Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

The reshaping of Europe A quarter of a century ago this weekend, the map of a continent began to be redrawn. Against expectation, the change was not ushered in by one of those terrible confrontations between states that are also being commemorated this Remembrance weekend, and which had defined both Europe’s borders and the 20th century up until then.

Rather than guns or bombs, it was hammers swung by civilians that set the stage for both a new Europe and the breakup of the Soviet Union – hammers that chipped away at the huge slabs of concrete that had for decades seared the heart of Berlin, a seemingly indestructible symbol of oppression and of Europe’s division in two blocs.

As Europe struggles with what often seems like a new cold war with Russia, it is timely to reflect on the lessons of 1989.

One is that stability - first and foremost, that of authoritarian regimes - is never a permanent certainty. The young Hong Kong demonstrators who have been demanding democratic freedom in recent months no doubt have this in mind.

Another is how far the planet was interconnected, long before the advent of the global internet. The peaceful revolutions of 1989 were made possible because Mikhail Gorbachev rejected the use of force, because he feared the international opprobrium brought down on the Chinese leadership as it crushed the Tiananmen uprising a few months earlier.

But many in the Soviet apparatus were struck by a shuddering humiliation – watching in bewilderment as, throughout that summer and autumn, thousands of east Europeans pushed the gaping holes that had appeared in the iron curtain. A then unknown KGB lieutenant called Vladimir Putin followed it all in despair from his base in Dresden.

Mr Putin would later recall in his memoir, First Person, how he waited in vain with his other colleagues in the KGB offices for “the Centre” (Moscow) to react. It is this trauma of seeing a supposedly all-powerful Soviet order being swamped by people power that would lead Mr Putin to describe the sequence of 1989-91 as “the worst geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century”.

Whether or not the west mismanaged its relations with Russia over the following two decades, the psychological impact on the man who has done more than any other to recreate east-west tensions on the European continent is stark.

The worldview of Mr Putin still reverberates with the aftershock of 1989. In many ways, the European aspirations of Ukrainian citizens, demonstrated again in the results of the election of a new Kiev parliament last month, are the continuation of the spirit that carried east European nations 25 five years ago.

This is a parallel that is seen by Mr Putin not only as an irritant but as a threat. The recent dispatch of Russian bombers (some of them nuclear-capable) over the western European skies as far away as Portugal reveals that old attitudes die hard.

It is hard to exaggerate how miraculous it was that these dictatorships crumbled so peacefully in 1989. Our continent was in the 20th century ravaged by the two world wars. It is from this devastation that came the bedrock for a common European project of peace and prosperity, an accomplishment that – for all its current problems – remains the best insurance policy that we have against a repetition.

Easily knocked today, the European ideal helped countries transform for the better. Less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany had joined the community, reunited with the west. And indeed, in the years that followed, Europe spearheaded an enlargement that brought in many more countries, in 2004, 2007 and 2013, having inspired reform and democratisation.

The revisionist nationalism emanating from Russia today aims to prevent European values and institutions spreading further east. At the heart of the European space, a new line of division is in the making. The violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty by Russian arms and the annexation of Crimea are testimony to a European order yet unsettled.

Fragments of the Wall are souvenirs today, but the struggles that led to its fall carry an enduring echo.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

We must stand in opposition to Nandlall’s orgasmic expectations DEAR EDITOR, After days of hiding behind the exploitable diffidence of President Ramotar and the empty arrogance of Clement Rohee , the boisterously loquacious Anil Nandlall emerged and disingenuously sought to refute accusations that were never made against him.

Nandlall declared that he is not aware of any plans to harm any “reporter” or “newspaper”. But who accused Nandlall of being aware of any plans to hurt an individual reporter or an individual newspaper?

The direct and indirect accusation against Nandlall is that he is aware of imminent plans to harm

many persons (reporters and non-reporters) at Kaieteur News— and he has not denied it! Thus his shameless obfuscation while purportedly apologizing for and explaining the shocking comments he made in the taped conversation with your reporter must be rejected.

Given that he is an attorney, no matter how incompetent he may be, Attorney General Nandlall has to know that there is sufficient evidence on the recording to sustain the allegations being made against him.

If one listens carefully to The Nandlall Tape (TNT), it is hard to miss Nandlall’s fear-inducing evolution in

attitude from fulmination to bravado, and then to a seeming orgasmic expectation of violence against property and persons at Kaieteur News.

In fact, Nandlall’s clear prediction of imminent harm to persons and property is so frightening, the public and the media have barely examined his confession of his misuse of government funds or his shockingly persistent attempt to convince a KN reporter to pimp his KN colleague.

As I listened to TNT and read its accompanying transcript, I thought of who else would be interested or be involved with what Nandlall had said. My mind

immediately settled upon N a n d l a l l ’s “ p o w e r f u l people” and exactly how they would accomplish the dastardly deeds that Nandlall has no doubt “will happen soon.” That thought naturally led me to think of Guyana’s underworld of assassins, would-be assassins, arsonists, and our police. After all, Nandlall’s “powerful people” are not going to personally carry out the dastardly deeds that Nandlall spoke of with such orgasmic pleasure.

So it is quite evident that they will have to turn to our underworld. And when “powerful people” enlist others to carry out their (Continued on page 6)

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

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Kaieteur M@ilbox

The religious community is silent at Majority Against No this time of greatest spiritual crisis Confidence Motion

DEAR EDITOR, The religious community has decidedly failed this society - at the time of greatest spiritual crisis in this nation, it has chosen to still its collective voice.

Martin Carter said that a mouth is always muzzled by the food it eats to live, and I suppose the religious leadership in Guyana is concerned about maintaining their physical succor at the expense of the spiritual.

I would like them to be aware that history does not only record your words but it records your silences as well.

It was a Pastor, Martin Niemöller, who initially chose silence during the rise of Nazi authoritarianism, who left us with the words.

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was

not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me.”

In Guyana, the leadership of the religious community refuses to speak out against corruption, discrimination and impunity because it does not directly affect them.

Indeed, we find that prominent religious people have positioned themselves as part of the machinery or to benefit from it, the Christian community in particular.

When Anil Nandlall referred to the money he mysteriously took from and returned to government, he cited cabinet approval of the transaction, a cabinet that included Junior Finance Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, yet Edghill claimed in response to Kaieteur News that he did not know enough about the transaction to

pronounce upon it.

Interestingly enough, Edghill was front and centre as Donald Ramotar was invited last week by the Caribbean Baptists Convention to lecture them - in the midst of a scandal involving possible financial impropriety and threats of violence by a serving senior member of his government - on promoting unity and responsibility for poverty alleviation.

Another one of Nandlall’s fellow PPP parliamentarians is Reverend Kwame Gilbert who, according to his profile on the Church of God website, “is a prolific writer and conference speaker, who preaches and teaches with a passion for the lost”, yet whose voice and pen are consistently rendered impotent in the wake of the worst excesses of the PPP. Indeed, the only mention I heard of Gilbert in recent weeks involved not his

spiritual advice to the country but his importation of a luxury vehicle at a cost of $7.4 million.

And finally, when Nandlall decided to resort to PR services to help restore his tarnished image, he didn’t turn to GINA or the tremendous media machinery that the PPP has at its disposal. He turned in his desperation to Alex Graham, good friend of Gilbert, Chairman of Prison Fellowship Guyana and Pastor of Living Stones Ministry.

As this country descends further into decadence, I suppose it takes sinners like me to remind these holy men of an apparently overlooked part of the Bible, Matthew 6:24: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Ruel Johnson

This nation is being held hostage by a group of clueless elected leaders DEAR EDITOR, Under the Guyana Constitution, the President has no role in the day-to-day management of the National Assembly’s business, save for Article 67.

Article 67 (1) allows that, “The President may at any time attend and address the National Assembly.” And Article 67 (2) allows that, “The President may send messages to the National Assembly and any such message shall be read, at the first convenient sitting of the Assembly after it is received, by the Prime Minister or by any other Minister designated by the President.”

Article 68 goes on to say that, ”All other matters concerning Parliament (including the procedures thereof shall be regulated by the provisions of articles 165-

172 (inclusive).”

A perusal of these articles -”165-172 (inclusive)”- will reveal the President is only mentioned again in Article 170, which is guided by Article 164. Article 170 (1) expressly states that, “Subject to the provisions of Article 164, the power of the Parliament to make laws shall be exercised

by Bills passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President.”

Article 170 (2) to (6) goes on to stipulate the procedure for submitting bills, assenting, non-assenting, measures that ought to be taken to secure the assent of any Bill the president did not assent, and how a bill becomes law.

Under Articles 69 and 70 the President is vested the authority to Summon, Prorogate and Dissolve Parliament, which is separate

and distinct from his recent act of immersing himself in the management of the National Assembly.

The principal titled holders in the National Assembly are: 1) the Prime Minister, who according to Article 101 “…shall be the principal assistant of the President in the discharge of his executive functions and leader of Government business in the National Assembly.” 2) the Speaker and Deputy Speaker whose roles are outlined in Article 157 ; 3) the Leader of the Opposition, whose election to office is outlined in Article

184 (1); and 4) the Clerk and Deputy Clerk as stipulated in Article 158. According to this Constitution, the President and Leader of the Opposition are not authority unto themselves and the people are given protection under this very instrument to hold them accountable.

Their constant appraisals in office are not only determined through National Elections, but throughout various means, one of which includes via the People’s representatives in the National Assembly.

While Article 106 (6) allows (Continued on page 6)

DEAR EDITOR, An opinion survey conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) last month found a large majority of the nation is opposed to the AFC’s no confidence motion that is supported by APNU (PNC) saying another election to resolve the parliamentary impasse may not result in a significantly different composition of parliament.

Voters overwhelmingly say they want the three parties to focus on critical issues (like money laundering, crime, job creation, development, suicide, chikungunya and other health related matters, etc.) impacting on the nation rather than on acquiring or retaining political power.

A majority is against holding fresh elections saying President Donald Ramotar should be allowed to complete his term with some favoring early elections saying the President will get a majority.

A huge majority of the voters feel the PPP will win re-election, but they are divided over whether the PPP will win with a majority or with a simple plurality and or whether it will lose any seat.

Voters feel APNU (PNC) will run second in new elections and the AFC third losing several of its seats enhancing the PPP’s chance of winning a majority.

Nearly a third of the

voters feel the PPP will regain its majority support (it lost to the AFC in 2011) and a third saying it will garner only a plurality with a fifth saying the PNC will win a plurality because of the division in the traditional PPP base. Less than 1% said the AFC will win a plurality with many expressing the feeling that the AFC will pull enough votes from the PPP traditional base to enable the PNC (APNU) to win a plurality and retake power like it did in December 1964.

The findings also reveal that African and Mixed voters are upset with PNC-APNU leader, Brigadier David Granger, for allowing himself to be manipulated and led by its junior AFC partner rather than take an independent leadership position (for his party) on several issues, particularly on the no confidence motion.

Analogously, Indian and Amerindian voters are upset with the AFC for teaming up with the PNC-APNU, and they plan to punish it at the next election for what they describe as an “unholy alliance”.

Simultaneously, many Indians express anger with the PPP for “neglecting them” and attending to the interests of the PNC supporters, but they are more upset with the AFC than with the PPP saying the AFC has misled them over policy positions it took that are against theirs and the national (Continued on page 6)

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur M@ilbox

A better system needed to share ‘Because we care’ vouchers DEAR EDITOR, The sharing of the $10,000 school voucher is not a bad initiative by the government but there are some flaws which I observed that should be addressed by the Ministry of Education.

The former school vouchers that were shared were just $1,500,and that was hassle free from all the long lines and sharing of numbers, and the voucherscould have been used to purchase school items at many stores.

The sharing of this new $10,000 voucher is a very tedious process for families.

My first observation is the sharing of numbers and these are numbers for various grades that have different long lines. For example, if a parent has three children at three different grades in the same school, that parent will have to uplift three different numbers for every

grade his/her child is in that now incorporates them to join three different lines. That’s virtually impossible to achieve in one day.

Why is it that the school couldn’t tabulate the names of the children on one list and let the parent collect his/her voucher in one line?

Some parents I know spent over eight hours in different lines and couldn’t get all their vouchers; and the sad part is they only have one day to get all their vouchers; it’s not given the next day.

Then we have working parents who cannot leave their jobs to uplift their vouchers because of their job schedules.

Why is it a more effective and efficient system was not in place to facilitate every family, just like the previous system they had when they were sharing the $1,500 vouchers? I haven’t seen

much big difference with the previous system; it’s only a couple more thousands is added to the voucher.

Then we have many parents that can’t read, old parents, pregnant mothers etc. all have to stand waiting in the sun or on some school bench sitting as if they are begging for a hand out.

I wonder if our ministers in government would like to wait over five hours in a line for a $10,000 voucher.

How many of them stepping out of their air condition Prados can even stand one hour in the sun to make a long boring speech before this money is shared.

Everything with our present administration is about the politics and how good we have done for our people. Any politics without a proper administration and modern effective policies is unhealthy for our people as a

From page 4 dastardly deeds, what can or will our police do? Well, the police have already given us a preview by their response to Glenn Lall’s complaint against Nandlall.

Further contemplation of Nandlall’s statements has led me to some obvious questions and disturbing conclusions about Nandlall’s mindset and the intersection of crime and politics in our country. Nandlall wants his wife and family to be kept out of any exchanges between him and KN, but yet had no hesitation about being unbothered at the prospect of innocent people being killed or maimed at KN. Can he not see that those innocent people and their families care for their lives as much as he cares about the feelings of his wife and family? Is Nandlall really that degenerate? Or could it be that he has of necessity assumed the persona of the “powerful people” and their hired assas-

sins? With regard to hired assassins, would I be considered unreasonable if I concluded, based on inferences from Nandlall’s statements, that the ”powerful people” have access to a list of assassins whose confidence, silence, loyalty, and services have been bought in exchange for protection from prosecution for their past and future dastardly deeds?

And what ”powerful people”, except politicians or the politically connected, can protect assassins from arrest or prosecution for an intended crime that is sure to be widely condemned and widely reported?

I commend the owner and editor of KN for releasing TNT. For as Nandlall himself has hypocritically but so eloquently stated, no claim to privacy can protect the public release of private conversations that discuss the commission of crimes. And it is worth noting that KN released this tape even though it con-

tains embarrassing information about Glenn Lall’s brother. Anyway, despite the embarrassment, fear, and suspicions that the release of TNT has engendered, I understand that Kaieteur News had no choice but to go public in an effort to avert dire consequences.

In fact, I caution Guyanese that unless we rise in fearless opposition to and condemn Nandlall’s orgasmic expectations, the release of TNT may turn out to have just delayed rather than prevented those dire consequences.

In the meantime, as we wait with bated breath for the next move of the “powerful”, I without reservation condemn Nandlall and heap unconstrained condemnation upon President Ramotar for his senseless defence of the indefensible, and hold him ultimately responsible for the protection of Kaieteur News’ personnel and property.

I also demand that Nandlall be investigated for possible crimes, because no reasonable person can listen to TNT and conclude that at worst we are dealing with mere indiscretion.

I also encourage KN’s owner and editor to continue to allow the truth to flow from KN’s pages at the same rate and force with which the waters of Kaieteur Falls roll off the sandstone cliffs of the Potaro River during a rainy season.

Lionel Lowe

nation.

Editor, the long voucher lines doesn’t end at the school. This $10,000 voucher can only be cashed at Western Union offices and most Western Union branches only have about three cashiers working and many smaller ones only have one cashier. I saw lines at Western Union by the hundreds. Some folks line up as early as 5.00 a.m to cash their vouchers to be told at 9AM that Western Union doesn’t have money.

It’s ridiculous that our people have become like a puppet on a long string just for $10,000 while many have fainted in the lines and even starved the whole day and can’t get their money.

My questions are many which I may never get an answer for.

Why is it that the

‘’because we care vouchers’’ can only be cashed at Western Union?

Why can’t they be cashed at any bank? Banks have money, Western Union doesn’t have enough money to give out to hundreds of families?

And why do these vouchers have an expiry date November 30th,2014?

With proper security, why couldn’t they give out cash to parents?

To govern a nation we need vision and proper management skills which we don’t seem to have. In all our ministries and prominent offices we are greeted by long unending lines but it doesn’t seem to bother our Ministers in Government and even our President. It doesn’t bother them because they are not the ones standing in the lines for hours and days.

Real leadership is putting our people first before ourselves. If this new voucher initiative is called ‘’Because We Care’’ then our present administration should care about the long lines our people have to make to uplift the voucher at the schools and Western Union.

If we really care then it is my sincere hope that these issues I have raised here will be addressed by the Ministry of Education and our administration.

Illiteracy among adults is another growing phenomenon in Guyana that really slowed up the sharing of the vouchers since hundreds of parents can’t sign their names. What we need is a more comprehensive plan to distribute these vouchers in the coming years if it’s still in place.

Rev. Gideon Cecil

We must stand in opposition to... This nation is being held...

From page 5 for a confidence motion to be placed in the Executive/ government,Article 184 (3) to (5) stipulates how the Leader of the Opposition can be removed from office and, Article 180 guides the procedure for the removal of the President if it is considered he has committed any violation of the Constitution or any gross misconduct.

Contrary to the belief of some, elected officials are not above being held to account.

In normal societies, where the people are vigilant, these recall powers entrusted to them under the constitution, would have been taken seriously by their elected leaders.

The President is out of order when he sought to entrust himself into the dayto-day functioning of the Assembly, when he has no power or authority to. Article

168 (1) said, “Save as otherwise provided by this Constitution, all questions proposed for decision in the National Assembly shall be determined by a majority of the votes of the members present and voting.” The Standing Orders outlines how the Assembly sits.

Article 50 is clear in making known the supremacy of the parliament over the president and cabinet. And while it would have been customary for the leader of the Government business to state the date when the Assembly reconvenes, in the absence of the Executive/government side having majority control of the Assembly, that responsibility should have been assumed by the Leader of the Opposition on whose side the expressed majority will of the people reside.

The Speaker is the political head/chair of the

Assembly. The Clerk of the National Assembly is the executive/administrative head.

What is clearly coming over is the absence of understanding of scope and responsibilities, laws and procedures guiding professional conduct, or the downright contempt for these established institutions.

The efforts to ensure the financial independence of the Assembly/Parliament is laudable and must be pursued with due diligence.

This nation continues to be held hostage to a group of elected leaders who haven’t got a clue what they are doing and seemingly making no effort to familiarise themselves.

An end must be brought to the disregard/contempt for the people and their institutions.

Lincoln Lewis.

Majority Against No Confidence...

From page 5 interests. The poll randomly interviewed 610 voters to yield a demographically representative sample (44% Indians, 30% Africans, 16% Mixed, 9% Amerindians, and 1% other races) of the population.

The poll was conducted in face-to-face interviews and was coordinated by Dr. Vishnu Bisram*, pollster, newspaper columnist, and educator in NY. The results of the poll were analyzed at a 95 per cent significance level and a statistical sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points was found. Sampling results based on subgroups

such as Indians or Africans or Amerindians have a larger sampling error.

Asked if they approve of the opposition’s no confidence motion to bring down the government and hold new general elections, 57% said “no” with 26% approving of it and 17% not offering a response.

Asked if they think the results of new election will be significantly different from the 2011 outcome, 52% said “no” with 37% saying “yes” and 11% saying “not sure”.

Asked what they think will be the outcome of a snap election, 30% said the PPP will regain its majority with an additional 34% saying the

PPP will win but with a plurality. Some 21% feel the PNC will win a plurality and an additional 2% said PNC will win a majority) with less than 1% saying the AFC will win the election. The remaining 12% expressed no opinion or are uncertain about the outcome.

The survey also polled voters to obtain the approval and favorability ratings of President Ramotar and Opposition Leader Granger, popular support for the parties in the event of a general election, as well as support for aspiring Presidential candidates of the AFC. Vishnu Bisram

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

US Sen Rubio sees new hope for Venezuela sanctions BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio hopes Republican gains in midterm elections will breathe new life into efforts to impose sanctions on Venezuelan officials who commit human rights abuses.

The Florida Republican is a sponsor of legislation targeting Venezuela’s socialist government that has been stalled since clearing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in May with bipartisan support. Similar legislation, which instructs the Obama administration to freeze the U.S. assets of known abusers and commit more American funding to pro-democracy groups in the South American country, has already passed the U.S. House.

Speaking in Colombia’s capital a day after Republicans won control of the Senate, Rubio said last week that he welcomes the

Marco Rubio Obama administration’s decision in July to impose a travel ban on more than 20 unidentified senior Venezuelan officials who played a role crushing antigovernment demonstrations earlier this year. At least 43 people were killed on both sides during the unrest.

Still, the lawmaker said more action is needed to punish President Nicolas

Maduro’s government.

“I hope we can achieve something much stronger than what the White House has done so far,” Rubio, speaking in Spanish, told journalists.

The Obama administration has argued that any additional action against Venezuela isn’t needed, could hurt U.S. relations with the rest of Latin America and would provide Maduro’s government with a scapegoat to distract attention from the oil-rich nation’s economic crisis.

Rubio said the sanctions bill would have already been approved if not for the objections of his Democrat colleague, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, who has stalled a vote out of worries over hundreds of jobs at a refinery owned by Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-run oil company.

Worry in T&T over Cable and Wireless takeover Union warns of job losses, higher prices PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad CMC — The Communications Workers Union (CWU) Friday questioned the intention of the British telecommunications giant, Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) to pay US$1.85 billion for the privately owned Columbus International, a fibre-based telecoms company serving the Caribbean, Central America and Andean regions.

The CWU, which represents workers at the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), said that the move to acquire Columbus was tantamount to corporate raiding. Cable and Wireless owns 49 per cent of TSTT. “Cable and Wireless had [indicated to] the Government that if it did not get the additional two per cent shareholding in TSTT they are going to apply for a third mobile licence,” CWU president Joseph Remy claimed.

“That to us was an ominous signal of their intent of corporate raiding...and they did not care anything about conflict of interest because you have 49 per cent shareholding in TSTT but you apply for a third mobile licence to be an operator to compete with the same person that you have 49 per cent shareholding in.

Chairman of Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC), Sir Richard Lapthorne (centre) congratulates chairman and CEO of Columbus International Inc Brendan Paddick following the announcement of the proposed merger between CWC and Columbus in London today. Looking on is Phil Bentley, CEO of CWC. “That to us signal a particular style of re-entry into the market and signals to the Government and to the Telecommunication Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT)...that they went to sleep and now the TATT is raising objections...,” he added. Remy said that with the new agreement, Cable and Wireless will now monopolise a “particular part of the telecom sector which is crucial.

“They are going to get into broadband, cable television, land line operations...competing with the same company (TSTT) that are providing the same

things,” Remy said.

CWC is funding the deal by paying US$707.5 million in cash, issuing 1.5 billion new shares to the vendors and placing shares worth nearly 10 per cent of the company to help fund the cash element.

CWC said the deal would help expand its presence in the region, adding Columbus’ 700,000 residential customers.

“This is a transaction that transforms CWC, providing a step change in growth and returns,” said CWC chief executive Phil Bentley.

“Columbus offers complementary TV, broadband and B2B capabilities in complementary markets.”

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 09, 2014

Sunday November 09, 2014

Dem boys seh...

Donald singing chutnee now Everybody knows that De Donald loves to sing oldies and soca but Anil put him in so much shame, that Donald don’t even want hear Anil name.

De poor man tek on this thing so much that he get sick.

He been Friday night to karaoke. That night he didn’t even walk wid a friend. He go he alone wid de few security. He shock everybody wid his new tune and it wasn’t soca, calypso or oldies. It was a chutney wha only de Chat-3 use to sing.

When Donald done wid de chutnee everybody get knock knee.

Oo nan da lala! Oo nan da lala.

Wha yuh do to de PPP, wha yuh do to we.

Nobody ain’t tell me, I hear thru Gillda-ree, Oo nan da lala! Oo nan da lala, Oo nan da lala, Oo nan da lall Yuh lie to mee when you seh you nah talk to Gildaree And now you got de whole nation insulting me.

Just because you and Gilldarie been to QC. Oo nan da lala, Oo nan da lall You deh wid Jagdeo and Satar drinking dhal And you go and mek me hand fall Me was friend wid Glenn Lall, a true Lall And you mek me forsake that man fuh you, a nun-Lall Oo nan da lala, Oo nan da lall Don’t depend pun me fuh tek you out this trouble Go back to de two—Satar and de devil And dem boys hear a story but dem don’t believe that dem got any lawyer in this country who would end up in something like this.

A boss man tell a certain lawyer that he got good news and bad news. De lawyer reply, “I had a baad day, man. Tell me de good news fuss.”

The boss man seh, “Your wife invested $100,000 in two pictures that are now worth a minimum of $20,000,000.”

The lawyer jump up and seh, “Well done, very good news indeed! You mek me bad day tun very happy. Now what is the bad news?”

The boss man answer, “The pictures are of you, in bed, with your secretary.”

De lawyer collapse.

Talk half and pray fuh him.

Kaieteur News

Page 9

The govt’s record on press freedom stinks (From page 3) party. This is not liberalization.

This is monopoly domination.

The government in its statement boasted, too, that it does not in any form or fashion muzzle or interfere with press outfits, and that journalists attached to these media entities have equal and ready access to all members of government and indeed, to every public officer.

The government seems to have selective amnesia. It has forgotten the numerous attempts by this newspaper to solicit information on the controversial deals entered into by the government. These attempts to obtain information on these deals were met with stony silence.

What the Government equally forgot was that it was under the PPPC that the former President banned reporters from covering official State functions. It also restricted access by others to press conferences. One columnist has also been sued for libel.

While the government did concede that several of its officials have instituted lawsuits against Kaieteur News, it does not view this as a weapon used to gag this publication from publishing matters of public interest.

Bharrat Jagdeo

Dr. Ranjisinghi 'Bobby' Ramroop

A flood of lawsuits have been filed against this newspaper. But the plot against the Kaieteur News did not end with lawsuits.

Recently leaked emails revealed a plot to use State agencies to target the Kaieteur News and to have its publisher jailed for a long time.

The plot thickened when dire warnings were sounded about an imminent armed assault against this newspaper.

A staff member of Kaieteur News was urged to remove himself from the offices of Kaieteur News and to “read between the lines”.

The State media, controlled by the government, is itself no paragon of fairness

and balance. The opposition parties have refused to approve budgetary funding for the State media because of what is deemed biased reporting and the limited access it affords them.

The State media is often used as a tool to target enemies of the government and to launch ad hominem attacks against the Kaieteur News publisher and editor.

The Government of Guyana has the redoubtable record of being condemned by both international and regional media bodies for its actions against the local media.

In therefore relishing the fact that it is a signatory to

almost every major international agreement and convention which canvas, promote and protect individual rights and civil liberties, the government overlooks the constant condemnation it attracts for breaching these very international agreements.

The Guyana Government lashed out at Kaieteur News saying that over the years, the newspaper has been engaged in an unwavering and institutionalised policy of journalism, lacking in professional and ethical tenets, but steeped in fabrications, distortions, character assassination and homophobia.

The publisher challenges the government to report one instance of fabrication, distortion, and character assassination.

Nothing could be further from the truth. What irks the Government is not unprofessional and unethical journalism. What bothers the Government is not fabrication, distortions and character assassination.

If this were the case Kaieteur News would not be the country’s largest selling newspaper. At the heart of the Government’s discontent is the exposure by Kaieteur News of the skullduggery and wrongdoing.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 09, 2014

Greenidge accuses President Dairy Queen Grill and of democracy breach Chill comes to Guyana …files motion to sanction Ramotar On November 3, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Shadow Minister of Finance, Carl Greenidge, filed a motion with the Parliament seeking to cite President Donald Ramotar for flagrant breaches of the Constitutional Provisions.

The former Finance Minister believes that the actions of the President based on the advice of his “experts” are not only breaches of the provisions of the Constitution; but are a direct assault on the principles of democracy on which the Constitution is based.

Greenidge said that one of the most sacred principles in representative democracy is the exercise of power through elected representatives each of whose votes carry equal weight in a process in which decisions, are taken on the basis of unanimity, consensus, or in the absence

President Donald Ramotar Carl Greenidge, APNU Shadow Finance Minister of either, a majority.

He made reference to the Constitution which provides for “a Parliament of Guyana, which shall consist of the President and the National Assembly” and for the latter to be responsible for the passage of laws, debating issues and monitoring the

policies and behaviour of the Executive but does not subject the Assembly or its actions to oversight or supervision by the President.

He said that the Constitution also makes clear that “all questions (including Bills and motions) proposed for decision in the National Assembly shall be determined by a majority of the votes of the members present and voting.”

The politician emphasized that the Constitution articulates that the President is a member of the Parliament and is required to assent to its legislation, the Assembly’s consideration of which, has always been understood to involve amendment of proposals/drafts laid by the Executive or Private Members.

In light of the fact that Ramotar has publicly declared that he would not assent to Bills not approved by the PPP Executive and has not approved Bills laid by members of parliament other than those of the PPP/Civic thereby making the Assembly subservient to the Cabinet, underscores the need for his motion.

Another reason Greenidge provided, which saw the need for such a motion was unassented to Local Government Bills.

One stop fast food shopping as DQ joins existing international brands Camex Restaurant Inc. yesterday opened its doors of the internationally acclaimed Dairy Queen (DQ) Grill and Chill, out of the United States.

This marks the fourth of its international fast food brands in one location. Camex Restaurants Inc. is the Franchise of Church’s Chicken, Mario’s Pizza, Quiznos and now Dairy Queen Grill and Chill.

The new store is located at Middle and Camp Streets where the main Church’s Chicken branch is located. It is the first of its kind to be opened within the region.

Operations and Marketing Manager for Dairy Queen Guyana, Lisa Insanally said that DQ is one of the largest franchises in the United States

with over 6000 stores worldwide.

While Camex plans to open seven more outlets in the country, Insanally said that within six months, the restaurant chain is seeking to open two new stores; one at Linden and another at the soon to come, Giftland Mall.

Insanally said, “We are very proud because it’s the first in the Caribbean and South America. Guyana is actually making a big mark for the fast food industry to be the first DQ Grill and Chill in the region.” She said that the brand’s foreign representatives recently left the country after conducting their checks and follow up work on the new business venture.

DQ is well known for its soft serve ice creams. They also offer a full line of hamburgers; specialty burgers, chicken strips, hot dogs, salads and sandwiches on the grill side. They are also the first burger franchise in the country. On the chill side of things, she said customers can treat themselves to the brand’s famous blizzards, sundaes and cones.

While DQ already has two outlets; one on Avenue of the Republic and another in Vreed-en-Hoop, the newly opened outlet offers fast food dining apart from the customary dairy products.

“What is different from our

first outlets is that this Grill and Chill store provides for dining, while the others offer treats.”

Insanally explained that Camex will be placing DQs at all of its 14 Church’s locations countrywide. She said that the two brands complement each other nicely since the idea is to create a family atmosphere.

The company has converted the Camp Street branch to provide space for families to dine; and while there, they will have their choices of Quiznos Subs, Church’s Chicken and Marios Pizza.

To further create that family atmosphere; the company has organized playground space and soothing steel pan music, among other things.

The new store has so far employed at least 30 staffers.

Insanally explained that staff turnover is usually high in the fast food business; she asserted that the company seeks to create that workable atmosphere for staffers as they invest heavily in staff training. “Staffing in this business is a challenge with high turnover. We really want to work with our staff and keep them happy and one of the things we do is invest is training.”

Insanally said the company is very concerned with maintaining the high international standard that is associated with all the brands.

“It (DQ) is a very big franchise overseas and we have to maintain that high standard.”

D Q ’s b l i z z a r d s , i c e creams and cakes are made fresh every day.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 11

The “Anil-gate” scandal… recording vs. statements

Nandlall trying to confuse the nation -Nagamootoo Upon careful examination of several sections of the unapologetic statement by the embattled Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, Vice Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Moses Nagamootoo, is of the opinion that the Minister of Legal Affairs is shamelessly trying to confuse the nation.

Nandlall’s statement comes on the heels of a recorded 19-minute conversation he featured in alongside a Kaieteur News reporter, Leonard Gildarie.

Nagamootoo explained that the AG’s released statement, in an attempt to defend the “vile and nasty utterances” he made in the recorded conversation, only served to create more confusion and dent “whatever little integrity he had left.”

The AFC Parliamentarian

- released statements contradict revelations in despicable recorded conversation highlighted one of the many glaring contradictions by the Attorney General. He did this by comparing one section of the statement with the recording.

In the recorded conversation, Nandlall said that he “used money from the government… and pay back long before” Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall “made an issue of it.”

However, in a statement released by a public relations consultant on Nandlall’s behalf, the Minister said, “I wish to set the record straight …the reference relates to the reimbursement I received for monies I expended on medical treatment.

This reimbursement was approved

by Cabinet in a written Cabinet decision dated 20

AFC Vice Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo June 2013.

“This is, and historically has been, an entitlement of every member of Cabinet long before my appointment.”

Contrary to the so-called

Land of Canaan shooting…

Victims appeal to Opposition leader for help in securing justice The worried relatives of the victims of the Land of Canaan shoot-out, appeared before the doors of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, David Granger, on Friday to appeal to him for any assistance he could render in helping them to secure justice.

The victims, 50-year-old Welton Edwards and his nephew Sherwin Hamilton, 40, were shot by a well-known businessman of Land of Canaan earlier this week. The entrepreneur, Derek Jaisingh, has since explained that his shooting of the two was based on the suspicion that they were bandits out to rob him.

Edwards and Hamilton in pleading with Granger for his help, held out that they are not thieves.

The matter is currently engaging the attention of the courts. The shooter, who is a licensed firearm holder, is charged with two counts of attempted murder. He was however released from the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on $800,000 bail for both charges.

The wounded men were hospitalized after the shooting but were later discharged from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, with doctors allegedly informing relatives that Edwards is paralyzed and has “a 50-50” chance of survival. The news of Edwards’ condition has left relatives “with a feeling of hopelessness” and as such, they are hoping that the matter can be hastened in light of the

Welton Edwards

Anil Nandlall, embattled Attorney General “entitlement” which Nandlall said existed “historically” even before his appointment, Nagamootoo, a former member of the People’s Progressive Party contended that this was never the case.

Additionally, the AFC executive member said that Nandlall also contradicted himself when in the recording he said that he leaned on a Ministry for money and paid it back. He turned around in his PR statement to say that he reimbursed the money.

“Nandlall is clearly trying to confuse the nation.

Reimbursement is when you receive money that you expended. So if it’s a reimbursement why did he have to repay as he told Gildarie? “Also, if this is a so called entitlement why did he

have to get cabinet’s approval? Why did you have to go through that kind of process for a historically established privilege?”

Government should make clear to the people, its policy upon which such discretion for Nandlall’s reimbursement is given and even for other ministers in general, Nagamootoo said.

“While the government officials and ministers are entitled to their perks and privileges, the ordinary citizen and its union have to go around with a begging bowl for incremental increases in salaries.

“It is only reasonable that Cabinet explain to the people the criteria for this kind of approval for monies. They need to clear this up. This has to be some recent development for it never existed in my time,” Nagamootoo said.

Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds also said that currently, this is not the case.

Hinds had said that he would not call the monies approved for certain emergencies as an entitlement. The Prime Minister had disclosed that such discretion by Cabinet “is not something that is automatic. It is something that would require much review.”

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s General

Secretary, Joseph Harmon, at the coalition’s press conference last week, told media operatives that there are many parts of the infamous recorded conversation that APNU has not touched as yet.

Harmon however, had emphasized that the money Nandlall said he took was not approved by the Parliament for any such reason. The politician had said that this indicates that such a transaction is a “callous betrayal of the citizens’ trust and the fair way in which state resources are supposed to be allocated.”

Vice Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Moses Nagamootoo, in a letter to the editor said that he had found Nandlall’s admission that he had accessed and used government’s money for a personal purpose, which he claimed that he has since repaid, to be most disgusting.

Nagamootoo had lent much support to APNU’s intention to launch an investigation into the financial indiscretion. The Parliamentarian had said that the behaviour of the country’s Attorney General raises eyebrows.

He said that an investigation into that transaction ought to take place now.

Speeding vehicle kills Mocha woman circumstances, to ensure justice is served. Hamilton told the Opposition Leader that he and his uncle are well known to Jaisingh who is a miner and owns the Savannah Restaurant on the Land of Canaan Public Road, where the shooting took place.

He insisted that as such, it was simply absurd for the neighbourhood acquaintance to even think that they were bandits.

In relating his side of the story to Granger, Hamilton said that upon his return from a family trip, he heard a commotion and noticed that the businessman was in an argument with one of his (Hamilton’s) relatives.

In an attempt to try to appease the entrepreneur, Hamilton said that Jaisingh then struck him twice across his face with his gun. After informing his uncle of what had occurred, Edwards approached the proprietor but

he said he was in no mood to “talk things out.”

Hamilton said that Jaisingh started shooting and both men suffered severe injuries.

In fact, Edwards claimed that he still has a bullet lodged in his spine and doctors discharged him, informing that he has to make a decision soon with regard to a “risky” surgery.

Edwards’ daughter Felicia said, “It is very hard for my father right now. He can’t do nothing on his own. Anytime he wants to urinate he got to get five to six people helping he. It is hard and I can’t imagine losing my father to this. That businessman was just ignorant. I don’t believe that we will get justice. That is why we come to the Opposition leader, we believe in him. We just hoping that he can do something, anything at all to help us in getting justice.”

A 45-year-old housewife was struck down and killed instantly by a speeding vehicle last Friday night along the Mocha Access Road, East Bank Demerara.

The accident which occurred around 20:30 hours, resulted in the death of Carol Overton of Barnwell North, Mocha, EBD. According to a police

press release yesterday, Overton was walking along the road when she was struck by a motor-car. She was immediately rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The driver of the motorvehicle is in police custody, assisting with investigations, the police said.

Carol Overton

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Kaieteur News

GEA confirms gas shortage, October experienced supply constraints Head of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Mahender Sharma, has confirmed some measure of gas shortages occurring within the city and its environs. Following complaints of gas shortages during the past few weeks, the Energy Agency explained that difficulty was experienced in acquiring fuel last month.

The agency said that difficulty was also experienced with its regular Venezuela supplies. Sharma said that Guyana imports gasoline (mogas) from Petrotrin, Trinidad and PDVSA, Venezuela. “For the month of October 2014, Petrotrin experienced some supply constraints due to technical issues with their blending facilities.”

Sharma said that there were also some delays experienced at PDVSA(Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.) This affected supplies of gasoline to Guyana. GEA said that it understands that while some Guyoil stations

...Guyoil to commence regular distribution experienced supply disruptions in the last few days, gasoline was available from other suppliers.

The agency said, however, that the state gas agency, Guyoil, has since received gasoline, and distribution to the various stations have commenced.

Vehicle operators on West Coast Demerara said that they were most hard hit by the shortage. They reported grave gas shortages being experienced within the past few weeks. The operators complained about being able to buy small amounts of fuel, while some service stations “from Anna Catherina to Parika” were said to be without fuel.

They said that after purchasing fuel once for the day they were not permitted to purchase again.

Service stations within Georgetown and on East Bank Demerara also reported shortages but were not as gravely hit as those on the West Bank. Vehicle operators said that gas prices also rose from $228 per litre to as much as $320 per litre during the crisis.

When the publication made visits to gas stations in an around the city, some said they had gas but small amounts. Rubis’ Georgetown station reported having gas.

Shell reported that for the time, there was gas but they were affected by the shortage.

Fuel providers had reported difficulty securing a ship and many of them said they were awaiting its arrival to get fuel. A Guyoil agent had told this publication that for three weeks he was unable to operate his gas station as a result of the shortage. He said his station was closed but he expects to receive fuel for the weekend.

It is expected the gas availability will return to normal by the new week.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Former NAMS teacher admitted to the bar

Attorney-at-law Tejnarine Ramroop (far left), newly admitted Attorney Alicia Robertson, Justice James Bovell-Drakes, Attorneys-at-Law Fiona Hamilton and Adrian Anamayah.

Former New Amsterdam Multilateral School teacher, Alicia Roxanne Robertson, became one of Guyana’s newest Attorneys-at-law last Wednesday after she was admitted to the local bar at the Berbice Supreme Court of Judicature.

Presenting her petition was Attorney-at-Law and

former Magistrate Tejnarine Ramroop before Justice James Bovell-Drakes in a packed courtroom of family, friends and well-wishers.

Ramroop detailed Robertson’s academic qualifications and achievements. Robertson, a past pupil of the Seafield Primary School then Lichfield Primary School wrote the Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (SSEE) in 1999 and was awarded a place at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School (NAMS).

She later gained nine passes at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).

She continued her Advanced Levels (‘A’ Levels) at NAMS where she obtained passes in seven Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subject areas.

Robertson excelled at both academic studies and extra-curricular activities and had represented the School and Region No. 6 at the

National School Athletics Championship on numerous occasions.

The young lawyer was named the Best Graduating CAPE student for 2005, Best Unit 1 and Unit 2 Law Student, the Best Communication Studies, Caribbean Studies and Food and Nutrition Unit 1 student for NAMS. Robertson, a resident of Lichfield Village, West Coast Berbice, served as a teacher at her old school for two years and also as a part-time tutor at the University of Guyana Distance and Continuing Education, Berbice Branch.

Her scholastic achievements were boosted by a pass from the University of Guyana’s LLB programme in 2012. On October 5, the young attorney was awarded her Legal Education Certificate (LEC) at the Hugh Wooding Law School.

In presenting her petition to Justice Bovell-Drakes, Ramroop said that he had Continued on page 64

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 21

“I was a victim of Guyana’s drug trafficking reputation” - detained by US Customs for hours in Aruba

By Dale Andrews Two Sundays ago I set out on a much needed oneweek vacation to Florida, USA. I really needed the break and I was desperately hoping to enjoy Ocala, since it was my first visit there.

But my holiday could not have started out on a more disastrous note; I was detained by agents of the United States Customs and Border Patrol, who appeared to be convinced that I was a drug trafficker.

The delay caused me to miss the connecting flights to Miami and my final destination of Orlando, with no compensation from the US authorities. It was clear to me that I was a victim of Guyana’s drug trafficking reputation.

I was travelling with Insel Air, and I was elated that the airline was stopping over on the island of Aruba, where I had to clear US Customs and Immigration. The flight from Guyana was pleasant, except for the fact that I thought I was travelling from a foreign country - so much Spanish was filling my ears throughout the flight.

After two and a half hours, I landed in Aruba where I had to clear US Customs before going on to Miami.

That’s when my unexpected ordeal began.

As soon as I collected my lone suitcase and was heading towards one of the cubicles to clear US Customs, one of the officers approached me and began asking questions.

At first I thought the officer was just being courteous, because he was asking me questions about my employment and the length of my intended stay.

When I told him I was a Journalist, he asked me what was my area of coverage and I told him, crime. He seemed impressed, but gave away very little else by way of expression.

Armed robberies are on the increase to the point where ordinary people are going to find themselves as victims. There will be one such robbery in the Ancient County. Because of the Berbice Bridge, people from the city take their trade away from the concentration of the police.

In this case the perpetrators will get a surprise, because the police would be in the vicinity. One of them would attempt to shoot at the police and this is going to give rise to an ugly situation.

“I was finally able to enjoy my brief holiday in Ocala, Florida.”

He then scribbled something on my US Immigration form and sent me on to another officer, who was in the cubicle. Being a journalist, and having travelled to the US on previous occasions, I sensed that something was not right after the officer made the notation on my Immigration form. Nevertheless I approached the cubicle where I was interviewed by an officer whose name tag read “Matos”.

Officer Matos proceeded with some of the usual formalities, like enquiring how much money I was travelling with and when was the last time I visited the United States.

I told him how much money I had on my person and went on to explain that I last visited the United States in 2009 on work assignment.

I was convinced that I was the subject of special attention when instead of stamping my passport and

waving me through, in order to catch my connecting flight to Miami, Officer Matos requested that I sit on a nearby bench, and had me waiting for several minutes before he left his post and ushered me into a room.

Again he asked me the question I had answered before and my frustration was beginning to rise, since I only had a few minutes left to board my flight to Miami. I asked the officer the reason for my detention, and with some amount of arrogance, he informed me that he was the person to ask the questions.

It required a fair degree of effort, but I managed to keep my cool.

He then told me that our conversation was being recorded and that he already knew the answers to the questions that he was about to ask me. I knew it was a bluff, and since I sensed that whatever the outcome, this was a great story in the making, I played along.

** The waterways leading out of the country are busy at this time and it is this hive of activity that would lead to an accident. Of recent, boats have been colliding because

of the speed at which the inexperienced pilots travel.

There is going to be another collision.

Fortunately, no lives would be lost. ** It is no secret that some interesting times are ahead in the world of politics. What is going to be surprising is the decision by the political leaders to opt for confrontation. The situation is going to be tense and the nation is going to sit by, because their favourite holiday is around the corner.

Officer Matos asked me if I had any help to pack my suitcase and if I was carrying anything for anyone questions I expected. He then asked, “What if I tell you that someone called us and told us that you were transporting drugs?”

I was shocked! Was this for real? But then I boldly replied that that was a fabrication.

He observed that I had paid cash for my connecting flight to Orlando and asked why I did not use a credit card. I had to inform him that Guyana has a cash-based economy and there is no real alarm whenever large payments are made with cash.

Another officer joined us and right there and then I realized that I would be subjected to more special attention.

I gave then my aunt’s address where I was going in Orlando, and even gave them her telephone number.

Incidentally, I was carrying a copy of Kaieteur News’ Sunday Special and a Sunday Stabroek, which I had taken on board the aircraft to read to kill the time throughout the flight. I showed the US Customs officer the Kaieteur News and told them that that was the newspaper that I wrote for.

They asked me to show them which article was mine and I pointed it out to them.

Since the article did not carry my by-line, they seemed unconvinced that I was speaking the truth. I even showed them my media identification badge, but that too did not budge them, for they took me into another room where I would later be subjected to a detailed search of my luggage.

Officer Matos first asked me to lift up the foot of my jeans so that he could examine my ankles. When I compiled he got excited when he noticed that my left ankle was a bit swollen, which is a result of my medical condition.

I guess he thought that it had something to do with ingesting an illegal substance, a method that is used by many drug mules.

The story was getting more exciting by the minute as more officers converged in the room and began carrying on inaudible whispered conversations.

Officer Matos then began meticulously unpacking my suitcase, taking out item by item. There were a few shirts, a couple of jeans, three pairs of sneakers, underwear and two bottles of colognes and a half bottle of Lander Baby Oil. The suitcase also contained a small pouch with my medication for my hypertensive condition. Of course they paid close attention to that until one of them recognized that they were indeed tablets for my blood pressure and heart condition.

After much bending and painstaking examination of my sneakers, Officer Matos turned his attention to my colognes, which he sprayed liberally onto a special surface to see if it contained any foreign substance. The officers showed a special interest in my baby oil, with one of them indicating that it was unusually heavy.

When they found nothing, they took to my cellular phones, going through my messages word for word to see if they would

unearth anything that suggested that I was a drug trafficker.

As if to justify going through my phone, Officer Matos was heard telling one of his colleagues that one of the messages was suspicious. I don’t know what could have been suspicious, because all the messages were from the Police Public Relations Office, DIGICEL, and a few friends asking me to put credit in their phones.

Again the officers found nothing, but they seemed determined to make me suffer.

I guess they were observing me carefully for any sign of nervousness, the kind displayed by guilty drug mules.

Eventually, they contacted my aunt in Florida, and I guess they were disappointed when she gave them the same answers that I had given to their questions.

At this point I realized that I would be late for my flight to Miami, but I said nothing, since I expected that arrangements would have been put in place to get me on a subsequent flight so that I could keep my rendezvous with American Airlines in Miami in order to get to Orlando.

I was so frustrated that I blurted out to the officers that what they were doing was only giving me a great article to write when the ordeal would have been over.

The only thing that was left for the US authorities to do was an x-ray on my body, but I guess they realized that they were making a big mistake.

After almost two hours, with a sign of resignation, Officer Matos told me that I (Continued on page 41)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 09, 2014

Samantha Ashby’s last night out

By Michael Jordan Had it been a horror movie, some psychic force would have whispered a warning to Madonna Welcome. But this was real life, so Madonna walked right past the Matthew’s Ridge playfield without the slightest inkling that her sister, Samantha Ashby, lay dead just a few feet away.

It certainly never entered her head that her sister could have met such a cruel end. Not after all this time; when 32year-old Samantha had walked away from her old life as a commercial sex worker.

Samantha’s story was that of so many other pretty girls who live in interior locations like Matthew’s Ridge, North West District: a place with few educational opportunities and too many free-spending men. By the time she was in her late teens, Samantha had fallen in with the wrong crowd. “We tried talking her out of it, but she chose that way of life,” her sister, Madonna, told me.

Samantha Ashby

Samantha Ashby’s body was found near the community centre But the fun-loving woman finally settled down with a young man from the community. All it took was one night out to change that…

On the night of Monday, September 15, 2014, Samantha Ashby visited a relative’s shop at Matthew’s Ridge. The shopkeeper remembers seeing her drinking with three men.

Samantha’s companions were said to be newcomers to Matthew’s Ridge who were working with a businessman from the community. They say that two were porters, while the third was a miner. One of the men went by the nickname ‘Killer.’ According to reports, no one saw them leave. At around 11.00 hrs the following day, a group of

students who were training for school sports entered the Matthew’s Ridge Community Centre ground. They ventured further onto the playfield, and it was then that they spotted a woman’s body.

Someone had dumped her at the side of the community centre. She was clad in her brassiere, her underwear lay a short distance away.

The students immediately contacted a teacher, who identified the victim as 32year-old Samantha Ashby.

Ashby’s killers had raped her then beaten her to death, some 30 yards from her home.

Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh established that she had suffered multiple injuries, including a broken hip and fractured skull. Detectives retrieved two condoms from the scene. Madonna, who confirmed the victim’s identity, recalled that she had passed that area a few hours earlier on her way to work.

Knowing that her sister was not one “to take stupidness from people,” Madonna believed that the five feet seven inches tall Samantha would have put up a valiant fight before being overpowered. Detectives soon learned about Samantha’s night out, and picked up her three companions. They brought the suspects to Georgetown and

interrogated them at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary. But the detectives found nothing to implicate the men, and released them on advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Investigators also took DNA samples from the suspects, and similar samples from the two condoms that they retrieved from the crime scene.

Madonna is convinced that these same men know more than they are saying about her sister’s death. She alleges that about two months before Samantha’s murder, one of the suspects had stalked another one of her sisters. Madonna also believes that there are people at Matthew’s Ridge who may have actually witnessed the attack on Samantha. “It (the crime scene) is close to the police station. How is it that nobody heard anything and people are living near to the (Matthew’s Ridge) Community Centre? People know what happened, but they are afraid to talk.”

But there’s a saying in forensic circles that the dead speak, and there’s that slim hope that, in the very near future, the contents of two used condoms will help to unmask Samantha Ashby’s killers.

If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown offices. Our numbers are 22-58465, 2258473 and 22-58458. You need not disclose your identity.

You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 23

== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

”Dutty” cardboard, the mango picker and the plastic bag A lexicographer, wherever he/she is living in this world, should come to Guyana to coin some new adjectives that best describe this land. By now, words like, “Godforsaken,” ”rotten,” “tragic,” “primitive,” “lost,” “unbelievable,” are too hackneyed and fail to convey the horror story that Guyana is. What word best describes this stupid country?

Last month my garden gloves collapsed. I went to Giftland Office Max to get a replacement. I took the item to the cashier, paid and walked out. I accidentally gathered the gloves with the bushes and branches and threw then into the bin last Thursday.

They were carted off by the garbage truck before I realized my mistake.

On Thursday morning, I went back to Giftland Office Max to buy another pair. They didn’t have the cheap type I purchased last month. I went to National Hardware next door. As readers would know, I had made claims against the owner of National Hardware,

Mr. Eddie Boyer, that he had assaulted me over issues relating to him that the Kaieteur News had published.

Since that time I stopped my patronage of National Hardware.

I shifted from that position on the thought that Guyanese harbour too much animosity in their culture. So last year I walked back into National Hardware. Last Thursday, I selected a pair of garden gloves and was about it to take to the cashier when I was stopped by a sales attendant.

You don’t shop like that at National Hardware. You give the attendant the item, then, a piece of cardboard is given to you with a code on it. You take the “dutty” piece of cardboard to the cashier where you pay. Then you wait in line for the delivery clerk to give you your stuff. Shopping next to me was the brother of the famous Guyanese entrepreneur, Lyla Kissoon, of AH&L Kissoon.

I pointed out to him the silly, primitive way of National Hardware. He smiled. Then

the gentleman and I met up once more at the delivery counter where there is no first come- first serve system. Mrs. Kissoon’s brother, Mr. Sankar, was attended to before me, even though I had made my purchase before him.

I jokingly alerted him to that anarchy and he smiled again and politely told me that he was glad that at his age he doesn’t have to go shopping often. The same day I bought my gloves at National Hardware, the owner was in the news as part of a delegation from the Private Sector Commission that met with the President to discuss Guyana’s future.

I wonder if making Guyana modern, with modern type of shopping, was a topic that Mr. Boyer brought up with the President.

Last Thursday wasn’t my day. After going home in a vexed mood with what I had to endure at National Hardware, I picked up the newspapers and my vexed mood deteriorated badly.

It was reported in the court

section of the newspapers that a homeless man was caught stealing mangoes from the compound of Banks DIH. He admitted the crime on the excuse that he was hungry.

Nevertheless he was charged and placed before the courts.

The company that caused him to be charged is heartless.

The police that charged him are ignorant, stupid people.

And the magistrate who tried the case had absolutely nothing to do with her time.

What word best describes Guyana?

Since we are on the subject of Banks DIH that likes to charge homeless people, let me end with the impeccable professionalism of Banks DIH. My wife likes Banks’ cheese scone, I like their Chinese cake. I have to pass the Banks DIH outlet, OMG, on Campbell Avenue and Sheriff Street three times a day.

So twice a week, I buy cheese scone and Chinese cake there and this has been going on for a long time now.

They put the pastries in

little plastic bags so you have to be careful how you walk with them to the car because they can easily fall out. I requested a large plastic bag with handle.

The sales woman told me she would like give me one, but the policy is the bigger bag is only for customers who buy two loaves of bread and more. I asked her the cost of two loaves of bread. It is $560.

My pastry purchases always come up to over $900, yet I have to accept them in little plastic bags.

I went to see the manager of the OMG branch, Mrs.

Frederick Kissoon Harper. She agreed in future to give me a large bag. I told her it must be for all customers who spend over $560.

What bag did Banks DIH use to put the mangoes in when they arrested the homeless man? What word best describes Guyana?

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Sunday November 09, 2014

Challenging Patient-Physician encounters in the Emergency Room (With Dr Zulfikar Bux, Head of GPHC’s A&E; Asst. Prof. of Emergency Medicine) The emergency room is a crucible for the medical encounter. Life-threatening illness and trauma are more likely to appear here than in the office or clinic, hence, decisions often must be made quickly. Patients’ physical distress and fear push them to extremes of behaviour.

Crisis, fear, strange behaviour, and the opportunity for heroic success or failure— the elements on which drama and melodrama thrive—are common place in the emergency room.

These are occurrences in all emergency departments and will vary according to the setting.

It makes sense that these high-pressure conditions turn up the heat on the patient-physician interaction also.

The personalities of individual patient and physician and the range of personal, social, and

professional expectations that each brings to the interaction always have the potential to turn the medical encounter into a difficult one; they are almost certain to do so in the emergency department where patients are frequently hostile, angry, combative, or abusive if special care is not taken to avoid potential problems.

This week we will discuss reasons that may contribute to difficult patient-physician encounters in the emergency room and we will look at solutions to these issues in next week’s article.

LACK OFA HISTORY BETWEEN THE PARTIES Perhaps the most consequential characteristic is that the patient who walks or is brought into the emergency department and the physician who is there to treat that patient are generally meeting each other for the first time. There is no prior relationship and no patient

…a physician’s perspective history to refer to. Neither party knows what to expect.

Or either or both may be suspicious.

PRE-DETERMINED EXPECTATIONS Patients usually come with expectations to emergency departments that can’t always be realistically met. Patients or their representatives may come with pre-determined expectations such as having a specific test done, the right to be seen immediately no matter the situation, not wanting to wait for investigations or not being able to have full control of their movement in the emergency room. These expectations are not always in line with the plans of the emergency physician who has to make the correct diagnosis and treatment plan based on the patient’s condition and not often on their wants.

Dr Zulfikar Bux These differences in opinions between the patient and the physician may lead to tension, building a possible confrontation.

PATIENTSBROUGHT AGAINSTTHEIRWILL Patients may have been brought to the hospital against their wishes, by friends, family members, an emergency response team, or police. If so,

they may be hostile, combative, or abusive and attempt to refuse treatment or to leave the hospital.

CULTURALBARRIER Some of those whose only medical care comes through the emergency department are homeless or otherwise outside the community’s safety nets of care. These patients, whose numbers are greater in urban areas, may have become dependent upon street survival behaviours that don’t rely on the open exchanges of information and discourse expected in the patientphysician relationship. Their lack of manners may be offputting to the clinician.

FRUSTRATED PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS There are patients who receive routine medical attention, have no psychiatric diagnosis, are compliant, but have recurrent acute relapses in their chronic condition that may require frequent

emergency room visits.

These patients develop frustrations about their conditions and sometimes vent their anger on the emergency physician who they have to see whenever they have an acute exacerbation. They are often upset, perhaps fearful, and maybe unable to process information in their characteristic rational manner.

In a rapidly evolving fastpaced world, there is a gradual change in the patterns of behaviour we have come to expect from all in society.

Everyone is becoming more time-sensitive and their needs and wants are gradually increasing. Society now demands more to be done in shorter durations. When these expectations cannot be met, tensions will build and difficult encounters will occur. The emergency physician is expected to attempt to maintain calm when these encounters do occur.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

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My column

Tomorrow is going to be interesting When the Alliance For Change decided that one way to halt the excesses of the government was to table a noconfidence motion, there was talk about the possible outcome. People started to talk about the government holding elections within a few months of the motion.

Then President Donald Ramotar decided to confront the situation head-on. In a broadcast to the nation, he said that there were important issues to be debated in the National Assembly. He spoke about the Telecommunication Bill that would liberalise the sector.

That is something that was the talk in Government. A few years ago there was the system that made use of telephone operators who had to be contacted if one wanted to make an overseas call.

Sometimes that call took days because the operator had to record it then try it. When she made contact with the overseas party she would call you.

Sometimes the call came at unholy hours and one should realize that the telephone was not ubiquitous. People had to either use call boxes or go to a

location that the telephone company had if you lived in the city.

Today, access to overseas numbers is there at the fingertips. Everyone has a telephone, to the extent that some overseas calls are now free. There are so many systems that one is left to wonder when the day would come when people would simply think about someone overseas and the person would be there right in your ear.

These days I can talk to relatives and friends if they are my Facebook friends by simply pressing an icon. At one time I was of the opinion that I needed Wi-Fi to make the calls. It was the same with Skype. I realize that it has to do with the telephone system, but given the freeness, I wonder about how the telephone company makes money.

But then again, telecommunication is more than telephone calls. It is about this thing called broadband that allows the transfer of data at an amazing rate. Gone are the days when people had to rely on the fare provided by the local

television channels. People have cable that allows them to access foreign television channels.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg. I happened to be travelling in New Jersey one day when the police pulled up.

My cousin and I were driving to Canada when the vehicle blew a gasket. Had that happened in Guyana we would have been sitting there trying to call around for help.

But in that corner of the world there are what is known as the state police. They seem to be everywhere at the same time.

One just pulled up within five minutes of our breakdown. The police did not approach us right away; they just sat behind us. My cousin said that they were running the plates; and so they were.

They found out that the car was not stolen, that there were no unpaid parking tickets and when they did come up and asked the driver for his licence, they found that the car was indeed registered to him.

In Guyana we are still to reach that stage because we do not have broadband that would give the police unlimited access to information on every vehicle

in the country. People place false plates on their cars and drive around. If there was broadband then the police would know immediately that the car should not be where it is.

Firearm information could be easily found and those who happen to run afoul of the law would be readily identified. Unlicenced drivers, those with unpaid fines and those banned would be known.

That is what I think the Bill is about, but there is a hitch.

Some believe that the provider of the service would be someone selected specially by the government. There are two major telecommunication providers and they should be the ones to bring in the broadband service. However, as things stand, it seems that private individuals can do the same. The government is already bringing a major communication cable.

This cable would have the capacity to do the things that

I saw the police do in New Jersey, but from what is being bandied around, the government is going to sell a section of the cable to private individuals who would then rent out bandwidth to the cable providers. Security services that want to monitor sites they are hired to protect would then have to buy from the private individuals.

But the service providers want to get into the game, and it is here that the competition would get heated. There would be price wars, but who could undersell the Government? Some say that the ultimate beneficiary would be the ordinary people, but that would be temporary.

No one likes to operate at a loss, so the major companies would simply give up; that is when the price would go up.

Yet I still want to see the legislation in place because I do need faster internet; I need to be able to see my home on my phone from any corner of the world.

Adam Harris However, the politicians say that the no-confidence motion is more important, because the government needs to be brought to book.

President Ramotar is saying, “Not so fast.� He says that he has options, one of which is to prorogue the Parliament. If he does that, then the opposition would not have a leg to stand on for almost a year.

Indeed tomorrow is going to be interesting. It would shape the future of the country in the coming years.

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Sunday November 09, 2014

Prorogation will not address the Constitutional crisis Will there be a debate on the No Confidence Motion tabled by the Alliance For Change or will the Donald Ramotar Administration avert the ignominy of being the first Government to be defeated in the Assembly by dissolving Parliament?

Or will the PPP Administration do the spineless thing and prorogue Parliament to reconvene the House when it believes it would have bought enough votes?

These questions will soon be answered and Guyanese will know whether we head back to the Polls or enter a period of extra-parliamentary

dictatorship.

The President has announced that he would prorogue or dissolve Parliament rather than face the No Confidence Motion. Given that passage of the No Confidence Motion would certainly result in General Elections, the President’s announcement can only be interpreted that his Party wants to avoid facing the electorate at the polls.

Therefore, it is very likely that he would prorogue Parliament.

According to the Constitution, Parliament can be prorogued for as long as six months. Prorogation acts as a suspension of the

National Assembly by Presidential proclamation.

During this time, members of the National Assembly do not meet, there is no oversight of the Government, no censorship, no scrutiny. The Government would have six months to do as it pleases.

Following the prorogation, the President can reconvene the Assembly and if still faced with the No Confidence Motion, he could then dissolve Parliament and announce General Elections three months hence. He would have secured for the PPP, nine months within which they would not be held accountable to the National

Assembly.

Given the PPP’s track record in relation to public spending, this is a very frightening prospect.

Remember, it was the Government’s abuse of the national coffers, when they wilfully and intentionally spent monies totalling some $4.5 billion that the National Assembly had voted not to approve, that eventually prompted the Alliance For Change to table the No confidence Motion.

Of course, there were a number of other matters which, when taken collectively provoked the AFC into taking the course of action it did.

There was the failure of the Government to consult the Opposition on successive national budgets, blatant disregard for the Constitution, contempt for the National Assembly, and other matters.

The Tenth Parliament as presently composed, with the Opposition holding the majority votes, created for the first time in the history of the nation an environment where the Government was held accountable and a platform for negotiation and compromise amongst leaders.

The people expected that the Parties would work

together and whether they were supporters of the Government or of the Opposition, they would be a part of the national decisionmaking process through their representatives in the Assembly, and they would have an equitable share in the national pie.

For the people, it was considered the best possible solution for ensuring the interests of all the people are taken into account and not just those of the supporters of the ruling Party.

For too long, elections in Guyana resulted in one of the two largest racial groups feeling they have no part or say in the affairs of this country. It has always been a sort of ‘we or them’ contest, with the Amerindians and Mixed constituency being courted if only to ensure a majority.

In the periods between elections, the incumbent would pander to the needs of commun i t i e s of its supporters; building schools and hospitals, bridges, repairing roads, providing water and electricity and other services and generally ensuring its constituency is ‘taken care of’, fuelling the concept of ‘Government

for its supporters’.

As cultural and racial barriers deteriorate and people become more conscious of the power of their vote; thanks to technologies that allow us to see what happens in real democracies, the Guyanese electorate have come to understand that they deserve an equitable share of the national pie, regardless of their political affiliation.

Herein rests the answer to a truly nationalistic government. It demands a ruling Party with the wisdom and maturity to accept that it cannot govern alone and that the decision-making process on matters of State must be seen as reflective of all of society.

This is the type of governance model the AFC will bring to the Guyanese public. A model built around consultation and compromise, where space is created so leaders from the political sphere, civil society, the Diaspora, are accommodated and encouraged to contribute to the development of this country. This is new generation politics, where the nation’s interests are addressed and taken forward not by a select few, but by an alliance of the willing.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

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SUNDAY SPECIAL GOV’T OBSESSED WITH DOMINATING MEDIA– SAYS FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER After serving as House Speaker for over 20 years, Sase Narain, a lawyer by profession, has said that he is not the least bit surprised by the despicable actions of Attorney General Nandlall as he exposed a plot to viciously attack Kaieteur News publisher, Glenn Lall, and his staff members.

The expose was contained in a 19-minute long recorded conversation with a Kaieteur News reporter.

Saturday, Mr Narain said that the People’s Progressive Party has always been vociferous in its quest for absolute domination. Such behaviour during the time he served as Speaker from 1971 to 1992, he said, showed itself in some of the most obvious forms and at times in the most subtle ways.

Narain said that he is not shocked by Nandlall’s behaviour for he saw those signs since the 1970s. The only difference in this era is that the government is simply showing its true colours without all the subtlety.

MONDAY EDITION ANTI CORRUPTION BODY CALLS FOR NANDLALL’S HEAD Following the now infamous recording between Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and Senior Kaieteur News, Journalist, Leonard Gildarie, where the Government functionary intimated knowledge of an imminent violent attack on this newspaper, another prominent group has publicly called for his sacking.

Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) is the latest Non Governmental Organisation to come out against Nandlall and joins entities such as the Guyana Human Rights Association, the Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers and the Guyana Press Association among others who have all issued unequivocal calls for the resignation or removal from public office of the Attorney General of Guyana, Mohabir Anil Nandlall.

According to the local arm of the Transparency International Group, the contents of the recorded telephone conversation between the AG and Glidarie are as shocking as they are revealing.

“That conversation has thrown up a deeply disturbing array of issues that concern, at a minimum, unethical behaviour and

Attorney General, Anil Nandlall

Journalist Leonard Gildarie

integrity in public office, and at worst, multiple illegalities on the part of the Attorney General and the government.”

TIGI noted that in his vulgar tirade, the AG displayed an appalling disregard for the administration of justice, women, journalists, freedom of the press and the rule of law.

Anil Nandlall have exposed the apartheidthinking of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government.

Contractor Brentnol Holder, who staged a oneman protest Monday outside Kaieteur News offices, in support of the newspaper in its battle against the administration, was referring to the attorney general’s reference to the caste system employed by India.

Nandlall, during a recorded conversation with a senior Kaieteur News reporter, had described himself as an East Indian of Kshatriya origin, emphasizing that he was from a higher class of people in the social ladder.

On Monday, Holder braved the humidity and stood for hours holding placards calling for the nation’s support of the Kaieteur News. He said that judging from Nandlall’s utterances and the actions of the government, it is clear that the PPP/C administration is ruling by segregation.

TUESDAY EDITION GOV’T REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE WRONGDOING – APNU MP The actions of Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, as unveiled by the recently exposed audio recording, points to a man who obviously knew of an imminent crime and did not reveal it to persons in authority. His action borders on misconduct if not criminal.

This is the view held by Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Winston Felix, himself a former Commissioner of Police. Felix held a special media briefing on Monday at Congress Place to address the out of control crime situation in Guyana.

Weighing in specifically on the recently publicized audio recording between Attorney General Nandlall and Kaieteur News reporter Leonard Gildarie, Felix told reporters that for a government to take the position that it has, means that it is clearly in denial.

According to Felix, “You heard the recording, I heard them, the public has heard them, right thinking people heard the recording and I don’t think that anyone who calls for the Attorney General’s resignation is on the wrong path. If anybody is on wrong path it is the Government that refuses to recognize wrongdoing and correct it.”

CONTRACTOR STAGES ONE-MAN PICKET OUTSIDE K/NEWS A concerned Guyanese citizen strongly believes that recent utterances by Attorney General

WEDNESDAY EDITION RAMOTAR THREATENS ELECTIONS ONCE OPPOSITION FORCES

Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Winston Felix NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION It is almost certain that Guyana may be heading into early elections with Head of State, Donald Ramotar, on Tuesday evening signaling his intentions to dissolve Parliament if the Oppositioncontrolled National Assembly goes ahead with its intentions to debate a no-confidence motion against the Government.

Ramotar made the announcement in a State address broadcast on the National Communications Network (NCN). He also announced that Monday will be first sitting of the National Assembly after the recess.

THURSDAY EDITION RECORDED THREATS AGAINST K/NEWS…THE WORLD IS WATCHING THE GUYANAPOLICE FORCE – APNU The brouhaha involving the Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall and Publisher of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, has evolved into an international scandal and the world is watching to see how the authorities, especially the

Guyana Police Force, will treat the matter in light of the lodged report.

This is according to General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity, Joseph Harmon.

In an invited comment on the professionalism of the Guyana Police Force and its handling of the matter, Harmon lamented its capacity to investigate certain crimes and further, its ability to guard itself from political interference.

According to Harmon, who is a practicing attorney who would at times have to interact with the Guyana Police Force over criminal and other investigations, the force is notorious for dragging their feet in the compilation of their reports before approaching the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.

He observed, too, that it has been some time now since the report was lodged with the Police Force and a report is yet to be completed.

Harmon said that it is at present unclear if the Attorney General was even questioned by the Police, which would have to be included in any such report to the DPP’s office.

TAX INFO LEAKS BY GRA…WORLD ACCOUNTING BODY NOW INVESTIGATING SATTAUR A global accountancy body has started the process to hear a complaint of unethical behaviour and abuse of office by tax chief, Khurshid Sattaur.

The complaint, made last month by Kaieteur News, was filed after a number of damning emails disclosed a shocking plot to use audits of the Guyana Revenue

Authority (GRA) to silence outspoken media houses and more specifically Kaieteur News.

In those emails, the Commissioner General allegedly breached secrecy regulations and leaked confidential tax information pertaining to Kaieteur News and other media houses, including Stabroek News.

Already, Kaieteur News has forwarded details to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), which is based in London.

The complaint follows one filed last month to the local accountancy body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana. That body has already started the process to hear the complaint against Sattaur.

ACCA is the global body for professional accountants.

FRIDAY EDITION ONLYA GOV’TAFRAID OF ITS PEOPLE WOULD DESECRATE PARLIAMENT “IT IS TIME THAT THE PPP BE MADE TO CONFRONT THEIR ATROCITIES” – AFC While the political opposition appears set on approving a no confidence motion against the current administration on Monday, the President’s threat of proroguing Parliament until further notice has been greeted as a form of political blackmail that would effectively lead to an extension of its term in office, this time with the absence of any Parliamentary scrutiny.

At least this is the view held by the mover of the unprecedented motion, Alliance For Change (AFC) Vice Chairman, Moses (Continued on page 47)

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Sunday November 09, 2014

The Guyanese people will resist this aggression The Guyanese people are angry at the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)’s threat to prevent the holding of democratic local government elections and to prevent a parliamentary debate of the President’s performance in office since the November 2011 general and regional elections.

President Donald Ramotar’s dreadful broadcast to the nation last Tuesday was the nadir of his troubled three-year tenure of office. It was an insult to the people of Guyana, who understand that his intentions were not to promote democracy, but to prevent a free and open debate on his performance.

It was an affront to the nation, which was offended by the infantile rationalization for delaying the reconvening of the National Assembly

which has not met for four months.

The President’s broadcast was a threat to paralyse the parliamentary process and to smother the voices of their legitimate representatives in the National Assembly by shutting down the highest law-making institution in the land. The President’s threat could be compared to shutting down the Supreme Court of Judicature because he did not want the Court to rule on a matter that had been legitimately brought before it.

The President’s broadcast accelerated the aggravation of the constitutional crisis which has emerged as a result of the PPPC’s confrontational posture towards the parliamentary majority. It drained whatever confidence the public might have had in the PPPC’s commitment to the

democratic resolution of political issues, if there ever was one. It shattered hopes that Ramotar could ever lead the nation forward out of the one-party, ‘winner-takes-all’ mentality of his predecessors.

The President’s broadcast was a political catastrophe for his cabinet, his party and for this country. The Guyanese people will not accept the threatened denial of democracy. The Guyanese people will not accept the present level of ministerial irresponsibility. The Guyanese people will not accept Ramotar’s continued noncompliance with the Constitution especially with regard to the compulsory conduct of local government elections.

The Guyanese people will not accept PPPC’s arrogant and flagrant disregard for the

integrity and independence of the National Assembly. The Guyanese people will not be intimidated by the PPPC’s domineering and dictatorial behaviour. The Guyanese people will resist this aggression by the President and the PPPC. The President’s mishandling of the most recent scandal involving the Minister of Legal Affairs has dismayed the nation and eroded public respect for the PPPC regime. The President’s political ‘gamesmanship’ in threatening to prorogue the Parliament is a dangerous departure from democratic norms. The President’s delay in the reconvening of the National Assembly and in the holding of local government elections has damaged democracy.

The public has lost confidence in several senior PPPC ministers. The ‘Anilgate’ scandal involving vulgar and scurrilous statements attributed to the Minister of Legal Affairs during a telephone conversation in October 2014; the Parliamentary vote of ‘noconfidence against the Minister of Home Affairs in July 2012; the jeering of the Minister of Education after her vulgar ‘feral blast’ in July 2014 and the referral of the

Minister of Finance to the Committee of Privileges, indicate how little confidence the public has in PPPC ministers.

The President’s threat to prorogue or dissolve parliament is a constitutional outrage. It is a cowardly attempt to avoid the debate on the performance of his cabinet and his presidency. It is not a democratic solution to the political problems facing this country at this time.

The Parliament is intended to be a place for discussion, debate, decision-making and the passage of laws.

Prorogation is a dangerous gambit intended to paralyse the parliamentary process, but can have that can have unpredictable consequences.

The President should face the debate on the PPPC’s record in office rather than hide under the cover of prorogation. The president has obstructed the reconvening of parliament for one month from 10th October to 10th November. He infringed on the Speaker’s authority and intruded officiously into the affairs of the Legislature.

The President’s announced “intention to hold Local Government Elections in the Second Quarter of next year, 2015” is contemptuous

of the Constitution. Local government elections, like general and regional elections, are a constitutional entitlement, not a benefaction of the President. The further postponement of elections to an unannounced date at some time in the second quarter of 2015 makes a mockery of the Constitution. It is a denial of democracy to delay elections.

It is, equally, a denial of democracy to threaten the Parliament with dissolution or prorogation which will lead to the prolongation of the wait for local government elections.

President Ramotar has insulted the entire nation with his menacing remarks. The President has no grounds for trying to protect the damaged reputations of his ministers from parliamentary sanction.

There is no justification for his gratuitous intrusion into the domain of parliamentary independence and for flouting the Constitution.

The President’s broadcast is a reckless and aggressive assault on democracy. He is provoking an already exasperated population by threatening to smother the people’s aspirations for a good life. President Ramotar must be prepared to bear full responsibility for the consequences of his words and deeds.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 09, 2014

Collaborations helping Guyana’s Ebola preparedness - Chief Medical Officer Although the Ebola Virus is considered a health challenge to avoid at all cost, if possible, it certainly does not mean that it cannot be effectively controlled. At least this is belief of Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud, who is convinced that should a case of the virus arrive, Guyana is capable to deal with it.

During an interview with this publication, Dr. Persaud intimated that already the local health sector’s efforts are being aided by a five-point strategic plan and stakeholders have been working assiduously to combat the threat of the Ebola Virus. Added to this, Guyana has been collaborating with the countries of the Caribbean to ensure that its efforts are on par.

In fact the Region’s readiness to deal with the dreaded virus was one that was extensively discussed at a Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad during the past week.

That special meeting, which was convened by Trinidad’s Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar, was attended by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and the Chief Medical Officer himself.

The meeting saw the Heads in attendance collaborating to prepare and present a 10-point plan which spoke to the need for regional collaboration and building of needful capacity; working to strengthen the Trinidadbased Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) with a view of ensuring that Ebola testing can, at the least, be coordinated there.

“We don’t know if it can be done in the Region, because testing for Ebola requires a level four laboratory and CARPHA is level three,” Dr Persaud explained.

As such, he noted that while CARPHA, the Region’s primary laboratory, will be expected to coordinate samples for testing, there will be a need to extend collaborations outside of the Region to ensure samples are tested. This will therefore mean, according to Dr Persaud, that the Region will be dependent on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and another in Toronto, Canada.

“Those two have been coordinating and they have actually been doing work for Africa too...so if we do have a case that we need to investigate we can seek their support,” Dr Persaud said.

The Ebola virus since earlier this year has had dire

effects on countries of West Africa and its effects have even been farther reaching.

Several thousands have lost their lives to the disease which has the potential of having a crippling impact on countries’ economies.

Moreover, at the recent meeting too, the Heads of Government agreed on the establishment of a fund in order to address the resources gap of the Caribbean. This, according to the CMO, is expected to help cater to the procurement of suitable personal protective gear (for health personnel) as “it is quite difficult on the global market to get this because all of the countries have been buying and stocking these suits.”

But even before the threat of Ebola surfaced earlier this year, Guyana had in stock at its Kingston, Georgetown, bond, limited amounts of protective gear, some of which have been utilised for training various levels of health workers in preparation for Ebola.

As part of its preparatory efforts too, the Ministry of Health has been able to put in place a Stakeholders Committee which, Dr Persaud said, has been hosting meetings on a regular basis to chart the way forward. One such meeting was convened a few days ago.

As part of the Health Ministry’s work, which has been ongoing in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and the airports’ authority, Dr Persaud said that “we have completed a quarantine station at the Cheddi Jagan Airport...there are two large tents set up there and they meet all the international standards; they also have an area where health professionals can put on their suits (protective gear) and attend to the patients.”

The stakeholders have also been able to identify ambulances suitable to transport any potential Ebola victim, and according to Dr Persaud, efforts are being made to work along with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to finalise teams for the required transportation service.

He went on to point out that on the clinical front, the GPHC’s isolation unit is fully operational. It was this very unit, situated at the ground floor of the hospital’s New Outpatient building, that a woman suspected to have had the virus was recently isolated. The case was eventually ruled-out as an actual case after thorough investigation.

But according to Dr

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud Persaud, the key to successfully managing someone with Ebola is threefold. And these, he noted, must include expert care from the time of the disease being most active, which should entail the availability of blood as “this is regarded as a bleeding disease.” The condition that persons can develop as a result of Ebola can also extend to organ failure, even the kidneys, said Dr Persaud, as he pointed out that one of the things that has been done by countries affected by the disease is the early provision of dialysis service to cater to patients with kidney failure.

“If you can support them during that time by providing emergency dialysis, once they recover their kidneys will return to normal function,” said Dr Persaud as he went on to emphasise the need for respiratory support for persons inflicted with the Ebola Virus. Many persons with the virus, he noted, are also known to develop respiratory complications.

Moreover, he added that “we are trying to work with the hospitals to make sure that we can streamline these areas...”

The CMO disclosed, too, that the Health Ministry has been spearheading a number of Ebola-preparedness activities, some of which have gained immense support from Cuba. Cuba has had an active role in the fight against Ebola and has even sent several teams to some of the affected African territories.

Guyana has therefore been taking advantage of the Cuban expertise and has plans to send local personnel to receive training there, Dr Persaud informed.

All this, he said, is being done, even as efforts are being made to put in place a rapid response team which will operate on a two-fold basis, that is, a clinical competent team for which the GPHC has provided nurses and doctors, and a public health team which the Ministry of Health itself will organise. The public (Continued on page 42)

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Reflections of a venerable Public Servant

By Kiana Wilburg Even at age 89, Guyana’s longest-serving Speaker of the National Assembly to date, Sase Narain, remains witty, resolute, and assertive.

Politicians from both sides of the House, who have been guided by him from the time he assumed office in 1971, until he left in 1992, agree that regardless of your political persuasion or affiliation, if you were wrong, Narain never hesitated to deal with you condignly.

His contributions and decisions in that period of Guyana’s political history continue to remain vital precedents for some of his successors. His appointment to the post of House Speaker gave him a profound and insightful position in local politics. But his political career and family life was complicated, to say the least, by the unreasonable demands of a jealous mistress. But more about ‘her’ later.

Narain said that his life was full of sacrifices, but it is certainly worth it, and after a few minutes of reflection during the interview, deemed it, “A life well lived.”

Born January 1925, Sase Narain describes himself as “a very simple person.” He grew up in the Pouderoyen, West

- Guyana’s longest-serving House Speaker, Sase Narain Bank Demerara. He reflected on the fond memories of his late parents, Oudit and Soukhai Narain, whom he said placed much importance on inculcating a high moral standing.

The father of five also expressed his undying love for his sister, Jennifer, who lived in England but passed away a year and a half ago.

With a still unquenchable thirst for knowledge, he recalled his days attending Malgre Tout Primary School which was a mere 50 yards from his comfortable home.

After successfully passing his “school leaving exams” he proceeded to complete his Junior Cambridge Exams at the Primary School and left the countryside for the busy Georgetown environs, where he completed his Senior Cambridge Exams at the Modern Educational Institute.

The then young Narain was eager to commence studies in Commerce. He was the business-oriented type.

But his parents managed to persuade him to pursue law.

MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND “MY MISTRESS” At age 27, Narain found the love of his life, Shamshun, whom he wasted no time in

tying the nuptial knot with in 1952. The marriage produced four wonderful sons and another was later adopted.

Committed to giving law a fair shot as he promised his parents, Narain was off to England to further his studies.

After completing his Solicitors Exams at The City Law School in Chancery Lane, London, the young graduate returned to Guyana to practice law in 1957.

But even after entering practicing and earning much success, law to him remained too much of a “jealous and a most demanding mistress.”

Acting upon the advice of a dear family friend, Narain made the tough decision to send his children away to England so that they could further their studies under the education system he found to be most impressive.

In the absence of his family, it was not long before Narain became consumed by his “mistress”.

“I suppose I hadn’t a choice,” he asserted, “I was determined to be successful and one of the best in the field to make my family in England comfortable.”

Narain confessed that while he missed out on the “joy and

love” of being a part of his children’s early days, he is proud that they all turned out to be outstanding professionals.

“They are fairly successful, but I lost the companionship with my children at a tender age, and that’s the price I paid. Is it a regret? Well I don’t know, yes there is some regret that I didn’t have the love and joy of being with them, but they have been able to successfully have a profession, have a family of their own, and I am grateful for that. My joy has been curtailed by their not being in Guyana. I do miss them. These days, I just spend my time watching a show, soaking up the news and sleeping,” he expressed.

THE UNPREDICTABLE WORLD OF POLITICS He still remembers, vividly, his initiation into the crude and unpredictable world of politics. It started with his appointment as Deputy Chairman to the Public Service Commission and the Police Service Commission by the then People’s National Congress (PNC) administration in the late 1960s. He stressed, “I am no politician,” and said that even upon that appointment he was

Sase Narain, O.R., S.C, CMG still an energetic attorney-atlaw. Narain recalled the day when the then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham asked him if he would consider being Speaker. “Of course I said yes, and on January 4, 1971, I was appointed and remained there until 1992 when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was successful in the elections.”

During that time, the PNC held a majority position in the Parliament and the PPP, he said, while in Opposition, under the Leadership of the late founder of the PPP, the late

Dr. Cheddi Jagan, was a most passionate and rebellious party.

His time as House Speaker was not without its fair share of harsh criticisms, insults, confusion and other verbal and physical displays of disfavour for his decisions and power as House Speaker.

But he feels he dealt with each instance affirmatively and respectably.

Holding the position for the first time, Narain said that he had no expectations.

“The job of the speaker is (Continued on page 43)

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Sunday November 09, 2014

The continued fight against Malaria (From the desk of the Vector Control Director, Dr Reyaud Rahman) Guyana has had a malaria problem for several decades now and most likely malaria has been here even before our first people.

Malaria is found to be transmitted mainly in four regions - One, Seven, Eight and Nine. These are known as our malaria endemic regions.

We have had mixed outcomes with our malaria control programme, with some years seeing decreased cases by a few hundred and

other years the numbers increasing by a few thousands.

Today Malaria remains a huge problem, mainly in Africa and worldwide, as it accounts for over 600,000 deaths every year.

Figures released by the World Health Organization in December 2013 showed that in 2012 there were over 207 million cases of malaria worldwide. In Africa, a child dies every minute from Malaria.

In Guyana we are not affected on the coast of the country, but can become infected if we visit some areas

of the endemic regions. We have recorded over 30,000 cases in 2012 and the rate slowly decreased over 2013.

We have made several interventions to step up activities in the affected regions to further lower our cases and have seen positive impact thus far.

There are three types of malaria found in Guyana and those are Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), Plasmodium vivax (Pv) and Plasmodium malariae (Pm).

Pf, if left untreated, will kill 90 per cent of persons infected; Pv can stay dormant in the liver for an

extended period of time and suddenly present, this is why it is important to drink all medications which are given to ensure all parasites are eliminated and Pm is a much more rare type of malaria, infecting less than 150 persons in 2013.

One of the most important aspects to control this disease is to ensure that surveillance is strengthened and all cases are being diagnosed and treated promptly in order to break disease transmission.

This is a very costly exercise, as sometimes it means tracking persons deep

into the hinterland and testing them and if positive treating them and conducting other vector control interventions.

One of the most effective ways to prevent malaria is supported by the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization is the distribution of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs).

In Guyana we have distributed over 70,000 LLINs to persons in the affected regions over two years.

These nets have insecticide within the fibres and act as a barrier against mosquitoes, if mosquitoes

Dr. Reyaud Rahman come into contact with it they die. It is an extremely effective tool in the fight against malaria and other vectorborne diseases as other insects will also die.

It is extremely important once infected with any of the three types of malaria to seek medical attention.

Once you have been diagnosed with malaria, treatment will be directed to the type of malaria you are infected with. It is advisable to drink all the medication as directed by your doctor, medex or health care worker.

If all medications are taken as directed you will be free of malaria as all parasites would be killed and you will be cured. You will only get malaria again if you are exposed to another infected mosquito.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Scientists tell U.S. - find recipe for Ebola cure in survivors’ blood (Reuters Exclusive) - A group of scientists including three Nobel laureates in medicine has proposed that U.S. health officials chart a new path to developing Ebola drugs and vaccines by harnessing antibodies produced by survivors of the deadly outbreak.

The proposal builds on the use of “convalescent serum,” or survivors’ blood, which has been given to at least four U.S. Ebola patients who then recovered from the virus. It is based on an approach called passive immunization, which has been used since the 19th century to treat diseases such as diphtheria but has been largely surpassed by vaccination.

The scientists propose using new genetic and other technologies to find hundreds or thousands of different Ebola antibodies, determine their genetic recipe, grow them in commercial quantities and combine them into a single treatment analogous to the multi-drug cocktails that treat HIV-AIDS. That contrasts with current drug development, which focuses on finding one

molecule, or a small number, to defeat the Ebola virus that has killed nearly 5,000 people in West Africa and infected thousands more since March.

Nobel laureates David Baltimore, an expert in the molecular biology of the immune system, James Watson, co-discoverer of the double helix that is DNA, and Jim Simons, who founded hedge-fund Renaissance Technologies and was a pioneer in the quant revolution on Wall Street, are among the advocates of the idea. It was outlined in a letter that was reviewed by Reuters.

The proposal was sent to officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Food and Drug Administration, to lawmakers and to biotech companies.

They have not responded, said geneticist Michael Wigler of Cold Spring Harbor Lab, who wrote and gathered signatures for the position paper. The recipients did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment or said they had no comment.

The scientists urged government leadership without offering a specific development or production plan, and it is not clear

whether the idea would offer a faster track to success than current efforts. “Government agencies, commercial manufacturers and perhaps philanthropy” must work together to form a research and development infrastructure capable of producing therapeutic antibodies, Wigler said in an interview.

Although there is no proof that blood from survivors helps Ebola patients survive, it is known that patients recover when their own blood produces enough antibodies to stop the virus.

OLD PROCESS Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to fight bacteria, viruses, and other invaders, from colds to measles. Giving antibodies to infected people would offer their immune systems a head start in fighting Ebola, the theory goes.

If the antibodies in survivors’ blood are genetically sequenced, they would provide a recipe for treatments, which could be produced with technologies already used to manufacture antibodies that target cancer or rheumatoid arthritis, the scientists said.

“It would cost less than

“I was a victim of Guyana’s...

From page 21 was free to go. He tried to be nice to me by telling me that he would see if I could be placed on a direct flight to Orlando (I later found out that that was a big bluff).

I told him, however, that I was impressed with the meticulousness of their search, after which he confided that they were mandated to conduct such searches on persons, especially those from Guyana.

Minutes later I was approached by Insel Air officials who informed me that I would have to check in with Aruban Immigration authorities, since I would have to spend the night on the island and wait for the next flight out the following morning. I protested, since missing the flight out of Aruba would also result in me missing my connecting flight to Orlando.

Officer Matos in his usual subterfuge, tried to indicate that the airlines would arrange for me to get to Miami. However, the airline official told him that they were not responsible for

the delay and hence they could not guarantee me a flight. Eventually I was led out of the US Customs area and I really thought that I was going to be placed on a flight.

But much to my dismay, I was taken to the Aruba Immigration desk where I was cleared to remain on the island, pending arrangements to secure a flight out.

Thankfully my sister in London came to my rescue by purchasing another ticket from Aruba to Miami to Orlando, while I had the expense of booking into a hotel for the night.

While I am not bitter with the US authorities for doing their job, I am mad that after inconveniencing me, they did not have the decency of ensuring that I did not suffer any financial loss as a result of missing my connecting flight.

Again, I blame Guyana’s reputation as a drug transshipment point for my ordeal, for if the Guyanese authorities were as meticulous as the Americans, that reputation would have been eliminated a long time ago.

$1 million to get the genetic sequences of the antibodies from people who have recovered, and then we would have an armamentarium of hundreds or even thousands of antibodies,” Wigler said.

He speculated that the idea has not gained traction before because “academics are trained to overlook the obvious.” The approach would be difficult, and “many people in this day and age are afraid to risk failure,” he said.

Ebola experts were cautious about the possibility that hundreds of anti-Ebola antibodies would prevent or cure infections.

Studies have shown that some antibodies that neutralize Ebola virus in test tubes don’t protect infected lab animals, said Dr. Thomas Geisbert of the University of Texas Medical Branch, who is working on Ebola vaccines.

He also questioned whether the proposal would save time, given the need to test any antibody cocktail in both lab animals and human volunteers.

One of the most promising experimental treatments, Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s ZMapp, consists of three different antibodies produced by mice infected with Ebola. Initial research was published in 2000, but it took until this summer for a study to show that ZMapp cured Ebola-infected lab monkeys.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc

(GSK.L) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) are among the drugmakers working on an Ebola vaccine. Both declined to comment on whether the antibodies proposal might be effective against Ebola.

Wigler acknowledges that none of those who have signed on to the proposal are experts on Ebola. Nor do they know how long it might take to develop a production line, get regulatory approval, and test the antibodies.

LESSON FROM DIPHTHERIA European researchers separately are planning to test whether Ebola survivors’ serum can cure patients, starting this month. But relying on transfusions of survivors’ blood for those antibodies is a daunting task in West Africa, given the need to screen it for other diseases and ensure health workers aren’t exposed during the collection or infusion process.

By contrast, “it takes a very short time” to produce

countless copies of antibody genes, said molecular biologist Michel Nussenzweig of the Rockefeller University, an expert on the immune system who was not involved in the Ebola proposal. “Hundreds are not a problem; this has been automated,” he said.

However, he questioned whether hundreds would be necessary to fight Ebola.

Wigler’s answer: the Ebola virus is mutating. That might thwart an threeantibody cocktail like ZMapp, he said, but it is highly unlikely that the targets of hundreds of antibodies would all mutate.

A diversity of antibodies “mimics the body’s own defenses and could overcome mutations in the virus that may develop,” he said.

Multiple antibodies is what finally worked against HIV, which causes AIDS and, like the Ebola virus, mutates rapidly.

“We should make sure we learn from HIV to take our best shot at Ebola,” Nobelist Baltimore said in an interview.

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Sunday November 09, 2014

Interesting Creatures...

The Black-faced ibis (Theristicus melanopis) The black-faced ibis (Theristicus melanopis) is a species of bird in the Threskiornithidae family.

It is found in grassland and fields in southern and western South America. It has been included as a subspecies of the similar buff-necked ibis, but today all major authorities accept the split.

On the contrary, the black-faced ibis includes the taxon branickii as a subspecies, although some authorities treat it as a

separate species, the Andean ibis (T. branickii).

It has a total length of approximately 75 centimetres (30 in). In the nominate subspecies the head, neck and lower chest are buffish, the crown and nape are cinnamon, the upperparts and (often incomplete) chestband are grey, the belly and flight feathers are black, and the wing-coverts are whitish (though not contrasting strongly with the grey upperparts).

The bill, throat-wattle and

bare skin around the eyes are blackish and the legs are red.

In the subspecies branickii the throat-wattle is smaller, the bill is shorter, the wing-coverts are greyer, the lower chest is paler and the cinnamon on the crown and nape is brighter and more extensive.

The similar buff-necked ibis is almost entirely restricted to warm regions, has contrasting large white wing-patches, a dark grey (not buff) lower chest, and its throat-wattle is smaller

than in T. m. melanopis.

The nominate subspecies of the black-faced ibis is mainly found in southern South America, ranging throughout most of southern and central Argentina and Chile, where it occurs from sea-level to an altitude of approximately 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). It also occurs very locally in coastal Peru.

While it remains fairly common in Argentina and Chile, this subspecies has now been almost entirely extirpated from the Peruvian part of its range.

The subspecies branickii is restricted to altitudes of 3,000 to 5,000 metres (9,800 to 16,400 ft) in the Andean highlands of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.

It is generally uncommon, and formerly also occurred in Lauca in far northern Chile.

Overall the species is not threatened, and consequently assigned Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

(Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)

Collaborations helping Guyana’s...

From page 30 health team will consist of epidemiology nurses and officers, laboratory personnel and environmental personnel.

“They will be pretty much responsible for the following up...so if for example we identify a case and we start to manage (and the clinical team will be in charge of managing), the public health team will follow-up with contact tracing, isolation and monitoring of persons,” Dr Persaud explained. While a quarantine area has

been identified at the GPHC, the CMO noted that this week will see the setting up of another area at the West Demerara Regional Hospital which will cater to healthy people who are under observation.

Several persons drawn from health facilities across the country have been undergoing training to deal with the Ebola virus, a state of affairs that Dr Persaud is convinced will ensure that Guyana will be well prepared to combat its impact.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Reflections of a venerable Public...

From page 31 a prominent one and I was satisfied with it. Whenever they didn’t want me, my position was so be it. I didn’t expect it to be difficult based on what I saw before, but I was in it for my own experience. The Speaker is like the chairman of a debating society, motions are moved, and debated, and you give everyone a fair chance to talk and then it is decided. The Speaker is rarely called upon to make a decision on matters,” he said.

He added, “Holding the majority then, as you know, was the PNC, so when they moved anything, the yeas would have it. But my successor, Raphael Trotman, he is in uncharted waters, unprecedented territory, and he, like the Parliament, will have no choice but to evolve.

How gracefully that is done is another thing.”

The former Speaker recalled some of the challenges he faced when he served in that capacity.

“I didn’t have a lot of challenges, but I had some testing ones. I had to deal with a lot of improper or inappropriate behaviour from the PPP. There was one time when one of its parliamentarians, named Basheer, threw a glass at me because he was upset. Even the late Dr. Jagan had a temper.

Oh yes, he used to throw down books and remove the mace when he was angry.

When I asked him to

apologise, he refused. I was not asking him to go on his knees and beg forgiveness, but he simply refused to apologise and so I didn’t recognise him.

“There is a part of the Standing Orders which says that you cannot speak unless the Speaker recognises you, and so I never recognised him, and that went on for over a year… but that was kind of inappropriate behaviour I had to deal with. The PPP is famous for that, but I can understand part of it. But I was always resolute on showing who is boss in that environment. I defended the Office of the Speaker. I did not stand for nonsense,” he reflected.

Asked what he believed to be one of the major successes of his time as House Speaker, Narain said that notwithstanding the differences in opinion, when Bills were passed, all were assented to, and motions and debates enjoyed due parliamentary process and no delays.

“It is sad what the House has been reduced to now. You have Bills being passed by the House and not being assented to, as in the case of the Local Government Bills. I mean I simply can’t understand the fiasco now clouding the National Assembly. And then there is added frustration with the delay in the first meeting of the Parliament when it came out of recess on October 10.

But my successor has to

Dr. Cheddi Jagan speaking in Parliament

know what will be the way forward.”

The former Speaker explained that as the National Assembly passes through varying circumstances and eras, the Standing Orders should be continuously reviewed and amended where necessary to avoid unclear interpretations which would then lead to any form of constitutional crisis.

RETIREMENT After leaving his post in 1992, Narain resumed a rigourous, full-time relationship with his law practice and retired eight years ago. But even after all those years, law remains his passion. “As a lawyer, you are

always burning the midnight oil in order to be successful.

Being admitted to the Bar is only the beginning.”

Guyana’s sixth House Speaker asserted that his time in such a prestigious position was most enlightening and a defining part of his life. He surmised that it was a most fulfilling experience to chair the House and to pass on the baton to his immediate successor, Derek Jagan.

He has received notable awards such as this country’s second highest, the Order of Roraima, and the Order of St. Michael and St. George from Queen Elizabeth II, an award is given to persons who have delivered extraordinary or

important non-military service in a foreign country. It can also be conferred for important or loyal service in relation to foreign and Commonwealth affairs. The Senior Counsel concluded that his greatest

lesson from being a Speaker was, “Learning to be being patient.”Asked if he had any advice for the incumbent Speaker, Narain after a light chuckle said, “It’s for his ears only.”

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Sunday November 09, 2014

Sunday November 09, 2014

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Happiness ‘dips in midlife Young kids with food allergies in the affluent West’ may learn helplessness Happiness nose dives as you hit middle age - but only if you live in the affluent West, according to experts.

Using world survey data, the Lancet study authors found life satisfaction followed a predictable trajectory depending on where people lived.

In countries such as the UK and the US, life satisfaction followed a Ushape, dipping to a low in midlife.

In Africa it was low throughout, and in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Latin America it declined with age.

The reasons behind the trends were multiple and complex, but there were some plausible explanations as well as important lessons to be learned, said Prof Andrew Steptoe, of University College London, and colleagues.

Their report is part of a series on health and ageing, published in The Lancet, warning of a growing burden of chronic disease and diminished wellbeing affecting the quality of life of older people.

Satisfaction The researchers used four years of data from the Gallup World Poll in more than 160 countries covering more than 98% of the world’s population, to make their evaluations.

As well as physical health and pain, they considered three measures of wellbeing: • evaluative - how satisfied people were with their lives • hedonic - feelings or moods such as happiness, sadness and anger • eudemonic - judgements about the meaning and purpose of life

In Western world nations, life satisfaction bottomed out between the ages of 45 and 54 before rising again.

Co-researcher Angus Deaton, of Princeton University in the US, said economics could explain this.

“This is the period at which wage rates typically peak and is the best time to work and earn the most, even at the expense of present wellbeing, so as to have increased wealth and wellbeing later in life,” he said.

It might explain why elderly people were happier despite becoming more frail although poorer health led to lower ratings of life satisfaction among the elderly, higher life satisfaction seemed to stave off physical health declines.

In transition countries, such as the former Soviet Union, life satisfaction declined steadily with age and

was generally lower overall than in the West.

This could again be linked to economics, said the researchers. Older people in these countries had lost a system that, however imperfect, had given meaning to their lives, and, in some cases, their pensions and their health care.

In sub-Saharan Africa, satisfaction was very low throughout life, while stress and worry was high.

“The findings undoubtedly show the recent experiences of the region and the distress that these events have brought to older people,” said Prof Deaton.

Prof Steptoe said while money did not equate to happiness, economic progress did promote wellbeing to an extent.

“It would appear that wellbeing goes along with economic prosperity in the world,” he said.

Parents managing their preschoolers’ food allergies should also be alert to the need for their kids to have chances to solve other kinds of problems, suggests a new study.

“I think the biggest take home message is to just be careful that you don’t let the real need to supervise and keep your child safe interfere with letting your child develop independence,” said Linda Dahlquist, who led the research.

About 4 percent of children in the U.S. have life-threatening food allergies that require parents to constantly monitor what their children eat.

Dahlquist, a psychology researcher at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, and her colleagues looked at whether that high level of parental involvement might spill over into other areas and prevent kids from learning the skills to solve their own problems.

For their experiment, Dahlquist and her colleagues recruited 66 children with food allergies between the ages of three and six years old, 67 children of the same ages without food allergies as well as all of the children’s mothers.

The researchers asked the children to work on two different puzzles – an easy age-appropriate puzzle with eight pieces and a difficult one with 41 pieces meant for older children.

The mothers were told to let the kids work on the puzzles by themselves, but they could provide help if their child asked. Meanwhile, the study team videotaped the children and their mothers to watch their interactions as the children worked on each

puzzle for six minutes.

The authors found that 39 percent of the three- and fouryear-olds with food allergies made indirect requests for help with the easy puzzle by telling their mothers the puzzle was too hard or that they couldn’t do it. Only 14 percent of the younger kids without food allergies made similar requests.

In addition, the mothers of the young kids with food allergies were more likely to provide unnecessary help with the easy puzzles.

The researchers didn’t see any differences in requests for help among the five- and six-year-olds with and without allergies.

There were also no differences between the groups of kids in the number of indirect requests for help with the more difficult puzzle or the number of direct requests for help for either puzzle, according to the results published in the J o urnal of Pediatric Psychology.

The authors suggest that the higher rate of indirect requests for help from the younger children with food allergies could reflect an early pattern of helplessness in

Why you need to exercise if you have diabetes

By Dr. Kumar Sukhraj Lifestyle change (Diet and Exercise) is the foundation of any successful management plan for diabetes. In this article emphasis is be placed on Exercise. Exercise plays a very important role in managing diabetes. Once a diabetic combines exercise, diet and medicine (when prescribed) they are on their way to take control of their weight and blood sugar level.

This will improve the quality of life and prevent complications of diabetes.

Exercise helps control diabetes by: · Improving your body’s use of insulin

· Burning and reducing excess body fat, helping to decrease and control weight (decreased body fat results in improved insulin sensitivity) · Improving muscle strength · Increasing bone density and strength · Lowering blood pressure · Helping to protect against heart and blood vessel disease by lowering ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and increasing ‘good’ HDL cholesterol · Improving blood circulation and reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke · Increasing energy level and enhancing work capacity · Reducing stress, promoting relaxation, and releasing

tension and anxiety EXERCISE TIPS · Aerobics, dancing, brisk walking, riding and swimming are some good choices for people with Diabetes. The chosen activity should be safe, enjoyable, repetitive, challenging and regularly done (4-5 times per week).

Safe equipment and clothing are essential, and in many cases, certain medical checks will be needed before starting an exercise regime. · To reduce the risk of hypoglycemia if you have diabetes, follow a regular routine of exercising, eating your meals, and taking your medicine at the same time each day.

· Prolonged or strenuous exercise can cause your body to produce adrenaline and other hormones that can counteract the effects of insulin and cause your blood sugar to rise. If you are participating in strenuous exercise (exercising at your maximum capacity) or prolonged exercise (lasting for several hours or more), your insulin and/or oral diabetic medicine or your calories may need to be changed. Talk to your health care provider about how to adjust your medicine. · Exercise with someone who knows you have diabetes and knows what to do if you have a low blood-sugar

reaction. · Wear a medical identification tag or carry an identification card that states you have diabetes. · Check your sugars before, during and after exercise and always carry a small carbohydrate snack such as a fruit or fruit drink since low blood sugars can occur. · Depending on the time of exercise, reducing your dose of either longacting insulin or short-acting insulin may be necessary. Your doctor can recommend how to make this adjustment. Please feel free to send an email to kumarsukhraj@yahoo.com or call 6228032 for further enquiry and discussion on the topic.

problem solving.

“We really need to be thinking about how to help give our kids the skills they need to be independent of their parents, and that’s true in any chronic illness,” Dahlquist said. “The challenge is how do we eventually get kids to the point where they can take care of themselves and their healthcare condition by themselves.”Dahlquist cautioned that she doesn’t want to “over-conclude” from her results, adding that parents should just be alert to the potential for their allergic kids to have an issue with problem solving. “(The findings) just suggest to me that process could be challenging and if parents could watch out for it ahead of time, maybe they would catch it early before it becomes problematic and just be sure their children get opportunities to try things on their own and really develop the confidence that comes from having some chances of failure and then succeeding,” Dahlquist told Reuters Health.

Dr. Peggy Scallon, a child and adolescent psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that kids who don’t develop a sense of autonomy may start to fall behind their peers, have lower self-esteem, strained relationships with family members and be more irritable and anxious.

“Parents should be aware of their child’s ability and scaffold that child’s skills in moving to the next level - they should be anticipating the next step in their i n d e p e n d e n c e , ” S callon said. “They should be reading the child’s cues and then anticipating the next level of self-help skills and helping them prepare for that.”

Scallon, who wasn’t involved in the study, suggests speaking to the child’s primary care doctor if parents have any concerns about their children’s development.

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Hunger Games to become stage show Best-selling trilogy and blockbuster film franchise The Hunger Games is set to be made into a stage show in summer 2016, it has been announced.

The “innovative” stage adaptation will launch in a purpose-built theatre next to Wembley Stadium in London.

It will be created by Robin de Levita, who was behind a Dutch stage show about World War Two diarist Anne Frank.

The movie adaptations of The Hunger Games have taken around $1.5bn (£946m) at the worldwide box office.

The latest instalment, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -

Part 1, will be released in cinemas later this month.

Based on the novels of Suzanne Collins, the dystopian tales follow the fortunes of Katniss Everdeen, who becomes a reluctant reality show heroine No further details of the production, or the plans to build a new theatre to accommodate it, have been disclosed.

Tim Phelan, chief marketing officer for Lionsgate - the company behind The Hunger Games film franchise - said the team behind the stage adaptation would “provide a uniquely immersive experience for fans

around the world”.

Broadway producer Mr de Levita added: “The theatre is a fantastic medium to bring the many meaningful layers of Suzanne Collins’ writing to life.”

Disney announces ‘Toy Story 4’ for 2017, directed by Lasseter Walt Disney Co said recently it will extend one of Pixar’s most successful film franchises by making “Toy Story 4” for release in 2017, directed by John Lasseter.

“John created ‘Toy Story’ and directed its first two films and it’s great to have him back directing one of our most valuable properties,” Disney chief executive Bob Iger said on an earnings call.

Iger called 2010’s “Toy Story 3” a “tremendous success” with more than $1 billion at the global box office and $10 billion in retail sales.

He said that demonstrated that “these wonderful characters are clearly just as relevant and beloved as ever.”

“Toy Story” was the first feature film made by Pixar Animation Studios, in 1995,

and gave the famous animated characters Woody, the toy cowboy, and space ranger Buzz Lightyear a prominent place in pop culture.

The first installment made $362 million at the global box office, while “Toy Story 2” brought in $485 million.

Disney bought Pixar in 2006 in a deal worth $7.4 billion.

Sunday November 09, 2014

When the Berlin Wall came down...

The Cold War offered a perfect backdrop for spy fiction. Masters of espionage like Ian Fleming’s James Bond, John le Carré’s George Smiley and Len Deighton’s Harry Palmer squared off against their communist counterparts in a global chess game with highly calculated moves and obvious goals, risks and rewards. Betrayals and deceptions complicated the matter, but the enemies were clear-cut. British intelligence officer Smiley against his KGB counterpart Karla. Us versus them. “During the Cold War, any reader opening a spy novel understood the handful of possible conflicts they would find,” says spy fiction author Olen Steinhauer. “It would be East v West, or the hero against political corruption – greedy Westerners destroying their own system.”

Readers of Cold War spy fiction were drawn into identifying double agents (as in Frederick Forsyth’s The Fourth Protocol) and fantasising about the effects of brainwashing (Deighton’s The Ipcress File). We were presented with spycraft on a human scale, without the satellite surveillance and mobile phone tracking systems of today’s hi-tech thrillers. Characters suffered from psychological as well as physical stress. James Bond is on the verge of a nervous breakdown after his new bride is killed in You Only Live Twice. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ends with a devastating portrait of the effect of years of duplicity on agents constantly justifying acts at odds with their moral values. But there were pleasures as well – dinners in fine restaurants, romantic dalliances, vicarious visits to far-flung parts of the world out of the range of most readers, including countries behind the Iron Curtain.

Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice was adapted to become fifth James Bond film – with a screenplay by Roald Dahl (Alamy) The end of the Cold War made it necessary to find new enemies. “When the Cold War ended, the genre lost a perfect adversary,” says spy fiction author Joseph Kanon.

Writers could no longer depend upon an easy polarity. “Russia remains, but

Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice was adapted to become fifth James Bond film – with a screenplay by Roald Dahl (Alamy) as a threatening kleptocracy,” says Steinhauer, whose Milo Weaver trilogy focusses on relations between the US and China, just one facet of a postCold War world that has many existential conflicts: “Terrorism existed as a subject during the Cold War, but now, of course, it’s become a primary source of narrative conflict. And the complex relationships between Middle Eastern states and religious extremists make for more fictional fodder.

Political corruption at home never goes away, but the American relationship to European states has become more complex,” he says. “The rise of electronic surveillance and the hero-status of the whistleblower... these things are all excellent subjects.” For his 2014 novel The Cairo Affair, Steinhauer worked almost in real time, chronicling Libya and postMubarak Cairo during the Arab Spring.

New world order After 1989 it was time to rethink the spy game in fiction entirely. “I always wrote about people groaning under the moral weight of the Cold War and begging to get out,” John le Carré told the New York Times after the Berlin Wall came down. “I’m absolutely delighted to be presented with a new pack of cards.” And he dealt them out into plotlines featuring the international drug trade, the Russian mafia, money laundering and corporate corruption. In The Constant Gardener (2001), which is set in “dangerous, decaying, plundered, bankrupt, onceBritish Kenya,” he takes on pharmaceutical companies who used citizens in developing countries as guinea pigs in drug trials.

Le Carré’s 2001 novel The Constant Gardener was adapted for the screen in 2005, starring Ralph Fiennes (Alamy) Soon le Carré was writing of the international war on terror and American operatives who justify torture and extraordinary rendition (as in his 2008 novel A Most Wanted Man), and their British allies. His character Toby Bell, a rising star in the British foreign service who seeks his country’s “true identity in a post-imperial, post Cold War world”, bears a resemblance to Edward Snowden. Frederick Forsyth also has followed the headlines. He set The Fist of War (1994) during the first Gulf War. The CIA, MI6 and Pakistan’s ISI battled al Qaeda in his 2006 novel The Afghan.

And The Kill List (2013) features an internet-based ‘preacher’ who calls upon radical Muslims for assassinations of leaders in the US and Britain.

Some contemporary writers have chosen to set their books in the past, in the certainties of the Cold War, or even the period before it, rather than updating them for the uncertainties of the present day. Alan Furst‘s atmospheric thrillers (12 to date, most recently Midnight in Europe) take place in the 1930s and early ’40s, when Sovietand Western intelligence operatives joined forces to fend off the growing Nazi juggernaut. Joseph Kanon focuses on the immediate postwar period, setting The Prodigal Spy (1998) and The Good German (2001) in 1945, “a pivotal time, the beginning of the world we live in now,” he says. For Istanbul Passage (2012) he turned to “a neutral city near the Balkans, a perfect listening post, a mecca for spies and a prime staging area for the Mossad in helping rescue trapped European Jews.”

Sunday November 09, 2014

From page 27 Nagamootoo, who Thursday met with media operatives at the Campbell Room of the Georgetown Club and roundly criticized Head of the State Donald Ramotar, over his warning.

To prorogue Parliament, would mean an executive decision to halt the meetings of the National Assembly without actually dissolving it.

An animated Nagamootoo Thursday told media operatives that for the President to prorogue Parliament rather than face the AFC’s No-Confidence Motion is disingenuous, cunning and shows that the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) will resort to any devious method to extend its minority rule for as long as possible.

Nagamootoo, himself a former PPP member, said Guyanese must be made aware of the fact that, that should the President prorogue Parliament, he would not be duty bound to call new elections. Elections are only due after Parliament is dissolved.

Nagamootoo explained further that the President can prorogue Parliament for as long as six months during which time the PPP Government would not be responsible to the National Assembly and “they could continue to dip their fingers in the Treasury”. Following the six months, the President would be free to reconvene the Assembly and, if still faced with the No Confidence Motion, he may then dissolve Parliament.

DR JAGAN WOULD HAVE REINED IN ELEMENTS LIKE NANDLALL …BUT PPP NOW CONTROLLED BY JAGDEOITES – NAGAMOOTOO Had it been up to the late founder of the People’s Progressive Party, Dr Cheddi Jagan, then the likes of Attorney General, Anil

Kaieteur News

Nandlall, would have been reined in over the recent revelations made public in the now infamous audio recording between himself and a Kaieteur News journalist.

This is according to former executive member of the party, Moses Nagamootoo, who reportedly shared a very close relationship with Dr. Jagan, and who Thursday expressed surprise that Nandlall was not as yet dragged before the party’s disciplinary committee.

He did point out nonetheless, that at present the party is no longer controlled by those loyal to Dr Jagan’s teachings but individuals who now hold to the policies and tactics of the Former President Bharrat Jagdeo. Nagamootoo labeled them Jagdeoites as against Jaganites.

“If he had been faced with the rogue elements of his party who hold office and are accused of committing violations in their official capacity, I would have expected Cheddi Jagan to bring them up before the disciplinary committee of the PPP.” SATURDAY EDITION ANOTHER ONE-MAN PROTEST LANDS AT AG’S OFFICE …SEEKS PETITION FOR NANDLALL’S REMOVAL A one-man picket opposite the Ministry of Legal Affairs on Friday afternoon was part of the continuing protest against Attorney General Mohabir Anil Nandlall.

The demonstrator used an exercise book to seek petitions calling for his removal or resignation.

He also had at the back of his car a sound system playing the infamous ‘recording’ repeatedly for members of the passing public.

His cry, “If you love your country stop and sign…”could be heard along

Carmichael Street, North Cummingsburg. When the man was asked about the reason for his protest he simply said “I want Nandlall out; we need him to step down, and if you are a Guyanese and love your country you should too.”

He urged the people of the nation to hear his plea and to do their part for the betterment of Guyana.

HARMON KNOCKS DOWN NCN’S DEFENCE OF NANDLALL RECORDING General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon, did not hesitate to shut down a reporter attached to the National Communications Network (NCN).

The reporter appeared to have gone to the press conference with specific instructions to promote the government’s position on the embattled Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.

Nandlall, in the scandalous profanity-laced 19-minute recording of a conversation with a Kaieteur News reporter, threatened

Page 47

physical harm to the people at Kaieteur News, degraded and made derogatory comments about a female reporter, and admitted to using state funds, illegally, for his personal use.

At the coalition’s press conference, Friday, at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Hadfield Street, Georgetown, NCN reporter, Olivia Rose, directed a question on the recording to APNU leader, David Granger.The reporter claimed that Granger in his initial statements spoke of the loss of public confidence in several Government Ministers, one of them being Nandlall.

“Why hasn’t there been

any form of public condemnation from the APNU with regard to the illegal obtaining of a private conversation between Nandlall and the Kaieteur News reporter, Leonard Gildarie?” Rose asked.

Granger politely informed the young woman that the coalition had made a statement on the matter since last week. He then asked Harmon to comment on the matter.

Harmon in response to Rose said, “Why NCN keeps going back to this? Why are you trying to create a defence for the Attorney General? He knows what he has done. He has apologized for it. Why are you trying to justify that

nonsense?”

The NCN reporter in a follow-up to Harmon’s response asked him whether he is supporting persons obtaining illegal recordings of private conversations.

Harmon explained that he never made any such utterance. Harmon said that there has been no pronouncement or court ruling on whether the recording was obtained illegally.

The politician said that he believes that the slant taken by the government that the recording was illegally obtained is merely to seek to defend Nandlall. The government’s position is not based on legal authority.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

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A Dutch tomb, a haunted house and other tidbits from my visit to Guyana

By Ralph Seeram One of the things I enjoy when I visit Guyana is to go to the “rum shop” with my friends. In a “rum shop” (some folks call it a bar these days), men and women drink, lips get loose and story does come out. I go for the wild meat and the gossip.

There you hear who is sleeping with whose wife; which man is getting “blow”, which woman is giving “blow” and it goes on. You will also hear which government official “does beat dem wife,” and trying fuh “knack” young girls in exchange for jobs.

By the way, I had forgotten that the term “knock” or “knack’ in Guyanese parlance had a sexual connotation. I had not heard that term for the longest while, until the pimping Attorney General reminded me.

Talking about the AG who is the joker he hired to rehabilitate his image? From press reports he is paying for this advice. He could not have got worse Public Relations advice. Does the AG really think his image has been enhanced by going out and sharing out taxpayer’s money?

The rebuilding of his image is a private matter and if public funds are involved that would be “adding salt to the wound”, an insult to hard working Guyanese.

If the “thoroughbred” had asked me I would have given my service FREE to him; nada, not a cent to him or the taxpayer. It would have been a five paragraph statement, no photo ‘ops’ no sharing out money, just five simple paragraphs, and the only criterion would be that each paragraph contain the word APOLOGY. Unfortunately it’s a word not in the PPP vocabulary, and that’s the problem with the PPP. My five paragraph statement would have got women organizations hugging him as their hero and poster boy. The praises he received would have been more sincere that the fake ones he is getting from PPP supporters.

DUTCH TOMB AND GHOST So back to my rum shop story. I am sitting with the boys on the deck of Penguin Hotel bar on Strand, New Amsterdam, an old hangout of mine. People are watching; one of my friends has a house and a woodwork factory at the end of the road in Smythfield N/A. It’s actually situated in an area where Dutch tombs were.

I asked my friend if he ever encountered the tombs, to

which he replied, “Boy don’t ask; my workmen found it and want to break it up. I told them to leave it alone.”

Later, he said that the spirit of a Dutchman confronted him; he could feel his body run cold. He said that the spirit told him that it was ok for him to go ahead and build his house and factory there (the area was near the banks of the Canje River and was an old Dutch sugar Plantation).

Now while this may seem strange, I can tell you growing up there, several of the older folks have always said that they saw a Dutchman in white riding a horse there. In fact, one of my boyhood friends claimed to have seen him also.

My friend who was relating his experience when building his place would not have known this.

Now here is where it got strange, and this gave some credence to what he was saying. Apparently he did not get the blessing of all the spirits there, because a few years ago his place mysteriously burned down.

Apparently one of the ghosts was not pleased with the disturbance; true story folks.

ANALCOHOLIC YOUNG FEMALE GHOST? My friend then related that there was another place in New Amsterdam that has a ghost. I asked him to take me there. So we went to this bar at the corner of King Street and Republic Road (Backdam Road) where he introduced me to the owner, “Data”.

She joined us at the table and I asked her about this ghost or spirit she has been seeing. She said that it was a young girl always coming to her bedroom, a young Indian girl with long hair, bothering her. She said that the girl would usually ask for some liquor, so when she appears Data would leave some liquor and this would keep her quiet for a while. This has been going on for years.

I knew the house, several of my boyhood friends lived there. I went to the house frequently, and in fact I attended a friend’s wedding at that very house. This is what they did not know, that a young girl died in that house nearly 40 years ago. She committed suicide.

Now was it the same girl that was still haunting the house? The description fits her, and the people telling me this never saw her, but I did. I was at her funeral. Strange but true.

It was time to end my short visit to Berbice. My friend Gregory took me to the car park at the corner of Strand and Charlotte Street in N/A. Talk about aggressive drivers and touts. About a

dozen people surrounded the car.

“One mo; ah only need one mo”, was the tune. It would seem that the dozen or so cars only needed “one mo” even though most were empty. For those who don’t understand they are saying they only need one more passenger to leave for Georgetown. It’s generally a lie just to get you in the car.

So some are opening the trunk of the car taking out my suitcase, and about five people are tugging me to which direction their respective cars were parked.

I decided on one driver only to find out his car had no air conditioning. When the other driver shouted, “You know my car A/C you

hire my whole car before”. I turned and his face looked familiar, and I do normally hire the entire car when I travel.

So I switched to his car.

He had two passengers and two kids in the car so I told him that I will pay for the rest of the seats.

There needs to be police presence at that park to have some semblance of order there. This used to be the situation years ago at the airport until it was regulated.

One passenger with a baby related that she normally drops off a distance from the car park and walk as if she is a passerby, and then go to a car to avoid the pulling and tugging, because she would end up in one car and her baby in another.

On the way to Georgetown the driver decided to go on the road that was the old rail line. As we passed a large house on the left, the driver voluntary pointed out, “Dat is Freddie house.” The other passenger in the rear chimed in, “An he seh ting bad in Guyana”.

I will later meet a few friends, and the over drinks the subject always reverts to politics.

Some like what I write, some disagree, but they all had one advice in common, careful how you writing, because the PPP can be “spiteful”. I get the impression people are afraid to speak out, even hard core PPP supporters, because they feel they will be

victimized.

Yes the PPP has reached the point where the PNC was at the height of its power where if you criticized the government you become “an enemy of the state”.

I am sure this kind of perception of the PPP will not help the PPP regain total power. As one friend told me, the PPP points fingers in all directions except towards itself.

This week the drama begins in Parliament; Guyanese will be watching.

One wrong move by the PPP and the party will be history come next elections.

Ralph Seeram can be reached at email; ralph365@hotmail.com and Facebook.

Region Six ‘Bulk Waste Pick-Up Programme’ to commence tomorrow The Regional Household Bulk Waste Removal Programme which was launched in Region Four last month under the “Clean-Up My Country” project has now moved to Region Six – East Berbice/Corentyne.

A press release disseminated yesterday by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development stated that a team from the Ministry is currently in Region Six mobilizing the workforce to commence the ‘Household Bulk Waste and Illegal Garbage Piles Removal’ Programme.

Through the project, illegal roadside garbage piles will be removed and residents within the boundaries of each Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) will be able to dispose of their bulk waste free of cost.

The initiative aims to reduce littering by providing persons with a means of disposing their household waste in an environmentally friendly manner, rather than

dumping them into water ways and public spaces.

For this exercise, residents within the East Berbice/Corentyne District who are desirous of disposing of their bulk waste, are asked to place the waste in front of their premises by 08:00 hours on the day allocated to their community for garbage collection.

Commercial waste will not

be collected under this programme. Hence, business owners are advised to solicit the services of private contractors.

Derelict vehicles will not be included in the schedule.

Persons are asked to check the daily newspapers for the pickup schedule or call the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development at 226-5071-3 or

Name of NDC MTC New Amsterdam Enfield/New Doe Rose Hall Town Council Ordinance/Fort Lands Canefield/Enterprise Kintyre/N0.37 Gibraltar/Fyrish Kilcoy/Hampshire Port Mourant/John Bloomfield/Whim Lancaster/Hogstyle N0. 52/74 Maida/Tarlogie Black Bush NDC Bushlot/Adventure Macedonia/Joppa Corriverton Town Council Good Hope/N0. 51 Crabwood Creek/Molsen Creek

their Neighbourhood Democratic Council for more details. The Region six garbage pickup schedule will run for nine days after which the focus will shift to Region Five-- Mahaica/Berbice, where work will be ongoing from November 20 to November 25, 2014.

Below is the East Berbice/ Corentyne Household Bulk Waste Removal Schedule.

BULK WASTE PICK UP DATE 10-Nov-14 11-Nov-14 12-Nov-14 13-Nov-14 14-Nov-14 15-Nov-14 17-Nov-14 18-Nov-14 19- Nov-14

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 09, 2014

Sunday November 09, 2014

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 1 Model M Bush Truck with Winch & dump, 1 Honda ATV 4-wheel bike used only for prospecting, 250 hours, excellent condition.

Contact: 672-4536 DELL/HP Computer complete with LCD’s - $59,000, laptops from $55,000, Blackberrys $15,000 @ FutureTech – Tel: 231-2206 D6R Caterpillar Bulldozer, D8K Caterpillar Bulldozer, Price to go – Call: 611-4775 Foreign use Yamaha Outboard, engines, various sizes and parts, 3 cylinder, Perkins engine - Call: 658-0337 Sheep for sale in a large quantity – Tel:695-6139, 6391572 2 compressors, fruit dying machine, electrical stove with grill, water dispenser machine, Price negotiableContact: 231-5171, 619-7134 Massey Ferguson 390 4X4fully renovated – Call: 6886274, 691-3851, 678-8698

Kaieteur News

FOR SALE Yamaha outboard engines, various sizes, tundra wheels, boat trailer - Tel: 220-1981, 690-1945 Complete sawmill operation with lots of equipment, customers & suppliers and large land space – Contact Swamee: 614-1466; 672-4438 Pit bull puppies for sale: 6715851, 233-0194 Nine (9) Goats for sale. Call: 613-3521, 261-2899 Imported from Canada: Refrigerators, washing machine, AC Unit and Water Cooler at unbelievable low prices – Contact: 652-7740, 688-2717 Power washer, household items (new) 2 weed walker, gift, pop corn maker, deep fryer, Epson projector, bar stools - Call: 669-0366 1-7 Weeks old German shepherd pup - Call: 654-6355 Perkins engines 1000, 1100, 4236 & 6 cylinder complete on bed, 320 BL excavator$14M- Contact:691-2921 Lincoln generator welder$850,000, pallet jacks, fork lift, model M truck- Contact: 691-2921 Empty 50 Gallon Steel drum for sale, going cheap – Call: 628-1756, 228-5655

One 6 Head Weinig Moulder, complete with additional blocks, ready to work – Tel: 668-8912 1 Ridged Generator 3600 Watt - $190,000, 1 Maytag washer & dryer - $110,000 each, 1 Kenmore microwave - $18,000 – Tel:692-7377, or 672-7194 “Wealth & Riches belongs to the righteous” Get your copy from Smile Gas Station; Austin’s Book Store – Call: 229-6104 British Guiana Stamps for sale - Call:681-3685 American Bully, Remyline pup. Contact:667-4845, 2207933 Pools table, original, cloth, cue stick, balls, pocket, coinshute, coin, rubber, spring, chalk – Call: 6699927, 616-1886 Tibetan Terriers pups for sale (Straight & Curly long hair). Contact: 621-7766, 2200770 House for sale 3 bedroom, master room, self contain, down stairs, bar rest room, pools hall & 1 bedroom apartment. Call: 669-0366

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL - CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel:698-7807/ 690-6494 Wings Car Rental- Call: 6906494/ BBM pin: 24E17558

LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 662-6045 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, 6273206 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves.

Ultra Cool, call :225-9032, 647-2943 Hibiscus Jewellery & Pawn Shop, 15-16 American Street, Best price offer, open from 9:00-4:00 – Tel: 225-7252 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar: 231-0655, 683-8734 For professional and affordable landscaping services, grassing, leveling, perorated & drainage, system, supply of earth- Call: 626-1044, 656-1326 Repairs to refrigerators gas stoves washing machine, A/ C units – Call Lindon: 6411086, 694-2202, 227-8907 Now Open – Diamond Auto Spa “where everything sparkles” – 186 Durban & Smyth first three cars wash daily free. Promotion ends November 10th.

H&R Construction and Consultancy Services: Specialized in general construction & electrical installation – Call: 661-8802 Specialized repair to washing machines, refrigerator, dryer, stoves, AC units, Hot water pressure pumps, ovens, deep fryer –Call: 661-7977 FOR LOW COST: REPAIRS TO FRIDGE, FREEZER, A/ C UNIT, MICROWAVES, TV & WASHING MACHINE CALL: 629-4946 OR 225-4822 Tera Tech: Computer repairs, cell phone unlocking and accessories, website development, 21 First Street Alberttown. Call: 677-9938, 673-6566 Services and repairs to gas stoves, washing machines, electric stoves, etc. Call: 688-0183 BrianMoe@642-3543; Computer Technician; FB:Brian.Moe.165; Home and office visits at your comfort!!

For Delicious Puri, Roti & any Kind of Curry Orders – Contact Safia Hussain: 2276789, 698-3592, 169 Thomas Street, Kitty.

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VEHICLE FOR SALE

SALON

WANTED

First Class Auto: In stock Premio, Spacio, 212, Sienta, Rush, Fielder, Bluebird- Tel: 609-8188/ 602-6307

Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad Call: 647-1773/660-5257

Sawmill workers and wood mizer LT 40 operator - Call: 653-9752, 688-6579 One domestic: apply in person with a valid police clearance @ Bacanas Hotel @ 180 Charlotte street Bourda.

Pitbull Bus ($3.1M) unregistered, Noah, Regius ($2M) unregistered - Call: 603-9700 1- 2001 new model 212 stick shift - $2M, 1 -2000 year model Tacoma with 3RZ engine- $2.1M – Call: 6165974, 618-8703 One pit bull 19 Seater BNN, Excellent Condition- Call: 652-0709, 276-0556 1-Honda-600RR, Toyota Raum, Rav4, AT212, AT192, EP71 Starlet, Fun cargo, Tacoma 2007- Call: 644-5096, 697-1453 1999 Toyota Tacoma (black) excellent condition, auto extended cab, fully loaded – Call: 610-5370 Mitsubishi Canter 2 Ton, 4D 32 Engine GGG Series, good working condition Call: 669-2290 Toyota Prado, Price$5.5M Neg. Call:643-2403 15 Ton dump Truck very good working condition, price very attractive - Call: 681-5988, 675-5448 1 Spacio, 7-seats, Excellent condition, 4 years, Price Negotiable. Tele: 624-5018; 227-3749 Unregistered Premio with Rims - $2.250 – Call: 657-1796 Unregistered Spacio 2004, camera, rims, body kit, Fielder 2003, black interior, fully loaded. Call: 617-5536 Silver Mitsubishi Lancer Car; PKK 4953, $900,000- Call: 683-0150 RZ Minibus VVTI Engine, BNN Series. Call: 697-2550 Blowout Sale! – Unregistered 2007 Madza Axela - $2,395,000 – Crystal Lights, Alarm, Steering Wheel Audio Control. Call: 643-6565, 2269931 2004 Toyota Avensis, new tyres, interior well maintained, 75,000 KM, Excellent paint job, seat covers, asking $3.2M – Contact: 651-3000

PROPERTY FOR SALE Lease Business block - $40M @ Port Kaituma, Main Road and Water Front, serious inquiries only. Call: 6714381 or 225-6805 One 3 storey business property @ Middle St. Georgetown, opposite GPHC- Contact: 619-7134, 225-6481 2 Business properties on Whim Public Road, ideal for business- Contact: 619-7134 Looking to buy a property?

Then give us the responsibility to do so. Ron’s Real Estate: 677-7095 One ongoing business and residential property, Parking can accommodate 10 Vehicles Located @ Public Road Friendship, E.B.D $25M. Call: 661-8802 House & Land for sale by owner at Cemetery Road Helena No1 Mahaica E.C.D, For details call: 689-0820, 6743902 Albouystown: Corner Spot Business and residence, 3 bedrooms upstairs, parking $10M negotiable – Contact: 227-0583 7 Acres with house @ Canal No.2 Polder -$12.5M – Call: 655-2860, 686-4994, 225-3070 384 Stanleytown, W.B.D Canal No. 2 Polder. 3 Bedrooms house & land 50 rods with citrus. All concrete structure. Tel:629-7126, 6912078

MASSAGE Happy Touch Day Spa: Come & Experienced heavens touch, visit us today! – 6684554 TO LET 5 Bedroom house, Bel-Air Park, Tel:225-2562, 660-4481

Relax with a massage from Anna. Contact: 661-8969.

ACCOMODATION

One exquisite 2 rooms top flat apartment, in Amla Ave. Prashad Nagar. Call Bernard on: 621-6366, 226-7023 Rooms & Apartment in Eccles- Call: 225-3234

SIGNATURE INN: Luxury Suits & Apartments. Free Wi-Fi & Breakfast; AC & Self Contained Rooms @ 83 Laluni Street Queenstown.

Tel: 592-226-2145

Female worker needed, 3 CXC subject or sound secondary school education - Call: 612-1607 One live in Domestic, must know to cook – Age3545yrs, Salary: $60,000- Call: 664-5199, 688-5409 Gold Investor, Gold Claim on Rental, giving out position to work stone & free goldCall:679-0030, 678-8748, 6224415 Live in domestic, must know to cook Indian dishes between ages 30-45yrs, salary $60,000 monthly, boarding & lodging free.

Call: 610-5043 Live in waitress, must have secondary education between ages 18-25 yrs, Salary Starts @ $50,000 monthly, boarding & lodging free. Call: 610-5043 We buy & Sell Land in Parfaite Harmonie, providence, Herstelling & Eccles - Call Anita: 677-7095 1 Cleaner to work in snackette & bar, must know to cook, age 20-35yrs – Tel: 647-7432, 223-5798 One Live in maid to work in home in Georgetown – Call: 669-6030 One shop attendant to work in the Interior- Call: 681-6044 Wash bay attendant in Georgetown, drivers license will be an asset. Call: 646-8748 Cook and waitress; must be from the vicinity of Herstelling- Alexander Village.

Call: 678-4470, 233-2849 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 (1) 16 DISC Tractor room plough. Tel: 688-1785 2 Kitchen assistant, 1 salesgirl, to work in Restaurant Juice ++, At Madhia, accommodation and meals provided- Call: 617-1415 Farm worker, male clerk- Call: 265-3586 One half day domestic, apply Lot 53 Grosenor Ave. Nandy Park, near Raj Yoga Centre.

1-Cook and kitchen assistant @ Hibiscus Restaurant – Call: 231-5857 Live in domestic in Peter’s Hall, 1 week on; 1 week off, 40years plus, starting $13,000. Call:675-0767 (Continued page 64)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday November 09, 2014

Father and son face second murder...

(From page 63)

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From page 59 July 27, 2011 at Hogstye back dam, Corentyne Berbice. The vicim was 38 years old at the time.

The men are being represented by Attorneys at Law Mursaline Bacchus and Kim Kyte John. Prosecuting on behalf of the state is Attorney at Law Renita Singh.

When the matter began, State Prosecutor Renita Singh recounted that Shawn Fraser and his brother, Audwyn Bindha, called ‘Audwyn Fraser’ of 11 Adventure Farm, Corentyne, left their home to attend to their rice field at the Hogstye back dam.

On their way they saw three men—Krishna, called ‘John’, his son Rommel Krishna and one Bobo plowing with a tractor on a cross dam.

The brothers made a stop opposite where the men were plowing to attend to some

work. One of them then noticed the men had stopped working and were under a tree in front of the reef.

The brothers subsequently finished spraying their field and were on their way out when they saw the three men on top of a reef each armed with a shotgun. The men then suddenly opened fire hitting the brothers.

Audwyn managed to escape and ran to where another brother, Ray Fraser, was in a nearby farm, tending to his crop. Ray had heard what sounded like gunshots and saw his brother Audwyn Bindha running towards him with blood all over his body.

He also saw the men, each with a gun in their hands.

Ray then saw the men shoot at his brother Audwin Bindha who subsequently collapsed. The attackers then turned back and escaped out of the rice field.

Ray, according to the Prosecutor, went to his brother’s assistance and saw that he was covered in blood and had holes on his back and left side chest.

Ray then made contact with a number of other siblings who all converged on the scene.

One of the sisters, Kim Providence, had seen Rommel Krishna and Kevin under a shed.

The police subsequently arrived on the scene and arrested them.

Audwin was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital and then to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Shawn Fraser’s body was picked up and taken to the Port Mourant Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A post mortem examination on the body of Shawn Fraser at the New Amsterdam hospital by Dr. Nehaul Singh gave the cause of death as perforated lung

due to penetrating wounds to chest and compound fracture to skull.

Taking the witness stand first was Raquel Fraser who related to the court that she had identified the body of her brother during the post mortem examination.

Next on the witness stand was Kim Providence who related to the court that on the day in question her brother left for the back dam. Some time in the afternoon she received a telephone call.

She subsequently, in company with others, went to the back dam.

During the journey, Providence stated that she had seen two men, Rommel Krishna and Kevin under a shed. She said that she eventually arrived where the badly wounded Bindha was lying, and they picked him up and rushed him to the nearby health facility.

The matter is continuing.

Former NAMS teacher...

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From page 12 confidence in the 26-yearold’s ability to become an excellent attorney.

Justice Bovell-Drakes, in accepting the petition, said that confidentiality is pertinent saying if she talks in her sleep, she should ensure she does not talk about our clients’ business.

Clients, he said, must feel free to approach and tell their story without ever thinking that their business will be discussed with others.

He said that she should never become a slave of money and to never allow clients to use money and have an upper hand over her.

The Judge warned that clients lie at times so she should practice documenting everything clients say so that there is written proof should they say otherwise.

In her acceptance speech,

Robertson thanked God for his guidance, mercy and love thus far.

She said that becoming an Attorney-at-Law has been her aspiration since she was eight years old. Robertson admitted that at that time, she was intrigued by the peculiar attire and dress of the profession.

By 18, the lawyer noted that she had become aware that there is much more than that which meets the eyes.

“The law affects every aspect of our lives; driving a car, purchases from the store, getting into a fight, being employed and even renting a house.”

She said it is a vital component in the successful integration of society and as such it will never remain constant. “Our legal system strives to represent the principles Guyanese believe

in and each generation influences the legal system by changing or reforming the laws. I knew that I wanted to be a part of that dynamic change: to be a part of that dynamic profession.”

The 26-year-old said that she was honoured to be a part of the legal profession.

She noted that the poor and “not so poor” cannot afford adequate legal assistance and promised to devote time and resources and use her civic influence to ensure equal access to justice.

She expressed gratitude to her family, friends, church members and supporters, who loved, guided, prayed and assisted her throughout her journey. Robertson gave thanks to her parents, Ernestine Blair and the late Charles Robertson, too for her achievement.

Triplets’ mother looks back over...

From page 14 my head high.”

Working her way from a domestic to a security guard, Persaud said that she never left her children hungry. She said that her children survived practically with the kind assistance of her grandmother, Chandrawattie Persaud, a/k”Aunty Marajin”, who lives in Canada. She gave them the house at Land Of Plenty.

The triplets were born on November 2, at the Woodlands Hospital and upon their return to the Essequibo Coast their life’s journey began, at Land of Plenty. Dr. Neville Gobin was the surgeon who delivered Persaud’s daughters via Caesarian Section.

Persaud said while the girls would receive long stares whenever they venture out either to attend Church or work or any social event, she herself experiences difficulty at times recognising their voices, especially when she has to make a telephone call.

“Sometimes the girls would play a prank on me because it’s difficult at times recognising their voices.”

From the time of the triplets’ birth to when they were one year old, Persaud said in order to fully identify each one of the girls she would tag them with different colours not to become confused.

Reenica Mansaram, one of the triplets, said that her friends as well as people in

general find it hard distinguishing her from her sisters. The identical triplets who are all Christians attend the Bible Baptist Church, in Cotton Field.

Reenica works at a furniture store, while Rajshri works at an internet café at Cotton Field. The girls’ dream is to meet another set of triplets.

The triplets were treated to a trip to the mighty Kaieteur Falls in observance of their 20th birth anniversary in October. The trip was sponsored by their foster father, Godfrey George.

The girls also made a special donation to the less fortunate children of the Joshua House.

(By Yannason Duncan)

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Chang: JLP was approached to purchase Outameni Experience while in power The Gleaner - Opposition spokesman on housing, Horace Chang, says the former Jamaica Labour Party Administration had been approached to purchase the Outameni Experience in Trelawny but refused.

The National Housing Trust (NHT) has purchased the attraction for $180 million and is to spend another $100 million to refurbish the property. However, the NHT

has been criticised for the acquisition by individuals and groups which have accused it of breaching its statutory obligations.

There have been accusations that the acquisition is tantamount to a bailout by the government.

Friday Chang disclosed that a request had also been made to the JLP towards the end of its term for it to take over the property.

Horace Chang There have been calls for the auditor general and the contractor general to probe the matter.

Cabinet weighs $$ for Ebola medics Trinidad Guardian Cabinet is giving consideration to the remuneration of health care workers who may have to treat Ebola cases, Health Minister Fuad Khan says. He said so in Parliament Friday as he addressed the current worldwide concerns and T&T’s readiness for the deadly virus.

Public Services Association president Watson Duke had called for extra remuneration and an insurance of at least $10 million for health care workers who will be asked to work in the special Ebola unit Government proposes to set up to deal with any suspected cases of the virus. Friday, Khan said while some may have attempted to profit from the matter and peddle fear and hysteria, he was presenting the facts on it.

“Significant progress has been made in making T&T ready to control any possible outbreak of Ebola through good preparation, proactive public education, early

Fuad Khan detection and rapid response, isolation and treatment, contact tracing, co-ordination between agencies and investment in emergency response,” he said.

Recounting Government’s action in the issue so far, including spearheading a Caricom meeting on this, Khan said the training of staff at health facilities and ports of entry to detect and isolate suspected cases was ongoing Cabinet had also

approved importation of an Odulair Unit two-bed Ebola treatment unit. Upgrades to allow for handling of any Ebola cases have begun at the Caura Ebola Treatment Centre and Piarco International Airport, he said.

Khan said 20 hand-held thermal scanners for ports of entry have been ordered and are expected in two weeks.

Thirty Hazmat (Hazardous Material) Level A suits are also expected in four weeks.

Specifications for two mass screening thermal scanners are being evaluated and are expected to be ordered within the next week, with delivery in three weeks.Personal protective equipment has been purchased, including category three coveralls (Hazmat suit type), N95 masks, overhoods, overboots, rubber boots and face shields. Standard protective equipment was distributed to all health facilities between October 3 and 19 and Category 3 coveralls will be delivered by November 19, he added.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

Gorbachev says world is on brink of new Cold War Reuters) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned in a speech in Berlin on Saturday that East-West tensions over the Ukraine crisis were threatening to push the world into a new Cold War, 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Gorbachev, who is credited with forging a rapprochement with the West that led to the demise of communist regimes across Eastern Europe, accused the West, and the United States in particular, of not fulfilling their promises after 1989.

“The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some say that it has already begun,” said Gorbachev, who is feted in Germany for his pivotal role in helping create the conditions for the Berlin Wall’s peaceful opening on Nov. 9, 1989, heralding the end of the Cold War. “And yet, while the situation is dramatic, we do not see the main international body, the U.N. Security Council, playing any role or taking any concrete action.”

The conflict in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 4,000 people since the start of an uprising by pro-Russian separatists in mid-April.

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev Russia blames the crisis on Kiev and the West, but NATO says it has overwhelming evidence that Russia has aided the rebels militarily in the conflict.

Gorbachev, 83, also criticised Europe and said it was in danger of becoming irrelevant as a global power.

“Instead of becoming a leader of change in a global world, Europe has turned into an arena of political upheaval, of competition for spheres of influence and finally of military conflict,” he said.

“The consequence inevitably is Europe

weakening at a time when other centres of power and influence are gaining momentum. If this continues, Europe will lose a strong voice in global affairs and gradually become irrelevant.”

Speaking at an event at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, Gorbachev said the West had exploited Russia’s weakness after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

“Euphoria and triumphalism went to the heads of Western leaders,” he said. “Taking advantage of Russia’s weakening and the lack of a counterweight, they claimed monopoly leadership and domination of the world, refusing to heed words of caution from many of those present here,” he said.

Gorbachev said the West had made mistakes that upset Russia with the enlargement of NATO, with its actions in the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya and Syria and with plans for a missile defence system. “To put it metaphorically, a blister has now turned into a bloody, festering wound,” he said.

“And who is suffering the most from what’s happening?

I think the answer is more than clear: It is Europe.”

Chef, 90, faces jail, fines for feeding the homeless (Reuters) - For decades, 90-year-old Arnold Abbott has hauled pans filled with roast chicken and cheesecovered potatoes onto a south Florida beach park to feed hundreds of homeless people.

For his good deeds, Abbott finds himself facing up to two months in jail and hundreds of dollars in fines after new laws that restrict public feeding of the homeless went into effect in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year.

“I’ve been fighting for the underdog all my life, so this is nothing new,” Abbott said.

He was first cited last Sunday, along with two clergymen and a volunteer from his nonprofit, Love Thy Neighbor.

On Wednesday, several police cars waited for Abbott at a downtown Fort Lauderdale park, and officers pulled aside the frail man, clad in a white chef’s coat, soon after the first plates were ready to be served.

“The ordinance does not prohibit feeding the homeless; it regulates the

activity in order to ensure it is carried out in an appropriate, organized, clean and healthy manner,” Fort Lauderdale Mayor John P. Seiler said in a statement.

Abbott moved to Florida from Massachusetts in 1970 and was a civil rights activist and wholesale jewelry salesman. He and his wife first began feeding the homeless on their own in 1979.

He started the foundation and feeding full time in 1991 after his wife died, in a tribute to her memory. The dispute highlights a debate between two schools of homeless rights activists: Those who argue that banning public feeding criminalizes the homeless, and others who say feeding and panhandling helps keep them on the street.

Since January 2013, 21 cities across the country have passed laws restricting public feedings and 10 more have similar rules under consideration, according to an October report from the National Coalition to the Homeless. Nationwide, at least 57 cities have limited or banned public feeding.

Arnold P. Abbott, president of the Maureen A. Abbott Love Thy Neighbor Fund, Inc. “One of the reasons these kinds of ordinances are being embraced is that this is what cities can do without spending money,” said Jerry Jones, the coalition’s executive director.

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“Sir Richie Richardson and Joel Garner are both extremely tough professionals!”

There was a rumor, confirmed as such by West Indies Cricket Board, that Sir Richard “Richie Rich” Richardson, present West Indies team manager, has been ousted and replaced by former West Indies fast bowler, former team manager, Joel “Big Bird” Garner. That change would make no sense at all!

Approaching cricket from different angles, both have been extremely professional, erstwhile managers of WI teams, and are, more-or-less, cut from the same cloth!

I sincerely hope that it

was indeed just a rumor, but let us get back to what got us here in the first place.

Someone, somewhere in WI cricket, is trying really hard to sow desperate discord in the organization.

Anyway, all that could have been said or written about WI’s aborted tour to India has already been said or written. Whom-so-ever, which entity, was wrong, should be held accountable, or was stubborn or just stupid in handling the ineptness of the aborted tour last month, will eventually be found out too.

Meanwhile, let us just get on with the damned cricket on the field of play. Nothing that we can write or say, for now, will change much. But West Indies needs to be focused on playing cricket immediately.

Whatever happened in India 2014, in times past too, from Sir Frank Worrell, 1948, to World Series Cricket, 1978, to the snafu of WI tour to South Africa, 1998, and onwards to last month, please note this: Similar situations will occur again in WI cricket’s future. You can bet your house on that!

Sunday November 09, 2014 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Be careful about being too boisterous and chipper around people who don't exactly feel the same way, Aries. Be sensitive to other people's feelings, and don't make jokes that are too harsh for the occasion. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Your mood should be quite good for the most part, Taurus, but there's apt to be some tension in your relationships. ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): There's a deep longing to be comforted and reassured, Gemini. You may want nothing more than for someone fix you some warm, homemade soup. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You may feel like you desperately need something, Cancer, yet you're unsure as to what it is exactly. Someone close to you may be trying to fit the missing puzzle piece into place, but this may be next to impossible if it's unclear which piece is actually missing. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): You may want to remedy every situation by talking things out or taking some sort of action, Leo. Be careful of making any sudden moves before you really understand what you're feeling. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept.

22): Compliments are apt to feel like gold to you, Virgo.

There's nothing you need more than love and affection on a day like this.

LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): If you find that there's tension in a close relationship, you may get the feeling that this isn't the right partner for you, Libra. Don't automatically assume that the problem lies in your partner. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): When tension builds, your sense of security is likely to falter, Scorpio.

You may have a hard time dealing with other people.

You could be tempted to turn to food or alcohol for inner nourishment. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): You might have difficulty expressing your needs, Sagittarius. The bottom line is that there's no right or wrong way, although it may be difficult to see this on a day like today. .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): Although you may find it hard to express yourself in some ways, Capricorn, the one avenue that's completely wide open today is art. ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 Feb. 18): You might be feeling rather insecure when it comes to your peace of mind, Aquarius. Because of the insecurity, it may seem like your relationships are on the rocks. ********************* PISCES (Feb. 19 March 20): You may feel more reserved than usual, Pisces, especially when it comes to romantic relationships.

So, instead of crying over blown fuses, trying to reach back into the future on things that we cannot change at this very moment, let us deal with what we have right now; revamp and renew our thinking to move speedily into the future; even if we will, eventually, when time becomes right, review the past.

The present has already just become the past, with the future beckoning to become present. Let’s go!

This is like a failed marriage. You either move on with your life, hopefully to better things, or simply pine and die. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but at least new horizons are available. Let us try to exploit those!

WI cricket, as it has always done, as we all have suggested and lived through, will survive this too, in some form or fashion. Just let the clouds blow away to show blue skies. That is what life is all about!

When people think that they have conquered, those supposedly conquered could emerge as very differentlyabled persons or entities, managing surprisingly well, despite what happens around them!

I have great respect and admiration for Sir Richie, former WI captain. Perhaps he is just too nice and decent a guy, but, believe me, he has great toughness in his belly, blazing bazookas in his very analytical brain, to shrug off all flowing blowhards.

“Richie Rich” is as steely as they come; a silent assassin!

One does not survive the onslaught of being elected captain, a winning captain too, after Desmond Haynes was supposedly earmarked to be Sir Vivian Richards’ successor, then playing 86 Tests and 224 ODI’s, scoring over 12,000 international runs, without being able to withstand heavy thunderbolts.

1995 WI tour to England, for example, Sir Richie nearly lost his team and its captaincy.

He was openly told by then senior players who now hold legendary status in WI cricket histories that “your captaincy is now over. We are not playing under your captaincy anymore.”

Very true. I was actually there, listening to the abuses and diatribes aimed at Sir Richie. His resilience then, and his continued inclusions and involvements to this day, could also be called legendary.

Some of those same 1995 senior players have themselves become captains of subsequent WI teams.

Upheavals in their following teams have also shown that everything that goes around does eventually come back around. Remember that afore-mentioned WI 1998 tour of SA? It was not Sir Richie’s fault that WI players went to India without properly signed contracts. Surely his purview should only be that his players are relaxed, ready and rearing to go, making sure that all things non-cricket are in place for successful tours.

My former fast bowling partner, who started his Test career the same day that I did, Joel “Big Bird” Garner, has been a good WI manager in the past too, but at this time, that change is not at all necessary.

Joel’s international bowling was meanness personified; 58 Tests and 98 ODI’s, at unbelievable

Colin E. H. Croft says: averages of 20.97 and 18.84 runs per wicket, telling their own frugal stories. Only Sir Curtly Ambrose could compare. Joel’s management style is similar to his bowling; respect all, take no stupidity from none.

WI’s present senior players know their strengths, on and off the field, yet I know that they could not push either Sir Richie or Joel around. Both have always been trench-fighters who would battle to the end for what they believe; no quarter asked, no intention to give any.

“Richie Rich” and “Big Bird” are mean and tough, manifesting those qualities in different ways! Enjoy!

Page 70

Kaieteur News

Sunday November 09, 2014

‘A Tale of Two Teams’ Tuesday 11th November 2014 marks the third anniversary of the most important date in Guyana’s footballing history: when, against all odds, they eliminated Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) from 2014 World Cup Qualifiers and consequently reached the semi-final stages of qualifying for the first time in history.

What could have been a date which symbolised a changing of the guard in Caribbean Football has ultimately become a date to reflect on “what might have been?”

Whilst T&T eventually recovered from the loss and are currently ranked 49th in the world, Guyana has seen its football paused for virtually two years and are now ranked an abysmal 153rd in the world.

In 2011, the second round of World Cup qualifying for the CONCACAF region saw Guyana, led by Trinidadian Jamaal Shabazz, grouped alongside a strong Barbados side, Bermuda, and Trinidad and Tobago, who were the undisputed favourites of the group, containing talented players such as Kenwyne Jones in the line-up. Despite being under-dogs, Guyana topped the group and assured qualification for the next round by defeating Trinidad 2-1 at Providence Stadium on 11/11/2011, with goals from Ricky Shakes and Leon Cort ensuring the win, two players born in England but of proud Guyanese heritage. Assistant manager of the Trinidad and Tobago National team that night, Anton Corneal, paid the biggest tribute to Guyana after the game by saying, “What we saw from the Guyanese team tonight was evidence of how much more they wanted it and an idea of their attitude and desire which we lacked badly as a team.

This was the opportunity for them to show that.”

When Leon Cort netted

Guyanese players celebrate after defeating Trinidad and Tobago in 2011.

Santokie Nagulendran Says:

the decisive goal against T&T on 11th November 2011, it opened up a world of possibility for the Golden Jaguars; they had a talented squad that blended overseasbased and domestic players, younger players such as Trayon Bobb were given a chance to play with and learn from more experienced players such as Leon Cort and Christopher Nurse. After going on to play Mexico at the historic Azteca Arena in June 2012 and also facing the same Costa Rica side which made the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, Guyana’s potential rapidly faded due to much publicised internal disputes within the GFF (Guyana Football Federation).

The 2012 Caribbean Cup, in which Guyana were expected to do well in, was blighted by disputes between the GFF and players, and thus Guyana were eliminated in qualifiers, losing a priceless opportunity to build on their World Cup campaign.

Subsequently, without playing a single game from December 2012-September 2014, Guyana were

embarrassingly eliminated from recent 2014 Caribbean Cup qualifiers without scoring a single goal and are now below teams such as St Lucia, Barbados and even Madagascar in October’s FIFA World Rankings. Former GFF President Christopher Matthias spoke against using overseas-based players in the squad, choosing only two for the tournament and picking a largely inexperienced squad for the competition. Speaking on the issue, acclaimed Caribbean football expert Nathan Carr recently summed up Guyana’s woes, telling me that, ”Guyana looked to be going places under ex-boss Jamaal Shabazz but the federation’s decision to neglect the ‘foreign’ players such as skipper Chris Nurse and striker Leon Cort, who has now retired, has proved very costly indeed... since that momentous 2-1 victory against T&T, the Golden Jaguars have plummeted and plummeted.”

T&T on the other hand, used the loss in 2011 as wakeup call: they sacked manager Otto Pfister weeks after the defeat and begun a rebuilding

Six Test players in...

Frpm page 72 has played six T20 Internationals for the Regional team along with his 25 First-Class games for Guyana.

At 40, Chanderpaul, the most capped West Indian Test player with 156 Tests, is the oldest player in the Jaguars team but the veteran left-hander is as fit as any member of the team assembled.

Fudadin, who is expected

to return from Sri Lanka tonight, is Johnson’s Vice-Captain while former Guyana pacer Esaun Crandon is the Head Coach. Former National fast bowler Rayon Griffith, who is Chairman of the National Selectors, has been appointed Assistant Coach.

Guyana failed to win any match in this year’s Regional First-Class season and last won a First-Class tournament in 1998 although they beat

Jamaica on first innings points at Sabina Park in Jamaica to take the 2002 Busta Cup. The full squad reads: Leon Johnson (Captain), Assad Fudadin (Vice-Captain), Rajindra Chandrika, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Raymond Reifer, Anthony Bramble (wk), Christopher Barnwell, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Ronsford Beaton, Vishal Singh, Trevon Griffith.

process, using their time to develop the U-23, U-20 and U-17 men’s teams, as well as the women’s senior team, with an eye on the future. Anton Corneal, who was also part of the coaching staff during T&T’s appearance in the 2006 World Cup, was made Technical Director and emphasised the importance of grassroots development for Trinidad: “A conscious effort must be made to synchronise our club football, college league and the Pro league with an emphasis on proper development. Coaching schools, community teams, primary schools and zonal teams will help form the foundation of our football.

These programmes are only possible with the support of the Government and the b u s i n e s s c o m m u n i t y, I know with planning, implementation and patience we will see a better product in our National teams.”

From January 2012, T&T begun to arrange International friendlies with tough opponents such as Finland and Canada as preparation for the 2012 Caribbean Cup; this aided their development as they reached the final of the tournament in November 2012, losing to Cuba in extra-time. Young players in their early 20s such as Kevin Molino, Jamal Gay, Willis Plaza and Atalluah Guerra were integral to the side in the tournament and most importantly, helped the side reach the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup as a result of finishing in the final four.

In the Gold Cup, held in USA and featuring the best teams in North America, Central America and the

Caribbean, T&T defeated Wo r l d C u p r e g u l a r s Honduras, and reached the quarterfinals, narrowly losing to Mexico 1-0.

Veterans such as former Premier League player Kenywne Jones were used in the side to work alongside the new generation of players and help the cause of the team.

The global coverage of the tournament was such, that in 2014 T&T were able to arrange friendlies against I r a n , a n d A rg e n t i n a (featuring a certain Lionel Messi), as preparation for the 2014 Caribbean Cup. Clear progress has been made, as evident in the higher calibre opponents the team can now attract for friendlies. Midfielder Kevin Molino has gone on to earn a move to America playing for Orlando FC, and scored 20 league goals for them last season, a new record, as well as being a great personal achievement for him, his experiences abroad will inevitably benefit the National side. Thus far in the 2014 Caribbean Cup qualifiers, T&T have scored nine goals in three games and eased into the final tournament to be held next week, with a 23-man squad named that features sixteen players now based overseas, they are seen as favourites to win the competition and will likely get the chance to further develop by qualifying for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup as a result. With World Cup qualifiers also beginning next year, T&T harbour realistic hopes of making the 2018 edition.

During Guyana’s period of football inactivity, T&T

played a total of nineteen competitive games, and as such, their progress is no surprise, as the old adage goes: ‘practice makes perfect’. The development programme they have embarked on since 2011 has begun to pay dividends, as Nathan Carr went on to tell me: “The domestic division (TT Pro League) continues to grow, the Under-20s won the CFU U-20 Championship back in September (3-0 v Haiti) while the women’s team have a two-legged play-off with Ecuador coming up to decide whether or not they make the Women’s World Cup in 2015.

All-in-all, it is fair to say Trinidadian football has improved since 11/11/11 and it is continuing to make strides.” By focusing on development, with the help of Government and local businesses, as well as recognising the importance of playing International friendlies and utilising overseas-based players, Trinidad have managed to recover remarkably well from their early World Cup elimination in 2011. They have a team which blends youthful vibrancy with wisdom of experience and are arguably now the best side in the Caribbean once again.

Currently ranked 49th in the World, their players will also soon be able to qualify for work permits to play in the UK, and their development as a team will surely continue as a result of players gaining valuable experience abroad.

This time next year, the GFF should have a newlyelected President, as well as a reformed constitution and a National Squad comprising of the best Guyanese players, (regardless of where they were born or now play their football), consistently playing competitive games.

It is a major under-taking for the normalisation committee to embark on, but as this tale has shown, Guyana should look to T&T for a blueprint on how to turn a footballing setback into a pathway for long-term success.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 71

MCYS/EBFA U-13 League prizes handed out

Threvon Pluck, Kevin Padmore and Nidu Supareddy cops individual awards Grove Hi Tech, Herstelling Raiders, Agricola Red Triangle and Kuru Kururu Warriors along with the top individual performers were all rewarded yesterday when the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport/East Bank Football Under-13 League presentation took place at Grove Playfield.

Grove Hi Tech emerged as champions ending unbeaten in five games with Herstelling Raiders taking the runner-up spot followed by Agricola and Kuru Kururu Warriors as third and fourth.

Director of Youth within the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports, Ms. Gillian Frank in brief remarks before presenting the prizes, congratulated the youths for their excellent performances during the tournament.

Ms. Frank told the players that her ministry will continue to work in harmony with the EBFA to ensure that the development of the youths is priority, pointing out that they also sponsored a Youth Academy during the August holidays that attracted over 100 youths.

“We will remain committed to your

Statistician Charwayne Walker continues his Did you know series and this week the spotlight has been cast on veteran Guyanese Commentator Joseph Reds Perreira in a role many may not know.

Did you know that World Fame Sports Commentator Joseph Reds Perreira was Coach of British Guiana Football Team in May 1966?

World famed cricket and sports commentator Joseph Reds Perreira was the man calling plays when British Guiana Football Team led by Monty Hope toured Barbados in May 1966 and competed in an International triangular Series with Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The Soca Warriors played unbeaten to emerge as Champions. Reds Boys started with a hard fought one-all draw against host Barbados at the Kensington Oval.

The host scored first when Victor (Gas) Clarke netted in the 21th minute, British Guiana evened things up in the 39th minute through Frankie Forde. In Game

Best goalkeeper Nidu Supareddy receives his medal from MYCS Director of Youth, Ms. Gillian Frank. development and in collaboration with the EBFA will continue to sponsor this tournament.”

number two, played at the same venue British Guiana suffered a four- Nil drubbing from the Soca Warriors. The goal scorers for the twin island Republic were Kevin Barassa 39 Min Gerry Browne 41 Min Bobby Sookram 54 Min Archibald 69 Min British Guiana Third Game was a nil- all draw with host Barbados. They also lost their final match 2- nil against Trinidad and Tobago.

Trinidad and Tobago played unbeaten defeating Barbados 2-nil, and 4-2 and humbling British Guiana 4-nil and 2-nil. Gerry Browne of Trinidad was named most valuable player of the tournament. After the tournament several British Guiana players were reported to the B.G.F.A for indiscipline conduct; including Captain Monty Hope, Veteran Hubert (Senor) Braithwaite, Gerald ‘Beef ’ Francisco, Alvin Braithwaite and Patrick Britton.

The 1966 British Guiana Team that participated at Barbados Triangular Series: Birdette Marshall –

The top individual performers were also complimented by Ms. Frank for their performances that

Goalkeeper Compton Callender – Goalkeeper Winston Callender Michael Mitchell Cosmo Layne Imgram Layne Monty Hope – Captain Desmond Phillips Jimmy Shuffler Ovid Henry Patrick Britton Gerald Francisco Hubert Braithwaite Alvin Braithwaite Frankie Forde (deceased) Godfrey Norville George Niles (deceased) Joseph (Reds) Perreira – Coach Cyril Ramalho – Manager S.G Headley – Assistant Manager Please note: ‘Reds’ Perreira was debarred from coaching by the G.F.A after the Barbados tour. Captain Monty Hope was banned for life.

Hubert (Senor) Braithwaite and Gerald (Beef) Francisco were banned for two years, while Alvin Braithwaite and Patrick Britton were banned for the rest of 1966 following investigations.

Captain Threvon Pluck receives the winning trophy from Ms. Gillian Frank in the presence of his teammates and Coach, Domini Garnett. saw them being rewarded.

She also told the players that they are all winners.

Herstelling Raiders’ Nidu Supareddy was named best

goalkeeper, being beaten once

by Grove in their opening game. Threvon Pluck, Captain of Grove Hi Tech who earned the most valuable player

accolade also ended as the joint top leading goal scorer along with club mate, Kevin Padmore; the two ending with 5-goals each.

GNRA yearend Fullbore National Short Range C/ships Day 2

Braithwaite and Peter Persaud maintain pole heading into final day today

By Franklin Wilson Lennox Braithwaite and Peter Persaud will be the men to beat heading into the final day of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GNRA) yearend Fullbore National Short Range championships today at the Guyana Defence Force, Timehri Rifle Ranges.

Braithwaite, the best Individual Shot in the Caribbean for the past three years, looks set to unseat National Champion Ransford Goodluck following another impeccable day yesterday, displaying excellent sight, being the only shooter to record perfect scores at the

300, 500 and 600 yards ranges.

National Captain Mahendra Persaud was neck and neck with Braithwaite after the first two ranges with perfect scores of 35s but dropped two shots at the final range. Other X-Class shooters recording perfect scores of 35 on the day were Goodluck at the 600 ranges and Leo Ramalho at 500. Peter Persaud, who by virtue of his top place after the first day among the O-Class shooters was elevated to shoot with the X-Class (big boys), vindicated his promotion with an almost near perfect day also, dropping just three points at the 600

yards range following perfect shoots at the 300 and 500 yards ranges. The other shooter in this class to record a perfect score of 35 was Sherwin Felicien at the 500 yards range. Braithwaite and Peter Persaud will start today’s final day as favorites to win the title of National champions barring a bad day at the office. Whatever happens, a keen day of shooting is anticipated with action again set for the 300, 500 and 600 yards ranges with 2 sighting shots and 10 shots allowed at each. Scores after day two (2 Sighting Shots & 7 Rounds to Count)

Page 72

Kaieteur News

Guyana Beverage Company inaugural Cran-Water cycle Race on today in Berbice Who will win the Guyana Beverage Company CranWater Cycle road race set for Berbice today? That question will be answered when the cream of the country’s cyclists don their cycling gear and take to the roads in the Ancient Country for what is expected to be a grueling event. Even though this is the inaugural Cran-Water event, it is the fourth year that the Guyana Beverage Company is sponsoring a cycle event in the Ancient County which was previously sponsored under the Island Mist brand.

And every year the activity is getting and bigger. What started out as a local event for Berbice cyclists only, in the first instance, has

evolved into a national open race and a prominent fixture and one of the sought after races on the cycling calendar.

Organized by the Flying Ace Cycling Club (FACC) of Berbice, the 50 miles event will see the riders peddling off from in front of the beverage company’s Berbice outlet at Palmyra at 14:00hrs proceed to No 36 Village before turning back in front of the Nand Persaud and Company Rice Complex and back to its point of origin. With the cycling season well and truly on an epic battle is anticipated as the riders battle for the lucrative prizes on offer.

Prizes will be awarded to the first six finishers, the first three juniors and the first

three females. There will also be rewards for the first four cyclists from the FACC to complete the distance. There will be eight sprint point prizes up for grabs. The female riders will pedal off from Tain Berbice Campus to the finish line.

General Manager Mr. Robert Selman, who was in Berbice for the launch over a week ago, has expresses his pleasure how the event has been organized over the years. Mr. Selman along with other senior officials of the company is expected to be on hand to start the race and distribute the prizes.

The race is being coordinated by Coach Randolph Roberts.

(Samuel Whyte)

Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition

Defending champs St. Pius sends menacing notice to fellow finalist Defending champion of the Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition St. Pius sent a menacing notice to fellow finalist Stella Maris after inflicting a crushing 6-1 win over the highly touted Tucville in semi-final action yesterday, at the Thirst Park ground.

The reigning titlist, who had looked uninspiring in all of their previous matches, scrapping and scraping to survive matches, warmed up for the championship game with their best display to date through an awe-inspiring performance from Raymond Austin, who lashed in five goals to lead them to a convincing win over Tucville, who has seemed invincible heading into the semi-finals.

In the other semi-final, Stella Maris made it to the final with a 3-1 penalty shootout win over South Ruimveldt after regulation and extra time failed to

separate either team, before ending in a goalless stalemate.

In the day’s full results: Game-1 South Ruimveldt-0 vs Stella Maris-0 Stella Maris won 3-1 on penalty kicks Game-2 Tucville-1 vs St. Pius-6 St. Pius scorer Raymond Austin-2nd, 4th, 9th, 24th and 29th Selwyn Jones-11th Tucville scorer Keion Marques-21st 5-8 Plate Section Game-3 F.E Pollard-2 vs St Angela’s-0 Own goal-3rd Immel McCurdy-28th Game-4 St. Margaret’s-0 vs West Ruimveldt-3 Michael Oie-12th Kurt Carrington-35th Justin Persaud-38th 9-16 Plate Section

Game-5 Enterprise-2 vs Ketley-1 Enterprise scorer Martin King-20th and 27th Ketley scorer Kevin Mulling-15th Game-6 Smith Memorial-3 vs Marian Academy-1 Smith Memorial scorers Omalli Harry-14th and 18th Jermar Haynes-39th Marian Academy scorer Allister Phyll-4th Game-7 East La Penitence -2 vs St. Stephen’s-2 East La Penitence won on sudden death kicks 14-13 East La Penitence scorer Fabian Boters-27th and 29th St. Stephen’s Scorers Ronaldo Forde-4th Hosea Parkinson-17th Game-8 Green Acres-1 vs North Georgetown-0 Linford Isles-26th

Six Test players in Guyana Jaguars’ 13

By Sean Devers A 13-man squad has been named to represent the Guyana Jaguars against the Leeward Islands in the opening round of the inaugural West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Franchise four-day First Class cricket tournament which starts on Friday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

The Jaguars will be led by Guyana’s newest Test player,

Johnson retained as Captain Leon Johnson and includes six players who have played Test cricket in Johnson, Shiv Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo.

The 23-year-old Barbadian left-handed allrounder Raymond Reifer is also in the Jaguars team.

Reifer has scored six fifties

and taken 31 wickets from his 23 First-Class matches since making his debut for CCC against the Windwards at the 3Ws Oval in 2011. Reifer is the only overseas player in the Guyana squad.

Chris Barnwell is the seventh Guyanese to have played senior cricket for the West Indies. The 27-year-old (Continued on page 70)

Sunday November 09, 2014

GVF/Guyoil Tradewind Tankers Int. Volleyball Festival

Achievers to face Yelyco in male final; Yelyco & French Guiana to contest female

By Franklin Wilson The respective male and female finals of the Third annual Guyana Volleyball Federation/ GUYOIL/Tradewind Tankers International Invitational Volleyball Festival will be contested today at the National Gymnasium following an intense second day yesterday.

Using the FIVB points system which rewards a team with three points for a 3-1 sets win as opposed to two points for a 3-2 win with the loser receiving one point, this year’s competition have seen some thrilling battles to date.

Set to meet in the female final today are the defending champions Yelyco of Suriname and French Guiana, both defeating the Guyana Defence

Force. The GDF is a much improved team for last year but they still have some way to go to catch up and overtake their rivals.

Yesterday, the GDF girls took the first set against French Guyana 25-23 but lost their way thereafter as they gave up the next three, 15-25, 12-25, 17-25 succumbing to the pressure of the French.

On Friday night, the Guyanese females also lost to Yelyco in straight sets, 22-25, 20-25, 15-25, the scores speaking for itself in terms of the improvement of the GDF side.

In men’s play, Achievers got their campaign off to a good start despite being stretched to five sets by the French in the opening

game on Friday night. The final game on Friday night saw Port Mourant Training Centre going down in straight sets to Yelyco 21-25, 17-25, 17-25.

Achievers seems set to face Yelyco in the men’s final following yesterday’s play. The French who had lost to Achievers also lost to Yelyco in straight sets 19-25, 23-25, 22-25.

Achievers won the battle of the local sides, trouncing Port Mourant Training Centre three sets to one.

Achievers prevailed 25-17, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23. Up to press time last evening, Yelyco and French Guiana females were facing off, a dress rehearsal for today’s final. Action will get underway at 11:00hrs today with the female final.

Noble House Seafoods 2nd division cricket semis

Seegobin’s unbeaten ton puts GCC in control

By Sean Devers Watched by a gathering of spectators which included exWest Indies Captain Clive Lloyd and former Guyana players Mark Harper and Claude St John, lefthanded Deonarine Seegobin fashioned an unbeaten 123 to put GCC in firm control on the opening day of their GCA noble House Seafoods second division two-day cricket semifinal contest at Bourda yesterday.

When stumps were drawn on a batsman-dominated day, GCC had reached an imposing 326-6 against Everest and with the follow-on target being 100 for a two-day match, the Bourda boys are in a commanding position to declare overnight and attempt to bowl out Everest twice on a track that is offering prodigious turn.

Everest won the toss and invited the hosts to bat first on a pitch with plenty of preparation moisture in sweltering heat at a venue that produced the first ever West Indies Test match win in 1930. They lost Martin Pestano-Bell (11) at 22-1 as Troy Gonsalves, bowling medium pace, made the early breakthrough. Khemraj Jaikarran (21) and fellow left-hander Elon Fernandes (39) carried the score to 60 before Jaikarran touched a catch to the keeper from one that spun from left-arm spinner Javed Rasheed. Fernandes dumped Rasheed for a couple of sixes into the Members Pavilion and on top of the Rohan Kanhai stand even though off-spinner Christopher Surat extracted plenty of turn from the slow track and especially troubled the left-

Gavin Singh rocks onto the back foot to hammer one through cover.

Deonarine Seegobin launches into an off-drive during his undefeated ton at Bourda yesterday.

handers. The pair took the score to 91 before Stanford T20 player Saheed Mohamed had Fernandes LBW after he hit three fours and two sixes in an entertaining innings. National youth player Renaldo Mohamed (13) was run out at 116-4 but by Lunch Seegobin and Gavin Singh had joined forces to take GCC to 158-4 as the lads from Camp Road chased leather all day. After the interval Seegobin deposited Rasheed almost onto Regent Street for six but was dropped at short leg off Mohamed. Seegobin rode his luck and hammered Surat for contrasting boundaries before Singh smashed Raphael Singh for two blistering fours in the same over as the partnership flourished.

Singh (38) was removed by Mohamed at 185-5 to end a 69run partnership between the pair before Seegobin was joined by Devon Lord as Seegobin played a number of audacious shots, dominating a 106-run stand with Lord before Lord was bowled by Surat for a cameo 38 to leave GCC on 291-6. Bernard Bailey climbed into Rasheed in the last over of the day, hitting him into the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground before punishing the spinner for four over long on.

Mohamed took 2-86 but the day belonged to Seegobin who reached the boundary 10 times in his undefeated knock.

Today is the final day and play is scheduled to commence at 10:30 hrs and today’s winner will oppose DCC in the Final.

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

Troy Humphrey Memorial Cycle Race

Page 73

Feature event called off after Williams excluded

Respective prize winners of 17th Troy Humphrey Memorial Cycle festival and members of the Humphrey’s family share a moment after the event yesterday.

Many expected a keenly contested affair, but the feature 30-lap race of the 17th Troy Humphrey Memorial Cycle meet was called off yesterday after Marlon “Fishy” Williams was not allowed to take part due to an internal issue between the cyclist and Roraima Bikers Club (RBC) which resulted in an untimely end to the event.

After Williams was debarred, three cyclists started the race, but others remained at the starting line in support of Williams and the race was eventually called off due to their refusal to clear the inner circuit of the National Park.

However eight races were successfully c o m p l e t e d e a r l i e r.

Michael Anthony grabbed the junior 20lap race after enduring stern competition from his rivals. Mark Harris placed second and Mario King third.

Anthony also won two of the five prime prizes, while Harris and Raul Leal with two copped the others.

Romello Crawford

overpowered his opponents to win the juvenile 5-lap race; Andrew Hicks took the runner up spot and Christopher Griffith third.

The over-50 veteran race was taken by Linden Blackman, ahead o f Vi r g i l J o n e s a n d L a n c e l o t R o s e r e s p e c t i v e l y. O z i a McCauley took the honours in the mountain bike event, Keon Budhan finished second and Seon Budhan third. Jeremiah Harrison carted off the lone BMX race, beating Deoraj Goberdhan and Alex Leung into second and third positions in that order. Junior Niles dominated the U-50 segment, Jaikarran Sookhai placed second and Wilbert Benjamin third.

Geron Williams came out victorious in the win and out contest ahead of Hamza Eastman and Raynauth Jeffery correspondingly.

Te s h a w a n n a D o r i s captured the female race ahead of Ronella Samuels. At the presentation ceremony a number of Roraima Bikers Club riders were rewarded handsomely.

Chris Gayle smashes...

From page 74 Craig Kieswetter topscoring with an unbeaten 82 off 64 deliveries with the help of 8 fours and 3 sixes.

However, 145 was a walk in the park for the visiting side as Gayle blasted 108 not-out off just 67 balls, scoring 10 fours and 7 massive hits over the ropes, to power Lions to a 10-wicket win with 5.4 overs to spare. Gayle’s partner, Alviro Petetsen (29*) had the best seat in the park as he watched the Jamaican come up with yet another

whirlwind knock.

Gayle now is 8 centuries clear of David Warner and Brendon McCullum, who jointly occupy the second place for most tons in Twenty20 cricket. The big-hitting left-hander is also just 285 runs short of becoming the first to get to 7000 runs in T20s.

Brief Scores: Warriors (144/6 in 20 overs: Kieswetter 82*, Leie 3/19) lost to Lions (150/0 in 14.2 overs: Gayle 108*) by 10 wickets. (cricbuzz.com)

Page 74

Kaieteur News

Sunday November 09, 2014

Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship

Veteran King aiming to be a factor on November 16

(Flashback)- Guyana’s Andrew King seen in his Mazda RX 7 in a race.

Not someone to brag about his ability and his chances of doing well at any race Meet veteran Guyanese race driver Andrew King still believes that he could factor in next Sunday’s Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) final leg set for the South Dakota Circuit.

King, who has been the spearhead of the Guyana team for many years told this newspaper on Friday that while he would be the first to admit that his recent performances has not been up to his usual high standards, he is hoping to reverse his fortunes come November 16.

“Frankly I haven’t been very competitive over the last year and this is due mainly to some reliability issues with the car, but I still feel once I’m on the track and there’s no failure, I will be competitive,” King said.

King, who drives a Rotary Mazda RX 7 informed that while there was a delay in the delivery of his rebuilt engine he is optimistic that all work will

be completed in time for him to test the car and confirm its readiness to compete against some of the best drivers in the Region.

“I’m having a slight delay on an engine that has been rebuilt, but we should be at the circuit by Tuesday to start testing … It’s the same car, but we have modified the engine; l am actually combining developments by two builders in the rotary world and hopefully we would see some significant increase in horse power and torque.”

King, who races in the Group 4 category which is considered the marquee event, believes that at present, the rules favour the drivers whose cars are turbocharged and though it’s a bother to him since his car is ‘rotary’, he made it clear that “this is something I think I will just fall in line next year and put a turbo- charged engine in my car, rather than have a revamp of rules because that tends to be painstaking and ‘counterproductive to the sport.”

Chris Gayle smashes 13th T20 ton

Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle was back to doing what he does best, scoring abundance in Twenty20 cricket. This time, he registered his 13th hundred in the T20 format as he helped Lions to a comfortable 10-wicket win

against the Warriors in the Ram-Slam Challenge match at Buffalo Park, East London.

Choosing to bat first, hosts, Warriors managed to post a total of 144/6 with (Continued on page 73)

Sunday November 09, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 75

US hurdler interacts with top local athletes

American 100m hurdler, Kristi Castlin (left) speaks with athletes at the GDF Ground Friday at a Meet of Champions that the US Embassy had organised.

American 100m hurdler, Kristi Castlin Friday interacted and instructed leading local junior athletes at a Meet of Champions event that the United States Embassy in Georgetown organised at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Ground. After inspiring the athletes through a motivational talk, Castlin demonstrated many tips that can improve the mostly sprinters present. She went through the paces of starts, acceleration and other areas of sprinting with the male and female athletes. She even urged enthusiasts and supporters present to continually back the athletes, who ran some races, during their competition. “A large part of being successful is giving support,” Castlin said, urging those present to support the athletes as they

compete.

“When I am at track meets, my mother is the loudest. These kids need you to support them and if you cannot be loud, you cannot go on a plane to Rio,” she said, in a direct reference to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

She stated that support may “not be important to you, but it is important to them”. Castlin’s aim was get the small crowd involved in athletics. Following her encouragement some exhibition races continued at the venue. Deja Smart sprinted to a 100m female win ahead of Jevina S a m p s o n a n d Ti r a n a Mitchell while Kevin Abensetts won the male race ahead of Travis Belgrave and Quacy Simpson. There were also male and female 400m exhibition races.

Rossi on pole for Valencia MotoGP

Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi of Italy looks back as he races during the first free practice session ahead of the Valencia Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Ricardo Tormo racetrack in Cheste, near Valencia, November 7, 2014. (REUTERS/Heino Kalis) (Reuters) - Italian Valentino Rossi won his first pole position for over four years in qualifying for the final MotoGP grand prix of the season in Valencia yesterday while newly-crowned world champion Marc Marquez is on the second row of the grid.

Rossi maintained his recent good form with the fastest lap of one minute 30.843 seconds, ahead of fellow Italian Andrea Iannone on his Ducati and Honda rider Dani Pedrosa behind him.

Rossi has not had a pole position since Le Mans in 2010.

“We were still in black and white I think (when he was last on pole),” Rossi joked with reporters.

“On the last lap I felt that I could improve and then to look up at the screen and see I was on pole was fantastic.”

Pedrosa is looking to rebound after failing to finish the last two grands prix, which has seen him fall down to fourth place in the rider’s championship.

“There was a good pace and the wind played a big part as it made it more difficult for us,” Pedrosa told reporters.

“It got more windy as the sessions went on and it is not easy to deal with on the bike.

I did a strong lap where I could improve a bit but third place is still not the best.”

Marquez, who is aiming to break the record of 12 wins in a season he shares with Australian great Mick Doohan, was looking strong but crashed in his final lap and is fifth on the grid.

The battle is on for second place in the riders’ championship with Rossi on 275 points and his Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo 12 points behind.

t r o p S GVF/Guyoil Tradewind Tankers Int. Volleyball Festival

GNRA yearend Fullbore National Short Range C/ships Day 2

Achievers to face Yelyco in male final; Yelyco & French Guiana to contest female

Braithwaite and Peter P.71 Persaud maintain pole heading into final day today Lennox Braithwaite

P.72

This French Guiana duo goes up to successfully block a shot from Yelyco of Suriname in their male encounter which the latter side won in straight sets. (Franklin Wilson photo)

Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition

Defending champs St. Pius sends menacing notice to fellow finalist

Peter Persaud

P.72

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