Monday November 17, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 5
Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
An inherent behaviour of politicians... Prorogation Equals Dictatorship
From page 4 of the working of the Constitution and making periodic reports thereon to the Assembly, with proposals for reform as necessary. (2) To assist in its work, the committee shall have power to co-opt experts or enlist the aid of other persons of appropriate expertise, whether or not such experts or other persons are members of the Assembly.” This Parliamentary Standing Committee is headed by the Leader of the Opposition and calls should be directed to him to activate the Committee in order that ideas can be channeled through this institution. This is the enforcement that I’m talking about. The constitution is not supposed to be honoured in the breach by anyone. This constitution that the Members of Parliament and President swore to uphold makes provision for a Public Service Appellate Tribunal, Human Rights Commission, Public Procurement Commission, Ethnic Relations Commission, yet the nation’s business continues to be conducted without appointments. Am I to understand that persons who despise/ridicule this constitution don’t care about the establishment of these institutions? Let it be known that the constitution exists and until such time it is amended or scrapped, this is the constitution, and we must be prepared to honour it and hold all accountable. Those constructing reason(s) for the failure to hold elected officials accountable by using Burnham and the constitution as bogeymen are not being honest to themselves and doing this society a grave disservice. President Ramotar and the PPP are being helped day-byday by those who are planting in the minds of society that it is the Burnham Constitution that is bad, and as such the PPP has a right to run roughshod over this nation and abuse the people in the discharge of g o v e r n m e n t a l responsibilities. Having been accused as being wrong for cited reference to similar prorogation power existing in
other countries that have adapted the British parliamentary system, Maxwell could have helped this nation in the conversation by providing his evidence to establish what he considered to be the truth. Some examples I used to make the point are: a) Australia ConstitutionSection 5 “The Governor General may appoint such times for holding the sessions of the Parliament as he thinks fit, and may also from time to time, by Proclamation or otherwise, prorogue the Parliament, and may in like manner dissolve the House of Representatives. b) Grenada Constitution“Article 52.-(1) The Governor-General may at any time prorogue or dissolve Parliament” c) Guyana Constitution“Article 70 (1) The President may at any time by proclamation prorogue Parliament.” President Ramotar invoking his office’s prorogation authority, in this instance, is an abuse of power. While he may argue
that it’s a power vested in his office under the constitution, he has failed to accept that the spirit and intent of this power could never have been to silence the voice of the people, to whom the constitution enshrine sovereignty (Article 9). Unfortunately Ramotar’s abuse of the prorogation clause is not singular to him, as seen in Grenada in 2013, Canada in 2008, and other countries that model itself on this Parliamentary procedure. Oftentimes while the Governor-General is the representative Head of State for the Queen, when the Prime Minister as Head of Government proposed, the parties would have already done consultation and approval becomes the matter of formality. In Guyana’s case as a Republic, the Head of State and Head of Government is vested in the same person, similar to the USA, Venezuela, Brazil, and South Africa, to name some. In evaluating discussions on the constitution, the arguments of some are driven by feeling/perception of
Burnham and this continues to cloud vision to the point where content is lacking, reasons cannot be justified or withstand scrutiny. Those who believe the 1980 Constitution is no good, have to understand that you cannot run with the hare and hunt with the wolves at the same time. This is the Constitution that exists and elected officials cannot be given an escape route by the talks that it is no good, even as they are being asked to honour it at the same time. This double standard is bad psychology and poor salesmanship. If anyone can show me one perfect constitution, I will show them 100 dictators, since it is an inherent behaviour of politicians to want to abuse their privilege by misapplying the constitution to justify their dastardly acts. It is the spirit and intent of every constitution that ought not to be missed in its application, and society has to see to this through holding elected leaders accountable. Lincoln Lewis
More people need to benefit from the TCL cement discount DEAR EDITOR, I am writing you again for your help in highlighting another issue that I think is unfair. I wrote you previously concerning the refusal by the bank to accept the letter of assurance, the bank now accept my letter of assurance, thanks for informing the authorities through your article. The issue I would like you to highlight this time concerns the 20% discount on cement from TCL. I made an attempt to apply for the discount, only to be told by the local housing office which I have gone to for a letter to take to TCL, that my house lot is not a low income lot, which is a requirement to qualify. It is my understanding that the majority of those house lots in the scheme people paid $500,000 and that is classified as middle income
by the housing ministry. Paying that amount is already a burden on many and I think it is unfair that the majority would not be benefiting from that discount. It is no surprise that after almost two years after those lots were allocated you can count on one hand how many people have moved in the scheme because Most haven’t yet completed payments of their lots. It is my opinion that the people that are eligible to qualify for the 20% discount are the people who wouldn’t afford a concrete house because it seems to me they are the ones that go for wooden homes. I think more people need to benefit from such discount. I would be grateful if you can bring this to the attention of the authorities. Kennard Sunchara
DEAR EDITOR, What a short distance the PPP has traveled from decrying all over the world about the evils of the “Burnham Constitution”, getting President Jimmy Carter to pressure President Desmond Hoyte to hold free and fair elections resulting in his ouster and the PPP’s assent to office, to where Guyana stands today on the precipice of becoming a failed state. How ironic that yesterday’s oppressed have now become today’s oppressors. All pretense of being the president of all of Guyana was stripped bare when Mr. Ramotar and the PPP realized that their tenuous hold on power would have vanished had the no-confidence vote against the minority government allowed to proceed in parliament. Only the willfully ignorant and those feeding at the trough of government corruption and depravity will refuse to admit that the PPP has ceded the moral authority to govern Guyana. There can be no more equivocation about the rectitude of the PPP as the long tired comparison to Burnham’s PNC no longer holds a scintilla of evidence of the difference between these two anachronistic parties that have taken turns in under developing Guyana. The fact that Guyana remains a country deeply stratified and dived by race after almost fifty years of independence is reinforced by a badly compromised attorney general who views Guyana through the narrow prism of an East Indian caste
system. Make no mistake, Guyana’s constitution remains the biggest obstacle to national unity and it is now clear that the PPP was never opposed to this obscenely flawed document but was opposed to the ethnicity of the person who crafted it and wielded the powers contained therein. This is borne out by the fact that after gaining p o w e r, they never scrapped it but tinkered with the edges and are now cloaked in it to cling to power as the monumentally inept puppet President Ramotar doing the bidding of his master Jagdeo to strangle the voice of the majority by proroguing parliament. Even more stunning is the combined opposition not being able to predict this outcome and be ready on day one with a plan in place to counter the president’s undemocratic act. Recently, Stabroek News cartoonist Paul Harris depicted the PPP government as Hannibal Lechter and the population as the lamb in an ode to the movie Silence of the Lambs. A truer comparison cannot be found where the people behaving as “sheeple” uncaring about their own interest, spoke volumes about the current circumstance and the inexorable day of reckoning along the lines of Tunisia. If history serves as a guide, it’s only a matter of time until ministers and others who became overnight millionaires along with their supporters suffer the same fate. Nigel Jason
Page 6
Kaieteur News
Major projects will continue despite Greenidge threats - Benn By Gary Eleazar A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is being led through the nose by the Alliance For Change and even if either one was to take the reins of Government at the next General Elections, they would still have to continue to pursue many of the developmental infrastructural programs being implemented by the current administration. This is according to Government Minister, Robeson Benn, who recently responded to the threats of Shadow Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge, as it relates to the engagements by the administration with investors both private and local during the current period of prorogation. Greenidge had warned that the Opposition would not honour any agreements that the present government enters with multinational entities during the current period of prorogation. Benn in a recent exclusive interview with this publication stressed that the current political atmosphere has exposed the hatred and malice that a few persons in the AFC and in the APNU hold against the government. According to Benn, the tragedy of the 10th Parliament is that it has not become the vehicle anticipated for rational discussion, debate and Parliamentary actions. Benn is of the view that the APNU knows better and would want to do better but they are being “led around by the nose by the AFC.” As it relates to the threats made by Greenidge, the Public Works Minister said that the policy and position of the Government and President Donald Ramotar is that under no circumstances, “we would have an intention to bring country to standstill
Publics Works Minister, Robeson Benn in terms of growth and development.” According to Benn, the infrastructure works identified and are underway such as the completion of the East Bank Demerara road widening, the continuation of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Project, the East Coast Demerara Road, the rehabilitation of the East Coast of Demerara Road, the road to Parika on the West Bank of Demerara as well as the others such as the Canals Number One and Two Road Projects and the road to Timehri as well as the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project, “have to continue to allow for the unhindered growth of our country.” According to Benn, “we are seeing rapid growth.” He spoke to the number of vehicles being imported, the level of trade being undertaken and other positive indicators and stressed; “it remains under our responsibility, we have to make sure these things continue...We can’t bring activities like this simply to a stop…We have the airport project going…We simply cannot stop when we have projects in play”. He did point out that there is a need to look at the “legal and political issues related to these things.” Regarding Greenidge’s and the Alliance for Change’s
threats, the Public Works Minister said that he is not in receipt of any reports of concerns or fears from any contractors including those attached to the Airport project namely, China Railway Engineering Group. “I am stating empathically, we cannot stop in midstream with these projects to allay any seeming speculations.” He reminded that the political opposition has already been provided with all of the pertinent information and documentation related to these projects. Asked about what is required in terms of future relations and dialogues, the Public Works Minister posited that he is optimistic that the political opposition would agree on the development imperatives of the country. “If they were to take over tomorrow, it wouldn’t be anything different. These are the national development imperatives and tasks …I couldn’t see them doing anything different…the airport has to be rebuilt and the runway has to be extended, that’s a given. ...There is no way I see anybody else doing anything different.” On the question of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project, the Public Works Minister reminded that with such an initiative, Guyana’s developmental trajectory can be escalated since the cost of power would be reduced and stabilized, leading to the redistribution of subsidies into other development projects. “I can’t see anybody doing anything different…The opposition initiated the Upper Mazaruni hydro project, it failed and I don’t know why anybody would want these projects to fail,” said Benn who urged the continued development of Hydro Electricity in Guyana.
Monday November 17, 2014
Prorogation of Parliament unconstitutional and illegal - former Presidential Advisor “...President has no power without the confidence of the Assembly” By: Zena Henry The legality of President Donald Ramotar’s decision to prorogue Parliament has not seen the type of scrutiny that it warrants, former Presidential Advisor and Consultant, Ramon Gaskin believes. He is adamant that the President’s move is illegal and unconstitutional. Gaskin told Kaieteur News yesterday that President Ramotar has no power once he does not have the confidence of the House of Assembly. He charged that the expression of NoConfidence by the combined opposition has automatically taken away the powers given to his minority government since the Constitution clearly states that once the government does not enjoy the confidence of the House, its only options provided by law, are to either resign or call General Elections. Gaskin, who once advised former President Cheddi Jagan, explained that the way the Constitution is written, one cannot pick an Article and apply it in isolation of the others. He said that it must be applied in its entirety to the separations of power; President, National Assembly, Judiciary etc. Under Article 106 (6) of the Constitution, it is stated that “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.” Article, 106 (7) goes on to say that, “notwithstanding its defeat the government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by no less than two thirds of the members determine and shall resign after the President takes oath of office following elections.” Gaskin emphasized that ‘shall’ in this
case, makes it mandatory for the Government to resign if it is defeated. However, under Articles 70 (1) of the Constitution which states that, “The President may at any time by proclamation, prorogue the parliament”, the Head of State has chosen to do just that for a maximum of six months. This, Gaskin urged, is unconstitutional. He opined that 106 of the Constitution and 70 does not conflict or collide with each other since the President’s powers can only be enjoyed with the support or confidence of the majority. “The government can only remain in office if it commands the confidence of the House, and the day they lose the confidence of the House they have to resign and hold fresh elections, and the President cannot use his extraordinary powers under 70 to prorogue after he would have lost the confidence of the House.” The operative section, the philosophical underpinning within this confusion is having the confidence of the House, Gaskin posited. Under 106, he said, it states that the loss of confidence is expressed ‘by vote’. In his view “by vote” is the mere confirmation or “paperwork” expressing the already stated “no confidence.” In that light, he said the President cannot use his power to prevent the elected members from physically expressing their lack of confidence. “The President is purporting powers after the expression of no confidence and preventing the MPs from expressing themselves. Once you have been told and you know that there is no confidence in you, it is time to walk,” Gaskin reiterated. The reality, he said, is that the Government has lost the confidence of the House and the President cannot presume to use reserve powers to deny the workings of the
Former Presidential Advisor and Consultant Ramon Gaskin Constitution. The expression of no confidence is enough for Article 106 to operate, he said. The opposition in essence has fired the government and the noconfidence ‘vote’ is only to serve them their dismissal letter. Under normal circumstances he said the President can use all powers constitutionally applied to him providing that he always has the confidence of the House. Gaskin expressed that Guyana’s Constitution thrives on a majoritarian system and the current situation is a consequence of having a minority government. “The constitution has given that power to the majority of elected members to remove you if they don’t have confidence in you.” He said though the Constitution allows the party with the largest number of votes, though not the majority to hold the executive, they can only hold it with the House’s approval. “What the President has done is absolutely illegal. And to hold on to office now, in the face of the no-confidence motion, again, is illegal. This government, at this present time, does not have a legal basis for remaining in office.” Gaskin said the government after the expression of noconfidence, acts as a caretaker for three months until the new President takes the Oath of Office. If it is mentioned that there has been no resolution or no voting, Gaskin said it must be remembered that the President is the one who “unlawfully” blocked the voting process. One arm, the executive cannot under bogus powers, frustrate the legislative branch. He said “the President cannot abuse the Constitution to defeat it.”
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
Monday November 17, 2014
Kaieteur News
Ramotar condones Ministers’ use of the treasury as their private bank account - AFC
AFC’s General Secretary, David Patterson Recent pronouncements by President Donald Ramotar on issues that came out of the recorded conversation between Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and a Kaieteur News reporter have resulted in a drawn conclusion that Guyana is being run at the lowest standards. General Secretary of the Alliance For Change (AFC), David Patterson, yesterday told Kaieteur News that he had no other choice but to arrive at that conclusion because the stance being taken by the President is strongly suggesting that he is condoning Nandlall’s actions. The President held a press conference last Friday and addressed his recent prorogation of Parliament. After he finished answering questions on that issue, the President entertained questions on one of the most prominent issues facing Guyana—the infamous Nandlall recording. The recording revealed many things that Nandlall would have preferred to stay out of the public domain.
Attorney General, Anil Nandlall
President Donald Ramotar
These included his knowledge of a planned attack on Kaieteur News during which “innocent” lives would have been taken. The recording also revealed Nandlall’s misuse of public funds as well as his apparent degrading of women. Nandlall was heard saying “I use some money from the government and Glenn mek an
The money used by Nandlall amounted to $6M. During the press conference on Friday, President Ramotar was asked numerous questions on the money Nandlall expended on the “medical emergency” which he admitted had to do with his wife. But the President said that the reason Nandlall used
“Actually, this President has set the bar so low for his Ministers and party officials when it comes to ethical standards that one has to be the most gifted limbo dancer to fall below these standards.”- David Patterson issue of it. I pay back deh f**king money long before he even mek (it an) issue.” The AG later declared that the money was released to him by Cabinet for a medical emergency.
public money is private matter. He said that he does not like to get into people’s business about their health and that it is unethical for him to let the public know how the Continued on page 18
Page 7
Page 8
Kaieteur News
Monday November 17, 2014
Nandlall’s threat to K/News…
President’s conclusion on Nandlall recording is shocking President Donald Ramotar has once again come under fire for his comments on a recorded conversation in which Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, a Minister in the government, has admitted to using taxpayers’ dollars illegally and for issuing threats against Kaieteur News. The President, despite the fact that the matter is being investigated by the police, made it clear that he believed that the recording was illegal. The President’s conclusion is being viewed as highly unusual as his administration is known to shy away from issues that are before the police and the courts. It has been a line that the administration has deliberately been pushing to divert attention from, among other things, some of the racially charged statements that the Minister made. The Minister, during the conversation, attempted to find out which reporter investigated his uncle in a remigrant vehicle scheme fraud. He wanted the name of the young reporter so his uncle can f*^k her, he said. He was also heard saying that he is a Chatrie- a high caste Indian. That statement has sparked widespread anger against the Minister and the administration. During a press conference at his office on Friday, the President halted questions on Nandlall, but entertained a pointed one by a state reporter on the legality of the recording. “I think it is illegal, it is immoral and I know many people in the UK (United Kingdom) (who) went to jail for such actions.”
- lawyers
Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall It is these remarks that the President is now being criticized for. The embarrassing recording has sparked a major debate and a crisis in the ruling party which decided to support the embattled Attorney General despite the revelations. The Minister has himself admitted publicly that he had a conversation with the senior reporter of Kaieteur News about three weeks ago. The Bar Association, and the Opposition, among others, have called for the Minister’s resignation to facilitate an independent probe. There have also been criticisms from newspapers in the region and from the local and international press bodies. Without much information, Government initially took the position that the recording was done illegally via wire-tapping. However, the newspaper, in statements to the police, explained that it was nothing of the sort. Rather, smart phones can be easily equipped by free applications available at the “Play Store” programme that can be used to record all incoming or outgoing calls. Clearly there
is no wiretapping. Local observers have already made it clear that wiretapping is not the same as having a programme on the phone itself to record calls. Rather, wiretapping must include a third party, other than the two callers, who is using programmes or equipment to intercept the conversation. In the conversation, the Attorney General, who is the Government’s Chief Legal advisor, warned the reporter to get out of Kaieteur News, saying that angry people will use guns to attack the offices of the newspaper, which happens to be the country’s largest daily. Kaieteur News’ Publisher,
GRA’s boss, Khurshid Sattaur
Attorney General, Anil Nandlall
President Donald Ramotar
Glenn Lall, based on the recorded threats by the Minister, has made an official police complaint. However, there has been silence from the police on the issue. Kaieteur News has even offered to send the phone
and recording via a nominated embassy to an independent analyst to determine that the recording was not doctored. President Ramotar, on Friday, did not want to answer questions and told
reporters to forget about it. He maintained that the recording was somehow manipulated and distorted. While opting not to comment on the “technical part,” the President said his (Continued on page 18)
Berbice man found dead with bullet to head, throat slit Investigations are continuing into the circumstances surrounding the suspected execution style murder of Angoy’s Avenue resident Richard Dey, 40, a father of two. Dey’s body was discovered in an alley leading to his home at Angoy’s Avenue with a suspected bullet wound to his head and a laceration to his throat at about 22:30 hours on Saturday. It is understood that Dey is a mechanic and would mostly ply his trade in the interior, including the Berbice River. According to information, Dey owns a shiny Green Car, PRR 5958. On Saturday evening Dey,
his reputed wife Ongel Lindie, a teacher, and their two kids went out earlier and returned home around 20:30 hrs. Dey subsequently left home around 22:00hrs to go out and was walking toward his car, a walk which would take about a ½ minute, when a gunshot rang out. According to a relative, when she heard the explosion, she did not pay much mind. Nevertheless she peered outside and saw that Dey’s car was still parked where he had left it. She assumed that Dey was in the vehicle talking to someone on his cellular phone since her calls to his phone went unanswered. The woman still did not
think too much of it, but continued to survey the area where the car was parked. But as the woman was preparing to go out and investigate, a teenager who frequently uses the alley saw the body and alerted the police. By this time, the woman had made her way toward the car and stumbled upon the bleeding body of Dey slumped by a drain. When the police arrived, they examined the body and found it had what they suspected to be a bullet wound to the head, while there was a gaping wound. Family members were reluctant to divulged information, but the man’s demise is being treated as a
hit. It was revealed that he was involved in some shady deals and the drug trade. It was reported that he owed persons large sums of money, especially in the Berbice River areas and was being marked. He would usually hang around persons of shady character. Robbery has been ruled out since the man’s pockets were reportedly not ruffled and the $15,000 he had left home with was recovered. Several pieces of jewelry which he was wearing at the time were also not touched. However his cell phone was not found. His body is at the New Amsterdam Hospital mortuary awaiting a Post Mortem Examination.
Ramotar’s egregious action has... (From page 3) its present form that legitimizes the fangs of dictatorship that is sucking the life blood out of the soul of Guyana and finds opportunistic co-conspirators.” The always articulate Hughes implored too that “We are at a most important juncture in the life and development of our nation where we have no other choice but to reform. This has to be the end game; it has to be the last straw. Something has to give. This cannot be the future we hand to our children. This cannot be this generation’s legacy to our nation.” According to Hughes, “Constitutional change is the
only way to stop this vicious cycle. Guyanese from all walks of life who truly love our country and want to save it from destruction along with international NGOs, international governance structures like the OAS, and UN, foreign Gov-
ernments and our Caribbean neighbours, must come together in a quick march down the road of constitutional reform or we will be locked into the ever deteriorating cycle of abuse and lack of accountability by those we elect to serve us.”
Ombudsman’s report... (From page 3) such, asked that the case be re-opened and re-examined by the Director of Public Prosecutions “with a fresh mind.” Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall in an invited comment on the matter said that should the Ombudsman be hindered in any, even if it is financially, the decent-minded citizens of the business community would band together to fully support him. He disclosed that he is also willing and prepared to financially assist the Ombudsman, should it get to that stage, so that transparency and accountability can be ensured.
Page 18
Kaieteur News
Monday November 17, 2014
Ramotar condones Ministers’ use of the... (From page 19)
VACANCY Insurance Claims Investigator, Sales Manager, Sales Representative. Send CV to P.O.Box 101666, Georgetown Work from home; earn $5,000- $20,000 dailyContact: 233-6517, 622-1957, www.jobfairworldwide.com International Cruiseline Purser officer, waitresses, waiters, cooks, receptionist, storekeeper, cleaners, electrician, carpenter, plumber, musicians etc – Tel: 231-6296, 650-9880 Cashiers @ Shell Service Station Providence EBD. Must be able to work shift (5am-3pm & 3pm-12pm) – Tel: 265-7306 One Driver; Apply at technical Services Inc lot 1823 Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara. Two cleaners; Apply at technical Services Inc lot 1823 Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara. Experienced cashier; apply with written application & passport size picture @ Survival Shopping Complex, 173 Sheriff Street, Campbellville.Call:227-5286/9 Exist for 4 security guard – apply at Humphrey’s Bakery & farm products – Tel:2257864, 227-7867
PROPERTY FOR SALE 1-2 Storey business property with running taxi service services, 1 apartment, 1 office located @ 3 Norton Street, Werk- En- Rust- $45M negotiable - Tel: 689-0065 Newly built flat concrete house with all utilities @ Bath Settlement West Coast Berbice - $8M negotiableCall: 648-5012, 686-9514 Property @ Kersaint Park, LBI, E.C.D. Contact: 698-5713 or 664-1865 One commercial property located at Diamond/Grove, New Scheme- $24M Negotiable. Call:216-0147, 661-9796 2 STORIED 3 BEDROOMS CONCRETE & WOODEN PROPERTY ON LARGE LAND 300FTX40FT, IN BERBICE, NEAR CANJE BRIDGE. CALL MAX: 6098132, 672-8569 Albouystown: Corner Spot Business and residence, 3 bedrooms upstairs, parking $10M negotiable – Contact:227-0583 Six acres prime roadside land and metal workshop in Corriverton, can be sold with or without workshop. Call: 626-6245 Diamond Section “A”, 274 Great Diamond, E.B.D, 56’ by 40’ building on 111’ by 60’ land- $17.5 Million- Call: 2332546, 233-5859 165 Cologen E.C.D – 2 Storey 3 bedrooms house & land: pools table, bar & grocery shop. Call: 270-4857, 234-0807, 6884381.Price negotiable.
LAND FOR SALE ECCLES: Build your own home in a modernize gated community, lot size 60X100 - $7.5M – Call: 227-2913, Cell: 689-3033 ECCLES: Commercial Lots - $14M – Call: 227-2913, Cell:689-3033 Parika (Butcher Shop Street) – One (1) Lot 38' X 150' $ 7m Contact 650-0402 - for serious inquiries Blankenburg @ The Back Of Gas Station (3) Lots @ 75' X 76' Each. $20M for all 3 Lots. (1) Lot for $10m - Contact 650-0402 Blankenburg Public Road, W.C.D, 38X150, 37X150$16M Each. Call: 666-3619
From page 7 money was spent. Ramotar also asked reporters to forget about the issue. In an invited comment yesterday, Patterson deemed Ramotar ’s statements nonsensical. He said that the misuse of public funds can never be regarded as a private matter. The General Secretary said, “This is the typical PPP (People’s Progressive Party) way of doing things. They use the treasury as their private bank account, hence the reason they think that they are not accountable.” “Now look at it logically” Patterson said. “There is a Minister on record admitting that he used this money and that he paid it back…It is
illogical for you to pay back an entitlement, so something about this entire deal is not above board.” Addressing the President’s request that the media forget about the issue, Patterson said that the PPP has a long history of its Ministers going astray but always wants to gloss it over and hope that the nation forgets. Patterson noted that the President has now gone an extra mile to come out and ask the media, and by extension the nation, to forget about his Minister’s transgressions. The politician questioned, “Where is (Presidential Advisor) Gail Teixeira now?”
He said that Teixeira is usually one of the first PPP members to jump up and say what is conventional and what is a disgrace. “She should now say what is the conventional thing to do when a nation is faced with a matter like this,” said Patterson. He said, “The conventional thing to do is to have the Minister resign for the goodwill of the country…When the protector of the constitution knows about a planned criminal act and does not disclose this information to the relevant authority, what more hope can we have in him?” The AFC official said that it is worrying that the
President finds this sort of behaviour from one of his Ministers acceptable and has the nerve to ask that the nation to forget about it. He reminded that it was President Ramotar who was presented with an audited report stating that there was fraud at NCN but has done nothing for three years. “It goes to show that he (the President) has low standards in running the country,” said Patterson. He continued, “Actually, this President has set the bar so low when it comes to ethical standards for his Ministers and party officials that one has to be the most gifted limbo dancer to fall below these standards.”
President’s conclusion on Nandlall recording... (From page 6) administration is not keen on dealing with the issues coming out of the recording since it is believed that the contents of the recording were taken totally out of context. He said that the conversation was not intended for the public. President Ramotar also said that “confidentiality and
privacy” are two important rights that have been slaughtered in the release of the Public official’s conversation with a journalist. The President’s comments would come at a time when the nation is grappling with a recently released explosive report from the Ombudsman’s office which criticized the police, the administration, and the
“Royston was no murderer”... (From page 17) recent armed robberies. The suspect, a 32-year-old Prashad Nagar resident, reportedly confessed on Saturday, after a businesswoman identified him as one of the men who had robbed her at gunpoint last October. She was reportedly attacked in Avenue of the Republic shortly after leaving a commercial bank. Police are also questioning a 26-year-old Kitty resident, who was with Waldron when he was shot. Kaieteur News was told that Waldron joined the Guyana Police Force after leaving the Guyana National Service. However, he was reportedly dismissed from the Force, and some of his ex-colleagues said he turned to a life of crime, under the guise of driving a taxi. In June, 2008, he was arrested and remanded for harbouring two key members of the Rondell ‘Fine man’ Rawlins gang. He was also charged for armed robbery.
Director of Public Prosecution, for laying wrongful fraud charges against three senior managers of the New Building Society, back in 2007. The named officials have since denied the comments by the Ombudsman. The charges had been dismissed but the managers lost seven years of their life and pension benefits. Chief Executive Officer, Maurice Arjoon, claimed that he was charged, at the urgings of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, after he refused to illegally endorse a $2B investment for the Berbice Bridge. Government in 2006 had been searching for investments for that project. The President’s statement would also come at a time when Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, and his wife, have been placed on trumped up charges for evading taxes on two vehicles. The vehicles were seized from the home of the real
owners. Those charges against Lall followed a number of shocking emails between Nandall, Jagdeo and Khurshid Sattaur, the head of the Guyana Revenue Authority which were published in this paper. The emails spoke of a plot to use audits and other means to silence the newspaper. Tax details of local newspapers were also leaked by Sattaur to the two other men. Like the telephone conversation between Nandlall and the journalist, the Ramotar administration has been refusing to act. Yesterday, lawyers for Kaieteur News said that they have been following the President’s comments which they said are rather “unfortunate and rather preemptive” at this time. “It almost seems as if the President is in a sly manner, telling the police how to act. It almost seems like the NBS matter in which the former President reportedly had a role to play.”
Monday November 17, 2014
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 Complete sawmill operation with lots of equipment, customers & suppliers and large land space – Contact Swamee: 614-1466; 672-4438 D6R Caterpillar Bulldozer, D8K Caterpillar Bulldozer, Price to go – Call: 611-4775 Miller thunder bolt 225cc. AC welder, Galvanize bolts 14 & 16 ins, Nissan Bluebird Wagon. Call: 226-9659 after 4:30 226-1879 White 4X4 XLT F150 8 Cylinder, Price $2.5M negotiable – Call: 226-1047 VIDEO GAME PACKAGE SONY PS3 OR XBOX 360 WITH 2 CONTROLLERS, 4 GAMES, NEW 21" RCA TV – CALL MAX: 609-8132/ 672-8569 Empty 50 Gallon Steel drum for sale, going cheap – Call: 628-1756, 228-5655 1 Model M Bush Truck with Winch & dump, 1 Honda ATV 4-wheel bike used only for prospecting, 250 hours, excellent condition. Contact: 672-4536 Spacio for parts – Call: 6836438 Sheep for sale – Call: 6956139 House for sale 3 bedroom, master room, self contain, down stairs, bar rest room, pools hall & 1 bedroom apartment. Call: 669-0366 Home Hardware item: Fast Efficient & Courteous Service, Discount for “small time” contractors @ Sheriff Street. Phone: 227-1363 Mobile wheelchair by Invacare, excellent condition, new charger & batteries, large rear wheels – Call: 225-0271 AMERICAN BULLY, REMYLINEPUP.CONTACT: 667-4845, 220-7933
Kaieteur News
FOR SALE Yamaha outboard engines, various sizes, tundra wheels, boat trailer - Tel: 220-1981, 690-1945 One pop corn machine – Call: 222-4708 Bedford Truck Model M 4X4, 2 Perkins engine, one 6, one 4 Cylinder, fully beded – Owner leaving country - Call: 693-2237 3" Honda water pump – 5.5HP Brand New, one Garmin GPS map. Owner leaving country - Call: 693-2237 One 14 inch dredge / draga – Call: 663-0742 One complete water shop with 3 white tanks, 1 pressure pump & ultraviolet lamp (items can be sold separately) Call: 622-5986 Quality imported pups, Hale German Shepherd for sale. Call: 660-2024
TAXI SERVICES City Taxi Service (1968), 8 Vlissengen Road, Newtown 24hrs service –Call: 225-8600, 226-1088, 227-1101, 226-7150 Eddie’s Taxi Service, 6 Vlissengen Road, Newtown. Call: 226-0606, 225-1513
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security - Tel: 698-7807
Wolf power 7500E, Generator, One Tohatsu everrun , outboard engine 18HP. Owner leaving country - Call: 693-2237 1 Cupboard, imported wall divider, imported 4 piece table & chair, stainless sink, freezer, microwave, tank 450 gal, good quality- Call:6868343
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj Building- Tel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 615-0964; 689-5997
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 662-6045 Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 6273206 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call: 225-9032, 647-2943 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar: 231-0655, 683-8734 For professional and affordable landscaping services, grassing, leveling, perorated & drainage, system, supply of earth- Call: 626-1044, 656-1326 Repairs to refrigerators gas stoves washing machine, A/ C units – Call Lindon: 6411086, 694-2202, 227-8907 Guywiz Technology, I-phone unlocking sale, starting from $5,000 – Call: 616-8230, Lot 47 Russell Street Charlestown FOR LOW COST: REPAIRS TO FRIDGE, FREEZER,A/C UNIT, MICROWAVES, TV & WASHING MACHINE – CALL: 629-4946 OR 2254822 Thinking about where to get some healthy, tasty food? Call Khana’s Kitchen. Tel:614-2461. You Will Want More!!!
MASSAGE The Gent’s Spa: Be pampered by beautiful masseuses, new attendant Candy, four hands massages, drinks available Tel: 657-5979 Happy Touch Day Spa: Come & Experienced heavens touch, visit us today! – 6684554 American Style massage services- Call:678-7499 ACCOMODATION SIGNATURE INN: Luxury Suites & Apartments. Free Wi-Fi & Breakfast; AC & Self Contained Rooms @ 83 Laluni Street Queenstown. Tel: 592-226-2145
Page 19
VEHICLE FOR SALE
SALON
FOR RENT
Pitbull Bus ($3.1M) unregistered, Noah, Regius ($2M) unregistered - Call: 603-9700 1- 2001 new model 212 stick shift - $2M, 1 -2000 year model Tacoma with 3RZ engine- $2.1M – Call: 6165974, 618-8703 1999 Toyota Tacoma (black) excellent condition, auto extended cab, fully loaded – Call: 610-5370 Toyota Prado, Price$5.5M Neg. Call: 643-2403 2004 Toyota Avensis, new tyres, interior well maintained, 75,000 KM, Excellent paint job, seat covers, asking $3.2M - Contact: 651-3000 Toyota Raum, Contact Devika: 264-2954, 628-2634 AT 192 Carina - $900,000, AE100 Sprinta - $600,000Call: 641-4192 or 229-6515
Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
Toyota 212 Carina, Toyota Vigo Pick-up, Nissan Pathfinder Jeep, excellent condition, prices negotiable. Call: 264-3732, 225-8427, 6097766. 2005 Honda Airwave, Mint Condition - $2.6M negotiable Call: 592-685-1231, 592-6702343 Unregistered Spacio 2004, camera, rims, body kit, Fielder 2003, black interior, fully loaded. Call: 617-5536 One Belta Vehicle for salePSS 2700 – Call: 684-4627 Toyota Fun Cargo Sports Car, Excellent condition, first owner, price $1.25M. Call: 613-3160 2003 Toyota Premio - $2.3M, New Model Spacio $2.150M, fully loaded, unregistered. Call: 617-2891 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 Prado Land Cruiser, Automatic Diesel, PHH Series, $5.8M. Call:233-2546, 688-5554 Just arrived Allion $2.3M, Premio - $2.4, Late PLL RAV4 $2.65M, Bluebird, fielder available – Call: 616-3413, 692-6159 Toyota IST 2003, $1.5M Neg. PNN series, Toyota Allion 2006 - $1.950M Neg. PRR Series. Call: 609-2815 EDUCATIONAL CXC Classes for adults/ students, repeater, Grade 6, slow learners in Mathematics, All Science & Business Subjects – Call: 2315678, 690-5008
WANTED One Live in maid to work in home in Georgetown – Call: 669-6030 One shop attendant to work in the Interior- Call: 681-6044 (1) 16 DISC Tractor room plough. Tel: 688-1785 1 Cook to work in the interior - restaurant, $120,000, age 30-45. Call: 675-7043, 6645199 between 9am-6pm. Female to work in interior, shop attendant, salary $80,000, age 25-45 - Call: 664-5199 One experienced chainsaw operator. Call: 664-5199 between 8am-6pm Investing in buying old stamps/coins and old paper money. Call: 690-8702 Two Wash bay workers – Call: 660-4405 Live in waitresses to work in a bar – Call: 604-6606 Mechanic Technician with 7 years of experienced, needed in Tortola B.V.I. Call: 1-284-447-1075 One farmer to work in B.V.I Tortola - Contact: 1-284-4471075 General domestic maid @ Diamond –Contact: 6268003, 227-8529 Mature & experienced cashiers, delivery clerks & Salesperson to work on commission + salary, Business located @ E.C.D, age 25-50 – Call: 601-3679 One truck driver, over 30yrs, preferably from Soesdyke area - Call: 219-0468 between 08:00am -04:00pm 1 Second hand, Skid Steer to purchase. Call: 219-0468 between 08:00am-04:00pm Tree feller & saw men – Call: 683-2575
PEN PAL Indian Male from USA is seeking female age 30/33 with good personality. Call:6653246 (no texting)
GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, (SALE) AND MORE, SAWS & DRILLS -$10,000 - CALL: 675-0767, 667-2535 Business place for rent 3000 SQ FT W.C.D – Call: 690-1740 Sawmill at Linden to rent with Woodmizer Mill, reasonable land space and licensed Contact: 648-5022 Kitchen to rent for bar & restaurant – Call: 684-3371, 684-5976 One hair station, Lot 56 Brickdam – Tel:682-4077, 6172055 4 Bedrooms house- AC, Security camera, GEB alarm, phone, 2 vehicle parking, etc @ Friendship, E.B.D. Call:674-6363
TO LET Furnished 2 bedroom apartments, in linden for shop for short term, local and overseas guest. Call: 444-4704/ 614-4415 Fully furnished 2 bedrooms apartment, with hot & cold @ AA Eccles. Call: 686-5625 or 665-6099 Three bedroom house to rent in South Ruimveldt - $47,000. Call: 685-3971 Newly constructed apartment located in a safe and healthy environment. Call: 698-6496 Two bedrooms bottom flat apartment, Lot 1220 Diamond, Housing Scheme, 6th Avenue, 4th corner in. Call: 663-2855 One exquisite 2 rooms top flat apartment, in Amla Ave. Prashad Nagar. Call Bernard on: 621-6366, 226-7023 2 Bedrooms house for rent at 499 Block, A Section Y Kaneville - Contact: 6746213
LAND FOR SALE Diamond/Grove, New Scheme, land with foundation & post, corner lot, $7M (neg) - Call: 603-9700 (Continued page 18)
Page 20
Kaieteur News
Monday November 17, 2014
Monday November 17, 2014
Kaieteur News
British tourists warned of Chik-V outbreak in Caribbean LONDON - CMC – British tourists are being warned of the dangers of the Chikungunya virus that is sweeping the Caribbean. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, “British tourists in the Caribbean are being struck down by a debilitating and potentially deadly virus carried by mosquitoes, an unprecedented outbreak of the Chikungunya virus is affecting islands including Barbados, St. Lucia and the (St. Vincent) Grenadines, where many UK holidaymakers flock during the festive season,” it added. The paper said thousands have been hit by
the illness, which leaves victims bedridden for days, and the “more vulnerable victims have died”. “Yesterday, there were fears that British tourists may not realize the dangers until it is too late, amid reports that tour operators are playing down the problem,” the report continued. Chikungunya, which is contracted through mosquito bites, causes a sudden onset of fever and agonizing joint pain, particularly affecting the hands, wrists, ankles and feet. British tourists and expats are among hundreds of thousands of cases reported since the beginning of the outbreak last year.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency reports that as of last month, a total of 739,410 suspected cases and 118 deaths have been reported in the Caribbean and the Americas. But health officials warned the true numbers could be higher as some countries have been slow in testing and reporting. Chikungunya was first reported in the region by the World Health Organization (WHO) last December. It is a viral disease transmitted by infected female mosquitoes with symptoms including high fever, headaches, rashes and severe joint pain.
A.J. Nicholson blasts JLP on pushing for a CCJ referendum The Gleaner - Minister of Foreign Affairs A.J. Nicholson has criticised the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) for insisting on a referendum to decide whether Jamaica joins the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The criticism comes days before Parliament is scheduled to begin debating a bill that seeks to have the CCJ replace the Londonbased Privy Council as the country’s final court. The Portia Simpson Miller administration wants the decision made through legislative action, while the
A.J. Nicholson Andrew Holness-led JLP wants the decision made by Jamaicans through a
referendum. But speaking from Tokyo where he is attending the Japan-CARICOM Ministerial-Level Conference, Nicholson re-iterated that a referendum is a political undertaking and warned that it would be unwise to have matters related to the judiciary placed on a political platform. With his party’s majority in the Lower House of Parliament, Nicholson says the bill will be passed there without any hindrance, but says he hopes the JLP comes to its senses by the time the bill gets to the Senate.
Funding for Haiti from CDF Bridgetown, Barbados – The Republic of Haiti is on track to benefit from a Country Assistance Programme (CAP) of the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) when that Barbados-based organisation’s second funding cycle starts in July 2015. The CDF provides technical and financial resources to “disadvantaged countries, regions and sectors” within CARICOM and since 2010 has approved
CAPs of almost EC$124.0 (US$46.0 million) in loans and grants for financing projects in OECS Member States, Belize and Guyana. Haiti’s accession to the benefits of a CAP became a reality during a recent CDF mission to that country led by its CEO, Ambassador Lorne T. McDonnough, accompanied by Legal Counsel, Arden Warner and Director of Regional Development, Lenox Forte. A m b a s s a d o r McDonnough expressed
Ebola-trained Cuban health workers arrive today KINGSTON, Jamaica – Thirty Cuban health workers trained in Ebola management are expected to arrive in Jamaica today. The contingent, which will be deployed across the Regional Health Authorities, is part of an existing human resource agreement between the governments of Jamaica and Cuba. Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson is scheduled to welcome the health workers 3:30 pm at the offices of the Health Ministry on King Street, downtown Kingston.
satisfaction with the reaction and enthusiasm of the Haitian officials and indicated his desire for the process of accession to be completed by March 2015 in order to pave the way for the development and implementation of the CAP. The discussions focused on the steps Haiti needs to take in order to formalise its membership of the CDF, the benefits it could anticipate, as well as the procedures necessary for accessing the resources. Those taking part included Serge Merger, the Director General of Haiti’s Industrial Development Fund; Peterson Noel, the Ambassador to CARICOM; Ghisler Dugas, the Director General of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Chenet St Vil, Coordinator General of BASCOZ, the bureau that coordinates and monitors agreements with CARICOM and other organisations.
Page 21
New York mayor signs bills that “drastically limit” deportation of Caribbean immigrants NEW YORK, United States - CMC – With United States President Barack Obama vowing to proceed on immigration reform by executive order, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday signed two bills that would drastically limit the federal government’s ability to deport undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants from New York City. Under one of the new laws, the city will, in many cases, refuse to hand over immigrants in the criminal justice system to federal agents, according to the New York Daily News. In the past, the city sometimes had to turn over people whose cases had been dismissed or who had been arrested on minor charges, the paper said. Now, it said the city will only cooperate with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if the agency has a federal warrant, or if the person has been convicted of a serious crime or is on a terror watch list. Another bill gets rid of ICE from its offices on Rikers
Island jail in Queens, New York. “We’re signing legislation that will have a really meaningful effect on the lives of immigrants,” said de Blasio, as he signed the bill, flanked by City Legislators and Carlos Rodriguez, who was mistakenly arrested for trespassing and detained by federal law enforcement authorities for eight months even though the charges were dropped. Rodriquez is still fighting deportation to the Dominican Republic, the Daily News said. Nearing the end of an Asian trip, Obama, in Myanmar, repeated vows to use executive orders to act on overhauling immigration enforcement. The president said Republicans “have the ability” to pass a comprehensive immigration bill. But many conservative Republicans said they would risk forcing another government shutdown in a bid to block Obama from changing deportation practices. “Unless Congress preempts or blocks the President’s promised
Bill de Blasio executive action, a long-term funding bill is little more than a blank check for amnesty,” said Heritage Action, a Washington-based lobbying group with major influence among conservative Republicans, urging a shutdown threat. As de Blasio signed the bills on Friday, New York City Council Speaker Puerto Rican-born Melissa MarkViverito repeated her support for another measure, supported by many immigrant advocacy groups, giving noncitizen immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections.
Petrobras scandal may change Brazil forever, Rousseff says (Reuters) - A widening corruption scandal at staterun oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA may change the country forever, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said yesterday in her first public remarks since a sweeping police operation last week. Police on Friday arrested top executives of some of the country’s largest construction and engineering firms as part of a probe into money-laundering and bribery allegations at Petrobras, as the oil company is commonly known. A former senior Petrobras executive responsible for some of the company’s biggest contracts was also arrested. “This may change the country forever,” she told reporters in Brisbane, Australia during a summit of the G20 Group of Nations. “How? By ending impunity.” The scandal puts new pressure on the recently-reelected Rousseff as weak growth and high inflation pose serious challenges to her effort to boost the economy. She may also have difficulty distancing herself from the problems at
Dilma Rousseff Petrobras. She was chairwoman of the board of directors, the company’s highest official, from 2003 to 2010. Several thousand Rousseff opponents gathered in Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro on Saturday to protest her management of the company, according to state police. One of the world’s 10 largest companies in 2008, its market value has dropped by more than $200 billion since, as investors discounted its once shining promise. Despite the discovery of giant offshore reserves and hundreds of billions of dollars of investments, production has disappointed.
Lawmakers of the largest ruling parties, including Rousseff’s Workers’ Party, are under investigation, according to Brazilian media. The construction firms involved were among the largest donors to Rousseff’s and other campaigns, including that of her challenger, Aecio Neves. Rousseff said the scandal was symbolic because it was the first large corruption case v being thoroughly investigated. “This will change forever the relationship between ... Brazilian society, the Brazilian state and private companies.” On Thursday Petrobras delayed the release of its third-quarter earnings. It plans to release unaudited results by Dec. 12 and will hold a conference today. Rousseff, under growing market pressure to slash government spending and reduce state intervention in the economy, ruled out budget cuts that could reduce demand and drag Brazil’s battered economy further down. “We will make an adjustment. But we don’t think curbing demand is the best policy to get out of a crisis.”
Page 22
Kaieteur News
Monday November 17, 2014
Taxi driver survives two bullets to head A teenaged taxi driver is currently in a critical but stable condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), after he was shot twice to the head last Saturday night, by one of two gunmen who led him to a desolate area in the Zeelugt Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), with intentions to kill him. It seemed that the two gunmen only wanted to kill taxi driver Ramesh Persaud, since they did not take his cash and jewelry, which exceeded $100, 000. Persaud was extremely lucky, since the bullets did not damage any vital organs in his head. One of the bullets is still lodged at the back of his head while the other was surgically removed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where Persaud is a patient. Doctors say it is too risky to remove the remaining bullet at this time. Speaking from his hospital bed yesterday, the 19-yearold Persaud, who lives at Parika Backdam, East Bank Essequibo, told this newspaper that he was “shot for no reason” because the gunmen did not rob him. He said, at the time, he had in his possession, a gold chain worth $30, 000, a gold ring worth $15, 000, a gold band worth $15, 000, a Backberry Curve cellular phone worth $20, 000 and $60, 000 cash. He insisted that he never saw the gunmen before and seemed baffled as to why they would want to kill him. Persaud also insisted that he is not involved in any “bad business” that could put his life at risk. The teenager explained that he was hired by one of the gunmen at the Parika junction around 21: 00 hours, and was requested to drive to
The injured Ramesh Persaud a nearby Chinese restaurant to pick-up another man. After he made the pick-up, Persaud said that the gunmen requested a drop-off in the Zeelugt Housing Scheme, EBE. He noted that one gunman was in the front passenger’s seat, while the other was in the back seat of the vehicle. Lured into the trap, the teenager said that he entered the village, unsure of where the men were going. “They didn’t tell me where they were going, so I just drove in the village. I drive and pass the first street and was going to pass the second corner but they stopped me there and told me to turn around the vehicle and put them off at the first street,” he related. Persaud said he proceeded with the drop-off, although he found it “strange” that the men would disembark at the head of a street. He stated that when he reached the drop off point, the gunman in the front seat inquired about the fare, and shortly after, the gunman in the back seat fired a shot behind his head. “When I turn around to stop them off at the first
street, the one in the front seat ask me how much is the fare. I told him $2000. A couple seconds after, I was shot behind my head by the other gunman in the back seat,” he said. Amazingly, Persaud survived the gunshot and “played dead” by slouching on the steering wheel of his vehicle, so that he would not be shot again. The young taxi driver told this newspaper that as the men exited the vehicle, he overheard the gunman who was sitting in the front seat of the vehicle telling the other gunman to “make sure he is dead.” Consequently, when the other gunman exited the vehicle, he approached the driver ’s window, and discharged another round to Persaud’s head. Miraculously, Persaud was able to survive the ordeal and the men fled the scene. After the men ran away, Persaud said, he gathered enough strength to drive all the way to the “Boraserie Bridge” in Parika, where he eventually called his brother and informed him about the incident, before he collapsed. According to his brother, Roland Persaud, “Ramesh was found at the Boraserie Bridge covered in blood” and was immediately rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, West Coast Demerara. The teenager was subsequently transferred to the GPHC shortly after, where one of the bullets lodged in his head, was surgically removed. Persaud is now awaiting surgery to remove the other bullet that remains lodged in an area close to his ear. His mother, Amilia Persaud and father Looknaught Persaud, described their son’s survival as “a miracle from God”. The matter was reported at the Leonora Police Station and investigations are currently ongoing. Meanwhile, as the police were responding to the scene of the shooting their vehicle struck down David Dhanraj, 38, of Greenwich Park. Police in a statement said that it is investigating the fatal accident that occurred at about 23:05 hours on Saturday on the main road at Greenwich Park, EBE, which resulted in the death of Dhanraj. According to the police, a Constable was driving a Force vehicle along the roadway when it is alleged that the pedestrian attempted to cross the road and was struck down. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Leonora Cottage Hospital. The rank is under close arrest as the investigations continue.
Monday November 17, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 23
G20 commits to higher growth, fight climate change; Russia isolated over Ukraine BRISBANE Australia (Reuters) - Leaders from the G20 group of nations agreed yesterday to boost flagging global growth, tackle climate change and crack down on tax avoidance but ties between the West and Russia plummeted to a new low over the crisis in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin left the G20 summit in Brisbane early as U.S. President Barack Obama accused Russia of invading Ukraine and Britain warned of a possible “frozen conflict” in Europe. Several Western nations warned Russia of further sanctions if it did not withdraw troops and weapons from Ukraine. “I think President Putin can see he is at a crossroads,” said British Prime Minister David Cameron. “If he continues to destabilize Ukraine there will be further sanctions, further measures. “There is a cost to sanctions, but there would be a far greater cost in allowing a frozen conflict on the continent of Europe to be created and maintained.” Obama said Russia’s isolation was unavoidable. “We would prefer a Russia that is fully integrated with the global economy,” he told a news conference. “But we are also very firm on the need to uphold
U.S. President Barack Obama meets with European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine, at the G20 in Brisbane yesterday. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque core international principles.... you don’t invade other countries or finance proxies and support them in ways that break up a country that has mechanisms for democratic elections.” Before leaving the G20 Summit, Putin said a solution to the Ukraine crisis was possible, but did not elaborate. “Today the situation (in Ukraine) in my view has good chances for resolution, no matter how strange it may
sound,” Putin said. He skipped a working lunch at the summit to leave early, citing the long flight home and need for sleep. Russia has denied any involvement in the conflict in Ukraine that has killed more than 4,000 people this year. Security and climate change overshadowed G20 talks on boosting global economic growth at the summit, although the leaders did sign off on a package of measures to add an extra 2.1
Zimbabwe’s vice president linked to plot JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Zimbabwe’s vice president, once seen as a possible successor to President Robert Mugabe, has been linked to an alleged plot to assassinate the 90year-old leader, a state-run newspaper reported yesterday. An ally of Vice President Joice Mujuru who was recently ousted from his post as ruling party spokesman said the allegations that he conspired against Mugabe are false. Rugare Gumbo, the ousted spokesman, was identified in The Sunday Mail as a plotter against Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980. The Sunday Mail cited a voice recording and reported comments as evidence of the alleged plot but it did not attribute the information to security officials or other sources. Political factions are maneuvering for influence ahead of the annual ruling
Joice Mujuru party congress next month. Mujuru has come under repeated verbal attacks from the president’s wife, Grace. Grace Mugabe has assumed an increasingly political role, angering some party insiders who believe she does not have leadership credentials in a country struggling with high unemployment and other social problems. Gumbo said Robert Mugabe lambasted him during a meeting of senior
leaders of the ruling ZANUPF party on Thursday night. “We were accused of attempting to overthrow the president and it was the president himself who led the charges,” Zimbabwe’s Daily News quoted Gumbo as saying. “He says ‘we have done wrong and should leave the party,’ but this is just a smear campaign to eliminate people who are standing by the vice president.” Another alleged conspirator named by The Sunday Mail is Didymus Mutasa, a high-ranking official in the ruling party. Without citing sources, the newspaper said another alleged plotter had met “potential hitmen” in South Africa and Israel. Mugabe has often accused foreign powers, particularly Britain and the United States, of trying to undermine him. Western leaders have criticized Mugabe’s human rights record.
percentage points to global growth over five years. “This will add more than $2 trillion to the global economy and create millions of jobs,” said a communiqué
issued at the end of the meeting, which also committed to tackle global tax avoidance denying government’s billions of dollars in revenue. The United States and other nations overrode host Australia’s attempts to keep climate change off the formal agenda. Australia is one of the world’s biggest carbon emitters per capita. The final communiqué called for strong and effective action to address climate change with the aim of adopting a protocol, with legal force, at a U.N. climate conference in Paris in 2015. “The most difficult discussion was on climate change,” an EU official told reporters on condition of anonymity. “This was really trench warfare, this was really step by step by step. In the end we have references to most of the things we wanted.” Obama put climate change squarely on the G20 agenda with a speech on Saturday calling on all nations to act,
and committing $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund. Japan pledged $1.5 billion to the fund yesterday. World leaders also agreed to unite in the fight against Ebola, which Britain’s Cameron said was not only a humanitarian crisis but also a security threat. “The best way we can keep out people safe from Ebola is by tackling it at source,” he said. Earlier in the day, Obama, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lined up together against Russia, vowing to oppose what they called Moscow’s efforts to destabilize eastern Ukraine. European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel also warned of more sanctions unless Russia ends its support for pro-Russian separatist rebels. EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to consider further steps, including additional possible sanctions on Russia.
Page 24
Kaieteur News
Monday November 17, 2014
U.S. hostage Peter Kassig beheaded by Islamic State militants BEIRUT (Reuters) Islamic State militants have beheaded another American hostage, Peter Kassig, issuing a video claiming the killing yesterday and warning the United States they would kill other U.S. citizens “on your streets.” U.S. President Barack Obama confirmed the death of the aid worker in what he called “an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity.” The announcement of Kassig’s death, the fifth such killing of a Western captive by the group, formed part of a 15-minute video posted online in which Islamic State showed the beheadings of at least 14 men it said were pilots and officers loyal to Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad. Kassig, 26, from Indiana, was also known as AbdulRahman, a name he took after converting to Islam in captivity. His parents have said through a spokesperson their son was taken captive on his way to the Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Oct. 1, 2013. “Today we offer our prayers and condolences to the parents and family of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known to us as Peter,” Obama said in a statement to reporters on Air Force One as he returned to the United States from the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia. The video did not show the beheading of Kassig, who previously served in the U.S. Army, but showed a masked man standing with a
Peter Kassig decapitated head covered in blood at his feet. Speaking in English in a British accent, the man says: “This is Peter Edward Kassig, a U.S. citizen.”
The video appeared on a jihadist website and on Twitter feeds used by Islamic State. Kassig’s parents, Ed and Paula Kassig, issued a statement saying: “We prefer our son is ... remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family, not in the manner the hostage-takers would use to manipulate Americans and further their cause.” The man in the video spoke with the same southern British accent as the killer of previous hostages, dubbed “Jihadi John” by British media. He was believed to have been wounded in an air attack on an IS leaders’ meeting in Iraq near the Syrian border earlier this month, some media reports have
said. French daily Le Figaro said on its website that the French Interior Ministry was studying the possibility of the presence of a French national among the Islamic State militants who beheaded Kassig. In the video, a masked militant says: “To Obama, the dog of Rome, today we are slaughtering the soldiers of Bashar and tomorrow we will be slaughtering your soldiers,” in a prediction that Washington would send more troops to the region to fight Islamic State. “And with Allah’s permission ... the Islamic State will soon ... begin to slaughter your people in your streets.” Kassig was doing humanitarian work through
Special Emergency Response and Assistance, an organization he founded in 2012 to help Syrian refugees, the family has said. Obama said Kassig’s life stood in stark contrast to the values represented by Islamic State, adding he was a “humanitarian who worked to save the lives of Syrians injured and dispossessed by the Syrian conflict.” Islamic State has previously killed U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning. Western leaders and officials condemned the killing. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was horrified by the “coldblooded murder.”
Monday November 17, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 25
China’s blitz against corruption hits some U.S. travel companies NEW YORK (Reuters) Almost every year for more than a decade, tour group operator Carson Zhang guided a delegation of about two dozen Chinese government officials from Guangdong province’s Forestry Administration for a two-week trip through the national parks of California, Tennessee, and Georgia. Along with presentations about forest fires and trail preservation, the officials enjoyed lobster and steak dinners, went to see Tennessee bluegrass musicians perform, and made a stop at one of Orange County, California’s shopping malls. Zhang’s company, American Carson International, catered almost
exclusively to government tour groups from Guangdong province. But in the past couple of years, official tourism from there has been scaled back, and the forestry group has not visited the U.S. since 2012, Zhang said. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on government corruption, which began almost two years ago, has had a profound impact in China itself. Luxury goods sales have suffered, officials now shun lavish banquets, and gambling revenues at casinos in Macau have been sinking. Even sales of boxes of cookies and cakes around holiday times have been hit. It is also hurting a specialized niche of the U.S. tourism industry.
Democrats expect Obama to veto pipeline bill if it passes Senate WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - A Democratic leader said yesterday a single vote could determine the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S. Senate this week but that President Barack Obama was likely to veto the bill even if it passes. The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved the pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast, and the Senate is expected to consider it on Tuesday. The 45 Republicans in the Senate need to find 15 Democrats to join them in voting for the pipeline in order to send the bill to Obama. The legislation circumvents the need for approval of TransCanada Corp’s $8 billion project by the Obama administration, which has been considering it for more than six years. “It’s within a vote or two,” Dick Durbin, the secondranking Democrat in the Senate, said of current Senate support, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I’ve done the counts and I can tell you it appears it may succeed or fail on a procedural vote with one or two senators making a difference. “We are one vote short as we left last week. I know they’re burning up the phone lines and emails trying to find that vote to support the procedural move. I don’t know how successful they’ve been.” The pipeline’s backers say it will create jobs and lower gasoline prices but opponents are concerned
President Barack Obama about its environmental impact. A court in Nebraska is considering the pipeline’s route through that state. The decision to approve the pipeline or not rests with the State Department because the pipeline crosses an international border. Obama has indicated he might use his veto if the bill does get through Congress. He said on Sunday in Australia, where he was attending a G20 summit, that the State Department evaluation and legal process should “play itself out.” “Every indication is the president will veto an attempt to pre-empt the regular process of reviewing the permit for this pipeline,” Durbin said. Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said on “Fox News Sunday” he also expected Obama to veto the Keystone bill if it is approved. “Our information is that they’re leaning that way but I don’t have a hard assurance,” he said.
In some parts of China there are new restrictions on the kinds of overseas travel by central and local government officials that will be allowed, according to officials in several Chinese cities and U.S. companies who handle travel arrangements for government trips. Often it isn’t a new rule that is proving to be a barrier but widespread fear that an overseas trip will attract the wrong kind of attention from the government teams investigating corruption. The probes have already led to the detention of thousands of officials and have a particular focus on those who may have moved suspicious amounts of money overseas. China’s state news agency Xinhua reported in January that the number of officials who traveled overseas for training approved by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs fell by 32 percent in 2013. The body approves trips below ministerial level. International “training” trips, meant to help Chinese officials learn about business and government practices in other countries, are not only less frequent, they are also shorter and there is a lot less room for leisure time. One municipal tourism bureau from a medium-sized Chinese city needed its foreign affairs bureau’s
Xi Jinping approval to travel to the U.S. this year, said Haybina Hao, international development director for the National Tour Association, a travel trade group based in Lexington, Kentucky that recommends tour managers. Their review is still pending, Hao said. But if they are approved, their trip - they are only allowed one this year - must last less than eight days, Hao said. Take away two days for travel and that is not a lot of time, she said. “Which is exactly the intention of the Chinese government,” Hao said. “They don’t want (officials) to spend excessive public funds.” At the Guangdong Forestry Administration, a section chief who would only give her surname, Tan, confirmed that as regulations
have tightened it is no longer sending officials on the twoweek trip. She said that there had in the past been such training visits that had involved traveling through California, Tennessee and Georgia and that they had always complied with Chinese regulations. She said she was not certain which year they had stopped. For many years after China first began opening up in the late 1970s, much of the tourism to the U.S. and other countries was from official delegations, and a cottage industry of tour operators grew up to serve them. Groups of officials would often have a relatively light official schedule, leaving plenty of room for sightseeing and trips to shopping malls, restaurants, and casinos. The tour operators would often get commissions from planning such excursions. “In the past, most of these trips have been one day of official business and 10 days of travel,” said Sage Brennan, co-founder of the Los Angeles-based consulting group Luxury China Advisors, which consults clients such as luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman and the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board on how to attract Chinese consumers. “Those kinds of trips have disappeared.” Brennan estimates
officially sanctioned Chinese government travel to the U.S. fell by as much as 90 percent in the first half of 2013, and hasn’t recovered much since. Some hoteliers in New York have seen a drop off in Chinese government guests. The Sheraton LaGuardia located in Flushing, Queens, New York City’s biggest and fastest growing Chinatown, had several official delegations cancel their reservations in October, said Karen Ng, head of sales for the hotel. In recent years, the balance has swung more towards private tour groups and even individual tourism as the number of people with the private means to travel soars along with China’s economy. It means that while the drop off in official trips may be hurting some tour operators and hotels, the overall impact is more than offset. Indeed, Chinese tourists visiting the U.S. in July 2014 jumped 22 percent over July 2013, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Commerce. China’s luxury jet-set take on average three international trips a year, according to the Nielsen Mainland Chinese Luxury Shopper survey. Chinese consumers of luxury products also spend three times as much abroad as they do at home, a Bain & Company 2014 global luxury report found.
Page 26
Kaieteur News
Monday November 17, 2014
Third Courts Pee Wee Schools Football Competition
Stella Maris trump St. Pius on penalties to take 2014 championship By Franklin Wilson Led by their Captain and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player Darron Niles, St e l l a M a r i s P r i m a r y School, following seven weeks of riveting action, emerged as the 2014 champions of the Third Courts Pee Wee Schools Football competition which culminated in breathtaking fashion yesterday at the Banks DIH Ground, Thirst Park. Managing Director of Courts Mr. Clyde De Haas, Banks DIH Malta Supreme Brand Manager Clayton McLeod along with organisers Petra Organisation Co-Directors Troy Mendonca and Marlan Cole witnessed the pulsating final which saw underdogs Stella Maris upstage giant killers St. Pius Primary 2-0 on penalty kicks to take the championship. Conceding a mere two goals going into this game, one had to look at Stella Maris as real contenders for the title and they did not disappoint. St. Pius did not get their billing as favorites overnight but built up that reputation over time; they however met a team that was not concerned about their {St.
Pius} reputation but had a plan of their own which they executed with precision. Captain of the new champions, Darron Niles was the player who led his side with assurance from the front; he was everywhere, taking the goal kicks, throw-ins and free kicks. In tandem with Charles Chan, Nicklus Stanton and t h e t o u r n a m e n t ’s b e s t goalkeeper (only let in 2 goals), Gavin Mark, Stella Maris gradually imposed their will on St. Pius while nullifying the danger man, Raymond Austin. It became clearer as the game progressed that Stella Maris planned their strategy well which was to take out Austin. The new champs who no one ever felt had a real chance of taking the championship, continued to pressure St. Pius by creating the most promising goal scoring opportunities. Stanton missed a volley off a cross by Niles early in the second half; he also missed another close chance towards the end of the first. They came close again from a corner taken by Niles midway through the second half as St. Pius had no real answers to the
- Darron Niles is MVP offensive minded Stella Maris boys. The pressure on the former champs was evident when their coach was forced to pull a visibly fatigued Austin from the forward line. Chan went just outside the left upright for Stella Maris as the goal drought continued. The closest St. Pius came to scoring was a free kick awarded them in the penultimate minute of regulation time following a handled ball by Simeon Alleyne. Their most potent player, Austin stepped up to take the kick but the wall of all the Stella Maris players was too solid for him to penetrate as the chance went a begging. The ensuing 10 minutes of extra time failed to break the deadlock and penalty kicks was the next avenue to decide the winner. Captain Niles was the first to kick for Stella Maris and he clinically put away his shot past Austin who was the preferred choice in goal ahead of regular custodian Derrick Carter Jnr. who had a good game. It was a decision that the
St. Pius supporters were clearly annoyed with following the completion of the game. Their {St. Pius} first kick was sent outside the left upright by Brandon Solomon, Stella Maris increased the lead to 2-0 when Earl Grant blasted the ball past Austin. The pressure was clearly mounting more on St. Pius as Austin stepped up to the spot to take their second shot which was saved excellently by the vigilant Gavin Mark to trigger wild celebrations by his teammates and supporters who swarmed Thirst Park as their thirst for victory was finally quenched; a deserved victory as they were clearly the better team on the day maintaining their reputation as the best defensive team. Keon Mraques of Tucville Primary ended as the tournaments Highest Goal Scorer with 10 goals; the Best Coach was Mr. Wheatland Fordyce who was responsible for South Ruimveldt (reached semi finals) and Green Acres Primary Schools. Copping the Most Disciplined School award was F. E Pollard Primary, while Mr. Dave Adams was named the Most Supportive Parent of the competition. In the third place playoff, Tucville Primary defeated South Ruimveldt 2-0, both goals were scored by Keion Marques in the 9th and 17th minute. In the Plate Section of the tournament; F.E. Pollard defeated West Ruimveldt 4-0 in the 5th place game, Tramel McCurdy (6, 25) netted a brace with one apiece for Makhaya Jervis (24) and Quincy Williams (27). St. Margaret’s Primary beat St. Angela’s in the 7th place game 3-2 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 stalemate at the end of regulation time.
Tucville and South Ruimveldt were recipients of trophies and a 32" TV each compliments of Courts, while Stella Maris and St. Pius were each presented with trophies and a desktop computer each. Managing Director of Courts Mr. Clyde De Haas in remarks to the players and parents at the presentation noted his pleasure in partnering with the Petra Organisation and Banks DIH to bring off another successful tournament. Mr. Haas complimented the schools for the high level of football displayed throughout the tournament noting that his company was more than happy to support this level of football in Guyana which is rich. He noted that the next generation of players that would represent Guyana at the CFU and CONCACAF levels would come to the fore from among these players which makes the tournament vital for the forward trust of the game. Banks DIH’s Malta Supreme Brand Manager Clayton McLeod in his remarks also stated that his company was happy to be on board once again noting that he was amazed with the level of talent on display which augurs well for the future of Guyana. Co-Director of Petra
Marlan Cole in giving a summary of the tournament informed that a total of 125 goals were scored overall at an average of 2.3 per match. The competition kicked off on October 4th and a total of 56 matches were played. The Ministry of Education, Allied Arts Department, Courts, Banks DIH Malta Supreme, Guyana Football Referees Council, Davis Memorial Hospital Medical team, Petra Staff, players, teachers, parents and fans were all complimented by Cole for their efforts in making the tournament a resounding success. “Petra is not involved in this programme because we have to, but because we want to, and we believe it is the right thing to do for the students, the sport of football and our society. In doing so we are hoping to enjoy the continuous support from sponsors, the Ministry of Education, schools, teachers and parents.” He said it is the ultimate hope of the organization for the tournament to impact most importantly, the student/ parent relationship where more parents especially fathers will support their boys. “And this will be replicated in the support for them during their school years which may lead to the young men doing better in school, especially those schools and students that are on the down side of opportunity.”
DCC are GCA/Noble... From page 27 said that is was an interesting game and lauded Dwayne Adams who scored a century for Everest, Renee and Gibson for their batting. He also singled out Dennis Squires and Mohamed who took a five-wicket hauls for special mention. In an invited comment president of DCC, Alfred Mentore said his team played well and commended the captain Lynden Lyght who he said led the team admirably and has so far won 11 titles for his club at this level. He also spoke highly of the coach Garvin Nedd. “Nedd has been doing a lot of hard work with the youths and has been getting the rewards,” added Mentore who felt that Everest played good cricket through out. Coach Nedd stated that his team stuck to the game plan and executed well.
Guyana Jaguars trounce Leewards... From page 28 a huge six before smashing Beaton for a stunning off-side boundary as the 100 partnership came up from 89 minutes off 146 balls. But just when it looked as if the home team would have to bat again and the match would have been extended into the final day, Tonge top edged an injudicious sweep at Bishoo and was taken by Chris Barnwell, running back from slip to leave the Islanders on 220-7. Tonge fell one short of his sixth fifty at this level and his face-saving knock went in vain as Bishoo got rid of Yannick Leonard (1) and Anthony Martin (5) and Hamilton’s
accomplished 74 was ended when he was bowled by Barnwell. Deonarine was named Man-of-the Match for his unbeaten 110. Guyana play their next match at the same venue when they face-off with the Windwards Volcanoes from Friday. Meanwhile, the Windwards chasing 261 to win were all out for 247 on the third day of their first round game against Jamaica to lose by 14 runs. Scores: Jamaica (208 & 161), Windwards (110 & 247). Trinidad &Tobago were 165-3 at the end of the third day of their first round game against Barbados. Scores: Barbados (360), T&T (96 & 165-3).