Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 3
Two dead, two injured after Crabwood Creek smash- up An evening of fun and enjoyment among friends ended deadly when a vehicular accident at Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, just after midnight on Friday, left two persons dead and two injured. Dead are 29-year-old Wayram ‘Dutchie’ Narine Ramsamooje of Lot 140 Clifton Settlement, Port Mourant, and 18-year-old David Seelall of Lot 122 Back Street, Sisters’ Village, East Bank Berbice. Those injured are Ivor Bennett, 21, and Zaman Alli, 18, of Lot 78 Sisters’ Village. The latter was sitting in the front seat of the silver grey Toyota Spacio. The driver, who escaped with minor injuries, was arrested and is in police custody. The badly mangled car is now parked in front of the driver’s house at Sisters’ Village. The driver, Daniel Rambharose, popularly called ‘Omar Khan’ is in custody at the Springlands lockups. All of the men are cousins while Bennett was a friend. According to reports, the four friends from Sisters’ Village left in the car which they rented from Paragon Car and Minibus Rental Service of Goed Bananen Land, East Canje, Berbice on Friday afternoon. They ended up at Skeldon.
...driver in custody
David Seelall
Wayram ‘Dutchie’ Narine Ramsamooje
After the enjoyment was over, the men were heading back to Sisters Village when the driver lost control of the vehicle as they approached the ‘Black Water Bridge’ which connected Line Path, Corriverton to Crabwood Creek. “The car bounced off the bridge, and hit the lantern post and then a huge Christmas tree on the road,” said a relative. Seelall’s mother, Bissoondai Ibarran, stated that her son left home on Friday afternoon with a few “close friends”.
“He go out on the road and I didn’t know he gone ‘till suh.” He leaves to mourn his father, Ramcharitar Seelall and eight siblings. He was employed as a weeder at the Rose Hall Estate. Ramsamooje’s sister Banita Ramsamooje said that her brother was a contractor. He leaves to mourn his wife, Sarah and a one-year- old daughter Sophia. She said that the men picked up her brother and continued their journey to the Upper Corentyne area. They received a telephone call after 01:00hr that he had perished
in an accident. Bennett was in bed yesterday at the New Amsterdam Hospital only nursing an injury to his jaw. He was in severe pain though. He stated that he was sleeping before the car hit the post. He awoke and discovered himself at the corner of the road. Alli was resting at his Sisters Village home last evening. His mother, Sunita, said that her son doesn’t remember much what happened, only that “the car bounced on the bridge and hit the post and then a tree and he said the car turned over.” “He get knock in his head and his knee and stomach.” He has to re- visit the New Amsterdam Hospital for xrays. She said that her son left home Friday evening around 19:00 hrs. Police investigations into the accident are ongoing, while Paragon Rental remained tight-lipped when asked about details about the rental of the vehicle as well as number plates.
We are life savers, you should be one too!Donate blood today!!!
Page 4
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
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
Policing and the society When one hears that the police are investigating crimes one immediately gets the impression that the information about the investigation is merely something to pacify the inquiring person. And this view is often reinforced when the police say that they have run into a dead end as far as investigations go. There are numerous unsolved murders, unsolved robberies and even unsolved rapes. But before one gets the impression that the police are not working one should realize that more often than not, it is a case of the police not getting the necessary information to aid them in their work. There is a bright bunch of detectives who not only have good interpersonal skills but who also know how to get the relevant information. This was highlighted more recently in a spate of arrests for some serious crimes. Recently, they were able to solve a series of murders when it seemed as if there were no witnesses. There is a policeman before the courts on a charge of murder. He was one of the men who admitted to firing his weapon in Agricola at the time a young man died. The police conducted their investigation amidst national skepticism at the fact that the police were investigating themselves. They have their work cut out for them to find the driver who killed a young man on the streets two nights ago and drove away. They did a great job in finding one such killer in Berbice. They have also been able to find every vehicle involved in a hit and run accident. That is good policing. Solving crimes necessitates extensive legwork, a keen mind to listen to what is being said and sometimes, to being able to induce people to talk at a time when people are still reluctant to talk to the police unless it is in their own interest. However, all is still not well with the investigative capability of the police and the wider society must accept some responsibility. For one, none can say that the force gets the best possible candidate out of the schools. In fact, no organization can boast of getting the cream of the crop because these more often than not, head overseas on completing school. The second reason for the difficulty the police face is that it is often the last place a school leaver would seek employment. The force is not seen as the prestigious organization it once was and many factors have contributed to this. For one, there were the goons who some people say were the necessary evils. Then there are always the detectives who probe cases. These are the people who are now helping the force to get a new face. The arrest rate has gone up because these new breed of policemen have developed a profile of the criminal and people are saying that the criminals do fit the profiles. But they do not always offer the desired result to the public. The nation needs to take heart from what operates in the developed world. Just last week the police there solved a fifty-year-old crime. This sends a message. It tells people that no matter how long it takes the police would always catch the criminal. They keep meticulous records and specimens. They are also not afraid to use technology. So meticulous are they that when there is prosecution they can get a conviction. In Guyana we are deficient in this area. For one, the police do not use the support systems. They do not use the scientists in the society to help analyse scientific date and most of all, the investigating ranks are not the best when it comes to writing their reports. Many cases have fallen through the floor because of what the judge or magistrate would later describe as bad police work. Since they are not the best, academically, they would appear to be incapable of properly stating the very facts that they wish to present. It is here that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the legal department of the Guyana Police Force must be included in the presentation of cases.
Sunday November 10, 2013
Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
Government never wanted the Anti-Money Laundering bill passed DEAR EDITOR, The government never wanted the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill (AML/ CFT) passed. Having straddled the fence to give the impression to regional and international institutions it is committed to upholding convention and covenant on corrupt (which the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission, Integrity Commission and Ombudsman are critical to) no serious efforts are being made to match words with deeds. This country has been on the global watch list for long.
Professor Clive Thomas and other international reports have highlighted and expressed concerns about the presence and influence of the narco/illegal economy paralleling the formal economy within the ballpark of 40-70 percent. And this at ease corelationship, suspected for years, became clear when drug lord and U.S fugitive Roger Khan made public his relationship with the administration and what he called helping them in crime fighting, even though he was himself a criminal on the run. The government has with some traction used this corelationship to play to the
gallery of racial division and communicated the impression criminal propensity is the domain of one racial group. There are some in the PPP who have to answer to bigger bosses-not the rank and file whose votes they rely on to secure political power - whose orders they execute under the protection of State office. So while the diplomatic community has an understandably abiding interest in having the AML/ CFT passed because its allows opportunity through partnership to catch the big fishes and eliminate the State being a conduit/participant for money laundering and
financing of terrorism, the Act and Bill in their current configurations will not achieve same at the local level. In fact, these culprits walk safe and free in broad daylight knowing they have the protection of officialdom. And this must be of concern to us, as Guyanese. Hence, this is why it is important the constitutional provisions be established which would buttress international conventions and regional covenants. Clive Thomas, Christopher Ram, Rambo Gaskin, et al, have been writing incisively on the AML/CFT and it is expected (Continued on page 5)
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Page 5
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Rex Mc Kay’s call for an apology is misplaced DEAR EDITOR, Mr. Rex McKay, S.C., has responded to a release which I made in the press. In that release, I wrote in defense of the constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of the press to publish matters of public interest and the corresponding right of the public to receive that information. It is manifest that learned Senior Counsel spared neither the time nor the effort, to properly advise himself of the particulars of the Order of the Honourable Judge which formed the subject of my commentary. The Order about which I wrote was issued by the Honourable Judge on the 21st October, 2013, in Chambers. The only persons present were, the Editor of the Guyana Times, its Manager and a Corporate Secretary. The learned Judge’s edict was understood as a direction prohibiting Guyana Times from publishing all matters regarding Guyana Stores Limited, specifically including, matters from its Annual Reports and shareholders grievances against Directors; and that publications regarding the pending matter, must be confined to the evidence adduced in Court.
It is the first limb of the said Order with which I respectfully took umbrage. However, Mr. McKay’s entire epistle concerns certain admonitions made by the learned judge of press reports which may tend to prejudice a fair trial. In Mr. McKay’s own words: “Justice George in the presence and hearing of Attorney-at-Law for NICIL said that she had no objection to the evidence taken in Court being reported in the press provided that they do not contain expressions of opinions and analyses of the evidence which tend to prejudice a fair hearing and the determination of the issues before her.” With these exhortations of the learned Judge, I am in complete agreement. They are legitimate judicial concerns which find expression in the trite references made by Mr. McKay to several reported cases. But they were not the subject of my comments. Learned Senior Counsel’s entire argumentation, therefore, is predicated upon a misconceived factual and legal premise. A little circumspection could have avoided such frolic. The quintessence of my focus was that portion of the Order, issued on the 21st
October, 2013, in Chambers, which prohibits publication of matters which were extracted from the Annual Reports of a public company, formerly owned by the State. These are documents which are required by law to be filed as public records with two statutory State agencies/ public authorities, the Guyana Securities Council and the Registrar of Companies. As public records, their contents are matters which the press has a constitutional right and duty to impart and the populace, a reciprocal right to receive. Indeed, the right of members of the public to receive such information is not only a constitutional freedom but one that is recognized by the Companies Act which provides that upon the payment of the requisite fee, the Registrar should make such information available to a member of the public. That they may be evidence, or likely to be evidence, in a court, is wholly and utterly irrelevant. The sub judice rule cannot be used as a basis to prohibit their publication. Mr. McKay has scrupulously omitted to address this quintessential issue. Mr. McKay concludes his
Government never...
From page 4 the opposition pays heed. For as Gaskin rightly points out, while the Constitution vests the authority to determine who should be charged in the Director of Public Prosecution, the AML/CFT Act vests this authority in the Minister of Finance, which is a violation. Equally, it is a violation to retain Cabinet no-clause objection as a precondition for the government to name its representatives to the Public Procurement Commission and having the body established, since the Constitution vests authority for public procurement oversight in this body, along with the power to hold entity, official, government and person to account via appearance before it, a Tribunal and the Court. So on one hand, while the government sought to ignore the National Assembly’s protocol and moved ahead with the Select Committee, absent the input of the opposition, its intent was to give the regional/ international community t h e i m p r e s s i o n i t is committed to move the process forward, even as it
seeks to undercut it as pointed out above. Its strategy was to blame the opposition when it has devised a cunning network to make theAML/CFT ineffective. Those who engage in legitimate financial transactions have nothing to fear. While there may be additional bureaucracy with Guyana not meeting the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force’s deadline, those playing by the rules have nothing to fear. For the spirit and intent of the AML/CFT, were it to be upheld, do not set out to deny the law-abiders, instead it seeks to protect them from rouge elements. The workers playing by the rules and still continuing to struggle to make ends meet as they watch businesses who operate contrarily ‘prosper,’ should see the benefit of this. Equally, as traditional businesses facing unfair competition emboldened by laundering practices will have the opportunity to compete in a legitimate environment and better reward their workers for their labour. Workers who through their sweat continue to fund
public projects, can only shake their heads in sorrow at the wanton waste, fraud and abuse that come with corruption (human rights violations) which deny them better incomes, improved social services and holistic national development, must see this as an opportunity to right the wrongs and getting this nation back on the track where the Rule of Law reigns supreme. Finally, while the new corrupt business class and its cohorts in the corridors of power can applaud the voting down of a Bill so their time to account is deferred, which was their intent from the get go, the long arms of the law will eventually get them. The flaws in the Act and Bill and the machinations put in place to secure this by shutting out the opposition and civil society’s input are mere challenges in the struggle to restore law and order. Let’s not forget this bill could have been passed prior to the 2011 Elections. And if financial probity and the Rule of Law shall return to Guyana through the sanctions of external institutions, then it is a price we must be prepared to pay. Lincoln Lewis.
missive, thus: “Having regard to the facts and the reportage by the newspapers, the Attorney General’s conclusion … is itself gravely misconceived and bad in law.” I read his letter several times to find where Mr. McKay, has himself, set out “the facts and reportage by the newspaper” to support his own conclusions. He did not do so. He has made no reference, whatsoever, to any aspect of the “reportage by the newspaper” which constituted “expression of opinion or analysis of evidence”. It is imperative that those transgressions be identified before the otherwise scholarly letter of Mr. McKay can even be considered relevant. Indeed, what is in fact pointedly relevant is the erudite declaration by Senior Counsel in his letter that “a conclusion unsupported by facts or based in falsified facts is worthless. It has always been a counsel of prudence to disclose the facts from which one’s inference has been drawn”. Clearly, by his own standards, Mr. McKay is
demonstrably imprudent. I now turn to comment on the judicial authorities to which learned Senior Counsel made reference. My first observation is that only supportive excerpts of the judgements were quoted. Portions of those very judgements which contradict Mr. McKay’s position, or were unsupportive, were conveniently omitted. For example, heavy reliance is placed on AG –v- Times Newspapers Limited (1973) 1 AER at page 821. Copious extracts were selectively quoted from Lord Denning’s judgement in that case to support Mr. McKay’s contention. What is striking is the disingenuous omission of Mr. McKay to quote the remainder of the very paragraph from which those excerpts were taken. Unsurprisingly, when examined, they contradict Mr. McKay’s arguments. I will now quote the words omitted. They immediately follow from where Mr. McKay left off. They are from the very paragraph of the very page from which he quoted. The omission, therefore, cannot
be through inadvertence. Lord Denning continued: “…And when considering the question, it must always be remembered that besides the interest of the parties in a fair trial or a fair settlement of the case there is another important interest to be considered. It is the interest of the public in matters of national concern, and the freedom of the press to make fair comment on such matters. The one interest must be balanced against the other. There may be cases where the subject matter is such that the public interest counterbalances the private interest of the parties. In such cases the public interest prevails, Fair comment is to be allowed, it has been so stated in Australia to the courts of law.” Another conspicuous omission of learned Senior Counsel is his failure to disclose that the Times Newspapers Ltd. (U.K.) took the matter to the European Court of Human Rights. They invoked Article 10 of the European Convention on (Continued on page 6)
Page 6
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur M@ilbox
The Attorney General substitutes his second-hand information for the considered decision of the judge DEAR EDITOR, This is my response to the letter by the Attorney General published in the Stabroek News of the 4th November, 2013. In my earlier letter published in the Stabroek in response to statements made in a letter and published in another newspaper by the Attorney General on the ‘Order” made by the Honourable Justice Madam George restraining the Guyana Times newspaper from a pattern of publication of the proceedings in the NICIL v. Guyana Royal Investments Inc. In that letter Mr. Nandlall arrogated to himself the powers of “protector of the public’s legal interest and the defender of the Constitution of Guyana.” Mr. Nandlall’s misconception and other reasons may explain his commentary on a matter in which his office is not involved. For the benefit of the public therefore, I think it is necessary to set out in some detail the factual matrix and the law under which the judge exercised her judicial authority to ensure that there will be no trial by the Media. Mr. Tony Yassin is now the controlling shareholder in Guyana Stores Limited, a former government company. Mr. Yassin is also a close friend of Mr. Glen Lall, the publisher of the Kaieteur News Newspaper which has been publishing and exposing the several transactions which the Government had with the principal shareholder of the Guyana Times Newspapers (Mr. Bobby Ramroop) who has benefitted
substantially from those transactions. Almost daily for several weeks, the Guyana Times had been carrying scurrilous and disparaging articles of and concerning Mr. Yassin, while the court proceedings were taking place. It is the publication of these articles that aroused the court’s interest and prompted its action. It is interesting that while Mr. Nandlall admits that he was not in the chambers of the judge when the order was made, still considers himself competent to dissect and criticise the judge’s order, having failed to state exactly the text and terms of the order made by Justice George. The onus of proof is always on the person who alleges – in this case, Mr. Nandlall. Mr. Nandlall claims that he was writing “in defence of the constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of the press to publish matters of public interest and the corresponding right of the public to receive that information.” These are not unfettered or absolute rights as I assume Mr. Nandlall well knows. Indeed, these rights contained in Article 146 of the Constitution of Guyana are subject to the following restrictions: 1. Laws which: i) protect the reputations, rights and freedoms of persons or the private lives of persons concerned in any proceedings; ii) maintain the authority and independence of the courts; and iii) ensure fairness and balance in the dissemination
of information to the public. 2. Article 40 of the Constitution which subject the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual to the rights and freedoms of others or to the public interest, a term of wide import. 3. The Defamation Act, Cap. 6:03, which in addition to providing redress for defamation protects fair and accurate report only. 4. The Contempt of Court Act, No. 25 of 2010, Section 10 (2) of which provides that “a Court may, where it appears to be necessary to avoid obstruction or prejudice to the administration of justice in any proceedings pending before the Court, order that the publication of the proceedings or any part thereof be prohibited;” Subsection 10(4) of which provides that “when an Order is made under subsection (2) any person who, with knowledge of it disobeys that Order shall be guilty of contempt and punishable as is prescribed in subsection 6.” The Right to Freedom of information is one of the most important freedoms which guarantees the right of the media to inform and the public to receive information. However, the public interest in free speech is not an unfettered right, but is subservient to the following competing interests. It is under the authority of Article 146 of the Constitution and the laws properly made thereunder and the common law of England that the judge exercised her discretion to make the order against the Guyana Times. The decision whether or not to make the order was vested in the judge alone. The learned trial judge had to satisfy herself whether the ongoing publications in the Guyana Times of and
concerning Mr. Yassin posed a real and substantial danger to the trial of the action. The Judge exercised her discretion and decided that it did. In the circumstances Mr. Nandlall should have deferred to the judge’s exercise of her discretion unless there were no facts on which she could have exercised her discretion. See Hadmor Productions Ltd. v. Hamilton (1982) 1 AER 1042. It is trite that reasonable and moderate criticism of judicial decisions is permissible and does not constitute contempt. In the Privy Council case of Ambard v. A.G. for Trinidad and Tobago (1936) 1 AER 704 Lord Atkin distinguished the imputation of improper motives and malicious comment on the one hand from good faith criticism on the other. The A.G., without undertaking an adequate or
any assessment of the facts surrounding the publications in the Guyana Times launched his criticism of the Judge’s Order. Was Mr. Nandlall’s criticism of the Judge’s Order a “good faith criticism” or “malicious comment?” Mr. Nandlall claims in his letter under reply, that the European Court of Human Rights in the Times Newspaper case had overturned the authorities to which I referred in my letter. Not true Mr. Nandlall! The House of Lords on two occasions since the Times Newspaper case was decided by the EHRR, advised to the contrary. Firstly, in Attorney General v. BBC (1981) AC 303 Lord Scarman was emphatic that the common law of England as declared by the Law Lords in A.G. v. Sunday Times Newspapers Ltd. (1974) A.C. 273 is the law by
which the Courts of England are bound and not the European Courts decision reported in The Sunday Times v. United Kingdom (1979) 2 EHRR 245. Lord Scarman said: “Of course, neither the Convention nor the European Court’s decision in The Sunday Times case is part of our law. This House’s decision, even though the European Court has held the rule it declares to be an infringement of the Convention, is the law. Our Courts must continue to look not to the European Court’s decision reported as The Sunday Times v. United Kingdom (1979) 2 EHRR 245, but to the House of Lords decision reported in Attorneygeneral v. Times Newspapers Ltd. [1974] A.C. 273 for the rule of English law.” Secondly, in A.G. v. Guardian Newspapers (No. (Continued page 57)
Rex Mc Kay’s call for an... From page 5 Human Rights to which the United Kingdom is a signatory. It provides: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authorities and regardless of frontiers.” The European Court of Human Rights, by a majority of eleven to nine, upheld the claim of Times Newspapers Ltd (U.K.) that they had a right to impart the information despite pending litigation. In short, this ruling, inferentially, overturned most of the authorities upon which Mr. McKay relied. Having regard to the authorities cited, I verily believe that learned Senior Counsel and I consulted the same text. It is Lord Denning’s - The Due Process of Law. The information regarding the European Court of Human Rights ruling to which I have made reference, are set out in the very chapter from which Mr. McKay
quoted. After mentioning the ECHR ruling, Lord Denning, at page 49 of his text, expressed his expectation: “Let us hope too that the public interest will prevail so as to stop what has been called a ‘gagging writ’. “ Mr. Mckay omits these seminal bits. Again, I say that this is not an oversight. Mr. McKay’s industry and diligence will simply not permit it. I feel impelled to share the learning propounded by the European Court of Human Rights in the Times Newspapers’ case. On the question of the right of the press to publish matters which are sub judice, the Court said at page 33, paragraph 65: “There is general recognition of fact that the courts cannot operate in a vacuum. Whilst they are the forum for the settlement of disputes, this does not mean that there can be no prior discussion of disputes elsewhere, be it specialised journals, in the general press or amongst the public at large.
Furthermore, whilst the mass media must not overstep the bounds imposed in the interests of the proper administration of justice, it is incumbent on them to impart information and ideas concerning matters that come before the courts just as in other areas of public interest. Not only do the media have the task of imparting such information and ideas: the public also has a right to receive them.” Unlike Mr. McKay, I read the articles published by the Guyana Times. I am of the opinion that the matters published are information of a public nature and therefore, the press has a right to publish it and the nation, a right to receive it. The publications do not, in any way, prejudice a fair trial nor undermine, in any manner, the administration of justice. The call for an apology is, therefore, hopelessly misplaced. Mohabir Anil Nandlall Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Anti Money Laundering Legislation...
Govt. willing to retable Bill if assured of Opposition support ‌APNU/AFC still want changes Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, says that the government is willing to return the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill to Parliament before the November 18, deadline, provided it receives a commitment from the political opposition that it will be supported in its current form. Both A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) have rejected this notion saying that their concerns still need to be addressed. APNU’s David Granger said that the coalition can provide no such commitment, given that there are still a number of deficiencies in the law that need to be addressed. He said that APNU cannot return the Bill to Parliament given that it is a Government Bill but upon its return it will be sent to the Select Committee. Granger told this publication that the Opposition is willing to miss the November 18 deadline given that there is no guarantee that Guyana will not be blacklisted. He said that Guyana has been in default for a number of years now. Granger told this publication that passage of the amendments suggested by the Caribbean Financial Action Taskforce (CFATF) will not guarantee that the country will not be blacklisted given that the international body was more interested in enforcement rather than just passage of the amendments. Granger said that he cannot recall any prosecutions in Guyana related to Money Laundering. Further it was only last Thursday that there has been any report to the House by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). Despite the more than 800 reported suspicious transactions, Granger said that there has been no evidence of these being investigated or prosecuted. He added that many of the submissions by stakeholders such as the Guyana Bar Association and Director of Public Prosecutions would have been ignored and as such wants the Bill recommitted to the Special Select Committee, so that the Guyanese people can benefit from a proper Bill. AFC Vice Chairman,
Moses Nagamootoo, said that the AFC will not budge from its position.
He was adamant that the Bill has to be returned to the (Continued on page 55)
Page 7
Page 8
Cane Grove murder…
Kaieteur News
Suspected killer captured trying to flee to Suriname
- brother was trying to protect sister from abusive husband A Cane Grove, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara man, who stabbed his wife’s brother to death on Friday night, failed in his bid to escape justice while attempting to flee to neighbouring Suriname. Hamid Lattiff, called ‘Crapo’ or ‘Lil Boy’ was nabbed at Springlands by local police who had been alerted to his plan and quickly set up a dragnet of their own to capture him. “We hear that he heading to Suriname and we called the police and they contacted them at Springlands,” a relative of the victim told this newspaper. Latiff stabbed 16-year-old Mulchand Murilall, who was trying to protect his sister, Vashti, who had recently severed a relationship with the alleged killer. Murilall’s relatives are desperately hoping that this time around they get some sort of justice, since after more than a year, his grandmother ’s murder remains unsolved. The young man was stabbed to death by his sister’s reputed husband, Hamid Latiff, outside a wedding house in his village on Friday night. Latiff was recently released from prison where he was on remand after facing charges for assaulting the woman. Police in a press release said that they are investigating the murder of Mulchand Murilall, 16, of Patwah Scheme, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara, which occurred about 21:00 hours on Friday. Police said that their investigations have revealed that Munilall was confronted by his sister ’s reputed husband who was armed with a knife and during the confrontation, he was fatally stabbed to his chest and
Sunday November 10, 2013
Mulchand Murilall under his left arm. “The suspect then attacked his reputed wife but she was rescued by residents and escaped unhurt. The suspect escaped from the scene but was arrested by the police at Springlands, Berbice, about 09:00 hours yesterday and is in police custody,” the statement from Eve Leary said. The suspect had been remanded to prison on a charge resulting from assaulting his reputed wife and was released from prison yesterday. According to information reaching this newspaper, on Friday afternoon the teenager had followed his sister to a nearby shop after learning that her estranged reputed husband was stalking her. On their way back the young man stopped at a wedding house not far from their home and it was there that he was attacked by Latiff. According to Vashti Murilall, the alleged killer had threatened her earlier on Friday as she was coming home from work. “He run me with de knife and me run away from he,” the woman related. The couple who has a son between them, separated
Jasmattie Murilall about three months ago, but Latiff would still try to woo the woman back into a relationship. He became violent when the woman spurned his advances. Vashti Murilall said that after Latiff threatened her on Friday, a day after his release from prison, she contacted the police. Sensing that his sister was in danger, 16-year-old Mulchand decided to
accompany her to the police station. While returning home they stopped at a wedding house where Mulchand met some of his friends and chatted with them briefly. “All me hear ah voice like me brother, ah didn’t hear wha he seh but is just he voice I hear. When I watch, de man done shove de knife in he, he done bore me brother and throw he into de trench,”
Vashti Murilall told this newspaper. She said that she began to scream and alerted her uncle who was also with her. Together they rushed to Mulchand’s aid. But as she was going, her reputed husband turned his attention to her and tried to stab her too but his effort was thwarted by the woman’s uncle who grabbed her and pulled her to safety. She eventually managed to run away while the killer made good his escape. In the meantime, residents who converged on the scene, pulled Mulchand’s motionless body from the trench; he was already dead. His mother, Jasmattie, heard her daughter’s screams from her home a short distance away. “Me run out; there is me son; he done dead, is sheer blood on he skin,” the grieving mother stated. Her husband Khrishna was miles away on his farm in the backlands when the tragedy occurred. He told this newspaper that even though it was late in the night, when he received word of his only son’s death he immediately started up his
Captured: Hamid Latiff boat and began the four-hour journey to find out what had really transpired. “When me reach, me see me wife sit down. She tell me dat me son done, me nah gat son no more. She tell me he brother-in-law bore he,” Khrishna Murilall said. His son’s death comes at a time when he is still mourning the murder of his mother, 63-year-old Pulmattie Ramai, whose partly nude body was discovered in the Cane Grove backlands days after she had left her home to go fishing. No one has been held for her murder. “Now dem gone with me son again…Me want de law fuh know wha dem ah try fuh do with me, me can do more dan wha dem ah do….He kill a boy innocently; he kill me son fuh nothing at all,” Khrishna Murilall said.
Melanie man shot dead, partner seriously injured in Canje River dispute One man was shot dead on Friday afternoon at Barakara some 60 miles up the Canje River while his assistant is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital following an altercation with some residents in the area. Dead is Titus Sutton, called “Franky” or “Preso”, 53, a re-migrant, who hails from Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara. He was shot at the home of a man with whom he had a dispute. His colleague, Sherwin Mc Almont, 34, called ‘Tight Shirt’, also of Melanie Damishana, was shot in the leg. He was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was admitted and spent Friday night, before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, after he complained that he was not getting proper treatment in Berbice. He allegedly told relatives that he was not getting any treatment from the time he was rushed to the hospital. Information was sketchy but Kaieteur News understands that Sutton who lived overseas for a number of years, returned home a few years ago and decided to go
into cash crop farming, choosing the Canje River for this purpose. According to his relatives, Sutton, a father of four grown children who all live overseas, farmed at a place called the Lake at a Ekura, Canje River. Information reaching this newspaper stated that a dispute broke out between the alleged shooter, a man called ‘Malik’ and some others. The men journeyed to ‘Malik’s home at Barakara where the dispute intensified resulting in Sutton being shot in the face at close range, reportedly with a shotgun. He fell on the steps of the small house where his body remained until it was removed by police and relatives who had journeyed with the cops all the way up the Canje River. The body was brought out of the river and taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital Mortuary where it is awaiting a post mortem examination. A police report into the matter stated that investigations are being conducted into the murder of farmer Titus Sutton, which occurred at about 15:30 hours on Friday at Barakara, Canje
Dead: Titus Sutton called Frankie
River, Berbice. The police said that their investigations have so far revealed that Titus Sutton was involved in an argument with another man who allegedly shot him to his chest with a shotgun. “Sherwin McAlmont, 34, also of Melanie Damishana, was shot and injured to his right thigh by the suspect who escaped. Sherwin McAlmont has been admitted to the New Amsterdam Hospital for medical
treatment,” the statement said. Police are on the hunt for the men who are known to authorities and are said to be armed and dangerous. Titus Sutton was the brother of the late popular Melanie Damishana resident, Mark Sutton, who collapsed a few years ago while playing football on the community’s playfield. Only a few months ago he lost his sister, Shelly, who collapsed suddenly at her home in Melanie.
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 9
Dem boys seh Jealous husband commits suicide after torching house Bait gun pull down
…six homeless By Romila Boodram A jealous reputed husband committed suicide yesterday after setting his wife’s Lot 85 Industry, East Coast Demerara house on fire around 10:30 hrs. Vinod Narine, 55, succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), two hours after he reportedly told investigators that he consumed a mixture of rat poison and gramoxone. Kaieteur News was told that Narine may have used kerosene to burn the building since his step son, Shivanand Gossai, told investigators that he saw the now dead man with the flammable liquid the night before the incident. Narine shared the upper flat of the two-storey house with his reputed wife, Debbie Gossai, 32, and her two sons, 15-year-old Mahendra Gossai and Shivanand.
The bottom flat of the building was occupied by their tenant, Nalini Chintaman, her husband, Clarence Dennett and their three-year-old daughter. Neighbours said that Narine, a part-time taxi driver and his wife, a domestic worker, shared an abusive relationship for the past eight years. The court granted a restraining order for Narine to stay away from his reputed wife. It is unclear when the restraining order was granted. Yesterday, at the hospital, the 32-year-old woman would only say that she was at work when she received a call from a neighbour who informed her about the incident. While her reputed husband was battling for his life in the hospital’s emergency room, the woman was heard expressing fear for her life. She questioned whether he will escape from
What is left of the house.
TENANT: A devastated Nalini Chintaman the hospital and harm her. Kaieteur News was told that last Thursday the police were called after the couple was seen fighting. “Last night (Friday) he was running her on the road to stab her. He catch her and juk she two times in her back but she ain’t go to the hospital because the
wounds ain’t so big and she frighten he,” a neighbour said. Narine was described by neighbours as an alcoholic and jealous man who would at times beat his young wife while she slept. The tenant, Chintaman, who has been residing at the now destroyed building for the past two years, said she cannot put a figure to her losses. “I had everything in my house, everything.” Chintaman told Kaieteur News that she is not surprised that Narine burnt the building and committed suicide. “He does always say he will burn the house down so I am not surprised.” She added that for the past few months she has been looking for another place to rent but failed to find one. “Every day the two of them does fight. The other day he was beating her at 02:00 in the morning.” Investigations are ongoing.
Jagdeo pants
People got a old saying. When you set trap fuh you mattee you does be the first to fall in. In de case of Barbie and de Rat, one gun be de first to fall in and de other would follow. While some does set trap, others does set bait. Everybody know you does have to set bait to catch fish, and you does have to walk with your own bait. Unlike Jagdeo. He thiefing de people bait wha dem wuk hard for and using de same bait fuh ketch de very people. He use de free laptop as de bait and hope fuh ketch dem wid de internet fee down de road. Is de people money that buy de laptop suh when he tell dem that de laptop free, he was lying. Dem people done pay fuh it and now is time de same people pay he and he kavakamite rental fuh get de use of de laptop. Jagdeo did promise all of dem wid de laptop twelve months free internet access and everybody was happy. Dem didn’t know wha deh behind that. He set dem up like when a man set trap fuh labba and set a similar trap fuh a woman. De only difference is that de labba does get shoot before he reach de bait and de woman does get throw down after she tek de bait. Is like a man meet a woman in January and he bait she wid a big raise. She does show all she teeth. Every month same big raise she getting. This happen fuh one year. Just like de promise to de people wid de laptop. She start living a big life and she showing off pun she friends and she neighbours. Then de man pull de plug. Dem boys seh that when this happen is then she gun be forced to give way she dog, she cat, and anything she can put she hand pun because she accustom to de big life. Dem boys can’t seh exactly wha guh happen when Jagdeo and de Bees decide to pull de plug pun dem people who tek he laptop. But dem boys certain that dem gun pull down Jagdeo and all of dem pants, one by one. Talk half and careful wid de bait.
Sunday November 10, 2013
AG Report uncovers.... The Auditor General flagged the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC), owned by Bharrat Jagdeo’s best friend, Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, for questionable transactions last year as it relates to drug purchases. Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, made the report public this past week and it has revealed that Ramroop’s New GPC received in excess of $3B to supply drugs to the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Another $1B was spread across more than a dozen local and international companies. Ramroop received the largest chunk of the drugs purchased by Government last year and according to the Auditor General, this was done based on the fact that he was pre-qualified since 2010. This means that in 2010 Ramroop’s New GPC would have been selected to supply drugs to Government without having to go to public tender until that prequalification status expires. The government through
Kaieteur News
Ramroop’s New GPC gifted more than US$15M in drug contracts …overstocking leads to more than US$1.4M in waste between the Ministry of Health and GPHC spent just over $4B in drug purchases last year. The Auditor General in his report did have cause to question several of the transactions given that they were undertaken without valid Bank Guarantees. GPHC last year spent $1.6B in drugs of which $1.1B was handed to Ramroop’s New GPC. The Ministry of Health last year spent $2.7B procuring drugs of which $1.8B was given to Ramroop’s New GPC. According to the Auditor General, of the $1.1B handed to Ramroop from the Hospital for drugs, the Ministry of Health was noted to have paid $117M to New GPC on behalf of GPHC. The report said, “It could not be determined whether the supplier had satisfied the requirements for bank guarantees with respect to the contracts, since these were not provided for examination.”
New GPC owner, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop
President Donald Ramotar
GPHC in responding to the Auditor General’s request confirmed that “there were no bank guarantees since payments made to the New GPC Inc. were on a monthly basis and not a one-time payment to reflect the contracted value.” Deliveries from these
contracts were also made periodically during the year. According to the Auditor General, at the time of writing the audit report earlier this year, New GPC Inc. was still to deliver more than $8M in medical supplies to the hospital. The Auditor General also
Minister fails to address the real issue Not only has Kaieteur News never requested advance payment for advertisement from Government Agencies, but Publisher, Glenn Lall said that it was just last month that he authorised his Marketing Department to grant the Human Services Ministry free promotional advertisements for its observance of Foster Care Month which is being currently being observed. The free advertisements are slated to be published November 16 through November 30. Lall said that the move to offer the free advertisements comes as part of his desire to support the worthwhile initiative. He was forced to emphasise his decision to publish the Ministry’s advertisements at no cost in light of the fact that the Ministry, in a statement issued yesterday, accused Kaieteur News of publishing an article that was “misleading” and “regrettable”. The article, which was contained in the Saturday edition of November 9, last, highlighted a decision by the said Ministry, to place an advertisement today exclusively in the Guyana Times to alert senior citizens of plans for the distribution of their 2014 Old Age Pension books. The same advertisement was slated to be sent to the Stabroek News, Kaieteur News and Guyana Chronicle one week later.
Page 11
Kaieteur News offers free ads to Human Services Ministry - Glenn Lall According to a press release issued by the Ministry the distribution centres, dates and times will be published in the November 10 (today’s) edition of the Guyana Times, and in the November 17 editions of the other three dailies. The distribution exercise is expected to commence on Monday November 18. The Ministry, in its statement issued yesterday, said that it is government’s policy to place advertisements in all the newspapers. It was noted that the Ministry requested quotations from the four (daily) newspapers last September, to publicize the distribution schedule for the Old Age Pension Books as is done annually. It was explained that the practice is that Government would solicit a credit facility and request from entities their concurrence for payment within 30 days. Further it was noted that “the newspapers expressed a desire that payment be made prior to publication.” Lall has therefore questioned the logic by the Ministry to allow the advertisement to be published in the Guyana Times when reportedly the “newspapers” required advanced payment, a
statement which suggests that Guyana Times also demanded up-front payment. In response, Lall said that the statement issued by the Ministry yesterday is not only untrue but a “flimsy excuse to escape a trap it has found itself in.” This state of affairs, according to Lall, is indicative of a deliberate ploy to place Kaieteur News in a category in which it does not belong. He repeated his conviction that “the Minister doesn’t care about value for money when millions of dollars are being expended through her Ministry....the Minister is skirting around the real issue,” he insisted. It is Lall’s view that the plan to use Guyana Times to initially publicise the advertisements was not only intended to promote the newspaper but it was a sly tactic to “enrich (former President) Bharrat Jagdeo and (his best friend) Bobby Ramroop using taxpayers’ money.” Lall said that he has been privy to information that “all state agencies and Ministries are only authorised to purchase the Chronicle and Guyana Times for senior employees. “Minister is that true at your end too?” In a further attempt to dodge involvement in the
found that GPHC entered into a supplementary contract with the New GPC Inc for medical supplies valued at $114.5M and this was paid for by the Ministry of Health. At the time of reporting, earlier this year, “New GPC Inc. was still to deliver medical supplies valued at $58.6M,” on that supplementary contract. This would mean that New GPC was still to supply a total of $66.6M in drugs to the Hospital at the time the report was completed earlier this year. The Auditor General additionally found when a physical verification exercise was conducted at the GPHC off site location and the Pharmacy Bond, that there were 265 instances of expired drugs as at June 2013, totalling $65M. Meanwhile over at the Ministry of Health, the Auditor General uncovered an even direr situation. According to the Auditor General, the transactions with New GPC Inc. and the Ministry of Health included fifteen contracts valued at $1.6B. The contracts were supported by five bank guarantees and while they were required to be valid for
one year, each of those supplied by Ramroop’s New GPC, had a validity of only three months and a set expiry pattern in months ending August 2012, January 2013 and April 2013. “There were no guarantees in force at the time of the examination, but the contractor was still to deliver goods valued at $164.6M” Even more worrying was the fact that the Ministry was also still to receive drugs that it paid for as far back as 2008. “At the time of reporting, outstanding deliveries for the year 2011 totalled $59.8M…The position remained the same for 2008, in that the Ministry is still to provide evidence to support deliveries valued at $79.3M,” the Auditor General said. The Auditor General also found that “large quantities of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies were kept in stock at a number of bonds and warehouses…In consideration of the fact that there were 327 items of expired stock with an approximated value of $208.090M, overstocking must have been a contributory factor.” This would mean that between GPHC and the Ministry of Health, more than $273M in drugs had to be discarded last year.
Suriname police rescue teenage Guyanese trafficking victims By Ivan Cairo Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall scheme, the Ministry’s statement contends that “it is not the responsibility of the Minister to place advertisements in the media. In this specific instance, the advertisement for the distribution of Old Age Pension Books was placed by the Probation and Social Services Department of the Ministry.” The statement went on to assert that “the Minister was in no way involved in this process nor did she give any instructions regarding the placement of the advertisement.” The statement emphasised too that “at no time did the Administration take a decision not to place any advertisement in any particular newspaper.” In addition to issuing a retaliatory statement, the Human Services Ministry also sent the advertisement in question for publication today in this newspaper.
PARAMARIBO – Surinamese police recently rescued three underage Guyanese girls who were allegedly being exploited in a brothel in the hinterlands, authorities here confirmed. During a raid in Cabanafo by the Anti-Terror Squad, police and military officers, the girls were rescued while the Guyanese owner of the brothel, her husband and a bodyguard were arrested. The suspects are being charged with being members of criminal organization, human smuggling and human trafficking. The girls told detectives that under false pretense they travelled to Suriname after they were promised work in a shop. Instead they were forced into prostitution in a brothel in Cabanafo in the Lawa region, a gold field close to the border with French-Guiana. “The girls were forced into prostitution. If they refused they were beaten and all the money they received from customers were seized by the brothel owner”, police spokesman Humphrey Naarden told local media. The victim allegedly crossed the Suriname-Guyana border illegally. Meanwhile the authorities are still looking for two other teenage Guyanese girls who at the time officers raided the brothel were not present. According to Naarden, one of the victims is a 15-year-old girl whose parents filed a missing report with the Guyana police. Through their own efforts the parents received information that their daughter had been spotted in Cabanafo in the Suriname interior. This information was relayed to the office of the Prosecutor General in Suriname. The man subsequently ordered an investigation into the matter. The Trafficking in Persons Unit of the Suriname Police Force is continuing investigations.
Page 12
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 13
Agri Ministry fails to ensure supervision, control over fuel for NDIA - Auditor General’s Report The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) expended $304.8M on the supply of fuel for the year 2012, yet the Agriculture Ministry failed to put measures in place to ensure supervision and control over the issuing of fuel to Regions for its fleet of machinery and equipment. This was observed by the Audit Office in the Report of the Auditor General to the National Assembly on the Public Accounts of Guyana and on the Accounts of Ministries, Departments and Regions for the Fiscal year ended December 31, 2012. “At the time of reporting, the Audit Office was investigating allegations highlighted in the report of the NDIA Field Auditor.” According to the report, the Ministry purchased fuel in
the sum of $333.9M. Some $19.2M represented overpayments on five accounts, while the sum of $37.9M related to under payment on one account to the suppliers. As a result of these circumstances, the expenditure in the Appropriation Account was understated by a net amount of $18.7M. Similarly, for 2011, the expenditure in the Appropriation Account was understated by $29.8M. According to the Ministry, the advances made in December 2012 under the Ministry’s Administration and Fisheries Departments represents payments in anticipation of the January 2013 and February 2013 fuel requirements. While advance payments under the Hydromet Services were made in preparation for the
overall electrical consumption of the Expansion of Office at National Weather Watch project. “Unfortunately due to difficulties with the contractor, the contract was terminated. All fuel have been utilized in 2013 and properly reconciled. “With regards to the amount of $37M owed to GUYOIL by NDIA, some payments could not have been settled in the fiscal year of 2012, since the Authority had to await NPTAB award which was issued on February 27, 2013,” the Ministry said. T h e A u d i t O ff i c e r e c o m mended that the Ministry take action to introduce measures for strict control over acquisitions of fuel, while implementing a process of monthly reconciliation with the supplier.
“It was observed that the Ministry of Agriculture failed to observe Stores Regulations and circularized instructions in relation to efficiency controls, operations and proper maintenance in relation to the machinery, equipment and vehicles under its control.” The report stated the system requires NDIA engineers to authorize the issuance of fuel and spares, which must be properly recorded in log books. However, in most cases, these requirements were breached, the report stated. Log books presented were not properly written by operators and there was no evidence of monitoring or supervisory checks. NDIA does not have facilities for storing bulk fuel. As such, contractors hired to
uplift and transport fuel were left with the responsibility to store large quantities of fuel. “The Audit Office considers these arrangements to be very loose and can lead to the perpetration of irregularities,” the report stated. The report further highlighted that stock ledgers and other monitoring records were not maintained to record and account for fuel authorizations and related issues to contractors. “This breach resulted in an inability to reconcile with suppliers and to analyze and control fuel usage. In the circumstances, the amounts of fuel received by contractors could not be accurately compared, with expenditure records and/or disclosures of utilizations by the NDIA. The efficiency in the use of fuel was also not
GNBS certifies Quest Medical laboratory the GNBS. One of the owners and General Manager, Mrs. Ratna Budhu, expressed gratitude to Quality Manager Mrs. Kulwantie Mohabir, the physicians, suppliers, contractors and all Staff for their discipline and commitment, in achieving optimum standard.. She pledged to maintain and improve a system of the highest quality that ensures patient satisfaction and reliance.
Third from L Director of GNBS, Ms. Evadnie Enniss, Laboratory Manager Kulwantie Mohabir, General Manager Mrs. Ratna Budhu, Medical Director Dr. Chetram Budhu and staff of Quest Medical Centre. Quest Medical Laboratory was pre s e n t e d w i t h a Certificate of Compliance by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards on Friday. Members of the Guyana N a t i onal Bureau of Standards, staff, patients and friends attended a simple and private ceremony at the
Queenstown, Georgetown location. In presenting the Certificate of Compliance, Director of GNBS, Evadnie Enniss, expressed hearty congratulations to top Management and staff for their hard work and achievement. She urged management and staff to maintain
certification and to improve by way of accreditation. Quest Medical Centre, an out-patient facility commenced operations last year June and has taken the bold initiative to provide its patients with quality health care and support using modern technology, training and research.
The scope of testing includes Biochemistry, Haematology, Serology, Microbiology, Urinalysis and Immunology. Quest Medical Centre is also licensed by the Ministry of Health in keeping with the Health Facilities Licensing Act of 2007 that also encourages certification of laboratories by
determined,” the report stated. In response to the Audit Office findings, the Ministry said that NDIA recognized the need for improvement in the writing up of log books. Training of operators and engineers in this direction had been conducted with the involvement of personnel from the Audit Department. “There has been improvement in the writing up of log books, and further training in all areas of record keeping within the mechanical section will be intensified,” the Ministry said. Storage facility for bulk fuel is currently being constructed at NDIA’s workshop at Lusignan. The entity is also establishing a mechanical store at the same location. Appropriate clerical and technical personnel are being recruited to allow adequate record keeping, auditing and reconciliation of receipts and utilization of fuel. The A u d i t O ff i c e recommended once again that the Ministry put measures in place to ensure stricter supervision and control over the issuing of fuel to the Regions for its fleet of machinery and equipment. It wants log books to be maintained for all of the entity’s vehicles and equipment, and submit them for audit examination when requested.
Page 14
Kaieteur News
Govt. aware of criminal elements and doing nothing - Granger A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) at a recent press briefing accused the PPP/C Government of being complacent towards corruption and crime hence the reason there is sloth in putting the steps in place to facilitate the passage of the Anti Money Laundering legislation as well as fighting the narcotics trade and security locally. Opposition leader David Granger stated that government knows of the criminal elements who launder money, as well as those involved in drug trafficking, but have been reluctant to do anything over the years dating back “throughout the reign of President Jagdeo.” “The government probably has a good idea who is involved in laundering money and the government has no intention of stopping it.” In reiterating his point, Granger made reference to drug trafficking stating that “government does not have an anti narcotics control plan at present, it expired in 2011, so for two years we have not had an anti narcotics plan.” The Opposition leader listed examples which he says highlight a pattern of approach the government has towards several issues he sees affecting Guyana significantly. According to Granger “the Government of Guyana signed a security sector action plan with the Government of the United Kingdom and then refused to
Leader of the Opposition David Granger implement it. “A multibillion dollar programme the government refused to implement… that’s the security sector reform plan” Granger reiterated. According to Granger, the government also had a National Drug Strategy Master plan which it never implemented, “it has lapsed and it has up to now not been able to implement a new National Drug Strategy Master plan.” He continued to outline that “the government had the Anti Money Laundering and Countering of Financing of Terrorism Act (AML/CFT) for four years, even if we wanted to trace it back to thirteen years it has never been fully implemented so the pattern is emerging.” That pattern he states is that “the government is tolerant of certain crimes even though we know that there
are armed robberies taking place in Guyana every day.” Granger explained that government’s attempt to implement a security plan through the Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee was not adequate to suit its purpose. According to Granger “there’s no security sector reform plan in action, Mr. Rohee announced a plan on the 31st of December last year, a plan that is committed to public relations, administer reform and officer career planning. The private sector is saying that the APNU must support that. Support what? It doesn’t stop armed robbery, it doesn’t stop piracy, it doesn’t stop banditry and it doesn’t stop drug smuggling. So the plan that he announced on the 31st of December last year nobody is talking about it now because they know it’s a bogus plan.” He stated that for this reason the AML/CFT was not passed among other policies geared towards development. “So you may ask the same question why does the government not have an anti narcotics trafficking plan and smuggling is taking place?. The government knows or it says it knows who is doing the smuggling and has no intention of going after the big fish… The point I’m making is that the government is quite aware of the criminal nature of enterprises taking place and is content not to do anything” said Granger.
Sunday November 10, 2013
ImmigrationINFO (Immigration News For Our Community)
What to Expect in Immigration Removal Proceedings? Attorney Gail Seeram Removal proceedings (or “deportation”) can be initiated against a lawful permanent resident or undocumented noncitizen (collectively referred to as “noncitizens”). Removal and deportation proceedings can be initiated when a noncitizen (including a lawful permanent resident) is seeking admission to the United States, filing an application for an immigration benefit (such as U.S. Citizenship or renewing/replacing a “green card”), serving a sentence for a criminal conviction (such as probation, community service or prison), or detained by local police for a criminal matter. There are several grounds under the Immigration and Nationality Act that the United States Government can seek removal and deportation against a noncitizen. In general, the removal and deportation grounds include criminal grounds, immigration violations, visa and passport fraud, alien smuggling, willful misrepresentation and false claim to U.S. citizenship, unlawful presence, illegal reentry after a prior deportation, security and foreign policy grounds, public charge and economic grounds, health related grounds, and other miscellaneous grounds. The following are considered criminal grounds: a noncitizen’s conviction for
a crime involving moral turpitude, multiple crimes involving moral turpitude, aggravated felony, firearm offenses, money laundering, and domestic violence. Note, a conviction for a misdemeanor where there was no probation or jail time may be considered a “crime involving moral turpitude” and can result in a noncitizen being place in removal and deportation proceedings. While in removal and deportation proceedings, the noncitizen may be released on his/her own recognizance with no restrictions. In some cases, the noncitizen may be held in custody at a detention facility by the Department of Homeland Security – Immigration Custom & Enforcement (ICE), issued an order of supervision where the noncitizen reports to an immigration officer, released on monetary bond, or released on an electronic monitoring device (such as an “anklet bracelet”). During the removal and deportation proceedings, the noncitizen will have several court hearings – a bond hearing, a master hearing and an individual hearing. At each of these hearings, the noncitizen will appear before an immigration judge and an attorney from the Office of Chief Counsel. Through his/her immigration attorney, the noncitizen will have an opportunity to answer to the immigration-related charges and present a form of relief or
Gail S. Seeram waiver seeking to remain in the United States. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (or immigration laws), the noncitizen may seek to apply for any of the following waivers or relief from removal once he/she meets the requirements: cancellation of removal, 212(c), adjustment of status, citizenship, 212(h) waiver, asylum, withholding of removal, convention against torture, temporary protected status and voluntary departure. If a noncitizen is placed in removal or deportation proceedings, the biggest mistake is to opt for “expedited removal” and waiver (or give up) his/her right for a judicial hearing. All noncitizen should choose to see an immigration judge and fight removal or deportation proceedings – our office would be willing to defend and advocate for any noncitizen’s right to remain in the United States.
Guyana records 108 New Amsterdam Town Council murders in 10 months
presents $133M Budget for 2014 The Mayor and Town Council of New Amsterdam presented its 2014 budget in the chambers of the Town Hall with a number of stakeholders present. During the presentation ceremony Mayor Claude Henry took the opportunity to call on residents to pay up their taxes. A total of $132.9M had been budgeted to be spent on running the affairs of the municipality. The Mayor, in his speech, stated that the Council had a fairly successful 2013, noting that during the past year they were able to meet some basic objectives despite several challenges. A new tractor was also acquired. It helped with the garbage collection issues in the town.
According to Mayor Henry there has been no increase in revenue earnings in 2013 while wages and salaries were fifty percent of revenue earned the year. The Mayor said that there is still a lot of money outstanding. He added, “We did not increase out rates and taxes for 2013 because we feel that persons within our community and in the country are finding it difficult to cope with the economic crisis, taxes in the municipality have not been increased since 1975. Treasurer Sharon Anderson presented the budget for 2014. It shows that $56.8M will be spent on salaries, with $14M earmarked to be spent on capital works. She also urged
the residents to come forward and pay their taxes. Stakeholders present also used the opportunity to ask a number of questionsincluding the state of some of the municipality assets which include Old Smoky, the abattoir, the workshop and the store room, the untimeliness and inadequacy of workers’ salary, and the lack of adequate vehicles at the municipality. The position with the restoration of the Town Hall tower was also raised. Mayor Henry stated that there isn’t sufficient money available to undertake the project. He said that there is only $5M in a special account for that project. He added that recently the Council of Churches donated $100,000 toward the project.
One hundred and eight people have been murdered during the past 10 months. Police statistics also show a five percent overall rise in serious crimes for the same period last year. According to statistics released yesterday by the Police Public Relations Department, there were 3,350 reports of serious crimes made between January 1 and October 31, 2013, compared to 3201 reports for the same period in 2012. Some of the offences monitored by the police are murder, robbery under arms, robbery with violence, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape and kidnapping. A total of 108 murders were recorded at the end of October 2013 in comparison to 115 murders for the same period in 2012, which is a six percent decrease. Of the 108 murders this year, 47 were of the disorderly type, 20 were committed during armed robberies, two were execution type, and 16 were domestic related, while the other 23 are so far undetermined. At the end of October 2013, robbery under arms experienced an overall seven per cent increase, with 921 reports compared to 858 for the same period in 2012. Police said that the statistics showed an
increase of 16 percent in the number of robberies in which firearms were used; and a six percent decrease in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators. In relation to traffic, there were five fewer road fatalities at the end of October 2013, in comparison to the same period in 2012. According to the statistics, there were 85 fatalities from 79 accidents in 2013, compared to 90 fatalities from 83 accidents during 2012. The period January 1 to October 31, 2013, saw reductions in relation to the other categories of traffic accidents – serious, minor and damage. Pedestrians continue to be the main victims, recording 29 fatalities at the end of October. In addition, 14 motor cyclists, 12 pedal cyclists, 12 drivers of motor vehicles, two pillion riders and 16 passengers of motor vehicles were killed. Speeding continues to be a major contributory factor to fatal accidents and was the cause of 55 of the 79 fatal accidents recorded at the end of October 2013. Traffic enforcement by the police during the period January to October 2013 resulted in 72,216 cases being made against errant motorists; of this total 18,810 cases were for speeding.
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Illegal vending takes on new face in Georgetown - Fire Service, M&CC voice concerns Georgetown is fast becoming plagued with a frightening dilemma which could have far-reaching implications if intervening moves are not introduced soon. In fact, so disturbing is the state of affairs that it has gained the attention of Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle, who has not only vocalised his concerns, but has made the decision to amplify the need to address the situation. According to Gentle, “what we are seeing now is a situation where people are looking to make a store outside of a store.” This, he explained, is not only a recipe for congestion but also one that could considerably hinder the work of the fire service, should a fire erupt at a store. The situation that obtains in sections of downtown Georgetown is not only the age-old practice of illegal vending along the city pavements, but a new phenomenon which is one where vendors position themselves in passages alongside stores and in some instances almost in alleyways. There have been reports that the illegal vendors are granted permission by store owners to operate in the constricted spaces and there are others who presumptuously position themselves much to the displeasure of the legal businesses. Concerns have been particularly raised by owners of music establishments which specialise in the sale of
The ink had scarcely dried when the targeted people rushed to fulfill prophecy. There were the fires and the brutal slaying. There were gunshots, too, but these missed their targets. Now a man who escaped a violent reception in the city after an altercation in the hinterland is again at risk. This time he would be cornered at a night spot. The police would be slow to react. ** It is now useless to talk about the road accidents. It is as if they are controlling the place, because all over the country there are roads and people are dying or getting hurt every day. But the truth is that these accidents are fuelled by the relatively lax licencing policy that operates. There will be two more
Royston King, M&CC Public Relations Officer Compact Discs (CDs) and Digital Video Discs (DVDs). There are reports that the “outdoor” vendors’ practice has in fact allowed for unfair competition, since it is believed that they are able to attract customers easier and even sell at a cheaper rate. This publication was reliably informed that some of the illegal vendors are able to mass produce, CDs for instance, that were customised by the established businesses. There are even some vendors of clothing and other items who opt to utilise the spaces. According to the Fire Chief, “the whole thing is that most of these (business) lots are very narrow and these vendors are looking to do business and put their goods in these narrow spaces.” Gentle emphasised the fact, too, that because of the novel vending strategy, there is now no separation between
accidents that would lead to serious injuries in the coming days. ** A group of people angry at being placed under the spotlight will set about sending veiled messages to either party hoping to create another talking point. But the man in the street would refuse to be drawn into the confusion. In the process an interesting revelation is going to be made and the unfortunate link to a particular incident would be made.
Vending along Regent Street. To the immediate left is a shaded passageway being used to sell CDs and DVDs. buildings in some sections of commercial activities in Georgetown. The practice is primarily evident along Regent Street, and according to Gentle, “there is literally no room to manoeuvre if we have to go and fight a fire...” The glaring dilemma was only last Friday observed by the Fire Chief who revealed that he immediately saw the need for it to be addressed. “We have noted it and today (Friday) we are in the process of sending off a letter to the agency concern to correct that anomaly...This is a town planning issue and it has inherent implications for fires in it,” a very concerned Gentle asserted. “I can’t wait and say this is not my responsibility...I am bringing it to the attention of the responsible agency,
because we need them to curtail it...We are taking whatever action we could at this level,” the Fire Chief noted. However, there are moves apace at the level of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown to have the situation urgently addressed. This is according to the City Council’s Public Relations Officer, Royston King, who disclosed that the vending scenario was only last week brought to the attention of Council officials. “We got reports that there were vendors operating along Regent Street in passageways, between stores, and in some cases almost out of alleyways,” King informed. Moreover, he said that a team from the City Council, including himself, Deputy
Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, who was at the time acting in the capacity of Mayor, and Chairman of the Public Health and Markets Committee, Ranwell Jordan, had assessed the state of affairs. And according to King, “we find this situation to be extremely serious...it not only poses an inconvenience to store owners, but we see it as a fire hazard.” For this reason, King said that the illegal vendors were issued with a warning to desist from the practice. And in light of the fact that adherence has not been optimum, the matter, according to the Public Relations Officer, is likely to be brought up for discussion tomorrow, when the Council hosts its statutory meeting. Another matter that needs addressing, King said, is the
Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle fact that some stores in the city are poorly ventilated which is a threat to occupational, health and safety, and even has the potential of causing the condition of certain goods to become depreciated.
Page 22
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
Death near a melon farm The spot at Number 63 Beach where Vivian Balrup and Susan Hernandez were attacked Vivian Singh Balrup
By Michael Jordan There are at least three people who know for sure what happened four years ago at Number 63 Beach, Corentyne. One of them is a girl named Susan Hernandez. The second is a mysterious killer.The third is a former New Amsterdam Multilateral student named Vivian Singh Balrup. He’s the victim in this story.
His father, Kirpaul Singh Balrup, doesn’t believe he’s being told the entire truth about how Vivian was killed, and on the fourth anniversary of his son’s death, he is still trying to find out who murdered his boy, and why. What Mr. Balrup has been told is that on Sunday November 8, 2009, a taxi stopped at the family’s Reliance, East Canje home. Vivian then asked his mother
to allow him to accompany his cousin, Mark Persaud, to Number 63 beach. She was reluctant to let him go, but eventually relented. Mark Persaud, the cousin, confirmed that they were joined by two girls. One of them was 15-year-old Susan Hernandez.The taxi driver then took the friends to Number 63 beach. Persaud also confirmed that they then passed near to a fenced watermelon farm, and that Vivian went into the farm and picked two watermelons. One version of this story is that Vivian was reluctant to enter the property but the taxi driver persuaded him to, and even lifted the barbed wire to let him slip through. After eating some of the fruit, Persaud said that he and Vivian went to the waterside to wash their hands. According to Persaud,
Vivian and Susan Hernandez then walked off together, while he, his girlfriend and the driver remained by the car. Mark said that he then asked the man to borrow his car. The driver consented and Persaud, accompanied by his girlfriend, drove along Number 63 Beach. But the ride ended abruptly when the vehicle got stuck. Some five minutes later the driver called Persaud on his cell phone to enquire about his whereabouts, and Persaud explained his predicament. The cousin claims that after about 30 minutes, the driver and two men in a gold-coloured AT 192 drove up.They were accompanied by Susan Hernandez, who was bleeding. There was no sign of Vivian Balrup. According to Persaud, Susan alleged that she and Vivian Balrup were sitting under a coconut tree when someone came up and struck him. She reportedly said that the same person then struck her, causing her to fall. Persaud alleged that Susan Hernandez said she managed to get up and run away, while the man continued to strike Vivian Balrup. Police reports on the incident state that Susan Hernandez said that the
attacker struck her and Balrup with a length of bamboo. According to Mark Persaud, he had said they should all go to check on Balrup, but the taxi driver insisted that they would have to wait until his car was unstuck. He said that the driver and his two friends in the gold-coloured car went to a nearby residence and borrowed a tractor, which they used to pull out the stuck vehicle. They then went to the area where Vivian Balrup and Susan Hernandez had been attacked. Persaud said that Balrup was lying on the ground in a semi-conscious state. Reportedly, on the taxi driver’s suggestion, they took the unconscious youth to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Kirpaul Singh Balrup, the victim’s father, said he first learnt about his son’s injury when Mark Persaud’s sister contacted him by phone to say that Vivian had been struck on the head and was being taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital. When he arrived at the hospital his son was bleeding profusely from injures to the head, but no doctor was present. He said that his son was being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation when he passed away. Mr. Balrup is puzzled that the driver had taken his son to the New Amsterdam Hospital rather than the Skeldon Hospital, which was much closer. He said that after his son’s demise, the police questioned the two girls and his nephew, Mark Persaud, at the New Amsterdam Police Station. According to him, Susan Hernandez, who had witnessed the attack, telephoned him and said: ‘Uncle, I will tell you everything.’ But Mr. Balrup said that he was so distraught at the time that he told her to talk to the police instead. It’s a decision he said he will forever regret. The information that investigators had collected
led then to believe that Vivian Balrup and Susan Hernandez were attacked by the owner of the watermelon farm that Vivian had entered. Four watermelon farmers from the Number 63 beach area were detained but then released after Hernandez failed to identify any of them as the attacker. Mr. Balrup is convinced that some persons are not telling the entire truth about the circumstances that led to his son’s death. He is puzzled as to how a bamboo stick could have caused the injuries that his son sustained. He also noted that there were no injuries on his son’s arms to indicate that he had tried to ward off the blows. Mr. Balrup is certain that the watermelon farmers did not kill his son. He also doesn’t believe that robbery was a motive, since his son still had his cell phone, gold chain, watch and $8,000 in his possession when he was found. And the still distraught man has a few theories of his own. One of these is that someone who might have been jealous about his son’s popularity with females inflicted the fatal blows. He believes that there are persons other than the killer and Susan Hernandez who witnessed the attack. “The beach is always packed with people, and from what I understand, on that day in question, a lot of people were on the beach. I think that people see, but they afraid to come forward and talk to the police. I am pleading with anyone who knows what happened to come to me. It would be confidential.” If you have any information about any unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown offices. Our numbers are 2258465, 22-58473 and 2258458. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 23
== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
Some world leaders are heartless people Why my dad got seven of us when he could not even feed four children is a mystery that used to obsess me until I got over it partly because of sociology textbooks I read. I loved him dearly, but there was a Freudian anger I carried in me when he was alive because our poverty was too extreme. I felt I didn’t deserve to be so poor, wanting some (not all) basic things, like food and clothing, that all humans should have but were denied to me even in the dying stage of my teenage years. Maybe he should not have brought me into the world. It is a crazy thing a human being could do – bring children on earth to live in poverty. Society should be harsh on them. Why bring children that you know will end up starving in the world? At the bottom of it all is moral responsibility. In the past, our elders excused this kind of behaviour by pointing to lack of education and birth control. It is much more than that. Maybe we can use the theory of the great English philosopher David Hume on moral responsibility, to disagree especially in situations where world leaders who beg their citizens to vote for them, but when they get in they keep their citizens in a ravished state of homelessness and starvation. David Hume’s theory of moral responsibility is one of
the most complex and controversial approaches to knowledge in the history of human thought. But Hume, like Nietzsche, Hobbes and Plato, is greatly misunderstood. When dissected carefully, Hume’s adumbration of moral responsibility offers the best explanation as to why we pursue obligations. I will use Hume’s philosophy to attempt to prove that China, India and Brazil have deeply flawed leadership in which the word “horrible” could be used to describe the politics of these governments. Chinese rulers of course don’t beg for votes so they can be excused. In his book, Treatise of Human Nature, Hume pontificated on what is moral responsibility and concluded that the only actions for which people are ethically responsible are those that inhere in their characters and originate from their dispositions. Hume accepts that such actions relate to agents to qualify them for positive or negative evaluation. For Hume, an action is believed to bear such a
relation to an agent when it is intentional and deliberate. To quote him, “By the intention we judge of the action, and according as that is good or bad, they become the causes of love or hatred (taken from the Oxford Univ. Press,1978 edition of Hume’s book, p 411 – for one of the best elucidations of what Hume meant by the nature of moral responsibility see; Clarence Shole Johnson, “Hume’s Theory of Moral Responsibility: Some Unresolved Areas,” in DIALOGUE: Canadian Philosophical Review, Vol xxxi, No.1, Winter 1992). Hume can be potently applied to how the Indians, Brazilians and Chinese treat their people. BBC journalist, Yogita Lamaye, writing on the newly launched Indian space project cynically remarked; “But when a country is home to millions of people in extreme poverty, why do they feel the need to explore other worlds.”
(source- BBC Business, online edition, Nov 3, 2013). Why does India want to spend that humongous amount on space exploration when such knowledge can be obtained fromAmerican, Russian and European research? Why not spend that money on taking people out of poverty whose votes you begged for? There is no other word to describe what Brazil is doing but “insanity.” Brazil is hosting the next football World Cup and summer Olympics. I read where Russia may have to spend more than US$22 billion on the World Cup in 2018 (source www.pravda.ru - aug 22, 2013) Qatar will spend US$200 billion (sourcewww.sportsgrid, july 9, 2013)
for the event in 2022. Think then of the unspeakable sum Brazil will have to fork out for the Cup and the Olympics. Can Brazil afford it? No, it cannot, by any stretch of the imagination. Only if it is alright to keep the dozens and dozens of millions of Brazilians that live in excruciating poverty. Grant Shapps, the Chairman of the ruling Conservative Party in the UK says that over fifty million Brazilians live in shanty towns (source – Daily Mail and Guardian, online editions, September 11, 2013). How can any nation like Brazil spend such incredible billions of American dollars on two global sporting events while poverty is so
Frederick Kissoon widespread? Finally, China. In a country where people work for virtually slave wages, China’s aid and investment spread around the world is in the vicinity of the trillions. China must have the worst income inequality in the world. I guess the great philosopher Arthur Koester was right. Humans are inherently flawed.
Page 24
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
Book Review & Art Exhibit…
Caribbean artist moves New York City REVIEWER: Dr Glenville Ashby Kinetic art is unique. It does not cling haplessly on walls or stand like cold, emotional sentinels. It engages you, eliciting a response, as it literally comes alive, thanks to unseen motion sensors. And the man behind the magic is Guy Beckles, the only celebrated kinetic artist in the Caribbean. In New York, the kinetic artist is a rare species and expectedly, the city was clearly wowed by Beckles. Beckles’ work is subtle, neither realism nor abstract. It’s kaleidoscopic, with an unmistakable joie de vivre that captivated patrons at “Imagenation” in Harlem. It conjures images of ace
designer, Peter Minshall, but on a more personal level. It leaves the viewer with an indelible imprint lodged in the crevice of the brain. Beckles covers his bases, leaving little to the imagination. He plays the part of an illusionist, but is undeniably a social constructivist. He probes the viewer who is moved to interpret, to critique. His is the artistic path of the “middle-way,” - a mélange of literalism, surrealism and the abstract. It’s an opus of work that moves the aficionado and mesmerises the uninitiated. It’s a reflection of arduous patience - long hours of working and reworking - of visiting and revisiting – of assembling and dissembling. It can take hundreds of hours
- months to get it right. This is the sin qua non of kinetic art. Its exactitude demands a peculiar personality and insight. It’s an oeuvre that blends the rigours of science with the imagination of a philosopher. The artist loses himself in his project, enveloped by inspiration - by a muse, as if dwelling in an ineffable zone. And therein, Beckles excels. The zone is his second home. He calls the experience, “a leap of consciousness, from the ordinary to the extraordinary.” Yet, he remains humble. “I will be foolish to take credit for my work.” Beckles is a diminutive, bespectacled sixty-year-old man with a sharp, appealing countenance. But art it seems has reversed the wheels of
time and presents a man that scrambles the mind when he reveals his age. He admits that much: “I realise that artists have a young spirit that reflects in their physical appearance.” He is Barbadian by birth but was raised in Trinidad. He is articulate, soft spoken with an intensity that is hardly unsettling. He describes his early years and the conundrum in charting his professional future. “I was indecisive, unsure of my direction.” A colleague at Dartmouth College suggested art. He attended a few classes where the genre of kinetic art was discussed. Providence had spoken. He is inspired by “simple things,” he says. “It could be a movement, a
Kinetic artist Guy Beckles with one of his creations... ‘In a Blind World The One Eye Man is King’ conversation, or people.” The former teacher is now a full-time artist with some forty-eight pieces in his growing collection. Each piece has become an extension of himself from which it’s almost impossible to part. The monetary offers have been inviting, though. But his work has assumed a sentimental and existential value. “The pieces cannot be replicated because the parts may not be available.” This is “Tao” of the authentic artist, one whose self-worth and actualisation are tied to his creation. He asks rhetorically, “How can monetary value be placed on one’s being?” His book, Guynetics, includes a DVD that showcases this hypnotic artwork. It defines and details each piece, leaving the door to Beckles’ world slightly ajar, allowing glimpses into a paradoxical mind of simplicity and complexity. The viewer is slowly drawn into a carapace of illusion wherein reality is embedded. Guynetics also include commentaries from the finest designers and artists, including Peter Minshall who states: “When the work so clearly reflects the spirit of the
maker of the work, we are witnessing truth. The artist revealing himself. He is telling his inherent truth…” Dr Pat Bishop goes a step further: ‘To walk into the room full of spinning, whirring, dancing and experience Guy Beckles’ mobile sculptor, is to return to the long forgotten magic of fairground of childhood fantasy…” And Canadian art collector, Diane Bosworth surely encapsulates Beckles’ ingenious display in the foreword of Guynetics: “His art defies definition and tantalizes your senses visually, intellectually and emotionally. It transcends us to another lace and time. In his Kinetic Art, Guy Beckles produces vivid, intricately constructed moving images that a painting can never capture…” Need I say more? Feedback: glenvilleashby @gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Guynetics: Selected works from 1976-2012 by Guy Beckles Publisher: National Museum and Art Gallery ISBN: 978-976-8210-63-0 For more information:g kebeck@yahoo.com/www. guybecklesart.com
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 25
My column
Everyone in Guyana knows that the country does not have an amended antimoney laundering Bill. To the ordinary man this has nothing to do with him, because for the greater part, he has no money. In the eyes of many people, those who have to worry are those with tons of money that they have to move around. But people like me who work in the media knew that it was important that there be this anti-money laundering Bill before the world fell in on us. I had cause to examine this issue when I thought about remittances coming for those Guyanese who get that small change from their relatives and friends overseas. There was some talk that the sanctions being peddled were grossly exaggerated. I am going to find out. I attended post-Cabinet press briefings and listened to the government side of the issue. I heard that the opposition was engaging in delaying tactics. I was apt to believe. This Bill went to Parliament in April and to the select committee in May. Then there were the meetings that were sporadic at best. But I noticed that at no time in that select committee did the government say that the amendments tabled in Parliament came from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and that the very amendments were given to the other Caribbean territories that needed such legislation. Guyana seemed to be the only country in the region that
had a problem with the Bill. Today, I sit and I ask myself how is it that one group of people would put an entire country at risk. Assuming that there would be sanctions, and I am convinced that there would be, of what political advantage to one side could that be. It is not that the voters are going to say that the government screwed up and therefore they, the voters, are going to make them pay. I did write that the political opposition could feel the backlash of the people if they do not get that remittance that they expect from the United States. But this is more than remittance. Every business that needs to import material would be affected and the opposition forces had to know this. Newspaper plants need ink, paper, plates and so many other things. Motor cars on the roads need spare parts which are all imported. Fuel must be paid for and the list goes on. The political opposition must have taken these things in stride, so I cannot understand the negative vote. If there is the view that the Private Sector Commission was toadying up to the government by way of its petition for a positive vote, I must say that they knew what they were doing; they were seeing the fallout of a negative vote. I cannot spare the government, because I am convinced that it did not do enough to hurry the vote
along. Perhaps it took too much for granted. When President Donald Ramotar announced the tabling of amendments to the Public Procurement Act with a view to appeasing the Alliance For Change, I thought that it was a small concession coming a little too late. Then I questioned the seriousness of the government wanting this anti-money laundering Bill passed. But I reserve my harshest criticisms for the opposition. This is the fate of the country. If there can be no bank transfers without question, then I must ask what happens to online shopping. I cannot use my debit card when I go on vacation if the banks cease doing business with Guyana. But even here, the time will come when we could see a halt to vehicle imports and spares. So we could see an escalation in the volume of car thefts. There was a time when people would hijack a car and kill the driver then sell the car to people who were only willing to buy for a pittance. I am not too worried about food imports. I lived through the period when Forbes Burnham, with no money, asked the people to undertake what he called import substitution. The result is that we have
a salt fish industry, preserved shrimp industry, food seasonings like eschallot, thyme and a host of condiments that we once ignored. Apples and grapes and those delicacies no longer titillate my palate. Salt beef is produced in Guyana and canned corned beef, sardines, salmon and the like are not my cup of tea. But there are those things that Guyana would need. Electricity supply is tenuous. Am I to live in darkness because the power company cannot import replacement turbines? I propose to really find out
from the opposition the reason for the negative vote. I was once told a story that changed United States jurisprudence. It was said that a man so hated his neighbour that he confessed to a murder and implicated his neighbour. Both were innocent, but the law being what it is, accepted the confession of this better man. He and his neighbour were hanged and it was only after the execution that the authorities realized that they had killed two innocent men. I do not want to believe that the opposition parties are heading to the gallows with so much hate that they are taking the
Adam Harris government with them. But that is all destructive. We the ordinary people do not need to be in this position. Explanations for this suicidal position are in order. And I want Dr Ashni Singh to take note of how people feel when others use power indiscriminately.
Page 26
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
Of critical importance in Region 10 By Trevor Williams MP It is the general expectation of people that Governments, when elected, must serve the interest of all the people, with emphasis here being on ‘all the people’. Wi t h i n t h e p a s t f e w months, the Alliance For Change has been travelling across Guyana, meeting Guyanese and hearing and experiencing ‘first hand’ some of the hardships the ordinary citizens of the c o u n t r y f a c e e a c h d a y. Coming out of these visits and meetings, the AFC has been able to develop its Parliamentary agenda. In this article we wish to address two of the concerns raised by the people of Region Ten and what measures are being taken by the AFC. THE BERBICE RIVER FERRY
The Berbice River Ferry served a number of communities from New Amsterdam to Kwakwani providing critical and affordable transportation to hundreds of Guyanese families and their goods to and from the Berbice Coast. Without explanation and obviously without care for the welfare of the residents of these riverain communities, the Government removed this critical service which linked the riverain residents with the Coast. Ordinary Guyanese, their families, organizations and institutions from Communities of the Berbice River who benefitted from this service in the past, now have to severely alter their way of life, to the extent of relocation and abandoning their primary economic activity. Many of
these communities have now become abandoned and deserted due to lack of sign i f i c a n t economic activities. Youths of these communities can no longer embrace a future in agricultural activities to further develop themselves. While Berbice River residents are being deprived of this critical service, it must be noted that other far-flung regions in Guyana which remain accessible by river; mainly Northwest, Bartica, Essequibo Coast, have had their ferry services maintained, thereby providing critical support to residents and facilitating the transport of large scale commodities. It is in this context that the Alliance For Change has tabled a Motion in the National Assembly calling
for the Ferry service to be restored, so as to revive those communities and give hope and stability to the many Guyanese who wish to venture into A g r i c u l t u r a l entrepreneurship. CRITCHLOW LABOUR COLLEGE SUBVENTION The Critchlow Labour College through its three Campuses in Georgetown, Linden and Berbice served to educate thousands of Guyanese; both adults and youths, for decades giving many a second chance at educating themselves. C o n s e c u t i v e Governments of Guyana; both the PNC and PPP/C, through the Ministry of Finance provided a subvention to the Critchlow Labour College to assist the institution to keep its doors open so that
thousands of Guyanese, especially those in the poorer class of society, could benefit. Through the subvention, the Critchlow Labour College successfully entered into partnerships for developing education within Guyana and abroad with reputable institutions. Through its offering of academic courses, hundreds of young Guyanese entered and reentered the job market and rose through the ranks to become highly skilled and successful professionals. Parents and guardians, especially single moms, were able to access affordable education at a convenient time, thereby developing themselves and making their families more stable. After the withdrawal of the subvention, the institution eventually collapsed, thereby bringing
to ruin the hopes and aspirations of thousands of young Guyanese from all walks of life. Though the College still offers an academic curriculum, this has been drastically reduced, thereby limiting the options of those desiring higher education The Alliance For Change has tabled in the National Assembly, a Motion for debate, to have the subvention returned to Critchlow Labour College. This is especially necessary given the level of school dropout in Region Ten. At a time when the government is accusing the opposition political parties of not giving kudos to the most outstanding students, it can be expected that the same government will lend its support to other students who aspire to also gain some kudos.
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
SUNDAY SPECIAL JAGDEO’S MASTER PLAN IS TO DOMINATE THE COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY – RAMJATTAN The master plan is to take over the minds of Guyanese and to control the communications industry.” This is the view held by Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, who was at the time speaking to the fact that many of the radio stations in operation now have been lambasting his party and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). This lambasting is more evident when it comes to matters such as the amendments to the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Laws. “Just as they control the financial structure, they now want to control the minds of people,” said Ramjattan. He said that the “they” he was speaking of was largely Bharrat Jagdeo and his “cohorts”. Recently, operators of several television stations announced that they were moving to court to challenge a hefty hike in the broadcast fee. The amount is a minimum of $2.5M. Operators, signaling intentions to file court action to challenge what they describe as a 1,000 percent increase, have been accusing the administration of wanting to close them down. Commenting on the licence fees, Ramjattan said that this is but another aspect of the ploy by the administration to take over the industry and run certain operators out of business. He said that even some of those that would have been issued with licences would soon be hard pressed to be able to stay in business and would have to end up selling their licences to the wealthy. TRAVELSPAN ALL SET FOR MID-DECEMBER RETURN Guyana is on track for additional flights on the New York/Guyana route from midDecember, TravelSpan has confirmed. The company’s President, Nohar Singh, speaking with Kaieteur News from New York, disclosed that interviews have already started to hire flight attendants with the final paperwork for permission to be submitted to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) shortly. The training for the attendants will begin on November 11. The additional flights
Bharrat Jagdeo
Khemraj Ramjattan
would be more than welcome by Guyanese who have been facing high fares over the past year. Two airlines, Redjet and Ezjet, folded spectacularly last year, leaving only Delta and Caribbean Airlines. However, the US airline pulled out earlier this year, later citing unfair competition from Caribbean Airlines, which is owned by Trinidad and Tobago and which was controversially receiving fuel subsidies. While the addition of partially Guyanese-owned Fly Jamaica to the New York/ Guyana route in recent months has lessened fears that the coming holiday season may see a repeat of the fare situation earlier this year, the Government has been actively attempting to persuade other operators. The New York destination has long been one eyed by operators because of the number of Guyanese living there. It is one of the more profitable routes also for Caribbean Airlines. According to Singh, one-way fares to New York will start as low as US$234 and US$439 for business class.
major policy directions. “This did not happen and the Opposition is allowing the government to hold office on sufferance, not on the basis of agreed policies…The result is that there is political gridlock and a stalemate on legislation and developmental projects, with potential investors being warned.” This situation, Ramkarran predicts, will continue until the next elections, due in 2016, and is unfair to the Guyanese people and is not what they voted for. According to Ramkarran, during the past week there were two news items of political interest. “One is that, contrary to popular belief and an undertaking from the President, no budget discussions are taking place…The other is that the Opposition is unlikely to support the anti-money laundering legislation in its present form unless the Public Procurement Commission is established.”
MONDAY EDITION ONLY FRESH ELECTIONS WILL BREAK CURRENT POLITICAL IMPASSE – FORMER SPEAKER The only way to break the current political stalemate in Guyana is through Constitutional reform and new elections. This is the view held by Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, who in his most recent writings for his blog conversationtree.gy, said that instead of seeking the kind of unity that would have ensured political stability and development after the 2011 elections, the PPP/C opted for a minority government. According to Ramkarran, there is nothing wrong in principal with such a decision, once the Opposition permits such a situation on the basis of some form of agreement about
MINISTER TO BE BLAMED IFGUYANA LOSES US$20M FROM NORWAY – APNU MP The government this past week admitted that it could lose an estimated US$20M from its forest-saving deal with Norway and according to A Partnership for National Unity’s Joseph Harmon, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, is to be blamed. The possible loss of the funds comes as a result of increased deforestation in Guyana. In laying the blame at the feet of Minister Persaud, Harmon said that it is his Ministry that is responsible for the issuance of the various licences to log and mine in Guyana’s vast forest. According to Harmon, it is Persaud’s responsibility to ensure that lawful mining and logging activities are kept within sustainable and agreed criteria. He said too that when
Page 27
it comes to illegal mining or logging, it is also Persaud’s responsibility to ensure that the laws are enforced and measures put in place in order to curb it, “so, yes, it is his fault.” Under the five-year forest-saving deal with Norway, Guyana needed to monitor the amount of the forest cut down, and to keep it at a level agreed to by the two countries. Once Guyana kept its end of the deal, it would bank US$250 million, but now a chunk of that could be lost. The reason is that under the agreement with Norway, the number of trees being chopped down, or what is called deforestation, was set at 0.07 per cent, but a monitoring and evaluation exercise found that last year, the level of deforestation was 0.079 per cent, more than allowed under the agreement between the two countries. TUESDAY EDITION GUYSUCO SLIDING TO WORST PERFORMANCE IN 20 YEARS - FOREIGN MANAGERAT HELM OF TROUBLED SKELDON With less than two months remaining for the year, the country’s sugar industry is slowly grinding its way to its lowest production in two decades and there seems to be no clarity on the way forward. As a matter of fact, it will negatively eclipse last year’s dismal 218,069 tonnes. The 2012 production has been described as the worst in the 20-year reign of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). Production targets have been revised downwards from the 260,000 tonnes set at the beginning of the year to 203,000. The year’s first crop fell short of the 70,000 tonnes by an alarming 22,000. Industry officials last weekend admitted that the situation
TravelSpan President, Nohar Singh over production has plunged the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) into a point of uncertainty where unless all stops are pulled out, the slide will continue. The administration has been saying that the industry is too big to fail, but could find little answers. At the flagship Skeldon factory, production for the year is slated at 34,000, far below the targeted 43,000 tonnes. The strain from Skeldon’s poor showing has been taking a toll on the overall operations of GuySuCo. Since being commissioned in August 2009 by former President Bharrat Jagdeo, the Chinese built US$200M project, which includes the factory and expanded cultivation, has been bleeding the Corporation. Almost US$15M ($3B) has been injected into it to repair faults. GTUC ROASTS GRANGER OVER PROCUREMENT COMMISSION The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) says that it takes serious objection to Leader of the Opposition, David Granger’s reported statement that the establishment of the Public
Procurement Commission [PPC] is not a concern that APNU shares at this time, more so with respect to tying it with the passing of the AntiMoney Laundering Legislation. GTUC President Lincoln Lewis, in a public missive Monday, sought to remind Granger that the PPC is a constitutional body and all responsible parties should seek to ensure its immediate enactment and functioning. According to Lewis, constitutional requirements cannot be cherry-picked or dismissed at will. “Doing this is in itself a violation of the Constitution…Further it gives tacit support to the government’s contempt for this sacred instrument, which remains the foundation for good governance.” Lewis is of the opinion that “failure to uphold this also reinforces the importance of the influences of human will-power or lack of, in giving meaning to constitutional provisions.” According to the GTUC President, “this is a factor of grave concern and an unnecessary hindrance in the development of our society and accountability of government offices.” He reminded that, “Corruption is a human rights issue.” According to Lewis, APNU as the lead opposition has a responsibility to society to ensure good governance, accountability of public procurement and holding government responsible for holding the constitution sacred. WEDNESDAY EDITION GUYANATIMES/TVG REPORTERS QUIT – REFUSED TO READ SCANDALOUS STORIES ABOUT GLENN LALL Three reporters attached (Continued on page 37)
From left: Leana Bradshaw, Sabatini Daniels and Whitney Persaud
Page 28
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
The PPPC is monkeying around with parliamentary democracy The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration is monkeying around with parliamentary democracy. That Party, since the start of the 10th Parliament in January 2012, has attempted to diminish the authority of the National Assembly. It has challenged the Assembly’s legitimate decisions in the High Court, ignored recommendations of experts, failed to assent to bills and attacked the Opposition through the state media. The PPPC has been using every device at its disposal to hold back the ‘wave of change’ that surged since the
general and regional elections of November 2011. That ‘wave’ submerged it into a minority in the National Assembly. The threat to parliamentary democracy is real. Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman warned the Executive of the danger of a constitutional crisis. He said: “The continued resort to the High Court to question legitimate decisions of the National Assembly points to the grave and gathering danger of a constitutional crisis which has the potential to assume proportions the likes of which the nation has never seen and
may be unable to handle.” President Donald Ramotar took the extraordinary step to announce publicly, on 13th June 2012, that he had no intention of supporting any bill piloted by the Opposition. He said, “That is not the function of the opposition. They must respect what is their role…I am making it very clear that I will not assent to any bill that they carry unless it is with the full agreement of the executive and the full involvement of the executive.” It must have been as a result of this thinking that the President’s assent to three
local government bills – the Local Government Commission Bill, the Municipal and D i s t r i c t Councils (Amendment) Bill and the Fiscal Transfers Bill – was not granted until three months after they were passed. The Local Government (Amendment) Bill and others still have not been assented to. The Speaker had to warn the President that he could be in “gross dereliction of his constitutional duty” for not approving Bills that have been passed by the N a t i o n a l A s s e m b l y. H e said, “The Office of the President is cautioned not to provoke a constitutional crisis as there is no winner in such a scenario but, r a t h e r, t o r e s p e c t a n d r e c o g n i s e t h e r e a l i t y, authority and legitimacy of the 10th Parliament.” The PPPC has studiously ignored the most important recommendations of several reports and studies which pointed to the democratic way forward. The United Nations Development Programme earlier this year published a report – Assessment of Committees System of the National Assembly of Guyana – by Robin James and Dr David Ponet. The Report concluded that the National Assembly still lacks sufficient autonomy and resources and advised that it was “high time that Guyana’s political culture reflects this ideal of powersharing.” Several earlier studies made similar recommendations. The Needs Assessment of the
Guyana National Assembly by Sir Michael Davies; Advisory Papers on Needs Assessment of the Guyana National Assembly by James Pender and Guyana Fiduciary Oversight Project-Phase 1: Inception Report by Bradbury & Associates, all recommended greater autonomy for the National Assembly. The Report of the 35th conference of the Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Region of the C o m m o n w e a l t h Parliamentary Association in Trinidad in July 2010 declared, “Autonomy is needed for Parliaments to function freely; Parliaments should therefore seek Administrative Autonomy; Institutional and Political Autonomy and Financial Autonomy; A weak feeble and subservient Parliament is a threat to democracy.” Recommendations on autonomy of the National Assembly by these studies generally reflect the Commonwealth (Latimer House) Principles on the Three Branches of Government endorsed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria in 2003. Among those principles were that Parliament should be serviced by a professional staff – independent of the regular public service – and that an all-Party committee of members of parliament should review and administer parliament’s budget which should not be subject to amendment by the Executive. The PPPC’s other tactic has been to resort to the courts of law. Attorney General Anil Nandlall, starting his campaign of litigation in
March 2012, filed a Constitutional Motion in the High Court seeking to overturn a parliamentary vote on the composition of the Committee of Selection. He then moved to the courts in an attempt to have the 2012 National Budget cuts reviewed and reversed and, again, to set aside the Speaker’s order prohibiting a government minister from speaking in the National Assembly and referring consideration of the matter to the Committee of Privilege. The state-owned media – the National Communications Network (NCN), Government Information Agency (GINA) and the Guyana Chronicle newspaper that is published by Guyana National Newspapers Ltd (GNNL) – have relentlessly attacked opposition members of the National Assembly for the past twenty months since February 2012. The state media have described Opposition Members and the Speaker on some occasions in scurrilous terms such as “irresponsible and reckless,” “vindictive and unprincipled” and “power drunk.” The Opposition has been accused of exercising “reckless and blatant opportunism.” The National Assembly was called a “sham and a veneer” and “an unruly horse.” Such has been the Executive b r a n c h ’s contempt for the legislature! The PPPC, clearly, is monkeying around with parliamentary democracy by disparaging the National Assembly. By so doing, it is turning Guyana into a less free country.
Sunday November 10, 2013
From page 27 to the Guyana Times and TVG-Channel 28 resigned on Tuesday after refusing to read a scandalous television news item about Publisher of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall. Leana Bradshaw, anchor/ reporter of the entity, handed in her resignation with immediate effect, following an editorial meeting which was held to discuss her refusal to read the news item about Lall on the previous night’s newscast. Bradshaw’s resignation was followed by those of Whitney Persaud and Sabatini Daniels, two other reporters who were in full support of their colleague. In a press release, the trio explained that Bradshaw, after being instructed to read articles about Glenn Lall, respectfully declined. However, she was told by the Guyana Times General Manager, Daniel Singh, during the aforementioned meeting, that once reporters are employed by the entity, they must follow the instructions given. After providing her seniors with the reasons for not wanting to read the news item, Bradshaw was told that journalists who refuse to do what they are told can “pack their traps and leave”. Without hesitation, Bradshaw formally resigned, as did her colleagues – Daniels and Persaud, who believed that Bradshaw was right in standing her ground. GOVT. MULLS ONE-WAY STREETS TO EASE CITY CONGESTION Several thoroughfares in the capital, Georgetown, will soon be designated as oneway streets to aid in reducing the traffic congestion, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee told the media Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference at his Brickdam office, Minister Rohee said Cabinet examined a presentation from the National Commission on Law and Order (NCLO) on the question of one-way streets. “How do we deal with the situation…the number of streets in Georgetown remain basically the same, while at the same time the number of vehicles are growing astronomically. It seems to us
Kaieteur News
Clement Rohee at the Ministry that we have to find various means of addressing the traffic situation in Georgetown,” the Minister said in a Government statement. “We would of course have to lay out the plan to make it public, and we would of course have to engage in discussions and consultations with many other stakeholders, as well as residents in various parts of the city where we intend to establish this network of one way streets. This is another innovative way that we will be implementing to address the traffic congestion in the city of Georgetown. We believe that it is workable, ‘doable’; it is acceptable, and based on the consultations we would have had already,” Minister Rohee stated. “We will then proceed in phases with this one way street network, assess how it is working, and how people are reacting to it, and we will proceed with the other phases. THURSDAY EDITION GPL’S LOSS REDUCTION MANAGERASKED TO RESIGN - SEVERAL CITY BUSINESSES FOUND STEALING A senior management official of the state-owned power company was asked to resign Wednesday. He was given an option by his Board of Directors. Divisional Director of Loss Reduction, Kumar Sharma, was told by a board member that he either resign or have his contract terminated, officials of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. confirmed Wednesday. Sharma was in charge of the department that tracks electricity theft for GPL and
has been involved in raids over time to especially large businesses suspected to be involved in these. GPL insiders Wednesday said that they are not buying the story that Sharma was being let go because of nonperformance – the official reason given. Rather they link his “forced” resignation to his work in spearheading raids on especially businesses. Recently, raids were carried out on a popular Sheriff Street sandwich outlet, a Mahaica gas station, a Middle Street shopping plaza and shingle-making woodworking company in Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke/ Linden Highway. The businesses were reportedly all found stealing and according to GPL’s arrangements, were made to sign agreements to repay the millions of dollars that they were being backbilled for. The Sheriff Street sandwich parlour is closely linked to a disgraced New York-based Guyanese real estate mogul facing possible jail in the US for fraud. The business was reportedly assessed up to $9M. FRIDAY EDITION ANTI MONEY LAUNDERING LEGISLATION…GUYANA FACES CERTAIN BLACKLISTING AS OPPOSITION REJECTS BILL Guyana faces certain blacklisting by the Caribbean Financial Action Taskforce (CFATF) when it comes up for review in two weeks’ time, given that the amendments to the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill were rejected by the political opposition Thursday evening in Parliament. The report of the Special Select Committee that was tasked with consideration of the amendments was presented to the House by the Government’s Chief Whip and Chairperson of the Committee, Gail Teixeira. Attorney General Anil Nandlall presented the Bill to the House for a third reading, at which point in time the House descended into trading of barbs, on and off the floor, with each side blaming each other.
Page 37
RESIGNED: Kumar Sharma
GPL’s Chairman, Winston Brassington
Government speakers contended that the Opposition had delayed and dragged its feet during the six months the Committee met. Teixeira told the House that over the course of time, the Committee met on 17 occasions, most of which the opposition were poorly represented or absent altogether. A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s point man on finances, Carl Greenidge, informed the House that the Government had reneged on agreements in the Committee, and as such, the coalition wanted the Bill recommitted.
His absence in the National Assembly, where heated debates took place Thursday night, was noticeable. Rohee’s workload has increased significantly over the past few months, ever since he was appointed General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), following the party’s last congress earlier this year. However he has shown no signs of giving up his ministerial post. In fact he had told a news conference a few months ago that he is ‘fit’ for the portfolios of PPP General Secretary and Minister of Home Affairs, since he is quite capable of discharging his responsibilities efficiently.
ROHEE HOSPITALISED Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee was admitted to the Woodlands Hospital after collapsing at his home Thursday. Government officials were tightlipped on the extent of his illness but this newspaper was told that Rohee was taken to the private hospital sometime Thursday afternoon, with what some of his colleagues described as flu-like symptoms. “Not well… not stroke, nothing serious,” one of his colleagues said.
SATURDAY EDITION APNU SAYS GOOD POLITICAL WILL IS GUYANA’S ONLY HOPE A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), facing the reality of Guyana being blacklisted, is resting the country’s chances to rid itself of such sanctions solely in the hands of the government of the day. APNU said that the government has already led Guyana to a “dark gray list”
GPL Board Member, Mahender Sharma and hadn’t the political will to get the country off it. He was talking about the limited sanctions that had been imposed because Guyana had a flawed anti-money laundering Act. APNU has long held the position that it will not be passing the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (amendment) Bill 2013 if, in the party’s view, the Bill not strong enough to adequately deal with the issues it is intended to address. APNU does not want to have a Bill that can be described as “a toothless poodle.” However, members of the government maintained that even though the APNU purported that it wanted a strong Bill, the party was making no “meaningful” contribution at the level of the select committee.
Page 38
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 39
Page 40
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 41
Page 42
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 51
Anti-money Laundering Legislation…
Govt. intentionally told public “half-truths”- AFC Vice Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Moses Nagamootoo, says that he is absolutely disgusted with the manipulative tactics being used on citizens by the government as it relates to the Anti Money Laundering and the Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill. At the party’s recent press conference, Nagamootoo said that the government is to be blamed for the “fiasco” that surrounds the controversial Anti-money Laundering Bill and not the Joint Opposition. The politician said that the hysteria that surrounds the Bill is exactly the kind of outcome the government wanted. He claimed that the government is simply using the “fiasco” to camouflage its incompetence. “They had a responsibility to bring the law up to the requisite standard, but the government itself “dithered.” It went to sleep and suddenly thought that it could put pressure on Parliament to bring to the fore, these amendments that were required of them by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).” While the government’s Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, who is also the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select
Moses Nagamootoo
Khemraj Ramjattan
Committee “had shut down the works being done at the time,” in a last minute effort, Nagamootoo said that the Joint Opposition, which includes the coalition p a r t y, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), tried to get the government to agree for the amendments to go back to the Select Committee. But this request fell on deaf ears. Nagamootoo contended that Teixeira’s actions were executed at a time when the leaders of the Joint Opposition were summoned by President Donald Ramotar to discuss the issue of the territorial integrity of Guyana, with regard to the incursion by the
Venezuelan naval ship that came into “our maritime waters.” During these discussions with the President, the politician said that Teixeira found it “necessary” to end the works in their absence. He added that it was a time that was conveniently exploited to prevent the Opposition from making its fullest contribution to the improvement of the Bill. In addition, the parliamentarian said that even at the last moment when the Bill received resounding statements of non-support in the National Assembly on Thursday by the Opposition, the government which claimed to be so alarmed by
Six million dollar purse for National Drama Festival 2013 The finals of the National Drama Festival will be held at the National Cultural Centre from November 11-19 without age, gender, religious or other restrictions. This year’s festival will see over 45 plays being staged, and it is not only a competition, but is meant to reward the best performer with training so that they can elevate themselves to a level of competence. Director of the Festival, Mr. Godfrey Naughton said that what makes the festival different from last year’s is the fact that the plays in the “Schools and Debutants” category have been subjected to intense training to bring them up to par with those in the ‘Open category.’ He explained that all plays written by local and foreign playwrights are eligible. The competition takes place in four categories, with one category being subdivided. There is the ‘secondary schools’ category and the ‘debutante category’, which is set aside for first timers in the festival. The open category is divided into short and full
length plays. The full length plays have the incentive of a million dollars top prize. “We encourage our artists to be on par with their counterparts anywhere in the world by placing before them these incentives which a total of almost six million dollars.” Adding that there has been an emergence of a wide array of new talent and stalwarts, Naughton said the entries closed on September 15, 2013 with 52 eligible plays. There were approximately ten plays that did not qualify due to a variety of reasons. He noted that a fully trained mentorship team of 40 persons have been
established which is capable of training dramatists at a very high level. He added that the members of the mentor group worked with all the schools that entered the education ministry’s festival last July. “This process is not about money, it is about the preservation of your priceless culture heritage which must be secured by this generation and preserved for generations to come. The Ministry of Culture has invested heavily in the secondary schools and junior category, which are the future… our youths are the guardians of our heritage,” Naughton said. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony encouraged the general public to come out and support the plays since this will serve as a form of encouragement for the artistes to do better. He expressed gratitude to Digicel for working with them as they develop the festival and also thanked the team which has been putting the festival together as he wished the contestants well.
the “alleged” consequences of the Bill if it is not passed by its November 18 deadline, decided to hide behind procedures of the Parliament. He said, “A Minister even stood up and said that…no one could have the Bill returned to the Select Committee. “So clearly, the government was not concerned about these consequences, instead it was concerned with the propaganda it could make in order to terrorize the Guyanese people.” “They have chosen again propaganda over patriotism. They have chosen to drive the Guyanese people in fear and submission to their own wicked design...” The AFC member also asserted that the party will remain consistent in its position that the Public Procurement Commission
must first be in place before the party gives its support for the Bill as it displayed in Parliament. Nagamootoo said that his party does not see the passage of the amendments as separate and distinct from the enforcement from other mechanisms that are of benefit of the people of Guyana. The heated debate over the Bill on Thursday last, he noted, was an act of provocation as the government tried to take away from a section in the Procurement Act that has already been passed by the Parliament. He said the government is trying to inject a “no objection role to certain large projects.” Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, who spoke on the issue, said that the government has managed to place a “fear-chip” in the minds of some sections of the
society. Ramjattan added that he has already received information from the banks and cambios, “that people are now “bank –rushing” for foreign currency and that can have an impact on increasing the local dollars amount for a US dollar. With regard to remittances, Ramjattan said that based on their reliable resources, it would not be affected since it deals with monies coming from overseas and it is a different system all together. He added, “What we will have as a complication and I must concede to this, is that companies which are not up to date with their documentation, may very well have to do some extra documentation but it is not as if transactions will come to a halt... So it’s just propaganda- a set of untruths and half truths.”
Solid Waste in G/town to increase significantly at Christmas - MCC advises adequate disposal to avoid health crisis Solid waste in the city is expected to increase by some 60% during the Christmas season and as such the Mayor and City Council is advising that the general public take precautionary measures to avoid a health pandemic in the city. “As the Christmas season approaches there will be an increase of garbage circulating in the city… We have asked people to purchase containers to dispose rubbish, to sprinkle disinfectant on their rubbish and to ensure that they secure the garbage containers so that it will not be exposed to vermin, dogs or what we refer to as human scavengers,” Georgetown Mayor, Hamilton Green noted at a recent press conference . Several weeks ago, Town Clerk (Ag) Carol Ryan- Sooba terminated the contracts of Cevon’s Waste Management and Dartmouth Skips, two waste disposal entities which were employed by the Council to assist in the collection of garbage around the city. This move by the Town Clerk (Ag) resulted in a buildup of garbage in several parts of the city. Describing that action by the Town Clerk as “penny wise and pound foolish” the Mayor proposed to the Council that “the most sensible thing to do is to mobilize all the capacity available in the city,” to deal with the growing garbage
situation. “The actions of Town Clerk were premature but what is also worrisome to us as is expected, is that certain agencies within the Central Government have come to the aid of the Town Clerk. However, we know that the aggregate cost of that operation is more than what would have been paid to Cevons and Dartmouth contractors.” In an earlier press conference, Sooba had noted that the Council had acquired aid from the Ministry of Local Government to handle difficult situations of garbage in the city. “We had acquired the help of the Local Government Ministry to purchase 20 of those large bins, which will be placed at strategic points around the city… we have purchased some and recently acquired a cheque for $1.6 million to purchase additional bins.” Sooba explained “the management of the two main markets and the contiguous areas under the now terminated contractors cost the council, in excess of $40 million per year.” “We had numerous complaints and we could not continue to expend so much
money, when people, particularly Mayor and City Council workers were not allowed to throw their garbage into those compactors belonging to Cevons Waste and Dartmouth Skips.” “You would be surprised to know that at Stabroek ,we were paying all those millions to have garbage thrown into those compactors, compacted and taken away…the contract states that contractors are to clear the markets and the contiguous areas of the garbage, instead it was the council workers, who were doing the work…. People even had to pay additional money to have their waste thrown into the compactors; those were some of our complaints.” She noted that government subvention made provision for the Council to acquire additional equipment to manage the garbage. “Today, the Bourda compactors is in operation to remove 25 tons of compacted garbage per trip, and in few weeks from now the Stabroek Market compactor will be hooked to electricity from GPL and that too will be in operation.” The Town Clerk (Ag) says that the Local Government Ministry is on board, and every effort is being made to combat the issue of solid waste around the city.
For the BEST RATES, call us on telephone number: 225-8458
Page 52
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
THE PRESS IS AS FREE AS EVER IN GUYANA TODAY By Ralph Seeram The newspaper that professes to be the “beacon of truth” carried a headline that screamed about press freedom being under attack. Truth be told, it’s really a beacon of untruths. It’s amazing to me that those who cry foul about press freedom, are the ones that stretch their freedom to the extent that it borders on libel if not downright libelous in some instances, and this comes mainly from government supported media outlets. This week three journalists from the government-supported TVG/
Guyana Times, resigned because they refused to read derogatory news about the publisher of this newspaper, Glenn Lall. This beacon of untruths has been carrying out a relentless attack on Glenn Lall, because he exposed the corrupt nature of how the owner of that of the print, radio and TV outlets acquired his assets. The three young ladies resigned because they refused to be embroiled in the campaign against the owner of this newspaper, refused to read derogatory propaganda that the company wanted to pass as news. And quite rightly! They
feel that reading the nonsense about Glenn Lall would put them at odds with the public that knows differently. The fear is they can be approached in public and be subjected to verbal insults by members of the public who feel the attacks are plain wrong. I know the feeling; I have been there. Lo and behold the beacon of untruths tried to spin the resignations as resulting from fear of retaliation from the owner of this paper, and went on to scream that press freedom was under attack. Now if you are going to spin a story, the spin must be credible, it must be convincing. Unfortunately for the beacon of untruths, the three young ladies came
forward and debunked the spin. They said clearly they did not resign out of any fear of Glenn Lall; end of story. Now I must say that these are three very brave young ladies, and I must commend Leana Bradshaw, Sabitini Daniels and Whitney Persaud for their principled position. They showed more “guts” than those that work in that government-supported media outlet. Remember they are sacrificing their jobs, career and not to mention economic hardship and loss of income because of their principled decision. Already their characters are under attack. I read one blog which I will not name. It went into a sordid tale of “who slept with whom” as the reason for their resignation. Those who cry about lack of a free press in Guyana today should have been journalists under the PNC regime in the 70’s. The PNC which calls itself APNU these days to get away from their dictatorial past controlled the press absolutely. Not only did they control the only two radio stations, one of which I worked for then, but also controlled newsprint, as well as printing supplies such as ink etc. Today the opposition, including the very PNC, can get their views widely covered in the media (well
except by the government supported press). Back in the 70’s the PPP then in opposition could hardly get any of their views to the public. I recall the morning after the 1973 elections after the fatal shooting of PPP supporters on the Corentyne, the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan, complaining to me that we (the government press) were not carrying the news that his supporters were being murdered on the Corentyne trying to protect the ballot boxes from being seized by the army. The spin from government was that these were rioters trying to disrupt the elections, APNU/PNC leader David Granger tried to peddle that lie some time ago, and I had cause to set the record straight in an article shortly after his statement. You see I was on the ground on the Corentyne that day covering the elections. What I saw and what was reported in the media were completely different. One senior police officer in Berbice at the time, after giving the government official version of the events, turned to me and said “Ralph what you know, you know”. Fast forward to today, the government has been under pressure by this very newspaper about corrupt transactions, contracts etc. that have occurred in
government. And, rightly so, because it involves taxpayers’ money. The press has every right to ask and expose corrupt practices. These actions by Kaieteur News “ring a bell” with the public, that’s why it is the best selling newspaper in Guyana. People want the truth, that’s why they buy this newspaper; that’s why the people refuse to read the “beacon of untruths” even when it’s given free to them. What escapes those at the “beacon of untruths” which dem boys call de Hard times paper, is that Glenn Lall is not in Government, he is not spending billions of taxpayers’ dollars, he is not accountable to taxpayers, so people are not interested in the nonsense being peddled about Glen, which is some instances stretches way past the limits of freedom of the press and into libelous territory. On the flip side the Guyanese public is interested in knowing how their hard earned dollars are spent and those in government, whether they like it or not, are ACCOUNTABLE to the people. This paper is doing what it is supposed to do for the public by exposing corruption; this paper has credibility with the public as reflected in its sales. Can de Hard Times paper claim the same? Yes freedom of the press may be relative but it is alive and thriving in Guyana. Make no mistake about it. Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 53
Queen’s College CCPA Head advocates community teacher honoured for involvement to protect abused children Head of the Child Care and “The Child Protection Act being jailed,” Greene said. that you report and we find out years of contribution Protection Agency (CCPA), says if you know of a child being According to Greene, the that it is nothing, than for you Miss Elizabeth Eloise Williams would say that becoming a lawyer has always been her calling in life but the numerous students who have had their lives transformed by her presence and instructions would contest that. The work and contributions of this educator was celebrated by the Queen’s College family in a momentous valedictory ceremony on Friday. In an interview with Kaieteur News, Ms. Williams ,who provided the college with over ten years of service said that “she started teaching as an accident but it became her passion.” Ms. Williams joined the Social Studies Department of Queens College in February, 2002. While functioning as a History and Social Studies teacher, she took the time to further qualify herself at the University of Guyana and obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History as well as a Post Graduate Degree in Education, majoring in Social Studies. This career minded woman then became a trained graduate mistress and started teaching Caribbean Studies in 2004. Ms. Williams however noted that being a trained teacher was by no means the end of her road; she wanted more and believed that she could have achieved it. Focused on the prize of academic fulfillment, Ms. Williams was convinced that her
dreams would not have been accomplished until she pursued her life-long ambition of becoming a lawyer. So in 2008 she embarked on the journey in pursuit of her dream. Against the backdrop of becoming a strong advocate for women Ms. Williams pursued and obtained her Latin Legum Baccalaureus (LLB), Bachelor of Law at the University of Guyana in 2013. At present, Ms Williams is the Head of the Social Studies Department at the Bishops’ High School. The ceremony in honour of this stalwart educator was truly phenomenal as students heralded her unstinted contribution for more than a decade. This teacher believes that contemporary methods of teaching are necessary to ensure that every student learns at his/ her level. Her many students at the ceremony reminisced on how Ms. Williams “would make Christopher Columbus, the Buccaneers and Privateers “come alive,” in the classroom.” Many gave speeches, preformed poems and dances in an effort to not only bid her goodbye but also to show the appreciation befitting such a longstanding teacher. Tributes highlighted Ms. Williams’ passion for teaching, knowledge and humanity as “she always went above and beyond the call of duty to help others.”
Ann Greene, has declared that in order to put the interest of children first, and to protect them, the term ‘It is none of my business’ must to be eliminated. This is in fact the mandate of her agency. Her comments came in light of recent findings of child abuse where sources close to the happenings had admitted to being aware of the instances of abuse, but opted against reporting the matter since they were not intimately involved. According to the CCPA Director, society needs to go back to the days when people were ‘neighbourly’; and activities deemed as “minding one’s business” did not include that of good-naturedly looking out for the interest of others. She said that as long as a situation involves abuse of a child, citizens have a civil duty and responsibility to report the matter. Referring to an ancient proverb with the notion that ‘it takes an entire village to raise a child’, Greene said, “We have to get back to that. We have to be our brother’s keeper. No more can we say, ‘It’s not my business’. Greene reminded of “compulsory reporting” when she noted that once someone becomes knowledgeable of a case of a child being abused but does not place a report with the relevant agency, under the Child Care and Protection Agency Act 2009 that person could be taken before a Magistrate.
abused, you should report it. If you fail to report a child being abused, you could be taken before the court,” she said. Greene added that not only does the Act make provisions for failure to report, but it safeguards the identity of those who opt to place a report. She said that while the CCPA ensures the anonymity of reporters of child abuse, the Act provides for the protection of those who may be suspected for placing a report. “In the Child Protection Act, it says that if a person places a report and is abused by whatever means, be it verbally or otherwise by the abuser; the person can report the matter and the abuser will be charged. The Act says they go to jail. It is not a fine; it is
members of the public should take this notion as all the more reason for any instance of child abuse to be reported to the agency since they are assured protection. The CCPA Head said that reporting a case of child abuse does not necessarily need tangible evidence. Rather, a report should be made on the basis that an outsider has reason to believe “something is just not right (with a child)”. Greene said that the agency is not asking the public to determine if there is indeed abuse. “That is our job. When we come, we will look to find out if it is abuse.” Asked if complaints stemming from mere suspicions would not overwhelm the agency, Greene said, “We prefer
not to report and then something serious happens to the child. Let us decide whether it is abuse or not.” She said that the number of reports has increased. She said she well suspects that the reason for increased numbers of reports has to do with the improved systems put into place to deal specifically with child abuse, including the provision of the agency’s hotline. She noted too that perhaps the general openness of modern day society has contributed to a rise in reports of child abuse. “People are now more willing to talk about it. In the past, it was difficult for people to talk about abuse; especially sexual abuse,” Greene said.
Page 54
WANTED Contract cars- Contact City Taxi Service- 660-1100/ 2267150 Live in female domestic 4045 years old – Tel:610-2978; 613-3091 One driver for the interior must have bus license – Contact:681-6044 GREENHEART AND PURPLE HEART LUMBER - TEL: 653-9752 Labourer, Arc/Acetylene welder - skilled in Grill work. Driving an asset, Georgetown area Tel: 6102978; 613-3091 One Cummings and Perkins mechanic to work in interior contact:681-6044 Experienced counter servers, roti/puri cooks, curry cooks, pastry makers & handyboys Apply Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce St.
Kaieteur News
WANTED One maid to cook and assist in cleaning. Between age 25 to 40 years – Tel:616-6168
One hairdresser for salon - Call: 684-3384; 231-8735
We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154
Male and female to work at wash bay in G/TownTel:669-4676
1 Toyota Carina (212) excellent Condition – Contact:629-9511; 625-9511
PORTERSAND DELIVERY PERSON, ALSOSALESGIRL WITH COSMETICS EXPERIENCE. REFFERENCE REQUIRED. BUILDING MATERIAL DEPOT - TEL: 231-8529 Bodywork man, handyman, maid (under 30yrs) apply Guyana Variety Store Tel 2273939 1 Labourer – Call:226-3736
1 AE100 Carolla: Alarm, AC, mags & crystal lights, HID $800,000- 1 AT170 EFI fully powered: mags & CD $580,000 – Tel:619-1047
Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252; 674-4665
One live in domestic – Contact:658-9495; 627-2550
One experienced female to work in the interior free meal and accommodation. Age 25-30 – Contact:697-1164 Worker wanted for restaurant and roti shop in Trinidad; accommodation provided. For more information contact - 0011866-760-1426. Urgently needed 1 plot of land to buy in Parfaite Harmonie - Tel: 675-7292; 218-5591 Urgently upholsters, joiners, spray painters ( Furniture) handyman Contact S. Khan: 225-6810 Urgently needed land to buy - Tel:675-7292; 2185591. Labourers/ painters/ carpenters with own tools to work with limited supervision - Tel:225-6070 Office Clerk: CXC English/ Mathematics- Call:225-0188/ 225-6070 One domestic, live in & live out babysitter from 12pm8pm- Call:225-4492 One female to work in snackette/bar. Must know to cook. - Tel: 647-7432; 223-5798 One waitress. Age 18-25 years. Contact: 650-3680; 233-5450 (Between 8am-3pm) Land to buy @ Non-Pareil, Eccles & Herstelling – Tel:675-7292; 218-5591 One gasoline mechanic for interior must know to fix RZ, solid deff pick-up: Contact:681-6044 Security guard/ gardener. Age: 35-40, preferable from: Triumph/ Mon Repos ECD area- Call:623-1387
VEHICLE FOR SALE 2007 Toyota BB, fully loaded, unregistered special price $2.350M – 617-2891
1 Toyota RAV 4; Excellent Condition – Contact:6269582 Smart Choice Auto: Premio, Allion, IST, Runx, FielderCall:652-3820/665-4529 1 Unregistered Toyota Tundra, Fully accessorized with crash bar, step, cd player & alarm, price:$2.8M - Tel: 601-0706; 225-0024 First Class Auto: Premio, Axio, Passo, Runx, Allex, IST, Fielder, Raum – Call:609-8188; 602-6307
TO LET Self contained rooms in Prashad Nagar; contact: 2272993 One Furnished Two bedrooms bottom flat @ Uitvlugt - Contact: 680-4990 Harmony Inn: Apartments fully furnished, airconditioned apartments: As low as $5000 per night- Call: 668-0306/602-8769/ 694-7817 Fully furnished short term apartments, Eccles call: 679-7139 Fully furnished Vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours- 2271218 Fully secured concrete bond 87x31ft (private compound) @ Mc Doom public road back of Police OutpostCall:233-0570 Kitty - $65,000 & $120,000, Kingston – US900, Atlanic Gardens – US900, Providence – US1300. Call Diana – 227-2256; 626-9382 Place to rent at Leonora next to the Primary School – Contact:625-9743
Two Toyota Tacoma 2006 unregistered: 4wd $3.9M & 2wd $3.1M- Call:662-1396/ 678-0573 1 Suzuki 600 GSX-R, 1 Nissan Virgo Mini Van, PKK series Tel: 644-5096, 697-1453 Norpan Auto: Premio, Raum, Fielder & Vitz, never registered. Tel: 269-0432; 686-0323 One Toyota RZ mini-bus BJJ series – Call:678-5887 3-Ton Canter excellent condition – Model M.Bush truck for interior – Tel:2318417; 231-6560; 231-1238; 624-0443 Two Toyota Hilux 4x4 left hand drive, 22R engine. Never registered - $2.7M each - Call: 671-1512 ALYEA’S AUTO SALE: PREMIO 2003/2004. ALL PRICES ARE NEG. 40 CROAL STREET STABROEK- TEL:2317284/622-3823 One AT192 PLL966 $1.1M; with DVD player – Tel:6399528 Toyota Primo Late PNN Series – Tel:624-6471; 2254741
1 bedroom apartment, next to SOL, BB Rome EBD $35,000 – Call:658-5452
F150 Tundra, chevy cargo van – Tel:227-8519; 653-4287
MASSAGE The Gent’s Spa: Let beautiful sophisticated masseuse pamper you: New masseuse available- Call:657-5979
AT192, 212, Allion, Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN& cheap RZ buses, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154
AA60 Toyota Carina. Price $350,000 negotiable - Call: 644-2306
Sunday November 10, 2013
VEHICLE FOR SALE GRR 573, long base RZ minibus, automatic. Excellent Condition - Tel:687-5657; 652-0709 One fully loaded Toyota Hilux Vigo - Tel: 638-8930; 653-8226 One Toyota MK 2 GX81 – Tel:626-0329; 684-7633 1 Honda Fit PMM 4223; with rims and CD player; Immaculate Condition $1.3M Negotiable – Tel:6101818, 618-5140 Mitsubishi Galant Car, fully loaded – Tel: 227-7544; 6122542, 614-6011. AT212 - $1.050M, AE100 Corolla wagon - $875,000 – Call:611-6632 1 Toyota Caldina & fielder wagon, IST, fun cargo, AT212, AT192, AT170, Ceres, Hilux pick up 4x4 – Tel:644-5096; 697-1453 Leroy Trident car 250CC, 4 doors, power window, $750,000 cash or credit Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000 Hilux Surf 4 doors, minor parts needed, sold as is $800,000 Tel: 227-3939, 6214000 Nissan Maxima, fully powered needs repairs sold as is $375,000 cash 227-3939, 621-4000 Mitsubishi 3000GT sports car, fully powered, $1.8M cash or credit available Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000 Stretch limousine, Lincoln Town car, fully powered $7M or credit available Tel 2273939, 621-4000 Trike Can-Am style motorcycle, 200cc new, unregistered $550,000 negotiable or credit Tel 2273939, 621-4000 1 Toyota RZ bus - $1.6M. Immaculate condition – Contact Rocky: 621-5902/ 225-1400 1 Toyota extra cab pick-up automatic (3RZ) 4x4 $3.7M – Contact Rocky: 621-5902/ 225-1400 Honda CRV 2002 model, automatic, fully loaded alarm. Price $3.2M- Contact Rocky 621-5902/ 225-1400 Toyota Tacoma (2006 model)- VVTI engine, automatic, fully loaded, 22" chrome rims $4.1M- Contact Rocky 621-5902/ 225-1400 1 Toyota Ceres (4 doors car). Automatic, fully powered, mags, alarm $775,000Contact Rocky 621-5902 or 225-1400 1 Toyota Double cab pickup (4door) manual (5l- Diesel) 4x4 -$3.5M Contact Rocky: 6215902/225-1400
FOR SALE
FOR SALE
LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Cheapest Online Vehicles!!! - Tel:626-2771
Honda welders; 270 amps 15,000 watts generator Tel:611-5114/220-4495
1- Caterpillar D5 Bulldozer and 1- Caterpillar engine 3406 Contact number 650-0402 Whole sale: Pluck Chicken - Tel:676-0931 One caterpillar 317 excavator. New engine and hydraulics Tel: 687-0077 (Gregory); 6613671; 602-0036 2 Tool Kit – Wrinch, socket, scanner, testers etc & tyre plugs – Tel:601-0706; 2250024 1- 5705 John Deere tractor, 1Rome plough 20 dish, 1- 1630 Bedford truck articulated with 2 trailer- Call:693-4596 2- M132 Lavarda Combine, 122RB Dragline, 3- Pressure pump 4x3 for gold field, 12640MF tractor 4WD, 1385MF tractor- Call:627-0447 1 CAT standby 3306, 194 KVA 3 phase 60 cycleCall:641-8472 Creole birds, chicks, eggs @ Lot 1 L’ Oratoire Canal No.1 WBD – Tel:655-1284 Generators, welders, diesel yanmar, low noise key start 10,000 watts - $1.2M Tel:6128879; 678-2918 - Ramroop Furniture Store. Lincoln welder gas 220 AMPs, Jack Hammer Bosh, Drill Press. Tel:612-8879; 6782918 - Ramroop Furniture Store, Lombard St Georgetown. Ladies boutique closing down have dresses, tops, etc for sale, made in USA. Going cheap! – Tel:624-7333 Pure breed pit-bull 5 months fully vaccinated and dewormed, also pure 7 weeks pit-bull pups – Contact: 6565412; 234-1460; 661-4112. Generators, welding sets, compressors, power washers, drill - migrating, must see! - Tel:227-8519 2 white female and 1 brown male fluffy dogs - contact: 699-6006 Clearance Sale: greenheart lumber, slabs, strips & firewood. Toolsie Persaud Ltd, Lombard St. Georgetown - Tel: 226-4920; 226-4071-5
Potting soil, top soil and quality cow mould – Call:656-1326; 678-0058 Tundra ‘Woman Driven’ Tel:627-1983 Large vacuum cleaner wet & dry (for cleaning or car wash), stereo sets& speakers. Tel:227-8519 One 8000 Ford tractor & one Ford 450 2005 Towing truck – Call: 689-1864 (Guru) / 6945599 (Floyd). Spare for washing machine, microwaves,fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call:225-9032,647-2943 Hifi Sound Connection: Car Audio, Pro Audio, complete sound system generator.Call:610-1230/673-5828 Honda ATV 500 4X4 DBL shocks - Tel: 688-6274; 6913851 Massey Ferguson 6140 4X4 Turbo – Call:688-6274/6913851 One stall @ La Penitance Market; $600,000 – Tel:6900437 Original door mirrors for 212, AT192, Allion, Premio, Runx, Alex, AT110 sprinter, AT170 Sprinter, NZE - Tel:654-6401 Happy Acres - $66,000,000, Ogle- $65,000,000, Hotel$2,000,000 USD - Contact: 223-8479; 647-3768 www.spaceseek.gy Houses in East Ruimveldt $10,000,000 – Mon-Repo $16,000,000 to $30,000,000, Diamond - $34,000,000. Contact: 223-8479; 647-3768 - www.spaceseek.gy Imported 6 weeks blood line pit-bull pup. Fully vaccinated & De-wormed, nice colours – Call Anil: 6254583; 225-6801 One pure bred female Rottweiler pup - Call: 2206879 Live/pluck chicken call:6504421, 220-9203 3 Pcs suite furniture. Excellent condition! Tel:6450240; 685-0942 SAWMILL COMPLEX design to produce 40,000 BM per week export & local market. Wanted log Kabakallie, etc. Tel:684-5868 (Continued on page 55)
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 55
(From page 54)
FOR RENT Furnished short term apartments - Tel: 687-3017 Furnished top flat house, Queenstown, generator, A/ C, Grille & parking. Tel: 2271218 or kpthomas7@gmail. com
TOUR Suriname pre-Christmas trip returned tour etc. Nov 28th - Dec 1st – Tel:644-0185; 6392663; 665-5171; 227-8290
EDUCATIONAL Christmas Computer Courses Deal: 9 courses (Diploma in Technology) $30,000. Micrographics Technology, Vreed-En-Hoop – Tel:264-3057 Now open! Christmas Shopping just got easier. Shop online, cheap shipping. Cybertron Vreed-En-Hoop Tel:264-3057
Ground Floor Office space, Queenstown, generator, A/ C, grille & parking - Tel: 2271218 or kpthomas7@gmail. com Coolers and ScaffoldCall:657-0424 Executive property in gated community at Houston D’ Aguiar ’s Park, fully furnished. Tel: 609-2876 or 623-0425 One 2 bedrooms house for rent in Tuschen E.B.E - Tel: 216-0644 or 684-3195 Executive houses & apartments - $75,000 upward – Contact:223-8479; 6473768; www.spaceseek.gy One mobile canteen - call: 693-8322 Diamond - $70,000, $60,000, $80,000 & $150,000 – Tel:6610180
FOR RENT
2 Bedroom apartment @ Lot 2387 Diamond EBD, $35,000 – Tel:602-9302 3 bedrooms Top flat @ Northen St, Courida Park ( Sea Side), Diamond 5 Bedrooms – Tel:231-2199; 618-7483
Minister, over the past six months Government representatives to the Select Committee scheduled 17 meetings in consultation with the Opposition. “They took the position to be absent, refused to reconvene meetings promptly and when they finally made it to the meetings, they made little use of the time and refused to work the much needed long hours for the good of Guyana.” He said that the Joint Opposition therefore has a responsibility and obligation
Double lot 15m-Highway Title Land-500 Acre$700,50us @ Town to Country #2250854, 686-9888 Highway Land- 10 Acre,15 Acre,21 Acre,41 Acre East Coast Land-3.5 Acre -22m @ Town- Country #2250854, 686-9888
Eccles new scheme double lot- 12m (neg) @ TownCountry #2250854, 686-9888
PENPAL Businessman in Trinidad seeks Guyanese woman for friendship & marriage between ages 30-40; email:ramphal mahadeo@ live.com – Tel:0011-868-7243155; 0011-868-4681075
Govt. willing to retable Bill... From page 7 Special Select Committee to be properly refined. Asked about the prerequisite of having the Public Procurement Commission in place before pledging any support for the Anti Money Laundering Amendments, Nagamootoo said that this still stands. He reaffirmed that the party will only be supporting the establishment of the Committee under the current legislation. It will not be supporting the recent amendments tabled by the Finance Minister. Dr Singh, on Thursday, tabled an amendment to the procurement Act meant to preserve the role of the Cabinet in giving a no objection as it relates to the awards of contracts. The Finance Minister by way of a public statement yesterday maintained that the AFC and APNU must be held responsible for the consequences of the failed Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill. He said that many of the consequences have already been discussed at length including the severing of international ties to local banks, the increased bureaucracy for money transactions, the possible increase in fees, commodities and fuel to the public. According to the Finance
Diamond4.5 With Foundation 5m (neg), 6m (neg),6.5 (neg),7.5m @ Town to Country #2250854, 686-9888
Land In Canaan-10 Acre, 8.5m (1 Acre), Eccles 50x10019m neg. @ Town- Country #2250854, 686-9888
MASSAGE American Style massage services- Call:678-7499 One two storey newly built house situated at Section A Diamond, Price $70,000 & $60,000 – Contact Numbers: 223-4281; 678-4072.
LAND FOR SALE
to the people of Guyana to justify their sluggish and lackluster attitude towards doing the job they have been duly elected to do by the people of Guyana. “This kind of callous, thoughtless and detached behaviour by the Joint Opposition towards its electorate is not new as they continue to sabotage Guyana’s development… Their attempts to cut our National Budget are a prime example of their strategy to destabilize Guyana’s economy at all cost.”
Parfait Harmony1m,1.2m,1.5m,1.8m,2.5m @ Town - Country Call:2640140,264-0146,602-0011 Tuschen-1.5m, 1.8m, 2.5m, 3.5m (50x80-2m) - @ Town Country Call:264-0140,2640146,602-0011 Vreed-en-Hoop- 1.1 Acre13m, Diamond-4.5 with Foundation, 5m, 6m, 6.5m, Double lot 15m- Call:2640140,264-0146,602-0011 Lot 349 located in Craig Public Road EBD with river view – Price negotiable – Call: 690-9763; 695-6641; 602-0287. 32 Acres for sale, Lot 5 Content Mahaicony, E.C.D: US$175,000: Call:813-3194219: rpooran @tampabay.rr.com
EDUCATIONAL LAND FOR SALE House lot for sale on the West Bank of Demerara Harbour bridge in Harbourville contact # 6500402
CXC/CAPE classes for students and adults. Highly qualified teachers & CXC examiners - Call: 683-3887
Citrus farm at Yarrowkabra with over 300 bearing trees and creek running through - Call Paul at: 602-7740
Institute Academic Supremacy; East Street, 4 building before Balwant Singh Hospital – Forms 1-5, CXC, adults/classes - Call: 226-8468, 690-5008
Diamond / Grove: $3M, $4.5M, $7.5M, $10M, $9.5M, Samatta Point Land100x200 $4.5M Land with Foundation $5M Tel:661-0180
Nehemiah Comprehensive School; evening classes: Integrated Science, Human and Social Biology - Call: 226-0847 for more details.
Atlantic Ville 90x55 -14.5m, Crane H/Scheme 50x100 -4m, Moblissa Highway -1.4 (neg) @ Town to Country #2250854, 686-9888
Register now for CAPE Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics classes – Call:683-3887 (Continued on page 56)
Page 56
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
(From page 55) VEHICLE FOR SALE
PROPERTY FOR SALE
PROPERTY FOR SALE
FOR SALE
Toyota extra cab pick-up (22 R engine) manual, (EFI) 4×4, (GPP series) price $2.5MContact Rocky 621-5902/2251400
Parfait Harmony-$18.5M, $5.50M, $6.5M, $7.5M ,Herstelling-$12.5M @ Town to Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200
VERSAILLES: Furnished 5 bedrooms, self-contained rooms, modern facilities, generator, beautiful landscape, gated community- Call:592-6248704/592-684-9203
One registered Yamaha R1 motorcycle. In immaculate condition. Price:$1,100,000 – Tel:600-3177
AT212 Carina (private), automatic, fully powered, A/ C, CD player, price $1.350Mcontact Rocky:225-1400 or 621-5902 Mitsubishi Pajero (Immaculate condition); automatic, fully loaded, 4×4, price $2.8M- Contact Rocky:225-1400 or 621-5902 1 Toyota AE 100 Sprinter; automatic, fully powered magrims – Price: $850,000 – Contact Rocky – 621-5902; 225-1400 Driven Auto Sales: New Arrivals Sale – Unregistered fully loaded Toyota Sienta $2,250,000 & Madza Axela $2,350,000 – Tel:643-6565, 2269931 AE100 Toyota Corolla $610,000, Price negotiable – Tel: 677-4558 1.5 & 2 Tonne open back canter, power gate $2.4M, unregistered – Tel:617-2891 2008 Fielder – $2.7M, Premio$2.5M, Spacio $2.1M, Unregistered – Tel:617-2891 Cheapest- Premio, Pitbull, Manual Buses & HiluxCall:616-7635 HILUX SOLID AXLE PICKUPS, unregistered, in excellent condition – Call:6912077 BUY/SELL VEHICLES OR PROPERTY; SAVE TIME + MONEY USING PHOTO ADS – WWW.GYTRADER.COM ; TEL:651-4300, 670-4300
Enmore-$25M, Eccles-$35M (neg),$10M (neg),$32M (neg) @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854, 2250843, 672-7390, 616-3200 Charlestown-$32M, $33M (neg), Medea Brook- $38M, $65M (neg) @ Town Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Ogle Aiport-$65M (neg) $45M (neg) $30M (neg) @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 South Ruimveldt- $29M (neg), Henry Street- $32M (neg) @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854, 2250843,672-7390, 616-3200 Prashad Nagar - $40M (neg), $65M (neg), $126M (neg) @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Republic Park -$34M (neg), $42M (neg), $30M (neg) Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Mandela Ave -$17.5M, Monrepo; Newly Built $14M, $39M @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843, 672-7390, 616-3200 Belair-48m (neg),65m (neg),55m (neg) @ Town Country Real Estate Tel#2250854, 2250843, 6727390, 616-3200 Robb & King-1.6US (neg), North Road-1.7 US (neg) @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Sheriff Street Double Lot$1.6US (neg) @ Town Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200
PROPERTY FOR SALE 2 Storey business premises: 94 Campbell Avenue, C/Ville- Call:6808857/647-300-4294 Thomas Cumming Burg90m, Independence Bolvard17 (neg) @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854, 2250843,672-7390, 616-3200 Parfait Harmony5.5m,6.5m,7.5m,10.5m,18.5mTown to Country Tel#2640140, 264-0146, 602-0011, 6104570 La Grange-26m,30m,32mTuschen-22.5m,28.5m,29mTown to Country Tel#2640140, 264-0146, 602-0011, 6104570
Lildendall-37 (neg)-Huston Gated Community-120m (neg) @ Town - Country Real E s t a t e Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Lamaha gardens-,68m (neg),77m (neg),125m, 136m (neg) @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854, 2250843,672-7390, 616-3200 Benn Street19m(neg),double lot 25m(neg) @ Town Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Coven Den Road to River 37m (neg) @ Town - Country Real Estate Tel#2250854, 2250843,672-7390,616-3200
One - two storey 3 bedrooms house @ Montrose ECD, Price negotiable. Serious enquiries only! - Tel: 619-6005 Diamond - $6.2M, Alberttown - $35M, Kitty - $30M, AA Eccles - $60M - Call Diana: 227-2256; 626-9382 Prime 2- storey concrete building dimensions 80x23, 6 bedrooms, 2 master bedrooms @ Leonora opposite to Primary School Tel: 652-0709; 268-3572 Large two flat 6 bedrooms house - $14M negotiable Tel:604-4174; 619-5332 Light St Front Property in good condition & parking $25M. 5 Bedrooms house @ South & parking – $30M – Call Diana: 227-2256; 626-9382 Property for sale- Call:6275416 Property for sale- Contact: 699-9926 192 Lance Gibbs Street Queenstown – Tel:667-7659 Benn Street - $5.5M, Highway – 50 acres from road to river – Call Diana: 227-2256; 626-9382 Incomplete transported property @ Diamond Housing Scheme - Call: 6093426; 683-6920 Prime commerical property, Albertown, 3 lots with business, (Nut Centre) price negotiable. Tel 621-4000; 2273939 1st Bridge Grove $14.5M, 6th Street Diamond - $28M, Public Rd Lenora - $58M, Parafait – $19M, Mon-repos - $14M Tel:661-0180 Kitty- $50M (neg), $30M (neg), $55M (neg) @ Town to Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Diamond-$7.5M, $13M, Main road $25M, $28M(neg) @ Town to Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 $32M (neg) Little DiamondSophia-$14M, $8.5M @ Town to Country Real Estate Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Essequibo 93x22- 37m (neg), 38m @ Town - Country Real E s t a t e Tel#2250854,2250843,6727390,616-3200 Versailles-65, 110m, 120m, Patentia-28m, Enmore-25m @ Town-Country Tel#264-0140, 264-0146, 602-0011, 610-4570
Complete 50" fishing boat with two 48Hp Yamaha engine, 450 LB 2¾ in sain & ice box – Contact:220-0410; 695-9860 Original Games- Call:6722566 Games PS2 $900, PSP $900, X-Box 360 $2600 & PS3 $2600- Call:672-2566 1 Raum PMM - $1.4M, 2006 Hyundai Tuscon Jeep $3.5M, negotiable - Tel: 6716051 1 TATA Truck GEE 9962 – Contact:629-9286; 219-2395 Beautiful fluffy puppies Call: 645-0240; 685-0942 2-50 Feet fishing boats complete with 400 LBS bangamary nets, 2-48 Yamaha engines. Call:2202259; 220-9325; 220-3133 Diesel Generator, 3 cylinder Lister pitter (England) key start, 15kva, $750,000 cash or credit 227-3939, 621-4000 Chicken Hatchery (Robbins), 28,000 eggs capacity fully ready, $6M or credit available Tel: 227-3939; 621-4000 Generac Generator 15kva, portable, $550,000 cash or credit available Tel 227-3939, 621-4000 Clarke forklifts 2000, 3000, 4000 Lb, lifting capacity make an offer Tel: 227-3939, 6214000 Diesel Generator silent 28kva SDMO John Deere engine, missing Fuel Pump, Panel, Avr make offer 227-3939, 621-4000 73" 3D TV Mitsubishi Like new make offer 227-3939, 6214000 60FT Antenna (Mass) for Radio, TV, Cellular, with cables, brackets, sky light make offer 227-3939, 621-4000 Pups for sale – mixed with French and Tibetian Terrier – Call:696-7467 Cheapest Iphones!!! – Tel: 626-2771 Cheap earth delivery to spot E.C.D and E.B.D- Call:6279977, 698-0182 Clean Garden Earth & builders waste also Bobcat rental, excavating, clearing and leveling done- Call:6160617 or 663-3285 1 Used 3304 Caterpillar engine, diesel injecter tester – Call:645-0279; 624-2561 Cummings fuel pump PC type for logging truck and injectors – Call:645-02-79; 624-2561
VACANCY Pump Attendant at Shell Service Station Providence, E.B.D. Must be able to work shift (5am-3pm & 3pm12pm)- Call:265-7305
SERVICES Professional and affordable landscaping and tree trimming services. Budram’s Landscaping ServicesCall:656-1326/678-0058
Canter Drivers & Porters from East Coast & EBD, Male Security Guards for Land of Canaan location. 266 4427
Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call:2259032,647-2943
2 Female sale Clerks must be between18-25. Tel:679-9449; 231-3059. People’s Choice Café
We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer call:2310655,683-8734 Omar
Vacancy exists for 1 experienced Accountant & Accounts clerk with 5 years experience. Apply @ Alabamba Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling.
Repairs to Fridge, Freezer, AC, Washers, Stoves: Call 683-1312,627-3206 (Nick)
Vacancy exist for one experienced cosmetologist on the EBD ( Grove) Contact: Ms Rashrie call:652-5800
Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call:225-6496,6626045,223-8115
Garden maintenance staff needed for Landscape Company 18-28 years. No education necessary - Tel: 648-1821 Skilled carpenters & apprentice, salesboys & girls. Apply: In person to Avinash Water St. Canter Drivers & Porters fromECD&EBD,Male Security Guards for Land of Canaan location, accommodation available. 266 4427 Gardener/ handyman$20,000 per week to work in New Providence must know to operate weeding machine - Contact: 265-7550 Domestic /cook with Carnegie training - $2,500 per day to work in New Providence Contact: 265-7550
HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING FOR ONLY $10,000CALL:694-9843/227-2766
Christmas cleaning! Power washing for residential & commercial properties - Call: 648-1544 Professional and affordable landscaping and tree trimming services. BUDRAM’S LANDSCAPING SERVICES - Call: 656-1326; 678-0058 North East Taxi Service – For best rates, 24hrs Service, 280 Savage Street, North East La Penitence – Tel:227-8856; 231-3567 We Refill HP cartridges for $1800 call: 650-7699 Computer Technician: Home and office visits at your comfort!! Brian Moe@6423543/ FB:Brian.Moe.165
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman & Sons Driving School , First Federation Building Call 225-4858, 6445166,622-2872,615-0964 CAR RENTAL Premio, vitz call: 679-7139 Dolly’s Car Rental- Call: 2257126/ 226-3693- dollysauto rental@yahoo.com/ www.dollysautorental.com SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773 Celebrity Look Beauty Salon: hair and nail stations to rent. Hair - $6,500 and nail - $4,000. Contact Leoita: 602-2337
Aidan’s Car Rental & PickupCall: 645-7981/ 698-7807 First Choice Car Rental: Cars as low as $5,000 per dayCall: 668-0306/ 694-7817/ 2256337 Untouchable Car Rental Tel:621-6827; 226-9668 Fab’s Rental: Cars to RentCall: 671-6051/609-6890
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox The Attorney General substitutes his second-hand... From page 6 2) (1990) 1 AC at p. 283, in support of Lord Goff ’s statement said: “Finally, I wish to observe that I can see no inconsistency between English law on this subject and article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This is scarcely surprising, since we may pride ourselves on the fact that freedom of speech has existed in this country perhaps as long as, if not longer than, it has existed in any other country in the world. The only difference is that, whereas article 10 of the Convention, in accordance with its avowed purpose, proceeds to state a fundamental right and then to qualify it, we in this country (where everybody is free to do anything, subject only to the provisions of the law) proceed rather upon an assumption of freedom of speech, and turn to our law to discover the established exceptions to it.” The European Court itself has accepted that in appropriate circumstances legal restrictions may be imposed on the press and other media to protect the authority of the judiciary to ensure that the public has confidence in the capacity of the Courts to provide a proper forum for the settlement of litigation. See Sunday Times v. U.K. (1979) 2 EHRR 245 (at paras. 55, 61 and 65) . In Worm v. Austria (1997) 25 EHRR 454 the Court adopted and applied the principle in the Sunday Times v. U.K. case and found that the conviction of a journalist for writing an article accusing a former politician of guilt was a justifiable interference with the Applicant’s freedom of expression which served the legitimate aim of upholding the authority and impartiality of the judiciary. In my earlier letter published in the Stabroek News, I referred to a passage from the judgment of Lord Denning in A.G. v. Times Newspaper (1973) 1 AER 815 at p. 822, which reads : “It is undoubted law that when litigation is pending and actively in suit before the Court, no one shall comment on it in such a way that there is a real and substantial danger of prejudice to the trial of the action. I regard it as of the first importance that the law which I have just stated should be mentioned in its full integrity. We must not allow trial by newspaper or trial by
television or trial by any medium other than the Courts of law.” Mr. Nandlall claims that I did not continue to refer to certain passages from Lord Denning’s judgment which are at page 822. In the said passages, Lord Denning was dealing with the principle relating to “the interest of the public in matters of national concern, and the freedom of the press to make fair comment on such matters,” he said: “There may be cases where the subject matter is such that the public interest counter balances the private interest of the parties. In such cases the public interest prevails.” There was nothing in the subject matter raised by Mr. Nandlall’s two letters which could be regarded as one of “national interest” or “national concern” to counter-balance the private interest of the parties. At page 822 Lord Denning described the Thalidomide case as one of the greatest public interest, and the “Thalidomide children are the living reminders of a “national tragedy.” Although Lord Denning was of the opinion that the Thalidomide case was one of public interest, which counter-balanced the private interest of the parties “authorizing the press to make fair comment,” he was at pains to emphasise that the press “must get their facts right and keep their comments fair.” Continuing at p. 822, he said: “Nearly 12 years have passed and still no settlement has been reached. On such a matter the law can and does authorize the newspapers to make fair comment so long as they get their facts right and keep their comments fair, they are without reproach. Our law of contempt does not prevent
comment before the litigation is started, nor after it has ended, nor does it prevent it when the litigation is dormant and is not being actively pursued. It is active litigation which is protected by the law of contempt, not the absence of it. All my references to Lord Denning’s judgment in the Times Newspapers case were made from the Law Reports not from his “due process of law” as alleged by Mr. Nandlall. Mr. Nandlall’s bold contention that by prohibiting the publication of public records of a company in the Guyana Times Newspaper, the Judge fell into error because that is a matter of “national importance” and of “national interest” which could be equated with the Thalidomide “national disaster” is without merit and his “quintessential issue” is therefore a non-essential issue which is otiose. That issue was conveniently raised to gain entry into the ‘arena’ with the sole and predominant purpose under the cover of being the “protector of the public legal interest and defender of the Constitution,” to paint “a wrong and incomplete picture of the Judge’s Order. One must consider whether the words used by Mr. Nandlall have the tendency to scandalize the Court and bring it into disrepute? In the circumstances, it is improper, distasteful and undignified for the Attorney General in such a cavalier and irresponsible manner to seek to substitute his at best partial, second-hand information for the considered decision of the judge. Propriety and taste being personal traits, it is up to Mr. Nandlall to decide whether he is disposed to making the apology. REX H. Mc KAY, S.C.
Page 57
Page 58
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
T&T muslim group sends warning to political parties PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – A Muslim group has warned political parties in Trinidad and Tobago that they should desist from using Islam and Muslims as pawns in the fight to gain political dominance here. “If these parties continue along this path; the face of politics as we know it would change... A change we are not prepared to endure,” the Islamic Front said in a statement yesterday. The statement followed the controversy over the election of Mayor for the city of Chaguanas in Central Trinidad after the United National Congress (UNC), the biggest partner in the coalition People’s partnership government, the newly formed Independent Liberal party (ILP) of former national security minister Austin “Jack” Warner and the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) won the same number of seats in the 12-member Council. However the deadlock was broken after the ILP councilor Faaig Mohammed broke ranks and sided with the UNC amid allegations that he had received money in exchange for his vote. Mohammed, who was elected to head one of the committees of the Chaguanas Borough Council, has denied the allegation made by the ILP, but he has since been expelled from the party. The Islamic Front, which claims to have a membership of 200 and ties with Muslim groups regionally and internationally, said it “has been observing the behavior of this country’s politicians in particular those of the ILP and UNC and is not impressed. “The Islamic Front has always maintained a neutral position when it comes to politics and has vowed to work along lines of righteousness and sincerity with whichever party holding the reins of power, with the honest intent to bring about justice, fairness, peace and lawfulness in this Twin Island State of ours.” The group said it was sending a warning to all political parties “in particular Jack Warner and his ILP party to stop and desist from using Islam and Muslims as pawns in their fight to gain political dominance”. Speaking on a radio programme here, a
Yasin Abu Bakr spokesman for the group denied that the group was intending to engage in any criminal activity, saying it was instead urging civil disobedience. In 1990, the Jamaat Al Muslimeen group led by Yasin Abu Bakr sought to overthrow the then government of Prime Minister ANR Robinson. Bakr led more than more than 100 members in coordinated attacks on the Parliament and the lone television station on July 27. At least 24 people, including one legislator, Leo Des Vignes, were killed during the six day insurrection that ended on August 1.Bakr and his men were tried for treason, but the Court of Appeal upheld the amnesty offered to secure their surrender, and they were released. However, The London-based Privy Council, the country’s highest court, later invalidated the amnesty, but the Muslimeen members were not re-arrested. The coalition government of Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has since set up a Commission of Inquiry headed by the prominent Barbadian jurist, Sir David Simmons.
Bouterse defence lawyers deny his involvement in alleged terrorist plot PARAMRIBO, Suriname - CMC – Lawyers for Dino Bouterse have denied that their client was involved in any terror plot and have accused the United States of fabricating evidence against the son of Suriname’s President, Desi Bouterse. “Mr. Dino Bouterse is not, and never has been a supporter of any terrorist organization and never intended to render aid to such an organization. “The charges alleged in the indictment were initiated, instigated and invented by the United States government without any involvement of any terrorist or cartel organization and are an insult to our client and the good people of Suriname,” the lawyers said in a statement here. United States law enforcement
Dino Bouterse officials Friday announced that they had charged Bouterse of “attempting to support a terrorist organisation”. Manhattan District Attorney Preet Bharara said that Dino Bouterse, 41, who
is already facing cocaine and weapons trafficking charges, was planning to support the Hezbollah, the Shi’a Islamic militant group and political party based in Lebanon, in launching attacks on the United States. “Today we add an additional charge of attempting to support Hezbollah to Dino Bouterse’s alleged crimes connected to a cocaine-smuggling conspiracy. We will be relentless in our efforts to pursue and prosecute those who seek to support terrorist organizations,” he added. If found guilty of the terrorism charge, the President’s son could face 15 years in prison, in addition to the mandatory minimum term of 40 years in jail if he is convicted on the weapons and illegal drugs charges.
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Egypt to expand Russia cooperation after fall out with US: FM Cairo (AFP) - Egypt will expand cooperation with Russia in the wake of a diplomatic spat with long-time ally the United States following President Mohamed Mursi’s overthrow, Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said yesterday. The foreign minister, in an interview with AFP, was speaking ahead of a visit on Wednesday by Russia’s defence and foreign ministers to discuss arms sales and political relations. Fahmy said strained relations with Washington, which suspended some of its massive military aid to Cairo after the army toppled Morsi, had improved with Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit last Sunday. But Egypt is taking a more “independent” tack and broadening its choices, he said. “Independence is having choices. So the objective of this foreign policy is to provide Egypt with choices, more choices. So I’m not going to substitute. I’m going to add,” he said. “I see this as a beginning of a new phase,” he said. Kerry’s visit “left better sentiments here in Egypt,”
Fahmy said of the visit just a day before Morsi went on trial for inciting the killings of protesters. “It does not mean everything has been resolved. It does not mean there won’t be hiccups in the relationship in the future,” Fahmy said, speaking in his office on the banks of the Nile River. Egypt had close ties with Russia until several years before president Anwar Sadat made peace with Israel in 1979, bringing in roughly $1.3 billion in yearly US military aid over the subsequent decades. Turning to domestic issues, Fahmy said the deadly tumult that swept Egypt after the Mursi’s overthrow in July had decreased, but “it will take time for it to subside completely.” No success in reconciling with Brotherhood More than 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, have died in clashes and thousands been arrested in a harsh crackdown on Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood following his overthrow. Informal mediation attempts with the Muslim Brotherhood have failed because of the Islamists’
Nabil Fahmy intransigence, Fahmy said. “There have been attempts to engage Muslim Brotherhood leaders, yes,” Fahmy said, citing an attempt by intellectual Kamal Abul Magd to mediate between the government and the Islamists, which went nowhere. “And there have been other informal attempts,” he added. “We don’t yet see a clear commitment from the Muslim Brotherhood that they want to be part of a 21st century modern Egypt that is inclusive to all people, and that can be done peacefully,” he said. For now, a 50-member panel appointed by the militaryinstalled government is preparing a new constitution, which could possibly be put to a referendum next month, paving the way for parliamentary and presidential elections.
Massive destruction’ as typhoon kills at least 1,200 in Philippines, says Red Cross T A C L O B A N , Philippines (Reuters) - One of the strongest typhoons ever to make landfall devastated the central Philippines, killing more than 1,000 people in one city alone and 200 in another province, the Red Cross estimated yesterday, as reports of high casualties began to emerge. A day after Typhoon Haiyan churned through the Philippine archipelago in a straight line from east to west, rescue teams struggled to reach far-flung regions, hampered by washed out roads, many choked with debris and fallen trees. The death toll is expected to rise sharply from the fastmoving storm, whose circumference eclipsed the whole country and which late yesterday was heading for Vietnam. Among the hardest hit was coastal Tacloban in central Leyte province, where preliminary estimates suggest more than 1,000 people were killed, said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, as water
surges rushed through the city. “An estimated more than 1,000 bodies were seen floating in Tacloban as reported by our Red Cross teams,” she told Reuters. “In Samar, about 200 deaths. Validation is ongoing.” She expected a more exact number to emerge after a more precise counting of bodies on the ground in those regions. Witnesses said bodies covered in plastic were lying on the streets. Television footage shows cars piled atop each other. “The last time I saw something of this scale was in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami,” said Sebastian Rhodes Stampa, head of the U.N. Disaster Assessment Coordination Team sent to Tacloban, referring to the 2004 earthquake and tsunami. “This is destruction on a massive scale. There are cars thrown like tumbleweed and the streets are strewn with debris.” The category 5 “super typhoon” weakened to a category 4 on Saturday, though forecasters said it could
strengthen again over the South China Sea en route to Vietnam. Authorities in 15 provinces in Vietnam have started to call back boats and prepare for possible landslides. Nearly 300,000 people were moved to safer areas in two provinces alone - Da Nang and Quang Nam according to the government’s website. The Philippines has yet to restore communications with officials in Tacloban, a city of about 220,000. A government official estimated at least 100 were killed and more than 100 wounded, but conceded the toll would likely rise sharply. The national disaster agency has yet to confirm the toll but broken power poles, trees, bent tin roofs and splintered houses littered the streets of the city about 580 km (360 miles) southeast of Manila. The airport was nearly destroyed as raging seawaters swept through the city, shattering the glass of the airport tower, leveling the terminal and overturning nearby vehicles.
Page 59
Page 60
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 61
“India v West Indies Test No. 1 – What an embarrassingly shambolic display by West Indies!” Not as a former West Indies cricketer who always gave 100%, or a bowler once rated No. 1 in the world – my cricketing experiences can be referenced – but as a Caribbean person, I am terribly, totally, embarrassed, angry too, at West Indies dismal, shambolic loss to India in Test No. 1. Did anyone who honestly supports West Indies, not shouters, soup-catchers, yespersons, bell-ringers and ubiquitous hangers-on, enjoy that? India is laughing at us, beaten in just three days by an innings and 51 runs! Whenever I objectively critique West Indies, as in Champions Trophy 2013, when our cricketers at the crease seemed unable to understand or appreciate Duckworth-Lewis calculations, even as they were high-lighted on the score-board, I am normally ostracized, even directly threatened with banishment from West Indies cricket. We lost then, eliminated from the competition, from a winning position! So, as actor Dan Ackroyd succinctly suggested in one of my most favorite movies, ‘Trading Places’: “If that the way they want it, no problem!” LIFE GOES ON! While not taking myself too seriously or importantly, I have survived everything thrown at me, despite extremely severe external stimuli. I will continue to do so, with God’s help. But I definitely will not, being fit, and fully cognizant at age 60, lie, especially not to myself! So, with knowledge that this messenger will probably
Shane Shillingford bowls. (BCCI)
Colin E. H. Croft says:
Sheldon Cottrell salutes towards the dressing room after claiming Cheteshwar Pujara as his maiden Test wicket. (BCCI) be killed, again, universally hated, metaphorically – I must be Dracula - and this message not heeded, I say this: Facts: West Indies 2nd innings batting effort was as desperately poor as I have seen in Test cricket, and I have been watching Tests since, as a 12 year old, witnessing Australia’s tour to West Indies 1965. Most of West Indies bowling too, despite offspinner Shane Shillingford’s Herculean input – 55-9-167-6 - was just pop-corn stuff! How did India get from 6156 to 453? Good batting from Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin and also obnoxious West Indian bowling!
West Indies batted, 2nd innings, just over ODI limits 50 overs – on a perfectly placid pitch, lasting only 54.1 overs, for 168, in two sessions’ play. Shillingford alone bowled more overs than West Indies batted 2nd dig! Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Mandrekar tweeted: “It is so pleasing to see a seam bowler, (Mohammed Shami), not a spinner, win a Test for India in typical Indian conditions!” 140 characters were never so damning! Where were team resolve, determination and occupation-of-the-crease acuity of our vaunted batsmen? Had it not been for Marlon Samuels, 1st innings, and Shiv
A dismal failure by the GFF Executive – FIFA World Cup ... From page 62 intervals, preferably at the National Stadium, Providence, with a seating capacity of 15,000, instead of the extremely small Thirst Park Ground, for argument’s sake about cost factor in renting the stadium. It is either a nominal entrance fee could have been charged, with a complimentary Coca-Cola, as a promotional interest. Or the government could have asked through the relevant Ministry to waiver the cost of rental. It’s still beyond my imagination that the GFF President instead of fine
tuning arrangements for the trophy’s arrival the evening before was more interested in his “personal agenda” of campaigning within clubs on the West Demerara ahead of its AGM. This was to ensure that the individual, who voted for him at the GFF’s AGM be elected as the President instead of a GFF Vice President who by far have more clout nationally. Yes indeed! “A new dispensation in the development of the sport”. And to crown the dismal failure of the GFF Executive, youths were involved in novelty football events; who
are the youths and which clubs are they from? How hypocritical that no association has a structured youth development plan in place, but yet still their involvement is essential! By the way, were any pennants with the GFF logo presented to the accompanying delegation of the World Cup, Chairman of Banks DIH Ltd, PRO, local Marketing Manager CocaCola, His Excellency President Donald Ramotar and the Hon. Minister, of Sports? Respectfully Yours, Lester Sealey.
Chanderpaul, 2nd, our embarrassment would have been greater. This is not about not playing many long games recently anymore. This is more about our representatives obviously not being able to think for more than a few hours on end. Even captain Darren Sammy confirmed that! West Indies 1st innings lasted less than entire Day 1. Test cricket lasts five days. Required cranial energies must last that long too! With associated personnel in dressing rooms nowadays – it must be like carnival in there now – where is that vital ingredient, a batting coach who knows how to teach necessary mental elements of batting, and physical skills, required for strength and resilience? West Indies were dismissed by a fast bowler –
Shami; magnificent; match figures 9-118 – on a pitch that supposedly gave West Indies’ fast bowlers no assistance at all. Tino Best had 17-0-711; Sheldon Cottrell 18-3-721. With time and effort, debutant Cottrell may do okay. Best was extremely atrocious, and must be past his “sell-by” date now, out-bowled by Cottrell, which does not say much. Stupid on-the-field antics do not a fast bowler make! If I had played this Test, and had Best’s experience and figures – 21 Tests; only 48 wickets – amazingly, just over 2 wickets per Test, for a front-line bowler, I would have thought that my place in the team had to be in jeopardy, that I needed to perform, not just be some jackass on the field playing up to the crowd.
I would also have been ashamed to have been seen to be so innocuous when another was so brilliant. That is why I almost always out-bowled my more illustrious fast bowling partners when I played Tests! CHECKIT! One gets the impression that all West Indies at Kolkata was trying to do was to be nice! Test cricket is not a beauty contest, not for babies, nor a joke. It is tantamount to war, fighting for 7 million people! Similarly angering was anothe r f o r m e r Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar, c o n d e s c e n d i n g , patronizing and disingenuous, suggesting that West Indies always played the game in the right spirit, wonderful to say when your team wins. WHAT CRAP! Gavaskar seems to have selective memory! He, his captain, Bishen Singh Bedi and team, on surrendering that Test to West Indies; Jamaica 1976; openly called West Indian fast bowlers Wayne Daniel, Vanburn Holder and Michael Holding terrorists, hooligans and anim a l s w h e n t h e y decimated India, half of India’s team injured from debilitating body blows, unable to bat. Yes, I am angry and have a right to be! This latest debacle was terrible representation, and quite embarrassing too. Enjoy, or not!
RCBG boxing card in Berbice rescheduled to November 30 Organisers of the one night boxing competition arranged by former national amateur and professional boxing champion, Jeff Roberts and his newly formed Roberts Champion Boxing Gym (RCBG), has been forced to reschedule the event. The card was scheduled for last night at the Matthew Allen (Stelling Road) in New Amsterdam Berbice, but has been pushed back to 30th November. This was due to circumstances beyond the promoter’s control. Roberts told the media
that at the last moment he was told that he had to get a number of paper work done. He tried desperately, but was unsuccessful. There are 12 bouts on the card which was expected to feature boxers from RCBG of New Amsterdam and the Rose Hall Jammers boxing gym of Corentyne showing off their skills against fighters from Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Harpy Eagle (HE) and Forgotten Youth Foundation in what was dubbed ‘Berbice verses Georgetown.’ Among some of the boxers
that are expected to highlight the activity are the three boxers that represented Guyana at the recently concluded inaugural Junior South American Games in Peru in Flyweight Michael April (52kg), Junior Middleweight Travis Fraser(69kg) and Bantamweight Joel Williamson (56kg) all fighting under the banner of the RCBG. While others like Jamal Eastman, Tyrone Lashley, Keon Williams and Albert Thomas are also expected to perform. Roberts regrets any inconvenience caused. (Samuel Whyte)
Page 62
Kaieteur News
Letter to the Sports Editor
Kashif & Shanghai responds to Kaieteur News Article of Thursday November 7, 2013 Dear Editor, Please permit me space in your print or electronic media publication to respond on behalf of the Kashif & Shanghai Organisation out of respect to all other Secondary Schools being omitted from this year’s tournament. As is often the case with many startup projects, we anticipate that our current adventure into a football tournament for Secondary Schools will probably not get off to a perfect start. It was much the same with the previous tournament. It crept before it walked. Over time, however, we refined our organisational procedures. Eventually the tournament became a memorable national event. This time around we expect that there will be organisational glitches at the startup stage. There will be times when we will have to take it on the chin. An article was published in the Thursday November 7th issue of the Kaieteur News even as we were
reflecting on the planning for the forthcoming Schools tournament. Our disclosures regarding the rules of the tournament were limited. Those limitations may have given rise to a measure of public comment. Our articulation of the rules governing participation in the tournament may not have been sufficiently clear to cause the New Amsterdam Technical Institute to understand that as a Vocational Institute rather than a Secondary School it cannot participate in the event. For the record, the event is limited to Secondary school participation. Other bona fide Secondary Schools have been left out of the tournament. The case of the Santa Rosa Secondary School is an example. This school has met all of the criteria for participation. Its exclusion has to do with the costs associated with bringing the team to Georgetown. After the final twenty four (24) teams had been selected we received an intervention to the effect that the Santa Rosa team was prepared to finance its own
transportation. It was of course too late to fit that team into the fixtures. To do so we would have had to increase participation levels to thirty two (32) teams, a decision that would have had significant financial implications. In cases where other teams from the interior regions of Guyana may have been left out of the tournament, we feel particularly regretful. We can do no more than express that regret and commit ourselves to striving for more fulsome participation in the future. No shortcoming has been a function of any deliberate act designed to insult or offend anyone. It is not unlikely that there may be other administrative slippages. That is the nature of this business. The assurance that we would wish to give to the other stakeholders in this event, the Ministry of Education, the various Secondary Schools, the players and the parents, is that we will strive to be worthy of the confidence that has been vested in us. Kashif Muhammad.
Letter to the Sports Editor
A dismal failure by the GFF Executive – FIFA World Cup visit DEAR EDITOR, The highly touted arrival of the FIFA World Cup for a historical first time in many Caribbean countries, with our own native land Guyana, included arrived on Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at the CBJ – International Airport Timehri, around 09:00hrs. Thereafter journeying to Thirst Park, the sprawling complex of Banks DIH Limited, the local franchise holders of Coca-Cola, the official sponsor of the World Cup’s 267 days of travel, covering 89 countries. Editor, on a scale of 1-10 the GFF Executive I would grade - One for its failure in meaningfully representing the nation’s interest as an affiliate of FIFA, CONCACAF and CFU. Moreover, when it’s taken into serious consideration that nationalistic values were overshadowed by “cronyism, i n e p t i t u d e , unprofessionalism and a lack of vision” in showcasing Guyana and by extension the GFF as a parent body! But while “Nero fiddles Rome burns” albeit the GFF consumed in its own arrogance, which was displayed as a “badge of honour”.
Whereby, were the relevant sub-committees activated to avoid the ‘F’ grade? How many meetings were held internally, before and after consultations with the Coca-Cola franchise holder? Suffice, it to say that in “giving Jack his jacket” former GFF President, Colin Klass would have never allowed such an auspicious occasion by Guyanese standards to be a Coca-Cola thing! That our nation’s World Cup achievements in reaching the third round would have entailed local players attired in national uniform accompanied by the Managerial and Coaching staff, along with two top three representatives of each World Cup team Guyana participated in and definitely not foregoing Coaches, Managers and Physical trainers. How absurd was it for Charles “Lily” Pollard, a former national player with 17 years of national representation and a member of the Golden Jaguars that was eliminated at the third round, in the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers not receiving an official invitation. And so too was the previous GFF Executive,
inclusive of Klass; President, Guyana Olympic Association; Presidents and Secretaries of Associations and Affiliates of the GFF. In addition to sponsors of the Golden Jaguars and representatives of the transportation and hotel sectors along with the Media personnel. In compiling such a list of invitees I could not have envisaged it surpassing 80 persons, if so much. Finally, with the Christopher Matthias led Executive of the Guyana Football Federation, clearly displaying a lack of vision; the GFF and by extension the nation of Guyana, would be viewed internationally as coordinating the worst reception and showcasing of the FIFA World Cup within CFU. A GFF/Coco-Cola Programme of activities should have included a Corp of Drums upon the officials deplaning; displays of the FIFA and GFF flags; a rendition of the FIFA Anthem by the MCY&S National Steel Orchestra; a Dance segment by the National School of Dance and a Majorette display. All of which should have been done at specific
Sunday November 10, 2013
Letter to the Sports Editor
Who will bell the cat, Mr. Sam? DEAR EDITOR, Our government has already spent a princely sum in developing a comprehensive plan for sports development, which includes schools. Unfortunately it is sitting on the proverbial shelf gathering dust. Members of the private sector are stepping up to fill the financial void that our government has allowed to exist where sports development is concerned. This is even with the lack of true incentives such as tax credits and deductions for charitable contributions to sports and other community development activities. Comprehensive schools soccer programmes, such as the one implemented by the Guyana Sports Development Foundation (GSDF), provides specific consideration of the whole-person development of the students involved. This is achieved by insisting that there is a minimum grade requirement for participants in the Scotia Bank/Pepsi School Football Academy Programme. Students are also given the opportunity to train as assistant referees and use Laws of the Game for CXC/ CSEC exams. In the interest of overall soccer development, extensive time is spent training the coaches and providing coaching materials. Students have weeks of training prior to the start of the actual competition. Despite the amazing showing of the Guyana Lady Jaguars soccer team on the international stage in recent times, most soccer programmes/ tournaments do not include girls. The Guyana Lady Jaguars team was composed mainly of females of Guyanese parentage who are playing for colleges in the USA and Canada. This connection
between schools participation in sports and excellence in performance should not be dismissed lightly. The Scotiabank/Pepsi soccer academy programme under the auspices of the GSDF is the first and practically only schools soccer programme that caters to female soccer players. At least 12 players from the Scotiabank/Pepsi schools soccer academy programme were selected to represent Guyana in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup qualification. The lack of support and resources played a large part in the team’s dismal performance. The Scotia bank/Pepsi programme is geared to align sports with academics with the ultimate goal of producing well rounded individuals pursuing academic or sports later in life. The programme places a very strong emphasis on discipline resulting in the reduction of some of the social issues currently experienced in society. The involvement of parents is a critical component of this programme and students will be constantly reminded of their roles as models in their schools and communities. It was in 2009 that 2 members of the Allied Arts Department of the Ministry of Education met with the then president of the GSDF asking for the GSDF’s assistance to develop a schools’ football programme. The GSDF spent several months in formalizing a comprehensive plan involving various stakeholders including the Ministry of Education (MOE), Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Ministry of Sports (MoS). The first and only sponsors who saw the vision of this programme other than the GSDF were the Bank of Nova Scotia and Demerara Distilleries Limited
under the Pepsi Brand. They remain the only large sponsors to this programme after 3 years. The Proposal was discussed with the stakeholders mentioned, but although pledging support very little has been done to get the programme to realize its true potential. Since the inauguration of the programme in 2010 there has been quite a lot of attention to School football tournaments but not development programmes. We welcome your call to “put structure” in the schools’ football programme, but it should be the MOE taking the lead with strong support from the GFF who should be able to provide proper guidance for schools football development. It should be noted that prior to the first Scotia bank/Pepsi programme in 2010 there was no schools soccer for over 30 years and no government ministry involvement despite several invitations. The Ministry of Education should take the leadership role in bringing together the stakeholders who have steppedup to the ball field in schools soccer development, in order to devise that clear vision. As in so many other endeavors in Guyana, the interest of the common good is subjugated to personal ambitions and political expediencies. We also do our children a grave injustice by emphasizing the sound mind aspects of education while paying lip service to the sound body component. We at the GSDF have heard your call Mr. Sam and await your leadership in bringing the stakeholders together for development of the vision. In other words put your money......... Victor Wright, Secretary, GSDF
Raj Singh/DCB over-40 cricket
Kalib slams 93 as WCD Seals beat Lower EC Bulls by 9 wkts Abdur Kalib blasted an aggressive 93 as West Coast Demerara Seals defeated Lower East Coast Bulls by 9 wickets, at the Zeeburg Community Centre ground when the Raj Singh\ Demerara Cricket Board over-40 twenty overs competition continued on Thursday last. Batting first, the Bulls posted 189 for 3 with Latchman Yadram, Chitram Gangadin and Clifton Anderson leading the way with 54, 53 and 47 respectively. The Seals replied with 190-1 in 19.3 overs. Man-ofthe-match, Kalib hoisted eight sixes and slammed nine fours in his innings, while Basdeo
Persaud contributed an unbeaten 62. At the Enmore Community Centre ground, Upper East Coast Tigers overcame Upper East Bank Colts by 4 wickets. Colts took first crack only managing 118 for 7. Otis George top scored with 25 and Rohan Sarjoo chipped in with 20, as John Hardatt and Ramnarine Seebalak accounted for three wickets each. Upper East Coast Tigers overhauled the target in 19.5 overs, losing six wickets in the process. Rama Malone led the way with 33 and got support from Man-of-the-match John Hardatt who made 29. S.
Ramdeen took 2 for 11. Over at the Everest Cricket Club ground, Lower East Bank Lions humbled Georgetown Buffaloes by 46 runs. Batting first, Lions scored 173 for 9. Nigel Bissu top scored with 39, while Deonarayan Debidial and Ronald Jaisingh scored 31 apiece. Man of the Match, Fitzroy Colley stood out with the ball, snaring 5 for 9 off his two overs. In their reply, Buffaloes crumbled to 127 all out in 19.3 overs. S. Bentick scored 30, while Jaisingh and Latchman Persaud finished with figures of 3 for 10 each.
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 63
Thomas, Pierre in thriller as GBA Open boxing championships commences A brutal, no holds barred encounter between Dennis Thomas of the Guyana Police Force Boxing Gym (GPF) and his Guyana Defence Force (GDF) opponent, Markember Pierre, was one of the exceptional encounters that characterized a night of fistic fury when the curtains went up on the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) triple categories tournament at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, Friday evening last. Ten bouts were listed in several categories including the elites (male and female) and the juniors, and while there were several no shows and as many lackluster affairs, the sparse crowd was treated to several action packed encounters that compensated somewhat for those bouts. Thomas and Pierre clashed in the middleweight division of the senior elite category and from the first gong it was apparent that the two had a grudge to settle with each other. Thomas, just
back from the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan, unleashed a two fisted attack that had his shorter foe swaying like a ship on an angry sea. Pierre did well to withstand the early assault and retaliated with several looping punches that pushed Thomas backwards. The Police representative quickly reasserted himself and a right cross connected to Pierre’s temple and forced the referee to institute a mandatory 8 count. Pierre re-entered the fray but was subjected to another onslaught and a second count but despite being on tottery legs, managed to survive the round. A sustained body attack by Thomas had Pierre covering up early in the second round but in his anxiety to really hurt his man, Thomas attacked the body and went a mite low, striking his opponent to the groin. Pierre slid to the ground and was given a 5 minutes reprieve but inexplicably, the referee did not deduct a point
Craig (L) and Pierre engaged in a crowd pleasing exchange in the red corner
from Thomas’ score. When the fight resumed, Thomas resumed the onslaught but a courageous Pierre refused to quit and ended the round trading blows. Pierre looked the worst for wear with a tiny mouse under his left eye in the third round while Thomas appeared as though he could have easily
gone another three rounds. A confident Thomas utilized his jabs to keep his man at bay while converting wi t h looping lefts and rights. At the end of the bout, the judges concurred that Thomas was the more aggressive and voted in his favour. E a r l i e r, R e p u b l i c a n ,
Khemraj, Osborne guide Sans Souci to Mac T/20 title in Wakenaam O u t s t a n d i n g performances by Gurnauth Khemraj and Wayne Osborne guided Sans Souci to a 19- run victory over Good Success when the final of the Mac Twenty\20 cricket competition was played last Sunday at Wakenaam Community Centre ground. Sans Souci batted first and posted 144-9 in 20 overs with Gurnauth Khemraj top scoring with 51 not out while Wayne Osborne supported with 42. Vickram Ramnarine grabbed 3-13, Nazeer Mohamed and Imran Khan claimed 2-19 each. Good Success replied with 125 all out in 18 overs. Chandrika Ragnauth was their leading batsman with 30, while Jaggernauth Manbodh made 27; Derwin Daniels bagged 4-19 and Osborne 320. Sans Souci overcame Sans Souci Jaguars by 2 wickets in the first semifinal at the said venue. Jaguars took first strike and scored 127 all out in 18 overs. Zameer Zaman made 29 and Gladwyn Henry 25. Keval Persaud snared 218, Osborne 2-15 and Khemraj 2-20. Sans Souci responded with 128-8 in 17 overs. Oyono Sampson led with 49 while Khemraj returned to score 20. Moin Khan captured 2-15 and
Kurt Kendall turned in a courageous performance in the first round against Aquincy Harvey (GDF) but flattered to deceive after his opponent turned up the heat and forced him to call it quits in 53 seconds of the second round. Kendall started in a business-like manner but his exuberance caused him to break the rules and the referee deducted one point from his score for pushing. The Republican never seemed to be in the contest but he nevertheless kept on punching though his punches were ineffective. Harvey met him with a vicious body blow early in the second round and the Republican folded for the referee to commence the count and later wave the bout off when he realized that Kendall was too hurt to continue. The time was 53secs into the second frame. Bert Braithwaite (GDF)
also forced the referee to call a halt to his junior/ middleweight elite bout against another Republican, Clifton Graham. The fight was really a one sided affair with Braithwaite utilizing his vast experience to keep his opponent at bay. The end came at 1:29secs of the very first round after Braithwaite evaded a left jab and countered with several punches, one of which opened a small cut over Graham’s left eye forcing the referee to halt the one sided affair. Jamal Eastman (PRBG) started the n i g h t ’s proceedings in the 95-99lbs category with a technical knockout verdict over Dishon Allicock of the Essequibo Boxing Gym (EBG) in 1:27secs of the first stanza, while A l l i c o c k ’s g y m m a t e , Shaquille Wright, reversed the fortunes of his gym with a points win over Harpy Eagle representative, Timothy Evans in the 80-84lbs class. This bout was elevated to a final since those are the only two pugilists in this division. Lightweight, Stephan Gouveia (HE), engaged in a delightful slugfest against Clairmont Gibson (GDF) and eventually won the points verdict. The two walk over decisions went to Joshua Alexander (YA) over Orin Bancroft (HE) in the 1101 1 4 l b s class and Isaiah Moore (HE) against Darius Lyle (YA) in the 70-74lbs class. The boxers rested last night but returns tonight for the finals at the same venue.
Further support for Chico K&S Schools football tourney Members of the victorious Sans Souci team display their prizes in the presence of the sponosor Safraz Sherifudeen standing fifth from left (blue jersey). Zaman 2-17. Good Success made light work of Noitgedacht in the second semifinal winning by 8 wickets. Noitgedacht were skittled for 84 in 18 overs, batting first. Neil Ramalho 21 and Kemo Paul 20 were their leading batsmen as Vickram Ramnarine picked up 3-13, Nazeer Mohamed 2-19 and Imran Khan 2-20. Good Success reached their target
in 15 overs, ending on 85-2. Lokram Narine and Jaggernauth Manbodh scored 27 apiece with the former being unbeaten. Paul took 2-15. Osborne was given the man-of-the-match in final award, while Ramnarine received the prize for taking the most wickets and Sampson the trophy for the best batsman in the
competition. Both finalist collected trophies and Zeelandia SC took the fair play award. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, sponsor Safraz Sheriffudeen congratulated the winners and promised to continue with his sponsorship. Secretary of the Wakenaam Cricket Committee Nazeer Mohamed thanked the sponsor.
Additional encouragement for the youngsters involved in this year’s Chico Kashif and Shanghai Secondary Schools Football Tournament is continuing to come in following three latest donations. Senior Counsel Stephen Fraser and Basil Josiah donated Kindle Tablets, while Attorney-at-law Mark Waldron put up a trophy that will go to the best academically performing player involved in the tournament. The Kindles will go to deserving players who are successfully able to balance their academics and football. The attorneys decided to throw in the gifts as an encouragement to the youngsters involved to not only focus on sport but to ensure they do well at school because a sound education will benefit them in sport and after their sporting careers would have culminated. The organisers will disclose later the exact criteria for winning the gifts.
Page 64
Kaieteur News
Sunday November 10, 2013
St. Pius stays unbeaten en route to being crowned champions St. Pius clung tenaciously to a one-goal advantage for all of the second period to defeat West Ruimveldt 2-1 in a gripping final of the Petra Organization/Courts Guyana Pee Wee Schools Football Tournament which ended yesterday, at the Thirst Park ground. In the third place playoff, East La Penitence squeezed past last year’s beaten finalist Tucville 1-0. Witnessed by a large gathering, St. Pius captain Marcus Wilson, who was later voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, almost broke the deadlock in the 3rd minute after his booming right footed volley flew just over the crossbar. The stalemate however would be broken three minutes later through an own goal by West Ruimveldt’s goalkeeper Kyle Moffat as he inadvertently parried the ball
into his own net after denying a Kamacy Davis effort. It would soon be 2-0 after eight minutes when Wilson made amends for his earlier near miss with a fiercely struck right footed volley that beat the goalkeeper to his left. Instigating a three man passing attack within the final third between Davis and Beveney Mark, Wilson fired home his strike from outside the left side of the penalty area after collecting a pass from Davis. Wilson almost completed a brace 14th minute as his powerfully struck freekick crashed onto the crossbar and rebounded into play. Mark, who was kept quiet throughout the match almost found the back of the net in the 16th minute as his right footed strike from the left side of the Park was tipped around the right upright by the diving Moffat.
- East La Penitence edge Tucville for third place Clearly being outmuscled in possession by the superior size of St. Pius, West Ruimveldt managed to pull one back in the 19th minute as Ryan James placed his right footed effort to the lower right hand corner after evading his marker on the left side of the field. In what would be described as a gritty second period, James almost levelled proceedings in the 26th minute as his right footed volley from the left side of the pitch landed agonizingly just outside the upright. Wilson continued to torment the opposing backline, forcing Moffat to produce a brilliant save to deny him in the 38th minute with powerful flat effort from the right side that had to be tipped around the left upright just before the final whistle
Hamilton Green birthday football bash opens today at Tucville Mayor Hamilton Green 79th birth anniversary 7-aside Inter Ward/Village knockout football tournament opens today at the Tucville ground. Former National Coach, L e n n o x A r t h u r, h a s o r g a n i z e d t h e event to commemorate ‘Hammy’s’ contribution to the development of local sports. The action gets underway at 17:00hrs sharp and fans will be entertained with 12 matches; the organizer has said that while to date that number is guaranteed several others may also be contested.
When the action gets underway Bourda will take on North Sophia followed b y Wa l e s u p a g a i n s t Alberttown. Kuru Kururu will then play Ruimveldt, while Dekenderen clash with South Sophia. Bagotville then take on Leopold Street shortly before Plastic City tackle Tiger Bay. Other matches include Sara Lodge versus Charlotte Street, Goed Fortuin against Berlin, Stewartville ve r s u s M e a d o w B r o o k , Crane against North East La Penitence, Uitvlugt versus Newtown Kitty and Tu s c h e n v e r s u s K i t t y. Several leading players in
this format will be on show including Ernie Smith and Joshua Kamal. The tournament will be played on two additional days, November 19 and 24 and already several sponsors have indicated their support including Ricks and Sari, Macorp, GT&T, Chris Fernandes, Guyana Lottery Company, Eddy Grant, Trophy Stall, Bourda Market, New Thriving Restaurant and Giftland Office Max. The winning team pockets $100,000 while the runners up receive half that amount.
ECCCC, Fairfield clash in GT&T final today The Enmore Community Centre Cricket Club (ECCCC) and Fairfield Sports Club will clash in the final of the ECCCC organised, GT&T sponsored 35-over hardball cricket competition today at t h e E n m o r e Community Centre ground. The two teams earned the right to contest the final by virtue of winning their preliminary and semifinal matches of the eightteam competition. Action will bowl off at 11:00 hours, and apart from the on-field action, the ECCCC will stage a fundraising bar-b-que and beverage bar. Admission to the venue is free and executives of the Enmore club are urging fans of the home team to wear blue apparel as a show of support. The winning team
will receive $30,000 and a trophy, while the losing finalist will pocket $20,000 and a trophy. Among the individual awards are trophies for the Man-of-the-Match in the final, most runs, most wickets and most catches. Senior executives of GT&T are expected to witness the match and assist in the presentation of prizes at the conclusion. The ECCCC will depend on the likes of former national w i cketkeeper/batsman Sheik Mohamed, first-class leg-spinner Amir Khan and skipper Bheemraj Ramkellawan, while Fairfield will look to Tyrone English and Richard Chatura to lead their challenge. ECCCC squad reads: Bheemraj Ramkellawan,
Chaitram Ramlall, Sheik Mohammed, Javed Mohamed, Vishwanauth Ramlakhan, Ranjeet Hiralall, Nandram Ganesh, Satesh Jainarine, Ramdeo Basdeo, Junior Moriah, Yuvraj Dyal, Amir Khan, David Mahase, Sanjay Jainarine and Shairaz Ali. Jacob Persaud is the manager/coach. Fairfield squad reads: Sewedyal Naidu, Richard Chatura, Deonarine Chatura, Ramnarine Chatura, Walter Byrne, Tyrone English, Narine M a n g a l , M u s t a c S h a w, Wasim Mustapha, Denard Lovell, Alex Marshall, Leslie Tulsidass, Vishal Persaud, Troy Fazal, Karpaul George, Adrian Bandoo, Motelall Chatura, P r i n c e P o m p e y, M o h a n Bissoon and Leon Targoonchandra.
sounded. In the third place playoff, East La Penitence edged Tucville Primary 1-0 through a Leroy Sealey Yaw 33rd minute strike. In other results, St. Ambrose gained a walkover from Redeemer in their 15-16 fixture, while Ketley defeated J.E. Burnham 3-0 in their 1314 positional matchup. Tyrese James led the way with a double in the 39th and 40th minutes, while Yohance DeFlorimonte netted a solo effort in the 38th minute. In the battle for positions 11-12, St. Stephen’s edged Marian Academy 3-2 on penalty kicks following a nilall score line at the end of regulation time. North Georgetown led by an Oren Williams hat trick in the 14th, 25th and 30th minutes hammered South Ruimveldt 6-0 in their 9-10 placement engagement. Tariq Saunders netted a brace in the fourth and 12th minute, while Joshua Denny completed the score line with a 15th minute conversion. In the 7-8 fixture, Enterprise defeated St. Margaret 2-0 compliments of goals from Antonio Canterbury and Alpha Austin in the 19th and 36th minutes respectively. F.E. Pollard through a double from Cordell Charles
in the sixth and eight minutes defeated St. Gabriel’s 4-2 in their 5-6 matchup. Emmanuel Morris and Jeremiah Sookram added to the tally in the 19th and 30th minutes respectively. On target for the losers were Teon Forde and Raymond Bandhu in the 10th and 14th minutes respectively. In the presentation ceremony that followed the conclusion of the event, Chief Education Officer Olato Sam stated, “Thanks to Petra for coming up with the concept and thanks to Courts and Banks DIH for having the foresight and vision in making it a reality.” “They are the future of the national team. Thank you to the teachers but most importantly thank you to the parents and players for making this a reality.” added Sam. Banks Malta Supreme Brand Manager Clayton McKenzie said, “This was quite a successful event and I am very impressed with the skills the players possess. Banks are proud to be on board of this event and will continue to be going forward. Congratulations to the winners St. Pius.” Molly Hassan, Marketing Director of Courts said, “Courts is extremely proud to
sponsor the event. It’s an encouragement with the turnout of parents and teachers and with an investment of over $3,000,000, it was worth every cent and it will continue next year. For the win, St. Pius received the championship trophy, a complete team kit, winner’s medals, a $10,000 gift book voucher, 10 footballs and a flat screen television. West Ruimveldt for their showing received the runnerup trophy, silver medals, six balls and a flat screen television. East La Penitence collected the third place trophy, four balls, a $10,000 gift book voucher and a flat screen television, while Tucville pocketed the fourth place trophy, a $10,000 gift book voucher and a flat screen television. On the individual side, Wilson was adjudged to be e v e n t ’s m o s t v a l u a b l e p l a y e r, while Mark collected the highest goal scorer accolade with 13 goals. The best goalkeeper award went to Shamatiel Nicholas of St. Pius, while Wayne Ritchie of St. Pius collected the best coach award. East la Penitence’s Christine Boters was adjudged to be the most supportive parent while St. Stephens collected the most disciplined team award.
Injured Roach to return home, Gabriel his replacement MUMBAI, India – Fast bowler Kemar Roach has been ruled out of the remainder of the West Indies’ tour of India due to a shoulder injury. West Indies team physiotherapist C.J. Clark said it was an injury which is uncommon among cricketers. “Kemar has not made the expected recovery from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the first Test and he is returning to the Caribbean for ongoing management and subsequent physical rehabilitation,” said Clark. Shannon Gabriel has been selected to replace his fellow fast bowler and is expected to arrive in India in time for consideration for selection in the second Test which opens on Thursday at the Wankhede Stadium here. The 25-year-old Roach has been the bright spark in the West Indies attack over the last three years in particular. He has taken 85 wickets at 27.71 runs apiece in 23 Tests and has risen in the ICC Test bowling rankings to
Kemar Roach will pass the ball to Shannon Gabriel, who will replace him in India. (WICB) become the only West Indian in the Top-20 at 14th. “We’re sad to announce that Kemar has to return home to the Caribbean and will not have an opportunity on this tour, where we felt he could have made a major difference,” said West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson. West Indies trail 0-1 against in the series, following an innings and 51-run defeat inside three days in the first
Test that ended on Friday at Eden Gardens here. The second Test is also expected to be a grand affair in this city that is called home by India’s batting megastar Sachin Tendulkar, who will be playing his 200th and final Test for his homeland. The match will also mark the 150th Test for durable West Indies left-handed batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul. (WICB)
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 65
Tennis star, Sachia Vickery, interacts with local players Guyana Tennis Association (GTA), Grace McCalman was also at the function and thanked Ms Vickery for sharing quality time with the players. She said that tennis had been in the doldrums until 2000 when she joined with several other enthusiasts to
rekindle activities. “Sacha’s visit will surely boost the enthusiasm and bolster the fortunes of the sport,” said Ms McCalman. Sachia Vickery was 5 ½ when she Vickery watched Serena and her sister Venus on TV and decided to make
tennis her life goal. She even spent a summer with their dad Richard Williams as her coach. Those dreams are slowly coming to fruition and the young tennis star has vowed to continue in that vein all the way to her life dream.
Guyana Softball Cup 3
Wolf Warriors to battle Trophy Stall in open final
A young tennis player, Daniel Lopes, presents the lawn tennis star with a token while other members of the lawn tennis fraternity look on. From the tender age of 5 ½ Sachia Vickery told her mother, Paula Liverpool, she was going to be the next Serena Williams. She has not yet attained that feat but at a pleasantly ranked position of 182 in the world, Sachia, at just 18 years old, has already won the American U-18 title, clinched a wild card spot to the American Open Championships and is perched to accomplish her dreams. Sachia recently returned to Guyana and ever since has been on a tight schedule in
her mission to interact with local lawn tennis players and impart some of her knowledge. Yesterday afternoon she visited the GBTI Recreation Centre and Sports Club, Kaieteur Street, Bel Air Park, where she mingled with several of the nation’s junior players. She even found the time to engage some of them in short ‘knock ups’ and later admitted that the standard of play was encouraging. Later on, the lawn tennis star presented a set of gears to the players who returned the
NY Better Hope face Industry for over-45 title chivalry by presenting her with a token of appreciation. “You guys have played well; you can all be pros; work hard and you will be s u c c e ssful,” urged Ms Vickery. She also advised them to pay keen attention to their training sessions since it is here that players develop their skills. “Stamina is important,” she advised while intimating that her daily training schedule consist of at least 4 hours on the courts and another 90 minutes of jogging. First Vice President of the
All systems in place for the Bush Lot United Turf Club Horserace meet today All systems are in place for the much anticipated Bush Lot United Turf Club (BLUTC) one day horserace meet, which in being held in collaboration with Inshan Bacchus ‘Hard Running’s’Trucking Service and Nazrudeen “Jumbo Jet ‘Junior’ Mohammed, at the club’s entity Sea View Park Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice. Eight races are listed for the day and over 70 of the country’s top racehorses have registered to be part of the day’s action. Over $7 M in cash and prizes are up for grabs with the feature race slated for animals classified C and lower. Just a few days ago, the Ross stable flown in Rock Movie Star, which joins others that came in a week ago with the F and L stable bring in Money in Return and Some Legend, while the Jumbo Jet stable flown in Jack is my Style. They will all be running in the feature ‘C’ and lower 1400M event for a top first prize of $1M and trophy against the likes of Elle’s Vision, California Strike, Settle in Seattle, Got To Go, Grande de Roja, City Tune, Work Force, Swing Easy, Donut Prince, Who is on the Case, Force Entry, Zelick, and Africanist. The other events on the day’s programme are- F class and lower race over 1400M for a top prize of $400,000 and trophy. The three Year old event is for West Indies bred maiden and
Over 70 horses, $7M up for grabs Guyana bred open horses for a winners take of $400,000 and trophy over 1200M. A similar $400,000 and trophy is available for the winner of the event for two year old Guyana and West Indies Bred horses over 1200M. The G3 and lower event over 1200M is for a winning purse of $300,000 and trophy. The ‘I’ and lower event is another 1200M affair for a winning purse of$200,000 and trophy. The J and K class match up will see the winner pocketing $130,000 and trophy over 1400M. The newly added K and lower 1200M race has a winning take of $100,000 and trophy. Among some of the other horses expected to take part are California Strike, Dubai, Dutchess, Fresh Again, Damascus Dream,Ameera’s Joy, Silent Night, Unsettled, Majestic, Cat Messiah, Charismatics Boy, Fresh Again, Prospectors Pride, , Silent Night, Top of the Line, Marathon man, Silver Jet, Another Jet, Settling Jet, It’s my Day, Alana, Nobody wants me, It’s My Turn, Princess Alicia, I Want Revenge, Rosetta, Blame The Jockey, Rosanna, Mary Ann, Royal Empire, Captain Crook and Golden Key, Traditional man, Silent Lizzy, Treacle, Shooting Star, Prince
Bayaya, Sweet Return, Smarty Light, She So Special, Gold Rush, Miss Karina, Savion, Monsoon and De Gump among others. The individual performers including top jockey, stable and trainer will be presented with trophies compliments of The Trophy Stall, Bourda Market and the organisers. A number of sponsors have assisted including - Jumbo Jet, Banks DIH Limited, Inshan Bacchus Business Enterprise, Buddy Shivraj, Trophy Stall Bourda Market, Lekeram ‘Buddy’ Sukhdeo, Mohammed ‘Nanko’ Shariff Business Enterprise, Phagoo General Store, Eron Lall Civil Engineering and Construction, Baijnauth Sawmilling, Darmin Chattergoon, Romell Jagroop Construction, Nazilla Lumber yard, Premo Baldeo, Tony Auto Spares, Electronic City and Dalip Enterprize, Rohan Oudit Construction and Sham Chattergoon, Mohammed Khan, Valdez Trucking Service and Fazal Habibula among others. The event will be held under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA). Race time is 12:30 hrs. (Samuel Whyte)
By Zaheer Mohamed Wolf Warriors and Trophy Stall will clash in what is expected to be an interesting final in the open category, while New York Better Hope and Industry will vie for the top spot in the over-45 division when the Guyana Softball Cup 3 concludes today at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda. Wolf Warriors defeated Regal XI by 5 wickets in their semifinal encounter at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary yesterday. Regal XI batted first and posted a respectable 187-8 off their allotted 20 overs. Ricardo Adams top scored with 43, while Richard Latiff supported with 41 and Safraz Esau made 30. Amir Nizamuddeen bagged 4-11 and Narine Bailey 2-26. Wolf Warriors replied with 192-5 in 17.4 overs. Safraz Karim led with 42 , Amrit Rai scored 40, while Azaad Azeez and Vishnu Tamichandra contributed 26 and 20 respectively; the latter being unbeaten. Khalid Haslim took 2-27. Trophy Stall overcame Corriverton by 35 runs in the next semifinal at the said venue. Trophy took first strike and rattled up 197-9 in 20 overs with Fazal Rafiek top scoring with 50,
Krishna Deosarran supported with 30, Surajpaul Deosarran made 29 and S. Ramnauth 21. Sherwin Murray claimed 3-25 and Alfred Garnett 2-29. Corriverton were bowled out for 162 in 17.5 overs in reply. Keifer Rose stroked 50, while Quadeer Khan made 22; Shilendra Ramnauth, Rafiek, Martin Dutchin and Seechand Budhan grabbed 2 wickets each for the winners. In the over-45 segment, Industry got the better of Ontario Softball League (OSL) by 8 wickets in their semifinal game at DCC. OSL took first strike and managed 101 before they were bowled out in 14.5 overs. B. Harittar scored 31; Jai Persaud, Baldeo Basdeo and Jerald Persaud picked up 2 wickets each. Industry responded with 102-2 in 13.2 overs. David Harper led with 26, I. Persaud made 24, D. Hemraj 23 and Jai Persaud 21. New York trounced Wellman by 8 runs in the second semifinal. NY Better Hope took fist strike and managed 162-4 in 20 overs. J. Arjune stroked 96; R. Sugrim made 32 and G. Gordon 21. Wellman were restricted for 1548 in 20 overs in reply. M. Chumandath top scored with 56, H. Wright made 33 and N. Samlall 21; Ronald Evelyn claimed 330 and R. Etwaroo 2-28. Meanwhile, Karibee Boyz
went down to Trophy Stall by 114 runs in the preliminary round of the open division. Trophy Stall batted first and scored 235-7 in 20 overs. Wasim Haslim led with 67, Surajpaul made 56 and Delroy Pereira 45; Waheid Edwards took 3-52. Karibee Boyz were skittled for 121 in 16.1 overs in reply. C. Veerasammy made 36 as Fazal Rafiek snared 419.In the over-45 division preliminary stage, Regal Masters lost to Industry by 7 wickets. Regal took first strike and scored 169 all out in19.5 overs. Tony Ameerally cracked 46, Jagdesh Bhoj made 42 and Mahase Chunilall 22. David Harper, Baldeo Basdeo and Jerald Prashad bagged 2 wickets apiece. Industry replied with 1704 in 20 overs. D. Hemraj top scored with 65, E. Persaud scored 49 and Jerald Prashad 31. New York Better Hope beat Brooklyn by 7 wickets. Brooklyn batted first and scored 146-6 in 20 overs. G. Gowlarhan made 51 not out. NY Better Hope responded with 147-3 in 20 overs. J. Arjune scored 59 and K. Sanichar 54. E. Dodson and R. Etwaroo picked up 2 wickets each. The competition concludes today at the Georgetown Cricket Club, ground, Bourda.
DCC, GNIC register victories From page 66 and got support from Joseph Perry (23) and National legspinner Amir Khan (18). Left-arm national t20 pacerAndre Stoll, left-arm unorthodox spinner Totaram Bishun and Barnwell picked up a wicket each for DCC, who hit off the required runs with 18 balls to spare as they galloped to 139-5. Barnwell, who played six t20 matches for the Regional side and who also participated in the last IPL in India, deposited seven sixes and two fours after reaching his half-century from 30 balls. Jamal Hinckson supported with 34 as DCC recovered from 26-3 after losing Trevon Griffith (13), Brian Sattaur (13) and Andrew Lyght (0). Barnwell and Hinckson then
orchestrated ‘Operation rebuild’ with a 92-run fourth wicket stand to set up an emphatic win for their team. And later in the day, Arjune with two tons from 40 First-Class matches, returned to domestic cricket with a magnificent performance which began with a six and a four off former Guyana and USA player Lennox Cush, who opened the bowling for the hosts. Arjune received good support from Marc Nicholson (33) and former West Indies ODI player Royston Crandon (36) as GNIC raced to an imposing 190-6 despite 2-27 National under-19 leg-spinner Steven Sankar. Barrington, who played seven First-Class matches for
Guyana but none since February 2011, got support from Carlos LaRose (20), Kareem Naughton (25*) and his sibling Kefa Naughton (20) as MSC reached 182-7. With 20 required in the final over in the fading light, MSC kept their vocal supporters on their seats with a six off the second ball but eventually could only get 11 from the over bowled by Skipper and off-spinner Collis Butts. The game featured a few players making a come-back to local cricket, as in addition to Arjune, Crandon and Cush, Chairman of the National Selectors Rayon Griffith and National Coach Esaun Crandon also participated. The competition continues today with four matches at two venues - Police and MSC.
Page 66
Kaieteur News
CMRC November 24 Race Meet
Vieira thinks fans will be the real winners -Three of the fastest cars in the C/bean will be on the grid He could be considered somewhat of an enigma, sometimes in the mood and another time not so keen on racing, but what is irrefutable is the fact that once he takes to the starting grid, his commitment is 100% and there could be no doubt about that. Mark Vieira sat down yesterday to talk to Kaieteur Sport about the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) season ending Meet scheduled to be staged on November 24, at the South Dakota Circuit and his own chances of doing well. Vieira, who will be making a return after a brief hiatus following a dominating performance earlier in the year, left no reservation about his intent to do well at the upcoming event. The motor racing ace when questioned about his own expectations made it clear that his anticipation is to win, and dominate the Group. “My expectation is to win, I simply cannot go out there with any other consideration I’m a racer and one who likes to win,” Vieira told this newspaper. Vieira, who drives a Mazda RX 8 said he was able to do a bit of testing recently and feels quite satisfied with the car ’s performance, informing that it is very fast when compared with the speed it generated earlier this
year. According to Vieira, they were able to identify the source of the problem which was a fuel mix issue and that has been remedied since. Commenting on the chances of Team Guyana, Vieira opined that it has to be the strongest for sometime and while he conceded that Jamaican Doug ‘Hollywood’ Gore’s Audi TT will be fast, he felt that they will show him a couple of things that he has never seen before. “I think, however, that the real winners will be the fans, they have the opportunity to see three of the fastest cars in the Caribbean on the grid and that is fantastic,” Vieira said. Quizzed on why he has not been a consistent feature in motor racing over the past 23 years, Vieira disclosed that he has been in the sport for a very long time and remaining motivated has been difficult, adding that during the period away he also found the time to teach and develop the skills of his son Matthew and daughter Emma, who are both involved in the sport. “I think they are right where I want them to be so now I can start to re-focus on my own involvement in the sport, I am ready to resume my own career.” He said there has been a lot of talk about why he has been absent from the sport,
but now he will be aiming to put all the talk to rest. Vieira promised that the fans will get more that their monies worth and assured that when they leave the South Dakota Circuit, they will leave as proud Guyanese. “I love Guyana and I will make my country proud,” Vieira assured. The straight talking racer noted that the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club is at its strongest right now and cited the recent affiliation to the FIA as a measure of the club’s ongoing development. “We got the design for an upgraded circuit paid for by the FIA and we’ve done the groundwork for the Plan which is anticipated to be inspected by an Engineer, who is expected to arrive sometime to do on site examinations. He mentioned the ongoing development of young racers as testimony to the Club’s obligation to the sport which fans will benefit from for a long time to come. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism which has been on board for the past three years will once again partner the GMR&SC in an event that has evolved into a major sport tourism attraction. GT&T, Seaboard Marine, Valvoline, Banks Beer and King’s Jewellery World are the major sponsors for this event.
C. Doekie & Sons Contracting Ser./B&R Investment Race Meet
Robin Persaud back in winner’s row; Mario King tops juvenile field By Franklin Wilson Carlton Wheelers Cycle Club member Robin Persaud returned to winning ways and in fine style when he romped to victory in the feature event of the inaugural C. Dookie and Sons Contracting Services/B&R Investment 11Race Meet programme yesterday at the National Park. Already enjoying a n u m b e r o f t op podium finishes this year, Persaud would have been outdone by some of his rivals in previous races, but the seasoned veteran turned the tide yesterday riding home all alone in One Hour 18 Minutes 32.13 Seconds. He finished some distance ahead of the second placed Albert Philander who has been finding some encouraging form albeit towards the end of the
New Amsterdam focus is winning ‘Nationals’ Team Manager of New Amsterdam/Canje, District 15, Heathcliff Peters, believes that their tea m c a n w i n overall at the National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championship, which will be held during November 19-22, at the National Stadium. Speaking to Kaieteur Sport last evening, Peters said that his swimming team is not the strongest, owed to the absence of a resident coach and a facility in the District, but nevertheless, his team is extremely competitive in the other three competitions. To win the overall title at the National Schools’ Championship, Districts must either win or place highly in the swimming, cycling, teachers’ and track and field competitions. Peters informed that his cycling, track and field
Marica Dick and teachers’ teams are very strong. “We would have registered our team on Thursday last and what I’ll tell you is that we’re coming with
a full cycling team and our athletics and teachers’ teams are very strong as well; as it relates to swimming, we don’t have much swimmers,” Peters indicated. “We will begin our campaign with the cycling road race where we will be fielding four athletes. I believe this is one competition where we will be very, very solid,” he continued, adding that his national cyclist, Marica Dick will lead that team in her last year at ‘Nationals’. According to Peters, “Our friends in Georgetown has the upper hand because of their swimming”, but the likes of Dick and the national junior track and field star, Melissa Byass, could swing the pendulum back in his favour with outstanding performances. Both Dick and Byass represented Guyana at the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) and
Sunday November 10, 2013
have been at the forefront of performances for years at ‘Nationals’. Byass will be competing in the 400m, 800m and 1500m Under-18 races. Byass is the 800m Under-14 record holder, which she set in 2009 at Albion. In addition, New Amste r d a m / C a n j e h a s outstanding high jumper, Shaquille Gentle, as part of its fold, among many other notable athletes that could give them an advantage. Of the 16 competing Districts, New Amsterdam/Canje placed sixth overall last year. “We are coming to win; we would have worked out winning the cycling and teachers contest and placing highly in the track and field competition. Once we can do that, and place in swimming too, we know we can win overall,” the District 15 Team Manager believes.
season. Paul Choo-Wee-Nam placed third followed by Godfrey Pollydore in a sprint home ahead of Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams and Wasim Gafoor in that order. Persaud was so dominant that he took four of the eight prime prizes with three going to Raynauth Jeffrey and the other to Warren Mc Kay. Yesterday’s event served as warm up for this week’s Five-Stage contest which will once again test the individual and collective abilities of the local riders. It is not quite certain to date how many overseas cyclists will be here for the event which will pedal off on Thursday in Corriverton, Berbice. Kaieteur Sport understands that Team Coco’s (Miami and Guyana) will be combining efforts with two Columbians and another rider is expected join their
local counterparts. Mario King of United Bike Shop was the best junior/ juvenile on the day winning the 10-lap tussle in 22 minutes 44.17 Seconds. Jeban Crawford and Alanzo Ambrose completed the top three podium positions. Junior Niles (Team Coco’s), who has already put his stamp on the Under-50 category events, was again unbeatable winning the 5-lap match-up in 11 minutes 51.02 Seconds. Meanwhile, all the riders except for the BMX will be in action again today, the final warm-up event before the five-stage when they collide in the 14th Diamond Mineral Water 50-mile Road Race on the West Demerara from 08:00hrs. Following are the full results of yesterday’s 11-Race Meet.
Carib t20 GCA cricket
DCC, GNIC register victories By Sean Devers Action in the Georgetown Cricket Association’s (GCA) Carib Beer sponsored t20 division one cricket tournament continued yesterday with two matches at the Malteenoes ground. Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chris Barnwell, Krishna Arjune and Shemroy Barrington all recorded halfcenturies on a day blessed with ideal cricket conditions and a nice firm track which produced competitive cricket. In the 09:30hrs encounter, DCC defeated Everest by five wickets despite a commanding 54-ball 69 from 17-year-old West Indies under-19 left-hander Chanderpaul as 26-year-old West Indies t20 all-rounder Barnwell responded with a belligerent 66 from just 36 balls. In the 13:00hrs match at the same venue, 33-year-old
former Guyana Opener Arjune fashioned a well crafted 66 from 47 balls to spearhead GNIC to a thrilling eight-run win against home team Malteenoes after 25-year-old ex-national batsman Shemroy Barrington smashed a confident 42-ball 61 to lead a valiant Malteenoes run chase. The young Chanderpaul, son of prolific Test batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul clobbered six fours and three sixes and reached his fifty with a disdainful six off Barnwell’s medium pace as Everest reached 138-4 off their allotted 20 overs. Chanderpaul who played four First Class games for Guyana this year and has a lot more shots in his repertoire as compared to his illustrious father at the same age, displayed an array of thumping shots in his fifty (Continued on page 65)
Sunday November 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 67
Youth in Focus: When a 1st degree National rifle shooting belt just isn’t enough championships fire off today AlliyahBlack Ramnarine aspires for the 2nd degree Black belt ranking
Ransford Goodluck
Lennox Braithwaite
The stage is set for the 2013-2014 National Rifle Shooting championships which fire off today at the Timehri Rifle ranges at 10:00 hours as the nation’s leading rifle shooters battle for supremacy in the threeday competition. Reigning champion Ransford Goodluck and current Caribbean Individual title holder Lennox Braithwaite will be going head to head for national honours, but will face opposition from national captain and former champion Mahendra Persaud, Dylan Fields, Inspector Dane Blair and Ryan Sampson in “X” Class. Goodluck had won the championships in April this year ahead of Guyana’s participation in the West Indies Fullbore championships staged in Barbados in May. Leo Ramalho is the reigning “O” Class champion but he has been out of action since the local team returned from Barbados. Other competitors in “O” Class will Lt. Col Terrance Stuart, Charles Deane, Everard
Nelson and newcomer Sherwin Felicien. Thirteen events are carded over the three days of competition which will continue next Saturday and end on November 17th at Timehri. The first event will be at 300 yards with two seven rounds of shooting for a highest possible score (HPS) of 35 points. Event number two will be over 500 yards for a HPS of 50 points and the prestigious Valladares Trophy, the symbol of shooting at 500 yards. The final event of the day will be at 900 yards for a HPS of 50 points. The aggregate score will be 135 points with the shooter closest to that score being declared the first day winner. Next Saturday the shooters will contest at 500, 600 and 900 yards ranges for a Highest Possible Score of 105 points, while on the final day, competition will be at 300, 600 and 1000 yards for a HPS of 150 points over the three ranges. National captain Persaud said that the West Indies Fullbore
Mahendra Persaud
Leo Ramalho championships will be held early next year in Jamaica so the local shooters have been in intense preparation for the regional tournament. Guyana and Jamaica share the regional long and short range titles.
When one thinks of karate and Kung Fu, the names Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, two world renowned practitioners, immediately come to mind. Visions of men dressed in white, in ominous face offs are natural expectations; hardly anyone would imagine a 12 years old female, dressed in all white and decorated with a Black belt around her waist, matching the feats of her male counterparts, yet Alliyah Ramnarine has defied that conventional theory and is engaged in Karate, a sport once regarded as male oriented. Alliyah, a student of the Richard Ishmael Secondary School, was born into a family that loved the sport (her uncle Quacy Baveghens was a 6 Degree Black Belt) and trains under the tutelage of her father, Master Lloyd, in West Minster where he has constructed a small gym at his home. Otherwise she travels ‘across the river’ to the Diamond ECD gym where she also hones her skill. “I started practicing Karate with my dad since I was 9 years old,” revealed Alliyah. She said that though she loved the sport she initially found the exercises and training regiment somewhat demanding. “The exercis es w ere a bit difficult but dad was always there to encourage me on,” she continued. T h e y o u n g practitioner further said that through application and determination she was able to apply herself to the tasks. “I had to balance
Alliyah Ramnarine
between school work and karate activities and most times I had difficulties but my dad continued to encourage and assist me,” she further revealed. During her initial years Alliyah was taught a mixed style of Shotokan, judo, stick fighting and Brazilian jujitsu among others. Slowly, she gelled into the sport and went through the 10 stages to clinch her current rank. She now has her eyes set on the 2nd degree ranking which, if she continues in the current trend, can be attained within the next year. But how does Alliyah view her sport? “Martial arts is a way of life,” she declares; I feel confident when I am alone, even on dark roadways that I could defend myself against predators,” chuckled
Alliyah. She encourages all women to take up the sport as a means of self-defence. She said that she is appalled by the high incidence of domestic abuse where the women are the victims and offers advice to the affected women, “There are insane men out there with no respect for women; we cannot just lay back and take the abuse; martial arts presents a practical way out of our predicament and sends a strong message to all men that women can also protect themselves,” declares Alliyah. During her spare time she loves surfing the net but also finds time for her studies. Alliyah also likes to curl up with a good love novel as she feels reading is a very good vocation and can serve to improve one’s perspective of life.
t r o Sp
St. Pius stays unbeaten en route to being crowned champions P.64
-East La Penitence edge Tucville for third place
The victorious St. Pius Primary School players pose with the winning trophy and officials from the sponsors and Ministry of Education yesterday.
C. Doekie & Sons Contracting Ser./B&R Investment Race Meet
Robin Persaud back P.66 in winner’s row; Mario King tops juvenile field
CMRC November 24 Race Meet
P.66
Vieira thinks fans will be the real winners -Three of the fastest cars in the C/bean will be on the grid
Robin Persaud Photo on server Claude as: St. Pius wins: caption- The victorious St. Pius Primary School players pose with the winning trophy and officials from the sponsors and Ministry of Education yesterday.
Guyana’s Mark Vieira celebrates a victory with the chequered flag.
Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210