbean?” he questioned. “The fact of the matter is that when the production of West Indies cricket was moved from the hands of TWI/IMG to the current
company, they were instructed not to employ me. And further more, England were just in the Caribbean playing against the West Indies. Was I committed to some other England team that I wasn’t out there working on that series? “Since the new production company took over West Indies cricket, I was never asked to work on any cricket out there, so I could never have said I was not available. I have no problem if the new company thinks I am not worth having on their commentary team, but please don’t say my commitments for SKY keep me away or I ever said I was not available,” Holding added.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) – Sri Lankan cricket’s governing body on Wednesday announced the sacking of three officials after allegations that members of the women’s national team were asked to perform sexual favours to keep their places. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said all three officials were shown the door at the end of their contracts last month after an internal inquiry found two of them guilty of sexual harassment and a third of improper conduct. The board said in a statement that “there was no evidence of any physical intimacy” by any of the three men, none of whom have been named. But the investigation had nevertheless determined that “there have been a few incidents of sexual harassment which were committed by two male officials” and that the third was guilty of “improper conduct... which did not amount to sexual harassment,” the SLC added. Sri Lanka’s sports ministry said at the weekend
that criminal prosecutions would follow after its own inquiry had found two team managers demanded sexual favours from team members. Under Sri Lankan law, anyone found guilty of sexual harassment can face up to five years in prison plus an unspecified fine. The board said both its own report and the separate inquiry by the sports ministry had highlighted the “unsatisfactory situation” involving the women’s team where there was “favouritism and bias”. “Both reports have commented adversely on the failure to ensure that a female manager handles the women’s cricket team,” SLC said, adding that they will take appropriate action to “rectify” management issues. Despite the sports ministry’s weekend announcement, no charges have been brought against any official so far. An independent panel was asked by the ministry last November to investigate local media allegations that (Continued on page 27)
Michael Holding
Sri Lanka sacks Bacca double as Sevilla retain Europa League officials over sex scandal
BBC Sport - Sevilla won a record fourth Europa League trophy after beating Dnipro in a thrilling final in Warsaw on Wednesday. The Spanish side had to come back from a goal down as Nikola Kalinic headed Ukrainians Dnipro into an early lead. Sevilla responded with two quick goals as Grzegorz Krychowiak drove in before Carlos Bacca rounded the goalkeeper. Ruslan Rotan’s clever free-kick made it 2-2, but Bacca broke through to seal victory for Sevilla and with it a place in next season’s Champions League. Unai Emery’s side are the first to successfully retain the Europa League trophy since it was rebranded in 2009, and they have now triumphed in the competition more times than any other team, having won the Uefa Cup in 2007 and 2008. It was a far from comfortable victory though, as Dnipro belied their underdog tag with a spirited display in their first European final. They had won just seven of their 16 matches en route to the final, scoring 13 goals in the process, but took a
Sevilla won a record fourth Europa League trophy. (Getty Images) shock lead against Sevilla with their first attack. A long ball was knocked on by former Blackburn striker Kalinic for Matheus, who waited for his team-mate to run into the area before sending in a cross for Kalinic to head home. Sevilla immediately set about mounting a response, but found it difficult to break down a Dnipro side that had retreated into their own half. Their equaliser came when Dnipro failed to clear
Ever Banega’s corner and Krychowiak drove a shot through a crowd and into the net. Barely three minutes later the game was turned on its head when Sevilla took the lead. Former A r s e n a l f o r w a r d Jose Antonio Reyes split open the Dnipro defence with a fine ball and sent Bacca clear, allowing him to round the goalkeeper and slot home. Dnipro had not scored more than one goal in a
Europa League game in their previous six fixtures in the competition, but responded superbly to Sevilla’s quick double to level matters before the break, Rotan expertly steering a 25-yard free-kick into the top corner. That set things up nicely for more of the same after the restart, but ultimately the second half failed to match the tempo of the first and when Bacca was put through by Vitolo to slot home, there was no way back for Dnipro.
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Nishikori takes center stage, Halep crashes out Roger Federer of Switzerland (Reuters/Vincent Kessler)
Kei Nishikori of Japan (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (AP) PARIS (Reuters) Roger Federer avoided any more security scares to move safely into the third round of the French Open on Wednesday but danger lurks ahead for the Swiss, namely in the shape of Japanese firebrand Kei Nishikori. The perils of Roland Garros were in evidence in the women’s draw too where last year’s runner-up Simona Halep, the third seed, bowed
out 7-5 6-1 to Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni to become the biggest casualty so far. The 33-year-old LucicBaroni, who made her French Open debut in 1999 as a 17-year-old but took a break from tennis before returning, also beat Halep in last year’s U.S. Open. “I didn’t feel my game. I don’t have a good feeling, that’s why I couldn’t change anything,” Halep, who will
slide in the rankings, said. Maria Sharapova, who beat Halep in last year’s final, made short work of fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko, winning 6-3 6-1 to set up a juicy third-round clash with Samantha Stosur. Stosur, the 2010 runnerup and twice a semi-finalist, came within a game of serving up a “double bagel” over French wildcard Amandine Hesse but had to
be content with 6-0 6-1. While second seed Federer was beating Spain’s Marcel Granollers 6-2 7-6(1) 6-3, Nishikori took center stage on Court Phillipe Chatrier and a straight sets win over Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci offered further proof of his growing threat. Left-hander Bellucci is one of the form players on clay this year, but 25-yearold Nishikori passed the test
with flying colors, winning 7-5 6-4 6-4 to reach the third round for only the second time. “I have a lot of confidence on clay right now, so I hope I can do well here, because I haven’t done so well before,” Nishikori who last year became the first Asian male to reach a grand slam final at the U.S. Open, told reporters. “I’m feeling really well after these two matches and
winning in three sets against a tough player like Thomaz. I’m very happy to be going to the next round.” NISHIKORI AT FULL THROTTLE Bellucci, ranked 40, arrived in Paris full of confidence after winning the Geneva title last week, but the relentless Nishikori wore him down in a high-quality contest. Nishikori, who has (Continued on page 27)
Andrew Jennings: What I told the FBI about the FIFA crooks (WIRED 868.com) THE REVELATION that the FBI is investigating FIFA should bring an end to three decades of institutional corruption, personified in recent times by President Sepp Blatter. I have been talking with Special Agents from the O rg a n i s e d C r i m e a n d Racketeering Section of the Department of Justice in Washington and with an FBI Organised Crime squad from N e w Yo r k s i n c e t h e y contacted me seeking evidence nearly three years ago. Law enforcement sources in New York and Washington confirmed today (yesterday) that they are investigating “a major case” involving allegations of corruption at FIFA. The
probe is into allegations of fraud and bribery. It began in the North, Central American and Caribbean regional football confederation but the money trail leads back to FIFA’s HQ in Zurich, Switzerland. Unofficial sources have confirmed that Daryan Warner, eldest son of disgraced former FIFA vicepresident Jack Warner of Trinidad, has become a cooperating witness with the FBI probe. Warner jnr has been resident in Florida for the last two months and clearly is not free to leave America. It has yet to be divulged what evidence the FBI have on him but it is likely to be substantial and enough to make him break family confidences in return for
serving less jail time. Daryan Warner was always the ‘back office’ money-man organising the laundering and concealment of bribes and profits from every kind of illicit football activity by his father – siphoning off grants, dealing in World Cup tickets and pocketing substantial bribes from countries hoping to host the World Cup. Wa r n e r f r e q u e n t l y worked in concert with fellow FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer from New York. The FIFA career of Jack Warner began to unravel in May 2011 when he was caught with $1 million in bribes, in envelopes each containing $40,000 in cash, for distributing to Caribbean
Prince Willam (left) and former CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer (Courtesy transparencyinsport.org) football associations. The aim was to persuade them to vote for Qatar’s Mohamed Bin Hammam who was c o n t e s t i n g t h e F I FA
presidency against incumbent Sepp Blatter. Blazer ‘ratted’ on Warner to FIFA but was himself soon
Statement by Swiss Federal Office of Justice on arrest of FIFA officials ZURICH, Switzerland - ‘By order of the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ), six soccer officials were arrested in Zurich today (Wednesday) and detained pending extradition. ‘The US authorities suspect them of having received bribes totaling in the USD millions. The six soccer functionaries were arrested today in Zurich by the Zurich Cantonal Police. ‘The FOJ’s arrest warrants were issued further to a request by the US authorities. The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-
backs between the early 1990s and the present day. ‘The bribery suspects – representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms – are alleged to have been involved in schemes to make payments to the soccer functionaries – delegates of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and other functionaries of FIFA suborganizations - totaling more than USD 100 million. ‘In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America. ‘According to the US request, these crimes were agreed and prepared in the US, and
payments were carried out via US banks. ‘The Zurich Cantonal Police will question the detainees today on behalf of the FOJ regarding the US request for their arrest. A simplified procedure will apply for wanted persons who agree to their immediate extradition. ‘The FOJ can immediately approve their extradition to the US and order its execution. ‘However, if a wanted person opposes their extradition, the FOJ will invite the US to submit a formal extradition request within the deadline of 40 days specified in the bilateral extradition treaty.’
engulfed in documented corruption allegations. About Andrew Jennings: Andrew Jennings has been chasing ‘bad men’ around the world for more than three decades. His book, The Lords of the Rings, on Olympic corruption and the fascist background of the IOC president was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the Top One Hundred Sports Books of all Time. His last book on FIFA corruption, Foul!, is now in 15 languages despite an attempt by Herr Blatter u s i n g F I FA f u n d s i n Switzerland to persuade a Zurich court to impose a global ban.
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Thursday May 28, 2015
GFF host successful “Dominicans were Referees Beginners Course looking forward
to seeing Shiv” - WICB VP Nathan disappointed with Shiv’s treatment By Sean Devers
Referees who attended the GFF Beginners Course.
T
he Guyana F o o t b a l l Federation kicked off its quest to increase the referees pool when it hosted a successful Referees Beginners Course from May 23 – 25 last at the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport Resource Centre, Woolford Avenue and Camp Street, Georgetown. According to a press release from the GFF, this first initiative for the year attracted a total of 27 persons and they recorded a pass rate of 95%. Sixteen female and 11 males attended. The top female was Ms Ronecia Lewis of Upper Demerara who achieved a pass mark of 80 % while the leading male was West Demerara’s Robert Christiani who garnered 84%. The federation is alerting other persons who wish to become a referee that another Beginners Course would be held in July. Meanwhile, intense training will commence today for referees and will continue on a weekly basis at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue in the City. Other grounds around Guyana where training would also be held are the Wisburg Secondary School in Linden and the # 5 Community ground in Berbice. Sessions will commence at 17:00hrs. The Referee’s Course forms part of the development plans of the GFF for the sport and will also target Coaches and Players.
Top male Beginners Referee Robert Christiani collecting a ball from Instructor Stanley Lancaster.
Top female Beginners Referee, Ms Ronecia Lewis receiving a prize from Instructor Abdulla Hamid.
Speaking on Andre M a s o n ’s l i v e R a d i o programme in Barbados on Tuesday night West Indies C r i c k e t B o a r d Vi c e President, Dominican Emmanuel Nathan said discarded Test batsman Guyanese Shiv Chanderpaul should have been given a better send off by being allowed to play against Australia next month. This view was supported by Brian Lara who described the axing of Chanderpaul as shameful and called on the WICB to give the Guyanese an honorary send-off by selecting him for the twoTest series against Australia. The 40-year-old Chanderpaul, with 11,867 runs from a record 164 Tests at an Average of 51.37 was sacked by the Clive Lloyd led selection panel after failing to reach 100 runs in his last two series against South Africa and England. He needs another 87 runs to overtake Trinidadian Lara as the West Indian with the most Test runs while his record in home matches against Australia since 2003 is an outstanding 1045 runs at an average of 80.38. According to Nathan the WICB selectors are duty bound to select the teams and the Directors do not have the power to make changes. Nathan, who was reelected in March for a second two-year term as VicePresident to Dave Cameron, confirmed that there were discussions with Lloyd during the Board’s retreat in Barbados over the weekend about Chanderpaul’s omission. This was also confirmed by Lloyd even though Senior Communications Officer of the WICB Adriel Richards had refuted this, giving the impression that Kaieteur Sports had fabricated the story. WICB Director Anand Sanasie also confirmed a meeting did happen. “When we brought the matter to the Board initially,
the Vice President Nanthan and I had discussions with the President who had further discussions with many Directors. The secretariat at the Board instructed that Mr Chanderpaul travel. His flight was booked and Mr Chanderpaul was expected to arrive in Barbados on (last) Sunday,” Sanasie informed. “A further meeting of the Board was summoned and at that meeting the selectors expressed their views, and a further decision was taken not to change their decision to drop Mr Chanderpaul. Some Directors pleaded for a review. This was not granted since Mr Lloyd thought when you look at performance Chanderpaul needs to move on and was informed by the President moments before the flight that the selectors had stuck with their initial decision. Nathan said he was disappointed with the manner in which Chanderpaul was treated after serving West Indies cricket faithfully for 21 years and backed Shiv to come back strong by producing an outstanding Regional season. “Knowing Shiv and his passion for cricket and the determination he has I would not rule out him playing for the West Indies again,” continued Nathan. This however, seems unlikely unless the selectors are changed. The two-year term of Lloyd, who played Test cricket when he was over 40, ends next year. “Chanderpaul scored the f i r s t Te s t c e n t u r y i n Dominica when he made an unbeaten 116 against India in 2011 and he is a National Hero here and very much loved in Dominica. His fans were eagerly looking forward to seeing him bat against the Australians and were preparing to give him a fantastic send-off. When (Sachin) Tendulkar was leaving cricket Lloyd was a part of the WICB team which traveled to India to bid him farewell,” Nathan disclosed.
Emmanuel Nathan
Anand Sanasie Now Head Coach, Phil Simmons, who was dropped for Chanderpaul to make his debut in 1994 at Bourda, told Chanderpaul it was better for him to retire than be dropped but going against Lloyd’s policy, invited the IPL players including his nephew back into West Indies cricket. Many Guyanese, commenting on social media, share the view that the dropping of Shiv was not for only cricketing reasons, but rather an effort to protect Lara’s record by forcing Chanderpaul into retirement. “I would support such opinions because if someone would have played for 21 years and you want him to go off and you know he would have played five Test matches in the Caribbean, at the start of the England tour, I would assume that you should have told him listen ‘you’ve served us for a long time; at the end of this tour we’re considering not selecting you.’ This was not done, and it was admitted by the Selection Panel and the Coach in our meetings in Barbados. Given the strong feelings of the selectors, I do not know what to believe, because I could think that there is more to this than performance,” Sanasie opined.
Thursday May 28, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 33
‘Max’ Persaud beats the field at Vieira, France DDL’s El Dorado Golf Tournament win Masters at Inauguration TT Tournament
FROM LEFT, Manager Larry Wills, Sam Harry, ‘Pur’ Persaud, ‘Max’ Persaud, Alfred Mentore for William Walker, Kishan Bacchus and Troy Cadogan after the presentation.
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armanand ‘Max’ Persaud produced a fascinating golf performance last Saturday at the Lusignan Golf Club as he outstripped the competition, posting a personal best net of 61 off his 20 handicap in the El Dorado 4th Annual golf tournament. The competition saw very keen and exciting play as more than 10 golfers of the day all brought in net scores of 72or less. This is a very encouraging and positive indication that the
competitive play is becoming greater and that players are soon likely to be breaking and setting records. ‘Max’ delightedly expressed, “Considering the weather and ground conditions I had to stay focused. I tried my best not to play too hard to win, because in previous games that affected my play. So I played carefully and without tension, and that gave me a good game.” While the top four best net scorers were 1stParmanand Persaud -
61/20; 2ndPatanjalee ‘Pur’ Persaud – 64/24; 3rdKishan Bacchus – 66/17 and 4thTroy Cadogan 66/24, other very good net scores were returned from Sam Harry 67/11; Haresh Tewari 67/18; S. Ramroop 67/19; David Mohamad 70/17; Kashim Khan 71/9; Fazil Haniff 71/12; Dr Philbert London 71/26; Mike Mangal 72/8; Mahendra Bhagwandin 72/23 and Rabindranath Persaud 72/24. Best Gross (78) was won by Sam Harry and Nearest to the Pin by
William Walker. El Dorado Brand Manager Larry Wills who was, as usual, on hand to congratulate the winners, expressed his appreciation for the support of the 35 golfers who braved the weather conditions and competed so keenly. He also expressed the willingness of DDL - who had been sponsoring golf tournaments for many years at the Lusignan Golf Club, to continue supporting golfing in Guyana through its El Dorado brand.
P & P makes donation to Lodge Secondary School
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Ms. Melinda Sammy, Accounts Executive of P & P Insurance handing over some of the uniforms to Mr. Bishop in the presence of Mr. Bish Panday (left) and other representatives of the school.
& P Insurance recently made a donation of 17 pairs of complete uniforms to Lodge Secondary School to assist in their preparation for the Digicel Inter Secondary Schools Competition. In brief remarks, Mr. Bish Panday, CEO of P&P said he was happy to make the presentation and wished the team every success. In response Mr. Leon Bishop, Sports Coordinator of the school thanked Mr. Panday for the timely gesture in donating to the football team. He assured that the donation will benefit them considerably.
Michael Vieira and Colin France won the 60 years, and 55 years and over categories respectively in the 8th Executive President H.E. David Granger Inauguration Table Tennis Tournament played on Sunday and Tuesday last at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Vieira defeated Bruce Vieira 11-8, 11-7 and 11-5 while Colin France defeated Xenophon Goliah 11-5, 117, 7-11 and 11-07 to win the respective titles. Joint third place went to Patrick Tr i u m p h a n d S h a z a m Amzah, who came from Enmore to play in the competition. France then beat Goliah at 11-3, 11-6 and 11-7 in the 50 years and over final. Joint third place in the category was awarded to Michael Vieira and Gary Pratt. National Mini Cadet (11 years and under) Champion, Kaysan Ninvalle won the “C” Class Open final after defeating Nicholus Romain 13-11, 9-11, 11-5 and 11-9; joint third place was awarded to Terrence Rausch and Keshon Reece. In the semi-finals, Rausch lost to Romain 9-11, 11-7, 7-11, 9-11 (1-3) while Ninvalle defeated Reece 1210, 10-12, 11-7 and 11-8. In the quarterfinals, Rausch defeated Yeudistir Persaud 3-1; Vincente Henry lost to Romain 1-3, Ninvalle defeated Brandon Huston 31 and Isaiah Layne lost to Reece 1-3. In the Last 16, Aneka Phillips lost to Persaud 1-3, Henry defeated Kevin Wi l l i a m s 3 - 0 , H u t s o n defeated Nevaeh Clarkston 3-0 and Layne defeated Abigale Martin 3-0. In the “B” Class Open final, Devon Richmond defeated Xenophon Goliah
Colin France 11-4, 11-3 and 11-5; joint third place went to Priscilla Greaves and Gibran Sarfaraz from Corriverton. In the semi-final, Goliah beat Greaves 11-4, 11-8 and 11 - 9 w h i l e R i c h m o n d defeated Sarfaraz 11-7, 11-8 and 11-7. In the quarterfinals, Goliah defeated Mark Evans 11-9, 11-5 and 11-5 while Terrence Rausch lost to Greaves 11-7, 9 - 11 , 5 - 11 a n d 7 - 11 ; Richmond defeated Kaysan Ninvalle 11-6, 11-6 and 11-4 and Nicholas Romain lost to Sarfaraz 9-11, 11-8, 11-3 and 12-10. In the Last 16, Goliah defeated Jaipaul Chanderpaul of Corriverton 3-0, Keshon Reece lost to Mark Evans 3-1, Rausch defeated Trishan Chanderpaul of Corriverton 3-2, Richmond defeated Brandon Hutson 3-0, Ninvalle defeated Selenas Jackman 3-2, Romain defeated Vishan Harrynauth of Corriverton 3-0 and Samuel Stephens of Corriverton lost to Sarfaraz 3-0. Michael Vieira, Bruce Vieira, Triumph International and Roraima Airways donated the trophies and cups.
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World soccer rocked as top officials HELD IN U.S., SWISS GRAFT CASES
Fifa officials (L to R, from upper row) Rafael Esquivel, Nicolas Leoz, Jeffrey Webb, Jack Warner, Eduardo Li, Eugenio Figueredo and Jose Maria Marin.
SHAMEFUL! Says Lara on Chanderpaul’s omission Brian Lara was quite critical of Shivnarine Chanderpaul being denied the chance sign off on his own terms © AFP
Jack Warner released on multimillion-dollar bail Ex-FIFA vice-president Jack Warner (right) and his son Daryan.
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