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Kaieteur News
Friday May 29, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
Kaieteur News The evidence suggests that these people are 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
No one should be above the law Former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s late but dramatic appearance in Court on Monday last may have thrown his political career into freefall, with no certainty about precisely where it will eventually settle. The consequences are yet to be seen. His absence from the PPP’s Independence celebrations at Port Mourant on the following day could have been as a result of such consequences. In general terms, what transpired in the court on that day is a positive sign for justice in Guyana. Mr. Jagdeo and several other leaders have always seemed indifferent to the justice system. This particular case, however, shows that no one should be above the law and those who are charged must be treated as such. On this occasion, not only did the former president race to the Magistrate’s Court at Whim after the threat of a warrant for his arrest, but he was barred from leaving the country without the permission of the court. In his time as President of Guyana from 1999 to 2011, Mr. Jagdeo wielded enormous power and, for a while, seemed almost invincible or as some will say, superior to everyone. The court in this instance demanded respect and more importantly, emphasised its serious nature. It is a message to all and sundry. It should be pointed out that the Constitution grants immunity to Presidents for acts committed only while in office. The former President, now a private citizen, was summoned to court on a private charge brought by Mr. Christopher Ram. The charge stemmed from comments allegedly made by Mr. Jagdeo in early March at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant. Mr. Ram’s assertion is that the utterances could result in racial or ethnic unrest or hatred among the people. Given that it is an indictable criminal offence, Mr. Jagdeo could face an arduous battle, and if convicted, could face imprisonment and a fine. Like all other cases, there is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. This surely will apply in this case. The fact that such allegations are being made in connection with a citizen who held the esteemed office of President for 12 years is not one of our country’s finest hours, but it will present fresh perspectives. For example, Mr. Jagdeo’s appearance in court has added a new and somewhat unexpected element to the already vibrant politics of this country. As a senior leader of a recognized political force, his standing has suffered a downturn in the eyes of many. In separating truth from fantasy, the reality is that Bharrat Jagdeo’s political stars have been on the wane since the 2011 general election and have deteriorated further in the just concluded campaign. The threat that he had seemed to pose to the David Granger-led APNU+AFC Coalition government following its victory at the polls on May 11, has subsided, with several senior PPP figures preferring to keep their distance. Whether the party’s current leadership will be able to rally around him in the wake of the court developments is left to be seen. If they do not, the party’s rank-and-file and perhaps some of its leaders are likely to head to other political domains. A more intriguing but challenging scenario is that the PPP could find new leadership and re-invent itself without Mr. Jagdeo. But given the extent to which the party has been dependent upon his leadership skills and otherwise, the odds may not favour this. In practical terms, his appearance in Court was a watershed in his political career. Despite his statement that he will not be muzzled by the opposition, Mr. Jagdeo may soon realize that the ties that now bind him to the legal system could effectively diminish his capacity to effectively tackle the new government. The nation may well be witnessing the beginning of the end of one of the most controversial characters in its politics.
bent on stabbing the government in the back DEAR EDITOR, It is the height of lunacy for the David Granger administration to continue keeping these heads of corporations and other government agencies in place when the available evidence suggests that those incumbents are bent on stabbing the government in the back. The Raj Singh utterances make the case for the tippity-toes approach that the APNU-AFC government is practicing to be tempered with pragmatism of the highest order. It is the chairmanship of Singh that aggravated the current state of Guysuco. The entire country is asking what could be the real
reason for Singh saying that the sugar industry workers cannot be paid past Sunday if not to cause anxiety and disruption in the lives of thousands of sugar workers. I read a most self-serving and groveling article emanating from a Guysuco board member where he sought to promote himself in the eyes of the administration. He is the same person who proudly and publicly proclaimed that Bharrat Jagdeo was the best president this country had ever seen. Now to seek to distance himself from the venalities of the past regime is an insult to all rightthinking persons. He is the person who expended
monies to organize a forum called “Friends of Donald” in the lead up to the 2011 general and regional elections. I wonder if he has had the decency to resign all those positions as he claimed he did in the past. The practice of keeping the confidential secretaries and some permanent secretaries is going to come back to haunt this administration. This state of flux creates the impression that the coalition was not really prepared to take over the reins of government Many are the tales of woe to be told of the highhandedness and mendacity of some of these people who
are now being forced to adopt the cloak of professionalism. The same can be said of the police force which needs to be purged if the government is serious about reform. Treading lightly will not work. The Minister of National Security will have to take an approach where he does not listen only to one side on contentious issues, but must wear his lawyer’s cap to enquire into the deep seated reasons for the divisions and antipathy where they exist. We have felt the fresh air of freedom, and we need to separate the wheat from the chaff if we are to keep on breathing. Edmund Syfox
President Granger’s Ministers will perform much better than those in the PPP govt. DEAR EDITOR, Before I get to the real substance of this letter, I would like to just let the public understand that with the demise of the PPP leadership, quite a few people have told me about the opportunities I could have if that leadership is challenged. I would like to make it quite clear to the public that I have committed to the coalition and President Granger and Prime Minister Nagamootoo and I have absolutely no interest in the affairs of the PPP, especially under the dictates of the Gang of 8, who are committed to rendering that party obsolete with their undemocratic, communistic ways. There should be a special congress called and those in the Gang of 8 should be expelled from the PPP through the democratic process , with newer and younger minds placed in the leadership-send Uncle Donald , his boss, the bully and their acolytes packing once and for all-they destroyed Jagan’s legacy. Editor, President G r a n g e r ’s c a b i n e t o f Ministers contains men and women who will perform much better than that of the PPP government. I can guarantee the public that Dr. Roopnarine will perform better than any Education minister under the PPP and as the years in opposition cemented his credentials as a true patriot of Guyana, he will bring to that job, a dedication to our children which will be
unmatched in years to come. Mr. Bulkan, as the Minister of Housing and Local Government and with a business mind-set embedded in his approach, will bring rapid results with good intentions for the Guyanese people and I can assure the public that here is man who is committed to the betterment of all Guyanese; Mr. Scott, my brother and friend, will bring a special dedication to that ministry as deputy minister and will help to make a huge difference . After Mr. Ashni Singh’s malignant fiscal policies which were shrouded in secrecy, the new Finance Minister, Mr. Jordan, is a breath of fresh air and I am convinced that Guyana’s finances will be under tight control and transparent for all to see- I detect that M r. J o r d a n i s a r e a l professional and not, like
Ashni Singh, a wannabee politician. I have always respected Mr. Greenidge and expected him to be Finance Minister-I remember bringing to President Cheddi’s attention a speech Mr. Greenidge made in Islamabad, Pakistan, when he was Finance Minister, in which his presentation was very relevant to investment and trade for Guyana. His elevation to Foreign Affairs is welcome and his demeanour and intelligence will serve him well to gain a great deal for our future prosperity as his emphasis will be on bringing trade and investments to Guyana. Editor, Minister Ramjattan will bring down crime and make Guyana safer for all citizens, I am sure of that; he will bring a new professionalism with good support systems for our
Police Force; he is a much more welcome figure and will command more respect from the ranks than our former minister( who the goat bit real hard) , I am sure of that. Minister Hughes will be an exceptional Minister of Tourism and I know that she recognizes the need to diversify and enlarge our tourism capabilities, especially linking most developments to the private sector; her role in the escalation of our economic expansion will be a positive one , I am sure of that. Dr. Norton, the Minister of Health, is a friend and over many conversations over the years, I can attest to his commitment to the people of Guyana and after the disaster of Bheri Ramsaran, what a breath of fresh air Dr. Norton brings to the this vital (Continued on page 31)
Some heads should roll at NCN, GINA and the Chronicle DEAR EDITOR, I am opposed to any wholesale dismissal of members and supporters of the PPP from the Public Service. There should be no witch-hunting. But there are exceptions in my book-like the State media. Of all the blatant over-reach by the PPP government, the rape of the state media was among the most obscene. But the government could not do what it did at those media without the overt and covert cooperation of the staff,
especially the senior management and editorial leadership. What they did at the Chronicle and NCN was as grievous as the widespread corruption. I do not see how the culture of those media can be fundamentally changed with the same leadership in place. In this regard there should be a change of leadership and policy to administer and reflect an inclusive national agenda for the agencies. I would clean house at
NCN Television and Radio, GINA and the Chronicle. Some heads must roll. The editors must definitely go. So too must the General Managers. The columnists who wrote those nasty columns in the Chronicle must go. Those reporters who blatantly editorialized rather than report the stories must go. The other journalists who allowed themselves to be bullied by the PPP should be read the riot act. David Hinds
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
We could change this culture of littering in the city DEAR EDITOR, A major challenge facing the city of Georgetown is the culture of littering. We use culture deliberately because this current negative environmental action, by some of our citizens, appears to be influenced by it. In spite of the council’s rigid and on-time garbage collection schedule, in all section of the city some citizens seem not to be able to help themselves to keep the environment clean. Therefore, littering has become a way of life for citizens. This culture appears to have spread across all strata of our society. In “well to do areas” as well as poor communities one can see scattered refuse on parapets, and in canals. Empty food boxes, beer or fuzzy drink cans get tossed through the windows of mini-buses as well as posh cars and other vehicles. People who dress in expensive gabs as well as those who wear inexpensive clothes throw the wrappings from their purchase or the peelings from fruits they consume in public onto our pavements and into our street drains. This unfriendly environmental attitude not only contributes to an ugly state of affairs but also encourages a verity of environmental problems. These include, breeding places for mosquitoes and flies, aggressive aquatic growth, and the risk of diseases. Moreover, littering has an enormous impact on the city treasury. The council is forced to clean up parapet and roadside litter on a daily basis. But the money it expends on this could be
used for other developmental works like road repairs, drainage, maternal and child welfare, and other environmental services. Therefore, the culture affects the way Council allocates money to do works in the city of Georgetown. This leads to a serious point on development. This culture of littering influences the way the city develops and grows because this area is likely to receive more attention and resources than others. It is more visible that others and can affect the image more than our day care service. But this service is critical to our working mothers. Yet we must spend more on the negative habits of litterbugs at the expense of other important areas. What is worrying is that as soon as an area is cleared citizens just dump their refuse on it without considering the consequences of their action. So the
process goes on and on. Freshly sanitized areas get dirty as soon as the council’s workers move to another location and a new gang of men must return to do it all over again. Some of these litterbugs shout the loudest that, “the City Council has done and is doing nothing to help the city”. But there is hope. We could change this culture of littering in the city. Here’s how: if all stakeholders begin to take ownership and responsibility for the health of Georgetown then together we can make a significant difference in the way our environment is treated and protected. It really would not take much to effect this change. It calls for respect for the environment. If we could only see the environment as the greatest natural resource from which all other resources came and upon which we depend for our very survival then we
could easily change this negative attitude and see a Georgetown beyond litter. If we could only see that we can forth from the environment then we would appreciate that the environment is a part of us. Therefore, the way we treat the environment is a reflection of the way we value ourselves, our level of pride, and level of understanding of our relationship with our environment. One important group of stakeholders, who can make a significant difference, is media owners. If they take a deliberate decision to put this issue on the front burner of the national agenda then they could help in raising public awareness and consequently encourage citizens’ action. The media has the ability to influence public opinion and action on various societal issues by the way they disseminate information. People need
information to be empowered to act; to become involved and to take decisions on such issues that affect their communities. It is very obvious that this culture of littering is affecting our local communities. However, there is neither a programme nor a feature in our local media that addresses this issue in a frontal and aggressive way on a continuous basis. One can argue that the media are not environmental agencies or environmental organisations therefore they do not have a responsibility to pursue such issues at the expense of others. After all, much more is going on in society. Still, if the environment
is unhealthy and unsafe the media would not be able to do their work effectively because their workers, who live and operate within a filthy environment, would be preoccupied with the heath risk of working in such surroundings rather than focusing on their work. Also, the citizens who purchase the newspapers or watch the news channels would be more concerned about when the environment will be fixed rather than what is (Continued on page 31)
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Friday May 29, 2015
Stolen public assets must be recovered - Dr. Clive Thomas By Kiana Wilburg While the new government, A Partnership for National Unity plus Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) is still settling in, Economist Dr. Clive Thomas, insists that it is of critical importance for attention to be placed on recovering public stolen assets. He said that the “rampant corruption under the 23-year rule of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)” should not be ignored. Dr. Thomas stated that any new government pursuing good governance would seek to recover the nation’s assets, which were mismanaged in “some of the most despicable and corrupt ways.” The economist said if this matter is not dealt with, “we are only leaving the nation to continue on a dangerous precipice.” He emphasized too that the new administration should not fail its attempts to hold those who mismanaged and wounded the economy in so many areas, accountable. Finance Minister Winston Jordan related that he is in support of the points raised by Dr. Thomas and sought to remind that the APNU+AFC administration is determined to be a government of transparency and accountability. He reminded that there are several forensic audits to be conducted to ascertain where assets have been transferred, sold or disposed of illegally. This newspaper understands that these audits are to start very soon,
‘Forensic audits geared to ensure this’ - Finance Minister
Economist, Dr. Clive Thomas before April month end, in fact. Dr. Thomas believes that in the interim, Guyanese will broadly support the view that the newly-elected government should neither misuse nor abuse state power in pursuit of witch-hunts against the PPP/C political leadership. “While I share this view entirely, I am however, equally convinced that this position would not condone a blanket or indeed other pardon for legally proven public corruption, thieving, and plundering o f t h e nation’s wealth over recent decades. “More is at stake in this matter than the political preferences of the new government, which I expect it recognizes. A clear line must be drawn against past illicit/ corrupt behaviours in order to prevent their future repetition,” Dr. Thomas said. He asserted that the corruption that has been taking place in Guyana can be deemed public and not private, because it is based on; fraudulent public procurements contracts,
illegal capital flows, particularly illicit misinvoicing of exports and imports and illicit financial transactions, and an underground economy that is driven principally by criminal endeavours; illegal evasion of taxes; and, regulatory evasion. Dr. Thomas believes that the new administration can make bountiful gains by eradicating certain practices such as the aforementioned. The economist projected that the APNU+AFC government could rake in a modest $21B in total revenues, and another $6B from PetroCaribe savings once illicit siphoning-off practices are halted. “I have also estimated that Guyana can recover almost $333-340 Billion from the areas I cited earlier, but I wish to emphasize that I cannot provide independent valuation of corrupt practices in state enterprises…So the $333-$340B estimation therefore understates the actual size of the pool of annual recoverable stolen public assets. What part of this clearly underestimated pool of stolen public assets might actually be recovered is open to speculation,” he added. The economist noted, however, that the massive scale of corruption in Guyana cannot all be attributed to the PPP/C political leadership. He said that it certainly embraces corrupt state officials and executives of state-owned enterprises, organizations, agencies and other bodies who have accepted bribes, sold influence, and generally pursued rent-seeking behaviour. “Because public corruption has been so widespread, there is a political
dividend available to the new government if, but only if, the APNU+ AFC’s promise of good governance is substantially achieved in the coming years.” He said that this dividend is based on his estimation of popular expectations. Dr. Thomas then proposed a mechanism whereby the newly-elected government could, “at this unique democratic opening,” embark on seeking resources and justice for Guyanese whose national wealth has been stolen by “the greedy” in recent years. He said that this can be done through some simple steps in which the APNU+AFC administration can proceed with a stolen public assets recovery programme. He said that the first step
Finance Minister, Winston Jordan would be to establish a public body dedicated to the initiative for recovering stolen public assets, followed by invoking Guyana’s responsibilities, duties and entitlements under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). That Convention came into force in 2005. Guyana acceded to it in 2008. It states that: “stolen public assets recovery is a fundamental principle of the Convention”.
Further, all 175 UN Members of the Convention have formally agreed to confiscate such assets returning it to the state requesting it, “to send a message to corrupt officials that there will be no place to hide their illicit assets”. Further, Dr. Thomas said that the third step would be for the local body suggested at step one, to formally request assistance technical and otherwise as is available under UNCAC, whose implementation is supported by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNDOC). Given the coalition origins of APNU+AFC, the economist said that for the fourth step, he would recommend that civil society organizations, especially the internationally-affiliated Human Rights Association, the local chapter of Transparency International, the Trades Union Congress, and private sector, be encouraged to participate in the initiative, as presently permitted.
Rice production exceeds first quarter target Rice production has exceeded the first quarter target for 2015 by some 42,000 tonnes, as the country looks set to complete a record breaking first quarter harvest. This is according to General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Jagnarine Singh, who disclosed that the target had been set for 313,000. According to Singh, the year ’s first quarter rice harvest is 94.7% complete, with 355,000 tonnes of rice having already been harvested. Rice production has been at an all-time high since 2013, when the country’s overall
...Expected to break annual record production surpassed 500,000 tonnes (535,212), the first time such a feat had occurred. The year before, 2012, production had peaked at 422,058, thus making the 2013 figure a 27% increase. Last year saw another record production, 633,000 tonnes, surpassing 2013 figures by almost 100,000 tonnes. These dramatic increases in production have been attributed to higher yields than ever and more land being ploughed. Meanwhile, head of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA) Dharamkumar Seeraj expressed optimism that the rice in the system will remain ahead of last year ’s first quarter figure, even as he projected loss of some crops in regions five and six, due to the heavy rainfall. However
harvest was almost complete in the other regions. Floods also struck rice lands on the Essequibo Coast only days ago, forcing Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder to dispatch a team headed by National Drainage and Irrigation (NDIA)’s Lionel Wordsworth in order to alleviate the situation. Over 1000 acres of rice lands between Queenstown and Devonshire Castle were affected by flood waters. Water had apparently accumulated in the backlands and excessive rainfall exacerbated the flood. The Government was subsequently able to confirm that the previous administration did not dredge or desilt the outfall channels in the area during the dry season, compounding the (Continued o page 15)
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
Kamla: It gives me no pleasure
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar chats with Attorney General Garvin Nicholas during Wednesday’s sitting of the Lower House. -Photo: ISHMAEL SALANDY Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar said Wednesday that there is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and this Government will cooperate with the United States authorities as it relates to Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner. “It’s not something that gives anyone any pleasure to see any citizen in this position but we must remember presumption of innocence until proven guilty...due process must take place,” said Persad-Bissessar. She was responding to questions from the media following a tour of the first of 12 Damen vessels bought by the Government for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard at the International Waterfront Centre Wednesday. While the Prime Minister spoke to reporters, Warner
was at the Magistrates’ court where he secured $2.5 million bail. “It gives me no pleasure to have received that news nor to have spoken of it, the matter is now in the hands of law enforcement officers and judicial officers for due process to be observed...we will have to let justice take its course,” said PersadBissessar. Asked how she felt personally given the fact that Warner was once a colleague and member of her Government, Persad-Bissessar said, “I said it gives me no pleasure, absolutely no pleasure.” Questioned on how this controversy impacted on Trinidad and Tobago in the eyes of the international community, Persad-Bissessar said, “Clearly we are not unique in the world because there are 14 other persons
who have been similarly indicted in this matter and related matters.” She said the authorities in this country have been working with the US government for the past couple years on Warner’s matter. “I do believe that we have worked with the US government for the past several years on this matter and others through the Central Authority, Trinidad and Tobago has shown its commitment to the rule of law and in terms of dealing with the issues that arise, allegations of corruption, Trinidad and Tobago has played its part,” she said. Persad-Bissessar said the US indictment charges against Warner do not mean that other investigations are thrown out. “I don’t think that one precludes the other, there are matters that are before the Integrity Commission and elsewhere for investigation, I don’t see one investigation precluding the other or knocking the other out,” she said. Persad-Bissessar, when questioned, said she has no evidence to show that Warner was engaged in any mischief while he served as a government minister. Warner held the posts of Minister of Works and Infrastructure and also Minister of National Security under the People’s Partnership Government. Asked whether this issue would have any impact on the upcoming general election, the Prime Minister responded, “I don’t know, we will have to wait to see, the election date is some distance away and I can’t say, I really can’t say.”
Venezuela, Russia’s Rosneft agree on $14 billion oil, gas investment CARACAS (Reuters) Venezuela and Russia’s top oil producer, Rosneft (ROSN.MM), have agreed on around $14 billion in investment in the South American OPEC country’s oil and gas sector, President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday evening. Maduro said he met with the chief executive of stateowned Rosneft, Igor Sechin, on Wednesday, in the company of PDVSA [PDVSA.UL] President Eulogio del Pino and National Assembly boss and Socialist Party No. 2 Diosdado Cabello. “We had a great meeting and agreed on investment of over $14 billion,” said Maduro during a televised broadcast, adding the funds would go towards doubling Venezuela’s oil production.
Nicolas Maduro PDVSA has formal ambitious targets to double national production to 6 million barrels a day by 2019, with 4
million of that projected to come from the Orinoco Belt, but few industry experts or foreign investors expect those goals to be met. Speaking at a Socialist Party event broadcast on state television, Maduro did not provide a breakdown of the investment plan, and it remained unclear who would fund it. PDVSA and the Venezuelan Oil Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for details. It was not immediately possible to contact Rosneft. Fresh investment would be a boon for cash-strapped Venezuela, which is seeking to ramp up oil output to counter an economic crisis and the recent tumble in oil prices.
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GOOD MANNERS! There was once a war on bad manners. It was not successful. The war ended, and the bad manners raised the flag of victory. Some people simply do not understand what manners are about. There are some persons no matter how many times you try to be courteous their faces always have a sour look. There are some persons who no matter how often you wish them a pleasant day, simply do not reply. Some of them are powerful and their attitude reflects their contempt of others.
It may not always be a case of wanting to not be nice. They may never have grown up in an environment where they saw persons being friendly, kind, considerate or mannerly. All they may have experienced is abuse and rudeness. This is why they do not bother to show basic courtesies. This country is running a deficit when it comes to bad manners. There are far too many persons who simply do not practice good manners. Good manners are not just a sign of refinement. They are the gateway to happiness. By
Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder, on Wednesday visited several affected villages within the Capoey, Windsor Castle, Devonshire Castle and Queenstown areas to ascertain flood damage and to ensure works presently being undertaken by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) are moving apace. During the visit, the Minister who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, George Jervis; Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Lionel Wordsworth; General Manager, Guyana Rice Development Board, Jagnarine Singh, and Chief Executive Officer, National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute, Dr. Oudho Homenauth, met with several affected farmers and got a firsthand look of situation. Over 1000 acres of rice lands have been affected by the flood waters which accumulated in the backlands over the past several days. Excessive rainfall overnight has aggravated the situation. Among the issues raised by farmers included failure to desilt the clogged outfall canal, blocked internal drainage and illegally installation of tube pipes by some farmers which has aided in the farmlands being under water.
“The agriculture sector as a whole has played an integral role in the Guyana’s development and it is of paramount importance to the administration that we maintain food and nutrition security for all…We are working around the clock to ensure that the water recedes and in a timely manner, Minister Holder said. He added that while immediate intervention is been undertaken by the Government through the NDIA, the Cabinet will be looking at a holistic approach - through a long-term plan in having the situation addressed. Two pontoons with excavators were deployed to the Windsor Castle and Capoey areas to desilt the clogged outfall canal which residents stated was neglected by the previous administration. During the visit, engineers along with mobile pumps were deployed to the area and are working around the clock to have the situation return to normalcy. “We will ensure
simply smiling at someone, saying a friendly word or being mannerly, allows you to increase your satisfaction in life many times over. The high level of discourtesy in our country is one of the main reasons why there is so much disrespect. We like to point our fingers at the politicians and suggest how uncouth some of them are, but the vast majority of citizens are no better. If we cannot respect ourselves and others, how can we expect the politicians to respect us? Charity has to begin at
home. We should not expect others to be decent when we are indecent. We have a lot of ignorant people out there who simply do not understand basic courtesies such as holding a door or a chair for someone. We have a great many men who do not get up to give their seat to a woman in a doctor’s waiting room. We have persons who do not say “Good Morning” when they see either a stranger or a friend. They do not greet each other with a friendly smile or comment. Nor do they understand human empathy.
Guyana does not need another war on bad manners. It does not need another dose of condemning those who urinate on the side of the roads, dispose their litter indiscriminately or are illmannered in their speech. What Guyana needs is to promote desirable qualities. Condemnation has not worked. It is time for promotion; promotion of that which is mannerly in society. People have to be taught what basic courtesy is all about. Many of them do not know. Some of them do not even know that they should
make their bed when they arise in the mornings. Many of them walk through their doors and do not greet anyone. A campaign of education is needed to begin to restore some standards. It is nice to clean-up our city, but it would be much better if we can cleanup our manners or rather the lack of it. It would make for a better country.
Agri. Minister inspects emergency works to alleviate E’bo rice farmers’ woes
Agriculture Minister Noel Holder (3rd right) meeting affected Essequibo rice farmers that all possible alternatives are put in place to ensure that we bring relief to farmers….thus far, fixed mobile pumps have been deployed and are working on
a 24- hour basis. However, I implore that you be the watch guard and hold the workers accountable, as you are the ones who stand to benefit,” the Minister said.
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=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Every act of evil had the official stamp of approval The last-minute intervention by Jagdeo’s former common-law wife, Varshnie Singh and Nadira Jagan did not save the PPP from election defeat. Bharrat Jagdeo destroyed the
structure and soul of the PPP. There wasn’t anyone who could have saved the PPP in the 2015 election and if he/she intended to do so, then not only Jagdeo had to be demobilized, but the current
crop of the PPP hierarchy, too, because they had become Jagdeoite. Could the PPP have strategized a victory in 2015? I doubt it, because even though one cannot call it a
Dem boys seh...
Only Jagdeo got rights When people don’t see dem neighbour dem does get worried. People does look especially if dem used to see de person every day. Well that happen at Pradoville Two. People accustom to see Jagdeo wid nuff security guard and dem know that he gun come out de house. Dem see when he come out Monday like a labba flying out he hole. At de time dem didn’t know that he was hustling to court at Whim to avoid getting jail because de magistrate did done announce that she was going to issue an arrest warrant and jail him. De neighbours see when Jagdeo come back from de court Monday afternoon, but now dem worried because dem ain’t see him since then. People start fuh call around; dem call friends and neighbours. De only people dem ain’t call yet is de police. Dem boys seh that people should only worry when dem see crow circling over de house, and if Jagdeo was dead by now de crows woulda been there. De fact is since de magistrate mek he stand up in de dock he get a shock and he shame. He can’t face people. He was de man who use to call de shots. When he tell people jump dem not only used to ask how high, dem use to do de hop, skip and jump. Dem boys realize that he so shame he fail to tun up at de independence rally when Donald did put down he name as de big
speaker. But all ain’t over yet because he got to go back to court. Dem boys hear that he call round and ask people fuh see if dem can drop de charge, but nobody ain’t listen to him. Is things like this that people does try to do good all de time. And talking ‘bout good. When dem other boys been in power no nightspot coulda seh that it had a good night if dem didn’t tun up. Irfaat, Chat-3, Ash Knee, and Jagdeo who does only drink wine and coconut water, use to be present more often than de party people. Now people can’t see dem. But de Chat-3 got an explanation. He issue a statement yesterday. He see de charge against Jagdeo as a violation of Jagdeo constitutional rights. Is de travel ban that hurt dem more than anything else. When Jagdeo lock up Benschop fuh five years de PPP didn’t talk a word ‘bout constitutional rights. When de same Jagdeo government ban some Customs officers from travelling, without charge, nobody didn’t talk about dem people rights. Is only Jagdeo got rights. And de Pee Pee Pee claiming how de new government controlling de courts. Somebody got to be sick. Nuff of dem people in de courts actually vote fuh Donald, suh is joke somebody mekking. Talk half and know that if people don’t see Jagdeo is not because he buy gramoxone.
scientific law, absolute power as a destructor is so inevitable that it is almost a scientific law. No possessor of absolute power can save his/her soul. Total domination of a country by authoritarian elite has inevitable consequences, the most common of which is the loss of realty. The history books are filed with countless examples. Under Mr. Jagdeo’s style of economic development, adopted by Mr. Ramotar, the culture of community politics, which was the fulcrum of PPP’s staying power from the time Jagan lost power in 1964, was abandoned. Jagdeo was the purest of Reaganite economists. He believed that if Guyana was opened up to mega business companies, benefits would trickle down and the poor would be better off. Reaganomics was proven to be a pathetic failure since the late eighties, so that by the time the nineties arrived, Reaganomics was discredited economics. In poor, underdeveloped Guyana, Reaganomics was totally irrelevant. In this approach to economics, both the PPP and Jagdeo were ignominious failures. Community activism suffered because of this reliance on Jagdeo’s approach. The PPP had no time to remain in contact with their grass root constituencies.
By the time the 2015 elections came, the PPP could only rely on people in the villages that were paid to do campaign work. And they were not enthusiastic. I saw that for myself. Speaking at a campaign meeting at Strathavon, in Cane Grove, Mahaica, for the coalition, the PPP put five youths at a bus shed right in front of the podium. They were waving PPP flags. I addressed them directly, enquiring if they didn’t see something wrong with waving flags on a street and in a village that had no lights. They quietly went away. They were probably paid to stand there. This was in stark contrast to parties like the AFC and APNU who attracted people that were willing to do grass root work for free. The abandonment of community interactions is surely not the essential reason the PPP lost the poll. There are deeper explanations, but I mentioned this factor because it showed up graphically during the campaign The PPP lost because it was a party of leaders without soul and humanity. With the exception of Cheddi Jagan, the PPP monarchs, including Janet Jagan, were people devoid of emotions and care. They were politically cruel people. One should not doubt that in their personal lives they were considerate and
Frederick Kissoon love-giving. The history books are replete with details of dictators that were loving parents and spouses. But in the exercise of power, dictators are cruel people. Whatever silly things the Indian supremacists like Aksharananda, Ryhaan Shah, Asgar Ally, Ravi Dev, Ralph Seeram and others believe of the PNC in Burnham days, the PNC hierarchy were people who were inclined to give you a hearing and be stern with bad-behaved ministers. The Hoyte administration was the complete opposite to the PPP tyranny. I have seen more sadistic, mean-spirited, heartless, cruel, de-cultured, Philistine, abusive leaders in the PPP hierarchy, than at any time in the Burnham Government. Why the PPP turned out to be the uncaring, brutal, corrupt elites that ran Guyana into the ground cannot be discussed in one column. Over the coming days I will examine the roots of such political bestialities, but suffice it to say, many of the cruelties, pomposities and vindictiveness were totally unnecessary. The most salient example of the inherent political sadism in the PPP was Ramotar’s open defence of Bheri Ramsaran during an election campaign. Here is a Minister who terribly abused a woman activist saying the nastiest things about her, including getting people to publicly strip her, and in the middle of an election where the president of a country is in a tight race, he goes and defends that Minister. Why would any sane President do a really silly thing like that? The PPP leadership lost its way under Jagdeo, and every evil act by every PPP mandarin and lesser leaders was given the stamp of approval. Commonsense just wasn’t there.
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Carter Centre calls for electoral reform, laws for campaign financing - Maintains there were no major irregularities The Carter Centre yesterday issued a comprehensive preliminary statement which focused on the May 11 General and Regional Elections and measures to ensure smoother future elections even as it maintained that there were no “major” irregularities. In that statement, the Centre called for reform of the elections commission, campaign financing laws and urged political parties in Guyana to reevaluate their structures as their leaders appear out of touch with Guyanese. The Centre also highlighted aspects of the voting process that were commendable as well as those which need improvements. In the area of voting, it was determined that there were no “major” irregularities, polling staff at stations observed were well-trained, and voting progressed with very few technical errors and in a manner that protected the integrity of the vote. As it zeroed in on the counting process, the Carter Centre said that its observers reported that ballot reconciliation and the completion of Statements of Polls (SoPs) generally adhered to procedures in polling stations visited, and party agents and citizen observers were invited to sign and receive copies of the
results. However, the atmosphere during the counting period became anxious in some areas of the country, and several incidents were reported in Georgetown, where crowds gathered around polling stations, which contributed to a delay in the transfer of some electoral materials and processing of results. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the police coordinated a response to facilitate the transfer of materials. RECOMMENDATIONS TO GECOM In its recommendations to the GECOM, the Centre urged that complete data be made available as quickly as possible regarding results at the polling-station level. “This is a recognized international best practice that can enhance public confidence in the process and its outcome.” The observer mission also said that GECOM should seek to build confidence in the voters’ list. It suggested that GECOM, the registrar, and other departments of the
government of Guyana should exchange accurate and complete information that will enable removal of the deceased from the voters’ list. Also, GECOM was advised that it should take steps to allow an independent audit of the voters’ list. With regards to the tabulation process, the Carter Centre said that while it is thorough, the slow pace of the process creates a vacuum of information that fuels suspicion and mistrust. “Guyana should consider a full review of tabulation
procedures, possibly including steps such as a double-blind data-entry system to enhance accuracy and confidence. Improved tabulation procedures and timely dissemination of information will increase trust in the overall process.” The observer mission said that future elections in Guyana should see improved accessibility for voters with disabilities, as many polling stations are difficult for voters with disabilities to access, requiring persons to navigate stairs, bridges, or narrow
passageways. The Centre also said that GECOM should seek to ensure that citizens can cast their ballot in a neutral environment and move away from using private properties as polling stations. In addition, it was noted that GECOM needs to review its policy on access to information and on the openness of GECOM commissioners’ meetings. “Ideally these should be open to media and observers. In any case, agendas should be published well in advance and decisions should be made public.” RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT The Carter Centre also made a number of recommendations to the government. First on the list was the need for Election administration reform. The observer mission said that Guyana needs to
consider reforms that would reduce the politicized composition of GECOM and move toward an election management body with a structure, composition, and operations that are more consistent with international good practice and obligations, ensuring the independence and impartiality of the election management body. Also, the Carter Centre said that there is a need for the consolidation of the electoral law. “The consolidation of existing electoral law, which at present has to be established across a plethora of legal instruments, would enhance both the clarity and the certainty of the legal rules. In addition, the laws of Guyana, including those that pertain to elections, should be made more readily available and easily accessible to citizens.” Further, the Centre (Continued on page 12)
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Kaieteur News
Hot oil on husband lands woman in court Twenty-nine year-old Onica Gilead of Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice, appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs Marcus in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court yesterday on a charge of attempted murder. According to the charge read by Prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Sheriff, the accused on Sunday last, at Sisters Village, wounded Osmond Gilead
with intent to murder him by dousing him with hot oil from a kaharee (aluminum cooking pot). She was subsequently granted bail in the sum of $65,000 and the matter will continue on June 16 at the Sisters Magistrate’s Court where the case has been transferred to. Onica Gilead is being represented by attorney at law Charrandas Persaud.
Carter Centre calls for electoral...
Onica Gilead
Canje man remanded on robbery with violence charge A man who was allegedly nabbed by police following a lively chase in Canje, Berbice, has been remanded to jail on a charge of Robbery with violence. Alex Beepat, 19, of Sheet Anchor, East Canje, Berbice and Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, yesterday appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs Marcus at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court on the aforementioned charge. Prosecuting Sergeant Phillip Sheriff told the court that Beepat on Sunday last,
at Fort Ordnance Housing Scheme, East Canje, Berbice, while being in company of others, robbed Somattie Sayarange of $300,000. During the time of the robbery he used personal violence against her. Beepat was refused bail and remanded to jail until June 22. The police had responded in a timely manner after being informed about the robbery which occurred around 13:30 hrs and while scouring the area the cops spotted some men fitting the description of the bandits. As the police made advances towards the suspects the men made a run for it with the lawmen in hot pursuit. Beepat was
Friday May 29, 2015
REMANDED: Alex Beepat reportedly captured in the vicinity of the Canje Bridge while his two colleagues managed to escape.
From page 11 said that consideration should be given to electoral reform efforts that would ensure candidate placement on party lists is fixed, increasing the links between citizens and elected officials and strengthening Guyana’s democratic foundations. Consideration should also be given to ensuring that party lists are “zippered” so that women and men are listed alternately on the list. The observer mission also recommended that Guyana should reconsider the barring of independent candidates from standing for office, “as it undermines international commitments on the freedom of association and the right to stand for elections. Consideration should be given to amending Article 156 of the constitution that gives political parties the power to remove a member of the National Assembly if they no longer support the party, which limits the freedom of association.” The Centre said that consideration should be given to ensuring that political party agents and domestic observers are able to play their critical roles in increasing the transparency of the electoral process without sacrificing their right to vote when they are stationed at polls where they are not on the voters’ list. To this end, it was recommended that reform should focus on allowing agents to vote in the polling stations where they are deployed. With regards to campaign financing, the Centre said that legislation should be established to introduce
greater transparency into the sources of funding of political parties through reforms such as requiring disclosure of sources, “not just in the context of elections; establishing party finance regulations with clear, rigorous, and enforceable regulations for reporting; requiring electoral contestants to make reports on their campaign expenditures publicly available, with strong penalties for those who do not comply with regulations. In addition, Guyana should consider establishing and enforcing realistic limits on campaign expenditures to help promote equity and avoid inequalities in access to resources, which undermine the democratic process.” The government was also asked to consider establishing a formal process for the registration and regulation of political parties to ensure greater transparency and integrity. The Carter Centre said that while a code of conduct for political parties exists, the timeframe for its execution does little to improve the overall campaign environment. “Unfortunately, the code of conduct was not signed until less than two weeks before Election Day, and more than two weeks after nomination day, limiting its ability to play a role during the majority of the campaign period. In future elections, the Code of Conduct for Political Parties should be signed much earlier in the process, and it should include a clear and strong enforcement mechanism.” Further, it was noted that, “The distribution of electors per regional seat in the general elections is unequal. All districts deviate from the
average of person-per-seat by more than 15 percent, a maximum advised by international best practice. The Carter Centre recommends that the parliament amend legislation to address inequalities in geographical constituencies to ensure greater respect for the obligation of equal suffrage. In any case, the apportionment of the seats to the regions should be based on the latest available population statistics.” RECOMMENDATIONS TO POLITICAL PARTIES The Carter Centre said that Guyana “must move beyond divisive politics, and its parties must find a way to work together constructively for the good of the country. While the political system enables a vigilant and energetic opposition, there must be a level of strategic cooperation to ensure that the state can perform its basic functions and regular local government elections can be held. The institutions of the state should not be held hostage to continuing cycles of inter-party conflict.” The body also recommended that political parties reevaluate their structure to ensure that they are well positioned to play their role in representing their supporters in government. It said that political party leaders appear out of touch with many Guyanese, limiting the effectiveness of the political elite in representing Guyana’s citizenry. “All parties should strengthen their internal democracy and make their operating procedures more transparent.” Carter Centre staff and observers remain in Guyana and continue to consult with stakeholders and observe the post-election environment.
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
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$6M in seized liquor Christopher Ram is new disappears from GRA bond Bar Association President The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) yesterday said that it is peeved at the disappearance of approximately $6M worth of foreign liquor from its Eccles Warehouse Facility. This discovery was made by officers of the Agency’s Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LEID) during a routine inventory exercise, which led to the immediate launching of an investigation on May 13, 2015. As a result of the discovery, surveillance footage was reviewed and this revealed that officers of the security firm contracted to provide 24-hour security to the warehouse were very
- Private security implicated much involved, the tax agency said. “In light of this the GRA has since provided copies of the recording to the management of the private security firm and has indicated to them that they are being held culpable. Additionally, the matter has been reported to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for further investigation and the subsequent institution of criminal charges.” M e a n w h i l e , Commissioner General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur, has assured that the agency will spare no effort bringing
perpetrators to justice. He noted that the agency had previously installed a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring system to safeguard against such incidents and this had significantly aided the investigation. “From all indications, this incident was orchestrated utilizing the cloak of darkness in an effort to avoid detection of the activity and the identification of the perpetrators. Preliminary investigations have revealed that no current employee of the GRA is involved in this incident.”
Guyanese woman nabbed with cocaine at South Africa airport South African Revenue Services (SARS) officials have seized cocaine worth R2,8 million at OR Tambo International Airport, it announced on Thursday. In a statement, SARS spokesperson Luther Lebelo said: “SARS discovered close to 10kg of cocaine hidden in 10 handbags in a false compartment of a passenger ’s luggage on Monday 25 May 2015. “Customs officers stopped a Guyanese female passenger who had disembarked at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg in transit from Sao Paolo to Maputo. The passenger was brought to the
search area where her luggage was removed from the transit flight and searched. “During inspection, cocaine weighing 9.985kg, valued at R2 872 684, was found concealed in 10 handbags in a false compartment of her luggage. The passenger was handed over to the SAPS for further investigation.” SARS said that during the 2014/2015 financial year there had been eight incidents at ORTIA where the modus operandi was using handbags to conceal narcotics. The weight of the seizures varied, with the lowest being 2.895kg and the highest 16.82kg. This
concealment method allowed for smugglers to attempt to bring in large quantities, as opposed to swallowers and those that use body wraps, it said. “Regardless of the smugglers’ attempts to deceive Customs by concealing narcotics in handbags, vigilant and alert customs officials continue to intercept suspects using such concealment methods,” Lebelo said. “SARS will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that illicit substances, such as narcotics, are prevented from entering or leaving our country.” (citizen.co.za)
Brazilian slapped with attempted murder charge A Brazilian miner was remanded on an attempted murder charge, when he made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Ivor Nascimento De Costa was not required to plead to the charge which stated that on May 27, at Black Water Backdam, with intent to murder, he wounded Rondel Wellington. The charge was read to De Costa by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry. Prosecutor, Police Corporal Bharrat Mangru, who objected to bail, argued that the defendant is a flight risk because he has no ties to Guyana. The request was upheld and the accused was remanded to prison until June 12. The matter was transferred to the Kamarang Magistrate’s Courts. Meanwhile, a Mon Repos maid accused of stealing
Ivor Nascimento De Costa millions in cash and jewellery from her employer was released on $100,000 bail by Magistrate SewnarineBeharry. Yvette Sookraj, 40, of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara denied the allegation which stated between May 13 and May 25, she stole $2.9M in Guyana currency, a large quantity of US dollars, two gold chains and one gold ring,
all totaling $5M – the property of Basil Dial. Police Corporal Shawn Gonsalves told the court that on May 13, at around 20:00 hrs, Dial secured his valuables and left his premises. When he returned he made checks for the items and noticed that they were missing. The matter was reported and an investigation was launched. Sookraj, who worked with Dial for over eight years, was summoned by the police to visit the station. While there, checks were made on her person and $100,000 fell out of her purse. But the jewellery was not recovered. Since the prosecution had no objections to bail, the mother of two was ordered to lodge her passport and report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) every Friday. The matter will be called again on June 19.
The Guyana Bar Association (GBA) held its Annual General Meeting last Friday, May 20, 2015 where a new Executive Council was elected for the fiscal year 2015/2016. Those chosen to serve for the aforementioned period are as follows: President: Mr. Christopher Ram; Vice Presidents: Ms. Abiola Wong-Innis and Mr. Mark Waldron; Secretary: Ms. Sadie Amin; Treasurer: Mr. Mohamed Ali; Assistant Secretary: Ms. Natasha Vieira; Committee Members: Mr. Ronald Burch-Smith; Mr. Teni Housty; Mr. Glenn Hanoman; Ms. Ramona Rookhum; Ms. Keshia Chase and Ms. Tanicia Daniels. The outgoing Executive Council presented various reports which were endorsed and accepted by the membership present. These included the reports of the president, secretary, treasurer and auditors. Demitting president, Mr. Ronald Burch-Smith spoke on the efforts of Guyana (as a member of the Council of Legal Education) to bring some amount of certainty on the issue of Guyanese law students and admission to the Hugh Wooding Law School; engagements with former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Anil Nandlall on a range of issues affecting the fraternity and the public and other aspects of the GBA’s continuing work as set out in its mandate. Incoming president, Mr. Christopher Ram thanked Mr. Burch-Smith for his
leadership over the last two years at the helm and the commendable achievements of the previous Bar Council. Mr. Ram said that the dwindling membership of the GBA is an immediate challenge of the new executive. He noted that, as is customary, the new Bar Council would meet with newly appointed Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Basil Williams, to discuss a substantive agenda of issues and legislation to be pursued by the government and the role of the association in those efforts. Mr. Ram also thanked the membership for reposing their confidence in him and the new executives for the continued stewardship and leadership of the GBA. In a planning meeting held on Monday, the new team came up with a menu of measures to further the work and visibility of the association, which includes adequate representation on entities that the GBA has representatives; more collaboration with local law
New Bar Association president, Christopher Ram students and the Faculty of Law of the University of Guyana, its sister association, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, regional and international bar associations and other stakeholders; continued publication of law journals, meaningful interaction with the Senior Bar and mentoring of junior attorneys-at-law. The new president has held several positions on previous bar councils in addition to his years of being a respected chartered accountant.
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Friday May 29, 2015
No corruption will be tolerated - Ministers caution Housing staffers Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, has urged senior officers of the Department of Housing to execute their professional duties with integrity and impartiality. The minister made the call during an introductory meeting held Monday at the Department’s boardroom. Also in attendance at the meeting was Junior Minister of Communities, Keith Scott, who has direct responsibilities for housing. Bulkan informed staff members that the rebranded Ministry comprises four sections - Department of Water Supply, Department of Housing, Department of Local Government and Department of Regional Development. He explained that the rationale behind the creation of the new ministry is to focus on the quality of life of residents as opposed to the mere provision of a house lot or a house. According to the
Minister, new President, David Granger, is pushing for strong central and strong local governments. He added that Guyana is too large to be effectively or efficiently managed from the centre, and highlighted the importance of meaningfully engaging the local democratic organs - 10 regional democratic councils, six municipalities and 65 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils. As a matter of fact, the ministry in a statement yesterday pointed out that President Granger has committed that his administration will be “for all Guyanese, regardless of their race, religion, creed or political affiliation”. Bulkan made it clear that he will execute his duties without malice and emphasized that accountability and transparency would be the new order of the day. Assuring officers of their freedom to be professionals, he noted that staff would be
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan (backing camera, at centre); Junior Minister of Communities, Keith Scott (to Bulkan’s immediate right), Permanent Secretary, Emil McGarrell (to Bulkan’s immediate left) at a meeting with senior officers of the Department of Housing. promoted based on performance, experience and expertise, and not on party loyalty. “As public servants I want you to bear in mind that we are here as servants to the people…and we have to follow certain guidelines,” Bulkan stated. Providing a synopsis of President Granger’s recent
charge to the country’s most senior public servants, Bulkan said the public service will be the engine to bring development to Guyana. He explained that public servants have to address the growing inequity and inequality in society. Moreover, they must be responsive to the needs of the people as well as resourceful, relevant and reliable. Bulkan stressed that public servants cannot be politicians and pointed out the need for administrative neutrality and devotion to their job and duties. He noted that they must give impartial advice. He added that the central focus of public servants must be to serve the people. The Minister recalled that President Granger has acknowledged that public servants need to be paid better, have better working conditions, and have permanency rather than contract employment. Emphasising his nononsense approach to corruption, he quoted President Granger who said that “the public service needs
reform and that the public must come to regard the public service as unbribable.” The new administration will work to uproot graft from the public servants and those guilty of this will not have a place there. According to Minister Scott, during the Tenth Parliament the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) exposed areas where corruption flourished. He assured officers that under his leadership there will be no reason to hide the facts or be worried when answering questions posed by the PAC. He emphasised that corruption will not be tolerated. “Once you are engaged in corruption we have no choice but to remove you from our midst,” Scott stressed. He assured officers that there will be no political interference in the execution of their professional jobs and duties. He believes that senior officers of the Department of Housing, who are qualified professionals, would now be able to enjoy freedom in articulating ideas and
executing their duties. According to the Minister, A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change’s Manifesto provides scope for the development of careers for the staff of the Department of Housing. He said Government envisages “self-contained communities” which will see an exciting new phase of development in Guyana. Scott emphasized that the Administration sees itself on the side of the professional and wants to achieve set goals to better the lives of Guyanese. He expressed hope that these goals would be accomplished within the next five years. There have been persistent rumors leading up to the last elections of citizens paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to acquire house lots. Also, scrutiny has been intense on large plots of lands given out under unclear circumstances to private developers while 10,000 house lot applications are reportedly still on file. Many persons have been complaining about waiting for years.
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
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GuySuCo’s board must say goodbye for gross incompetence – PM
GuySuCo’s CEO, Dr. Rajendra Singh
Chairman, Shaik Baksh
Board Member, Geeta Singh-Knight
Board Member, Badri Persaud
Board Member, Keith Burrowes
Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo
Optimism is now nonexistent in relation to the Board of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). The mounting accusations of incompetence were surely not enough to awaken it from the “twilight zone” it had dug itself into while the sugar industry floundered. Its end will be swift under the new administration. Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, yesterday told Kaieteur News that the Board will have to say its grand farewell within a few days for such levels of gross incompetence. “As far as I am aware, the board is supposed to be gone by month end, but surely the sugar industry cannot go on with this board. It will be gone. That is certain.” Nagamootoo, also the Minister of Information, emphasized that the coalition Government, A Partnership for National Unity plus the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), will ensure that everything will be done to keep sugar “alive and well” and floating above the sea of bankruptcy. He vowed to turn the fortunes around. Nagamootoo argued that the sugar industry has been badly injured by poor financial management, ill-
informed investment decisions, conflict of interest and corruption at the point of procurement. He opined, too, that the roots of these problems lie at the interface of its Board of Directors and Management. Earlier this week, GuySuCo claimed that it has no money to pay junior and senior staffers for this month and will be forced to close the industry by Sunday, unless it finds some. According to a joint statement titled “GuySuCo may cease operations”, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) said that they were informed at a meeting Monday by GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Rajendra Singh, that the company was unable to pay staffers for this month. Also present at the meeting, the two unions said, were members of GuySuCo’s Industrial Relations Department. “Further, Dr. Singh indicated that the corporation might have to cease its operations on all estates with effect from (Sunday) May 31,
2015 unless funding to the corporation becomes available within a few days. Should the Corporation cease its operations, the CEO explained all employees – waged and salaried – except security personnel would not be provided with work from (Sunday) May 31, 2015.” The CEO also advised the unions that the Government has been apprised of the situation. The unions said that it believes that the ceasing of operations by the corporation would further jeopardize the state of the industry and impact negatively on some 16,000 workers of the industry. The two unions urged for Government to take action at this crucial time. Shaik Baksh, a former education minister, was appointed as GuySuCo’s new Chairman while several past members were retained under the previous administration, the People’s Progressive Party. Some of those who were retained include Dr. Dindyal Permaul, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA); Keith Burrowes, Executive Chairman, Board of Directors,
Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest); Badri Persaud, Managing Director, Guyana Oil (Guyoil) and Geeta SinghKnight. The Prime Minister said that it is absolutely clear that the CEO, Baksh and its old members cannot do much, if anything, to improve the company’s performance. The APNU faction of the coalition had previously criticized the composition of the board while it was in Opposition, saying that if one seriously considers the poor
performance of the past members and the ‘questionable’ history of its new Chairman, then the supposedly new team could in no way be seen as credible enough to ensure the revival of the ailing state-owned company. The partnership had lashed out at Baksh’s appointment, saying that he was too closely associated with some major corruption scandals to be credible as a change agent for the kind of new directions needed by
GuySuCo. In similar vein, Geeta Singh-Knight, APNU said, had said presided over the collapse of the Colonial Life Insurance Company (CLICO) Guyana. Keith Burrowes was also bashed by the new administration for an unwillingness to provide answers about the role of the investment company in relation to lucrative concessions received by Chinese-owned Bai Shan Lin, among other companies.
Sole -sourcing must be a thing of the past - New Health Minister
Rice production exceeds... (From page 6) excessive silt. In addition there were several sluices that were not fully operational. Of the eight sluices in the area, only two, located at Anna Regina and La Union, were reportedly working satisfactorily. Seeraj also revealed that a number of millers still had outstanding payments, across all the regions, a situation that led to a series of protests from farmers in Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast and Black Bush Polder earlier in the year. However, Seeraj was able
to confirm that exports to Venezuela, under the Petro Caribe deal, as well as exports to the Caribbean, European and Central American market,
were going on apace, in fact exceeding last year’s exportation figures in the same time span. (Jarryl Bryan)
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Kaieteur News
Remanded Agricola robbery suspect attempts court escape ...while handcuffed
There was drama at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday when one of two men accused of robbery attempted to escape after he was remanded. The would-be fugitive, Jermaine Daly, was about to be escorted to the holding cell, when he sprinted to the back of the court and made a futile attempt to mount the high barbed-wire fence. The attempt understandably failed, as his hands were in cuffs behind his back. The man then ran to the Brickdam entrance of the court, where he was swarmed by policemen. He was quickly apprehended and placed in the holding area, where he was heard saying “I going in jail fuh something me ain’t do”. Daly and another man were yesterday refused bail on a simple larceny charge, when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry Daly, 22, of Albouystown and Akeem Charles, 20, both pleaded not guilty to two robbery charges that were read to them by. Particulars of the first charge stated that on May 25, at Agricola, they robbed Bibi Raziah of one shoulder bag, one purse, $35,000 cash, a GBTI bank card, Western Union card along with other items, all totaling $40,000. The second charge alleged that on the same day at Agricola, the defendants in the company of others robbed Bibi Khan of one gold chain valued $80,000. Police Corporal Shawn Gonsalves told the court that
Jermaine Daly
Akeem Charles
on the day in question, at about 10:45hrs, the two victims joined a route 42 minibus destined for Georgetown. He explained that the defendants joined the minibus and requested to stop at Flour Mill Road. When the bus stopped, Daly dealt Raziah several cuffs to her face and mouth, while Charles relieved Khan of her shoulder bag. A report was made to the Agricola Police Outpost by the bus driver. Upon receiving the report, the police went on a mobile patrol in Agricola, during which the driver of the bus positively identified the two accused. The men were also identified by the victims and some of the articles were found in their possession. The prosecutor successfully opposed bail. He cited the seriousness and
prevalence of the offence, and also argued that the men may not return to court to stand trial should they be granted pre-trial liberty. When asked by the magistrate if they had any matters before the court of a similar nature, Charles responded in the negative. However, Daly explained that he was charged before for simple larceny, at the Providence Magistrate’s Court but the matter was dismissed. Daly pleaded with the magistrate to release him on bail because he has a child. The visibly shaken man explained to the court that he was at work when the alleged robbery took place. As Daly spoke in a stuttering manner, he claimed that the police came to his work place and arrested him. He also alleged that at the time of his arrest, an officer, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, pointed a gun to his face. The matter was then adjourned until June 12, for statements. It was then that Daly tried to head for his freedom.
Friday May 29, 2015
New Gov’t not seeking handouts, current focus is on policy By Abena Rockcliffe As the foundation is being laid for the building of a working relationship between the Governments of Guyana and the United States of America, the focus of the new administration seems to be on policies as opposed to assistance. This is according to the United States Embassy Charge’ d´Affaires, Bryan Hunt who described the government’s poise, at this time, as “a very good sign”. Hunt said this during an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News at the US Embassy yesterday. The envoy was asked to give insight into some of the appeals made by the governing A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) during the meetings he had with the coalition’s numerous government ministers. Hunt confirmed that he met with President David Granger, his senior staff, as well as many government ministers, and “the Granger government is not standing
- U.S. Envoy there waiting for or seeking hand outs.” He added, “They are not asking can you please give us this, can you please give us that; what they want to talk about is policy.” The diplomat said that his meetings with the Granger administration were centred on the government’s vision for Guyana “where they think Guyana is going to go and where they believe Guyana can play a constructive role in the international community. So it wouldn’t be fair to the government to give the impression that they are asking for anything, because they are not.” Hunt said that the government is currently having a “very mature” dialogue on foreign relations, which is done with an aim of highlighting shared interests. He also noted, “We are talking about where they believe they want to change Guyanese policy. They are seeking out the international community’s view on what
U.S. Embassy Charge’ d´ Affaires, Brian Hunt they might do that will be helpful, broadly, in our shared objectives.” The Charge’ d´ Affaires offered kudos to the new administration as he said “I think they have conducted themselves so far in a very mature, very professional manner.” He said that the composure of the new government signals well for the future foreign relationship not just with the United States of America but with the broader international community.
Credit union demands GuySuCo stop deductions after owed $154M A major credit union of the cash-strapped Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has demanded that the state-owned company cease making deductions after it (the union) ended up being owed over $150M. According to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union Cooperative Credit Union Society, it has suspended activities with GuySuCo. As at the end of April, 2015, the corporation failed to remit some $154M which represents workers’ savings for five months. “GuySuCo promised to the Credit Union some payments not later than the third week of this month (May, 2015) but same did not materialize,” the credit union said. GuySuCo cannot make any deductions after May 30. The failure has breached an existing agreement in place by the credit union and GuySuCo. “The credit union is now unable to continue to facilitate savers’ withdrawals in the light of the nonpayment of the workers’
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
savings by the Corporation in accordance with the relevant agreement. Additionally, the credit union has taken consideration of the fact that it is now unable to secure further loans to satisfy savers’ withdrawals.” According to the credit union, the sad decision, if it is not urgently redressed by the corporation will cause the jobs of its employees to be in jeopardy. “The credit union, therefore, looks forward to receiving as early as possible from the Corporation the workers’ outstanding savings so that its dependable services to thousands of sugar workers would resume as early as possible.” This latest situation would continue to put even more pressure on the GuySuCo, its board and management because of a cash situation. Earlier this week, GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Rajendra Singh, reportedly told unions that it had no cash to pay junior and senior staffers for this month. If no cash injection comes by Sunday, GuySuCo will be forced to close its estates in Berbice and Demerara, the CEO told unions. However, the executive has found himself in hot water. He reportedly met with the new Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, on Monday, but
did not tell the minister about the cash situation. Rather, the minister was handed a document with a large number of pages. The CEO has been under pressure for the falling production at GuySuCo. GuySuCo in addition to falling short of the first crop target of 86,000 tonnes by 5,000 tonnes, has been depending on each crop to cover expenses. It recently sold out its Wartsila generation set at the troubled new Skeldon factory to the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) for US$30M to raise cash. It reportedly received US$9M and used that money to cover expenses in the recent crop. According to GuySuCo officials, the corporation was hoping to get the remaining US$21M, but this has not been forthcoming, purportedly because of the elections and other factors. GuySuCo owes loans to local and international banks and has been given a reprieve on tax payments to the Guyana Revenue Authority. It also reportedly owes more than $1B to the National Insurance Scheme for deductions made from its 16,000-plus workers. Sugar is the third largest foreign currency earner for Guyana and was a hot button topic in the lead-up to the recent elections.
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Wazeed Manjoor: A proud Guyanese ambassador \He made headlines in March during the opening of a US multi-million dollar company in Providence, and received accolades from the former President, Donald Ramotar, who described him as the quintessential Ambassador. Despite this, Wazeed Manjoor remains a humble taxi driver based at the country’s main port of entry – the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. What’s interesting to note is that Manjoor’s professionalism and accommodating attitude enabled a significant investment in Guyana. His assistance to Alejandra Romero, a Qualfon Executive, in 2004 paved the way for a US $4M Call Centre Campus constructed in Providence,
East Coast of Demerara (E.C.D) which was opened on March 27, 2015. The company will employ over 3,000 Guyanese. “To be honest I was surprised at the recognition I received. I saw a young woman who could not access any cash because we had no ATM then. I offered to take her to her destination knowing that there was a possibility I may not have been paid. My thought was this could have been a relative of mine in another country,” Mr. Manjoor told CJIA’s Public Relations Officer (PRO). “What I did for her, is something I would do for anyone.” However, his deed was highly appreciated. Apart from an established friendship, the 59 year-old
fondly called ‘Waja’ has secured an exclusive contract with the company. Being a familiar face at CJIA since 1980, Manjoor’s first few years were challenging since “he was a new kid on the block.” But over time, his reputation has preceded him with a number of international companies seeking his services. “The secret to getting clients is quite simple – a smile. That has been my motto from the inception. Passengers may disembark an aircraft irritable. A friendly face and a good conversation can change all that,” the veteran driver explained. A comfortable journey to his client (s) destination is also top on Mr. Manjoor’s list. He currently uses a 19-seater Pitbull equipped with maps,
Taxpayers can now check status of licence transactions online
Taxpayers can now check the status of their licence transactions online. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is appealing to taxpayers for more use of its online facilities. The call came as the agency announces the introduction of another online facility for taxpayers one which allows them to check on the status of their licence transactions through the agency’s website. To access this service, the taxpayer simply visits the agency’s website www.gra.gov.gy, click on the Licence Transaction Checker link, enter their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the last six digits of the transaction number found on the lodgment slip. “This allows them to login and see the status of their transaction. The facility also provides applicants with an email notification of their transactions status, provided that the applicant has supplied the agency with an active email address. Taxpayers can check the status of transactions for Trade and Miscellaneous Licences, Motor Vehicle, Driver’s, Hire Car, Conductor and Provisional Driver’s
Licences, and updates to the Licence Transaction Checker are made every fifteen (15) minutes,” GRA said. Additionally, there is the Customs Declaration Checker which allows Customs House brokers and importers to check the status of their Customs Declarations Forms C72. Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur, according to GRA, spoke of the importance of these new facilities. “Can you imagine the benefit to the taxpayers of having these services at their disposal; they would not have to come down to this busy area any longer to find
out if a document is ready or to be notified of the status of a transaction”. He further noted that the technology allows the GRA to bring its services to the taxpayer’s fingertips. “The taxpayer can literally sit at home or at the office and go online and access these services; it makes life much simpler for our taxpayers”. GRA stressed that the new system brings greater transparency to the process and removes the perception of preferential treatment being given to some individuals. The Licence Transaction Checker was developed by the agency’s Information Technology Division.
an assortment of tablets, bottled water and locally manufactured candies. “I ensure I replenish when the stocks go down,” he continued with a laugh. “But seriously, I take pride in what I do. It’s a service we pledged the management of the CJIA to provide at the highest level. It is a pledge I will always upkeep.” Manjoor felt a sense of pride when then President Ramotar called him a true Ambassador. He believes that all Guyanese must play a part in the tourism/hospitality sector. “It is a known fact that Guyanese are hospitable. We just have to keep up that momentum,” he posited. The father of two has no immediate plans to retire, since he is blessed with good health. “I don’t drink or smoke. I can safely say I am a very disciplined individual who takes his job seriously,” Manjoor disclosed. As he continues to ply his trade every day, Manjoor is pleased with the progress made at CJIA, and is supportive of the CJIA expansion project. “The number of passengers that pass through the airport has increased and I personally think that a new
Wazeed Manjoor
airport will position Guyana in a positive light,” he added. For his fellow colleagues, Manjoor is of the view that being polite, considerate,
mannerly, and being a good listener are the key ingredients of being a successful CJIA’s Taxi Driver. (A CJIA feature)
Page 30
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Advertisements; Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206 Your Dream Yard Today! Stunning designs, Assortment, colourful plant choices, Professional Landscapers Tel: 219-0468/ 648-1821 Balloon decorating for birthdays, weddings, anniversary etc, make your event extra special! Tel Maya: 642-6664 R E PA I R S AT L O W COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS - CALL: 6294946 OR 225-4822 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building visadocumentsgy@yahoo.comCall: 225-6496, 662-6045 Mahadeo Construction for all construction, carpentry, masonry, pluming, painting etc. Free estimates and plan Contact # 669-7376 Eagle’s fridge re-gas - $8,000 & washing machine repairs. Phone: 697-2969, 646-0966 MASSAGE Relaxing Massage ServiceTel:674-8147
EDUCATION Super Deal for CXC 2015 Students: 9 Course in Computer studies -$30,000 @ Micrographics –Tel: 264-3057 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
Kaieteur News
WANTED 1 Maid, 40years and older to work in SurinameContact: (+597) 322-5442; (+597) 651-6666 Live in waitress between ages 18-25yrs- $60,000 monthly, boarding & lodging free. Tel: 610-3974 Female worker wanted sound secondary education, computer literate- Tel: 612-1607 Farm workers male only – 3045 years old –Call: 265-3586 1 Mechanic to work in the Interior must know about Cummings & Perkins Engine. Tel: 691-6260
FOR RENT
SALON
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 1 complete House @ 5th Field Cummings Lodge, 1-2 bottom flat @ 99 CC Eccles – Contact:625-2685
Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
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: 663-1876 Five bedrooms house, 107 Lamaha Gardens & Large Parking; AC Rooms Hot & Cold, Purified Water System – Call: 661-8908, 335-3590
PROPERTY FOR SALE Residential lots ad houses for sale at Eccles, E.B.D $7.5M. Tel:592-227-2913 or 689-3033
Unfurnished 1 bedroom apartment with AC & washing machine $50,000 in Granville Park ECD Call: 681-3660
Two story concrete and wooden business pace located at 35 Ketley and Howes Street Georgetown. Tel: 623-9679
Need an advisor to help with setting up a new Private School, email details to mozatart@yahoo.com
Two bedrooms apartment in Grove Housing Scheme; 3rd Avenue – Call: 622-0784; 6281155
1 Maid to wash and clean in the interior-Tel: 691-6260
Three bedroom bottom flat to rent -$45,000 per month- Tel: 672-7194 or 692-7377
One experienced cook preferably from the EBD, mature person 35 yrs & up Call: 660-7790 (after 5pm Mon-Fri & 8am-5pm weekdays) Live in waitress to work in a bar –Call: 604-6606 Waitress to work at bar, East Coast –Tel:612-2522 Washbay Attendant – Tel:646-8748 Joiners & labourers –Tel:592619-9966, 592-6199671
Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: office, storage bond or other business. Call: 680-9905 Hall for wedding, all occasions, seawall view @ 44 Public Road Kitty –Tel: 2311908/12 PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, G R A D U AT I O N , W E D D I N G S , ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
Contract cars & experienced drivers –Contact: 227-1721 or 660-6102 One mature and knowledgeable, live in maid, preferably from the country areas. Phone: 691-7790 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665. Staff for plant shop, Located in Georgetown, Plant knowledge an advantage. Tel: 643-4049 One live in domestic to work in Mahaicony River. Tel:2256571; 644-6905 Receptionists, bar attendants (shift work), live in handyman, apply in person. Tel: 223-6284
Property for sale, Grove $18M neg. Tel: 625-5461.
FOR SALE IN CENTRAL GEORGETOWN: SPACIOUS HOUSE IN DESIRABLE BEL-AIR, NEW HAVEN R E S I D E N T I A L 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 Property at Kersaint Park LBI, price negotiable- Contact:6641865; 698-5713 Property for sale or rental located in Eccles. Contact: 602-8703
LAND FOR SALE Land at Farm East Bank DemeraraCall:668-0000,603-7900 Corner Lot Garnette & Republic Streets Newtown Kitty 58.4X30.8, ideal for business – Call: 645-0616 (no agents) 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
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman, Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
Friday May 29, 2015
$1.8M (50FTX80FT) @ Parfaite Harmonie, 2 Storied Diamond property -$38M. We buy & Sell low income land –Call: 611-7223
TO LET Prime office space @ lot 239 Quamina Street, Central Georgetown, parking available in Private yard. Tel:592-227-2913, 592-6893033 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 Church to let @ 180 Charlotte St. Bourda -$150M negotiable- Call:227-6817 or 624-7341
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 negotiableCall: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 Mazda Axela, excellent condition -Tel: 6490956 2 Ford F350 2006 model, extended cab 4X4, 6" lift kit, 35" tyres, diesel, auto, excellent condition - Tel: 6105370
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 LucasMill-$1.2M.All mill spares and frame – Call: 693-5281 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
1 Toyota Raum, Excellent Farm Produce: large quantity condition –Contact: 680-1903 at wholesale price: cassava, plantain, etc –Call: 265-3586 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Minibus roof rack – Tel:693Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 2237; 219-0211 seater super custom. Cash / Sale! Dell Computers terms- Call: 680-3154 complete from -$55,000 free We buy & sell vehicles for educational software and cash, also parts available & games, Blackberry -$14,000 30 seater buses; Extra Cab @ FutureTech: 231-2206 pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: Fluffy, loving puppies – Tel: 680-3154 645-0240 or 629-3814 V8 Titan (2005) KIA 1 TCL 32" flat screen TV SPORTAGE2003-Call:275-1230 (used) $70,000, 2 old laptop -$20,000 each, 2 laptop Toyota AT212, good battery chargers -$10,000 condition Call: 652-5762, 624- each –Call: 639-9149 3686 One accent Hyundai- Price 04 BMW 318I (MYSTIC $250,000 neg- Contact: 610-0517 BLUE) M SPORT PRR 9445 , DVD DECK, REMOTE Cement mixer with diesel STARTALARM, REVERSE engine, this can mix CAMERA -$3M. CONTACT approximately 10 bags at once – Call: 618-6577 FARAD: 619-4544 1 Honda XR 125 Bike, In D. Persaud Auto Deal 03 Excellent Condition -Call 225Toyota Premio $2.3M, 03 8066 Toyota Allion & Spacio $2.1M 1- AT170 EFI car for parts, 1Tel# 681-7117, 227-5950 AT170 Stick shift driving – Noah and Voxy Unregistered. Tel: 677-5041 Call: 668-0000, 603-7900 One private school for rent on 170 Carina PFF Series recently West Bank Demeraraoverhauled, needs some $130,000 monthly – Call: 643work, asking price $420,000 0777 negotiable. Call: 667-7337 2004 Honda 500 ATV 4X4 1 Toyota Prado & Toyota strong running engine for Hilux both in excellent $400,000 negotiable –Call: condition, owner migrating – 650-6178; 688-1202 Call: 601-0053; 691-8079 Rare and expensive stamps Cheapest: manual &Automatic first day covers/post cards/ buses, Rush, Hilux, canter, coins & paper moneyModel M Truck, front veiw Contact: 227-6817; 624-7341 property in Bougainvillea VEHICLE FOR SALE Park – Call: 616-7635 AT192 in good condition. Toyota Allex, Raum, BB, Price -$900,000 or nearest AT192, AT212, Premio, Hilux offer, owner leaving country. Pick up, RZ minibus & Pit- Tel: 601-3574 bull, Nissan Blue Bird –Tel: One tractor operator to work 644-5096; 697-1453 in Mahaicony River must Minibus BKK Series; price- know about rice work. Tel:225$950,000, owner leaving 6571; 644-6905 country –Tel: 222-6628 or 692Continued on page 31 2602
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views
Equality, consideration and respect for persons with disabilities in Guyana DEAR H.E. PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER AND HON. PRIME MINISTER MOSES NAGAMOOTOO, I didn’t mind waking up before sunrise on 11th May, 2015. I didn’t mind waiting in line outside of my designated polling station for it to open. And I didn’t even mind having to be lifted out of my wheelchair and carried upstairs in order to vote. I was eager to be a part of the change so many of us had been anticipating; in truth I would have crawled up those stairs, if necessary. Today, I am happy to see that my vote made a difference, and I am eager and excited about the years to come under your administration. I am eager to work with you and my fellow Guyanese to make meaningful contributions to our society, to be a functioning cog in the machinery which allows our nation to benefit as a whole. Looking back on images of this historic day, we see inspiring photos of senior citizens and persons with disabilities who came out to vote despite their physical
challenges; whether it meant doing so slowly but surely on their own, or through the assistance of another person. We saw them diligently going about the task with their walkers and wheelchairs, crutches and canes or being carried or guided by loved ones. These images are indeed inspiring on the surface because they show the determination of these people to play a part in shaping our society, no matter how inconvenient or exhausting it may be. But it is not enough to capture these images and share them on social network with some perfunctory inspirational caption, or use them to guilt your reluctant friend or neighbor into voting. These images offer only a tiny glimpse of the daily challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Guyanese society. Although I was very heartened to see the Commonwealth Observer Group note the inaccessibility of many polling stations in their official report, I would like to remind the public that we vote one day, every five years; persons with
disabilities face many more difficulties that go unnoticed in between this time. Which is why, as a citizen who has been disabled since birth, I am asking you to please ensure that the evaluation and implementation of the Disability Act 2010 is a top priority during your time in office. If you examine the Act yourself, you will see that there has been very little done in the way of the implementation of this Act since 2010, and that persons with disabilities have benefited very little from it. It remains incredibly difficult for persons with disabilities in Guyana to gain access to adequate education
andemployment. Consequently, many persons with disabilities in Guyana remain illiterate or undereducated and dependent upon family, that is, when they are fortunate enough to have a family willing to support them. Accessible transportation and housing are also major issues. There is a saying in the disability community that goes, Nothing About Us Without Us; what it means is that you can best learn about Disability and persons living with it through interacting with them. I would like to suggest that the APNU+AFC administration liaise closely with the National Commission on Disability,
and the numerous other local DPOs (disabled persons organisations), who would be more than willing to work with this government. And work there is to be done, but also great reward that comes with it. I, and so many other persons with disability have voted for you, but we cannot fully join you in partnership for a better Guyana until there is equality, consideration, inclusion and respect for persons with disabilities in Guyana. I do not expect this change to come immediately, but I do expect it to come soon. Thank you, and God Bless you both and the great work ahead of you. Seated Citizen
Please ensure that the Golden Arrowhead has the correct specifications DEAR EDITOR, I am indeed pleased at what appears to be a rejuvenated pride among my fellow Guyanese for matters that are symbolic of us as a nation state. The essence of a nation cannot be reflected
in a single symbol. However, I believe that most people will agree that the symbol that most closely identifies a nation is its national flag. I am therefore pleading most earnestly to our President to ensure that the Golden
Arrowhead that flies on all state property is a flag with the correct specifications. As a Retired Brigadier our President will have special reverence for our Golden Arrowhead. Garvan
We could change this culture of littering in... From page 5 happening in other areas. In fact, the existence of all other areas in society, and society itself are only possible because there is the environment. The media, in particular the newspapers, has a history of giving a voice to the poor and powerless. However, many media are more concerned about their bottom line. They are interested in what sells. At the end of the day, they must show a profit to their corporate boards or bosses. So they represent the interest of those who are financially comfortable and have the power to change their economic,social and other circumstances. But, in many cases, even though powerful people contributed to the destruction of the environment, it is the poor, who are most
vulnerable to the attendant evils of an unhealthy environment because they do not have the wherewithal to protect themselves and their families. They cannot move easily from an unhealthy environment to a good one. Or run away quickly whenever there is an outbreak of some disease or environmental disaster in their community. They have to stay and manage the situation the best way they can. Therefore, the media should be sufficiently interested in the environment to the point where they treat it as a high priority issue with very serious national consequences for our nation and all of our people. Moreover, our local media could see this as part of their social responsibility to the city. This means that they are responding to a need in our
society. They have this obligation because society permits them to operate and do business. But business is not about economics alone. It has a social side, which caters for the needs of the society in which it performs. Therefore, society expects something in return from businesses, which it allows to operate within its confines. History has shown that whenever there was a disparity between a business’s economics and its social responsibility, society found ways to address it and to fill the gap. One-way society has dealt with this disparity among mainstream media (msm) is through the Internet. Ti is cheap, quick and interactive. Therefore, it allows ordinary people to pull the information they determine to be useful to their circumstances.
President Granger’s Ministers will... From page 4 ministry and I know for sure that he’ll be a thousand times better than “comrade’ Bheri. Mr Basil Williams,Esq. as Attorney General will set new standards, I am sure; being on a friendly basis for many years, I really believe that our new Attorney General will be professional, fair and always stay within the laws of Guyana as decisions are made; his performance will render Nandilall’s tenure as just a joke, I am sure of that. Editor, time and space does not allow mention of the remainder of the Cabinet, but I am
sure that Mr. Harmon will be a million times better than Luncheon ever was and wiser too in dealing with the Office of the President, not “lording” over all the government agencies, like Luncheon did for many years. Good luck to all the ministers and I wish Mr. Granger and Mr. Nagamootoo all the best and compliment them on the selection of this wise cabinet- the people have spoken, let goodwill and the love of the almighty take us on a voyage to make Guyana a truly good place to live. Cheddi(Joey)Jagan(Jr.)
Information leads to knowledge and knowledge to empowerment. Therefore, the Internet empowers citizens to act on certain issues that are of concern to them. Moreover, its interactivity allows them to add to the content of that information and to distribute it to as many people as they like as far as they like. They are both consumers as well as newsmakers. As such, the Internet has created new public spaces, which give ordinary citizens knowledge, empowerment and a voice in the way their environment is managed. They can connect with other with similar concerns. This has encouraged the growth of environmental organisations and groups with global influence on environmental justice. However, some developing countries, including Guyana, are still a good way behind many others in the new media environment. Many are still concerned with the question of survival. They look more to
the necessities of life not technology. This gives our local media a brilliant opportunity to work with municipalities, environmental agencies, groups and communities to discover creative ways to ensure the health and safety of our natural environment and consequently its citizens. This could make a big difference in the current state of affairs and the way our society develops. If we can encourage these partnerships then we can change the culture of littering. We would not only restore but also develop our city with the level of modernity that is becoming of a capital of a nation in the 21st century. We could change the image and therefore the fortunes of the city. Yes, if we all play our part and be positive about it then we can look to a Georgetown beyond litter. What beauty, what glorious pride we, all, can share in such a glittering and progressing City. Royston King
From page 30
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Hundreds seek safety from Texas floods, severe weather kills 16
Rescue personnel search the floodwaters along Brays Bayou in southwest Houston, Texas May 26, 2015. (Reuters/Daniel Kramer) (Reuters) Hundreds of people fled areas near Texas rivers that overflowed their banks on Thursday as the state reeled from severe storms this week that killed at least 16 people, flooded cities and set a record for the wettest month. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch on Thursday stretching from south of San Antonio to Dallas, through Oklahoma, where severe weather this week killed an additional six people, and into Kansas. Thunderstorms pelted large parts of the affected region on Thursday. The city of Wharton, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of Houston, issued a voluntary evacuation notice for about 300 homes along
the Colorado River, where water began spilling over the banks on Thursday afternoon and was expected to rise through Friday. The Brazos River has flooded about 30 miles (50 km) west of Fort Worth and is expected to crest on Thursday evening. Hundreds left their homes on Wednesday as the waterway began breaching its banks, Parker County officials said. State climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said on Thursday the average rainfall across the state was 7.54 inches (19 cm) in May, breaking the record of 6.66 inches (17 cm) set in June 2004, according to records that date to 1895. “It has been ridiculous,” Nielsen-Gammon said.
The body of a boy was recovered on Wednesday near the central city of San Marcos, Hays County officials said. The boy, who has not been identified, was thought to have been swept away in Blanco River floods that ripped houses off their foundations, county officials said. There were eight people missing in the county after the flooding, which started on Monday. The new storms could hinder rescue workers who have been searching for days for those washed away in floods along the Blanco River. “We are not expecting another surge of the river but it is going to shift debris piles,” Kharley Smith, the county’s emergency management coordinator, told a news conference. President Barack Obama has pledged federal support and said the U.S. government had been working with local officials. “They appear to have the assets they need at this stage to respond, but there’s going to be a lot of rebuilding,” Obama said in Miami on Thursday during a tour of the National Hurricane Center. There was no damage estimate available for Texas, which has a $1.4 trillion-ayear economy and is the country’s leading domestic source of energy.
Rebels capture last Syrian town in Idlib province (Reuters) The Syrian army has pulled back from the northwestern city of Ariha after a coalition of insurgent groups seized the last city in Idlib province in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border that was still held by the government. A coalition of rebel groups called Jaish al Fateh, or Conquest Army, said it had taken over the city. Syria’s al Qaeda offshoot Nusra Front is a major part of the coalition. The coalition said it had overrun several checkpoints that defended the city. The Syrian army said intense fighting was going on with Nusra forces that had infiltrated Ariha. “There are heavy clashes between the army and the terrorists of Jabahat al Nusra who infiltrated inside the city,” said an army statement released on state television. Later the army admitted its forces had pulled back from the city, the latest string of defeats by the Syrian army and a big blow to the morale of President Assad’s government forces who have vowed to defeat Sunni militants fi-
Friday May 29, 2015
UK takes hard line on EU reform as Cameron starts European tour (Reuters) Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain’s relationship with the European Union was “not good enough” after his foreign minister warned the bloc had to change its founding treaties and give London a meaty reform deal to keep it as a member. Speaking in Paris on the first day of a whirlwind European tour to try to drum up support for EU reform, Cameron said he was confident he could get a settlement, something he has promised to secure before giving Britons an EU membership in-out referendum by the end of 2017. “My priority is to reform the European Union to make it more competitive and address the concerns of the British people about our membership. The status quo is not good enough,” said Cameron, flanked by French President Francois Hollande. “What matters is that the European Union and its 28 members are flexible and imaginative enough to respond to these issues.” Cameron has various demands, the thrust of which are to claw back powers from Brussels to allow Britain to opt out of what he sees as a dangerous shift to greater political integration. Cameron met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague earlier on Thursday before starting talks with Hollande. He is due in Warsaw and Berlin on Friday for talks with Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Hollande said France wanted Britain to stay in the EU, something he said was in
The Union Flag flies next to the European Flag outside the European Commission building in central London May 25, 2014. (Reuters/Neil Hall) the best interests of the bloc and of London. He indicated he was ready to listen to Cameron’s reform proposals. Earlier, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond had warned the EU needed to amend its founding treaties to accommodate Britain and make substantive concessions to keep it in. “If our partners do not agree with us, do not work with us to deliver that (reform) package, then we rule nothing out,” Hammond told BBC radio. Speaking at a G7 meeting in Germany, finance minister George Osborne struck a softer tone, saying he sensed “a real willingness” among other EU countries to negotiate. POTENTIAL SETBACK Cameron’s government introduced a law into parliament on Thursday to guarantee the EU referendum will be held by the end of 2017. It also disclosed the question voters will be asked, making it “Yes” to stay in, “No” to leave.
Some EU countries have made clear they have no appetite to re-open the bloc’s treaties to suit Britain, which wants to alter them so it can restrict and delay EU migrants’ access to its welfare system. But London has long asserted that the treaties would need to be overhauled anyway as part of an inevitable drive to further integrate the euro zone. In a potential setback for Cameron, a Franco-German paper seen by Reuters shows the two countries have agreed plans to strengthen cooperation among the 19 countries using the euro currency, without changing existing treaties. Hammond said he expected some EU states initially to adopt a hardline negotiating position. “What matters is getting it right rather than doing it quickly,” Hammond said of the renegotiation. “We’re certainly not going to trade substantive reform just for getting it done quickly.”
Bombs outside two five-star Baghdad hotels kill at least 10 Members of al Qaeda’s Nusra Front ride on a tank as they head towards their positions during an offensive to take control of the northwestern city of Ariha from forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, in Idlib province May 28, 2015. (REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah) nanced by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey who seek to overthrow his rule. “Units of our armed forces evacuated their positions in Ariha and withdrew to defensive positions in the vicinity of the city after battles it fought facing large number of Nusra terrorists,” the army source was quoted as saying. A rebel source from Ahrar
al Sham confirmed that street fighting was going on inside the city between army fighters and the insurgents. “There are many bodies that litter the streets,” he said, adding that the rebels were searching for Assad’s government forces inside the city. Many civilians have hidden inside shelters.
(Reuters) Car bombs exploded in the parking lots of two heavily fortified five-star hotels in central Baghdad late on Thursday, killing at least 10 people, police and medical sources said. A further 30 people were wounded in the blasts, which were around seven minutes apart. The first bomb targeted the Babylon hotel, where government officials often hold meetings and news conferences, and the second hit the Meridian. Iraqi authorities lifted a decade-old night-time curfew on Baghdad early this year, seeking to restore a sense of normality to the capital as security forces battle Islamic State militants who have over-
run large parts of the country. But the rate of bombings in Baghdad has increased since then. Insurgents seized the city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad,
on May 17 in the most significant military setback to the government since a U.S.led coalition launched a campaign of airstrikes against Islamic State last August.
Smoke rises from the site of car bomb attack in Baghdad, May 29, 2015. (REUTERS/Ahmed Saad)
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
Christie: Jamaica should follow US Justice department in crackdown on corruption The Gleaner - Former contractor general, Greg Christie, says the Government should follow the example of the United States Department of Justice in its crackdown on alleged corrupt activities at football’s governing body, FIFA. A total of 14 persons have been indicted by the Department on multiple charges of wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering. FIFA and corporate executives are being accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than 150 million US dollars over a 24-year period. Christie says the department’s efforts in the FIFA case should serve as a guide to Jamaican authorities as to how corruption should be tackled.
Greg Christie He notes that US’s justice department has been on record stating that investigating foreign bribery is second only to matters of terrorism. The man who once headed Jamaica’s leading
anti-corruption watchdog agency notes that public and private sector officials who are complicit in acts of corruption and bribery should now be acutely aware of the long arms of the US Department of Justice. The former contractor general stresses that Jamaica should support its anti-corruptions agency, the Office of the Contractor General, and its efforts to weed out corruption in government. The former Contractor General pointed out that in the past the Government has taken the OCG to court to challenge its authority. Ch r i s t i e was the country’s contractor general in 2012 when the government mounted the legal challenge.
Caribbean countries to improve climate change resilience with IDB grant WASHINGTON, United States - The Caribbean region will increase its resilience to climate change by enhancing the adaptive capacity across the region through a US$10.39 million grant approved by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The project is the implementation of the Investment Plan for the Caribbean Regional Track of the Pilot Program For Climate Resilience and it will help improve regional processes of climate relevant data acquisition, storage, analysis, access, transfer and dissemination, and pilot and scale up innovative climate resilient initiatives directly in Jamaica, Haiti, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the
Grenadines. However, it is expected that the region as a whole will benefit from the improved capacity and increased information and services related to climate change. “Thanks to this programme, the Caribbean will build on its historical regional approach to addressing the impacts of climate change and strengthen adaptation efforts across the region, providing an example for other regions globally,” the IDB said. The project is to be executed by the Mona Office of Research and Innovation at the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus in Jamaica and will be co-implemented by regional organizations working on climate
change in the region including the Caribbean Community Climate change Centre; the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, the Climate Change Studies Group of UWI, the Caribbean Public Health Agency, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism. The US$10 million grant, through support from the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), is a five-year programme and will be supervised by the Climate Change and Sustainability Division within the Infrastructure and Environment Sector Department of the IDB.
More Caribbean governments should invest in LIAT, say regional PMs BASSETERRE, St Kitts (WINN) — Vi n c e n t i a n Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Brown have urged Caribbean governments that are not major shareholders of regional airline LIAT to change that status by giving meaningful financial support to the airline. Both made that appeal at last week’s CDB sponsored seminar on making air transport work better for the Caribbean. Gonsalves spoke in his capacity as chairman of the
group of shareholder governments of LIAT. Browne said, while LIAT must seek to improve its operations, the airline needs to be subsidized, arguing that LIAT is making a significant contribution to the integration process and should be supported by the governments of the region. It’s not clear what the position of the new Team Unity administration in St Kitts and Nevis on LIAT will be. Former prime minister Denzil Douglas said his government had in its last six months in office
been taking a critical look at the LIAT problem. Do u g l a s s a i d u n d e r consideration was the use of the Sugar Industry Diversification Fund (SIDF) funds to help Basseterre become a major shareholder of LIAT. A CDB commissioned study on the regional airline industry proposes the setting up a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) airlines a s s o c i a t i o n t o identify opportunities to reduce cost, create greater synergies and earn more revenue. (Caribbean News)
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Friday May 29, 2015
World’s policeman wins rare applause for FIFA... FIFA?” one wrote. But across much of Europe and Latin America, the regions that have produced every World Cup winner since the tournament was first established in 1930, the applause was overwhelming. “If the United States doesn’t do it, no one does,” said Manuel Bonilla, 62, a shoe shiner working in the main park of Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital. ”It doesn’t matter that the U.S. is policing the world again, this is good news for football,” said Fernando Toledo, a 49-year-old shopping near the Colombian capital Bogota. ”Never thought I’d say this, but thank goodness for the FBI,” tweeted Dan Steele of Carshalton Beeches in Britain. STRONG-ARM TACTICS France accused the United States of strong-arm
tactics last year when it imposed a record $8.9 billion fine on French bank BNP Paribas for violating Iran sanctions. But the FIFA case was seen in a very different light. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the corruption allegations had given FIFA a “disastrous image” and urged it to delay a vote scheduled for today which is expected to return the 79-year-old Blatter for a fifth term as president. In Germany, winners of the 2014 World Cup, revelations of U.S. spying, including the bugging of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone, have fuelled waves of anti-American sentiment of late. However, the FIFA crackdown was hailed as long overdue. “Get lost!” top-selling daily Bild blared on its front page next to a picture of Blatter. ”If football can’t clean itself up, then governments
have to step in,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said during a visit to Portugal. Swiss television reports on the scandal referred repeatedly to “aggressive” U.S. judicial tactics which had given the government in Berne little choice but to cooperate on the U.S. extradition requests. But Christian Levrat, president of Switzerland’s Social Democratic Party and a member of a parliamentary commission looking into corruption, welcomed the crackdown, saying FIFA was a “latent danger” to the image of the entire country. The United States took jurisdiction of the case partly because the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI secured the cooperation of Chuck Blazer, a former top FIFA official and U.S. citizen, who officials said had not paid taxes for years. U.S. Attorney General
Friday May 29th 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) When faced with an emotionally intense situation, you're likely to flee, Aries. You'd rather change the subject to something more lighthearted.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You may feel like someone's giving you the third degree, Libra. You sense that you're being accused of something and that you need to defend your feelings and actions.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) With your psychic abilities, you're liable to shed some light on issues in which the truth has been unclear for quite a while, Taurus.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Today may be filled with "I told you so!" You could find fault with others who haven't dealt with the truth of a situation.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Control issues in your home are apt to be of concern today, Gemini. Be careful about feeding into others' misconceptions of the situation.
SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Most of the time you deal with the facts, Sagittarius. Facts are things you can grasp, categorize, and make rational sense of.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may feel nostalgic as you look through photo albums, rearrange furniture, and remember past times, Cancer.
CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) It will be hard to deal with emotional issues that arise. A strong misleading force is feeding the illusion that things are fine when they really aren't.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You could be operating based on an assumption that's only a partial representation of the truth. In your effort to think about only the good side of the situation, Leo, you may not see the entire truth. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) If you're experiencing emotional upheaval, Virgo, you may take heart in knowing that other people are going through their own emotional turmoil as well. You will know that you aren't alone in your quest for emotional stability.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Your emotions may be powerful today, and you could end up scaring people away instead of drawing them closer simply because you act irrationally and emotionally instead of reasonably and civilly. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You're in a difficult position. Things aren't exactly what they seem, Pisces. Your emotions run the show today, and you may jump from one extreme to the other.
Loretta Lynch said on Wednesday that the indictment alleged corruption that was “rampant, systemic and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States”. Still for some, it was galling to see a country that prefers base-
ball, basketball and its own American version of football to soccer crack down on the sport. ”Soccer (or what most of the world calls football) is barely an American game,” John Hempton, manager of
Australian hedge fund Bronte Capital wrote in a note to clients. “This is just anti-democratic. We nonAmericans did not vote for the U.S. laws and the U.S. legal system is not responsive to our votes.”
Revived Guyana women’s soccer program... (From page 40) Sandiford, who plays professionally with UMF Selfoss in Iceland to attend the Toronto camp. The University of California, Los Angeles graduate is the daughter of former Guyana goalkeeper Wendell “Figuero” Sandiford. ”She’s someone I have not seen, but she has an impressive track record and I am hoping that she can commit to us,” he said. Rodrigues plans to use his Canadian soccer contacts to organize a practice game for the squad during the Toronto training camp from June 1823 at a venue to be decided. ”I am looking at Birchmount stadium because of the artificial surface there and the fact that we will be playing on an artificial grass pitch in St. Kitts,” he said. “After this camp, I will decide which players to bring from here along with a few from the United Kingdom and the United States to Guyana to join a few players based there. I plan on having about 22 players in training in Guyana in mid-July before selecting the final squad that will travel to St. Kitts & Nevis.” He expects most of the Toronto-based players, who were part of the first Guyana women’s soccer side assembled six years ago, will be available for the Olympic qualifiers. That team made history by qualifying for the 2010 Gold Cup tournament which doubled as a 2011 World Cup and Central American & Caribbean Games (CAC) qualifier. ”The majority of those players were just entering university or in their first year in university,” said Rodrigues. “They have graduated now are either playing professionally or doubling as a player/coach with clubs. The ladies have more experience and they are much stronger physically.” The GTA players who have committed to the program include striker Ashlee Savona who graduated from Northwestern State University, midfielder Olivia Gonsalves who attended the University of Toronto and Sisters Briana and Kayla DeSouza who graduated from Carleton University and the University of Toronto respectively.
Less than a year after the women’s program was launched, the Lady Jags shut out Barbados and St. Lucia 30 and 8-0 respectively to become the first Guyanese side to make it to the CAC Games and the last stage of the World Cup qualifying tournament. With the Under-20 team exiting in the second round of the Caribbean Football Union tournament in 2011 in Cuba, the women’s program folded primarily because of lack of funding. Rodrigues is excited the program has been revived Timing was everything when I ran it, hence kicking it off originally in 2009,” he said.
“It was immediately after the men had ended their World Cup qualifying run. I tried again to revive it in 2013 under the Christopher Matthias administration, but they voted not to do so. I had a very strong plan that showed us making it all the way to the World Cup in Canada kicking off next month. But after repeated attempts to convince them, they still refused to change their minds. I was that confident based on the quality and maturity of the players and also because the World Cup had expanded its entry from 16 to 24 teams with and extra spot being from CONCACAF as Canada was hosting.” (Ron Fanfair)
Friday May 29, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Third Medical Conference focuses on prevention ’Prevention’ was the watchword of the third FIFA Medical Conference, which took place ahead of the FIFA Congress. Medical representatives and leaders of FIFA’s 209 member associations gathered in Zurich for two days of exchange and discussion on the latest scientific advances related to football and health. Reflecting the work of FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (FMARC), the focus of the discussions was on the measures to be adopted across all member associations to prevent some of the major health threats for our sport. Prevention of injuries on the pitch, prevention of sudden cardiac arrests, prevention of doping to name a few. Going a step further, participants also discussed the unique potential of football as a tool for the improvement of public health. The recent tragic death of two football players in Belgium gave a sense of urgency to the issue of sudden cardiac arrest. The chairman of FIFA’s Medical Committee Dr. Michel D’Hooghe, himself from Belgium, was particularly sensitive to the problem. ”In cases of possible cardiac arrests in conditions where a player falls down without any specific reason, without any contact, the doctor may intervene directly on the field without waiting for
the authorisation of the referee,” Dr. D’Hooghe said. “You know that in such a situation each minute is important and an immediate intervention can be life-saving.” FIFA has taken a number of measures to tackle this pressing issue. Medical examinations are conducted prior to all FIFA competitions to identify those who are predisposed towards cardiac issues. In addition, F-MARC has developed a FIFA Emergency Medical Bag, including an automated external defibrillator (AED), which can become a life-saving device in case of incident on the pitch. All FIFA member associations were provided in 2013 with an emergency bag and the conference in Zurich was the occasion to stress the urgent necessity for such equipment to become standard at all football matches. ”On the basis of recommendations and input from team doctors and FIFA associations in 2006 the FIFA PreCompetition Medical Assessment (PCMA) was started and defined,” Germany’s team doctor Prof. Tim Meyer said. “PCMA is definitely important to prevent sudden cardiac death in football players, because some diseases can be detected early enough. FIFA goes clearly beyond what’s recommended by the big associations.” Since its establishment in
Dr. Michel D’Hooghe 1994, under the chairmanship of Prof. Jiri Dvorak, F-MARC has conducted a number of scientific studies and developed innovative programmes to tackle health issues. The regular practice of the complete warm-up programme ‘FIFA 11+’ can reduce injuries by up to 50 per cent. The scheme has been successfully implemented in a number of member associations, including FIFA World Cup™ champions Germany, and will be further extended. Moreover, seeing that football itself can be a fantastic tool for improving general health, F-MARC progressively moved from a concept of ‘Medicine for Football’ to ‘Football for Health’.
”Last year we already used the very well established system of the FIFA 11 for health using the power of football to tackle the epidemic of Ebola in western Africa,” Prof. Dvorak said. “With our African colleagues we designed very simple messages to prevent the contamination or the dissemination of the Ebola virus in the three most affected countries. Together with the World Bank we created very simple posters and created video clips that were made on national television and on national radio. This was an example of how to use the popularity of football to help emergency situations. Meanwhile, Ebola disappeared and we
think that we have at least, humbly and jointly with different organisations, contributed to the elimination of the virus in the west African countries.” Launched as part of FIFA’s medical legacy to Africa on the occasion of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, ‘FIFA 11 for Health’ was then extended to Asia and Latin America and is now being introduced in the Caribbean and Europe. Five years after its launch, more than 200,000 children in 20 countries have benefited from the programme. Studies published in well-respected scientific journals have proven it has achieved a significant increase in children’s health awareness. ”Some of the benefits of the FIFA 11 for Health programme include physical education becoming more relevant in schools,” Dr. Prince Pambo, National Project Leader in Ghana, said. “School sports given a boost with the arrival of FIFAkits, massive increases in school attendance and the programme exposed a number of potential public health concerns in Ghana, including childhood obesity.” Finally, the Medical Conference was an opportunity to discuss with all member associations the latest advances in the fight against doping. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Secretary General David Howman un-
derlined the long term collaboration of FIFA and WADA and the introduction of new measures such as the biological profile of athletes program. ”WADA’s major role is to protect the rights of the clean athlete so that all those clean athletes can have full confidence in the global anti-doping system,” Howman said. “This was the first team sport program (Brazil 2014) where every athlete who attended the World Cup was tested. Everyone was tested for the purpose of the profile that was then fed into the laboratory in Lausanne to create the passports for the players. That is very significant for FIFA and WADA.” Prof. Dvorak took this occasion to announce the introduction, in collaboration with the laboratory of Cologne, of innovative anti-doping tests to detect genetic doping at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015. ”We have the possibility to analyse the small, interfering ribonucleic acid which is on the WADA prohibited list and we performed the first tests in the laboratory in Cologne,” Prof. Dvorak said. “We are not testing all the players like we did in the World Cup in Brazil. We are testing selected teams and we go on the quality including, the genetic testing in the fight against doping.” (FIFA)
World’s policeman wins rare applause for FIFA crackdown Reuters - The United States has infuriated some of its closest allies in recent years by fining their banks and spying on their citizens. But its latest extra-territorial salvo, a crackdown on graft at soccer’s global governing body, is winning wide applause abroad. Following news on Wednesday that the U.S. Justice Department, supported by FBI investigators, was charging nine current and former FIFA officials with illegal payments, kickbacks and bribes, the Twittersphere was flooded with rare cheers of approval for the “world’s policeman”. Fans of the “beautiful game” - the world’s most popular sport but outside the sporting mainstream in the United States - also questioned why countries with a richer soccer tradition had turned a blind eye to suspicions of corruption for so long. Some dissenting voices came from Russia, which is due to host the World Cup in 2018, as well as China. But even in FIFA’s home country of Switzerland, which has en-
FBI agents bring out boxes after an operation inside the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) offices in Miami Beach, Florida May 27, 2015. Reuters/Javier Galeano dured a U.S. assault on its cherished tradition of banking secrecy, there were strong signs of support for the crackdown and calls for the body’s long-time president Sepp Blatter, a Swiss himself, to resign.” It’s embarrassing for the rest of the world,” said Martin Daepp in a reader comment on the website of Swiss
daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung. “The energy the USA is devoting to a sport that has been so unimportant there is stunning. Still, football fans will thank the USA for this.” Former stars of the game, from Brazil’s Romario and Argentina’s Diego Maradona to Portugal’s Luis Figo - who has accused Blatter of running FIFA like a dictator - ap-
plauded the move, which started with a dawn raid on a FIFA congress in Zurich on Wednesday and the arrest by Swiss police of seven senior officials who now face extradition to the United States. ”Unfortunately it wasn’t our police who caught them, but somebody had to catch them. Thieves have to go to jail,” said Romario, who was on the
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton team that won the World Cup in 1994 and is now a senator in Brazil. 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin - who has seen some of his closest allies penalized by U.S. sanctions
linked to the Ukraine crisis accused the United States of “another blatant attempt to extend its jurisdiction to other states”. Commenters on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblog service, also expressed alarm. “Americans don’t even like soccer - so why is it that the U.S. is now leading a corruption investigation against (Continued on page 34)
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Chanderpaul no longer good enough Sir Richie - Maintaining to play for West Indies – Holding momentum key
Michael Holding Michael Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler, has backed the chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd’s logic of jettisoning Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the Australia series. Holding said that Chanderpaul, who has managed 183 runs in his last 11 innings at 16.64, was no longer good enough to be picked for West Indies. ”I don’t believe that cricketers should just get a series for getting a series sake. I don’t think Shivnarine Chanderpaul has proven in recent times that he is still a good enough player to be playing for West Indies,” Holding told ESPNcricinfo. “He has done yeoman service for over two decades. West Indies should be happy to have had him playing for them for that long. All good things have to come to an end. ”I saw him play against South Africa recently and he certainly did not look like the Shivnarine Chanderpaul that I was accustomed to seeing.
Shiv Chanderpaul
He was a little bit slow with his reactions to the fast bowlers and we know what Australia are going to be bringing.” Holding also echoed Lloyd’s sentiment of making way for youth though it would take time to fill the Chanderpaul-sized void. ”Chanderpaul has to make way for someone younger. The person that comes in obviously is not going to fill Chanderpaul’s shoes immediately. He has done so much good work for West Indies. But it is time for someone younger than him who can grow into those shoes.” While Chanderpaul’s former team-mate, Brian Lara, criticised the ‘despicable’ treatment meted out to Chanderpaul and called for a farewell series akin to the one arranged by the BCCI for Sachin Tendulkar, Holding said that he had “no problems” with the way the WICB had dealt with the issue. Chanderpaul is just 86 short
of equalling Lara’s record of being the highest West Indian run-scorer in Tests. ”From what I have heard I don’t think anybody can complain. From what I heard they called him, had a meeting with him. They told him exactly what they would like to do and I have no problems with that,” Holding said. ”I don’t think Chanderpaul is ever going to be one to say, ‘listen, my time has come and I have to move on’. So they have done the right thing.” When asked about the legacy left behind by Chanderpaul, Holding said: “Chanderpaul’s legacy will be someone who went and played for West Indies and gave his all for a very long time. To show everyone that if you can go out and work hard, if you have deficiencies in technique and you work hard enough, you can produce the goods.” (ESPNcricinfo)
Bridgetown, Barbados – Team manager Sir Richie Richardson says West Indies needs to capitalize on the momentum gathered during the England series in order to challenge Australia in the two-Test series starting in Dominica next Wednesday. The Caribbean side stunned England by drawing their three-Test series earlier this month, following a shock five-wicket victory inside three days at Kensington Oval in the final match. Sir Richie, a former West Indies captain, said once his side could extend that momentum, they had a good chance of toppling the World number two.” Hopefully we can continue from where we left off against England and if we can continue that momentum, I believe we can do well,” Sir Richie said here Wednesday, on the third day of the team’s preparation camp. ”Obviously we will have hometown advantage, the guys are fit, the guys are ready, they’re looking forward to the challenge and once we can build on the momentum, I think that will be good for us.” He added: “All we’ve got to do is be consistent and if we can be consistent in all areas throughout the matches, I think we have a very good chance of beating
them.” West Indies’ record against Australia in recent times makes for makes for nightmare reading. They have won just one of their last 16 Tests, losing 12 and drawing three. Additionally, the Windies have not beaten Australia in a Test series for 22 years, and will be without key batsmen Chris Gayle and Shiv Chanderpaul for the campaign. Gayle, who opted out of the England series, remains unavailable while Chanderpaul was axed last Sunday. Both batsmen have played over 100 Tests. Sir Richie said a West Indies Cricket Board retreat staged here last weekend had gone a long way in helping to boost the morale of the team, and clarify team goals. “The most important part about that retreat is that everybody realised the importance of all of us working to together to achieve one common goal,” Sir Richie pointed out. ”And that is to restore West Indies cricket and there’s a plan going forward, and than plan is for us to become number one again in the near future in all formats of the game and we’re all cognizant of that, and we all believe that we need to be back there.” He continued: “We know that the entire Caribbean
beginning on 6 June in Canada, with England to meet Colombia, France and Mexico in their group. But will Fifa-16 designers give the England players the skills in a virtual reality setting that they showcase in real life? Will Houghton be rated as a good technically on a computer game as she hopes? ”Quite a few of us in the team play FIFA so I’m sure there will be a bit of banter about our ratings. I’m looking forward to scoring as myself for the first time,” she added. FIFA 16 designers used American striker Abby Wambach the top international goalscorer of all time with 170, according to her national team’s website - to record the typical movements of a female footballer and players have been head scanned in order
to create a lifelike look ahead of the September release. The England players were scanned at St George’s Park in February. Eniola Aluko told BBC Sport: “I think it shows where the [women’s] game’s going in terms of how fans can engage with us in a game. It’s really cool although it’s a bit weird to do all pictures and facial expressions but it will be nice to see how it will all turn out. ”My little brother will be very excited to play me on FIFA. He’ll find it fascinating. I’m excited to see his reaction.” “Bringing some of the best women’s players and teams in the world to our franchise is a massive event for EA Sports,” said David Rutter, vice president and general manager of EA Sports. (BBCsports)
wants us to be back there and the rest of the world as well, so that’s our goal. We all have to play our part in the various areas and we have to be patient. Once the right plans are in place and everybody buy into the plan, I’m sure we’ll achieve a good level of success.” West Indies have gone through their paces since Monday at the Franklyn Stephenson Academy here, and Sir Richie said he was pleased with the early progress. “The guys are pretty enthusiastic and are enjoying themselves. They’re putting in the work and we’re getting a lot done and we’re hoping after this preparation we’ll be ready for the first Test.” (CMC)
CONCACAF Announces Actions taken by Executive Committee
FIFA 16: EA Sports game to feature women for first time International women’s teams will feature in football video game FIFA 2016 for the first time in its history. England captain Steph Houghton and her teammates have been included with 11 other women’s sides for play in one of several game modes. Until now only men’s teams have featured on the popular EA Sports game which was first released in 1993. “To be one of the first female players included is something we’ll always be able to look back on,” said Houghton. ”Hopefully it will help raise the profile of the women’s game even further,” added the 27-year-old Manchester City defender. Houghton will lead her country to the summer World Cup,
Richie Richardson
Zurich, Switzerland - The Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Football Association (CONCACAF) announced yesterday that in accordance with the Confederation’s Statutes, the Executive Committee provisionally dismissed Jeffrey Webb and Eduardo Li, and — also in accordance with its Statutes — named Senior Vice President Alfredo Hawit as CONCACAF President. The Executive Committee appointed Victor Montagliani, the President of the Canadian Soccer Association, Justino Compean, the
President of the Mexican Soccer Federation and Sunil Gulati, the President of U.S. Soccer Federation to a Special Committee charged with the duties of evaluating and sustaining all of the business operations of the Confederation in the wake of the indictments brought against certain members of FIFA and CONCACAF. The Executive Committee also placed General Secretary Enrique Sanz on a leave of absence to begin immediately. In addition, the confederation’s Deputy General Secretary, Ted Howard
has been appointed by the Executive Committee as acting General Secretary. Howard takes over the administrative functions of the day to day business of the Confederation in absence of Enrique Sanz. ”While we are profoundly disappointed by the allegations made by authorities that again, CONCACAF has been the victim of fraud, we remain committed to CONCACAF’s goal to develop, promote and manage the game of soccer,” said CONCACAF President Alfredo Hawit. “We have now taken the appropriate steps to maintain our operations and continue to deliver on our commitments to all of our constituents, including our fans, members, as well as commercial and broadcast partners. We also continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigation by governmental authorities, which have not placed any restrictions on our ongoing activities.”
Friday May 29, 2015
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Accused former FIFA Vice FIFA brothers scrambled to deposit cash hoard at U.S. banks, President Jack Warner freed U.S. court documents show
Reuters - Two brothers who pleaded guilty in the FIFA soccer bribery scandal deposited large sums of cash in a frenzied series of visits to U.S. banks, hoping to avoid detection by authorities, U.S. court documents released this week showed. Daryan and Daryll Warner, sons of former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, and their associates deposited more than $600,000 in cash at bank branches in New York, Miami and Las Vegas in the second half of 2011, according to a 2012 complaint in U.S. District Court in New York that was unsealed on Wednesday. In one two-day period, the pair parked $128,313.38 in 23 separate deposits into accounts at Bank of America,
JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo through the use of tellers and ATMs. The complaint against the Warners, who are citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, showed that they made sure none of their deposits exceeded the $10,000 threshold above which banks have to file a report to U.S. authorit i e s . On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice charged nine officials at FIFA, the global body governing soccer, and five corporate executives with running a criminal enterprise that involved more than $150 million in bribes. Daryan Warner, one of a group of four others who had pleaded guilty, became a cooperating witness in the FBI’s
Jack Warner in Arouca, East Trinidad, May 27, 2015. Reuters/Andrea De Silva
probe. This was first reported by Reuters in 2013. Banks will also be looked at in the investigation, authorities said on Wednesday, though it was too early to say whether there had been any wrongdoing. The U.S. indictment alleged that the defendants relied heavily on the U.S. banking system to avoid detection, in often complex schemes with fake invoices and numbered accounts, at banks across the globe. In one case, a teller at a JPMorgan Chase branch on New York’s Broadway said she had asked somebody for his driver’s license when he wanted to deposit 7,500 euros, which at the time translated to an amount just above the reporting threshold. The person then asked to be handed back 500 euros, which lowered the sum to $9,336.60. Earlier that day, a similar amount had been deposited at JPMorgan in Queens. The following day, another 7,000 euros was deposited at the Broadway branch. Daryll Warner in his guilty plea admitted that he had deliberately broken up deposits into amounts of less than $10,000 to avoid the reporting requirements. JPMorgan declined comment. Wells Fargo and Bank of America did not immediately return a request for comment. Citi has said it has cooperated with Justice.
Police officers stand guard as an ambulance leaves the state prison in Port-of-Spain May 28, 2015. Reuters/Andrea de Silva Former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, who has been accused of soliciting bribes as part of a vast corruption case against senior soccer officials, left jail in Trinidad and Tobago via ambulance yesterday after he was granted bail, according to local media. Warner is among nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives charged by the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday with running a criminal enterprise that involved more than $150 million in bribes.
FIFA is the global body governing soccer. Once one of the most powerful men in FIFA, Warner surrendered to authorities on Wednesday after U.S. officials sought his extradition. Prosecutors say Warner solicited bribes worth $10 million from the South African government to host the 2010 World Cup and diverted bribes for personal use. Warner issued a statement protesting his innocence on Wednesday as FIFA reeled from police raids
in Switzerland and the United States, as well as a second investigation opened by the Swiss authorities into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Warner, who faces 12 charges included racketeering and bribery, said on Wednesday he was innocent and noted he had left soccer activities four years ago. “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,” he said in a statement.
Serena escapes as women’s seeds continue to fall The pre-tournament shortlist of favorites for the French Open women’s crown continued to shrink and for a while yesterday it looked as though top seed, Serena Williams, would also vanish. Shortly after former world number one Caroline Wozniacki was knocked out by Julia Goerges, meaning the third, fifth and sixth seeds had all gone before round three, Williams, 33, faced unheralded 21-year-old German Anna-Lena Friedsam. It looked like a mismatch but 105th-ranked Friedsam gave the 19-times grand slam champion a torrid time on Court Suzanne Lenglen, taking the first set before a nervy Williams recovered to scrape into the third round 57 6-3 6-3. Twice former champion Williams has suffered at the French Open before — last year when she was beaten by Spain’s Garbine Muguruza
at the same stage and more memorably in 2012 when France’s Virginie Razzano knocked her out in round one. With the American’s groundstrokes sailing over the baseline and even her fearsome serve deserting her in the first set — she was broken three times — another blot on her incredible grand slam record loomed. Even when she led 4-2 in the second set, Williams appeared shaky, going 0-40 down and dropping serve, but once she got level and broke Friedsam’s serve at the start of the decider she relaxed. ”A win is a win and as long as you live to survive the next day, you can always improve,” Williams said. “I know my level is literally a hundred times better than I played today. ”I take more solace in the fact I can play better as op-
Serena Williams posed to the fact that that’s the best I could play — then I would be in trouble.” She will have to sharpen up against former world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the next round. Denmark’s fifth seed Wozniacki joined the exodus of leading players, which in-
cludes Romanian third seed Simona Halep, last year’s runner-up, and number six Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, by losing 6-4 7-6(4) to Goerges. Fourth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova survived her own trial, however, coming back to beat Spain’s Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2 despite 54 unforced errors. FAVORITES UNTROUBLED In contrast to the women, the men’s favorites have been largely untroubled and that continued as holder Rafa Nadal, top seed Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray reached the third round. All eyes have been on Nadal as the Spaniard battles to rediscover his mojo and claim a record-extending 10th French Open title, but there were few weaknesses on show as he beat compatriot Nicolas Almagro with relative
ease. Nadal took his stunning Roland Garros record to 68-1 with a routine 6-4 6-3 6-1 victory — his fourth without dropping a set against Almagro on the Paris clay. Djokovic needed an injury timeout when he slipped in a straight-sets win over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, although he looked untroubled when shaking hands with watching Swedish soccer great Zlatan Ibrahimovic. ”I made a couple of slides that were quite unusual and it happened in those dynamic movements, I jammed the hip a little bit. Thankfully it’s nothing serious,” said the Serb who faces Australian upstart Thanasi Kokkinakis next. Third seed Murray was given a fight by Portugal’s Joao Sousa but came through 6-2 4-6 6-4 6-1 to set up an eye-catching clash with
Australia’s trailblazer Nick Kyrgios. Some of the biggest cheers came elsewhere in the grounds. On Court One, nicknamed the Bull Ring, former women’s champions Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova battled for three hours and 50 minutes before Italian Schiavone prevailed 6-7(11) 7-5 10-8 having saved a match point. Ko k k i n a k i s b e a t h i s c o u n t r y ’s f o r m e r g r e a t hope Bernard Tomic in another cliffhanger, saving three match points at 5-2 down in the fifth which he won 8-6, while fellow teenager, 18-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia, edged Spanish 18th seed Tommy Robredo, also in five sets. Coric will face Jack Sock in round three, one of only two surviving Americans in the men’s draw after John Isner lost to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
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Blatter defies calls to quit Guyana Football Federation as FIFA scandal widens announces its Elite League Reuters - The corruption charges engulfing soccer’s governing body have heaped shame and humiliation on the game, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said yesterday, although he flatly rejected calls to resign over the scandal. With FIFA facing the worst crisis in its 111-year history, Michel Platini, who heads Europe’s soccer confederation UEFA, said he had told Blatter to go “with tears in my eyes”, but the 79-year-old had refused. ”I said, ‘I’m asking you to leave, FIFA’s image is terrible.’ He said that he couldn’t leave all of a sudden,” Platini, a former French international, told reporters. In a bullish speech opening a FIFA Congress in Zurich, Blatter said the turbulence of the last two days, which included the arrest of leading soccer officials at their luxury Swiss hotel, had brought “shame and humiliation” to world soccer. Making his first public appearance since Wednesday’s dramatic events, which were triggered by a U.S.-led investigation into allegations of rampant bribe-taking, Blatter said there was no room “for corruption of any kind”. ”The events of yesterday have cast a long shadow over football and this Congress,” said Blatter, who is standing for a fifth mandate as FIFA president in Friday’s election, where Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan is his only challenger. Ignoring calls to step down, Blatter said: “I know many people hold me ultimately responsible ... (but) I cannot monitor everyone all the time. If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it.” Platini said 45 or 46 of UEFA’s 53 member associations would vote for Prince Ali. But it appeared that Blatter still commanded enough of FIFA’s 209 national associations to secure
victory. Blatter appeared confident despite the dawn raid by plainclothes police on Wednesday that left seven of the most powerful figures in football in Swiss custody and facing extradition to the United States on corruption charges. They are all contesting extradition, but lawyers said the process could be completed within months. Swiss authorities have also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups, which are being hosted in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. U.S. authorities said nine football officials and five sports media and promotions executives faced corruption charges involving more than $150 million in bribes. Both Qatar and Moscow have denied any suggestion of wrongdoing over their bids to host one of the world’s top sporting events, and Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Thursday of meddling in an effort to prevent the re-election of Blatter. ”This is yet another blatant attempt to extend its jurisdiction to other states,” Putin said, adding that Russia would continue to support Blatter. FIFA CONGRESS The FIFA Congress formally got under way yesterday evening. In the past the likes of Grace Jones have set the hearts racing of the older men in suits who comprise most of the Congress’s constituency. But times have changed. The evening was billed as a rather more subdued affair than normal under the banner “Game of Joy, Game of Hope” with dancers and musicians on stage followed by a grand buffet afterwards. The serious business starts on Friday morning in
Zurich’s Hallenstadion, which is where the announcement of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup venues was made in 2010 — decisions which lie at the heart of much of FIFA’s current malaise. With splits opening in the world game, the Asian and African confederations backed Blatter for president, while Western nations said he must go. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the vote should be delayed in light of the corruption investigation. British Prime Minister David Cameron backed Prince Ali’s candidacy and said there was a strong case for a change of leadership at FIFA. Britain has long been a critic of FIFA and bid for the 2018 World Cup which was awarded to Russia. Les Murray of Australia, a former FIFA ethics committee member, also called for Blatter to resign. Meanwhile blue-chip sponsors, many of whom have solidly backed FIFA despite nearly 20 years of bribery and corruption allegations, appeared to be growing concerned at events unfolding in Zurich. In a strongly worded statement, credit card giant Visa said: “It is important that FIFA makes changes now, so that the focus remain on these going forward. Should FIFA fail to do so, we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship.” German sportswear company Adidas said FIFA should do more to establish transparent compliance standards. Anheuser-Busch InBev, whose Budweiser brand is a sponsor of the 2018 World Cup, said it was closely monitoring developments. Coca-Cola Co, another sponsor, said the charges had “tarnished the mission and ideals of the FIFA World Cup and we have repeatedly expressed our concerns about these serious allegations”.
Windward Island cricketer arrested at airport for ammunition Windward Island cricketer Andre Fletcher has been arrested at the Douglas Charles Airport yesterday afternoon, DNO has been reliably informed. Sources told DNO that 50 rounds of ammunition were found in his possession. DNO undestands that Fletcher has been in Dominica
for several days practicing with his team, the Windward Island Volcanoes. Fletcher is a Grenadian national and a wicket keeper. He played for the West Indies team in the 2006 U-19 C r i c k e t Wo r l d C u p i n Sri Lanka. (DominicaNewsOnline)
Andre Fletcher
-eight clubs to battle from August
GFF TD Claude Bolton (standing backing camera) makes a point to representatives of the 8 Elite Clubs at Water Chris Hotel in the presence of other officials. In keeping with the new mandate issued by CONCACAF, the GFF invited applications for Elite Club License from all member associations to be submitted by May 12, 2015. A total of eleven (11) applications were received. As per CONCACAF Guidelines, a First Instance Decision Making Body was established to review and pronounce on these applications. It was agreed that no Normalization Committee Members would sit on this body. Following the review process, all eleven (11) applications were approved for Elite Club License. The Competitions Committee of the GFF then met with the view of choosing eight (8) of the eleven (11) Clubs to participate in the soon to be launched Elite League.
The selection process was guided by four criteria that were established long before applications were received. These criteria were: • Elite League License (which all 11 Clubs satisfied), • Budget and Financial standing, • Competitive Results over a 3-5 year period, • Geographic proximity of the C l u b . Following a thorough review based on the criteria outlined, the following eight (8) clubs were invited to participate in the inaugural GFF Elite League: Alpha United, Guyana Defense Force, Slingerz FC, Pele, Fruta Conquerors, Georgetown Football Club, Buxton United and Monedderlust FC. The announcement was made on Monday 25th May, 2015 at the Water Chris Hotel and Bar in the presence of CONCACAF Club Licensing Manager, Mr. Andres
Portabella and FIFA Consultant Mr. Michael Gandler who visited to speak to the eight (8) selected clubs about the vision of CONCACAF and Club Licensing in the region. He noted CONCACAF’s Mission Statement: “To develop, promote and manage football throughout the region with integrity, transparency and passion in order to inspire participation in the game.” Portabella stated that inspiring participation is key: “So we want to inspire more clubs, we want to inspire more leagues, more administrators, and more coaches to take their organization o the next level.” The Guyana Football Federation congratulates the eight (8) Clubs and look forward to the commencement of the Elite League which is scheduled for August, 2015.
Nicolas Leoz falls ill at news of FIFA arrests
Asuncion, Paraguay (AFP) - The former president of South America’s football confederation fell ill and was hospitalised in Paraguay on Wednesday as US authorities sought his extradition in connection with a FIFA corruption scandal. The 86-year-old Nicolas Leoz, who has Parkinson’s and heart problems, took ill upon learning the arrests of seven FIFA officials in Zurich, a spokesman for the hospital in the capital Asuncion told AFP. The foreign ministry confirmed that the US embassy delivered an extradition re-
quest for Leoz, who led CONMEBOL from 1986 to 2013. The document accuses Leoz of conspiracy to take part or lead “organised crime activities” and planning to profit from illegal activities, the ministry said. Leoz is among 14 football officials and marketing executives named in a US indictment charging them with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies that span 24 years, beginning in 1991. The officials are charged with conspiring to solicit and receive more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks in ex-
change for the support of US and South American sports marketing executives who agreed to make the illegal payments. CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, the North and Central American and Caribbean federation, said in a joint statement that they reject acts of corruption and “unreservedly support the investigations initiated toward FIFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, and other organisations regarding alleged wrongdoing. The federations, the statement said, “will agree to collaborate openly and emphatically with such investigations”.