Kaieteur News

Sunday October 06, 2013

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Man and son shot dead, execution style Fear has gripped the Wauna community in the North West District following the execution style slaying of a Guyanese miner and his son by men believed to be Venezuelan military personnel. The killing occurred near the Guyana/ Venezuelan border. Orlando Fitzpatrick, 52, and his son, 17 year-old Jesse, were shot dead on Thursday night while they were returning from their mining operation at a place called Tocopita on the Venezuelan side of the border. Kaieteur News understands that although Munroe and his son were robbed of their earnings by the Spanishspeaking “soldiers”, their deaths bear all the marks of an execution. It is reported that two other men who were with the father and son were spared. According to Munroe’s mother, Gladys Seetahall, “He and his son were coming from the mines across the border with Venezuela. Two boys were bringing them across in a boat.” She said that from the reports she received, when the Guyanese reached

Guyana, they were stopped by a group of men wearing what appeared to be Venezuelan army uniforms. “The Venezuelan soldiers were there and they shot the son first, then they shot the father. They did nothing to the two other boys,” Seetahall explained. She said that the incident had to occur around 20:30 on Thursday, since Fitzpatrick had reportedly telephoned his wife that night and told her that he would be at his mother’s by midnight. The dead man’s wife, Marlyn Allick, who resides at Grove, East Bank Demerara, told Kaieteur News last night that the father and son left home for their mining ground in June. However the father became sick and returned home for medical attention before rejoining his son in August. She said that on Thursday, Fitzpatrick telephoned her from a place called Amakura and told her that they were on their way home. “He said that everything was good and I must call him around midnight

Momentum Is your momentum carrying you in the right direction? Are you gaining on your goals and objectives? Have you stopped to think of what you practice in your daily living? Are you doing your best or is just adequate good enough? To achieve your best requires right decisions. It entails making good choices. Choices create momentum for good or for bad. Have you stopped to think how momentum affects your life? For example, to allow you to do shoddy work one time and then again is to create momentum. The third time is like an avalanche; hard to stop. And then, with the fourth time on, is virtually guaranteed. If you add the cookies, potato chips, and colas into the shopping cart each week, you’re making a poor selection. It’s not difficult to put in the fruits and water instead. Know that wrong thinking leads you to poor decisions. By the same token, right choices and decisions build momentum to carry you to even greater successes. Momentum building choices become your character. Done long enough, they become a better you. Thank The Creator that with a little effort, you can change your poor choices by making only slight direction changes. Once you have changed momentum of the downward slide, it’s easy to stop the slide. Make a few right decisions and your entire destiny can change. Most of the time the difference between horrible, devastating failure and grand, glorious success is only a miniscule bit apart. Remind yourself of how important each hour and each decision is. Change your momentum to the right and see how it carries you to achievement and success.

when he should reach Wauna by his mother.” Allick said that the following day she tried to contact her husband but his telephone “rang out”. “I called his mother and asked her if he reach and she said no. Later that day I hear they get shoot up,” Allick related. She said that although her husband was usually on time, she did not take the reports seriously. A few hours later she was able to confirm that her husband and her son were dead. This newspaper was informed that the dead men’s bodies were taken back to Tocopita in Venezuela where they were handed over to

Fitzpatrick’s sister who lives there. “They are now brining them (bodies) back across and we got to take transportation and go up the creek for them,” Gladys Seetahall said. “Right now we have a big puzzle. Why four men in the boat and is only my husband and son get kill? Why they had to take them back to Venezuela?” Sources in the Wauna Region told Kaieteur News that the killing of the two men could be in retaliation for the shooting of another man who has links with Venezuelan soldiers. One source informed that Venezuelan soldiers would

Orlando Fitzpatrick

17 year-old Jesse normally cross the border and harass Guyanese miners, taking away their gold. The source said that

about three months ago, Fitzpatrick and a man who was a “friend” of the Venezuelans had a bitter altercation. “He and them Venezuelan was friends, and how this thing happen, it look like they was waiting fuh tek out Fitzpatrick,” the source said.

Northern Brazil State welcomes Guyanese investors The Northern Brazilian delegation, Servico Brasilerio de Apoio as Micro e Pequenas Empresas (SEBRAE) from the state of Roraima, has signaled its intention to open the Brazilian economy to persons wanting to invest in it. The delegation met with some members of the Guyanese business community at the recently held GMSA/GuyExpo business forum, and by way of the representative, Heraldo Lo Santos, said that the Brazilian government will be willing to facilitate Guyanese wanting to invest there (Brazil) by providing exemptions in taxes for persons interested. The government is also prepared to provide tax exemptions for Guyanese

shipping equipment into the country. The representative Lo Santos even went further to state that training is available for persons looking to invest in specific areas of trade, such as aquaculture. From the other end of the spectrum the Brazilian delegation by way of its representative said that they are looking to invest in Guyana’s Ecotourism as well as provide the necessary infrastructural support so that goods can be transported easily to and fro both countries respectively. Another SEBRAE representative said that “one of the strategies we have in the State of Roraima with the help of the Brazilian Government is putting asphalt on the road from our border

to Georgetown.” This investment he said would be about US$230M. The representative added that “a working group has already held its seventh meeting with the Government of Brazil, the State of Roraima and Government of Guyana respectively. He said, “This project also includes the construction of three hydroelectric plants. With respect to the road he said, “We have the guarantee that within two years this project will be initiated and the conclusion of the project will be within four years.” Ramesh Dookoo, President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMA) said that he supported all that was said by the Brazilian Delegation

present. However he wanted greater in depth knowledge about the procedures necessary to facilitate the increase in the level of bilateral trade. He also wanted information on the state of the Brazil Lethem road. He said that the private sector would be willing to lobby support for the completion of this project that the sector sees as very beneficial towards the increase of bilateral trade and growth of both countries. Dookoo added, “We do need to exploit the possibility of bringing tourism from Venezuela and Brazil to Guyana and we are currently lobbying our Government to upgrade the airstrip in Lethem. I think that’s a worthwhile initiative.

Jilted woman douses rival with acid Police are hunting for a woman who allegedly threw acid on her ex-boyfriend’s lover, after the man turned up in her street with the new girlfriend. Reports state that the suspect, who is from Beterveragting, East Coast Demerara, threw a corrosive substance on 43-year-old Michelle Mc Donald, a Middle Walk, Buxton clothes vendor, while the victim was sitting in her boyfriend’s car around 20:00 hrs last Friday. Mc Donald has been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Burns Unit with first degree burns to the face, abdomen and thighs.

Kaieteur News understands that the suspect’s lover recently broke up with her and began a relationship with Mc Donald. It is alleged that around 20:00 hrs last Friday, the man, accompanied by Michelle Mc Donald, drove to the street where t h e e x girlfriend lives. While Mc Donald remained in the car, the man reportedly parked a few yards away from the former

girlfriend’s house and went to the woman’s house, reportedly to collect his belongings. The ex-girlfriend realised that Mc Donald was waiting outside and a quarrel ensued between the woman and the former lover. It is alleged that the woman then went to the man’s car and threw a corrosive substance on Mc Donald. The injured woman was rushed to the hospital while

her attacker reportedly fled and was still at large up to yesterday. The incident occurred just a few days after another jilted woman allegedly recruited another female to kill her rival. The victim, Linda Phillips, was stabbed twice in the back but survived the attack while the woman who was allegedly hired to dispose of Phillips and the alleged ‘mastermind’ are in custody.

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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

THE IMPORTANCE OF LIFE SKILLS In our society, every employer sets out the prerequisites for potential employees as having a number of certificates: be they Diploma, Degree, Masters or Doctorate. There is no problem with these prerequisites; however, one may wonder why organizations, businesses or institutions are still crumbling and experiencing so many problems. Employers may have all the ‘qualifications’ from the finest universities around the world and employ individuals who have graduated from the most recognized, accredited universities, but according to research and observation, workplace violence, lack of interpersonal communication skills, stress and anger issues are abundantly high. Mere academic qualifications will not make an organization more efficient. With all the qualifications, can we say that we exercise emotional intelligence? Do we know how to control our anger? Are we aware of what we are doing to ourselves- the self-destruction we are causing? No one destroys us you know, we are doing a pretty, darn good job at destroying ourselves. The reason businesses and organizations are experiencing many problems is that their employers and employees are ‘Lacking Life Skills’ – those basic things we need to take us through life every day. What purpose would it serve if a man has a Degree or Masters, but insults everyone when he’s angry or perhaps breaks things, or maybe utters a flood of epithets? Why do we refuse to accept those who have no Certificates into our organizations even though these individuals have all the necessary experience and common sense? Have we ever thought of how the Egyptians built the pyramids? Did they have certificates? These are pertinent questions. However the employer is one who always looks at the person most likely to advance his business. And for him advancing the business means pushing the worker, sometimes treating that worker little better than a slave. We have had reports of employers actually assaulting workers, physically. There are people who would say that they are not children and therefore they would resent and attempt to assault them. But then again, the idea of job hunting is not something that some people relish. There are not too many jobs in the country and employers know this. More recently, some people have been complaining that their recent employers merely kept hiring and firing. He would hire someone and fire that person before that person could qualify for benefits. This cycle is allowed to continue because the employer knows that there would always be a line leading to his door for the very reason that jobs are simply not there. People who were previously hired and fired return for more of the same treatment. Such practices make people promote the application of life skills in the workplace. The most efficient businesses are those make each worker feel wanted. Those in which anger seems to be the common factor are the places with production problems. The sugar estates are classic examples. The foremen are nothing but bullies and the workers would strike at the drop of a hat. A number of articles have been written on Life Skills and their benefits, especially in the area of Anger Management. The public needs to be aware of the importance of Life Skills – programmes which would actually benefit the individual in self-development. Government departments are inefficient because of poor management skills. We have seen things reach the stage where workers come and go pretty much as they please simply because the manager is insecure and often demonstrates attitudes that are little better than the errant staff member. Just this past week an educationist noted that the difference between schools is the management. Those with strong managers, people who have interpersonal skills, do better than those where the manager is laidback. Those who insist on proper behavior from the staff would present the better results and this has been proven. That is why the training institutions at one time focused on psychology. Every teacher had to understand human nature and apply the knowledge in any condition. Perhaps there is need to review the policy of management training.

Sunday October 06, 2013

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

Time for all of our people to take a stronger line against dishonesty DEAR EDITOR, Nearly thirty years ago I asked a hinterland villager, who had sold me some handicraft but had not received the payment I had sent through an agent, “What do Amerindian people do to someone they find out has been stealing from them?” The unforgettable answer was, “Well, maybe we wouldn’t speak to him for a while.” Even taking account of the human need for social acceptance and the power of community disapproval, at that time I still felt that as Amerindians got more

involved in the national market, as a group they would have to adopt cruder sanctions against theft. Nowadays, however, it seems, from events not only in interior areas but up to the level of national investments, that money dishonesty meets an even greater tolerance. Whilst I remain an enthusiast for the cultural gifts (including language, as recognised in a recent Sunday Editorial) through which Amerindians have enriched Guyaneseness, maybe it has become necessary for all of our people to take a stronger line against dishonesty.

There is enough vigilance to produce a stream of published allegations of defalcation, and the spit press is overloaded by accounts of extortion, bribery and corruption, so theft of public money is not going unnoticed. But so many accusations are going undefended. How much crime, though, is going unpunished? There is something else at stake, and that is the public perception of those entrusted with the nation’s governance from top to bottom. No amount of professional image-polishing can undo

impressions widely given by opaque fiscal management and refusal of simple explanations. Recently I remonstrated with a Sergeant for participating, at least by silence, in a vulgar shakedown carried out not on the street but in his very station. His only response to me was, “This is Guyana.” I wished him a happy career, up to retirement with honour. Honour? What’s that? I t ’s b e e n o v e r t a k e n b y cynicism and by apathy. Including mine. Gordon Forte

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Mr. Nandlall should ensure that his advice to the President is consistent with the provisions of the Constitution DEAR EDITOR, After reading Mr. Mohabir Anil Nandlall’s letter “The President has untrammelled freedom to assent to and to withhold assent from Bills.’’ (Stabroek News 9/30), I could not help but wonder whether Mr. Nandlall was smarting from his current existence in a polity where the opposition is either very lazy or incompetent, or both, with a civil society that is practically non-existent, or was it a case of pure contempt for the populace? Mr. Nandlall takes more than two pages to subject readers to a flawed interpretation of the constitutional provisions regarding Presidential assent to Bills passed in the National Assembly. Equally ridiculous is his rather juvenile logic that prior practices justify current practices without citing where such practices are necessary to confirm with the Constitution. Mr. Nandlall makes the unnecessary reference to the Constitutions of the US and India. Incidentally, Mr.

Nandlall and indeed the President took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of Guyana. Editor, I may be wrong but I cannot remember reading anywhere that anyone has questioned the President’s authority or freedom to assent to or withhold such assent from Bills presented to him. What people have been saying is that such assent or refusal must occur in the constitutionally mandated twenty-one days. Moreover, where the President refuses to assent he is constitutionally required to give his reason(s) in writing for such. If Mr. Nandlall wants to regard such provisions to act within twenty-one days as being untrammeled freedom, then he is free to. Earlier reports in the press in relation to the inordinate and obviously unconstitutional delay in having Presidential assent or non-assent to Bills attribute to Mr. Nandlall comments to the effect that these delays were in part because assent

certificates needed to be presented by him before these Bills could be signed into law. Since Mr. Nandlall seems fond of quoting from constitutions perhaps he can quote the article(s) in ours which mandate such. Mr. Nandlall’s justifications for these delays is equal to the logic applied by a motorist pulled over by a state trooper for speeding who tells the trooper that he is allowed to speed because yesterday at the same time on the same highway thousands of motorists were speeding. Given that Mr. Nandlall made no reference to the actual process of transmission between the Speaker and the President, Mr. Nandlall should comfort himself with the fact that it has not been called into question where Bills go once the Speaker sends them to the President. That the President may choose to ask him to present an assent certificate is certainly within the President’s remit (within twenty-one days of receipt from the Speaker). The

Constitution also does not give the Attorney General any mandate in this exercise. As legal advisor to the government, Mr. Nandlall might want to ensure that his advice to the President is consistent with the provisions of the Constitution. This issue raises the question as to whether the framers of our Constitution would have contemplated that these twenty-one days would be used primarily for spell checking and other elementary review. My own view is that twenty-one days are just enough time to rubber stamp a Bill or to veto it citing the objections (which had to be known even before the bill would have reached to the President’s desk.). It is commonplace in countries where leaders take seriously their duty to uphold the Constitution that these leaders announce beforehand their intent to veto bills that contain or exclude certain provisions. The question then arises,

is the President using this statutory twenty-one day period to properly scrutinise a bill? The framers could not be faulted for presuming that (a) the President has some

clue of what was happening in the Assembly and (b) the Clerk was capable of preparing an error proof Bill for signing into law. Marlon Cumberbatch

Deplorable Good Hope New Scheme roads DEAR EDITOR, Please grant me a space in your newspaper to highlight a plight that is facing the residents of the Good Hope New Scheme phase three (the village is located at the back of the existing village). Just like me and every other property-owner in the new scheme, we paid $400,000 for our land and are subjected to poorly constructed red sand roads that are worse than the roads in the Hinterland regions. The fortunate residents of the Good Hope Phase one and two of the same village

have paved roads after they invested only $50,000 dollars for their lands. Mr. Editor, because of the distance of the village from the main road, you are forced to use taxis and the drivers, rightfully so, refuse to come into the village or you have to pay above normal price for the cars to come to your gate. The rainy season is fast approaching, and I am pleading with someone within the Region four regional offices or the Ministry of Housing to look urgently into this matter. Donald Singh.

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The attacks against Minister Rohee are without merit

This is the worst pizza I have ever tasted

DEAR EDITOR, Home Affairs Minister Mr. Clement Rohee must be commended for maintaining his calm and composure in the face of relentless and sustained attacks by opposition elements with obvious political agendas. These attacks are politically motivated aimed at casting

blame on Minister Rohee and by extension the PPP/C administration over the crime situation in the country. Having failed in their attempts to have him removed from office by way of a parliamentary motion, the opposition has resorted to all manner of subterfuge to discredit the performance of Mr. Rohee in the discharge of his ministerial duties. It would be recalled that an attempt was made to link the Minister to the Linden fiasco which resulted in the unfortunate deaths of two persons

following protest actions by opposition parties but a Commission of Inquiry set up on the insistence of the opposition found no evidence of ministerial involvement in the operational work of the police force. The attacks against Minister Rohee are unreasonable, unfounded and without merit. These attacks have nothing to do with the competence of the Minister in the execution of his ministerial portfolio as is being claimed by the political opposition. Indeed, the Minister is doing an excellent job having regard to the new and changing dynamics of crime and criminal activities which are posing problems to governments all over the world. It is unfair to blame the Minister for operational deficiencies outside of his ministerial remit. The fact of the matter is that there is no silver bullet that can solve the problem of crime in the country. It required the support and collaboration of each and every Guyanese, more so the parliamentary opposition in order to create an environment which would make it difficult for criminals to operate. The failure of the opposition parties to support legislation to curb the illegal flow of weapons and in money laundering activities is clearly not in the best national interest especially from a security perspective. Hydar Ally

DEAR EDITOR, I thought long and hard about writing this letter. In the end I believe I owe it to the Guyanese people as an opinion-maker to offer my view on what happens in my country. Every word that I have used in this letter to describe a pizza I eat recently from the latest pizza seller in town comes from my analytical mind. There are no normative conclusions. There is no emotion involved. This pizza was simply below any standard in all the countries including Guyana that I have had pizza. I say in all honesty this was the worst pizza I ever ate. I am still somewhat in shock that any food house can make such poor stuff. It is almost commonsense to assume as a consumer that when a new seller comes on the market, they would better the existing product. It is also instinctive on the part of the investor that when he/she opens a company offering a line that is long on the market, then that company has to compete with a better product It all began when my daughter called from Berbice to say that she would not be staying over the weekend but would be coming home on Friday evening. She requested her favourite pizza type – Italian Supreme. I decided I would

check out the new kid on the block. They didn’t have Italian Supreme so I bought another pizza that the advertisement board says it has Italian sausage. I bought a large that was five hundred dollars more than what all the large size cost at all other pizza parlours I took the pizza, put it in my car trunk and closed the door. A feeling came over me telling me look at it. I did. When I opened the box, I saw an ugly dish. This is not what a pizza look like. I repeat, this is not what a pizza look like. I am over sixty years of age and I have been eating pizza since I was in my early twenties in other countries I was amazed at the sight of what I saw. My eyes just stared down at this hideous thing in my car. I swear on my parent’s grave this was the feeling that came over me. The pizza world arrived in Guyana over fifteen years ago. There are many pizza parlours not only in Georgetown. My daughter’s favourite – Italian Supreme is indeed supreme. Guyanese must by now know what a good pizza look like and taste like. I was still in shock at what I saw when I came out of the DVD store. This thing was on my mind for that afternoon while I drove around Georgetown to do my chores. Once more, I opened the trunk and looked at this little Italian

caricature. I was livid because I know that any restaurant should have done better. Even the second grade restaurants you go to that sell slice pizza are of a better standard Well, so far, I only looked at it. They say looks can be deceiving. This wasn’t the case. I went home and ate the stuff. This pizza was bad. I mean, it looked bad and it tasted badly. The bread was hard. There was hardly any cheese. There was hardly any sauce and those pepperonis I saw were not Italian sausage. I had cause to comment on our local ice cream. If you are going to make below standard ice cream then your price has to be below what the good, foreign ones cost. On Friday afternoon, I dashed out of CNS channel 13 studio where I was filming with Chris Ram, Michael Carrington of the AFC and Leonard Craig, chairman of the dying protest movement, The People’s Parliament. I didn’t have time to tell Chris, Michael and Leno that I was leaving. I was late to pick up my wife and forgot that I had ordered Italian Supreme for my daughter. At the time of typing (Saturday afternoon, there are still two slices left in the fridge). Mama Mia! Will that restaurant, bake better pizzas! How do you say “please in Italian? Frederick Kissoon

Pro-Guyana Movement Welcomed DEAR EDITOR I applaud the Pro-Guyana Movement. This is one of the better news that has hit our national newspapers over the last two years since the last election. We all respect folks like Dr. Tarron Kemraj whose interest has always been pro-Guyana. I would like to have the movement ensure that other

key past and very active proGuyana contributors such as Peter Ramsaroop, Dr. Joseph Haynes, Stanley Ming, Eric Phillips and others be part of this movement. I would also suggest that the Opposition as a whole ensure that they recruit back to their ranks these individuals and others. Mr. Ramsaroop will be a great leader of such a movement with his leadership and Vision. I have admired this young man since he broke

into the Reform in the 2001 elections and saw how President Hoyte promoted him. It was a sad day when I saw him and Dr. Haynes endorsing the PPP instead of them leading APNU. I believe in their minds it was their own decision of shared governance but as we have seen they were not called in to help the PPP which is another sad outcome. The movement must make all attempts to ensure all these key individuals are once again part of the vision they have all presented to us over the last two decades. Lets give them a chance to implement. This time around these individuals can give the Opposition the additional

votes they need to win an election. I strongly believe that Guyana thinking, its population, its demographics has changed. The PPP has failed to see this and is in jeopardy of becoming the next opposition. The Pro-Guyana movement foundation should be the REFORM plan. Many liberal Guyanese youth and business minded people want a change in our nation. They want to put Guyana first, they want accountability, they want better governance and they want a Government for all the people. The PPP has failed in so many categories. If the Opposition wants a credible partner they must include credible people that can make a credible difference. Terrance Simon

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Kaieteur M@ilbox How many indeed will recall Bookers Guiana? DEAR EDITOR, Some encounters over recent weeks have proved enlightening. To my surprise I discovered different generations of our citizenry who were totally unaware of the most influential institution in the societal culture in which too many of us continue to subsist. The sugar industry, which brought all our forbears to populate this country and dominated every community of endeavour for at least three hundred (300) years crystallising in the overriding management entity named after Josiah Bookers who arrived in British Guiana in 1815; and partner – John McConnell by 1846. Booker Bros was founded in 1833. Bookers Sugar Estates Ltd was itself formally established in 1951, as part of the Booker Group which included: Bookers Stores Ltd – department store, self-service grocery, motor vehicles, agricultural machinery, hardware and electrical goods, pharmaceuticals, office equipment. Bookers Shipping (Demerara) Ltd – coastal fleet operating between sugar estates and Georgetown, and between Georgetown and Port-of-Spain Agent for Booker Line Service between Demerara and Liverpool; for Pan American Airways; travel agency and insurance business. Industrial Holdings (B.G.) Ltd – drug manufacture, lithographic printing, Graphic Newspaper, box making, shrimp processing. Guiana Merchants Ltd – stockfeed manufacture, balata bleeding, advertising, marketing petroleum products. Albion Distillers Ltd – producers and exporters of Demerara Rum When a few months ago I met a bright young computer professional to discuss setting up a station for me, and got to discussing my proposed project about writing about Bookers, he quite innocently enquired ‘what is Bookers?’ My brief recital was total news to him. He had never heard the name, much more that Bookers ever existed. Not longer after, I had a similar experience with a young woman but who could be described as of older generation. Both of these young people would have been born sometime after 1976, so that their lack of knowledge may be forgivable. Much less so than a group of adults with whom I engaged not long after to discuss aspects of the sugar industry. Ages of the

mixed group ranged from thirty to sixty years plus, but they proved as scantily informed about a time of history when this country’s sobriquet was ‘Bookers Guiana’ (B.G.). One reason that the largest business organisation of its time in Guyana and the Caribbean (with important expansions in Africa, Asia and even the Middle East) which contributed substantively to both the technical and academic education of thousands of employees and their families; to the social, artistic, health and sports development in communities

(except villages) along the coast of Guyana, is that its history has either accidentally, or deliberately, been obfuscated, and that there is no memento – stone, plaque, flag- nothing to show that even what perhaps was once the most internationally known address of 22 Church Street, Georgetown – (the Head-quarters of Bookers Stores and Bookers Sugar Estates) - Bookers Universal Building existed, - its identity mutated into what ironically is now known as Guyana Stores. How many indeed will recall Bookers Guiana? E.B. John

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Fly Jamaica virgin New YorkGuyana flight was impressive By Lin-Jay Harry-Voglezon Minutes after 8am on September 27, 2013 I booked in at the JFK Airport for Fly Jamaica’s virgin New York flight to Guyana. I soon learnt that I was the first to do so. Yet about five hours later I was the last of the 103 passengers boarding the 202seat Boeing 757. This carrier is quite similar to that used by the profitable yet defunct Guyana Airways. Except for few moments when air currents made the plane unsteady, the very experienced Guyanese pilots, First Officer Derek Gardner and Capt. Neil Savory made travelling at 35,000 feet a smooth experience. The plane was comfortable. Very unlike my November 2012 NYBarbados trip with another airline, where my legs were cramping and the plumb size passenger next to me was struggling like when ‘chokedup’ in a mini-bus. But more comforting was the infectious enthusiasm and care of the very experienced crew. They are all former employees of Air Jamaica, now owned by Caribbean Airlines. It is one thing to exhibit trained smiles and practiced courtesy. It is another, when smiles, courtesy and care are natural and uninhibited. From Fly Jamaica’s checkin counters at JFK to arrival at Cheddi Jagan’s International Airport Timehri, one felt the energy of

These passengers enjoy the in-flight hospitality of Fly Jamaica during its inaugural flight from New York to Guyana.

Caribbean enthusiasm and positive pride. Periodically the crew engaged you with Caribbean smiles and laughs, yet professionally solicited feedback as they indicated genuine interest in your comfort. If per chance during the 5 ½ hours travel you think of gifts do not worry. There is the onboard duty free shop where you can obtain his and hers fragrances and cosmetics in the lines of Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Diesel, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, L’ Oreal and Lancome. There are jewelry and watches in the brands of Avalanche, Tommy Hilfiger, Barbie and Boy’s Soccer. You may also smooth your palettes with Guyana’s specialty liquors, the El Dorado 12 or 15year old rum. Or you may choose from Jamaica’s Rum Crème, Cocomania, VX rum and Blue Mountain Coffee.

But do not forget there are also Johnny Walker Double Black and Grey Goose Vodka. If too, your appetite would be restless on the trip, there are modest but tasty variations of snacks offered. At least, you will not have vegetables wrapped in a stiff roti. Add an hour or so of an inflight movie and the trip is worth repeating. Said Lt. Col Egbert Field, the Flight Operations Oversight Manager, Fly Jamaica will be sustainable because the airline and plane are owned and controlled by the persons who manage the airline. This is unlike several airlines which came and left Guyana because they were chartered. “Chartered airlines are bound to fail” he contended, they are like the entry level of

a “pyramid scheme.” Fly Jamaica is owned and controlled by Guyanese and Jamaican investors, including Capt. Ronald Reece, the Chief Executive Officer. According to Field, an aviation veteran since 1971, Reece’s intention was to base the airline in Guyana. But of the two international aviation categories Guyana is graded 2 since its level of aviation readiness, preparedness and quality do not satisfactorily accord with the eight requirements stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Operating from Guyana meant that the airline would have been denied access to the USA and other significant passenger markets. Fly Jamaica began operation in January this year in Jamaica.

Dem boys seh

De Bees frighten fuh exercise People use to warn de government when it use to get dem office manager fuh tell people that it compulsory fuh people march. In de end dem stop because in dem days people use to seh that dem can keep de wuk. But nowadays de marching thing get in people blood. Some school decide that dem gun march to celebrate some Teachers’ Day. Dem got people who does celebrate wid likker and food and things like that. This set decide that dem gun celebrate wid a march. Well a woman march and she dead. Dem boys seh that is de same thing that does mek dem get vex. When people go to hospital de first thing de doctor does tell dem is that dem got to exercise. Well this woman walk and she drop down and dead. Imagine if she did run. She woulda drop down long ago. Nuff people dead when dem was following doctor’s orders and exercising. If you heart bad don’t exercise. That is why Brazzy ain’t exercising. He frighten he dead and lef all de money that NICIL arrange fuh he and dem big ones. He is one that doctors don’t even tell he fuh exercise. Irfaat is another one. Bharrat use to do de gym but he stop because he don’t want to tek chance wid de money he acquire. He tell dem boys that he ain’t gun do nutten to jeopardize he health. That is why all de partying stop. Dem boys seh that all who know that dem hustle de money from de treasury don’t trust nobody else. All of dem believe that dem colleagues gun kill dem suh nobody don’t go to de party. De same people warning against exercise and dem ain’t doing none. That is why de people does only see a few in de Labour Day march. Dem frighten dem drop down. Donald does exercise because he wife was a nurse and she does test he pressure every day. Sam don’t exercise but he tell people that he naturally strong. But poor Brazzy and Irfaat, dem like marshmallow. Talk half and watch how people frighten to walk.

We cannot determine our destiny, but we do have a choice of a philosophy that will influence the direction of our life.

Sunday October 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Sparendaam aircraft crash

Probe launched into GCAA operations A Task Force established by Cabinet is examining certain aspects of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)’s handling of the American registered aircraft that crashed at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, last April. This was confirmed by Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon during an interview with this publication, on Thursday, at the Office of the President. He said that the Task Force has been in operation for months and is housed at Colgrain House, Camp Street. In April, the American registered aircraft crashed into a Sparendaam house killing the two-man crew on board. The two were on a technical survey mission for the Amaila Falls Hydropower project. Apparently, Sithe Global, responsible for managing the construction of the project, subcontracted Digital World Mapping to conduct surveys. The aircraft just after taking off from the Ogle Airport, crashed into Florence Tyndall’s residence and burnt a section of her neighbour, Michelle Belle’s house. Tyndall escaped unharmed but the aircraft’s owner and pilot Pierre Angiel and his passenger Canadian Scientist, Nick Dmitriev perished. According to a source, the Task Force was established as a direct result

of a letter written to President Donald Ramotar by the Aircraft Owners’ Association in May calling for the establishment of an independent Commission of Inquiry into the crashing of the aircraft. The Association was also worried that the aircraft entered Guyana without proper due diligence being carried out by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The letter pointed out that GCAA should not be the body conducting the investigations since they are the subject of investigation. And the regulations provide for the President to direct the investigations. According to a source, the Air Transport Management Department of GCAA did not inform GCAA’s Aviation Safety Department of the aircraft’s presence in Guyana. And, it was only when the plane crashed that the Aviation Safety Department became aware of the plane. GCAA’s Director General Zulficar Mohamed who is also the head of the Air Transport Management Department denied that accusation and the head of the Aviation Safety Department, Paula Mc Adam refused to comment on the matter. According to Dr. Luncheon, the Task Force has a series of Terms of Reference that allow them on the basis

of Cabinet’s instructions to investigate precisely what happened. “Remember GCAA has a statutory obligation to investigate all aviation accidents but in addition to this statutory obligation GCAA, the Cabinet, and stakeholders felt the need to have some aspects of the handling of this matter examined,” Dr. Luncheon said. He said Cabinet d e c i d e d t h a t t h e Ta s k Force includes the GCAA to specially examine the aircraft crash. But, according to a s o u r c e , a s p e c i a l Ta s k Force, chaired by Hugh Denbow was established by cabinet independent of GCAA. Denbow was the Secretary of the Commission of Inquiry into the shooting of three Linden residents in 2012. The source said the other members of the Task Force are representatives of the Ministries of Finance and Public Works, a lawyer, and Kit Nascimento, the Aircraft Owners’ A s s o c i a t i o n ’s Public Relations Officer. Prior to the interview with Dr. Luncheon, Denbow in an interview had denied that a task Force was investigating GCAA with respect to the crash. He said that a Task Force was reviewing the licensing of local aircraft and foreign ones entering Guyana’s airspace.

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Kaieteur News

Essential Supplies Inc. receives another international star award

IPA’s Mr. Lloyd Singh second from right, receives the International Star Award Essential Supplies Inc (ESI), a member of the International Pharmaceutical Agency group, received The International Star Award for quality in the platinum category for its bottled water – Clear Waters. This represented another international award for the company. The award was presented to Lloyd Singh, Head of IPA and the man behind Clear Waters. The International Business Initiative award ceremony took place on September 29, last, in the Intercontinental Convention Hall in Geneva. Companies from 54 countries around the world

were awarded for achievements in Quality and Excellence. ESI was recognized for its commitment to quality, leadership, technology and innovation. The International Business Initiative Directions (BID) awards are presented on the basis of meeting the criteria of the QC 100 Total Quality Management. Companies received the international quality award in recognition of their commitment and achievement to quality, thus allowing them to join the group of prestigious BID winners. Indian Oil Corporation, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, Khrunichev State Research

and Production Center, and Tata Elxsi were just a few of the other companies that were recognized at the ceremony. ESI – Clear Waters continues to maintain the company’s management policy – ensuring that production of high quality water is its number one priority. Clear Waters also continues to recycle bottles for the production of new bottles. Winning this award continues to show the success of Clear Water and earning this award is only possible with the dedication, commitment and hard work of the employees.

GPOC workers will no longer operate on Saturdays Employees of the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) have vowed to no longer work on Saturdays. According to Harold Shepherd, President of the Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (GPTWU), this is a way of enforcing the new labour laws, which state that persons are to work 40 hours a week. He said that scores of GPOC workers are paid overtime to work every Saturday, but the Union found that this would not be wise in the long run. “If they continue paying overtime to 400 plus workers, in a year ’s time, the

corporation will go bankrupt, so we are doing the responsible thing as a union, by taking a stance. It is not compulsory to work overtime so, we aren’t doing anything unethical,” Shepherd told Kaieteur News. The GPTWU President noted that should the issue of overtime payments continue, the corporation, which does not operate on government subvention, would not be able to stand its own expenses; including paying staff. Shepherd said, “We don’t want the corporation to become like City Council.” He said that the workers

will commence working on Monday, and will be reporting to work for the regular working hours during the work days -Monday to Friday. According to Shepherd, heads of government were informed of the situation, but nothing has been done. “They said that they cannot afford to have them (GPOC employees) not work on Saturdays.” This was not pleasing to the Union. Shepherd said that despite many requests, the corporation continues to operate at $40 per transaction, which is hardly lucrative. “The last time it was raised was in 2004. We have been lobbying for an increase for a while, because many things have changed from then to now.” Shepherd also mentioned that there are many dilapidated post offices countrywide that are yet to be fixed.

Sunday October 06, 2013

Teacher collapses, dies on World Teachers’ Day march A 50-year-old teacher attached to Grove Primary School, East Bank Demerara collapsed and died on Friday while participating in a march to celebrate World Teachers’ Day 2013. Dead is Carlotta Blair of Lot 13 Walker Terrace, We s t R u i m v e l d t . B l a i r dedicated 23 years of her life to teaching. According to reports, teachers from several schools on East Bank Demerara were on the march. In 1994, UNESCO proclaimed October 5 as World Teachers’ Day. UNESCO set aside a day to honour the teaching profession and raise public awareness of the value of the work performed by teachers. The march started in front A. Ali and Sons on the Grove Public Road. The intended destination was Diamond Secondary School compound.

DEAD: Carlotta Blair It was reported that while in the vicinity of M&M Snackette, at the entrance to Diamond New Scheme, the mother of two suddenly stopped and asked for some time. She complained to one of her colleagues of not feeling well and she was advised to rest a little at the fast food

restaurant, where she later collapsed. The mother of two was pronounced dead at the Diamond Hospital. Yesterday, at the woman’s home, her son, Nedrie Wharton, said that although his mother has a heart condition she was in good health the morning before she left home. “She was in the kitchen cooking and she seemed ok. The night before I heard about the march and she is into those things. She is into anything when it comes to education,” the dead woman’s son stressed. Her sister, Esther Wood, told Kaieteur News that she was surprised by the news of her sister’s death. “She was healthy and she was happy about the march. She enjoyed her profession a lot and her death was such a shock for us,” Wood said. A post mortem will be done on Monday.

ImmigrationINFO (Immigration News For Our Community)

U.S. Government Shutdown Impact on Immigration Attorney Gail Seeram The information below is intended as an advisory and is subject to change without notice – please keep yourself updated via news media outlets as the ongoing U.S. government shutdown situation can change in nature at any time. The United States Government has been officially “shutdown”, which means about 800,000 employees — about a third of the federal workforce — are being forced off the job in the first government shutdown in 17 years, suspending most “nonessential” federal programmes and services. But what impact will the government shutdown have on departments within the U.S. government that are associated with the U.S. immigration process? Below is a brief summary of the effect the government shutdown will have on U.S. immigration. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): USCIS, except for E-Verify, will be operating. This means that the local field offices will continue to schedule INFOPass appointments, adjustment of status interviews, naturalization (citizenship) interviews, and issue emergency advance parole. The USCIS service centres will continue to accept petitions (family and employment based) and they will continue to accept phone

calls through their customer service phone lines. Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR): Immigration Court functions that support detained caseload will continue, but other functions are suspended. Thereby, all nondetained cases have been suspended. So, if you have an upcoming master hearing or individual hearing and you are not detained, then your case has been temporarily suspended and a new hearing will have to be scheduled when the immigration court resumes operations. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) is processing emergency stay requests as well as cases where the alien is detained, including case appeals, motions, federal court remands, and bonds. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): ICE detention and enforcement operations shall continue. ICE chief counsel will only work on “detainee” dockets during the shutdown. Department of Labor (DOL): The Office of Foreign Labour Certification (OFLC) will neither accept nor process any applications or related materials (such as audit responses), it receives, including Labor Condition Applications, Applications for Prevailing Wage Determination, Applications for Temporary Employment Certification, or Applications for Permanent Employment

Gail S. Seeram Certification. OFLC’s website, including the iCERT Portal System, would become static and unable to process any requests or allow authorized users to access their online accounts. Department of State (DOS): The Department will continue as many normal operations as possible; operating status and available funding will need to be monitored continuously and closely, and planning for a lapse in appropriations must be continued. Visa issuance will be available in consulates that have adequate funding to continue operating. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP): Inspection and law enforcement are considered “essential personnel,” though staffing may be more limited than usual. The borders will be open, and CBP is unsure of how the shutdown will affect the processing of applications filed at the border at this time.

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Kaieteur News

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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

For Christ’s sake, President Ramotar, be statesmanlike! Why President Ramotar says the things he says that lowers him in the eyes of Guyana and the world is not an easy analysis to undertake. First, people will laugh. Secondly, people will level accusations of hypocrisy. Thirdly, people will demand that the President put his money where his mouth is. Here are the words that came out of the mouth of President Ramotar as printed in this newspaper in its October 3 edition (last Thursday). “All of us want to see our country develop and want to see Guyana be a better place. We might have different ideas of how that should be done but for Christ (sic) sake, don’t let the different ideas paralyze us, let’s try them one at a time; life will tell us if we are right.” What do you make of this cry by President Ramotar? No matter how nice, generous and civil you want to be to the President of Guyana, you cannot help but show some disrespect to His Excellency.

Respect comes from selfrespect. First, a harsh critic could easily say that Mr. Ramotar spoke unadulterated nonsense. And even that description may not be harsh enough. A less frank interpretation would be that Mr. Ramotar displayed crass hypocrisy. A more diplomatic angle would be that the President was hunting politically. A cynic would say Mr. Ramotar appeared downright silly. All these assessments each have some element of validity. Mr. Ramotar’s exhortation was essentially crude propaganda and he should stop it when he addresses important national occasions. The rebuttal to Mr. Ramotar would take volumes, but here are snippets of the denial of reality that has taken over the collective mind of the PPP. I did a column earlier this year in which I opined that every conceivable depravity the PPP commits against this nation, it semantically and epistemologically turns the

negativity around, denies its existence, and proclaims that it, the PPP embodies the true values of ontology. I point readers to the plethora of speeches in parliament where every speaker from the PPP benches have accused the opposition AFC and APNU of mocking, denying and violating the sacred values of life. I made the point that if a visitor from another planet came down to Guyana, the visitor would think that the bad guys were the opposition. The reality is that every sacred value that the PPP parliamentarians accuse the opposition of violating, the PPP itself is doing so every minute of every day. Let us return to President Ramotar begging the nation, and by extension the opposition, to let us work together to save Guyana. It needs quoting again the emotional part of Mr. Ramotar’s exclamation. He said: “For Christ (sic) sake, don’t let the different ideas paralyze us.”

Can you believe these words that came out of the mouth of all people, the President of Guyana? It is the President, this new President, who has continued in the vein of tribal politics that killed off Guyana sixty years ago. It is coming to two years now since the country said to itself, “We have a new president, there will be new approaches.” Mr. Ramotar belongs to the era when the tribal confrontation started sixty years ago. Under Mr. Ramotar and his Cabinet, nothing has changed since Mr. Jagdeo demitted office. Many say Mr. Jagdeo is the de facto President while the de jure President, Donald Ramotar, is the underling of the de facto king. Where and when has Mr.

Ramotar tried a new idea? When and where did Mr. Ramotar accept an idea from any quarter of this society except the PPP and its incestuous company? Let’s quote Ramotar again, because in quoting him, Mr. Ramotar is laid bare. In quoting him over and over, we see the Emperor and his new clothes. Here is the Emperor once more; “We may have different ideas… let’s try them one at a time.” When since December 2011, has Mr. Ramotar tried anything that is creative, innovative and novel? This very man refuses to try any idea from the opposition, in that he is refusing to sign any Bill that comes from the opposition, including four Local Government Bills his own party voted for. We

Frederick Kissoon leave you with a sad piece of politics about Mr. Ramotar. The US Ambassador told the Stabroek News that he understands that the four Local Government Bills will be signed. Mr. Ramotar will get no credit for it. The Opposition and Guyanese people will say he had to be dragged to the table to sign. If Mr. Ramotar was a man of creative thinking, he would have signed in the first place and taken the huge credit that was natural. Try a new idea quickly, Mr. Ramotar! Guyana needs it badly.

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Book Review: BOOK: Guilty: America’s Conquest CRITIC: Dr Glenville Ashby Norman Garrett’s Guilty: America’s Conquest chronicles an incredulous tale of Governmental overreach and excess. The reader will bristle at a purported misdemeanor turned into an ugly case of personal vendetta, judicial improprieties and ethical obscenities. Garrett, a Guyanese national, recalls a regular day at his postal job that unexpectedly spiraled into a nightmare. Sustaining a debilitating leg injury that caused lingering musculoskeletal problems, Garrett is investigated for profiting from real estate dealings and failure to disclose a beach front property - charges that he called scurrilous. He argues: ”The government and the whole facility where I worked knew I was licensed in real estate. I negotiated contracts for some of its employees before and after the accident.

Kaieteur News

Sunday October 06, 2013

A national’s legal nightmare Management at the postal service had an obligation to inform me if I was doing wrong. I was entrapped through audio-visual surveillance.” Sparing no effort to incarcerate him, the government begins relentless legal maneuvers that toss Garrett into a personal labyrinth leaving him financially, emotionally and physically scared. Garrett’s message is stark. The US government will use surreptitious and outright illegal ploys to ensnare its own citizenry. Sentenced to 12 months in Lexington, Kentucky at a prison hospital, Garrett lays bare the inhumane conditions of life behind bars. For a while he sidesteps his own quagmire and offers the reader a disturbing vista of prison life and the intriguing characters who became his acquaintances. Housed with legendary mobsters, hardened inmates and white collar criminals, Garrett is the round peg in a square hole. Garrett lives in a world - a labour camp - masquerading as a medical hospital where inmates “grasp” for medical

attention. Psychological evaluations are commonplace and the fear of being committed weighs heavily on inmates. Equally disturbing is Garrett’s contention that the Bureau of Prisons is a moneygenerating industrial complex, managed by a federal agency called UNICORE. He describes a system of supply and demand, a lucrative manufacturing system that pays prisoners “pennies” for a day’s work. According to Garrett, errant young men surrender their dignity and any chance of rehabilitation by unwittingly accepting plea deals from public defenders or “quislings” who work in tandem with the prosecution. “These young bucks were subjected to slave labor at the mercy of the federal government....prisons manufacture furniture, clothing, blankets, shoes and many other products and sell them at market price.” “Guilty” is a lesson on a legal system stacked against the unsuspecting and the disenfranchised. But Garrett fights back. He learns about US Jurisprudence, hires a new attorney, and gleans knowledge from Pete, an inmate who serves as his de facto legal counsel. His constitutional rights were indeed violated, he discovers. The reader gets a glimpse into the complexities of legal

system. “Did he read you your rights before the trial?”Pete asks. “What rights?” a naïve sounding Garrett retorts. “Your rights to be tried by a judge.” Absorbing “a thousand habeas corpus cases” Garrett realises that he was legally derailed. He discovers that his appeal should have been handled by a district judge “instead of the Court of Appeals in the third circuit,” a violation of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. He concludes, ”All my court appearances, imprisonment, including the decision of the appeal were all illegal. Further, that his motion “to stay out on bail, pending appeal” was rejected, only added fodder to his resentment of the federal government. He writes, “The rule of law clearly states that a court must state its reasons for a decision. The magistrate broke that rule and law.” But why would the government unremittingly persecute Garrett? It is a question that baffles everyone. Ronnie, another inmate sees a gnawing racial bias, and offers the highly improbable explanation:”You were sent here because you tried to live like a white man...you know what else, you went and married a white woman and these are the reasons you are here not that little bit of money.” Later, Garret makes his own case for racial bias and the US legal system. “They were in a rush for their justice and to humiliate, malign and demagogue an American of colour. In America race and criminal justice are explicitly interrelated.” Although his conviction was overturned he is transported to numerous county jails, fingerprinted, searched and spread-eagled

with little care for his disability. The Government needed to get the last word. Garrett is finally vindicated but he is battered. He later writes, ”...a sixtyyear-old white male and former state Democratic Party chairman was arrested outside a motel with possession of crack cocaine. He was released on $250 bail. He was allowed to attend a thirty-day in-patient program.” He continues, “I remember meeting this eighteen-year old black kid at the federal court holding cell,” who, “pleaded guilty to his first offence. He was facing fifteen years if convicted at trial and his mother was putting up her house for bail...” Garrett is also critical of what he calls “blackmail in the criminal system,” that allows

even the most heinous defendants to plea on a lesser count for information to prosecute another individual. Clearly, Guilty: America’s Conquest gives the reader a bird’s eye view of the criminal justice system in the US. And it’s not a pretty picture. The law stands to be skewed and compromised by influential cliques of judges, prosecutors and public defenders who prosecute, imprison and wrestle away the rights of the vulnerable just to add another feather to their cap. It’s a frightening but a potentially real scenario. Guilty: America’s Conquest by Norman Garrett 2013 Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. Pennsylvania 15222 ISBN: 978- 1-4349-1661-7 Available: Amazon.com Rating: Recommended

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MY COLUMN

Today is a significant anniversary Today is an anniversary that seems to have paled into insignificance, perhaps because it comes one day after the ruling party acceded to Government sixteen years after the incident that touched me so much. The year was 1976 and a bunch of us young people had completed our national service at Papaya in the North West. We did not consider doing national service degrading because it fashioned our minds. I still remember the year because West Indies was playing England in England. There was this young fast bowler, Michael Holding, tormenting them. He got fourteen wickets in that match on a pitch that was considered unhelpful to fast bowlers. Some of us were heading to Jamaica, some to Europe, and some to Cuba. Many of us had never left this country, so we were looking forward to life in another country, even if it meant leaving family behind. My friend Arnon Adams was heading to Jamaica with me to study Mass Communications so it did not take much to know that we planned our departure right down to the wire. We booked on SLM to leave on Wednesday, September 29, 1976, and that was what we did. The following Wednesday there we were looking at the black and white television in the living room we shared with Dudley Ellis (Arnon had his own apartment) when the news came. The date was October 6, 1976. I remember too, that KFC had not come to Guyana, so we in Jamaica considered it a treat. We drove to the outlet in Liguanea and bought a bucket. The news flash said that a Cubana airline had crashed off the coast of Barbados. It had been blown up. Initially, there was no mention of Guyanese being on board but we were shocked never the less.

International planes do not crash in our corner of the world. Then we heard that the plane had blown up. Before the day was over, the names were coming in, and we recognised our friends who ha d s h a r e d Camp Papaya with us. There was Jacqueline Williams, a young lightcomplexioned girl who was so full of energy and who saw life as something to enjoy. There was Jeffrey Thomas’s brother, Rawle, and so many others. Arnon and I were in shock. So too was Dudley, an oncologist now working in Barbados. We called the High Commission and spoke with Ms Waveney Pollard, trying to get as much information as we could. Not much was coming out of Guyana. The telephone was not as ubiquitous as it is now and communication was not as easy. Telex was still the key means of communication between the High Commission and Guyana. By nightfall we knew all who died and then reality set in. Had Arnon and I delayed our departure by a week and had used another airline, then we would have been forgotten in the same way our friends have been forgotten. Some of them would have been very good doctors and some would have been agriculturalists. I am not sure what the mood is in Guyana about the people who became known as the victims of the Cubana disaster. Hammy Green tried to erect a monument at the corner of Lamaha and Camp Streets, but the Works Ministry objected. The government then took the decision to erect a monument in the compound of the University of Guyana. I remember the rally at Square of the Revolution when Burnham begged Barbados to try the perpetrators. Tom Adams said that he had no jurisdiction because the aircraft went

down outside territorial waters. Burnham then begged that Guyana be allowed to try the people since its citizens had been killed in the explosion. That did not happen either. Venezuela offered to try these people. As time passed it was left to the Cubans in Guyana to host a remembrance ceremony. It was as if Guyana had forgotten my friends. Imagine that Britain still observes the Queen’s birthday; Venezuela still has a holiday to Simon Bolivar

who is seen as the Liberator and of course, Guyana observes the coming to power of a political party, but it ignores some young people who died in pursuit of education to help develop their country. I still remember the letters and the questions I had to answer when I came home that Christmas. And to prove a point, I travelled on Cubana Airlines. Some of my relatives who knew that I was leaving thought that I was on Cubana. My mother

knew that I had left, but she was not sure if anything had happened between Guyana and Jamaica and I had deplaned somewhere before proceeding to my final destination. Every year when this date comes around, I pause to remember my friends who did nothing to anyone but who were targeted and killed. Many of them would have been in their late fifties and sixties today. They would have had children and grandchildren of their own and they would

Adam Harris have been professionals. They never got that chance. I still remember them and I always will.

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Sunday October 06, 2013

Darkness has eclipsed the Dawn of a New Era

This weekend Guyanese will be bombarded by the propaganda associated with “The Dawn of a New Era,” and although there have been notable achievements that we recognize, at this time it is equally important to reflect on what more could have been and ought to have been achieved, and why we have failed in those areas after more than two decades. Today one can’t help but recall the optimism, strong sense of hope and overwhelming spirit of nationalism that ushered in the “New Era” back in 1992. It is good to note that this was experienced not by one racial group, but by all Guyanese across ethnicities, religions backgrounds and ages. It was a society infused with feelings that we were finally going to put our checkered and tumultuous past behind us, moving forward creating

a new and better Guyana for the benefit of all her citizens. Twenty-one years later, it is now clear that this has not been achieved, and regrettably it is equally clear that this is no coincidence, but rather a carefully orchestrated plan by our Government to “Institutionalize” the inefficiencies and corruption, and to once again in our history establish a system that is geared to distributing the wealth of Guyana to a few party-in-power supporters and loyalists. The institutionalization of this approach is clearly visible in the PPP’s persistent refusal to establish parliamentary commissions, renew the Boards of State institutions, and its failure to empower several key agencies with the requisite personnel to guarantee their independence and facilitate the necessary “checks and

balances” which is the foundation of any democratic society. Lest we forget, after twenty–one years some of these glaring failures include: The failure to establish the Public Procurement Commission, The Judicial Service Commission, The Public Service Appellate Tribunal, the failure to hire an Ombudsman and most recently, the failure to assent to the four local government Bills passed in Parliament to facilitate the holding of long overdue local government elections is unexplainable and more so unacceptable. This litany of omissions could never be an oversight, and must be seen as a deliberate strategy to disempower ordinary Guyanese and for a few to hold on to the excesses of power. If this is not enough, then it is good to remember the revelations coming out of

the Freddie Kissoon vs Jagdeo case uttered by the Governments’ Chief Spokesman himself – no speculation there! We note the scandals that have plagued us year after year – the continued refusal to have NICIL operate within the review of Parliament, the use of taxpayers’ dollars to fund questionable and controversial projects like the Marriott Hotel, and the Airport Expansion Project in partnership with the Chinese Government and companies that refuse to hire local labour in the construction process. So much for finding jobs for our people! Instead, Guyanese face the regular display of not working “for the people” but forcing a minority view on the people. The “Darkness of the New Era” is nowhere better visible than in the rapid degeneration of the security environment since the dawn of 1992. Over the years we have seen a spiraling out of control increase in the crime, murders, domestic violence and what appears to be drug- or gang-related violence. The massacre of Minister Sash Shaw, the Bartica and Lusignan massacres and that of hundreds of Guyanese including the alleged over 400 young black men in

Buxton during the infamous crime spree are all dark times. The now undisputed connection between the Government and organized crime – namely the Roger Khan affair - is all part of the web of illicit activity. Today, the most recent of a string of “friends” of this government now pleading guilty and soon to be jailed for money laundering and wire fraud is growing. Judge the Government by the friends it keeps? Casting our minds over the past two decades we are reminded that another new generation of Guyanese has grown up with many now looking for work or ready to migrate. Given this reality we cannot help but ponder on what we have truly achieved as a people. Most regrettable and notably absent over the past twenty-one years has been any attempt t o address and dispel the perception of racial discrimination and the racial domination of one group over another w h i c h c o n t inues to fuel the fires of distrust. Why has the government not yet accepted the political dispensation of the last few years, born out of a democratic process? When

will they set the tone and t a k e t h e l ead as a Government should in developing a culture of compromise and progress – a government by the people for all people. All of us - communities across Guyana, our young people, churches, other religious organisations, political parties, the private sector, civil society and the trade unions have a responsibility to contribute to the process and must shape that long overdue path towards true development in Guyana. We must each be able to do this without fear of victimization or destruction of the spirit. It must by its very nature, at a minimum, include the views, dream and hopes of all sectors of our population. A society in which constructive debate replaces the “cuss down, cuss out” approach which has limited how we work together and how much we could possibly achieve. Do we as a nation have the capacity to transcend all of this and build a new Guyana, with strong independent institutions in which transparency and accountability are acceptable norms the society promotes? How much longer, how many more? And given all of this, hasn’t the darkness eclipsed the dawn?

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SUNDAY SPECIAL MILLION$$$ IN LOSSES…TRUCK ROLLS OFF BARTICA FERRY, SINKS IN E’BO RIVER A goods truck belonging to a Bartica businessman rolled off a ferry into the Essequibo River on Saturday last and authorities have since launched an investigation. The businessman is now counting his losses of up to $20M. No one was reportedly injured. Maritime officials rushed to secure the area with river safety markers. The area where the vehicle sank is a busy one for river traffic. Workers were busy preparing to place a coloured oil drum in the vicinity of the site to warn boaters. According to officials at the Parika stelling, the incident happened around 09:00 hrs, a few minutes after the MV Makouria left the Parika stelling, East Bank Essequibo. Kaieteur News was told that the vessel pulled off from the stelling and made the normal u-turn toward Bartica, a community located some 40 miles up the Essequibo River. Some persons said the vessel’s turn may have been too rash. The truck loaded with food items reportedly rolled and broke through chains that secured the opening that vehicles would use to enter and leave. No one was in the vehicle at the time. The location it sank is about 400 feet from the stelling. The MV Makouria later continued its way to Bartica. GPHCACCOUNTS CLERK IN POLICE CUSTODY FOR EMBEZZLEMENT A female accounts clerk, attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s Finance Department has been accused of embezzlement and is as such off the job. Hospital officials are of the belief that the public servant embezzled approximately $3M. The staffer was arrested two Fridays ago. Police sources noted that the hospital’s administration is leaning towards resolving the matter “in a manner that will benefit them.” Kaieteur News has learnt that the discovery was made during an audit. MONDAY EDITION WOMAN EXECUTED, HUSBAND, THREE OTHERS WOUNDED A 33-year old businesswoman was shot dead and her husband and two others injured by heavily armed gunmen as they sat in Mambo’s Beer Garden on Barr Street, Kitty, shortly after midnight Sunday. Shelliza Basir-Lall, also

AHI Chairman, Winston Brassington

called Shelly Lall of Charity, Essequibo, was reportedly shot at least four times as she sat with her husband and about six other people at a table. She died while receiving treatment at the Balwant Singh Hospital. Her husband, Raymond Lall, 36, who runs a trucking company and operates a speedboat service, was shot five times. He underwent surgery at a private hospital in the city. An eyewitness recalled seeing at least two gunmen enter the premises and head straight for the table where the couple and others were sitting. Then gunshots erupted, sending patrons diving for cover. NICIL’S INVESTMENT IN MARRIOTT TO WAIT 10 YEARS FOR ANY REPAYMENT …BUT UNNAMED PRIVATE INVESTOR TO BE REPAID FROM YEAR ONE – REPORT Guyana will not be receiving a dollar on its investment in the Marriott Hotel, until the 10th year of its operations. This is documented in the feasibility study done for the project by Miami-based, HVS Consulting and Valuation. The hotel is designed to be a debt and equity project, with a US$12M investment securing ownership of the project and will in turn be responsible for US$46.5M in loans. Money from the accounts of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) was used to invest in the Marriott Hotel Project, as well as a loan, totaling US$19.5M. This is made up of a US15.5M loan and an investment of US$4M. The US$4M invested by NICIL gives it 33 per cent ownership, according to Winston Brassington. The unnamed private investor that is slated to put US$8M into the project will own 67 per cent of the hotel and will receive returns on

their money from the first year of the hotel’s operation. Only recently was it also disclosed that the management fee that will have to be paid to Marriott International will not be publicly disclosed. To date, just under US$20M has been spent on the Georgetown Marriott Hotel, all of it coming from NICIL. TUESDAY EDITION NIS REGISTERS ALARMING 25% DROP IN EMPLOYERS Government has not ruled out “external” help to place the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) on firmer footing. The $30B fund is facing a situation where annual income from contributors, for the past few years, falls below what is being paid out in pensions and other benefits. The situation is a worrying one for Government and the managers of the fund, as the long term sustainability is under question. Last week, the scheme celebrated its 44th anniversary but there is an urgency to tighten operations, cut costs and increase contributions. According to Chairman, Dr. Roger Luncheon, who has been at the helm of the fund for over 20 years, NIS was not forceful in dealing with the situation. There may be a need to infuse help, both internally and externally. During the Annual General Assembly at the NIS head office at Brickdam Monday, Dr Luncheon in urging staffers and management to lift services, made it clear that any such measures could include a “cross fertilization” of skills. Under any model to be examined, an improved NIS would have to include “novel” and “innovative” thinking. He admitted that there is “room for improvement” with more to be done. On Monday, General Manager Doreen Nelson, who signaled increased monitoring and visits to

businesses, disclosed that there was an alarming reduction of 25 per cent in the number of active employers in 2012, as compared to the previous year. Public disclosures indicate some industries and large employers as having financial difficulties. MARRIOTT TO BORROW US$2M MORE AFTER IT OPENS The feasibility study conducted by the US-based HVS Consulting and Valuation has revealed that the Marriott Hotel, five years into its operation, will have to borrow an additional US$1.75M (G$350M). This is the latest in the glaring revelations being unearthed, as it relates to the financing structure of the Marriott Hotel currently under construction in Kingston, Georgetown. This US$1.7M loan is in addition to the US$58.5M required for the completion of the proposed construction of the Hotel and Entertainment complex. Chairman of Atlantic Hotel Inc (AHI), Winston Brassington, was asked to comment and clarify why the Hotel would need this second loan, five years into the operations of the project, but he asked that the questions be submitted via email. AHI is the Special Purpose Vehicle created for the construction and ownership of the Marriott

Hotel. AHI is currently wholly owned by the Government of Guyana. According to the feasibility study, “additional financing is drawn at the end of the fifth year, while maintaining a Debt Coverage Ratio (DCR) above 1.30.” This loan is scheduled to be repaid at an interest rate of seven per cent. The report further states that this additional money that will have to be borrowed, will be considered ‘junior debt’ and will be repaid immediately after payments are made to the loans sourced by Republic Bank. News of the additional loan to be taken for the Marriott Hotel comes on the heels of the word that Guyana’s equity in the hotel will not be repaid a dollar until the 10th year of its operation. WEDNESDAY EDITION EZJET BOSS GUILTY, FACES UP TO 40 YEARS A Florida court on Tuesday accepted a guilty plea from the founder of EZjet, Sonny Austin Ramdeo, and he could face up to 40 years in jail when sentenced in January. Appearing for approximately half an hour before Judge Kenneth Marra in a Southern Florida court Tuesday, Ramdeo pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering, admitting that he stole between US$20M-$50M and using a number of bank transactions, passed the monies through the accounts of EZjet, a low-cost charter that he started up in 2011 and which folded last December, following his arrest in Brooklyn by US federal agents. The plea bargain deal hammered out between Ramdeo’s legal counsel and prosecutors essentially saved a lengthy trial and heavy sentence of up to 90 years for the embattled former executive – a trial that was set to start later this month. In accepting the plea, Judge Marra postponed sentencing for Ramdeo to January 13 next year. Ramdeo

accepted in the plea deal, that he could face a statutory maximum term of imprisonment of up to 20 years on each count, plus fines starting from US$750,000. GUN FOUND ON TEEN NOT USED IN KITTY BAR KILLING - POLICE SOURCE Ballistic tests have revealed that the submachine gun that police recovered from a teenager was not fired at the scene of Sunday’s execution-style killing in Barr Street, Kitty. Kaieteur News was told that none of the 9mm shells and warheads the investigators recovered matched those that ballistic experts fired from the submachine gun while conducting their tests. Some investigators suggest that this was the weapon that reportedly jammed when one of the gunmen tried to shoot a former murder accused who was sitting with Shelliza Basir-Lall and her husband. Police are also trying to ascertain whether the weapon was used in any other recent killing. The youth was nabbed in a taxi shortly after the attack at Mambo’s Beer Garden. Police officials say that he has given investigators conflicting accounts about how he came into possession of the weapon. THURSDAY EDITION CABINET APPROVES SWAT TEAM – 11 YEARS AFTER INITIATION Eleven years after it first initiated a Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) unit, the Guyana Police Force is expected to soon establish such a unit. This followed an announcement Wednesday by the Ministry of Home Affairs that Cabinet has approved the establishment of a SWAT Unit for the Guyana Police Force. This initiative is aimed at strengthening the Force’s law enforcement capabilities. “With a SWAT Unit, the (Continued on page 37)

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The PPP: effete and exhausted after 21 years The People’s Progressive Party, after 2 1 y e a r s i n office, is exhausted. Taken together with its sevenyear tenure from 1957 to 1964, the Party has wielded executive power over the people of this country for 28 years. Its energy has been expended. Its ideas have expired. The PPP, in the euphoria of the elections of 5th of October 1992, used to publish reams of articles and booklets praising its supposed performance. It still likes to tell its supporters that its victory in the 1992 elections ushered in a period of

uninterrupted progress. It cites the five consecutive PPP administrations – of Cheddi Jagan; Samuel Hinds; Janet Jagan; Bharrat Jagdeo and, now, Donald Ramotar – as milestones of advancement. The milestones have become millstones. They have become increasingly burdensome to bear. The PPP’s one-party domination of the country has damaged both democracy and development. It was Bharrat Jagdeo’s 19th March 2001 victory, perhaps, which exposed the PPP’s project for Guyana. A plethora of problems arose

out of Jagdeo’s tenure which ended in 2011. The Party during that period persistently failed to address the basic needs of the masses in general, and of civil society and the labour movement. This is evident in the perpetual restlessness of the workers’ unions, the poverty of the working people and, particularly, the degradation of the Guyana Trades Union Congress. The PPP, in the post-2001 period, made government the domain of an oligarchy – persons who felt free to pursue subjective interests of their own to the prejudice of the public good and in defiance of the public will. This inexorably led to the criminalisation of the state and, in turn, precipitated the gravest and longest public security crisis this country ever witnessed. The PPP’s problems sprang largely from the bizarre policies it adopted to deal with the security crisis. Those policies exposed the political contradictions within the party itself and widened the gap between the Party and the people. The PPP then set out to reinforce state authoritarianism by the debilitation and deformation of important institutions. It

tried to subordinate the National Assembly to the Executive branch of government. It undermined the independence or impartiality of the Public Service, the Security Services, and the constitutional commissions which had been established to safeguard the integrity of those very institutions. It obstructed the installation of important constitutional organs such as the Ombudsman and the Public ServiceAppellate Tribunal which were created to provide protection to the public from executive lawlessness. It impaired regulatory and law-enforcement agencies – such as the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit; the Environmental Protection Agency and the Guyana Energy Agency – by depriving them of adequate assets, equipment and financing to such an extent as to diminish their capability to function effectively. It cultivated the stateowned communications media – the Government Information Agency, Guyana National Newspapers Limited (publishers of the Guyana Chronicle) and the National Communications Network – as Party organs to systematically excluded dissenting opinions. The PPP’s main failure has

been the loss of trust and confidence, even among its staunch supporters. The Party, in its 21st year in office, spectacularly failed to advance local democracy by destroying neighbourhood democratic councils and delaying local government elections. It failed to maintain educational standards which are now characterised by poor performance from the primary schools to the 50-yearold University of Guyana. The PPP has failed most seriously to address the country’s most pressing problem – the public security crisis. The Party simply does not accept its responsibility for the high rate of armed robberies, the murderous maritime piracy, the rampant gun-running and contraband smuggling and other violent crimes that rage along the coastland. The PPP, strangely, does not seem to understand why it is failing and so has no idea about what to do to avoid the logical outcome of the loss of political confidence by the public. The Party finds itself being rejected by society because it has repudiated the very institutions, structures and culture of society itself. It imposed a form of social authoritarianism in which it perceived society as a collective which it could

manipulate. Its dominant legacy over the past 21 years has not been the creation of a balanced society in which individuality and communality merge into a group identity that reflects and represents both individual needs and national unity. Its political philosophy, instead, has been founded on an urge to transform society into something it can control. That is the reason why its leaders and policy-makers so easily and frequently abuse the political opposition and criticise civil society – especially the Amerindian People’s Association, Guyana Bar Association, Guyana Human Rights Association and the Guyana Trades Union Congress. It has failed to accept its obligations to recognise the claims and needs of the diverse elements of the Guyanese nation. It has failed to move beyond sectional interest and self-interest towards a shared identity. The PPP is failing to transform Guyana into a united, modern, democratic state. It is only when that Party embraces the common good that it can escape the authoritarianism that has so badly weakened our national institutions.

Sunday October 06, 2013

From page 27 Guyana Police Force would be better placed to make specialized interventions, thereby ensuring law and order is maintained, and prospective threats are neutralized,” the Ministry said. The Ministry has engaged the services of ‘The Emergence Group’ (TEG), a Wa s h i n g t o n - b a s e d consultancy firm, to obtain the requisite assistance in this initiative. The process will commence shortly with an ‘Organizational Needs Assessment’ to be done by experts from the consultancy firm. Curriculum development and training, including mentoring, will also be unde r t a k e n by the consultancy firm. According to the Ministry, establishment of a SWAT team has received the full support of the leadership of the Guyana Police Force. “There is absolute need for an elite police unit to go after the killers in our society, who are becoming bolder,” a former senior officer declared. The proposed SWAT unit comes a decade after former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, had ordered the establishment of a similar unit to tackle crime during the unforgettable crime wave of the early to mid 2000s. GOV’T. HOLDING GUYANESE HOSTAGE – AFC With the threat of another crime wave staring the country in its face, the call for a highly trained, professional police force, free from political interference is being repeated. This time around the Alliance For Change (AFC) has added its voice to the call for those with responsibility for the security of the nation to “put up or shut up.” The party is accusing the PPP/C Government of “holding Guyanese hostage by insisting on retaining Clement Rohee as Minister of Home Affairs.” “While the Administration continues to hold on to the present Minister of Home Affairs, our citizens are picked out and exec u t e d b y criminals who seem to be operating with impunity,” the party said in a statement Wednesday. The statement comes in the wake of recent murders and execution-style killings which have left many Guyanese almost convinced that the country is in the middle of another crime wave, similar to the one that paralysed a major part of the country between 2002-2008. Despite this, Commissioner of Police

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to be confirmed in the position of Commissioner of Police. The Opposition Leader did not express any opposition to the confirmation of Mr. Brumell.” Brumell took over the helm of the Guyana Police Force in late 2011 when the now deceased Henry Greene was forced into administrative leave to defend himself against allegations of rape. Brumell, along with Crime Chief Seelall Persaud, was elevated to Deputy Commissioner of Police in June last year. However, Brumell may only serve less than a year as the substantive Top Cop since he is scheduled to proceed on retirement leave in 2014.

APNU’s Joseph Harmon (ag) Leroy Brumell, a few weeks ago had urged that there is no need to ‘press the panic button’. But according to the AFC, regardless of what is being said, the rate at which gun crimes are increasing is cause for panic. “The criminals and we believe many are involved in or connected to the narcoarms business, seem able to do as they please without any concern for the law. FRIDAY EDITION APNU SAYS…INTERDICT WINSTON BRASSINGTON …MP CALLS FOR HALT TO SALE OF MARRIOTT SHARES A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) wants Winston Brassington interdicted from all state board and entities. Shadow Minister with responsibility for Public Works, Joseph Harmon, Thursday issued the opposition edict, and called for the personal assets of Brassington, the members of the board of National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) as well as all others in public office that are connected to the entity, to be investigated by a credible integrity commission. Harmon was at the time speaking at a special media briefing held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, to address the controversies that currently envelope the Georgetown Marriott Hotel. The APNU Member of Parliament told media operatives that “current attempts to sell 67 per cent of the taxpayer-funded Marriott Hotel to a secret investor for US$8M, clearly shows the continuing lack of transparency and behind the door secret deals involving Brassington and unknown investors”. According to Harmon, the financing structure of the

SATURDAY EDITION $130,000 CONTRACT KILLING… EX-LOVER DETAINED, DENIES PLOTTING TO KILLRIVAL -VICTIM WAS WARNED OF PREVIOUSATTEMPT ON HER LIFE

Marriott Hotel represents a fleecing of Guyana, given that NICIL, which is wholly owned by the state, has already spent US$20M on the project, and will only own 33 per cent. During a recent press briefing, Brassington told media operatives that Atlantic Hotel Inc is the 100 per cent owner of the project. Ownership, he explained, comes in the form of equity investment totaling US$12M and the remainder of the money for the project comes from loans. WAY CLEARED FOR BRUMELL’S CONFIRMATION AS TOP COP After acting as Commissioner of Police for close to two years, the way has finally been cleared for Leroy Brumell to be confirmed. This development followed discussions between President Donald Ramotar and Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier David Granger Thursday afternoon. A Partnership for National Unity in a brief statement said, “At the invitation of the President of Guyana Mr. Donald Ramotar, the Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier David A. Granger met with the President at the Office of the President this (Thursday) afternoon. The

purpose of the meeting was to discuss the President’s nomination of Leroy Brumell

An ex-wife has denied promising two people $130,000 to kill her former h u s b a n d ’s 3 2 - y e a r- o l d companion, but Linda Phillips, the victim, says that she was warned a year ago about a similar plot to take her life. The alleged

mastermind, who is from Princes Street, Wo r t m a n v i l l e , t u r n e d herself into police on Thursday in the company of her attorney, Sanjeev Datadin. Kaieteur News understands that the woman gave police a typed statement in which she denied that she had plotted to kill Phillips, who survived a brutal attack in her home last Thursday. However, the suspect declined to speak to the investigators. The woman’s attorney, Sanjeev Datadin, told Kaieteur News that his client “absolutely denies” any involvement in the attack on Phillips. “We deny absolutely any involvement in the stabbing of that woman. We have no involvement, no participation, and we are doing everything to assist the police in their investigation,” the attorney said. Datadin said that his client turned herself in after receiving information that the police were looking for her. The attorney confirmed that the suspect knows the UG graduate who has implicated his client. “She knows her (the UG graduate), but denies being involved in any way or form.”

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Committed to youth development and the underprivileged, Renis Morian is a ‘Special Person’ By Enid Joaquin He is one of those people, who, regardless of their personal achievement, and obvious success, never loses touch with the common folk is never too big to visit the ghettos, and connects with the ‘homeboys’, and certainly never forgets where he came from. He is also one of the very few adults, who is forever cognizant of his own challenges and struggles as a youth, and can readily empathize with, and encourage today’s youths in his quest to help steer them away from most of the

exhibiting leadership skills even at that tender age, was the head of the notorious group. Gambling, girls, parties and violent behaviour were second nature in those days. For most of the gang, that way of life would ultimately lead to their violent deaths. But Renis was lucky - he quit before it was too late, and today he is thankful to God, and for the advice of an elderly woman, which he heeded. “This woman told me that I would lose my life, if I didn’t change my lifestyle. At the time, I was seriously violent seriously aggressive, and

“You know, there is that saying, that the devil finds work for idle hands? That is why we are committed to help keep our youths so preoccupied with positive pursuits, such as sports and other activities, that they won’t have the time, or feel the need, to engage in negative or self-destructive activities.” negative pursuits that somehow always seem most alluring to the young and gullible. Renis Morian, our special person this week, has as they say ‘been there, done that!’ So with such abundant experience, who better to seek to help our youths, to rise above their challenges? Morian has certainly come a long way from the days when he was a member of the “No Collar Gang”, while still at school. They numbered about twenty five, and our erstwhile ‘bad boy’,

very protective of family.” Though he did not at the time recognize it, her words had a great impact on his life, as he would later change, and started to go to church. He is now more than equipped to guide youths away from those pursuits that can ultimately destroy them, the way it destroyed fourteen of his accomplices so many years ago. Coming out of a broken home, Morian’s life was never smooth sailing. He grew up in Delph Street, Campbellville and attended Campbellville

Nattilyattired and ready to hit the road

Government School, Comenius Moravian School and the Guyana Progressive College. He dropped out of school in fourth form, but later returned upon the advice of his headmaster. “My Headmaster Mr Gopaul came home and begged me to return to school. He said even if you

don’t like my school and don’t want to come back, just find a school and go back to school.” Morian admits that things back then were ‘not easy’, but he returned to school. “When I wrote the College of Preceptors, it was a neighbour who paid the fee for me, which was only thirty dollars, and my mother paid it back over a period of time. But

I was successful - I even gained a number of distinctions, despite all the challenges.” He would later take up the post of a Teacher at the age of seventeen at the Helena Government School, at Mahaica. “The Headmaster at the time was Mr Jeeboo, and he was a source of real encouragement to me, he had me serve with him in teaching the Common Entrance class”. That teaching stint was however short-lived, when he absconded after there was talk of him having to enroll in the teacher’s training college. During that time he would meet a preacher by the name of Malcolm Sobers who encouraged him to go to Church. But he was conflicted, because there was the new gang that he had established at Mahaica, there were the girls, and now there was this preacher encouraging him to go to church. The Church would eventually win out, after he moved to Linden with his mother and siblings, who had landed jobs in the mining town. “In those days Linden was prosperous, so it was easy to get a job. After I came here, I joined the Fruits of Calvary Church, and I also got a job at the Surapana Farm as a labourer. That however, created a furor in the church and among my friends, who wanted to know, why I would jump from being a teacher, to being a labourer on a farm. But I had my reasons - the job provided me with some money, and time to study. At the time I was reading for my ‘A’ levels in Economics and writing five more subjects at ‘O’ levels. But after awhile realizing that I needed more time to study I left the job, and I would be at the Linden Library when it opened at nine, when it closed at twelvethirty, when it reopened at two-thirty, and I would be there until it closed in the

evening, at around eight o’clock. This would be my routine every day, Monday to Friday.” It was during this time that Renis would meet his wife Dawn, who at the time was still in High School. The two would tie the knot when Morian was in his early twenties. He would also land a job with the National Insurance Scheme as a messenger, after completing his Advanced Levels. However he did not remain in that position for long, as he soon jumped to Claims Acceptance Officer at the front desk. Morian would later move on, after applying to the Bauxite Company for a position, and was offered a job as a checker, in the company’s Machine shop. That job entailed tabulating workers’ time. He would also serve as checker when the Wisroc Housing Scheme was being established. After serving with the Company for a short while, and with the encouragement of some people in the church overseas, he would subsequently go to Jamaica where he did a first degree in Social Work. After completing the programme, Morian returned to Guyana, where he became more actively engaged in the Church. He would later do a post graduate degree in Statistics and Management in London. That programme would afford Morian the opportunity to gain employment with Guyana National Engineering Corporation, as project Officer for the Bel Lu Clay Brick Factory, on the East Bank of Demerara. He also had to report on shipbuilding and repairs, and the prototype workshop, which was involved in the manufacturing of agricultural implements. Morian would work there (Continued on page 40)

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Will 'Deportee' make it to the big screen? From page 36 Sills once he's back on his native soil. Brook feels that Ryan Sills is responsible for the slaughter of his girl, little son, and his teenage brother back in New York. As Ryan waits in a Pennsylvanian Correctional Center to be sent packing back to a Guyana that he scarcely remembers, Brook assassinates a Guyana Government Minister. This sparks a covert investigation to find the minister's assailants—an investigation led by a female Detective, Loren Barry. The film script, Deportee, cuts between the USA and Guyana. Will Detective Loren Barry apprehend Brook before Ryan Sills is back on his native soil? I guarantee you that the above questions will rivet you into this drama; and the climax will be left with you for a very, very long time. KN: In the judges' report at the Guyana Prize ceremony, you were chided for losing an opportunity to be more creative and deep with your screenplay. According to them, you merely tried to 'translate' Guyana, which, to them was probably very shallow. What do you say to that? HB: There are times when the writer sets out to be obscure about what he/she wants to say as in the case of stalwarts like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Wilson Harris. These great writers put out the kind of writings that lure literary snobs out of the woodwork to debate what the writer meant when he wrote what he wrote. But then there are also times when the writer simply wants to record a straight truth without levels upon levels of possible intellectual interpretations. That was my intent when I wrote Deportee: to tell a straight, non-convoluted story. This screenplay was conceived from personal family stories and the stories of people I've heard from, regarding deported sons and others relatives, and how they, the deported, are making out or not making out back in Guyana once dropped there. In Deportee, I set out to tell a straight story about what is going on in Guyana and how screwed up my country has become. I have no apologies about that. And I just hope that I will be successful in getting it made into a movie. KN: There are some who speculate that you failed to win the Guyana Prize for a fourth time because your screenplay was perceived to be anti-government. What do you say to that? HB: To that I say 'rubbish!' The screenplay Deportee, to the contrary, portrays the Government of Guyana

quite sympathetically in its need to root out the serious criminal elements. For example, there is a scene in the screen play where the President, on hearing about the Minister's death, says to the Minister of Home Affairs: “This brief press release from my office has me saying that I've declared war on the criminal elements in this place. Very dramatic, eh? 'WAR' … And you know how people are reacting right now? They're scoffing—saying, 'Yeah-right', and preparing for more of the same. Right now the street pundits are once more pontificating about Government cover-ups, judicial impropriety and 'dat Jaggy know wha' goin' on. …” Nothing about Deportee is anti-government. It just portrays Georgetown as it is—the Guyana Police Force as it is, and this is unfortunate. I'm also sure that in the process of shooting the movie in Georgetown locations, the tragic division between the haves and havenots might be bared; but to deem my work pointedly antigovernment in any way would be far from the truth. KN: What plans might you have for distribution? Who will be the audience for Deportee providing you get it made? HB: My first audience will be Guyanese—of course, though there are two main problems with that. The first is that there are still less than a million people in Guyana; for an international film distributor such a number doesn't translate into money. Secondly, Guyana doesn't respect Universal Copyright conventions for the protection of Intellectual Property, and as such I fear that any film having its premiere on Saturday, will see a million bootleg copies on the streets of Georgetown by Monday. Because of state-condoned illegal activity like the latter, a film maker, artist, or artiste, does not stand to make an iota of profit from his/ her creations in Guyana today. And this is something that needs to be addressed. It means, therefore, that to repay producers, I will have to present a film that has a beyond-Guyana kind of appeal. In order to do that, the cast and the way the movie is shot will have to be presented uniquely. I'm hoping that through film festivals and such, Deportee might help to put Guyana on the map, so to speak, and garner us some help that might help things to improve socially and economically. Maybe I'm a pathetic visionary—but you never know. Face it: It is only because of films like the 2008 CNN documentary, Escape from Jonestown' narrated by Soledad O'Brien that Guyana

continues to be thought of as this obscure South American, back bush country where Jonestown took place. We all need to change that, and I'm hoping that Deportee can help. KN: Have you done a lot of study in film-making, and do you think that your experience in drama will be an asset to you. HB: I have studied film production as a whole; film acting; and film directing in particular, and all of the latter in the self-taught mode. There was a time back in GT when I worked as freelance feature writer for the Daily and Sunday Chronicle, and did a lot of film critiques in my film column, CINE SCENE. I have made myself very knowledgeable in filmmaking, film directing, and film production on the whole. I am ready. Also, there was a time I

hung around the Guyana Film Centre when it was on Homestretch Avenue. Before Apata, my first novel, I perused the shelves of the JFK Library in Main Street, and do you know what books I borrowed? Books on the techniques of film-making. I was obsessed with filmmaking a long time back; it was a first love if there ever was. When guys were making films like Aggro Seizeman, and If Wishes were Horses, and Sound of the Sugarcane, I was on fire to make me a film. You must understand that, having grown up in New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop, where the cinema was the village's main pastime, I was somewhat a child of film. Yes, film-making was my first love. When I decided to write my first novel, it wasn't because I wanted to be a novelist. No. I wrote, Apata: the Story of a

Reluctant Criminal, because I wanted a property that stood to be made into a film. (One of the Heinemann editors thought it would make a great action movie with someone like Sidney Poitier as the star, but none took up the idea.) So time passed and Apata didn't get made into a film. So I told myself, that maybe I should get into writing and directing plays for stage, and maybe, that way I might find a way to become a film-maker. So I became a playwright in the hope that it might lead to me getting an opportunity to make a film. At one point I played with turning my play The Visa Wedding (starring Collette Jones) into a film. That too, however, didn't pan out. Now, thirty years after that play, I've now written the screenplay, Deportee, and because of the possibility of

the phenomena of 'Crowd Funding' on sites like 'Kickstarter' and 'Indiegogo', I am once more hopeful that I can get Deportee financed and made. This is now do or die. It may well be my swansong. KN: So at this stage, where are you on the road to making Deportee into a film? HB: I'm just at the beginning of that road. Right now I'm formulating strategies on finding funding for this undertaking. So, if there are individuals, organizations, companies, associations who might be interested in being part of this venture, maybe they can make contact with me through you, Mike. (Persons interested in contacting Harold Bascom about this venture can reach him via my email address: mjdragon@hotmail.com)

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Committed to youth development and the underprivileged... From page 38 for about two years, and then moved on to the Guyana Export Promotion Company, where he worked as the Export Promotions Officer. Throughout this period, he was travelling back and forth between Georgetown and Linden, and all the while he was involved in community work in Linden. By then an accomplished musician, who played the keyboard, guitar and drums, Morian was playing at concerts and other social functions around the mining town. It was while at Guyana Export Promotions that Morian, whose managerial astuteness was recognized, was sent to Barbados to study a “Computerized link up for Caricom”. “It was a trade link where we were promoting non-

traditional exports from Guyana. My job was to research the demand for all agricultural produce that were nontraditional in the Caribbean. I did a monthly publication called ‘The Exporter’, and a compilation over five years of Guyana’s non-traditional exports, to the Caribbean.” Morian was subsequently promoted to senior Export Promotion Officer, after his return to Guyana. He later landed a job in agricultural statistics, which was a US$12M IDB/Government of Guyana agricultural rehabilitation programme. Although the job required a Masters degree, Morian was successful in his application, because of his vast experience in statistics. He was responsible for the baseline study, and the ultimate project document which formed the

foundation for the project. Other responsibilities included looking at market demand, use of chemicals and water contamination. Morian also had responsibility for workers’ welfare, and interviewed persons who were seeking loans under the project, among other things. As the project came to a close, he was afforded the opportunity to attend the University of Wisconsin, to study for a Diploma in Disaster Preparedness. Upon his return, Morian would venture into his own business of project management and preparation of business proposals. He would also manage one of the components of the OXFAM flood programme during the 2005 floods in Guyana, and was later hired as a consultant with LEAP, which

Morian (extreme left) recently presented twenty-five students from the Harmony Secondary School, who are preparing to write CSEC next year, with backpacks and school supplies. was at the time doing a rapid assessment of agriculture development in Region 10. After that project came to an end, Morian would become fully immersed in community developmental activities. That would see him forming the group, the Christian Development Foundation (CDF), a group of Linden Professionals committed to bringing people together, and assisting them in their quest for a better life. The group would begin working with residents across Region 10 in the area of agriculture. Their main focus at the time was creating sustainable communities. “So we thought ‘what could we put into communities that could help sustain them?’ - and the answer was of course food.” CDF was also instrumental in training single mothers to become entrepreneurs, and assisted and encouraged others to become involved in agriculture. Morian is presently the coordinator for the CDF. Currently the group’s special focus is on youth development, and as such several playfields and other open spaces, across Region Ten, have been identified for upgrading. Morian says there is a lot to be done across the region, but the CDF is currently focusing on recreational facilities. “Presently we are seeking partnerships with our business people, who can come on board with us to assist in whatever way. As a matter of fact, we would be asking them to donate even if it’s one football or basketball each. We have a suite of activities, or programmes, for the young people in this Region, in the areas of education, sports and even agriculture.

With regard to sports, Morian has spoken to several coaches, who expressed interest in lending support. “We recognize that young people are really fighting hard to stay in school, and they are also going out on the open grounds for recreation, so we would like to support them, as much as possible.” “You know, there is that saying, that the devil finds work for idle hands? That is why we are committed to help keep our youths so preoccupied with positive pursuits, such as sports and other activities, that they won’t have the time, or feel the need, to engage in negative or self-destructive activities.” Also in support of education, Morian recently presented twenty-five students from the Harmony Secondary School, who are preparing to write CSEC next year, with backpacks and school supplies. He is grateful to partners in Brooklyn, New York, and others including the Food for the Poor, who lent their support towards the worthy cause. “I believe that once we can come together and help support each other, we can reduce a lot of the negativity with which we are faced; and we would be lending support not only in the area of sport, but in education, agriculture and other areas. There is so much to be done, but we can only develop, when we support each other,” Morian says. Our ‘Special Person’ is married, has two children, and is presently the pastor of the Fruits of Calvary Church on Burnham Drive, Wismar, Linden, and APNU Member of Parliament. Because he has so selflessly given of both his time and resources over the years, in helping to make the lives of others better, he is truly worth the recognition.

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HOUSING AND YOU…

Those gated communities By Leonard Gildarie In recent months, we have been receiving quite a number of queries on house lot applications, contractors and new housing schemes. I have attempted to answer the questions based on what is available, and as they pertain to the Guyana situation. We have also been receiving a number of queries on the issue of gated communities. However, I have stayed far from it… until now. Based on research, there has been the continued debate as to whether gated communities are good for societies, with the main argument against them being that they close off society from a certain group of people. Today, I want to make it clear that I am neither encouraging nor advocating against the gated communities. My personal feelings are that one has a right to decided where and how he/she wants to live…whether on the streets, in gated communities, up in the hills or on a houseboat. There are a number of ways in which homes can be owned in Guyana. You can buy one from another person

or you can build one. In the latter case, there are a number of ways that land is made available. There are either from private land owners who are selling portions of their holdings, or from Government. In the private landowner scenario, there are a few cases of these being converted to house lots and sold individually or in parcels. However, the Government programmes have been the most popular. Government has allocated portions of land, especially on the East Bank of Demerara, for private development. It has also retained portions which are made into lots and have been allocated or will be allocated. For the Government house lots, applications have to be made at the Ministry of Housing’s Central Housing and Planning Authority. Government is also building a number of turn-key homes on the East Bank of Demerara. Several private developers who have been allocated pieces of land for development under a publicprivate partnership arrangement, including Green Acres and Windsor Estates, are offering homes in gated communities. According to Windsor Estates, it is building its gated

An artist’s impression of Windsor Estate’s North Haven gated community upon completion community behind Republic Park, East Bank Demerara, in two phases. The first, called North Haven, offers 24-hour security at the entrance, street lighting and night vision Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras “strategically” placed in various areas of the development to give residents “more peace of mind”. Back-up power is to be available for security gate and CCTV cameras. This area will also have its own recreation park, with a swimming pool, showers and changing rooms, a playground, water feature, park benches and a walking track. According to Windsor’s website, all public areas will have professional landscaping with palm trees, flowers, plants and lush green lawns which will be maintained year around.

The second phase, Esplanade, is catering for a higher end/exclusive suburban living “offering residents a rewarding life style of elegance and sophistication.” Windsor is promising state-of-the-art features, including 24-hour security, a recreation park with a children’s play area, a clubhouse with a swimming pool, a lounge, a movie room, game room, and a rooftop bar. “We are adding an infra red security system that will be mounted on top of the entire perimeter fence to add another level of security for your protection. Sidewalks will be added to both sides of the road and all drains will be enclosed to give an elegant feel to the community.” Green Acres will be by far the largest community built by Buddy’s Housing Development. Buddy’s is promising this gated community to be “complete with paved roads, streetlamps, and a shopping complex which will allow basic services to be easily within reach. There will be access to a swimming pool, tennis court and a basketball court. It is located within a “two minutes” drive to the “Guyana National Stadium as well as the Princess International Hotel, multiple service stations and local schools”. In researching gated communities, I came across this: “These types of communities are typically

residential communities in which public access by nonresidents is restricted, usually by physical boundaries, such as gates, walls, and fences, or through private security. These communities sometimes require a special entry system, such as entry codes, key cards, or security guard approval.” I am going to stop there. I saw the housing scheme that Buddy’s built at Herstelling, East Bank Demerara. My memory tells me that it would be a decade ago that that scheme was established. I use the words scheme loosely, as someone could also argue it has some semblance to a gated community as there is a guard hut at the entrance. The roads seem pretty decent. I am not sure about crime in the area. I know one person had complained of a car wash operation being a nuisance. Most of the homes have been upgraded. Gated communities are nothing new across the US and other developed countries. Some common advantages include reduced traffic, which impact positively on the noise level. Residents with children often feel this arrangement also provides a safer playing environment for their kids. There are rules in which residents must also follow including cleanliness and appearance and noise level from music. There are also what some might call

“negatives” including highthan-average prices for properties and a possible fee for security and essential maintenance. There are some questions to be asked before buying a home in a gated community. Are there any guarantees that the developers will deliver the other amenities, like a promised pool and playground? Who pays for security? How much will it cost monthly for maintenance? What are the security arrangements? But perhaps the most important question for me is who is in charge of the infrastructure, like the roads in the gated community. I am aware that the NDCs have some jurisdiction over the areas. Once the roads go bad, and they will, who repairs them? Will it be the NDC or the developer? There are a host of other questions. For me, I would love to live in a gated community…once there is a guarantee of total quiet. I like the peace, after a hard day’s work. How would I know that an industrial site would not be built next door? So yes, the questions will be many. We will have to explore this topic more next week and maybe talk to the folks at Green Acres and Windsor Estates. Enjoy the weekend and don’t forget to drop your comments as usual to gildarie@yahoo.com.

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1980s ‘Continent to Continent’ hitchhikers still trekking to Africa By Zena Henry It is undoubtedly one of the most hated transgressions that can be committed against a people, and for many, the mere thought of the torturous journey endured by Africans during the quest for labour to build the New World centuries ago, invokes rage and disbelief. It involved weeks and sometimes months of being chained below deck on slave ships, tossing in their own and the faeces of fellow countrymen, hunger, fear and most times, death. So what could inspire nine men to hike all the way to Africa from Guyana? Of course they are free men and they don’t have the whips of slave masters on their backs, so what could cause a man to go out of his way, through some of the harshest and most dangerous terrains to go back

to the place that his ancestors were stolen from? For Lawrence Renville, a 58-year- old Guyanese residing in America, the trip was about marking several events: “to coincide with the 500 years that Columbus encountered the New World, the 400 years of the African slave trade from the West Coast of Africa and to symbolize the struggle of African slaves brought across the middle passage.” Lawrence and 72-year-old Compton Ferguson, called “Fergo or Fergie” are two of the seven men who survived the intended African journey which has so far reached as far as the United States. The group of travelers was founded in the late 1980s by Linford Schultz, the author of “ From Continent to Continent” In Search of a New Life” and “The Stowaway Posse” published by Vantage Press New York

in 2000. Schultz, now deceased, developed the idea from his “From Continent to Continent” book. As he and Lawrence were seeking to rewrite the piece, all the right reasons for a physical journey to the Motherland seemed so relevant. As such, for one year, the team began to prepare for the trip over land, rivers, seas, plains, through jungles and even war zones. They were able to gain endorsements, sponsorships and recognition, while gathering the relevant documentation for their travel. There was a hike from Crabwood Creek to Georgetown to highlight the project. Lawrence said that they received good support from locals. The Lions, Rotary Club and YMCA were very instrumental. The government also lent its support, with endorsements out of the

Office of the Prime Minister, while equipment came from Da Silva’s Optical and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). With the support and contributions from the various agencies, the team could wait no longer, so on June 1, 1989 the members departed Guyana for Africa. The nine men had planned to walk across South, Central and North America, then into Europe and into Africa. Three went along West Coast Demerara to the Essequibo Coast, into the Pomeroon River and into Venezuela. Six started out by steamer and the others through the North West District of Mabaruma into White Water Creek into Venezuela. It was 800 miles of river and Jungle through the North West route and many times the group had to split up to travel as hitched rides only had space for a few persons.

It’s not an easy road…

Vagrants tell their story By Javone Vickerie The word “junkie” is loosely used by Guyanese to characterize persons who ‘do hard drugs’, live on the streets or walk around wearing mere rags and have an unpleasant smell. They are considered societal rejects and are treated as such. I found the journey of these ‘junkies’ to their present state of social degradation quite interesting. My exploration took me through the streets of Georgetown where I spoke to a number of individuals, some of whom reside on the pavements. At Bourda Market, I met Avinash Singh who refused to speak to me when I told him I worked for Kaieteur News. But after I explained to him that I was doing a feature on homeless persons, he laughed and asked “Who cares about we on the streets?” Singh explained that he began living on the streets since 20 years ago after his home at Berbice was destroyed by fire. “I was a security guard at a factory in Canje and one night while at work a lady run down the road and tell me that the apartment which I de living in get destroy by fire,” Singh said. The man who is now 43 years old said that when he arrived at the scene the entire structure was destroyed and everything he had ever owned was lost. “I was about 21 when the fire happen and to tell you the truth it hurt me to know that everything I worked hard for just go away at a blink of eye… Since then me ain’t ketch back me self,” the man explained. After the fire, Singh

Three of the many persons who have made the streets their home.

explained that he was forced to move to Georgetown where he did a number of odd jobs to maintain himself for a while, but soon took up residence on the streets. “Back in duh time wuk was hard fuh find and I was a young country boy who only went to school up to a certain form because me parents couldn’t afford it. So from growing up in poverty I went deeper in it as I get older.” Singh said that it was while living on the streets that he was introduced to drugs and alcohol, in which he found comfort. Singh said that he was once admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital after he was attacked by a man who accused him of stealing from his yard. “I was sleeping one night on the road and then one of them come with a wood and start beating me. All meh tell am that meh nah know what he talking bout he beat me up and carry me to the police,” the man said. Singh said that after he was taken to the police station he was then given another thrashing by police officers for denying the accusation. With tears in his

eyes, the man said he was then taken before the court and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for the offence which he still denies doing. “In prison it taught me that no matter how you look or who you are, once you sleep on the streets people will have one idea about you, that you are a junkie. “Many days I deh out here and see people do all kind of things to street people but is the times we living in... we can’t change the minds of people,” Singh said. The next person I spoke with requested animosity. She said that she is living with HIV/AIDS. “I had everything as a young woman; education, money and a good fiancé but because of friends I found myself on the streets of Georgetown wandering and asking persons for money to survive.” Even before she said that she was well educated, the formation and pronunciation of her words gave her away. The woman who we will call ‘Faith’ did not want to divulge much as it relates to the ‘ride’ that took her to her to her present state, but did

advise me to “be very cautious” when it came to love. What was intended to be an in depth interview slowly became a lecture initiated by ‘Faith’ on making the right decisions in life. She later explained that she was a counselor in her younger days. “I was young and full of life. I remembered working with the Ministry of Health years ago working as a parttime counselor and the same things I was telling people not to do, I did. It changed my life,” the woman reminisced. Faith said that because of the discrimination she faced from family members and those she considered friends, she felt like she only had two options left :to live on the streets or to commit suicide. The woman explained that she wanders the streets of Georgetown on a daily basis begging for whatever little she can get, before retiring to a night shelter. “With a person like me it is safer to sleep in the night shelter than to be on the streets because all kinds of things go on when the streets get lonely at nights,” the woman said.

Compton Fergerson and Lawrence Renville after speaking to Kaieteur News in New York. Lawrence had taken the West Coast route and ended up in the Venezuelan community of San Felix then to Puerto Ordaz, and Caracas. Lawrence was always with Schultz; they used boats, got rides and other forms of transportation during their journey. As they went on, they received help from local authorities for safety tips on hiking, transport and even got security when needed. The group did community work with the country’s YMCA where they stayed from about a month before heading on to Maracaibo; the next major city. From there they hitched rides and continued walking. The group that went through the Pomeroon was always two weeks ahead, Lawrence said. They were basically going through and letting the various areas know that the group was coming behind and would be passing through. From Maracaibo, the group then entered Colombia through Maicao, a city on the Atlantic Coast, then onto Santa Marta and up to Cartagena. The team then hopped onto a plantain boat. “By then it was about five or six of us who had regrouped.” The next stop was across the mountains of Puerto Obaldia, Lawrence said. But at the Panama border at least three persons turned back into Colombia when the group was denied access due to instability. Lawrence and his group rerouted and found another way into Panama and kept going until they arrived at Panama City, then to the PanAmerican Highway where they hitched a ride to Costa Rica, then to Nicaragua. But again they encountered difficulty as that country was experiencing war. Another boat was taken to a place called Saint Andres and then to El Salvador. “It’s about eight months now that we were travelling and wear

and tear started taking a toll on us,” Lawrence recalled. Eventually he had to tell his team that he couldn’t go on as he was going blind and needed medical attention. He returned to Colombia. By this time, one person by the name of O.K. Grant had died after falling off a pier in Belize. Another person had to be taken back to Guyana after getting malaria in Colombia. The other persons were able to go on to Belize, into Mexico and into the United states. Lawrence joined his fellow travelers eventually after flying the rest of the journey to the United States. “The hike was to go to Africa; to span three continents, America is the first base and it hasn’t ended yet. Life continues, and this is all part of the journey. I have not seen the end of it because the end is to Senegal,” Lawrence continued. The aim is to get to Africa to the Commemorative monument for the slave trade and have a celebration after the journey through the continents back into Africa before we return to Guyana. The former Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara resident said that it was worth the piranha attacks after their canoe capsized, and the days and nights of paddling up a river and encountering crocodiles. “The motivation for me was just to get to Africa.” But life is unpredictable; today Lawrence is a professional photographer with a multimedia film, video and music studio. He is married with five children. Ferguson is retired from his work at a nursing home. The former Bartica resident has five children and is no stranger to adventure after stowing away to England in his earlier days. According to Lawrence, the next step to completing this journey is to regroup and plan for the future; and remembering Linford Schultz who founded the movement.

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Suggestions from readers in the diaspora By Ralph Seeram He had retained a lawyer in Guyana to “pass a transport” on a property which he said was bequeathed to him by his late parents. His other siblings took objection, occupied the property, so the matter went to court. He said that he paid a large sum of money to this lawyer in Georgetown, but now he can’t hear anything from the lawyer. The lawyer is not even returning his phone calls or mail. He therefore wanted me to see how I can help him. Every week I receive emails from Guyanese in the Diaspora about their personal problems experienced in Guyana, about the social and economic condition in Guyana, complaints about the Guyana Government and the

opposition parties. People all over the world have always believed in the power of the press. A free press to some extent is an indication of a free society. People feel the press has a special privilege or rights; not realizing the freedom of the press is derived from the rights and freedom of the people themselves. The press is basically a medium for people to express themselves. Like me, every day Kaieteur News receives complaints from citizens. Sometimes the complaints lead to exposure and the paper gets some results. What some may not realize is the press can only express the individual views, maybe do some follow up with officials and nothing more. So when Ram asked me for help in his “transport problem” I began wondering

how I can help. I live in Florida; Ram believes in the power of the press; he believes that by naming and exposing this lawyer he might get results. When I wrote about Caribbean Airlines, dozens of people reacted with emails detailing their bad experiences with the airline and were happy someone gave it some exposure. By the way, in the interest of disclosure Caribbean Airlines did send me and my family some vouchers to be used on a future flight. Some readers pointed out that I may get results because I had access to the media, and wondered what about the other passengers who experienced similar problems. I would suggest they send their complaints to CAL customer service by email. When I wrote about Guyana highway bandits in uniform, the police, people wrote about similar

experiences when they visited Guyana. Some Guyanese drivers said that they have no choice but to bribe if they are to survive to make a living. For the most part, most of the emails I receive are critical of the Guyana Government, and most of these readers claimed that they were supporters of the PPP government. Sometimes I receive emails about subjects irrelevant to the subject article; it was just an excuse to rant about the Guyana Government and the opposition parties, as well as the social and economic conditions of Guyanese at home. A constant complaint from Guyanese in the Diaspora who visited Guyana is the abundance of filth and garbage in and around the city of Georgetown. Some noted that the government talks about promoting tourism, and wondered how many repeat tourists Guyana will have after seeing how stink and dirty Georgetown is. This past week I was taking a friend who was

visiting from New Amsterdam, around Orlando, Florida where I live. The one thing that caught her attention is how clean and neat the City is. I pointed out to her that Orlando is a tourist destination point, millions of people visit mainly because Disney and Universal Studios and other tourists attractions nearby such as beaches. The County has an interest in keeping the City clean as well as keeping the tourists corridors crime free as much as possible. I told her to look around, every other corner were garbage containers, unlike Guyanese people make use of them. I am not saying that you may not have the occasional people littering, but there are people constantly picking little or cleaning up to keep the town attractive, compare that to Guyana who wants to promote tourism, and see how far they have to go. One reader suggested that I do an article on the level of service in Guyana, which according to Mike is a “stew teeth service” and I quote Mike “I call it stew teeth, a frown and a half napkin, where the customer is always

wrong”. Mike is right I personally experienced that kind of service. However I walked out of the restaurant and took my business to another established where the service was a little better. Mike also suggested that maybe if the police are paid better they may not be as corrupt as they are now. I must mention that Mike bombards me with emails about the ills of Guyana as if I am the President of Guyana or opposition leader David Granger, people who are in position to make real changes in the country. So here are a few more complaints, Guyana cannot move into the 21st century in any transformational way. Why? It lacks reliable and cheap supply of electricity, no 24-hour water service, and poor infrastructure such as roads etc. Of course there are corrupt government officials. So for you my readers the most I can do is mention your concern and observations, I cannot guarantee anything. Let the emails keep coming. Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com

Accused gunman freed of murder Clyde Brown, a resident of Troolie Island, was acquitted of the murder of Karia Karia shop owner, Paul John, by Justice William Ramlal at the Suddie High court. Brown was freed on a unanimous verdict of not

guilty by jurors. Brown’s preliminary inquiry was initially heard by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ court. The case for the state was that on August 11,

2010, three men attacked Paul around 20:30hrs, at his Karia Karia residence. They had pretended to be customers. Paul sustained a single gunshot wound to his abdomen during scuffle with the men.

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FOR SALE

FOR SALE

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

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FOR RENT Lessons or storage bond @ Vreed-en-Hoop junctionCall: 680-9905 Business place to rent @ E.C.D- Call:678-9413 Fully furnished apartment in Nandy Park, suitable for a single person or coupleCall:619-4824 for further information. 1- 3 Bedrooms upstairs to rent- Call:223-9727/673-0373 To rent 2 Bedrooms fully furnished Short term apartment- Call:222-7891/6099202

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Waiakabra, Linden Highway: 1,409’x403’ or 13.73 acres. Concrete house thereon. 1,100 feet from HighwayCall:619-4152

1 car to work taxi preferrably Raum or wagan- Call:6825798

Providence housing lots. Neighbouring to the Guyana National Stadium & Princess Hotel. Infrastructure works ongoing- Contact 668-3100/ 615-8810 Prime Business Land for sale by: owner located on Regent Street 120x40- Contact: 2251831 Double lots located at 5 Rosetta, Canal #2, W.B.D. Price $10M neg- Call:6893413 Transported house and cultivated lots (3 acres) at lot 3D Ledesir Canal #1 Polder, W.B.D. Owner migratingCall:664-9923 32 Acres for sale, Lot 5 Content Mahaicony, E.C.D: US$175,000: Call:813-3194219: rpooran@ tampabay.rr.com

1,2 &3 bedrooms furnished & unfurnished apartments in Georgetown. Contact Celebrity Homes Reality- Tel: 668-3100 or 615-8810 Fully furnished Va c a t i o n home with all a m e n i t i e s - C a l l during working hours- 227-1218

WANTED One experience hairdresser to work at P&P Beauty Salon, Eccles. Contact: 645-3010, 639-7672, 619-0007.

Contract Cars @ Gem’s TaxiCall:667-9013/627-9424

At Blankenburg public road, W.C.D. 38x150 & 39x150 $16M eachCall:666-3619

TO LET Harmony Inn: Apartments fully furnished, airconditioned apartments: As low as $5000 per night- Call: 668-0306/ 602-8769/694-7817

Sunday October 06, 2013

Urgently needed live-in waitresses to work in Bar reasonable salary offeredCall:259-0574 Bill writers and porters to work in Grocery stall, Stabroek market- Tel:2269800/683-9500 House lot between BV & L.B.I, E.C.D. Size 36/40ft in width & 80-100ft or more in length- call:641-3258/6752803 One experience mechanic to work in interior must know to repair minibus & solid DEF vehicle- Call:681-6044 Live in waitress- Call:6439007/ 697-2978 One experience driver to work in interior age 25 and up- Call:681-6044 One live in & one live out babysitter from 12-8pmCall:225-6070 Sales Representative. Apply in person with written application @ Rite Price Wireless stall 13&14 ‘A’ Bourda Market

WANTED Drivers & day guard for supermarket on the E.C.DCall:680-3863. Cleaner to work on W.C.D- Call:6848231 One room mate to share apartment. Preferably working person- Call:6825798 2 Persons to work in kitchen- Please call 2336765 between 18hr-19hr Attractive live in waitressCall:327-0252/674-4665 1 Experienced butcher between ages 30-50. Attractive salary offered. Must be physically fit. Call:679-1904 (serious inquiry only) Contract cars @ Atlas Taxi Service, South Ruimveldt Gardens- Call:661-3043 Live In Waitress to work in a bar- Call:665-7865 Attractive live in WaitressCall:228-5129 Live-in domestic must know to cook and live in waitress $50,000 monthly- Call:6105043 Live In Live Out Babysitter Domestic- Call:225-6070 One live in maid age 24-45Call:697-2129 One waitress 18-25yrs. Kindly Contact 650-3680 between 9am-3pm Contract cars at Gem’s Taxi Service- Call:667-9013 Girl to play cricket, age 16 & up from Zeelugt, Tuschen, Vergenodegen. Mon-Sat 6:30pm-8pm & Sun 8am-6pm- Call:6900235/639-1053 Experienced sewing machine operators- Call:220-4337 One sewing machine for upholstery- Call:643-8905 1- TM truck driver- Call:6744649

Minibus driver living in Georgetown for contractCall:675-3093 Contract cars- Contact City Taxi Service- 660-1100/2267150 PEN PAL Single male 43 seeking female companion for serious relationship 38-42yrscall:682-3557

One experience sales girl & one porter for a grocery shop, age 30 to 35 @ Diamond New SchemeCall:691-9212 or 216-1420

LEARN TO DRIVE Soman & Sons Driving School , First Federation Building Call 225-4858, 6445166,622-2872,615-0964 (Continued on page 56)

Sunday October 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Estonian teacher on intriguing... From page 49 crowd will usually go no further than the crowd, while those who walk alone are likely to find themselves in places no one has ever been before. He was previously living in Keila, Harjumaa, Estonia. Officially known as the Republic of Estonia, this is a state located in the northern part of Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia (343 km), and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia (338.6 km). The Estonians are a Finnic people, and the official language, Estonian, is a Finno-Ugric language closely related to Finnish, and distantly to Hungarian. Tamming admitted that while he knows a little English, he finds it hard to understand it in some places, like here in Guyana. Estonia's population of 1.3 million makes it one of the least-populous member states of the European Union, Eurozone and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Reflecting on his two years of traveling, Tamming said that it wasn't easy. He recalls spending uncomfortable nights in his vehicle, and worrying about having a safe place to sleep during his visits to almost every country. He said, however, that in some cities, he would stay in hotels. While in Guyana, he had

been staying at Tropicana Hotel located at 177 Waterloo St., South Cummingsburg, and popularly known as 'Jerries Restaurant and Bar'. So far, Tamming noted that he has been enjoying his stay here in Guyana, highlighting that it is good to see people of different races, with different cultures, living in one place. He said that he wants to leave this world, knowing that he has lived life to its fullest. “I am not the same person I was when I first started,” Tamming said, noting that his experiences so far have turned him into a much more humble person who now has a more open mind to other traditions, races, religions, and personalities. The explorer plans to complete his tour of South America by the end of this year, after which he will go back home and decide on where to go next. “The most important thing is that I was able to see most of it. There are people who have lived in one state all of their lives; but that is not living, it is existing. To live, we must go places; see things…meet new people - that is fulfillment. This world belongs to us all, so let us explore it, and live in the true sense of living.” In concluding, Tamming emphasized that the world is not as unsafe as many may think, and that human beings are a lot more considerate and helpful than some people may imagine.

Sunday October 06, 2013 ARIES (MARCH 21 APRIL 19): In an unpleasant situation, your inclination is to protect your loved ones from the truth. This would be a mistake, Aries. Even though you’re acting out of love, your family members deserve to know the truth even if it hurts. *************************** TAURUS (APRIL 20 MAY 20): You may be feeling tired and a bit wrung out today, Taurus. Although you’re a workaholic by nature, even you are forced to admit that this is a day to stay in bed. *************************** GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20): There could be a missing person very much on your mind these days. Is it possible that the relationship is over and you’re the last one to know? Don’t let your insecurities get the better of you, Gemini. *************************** CANCER (JUNE 21 JULY 22): Misinformation is likely to spread like wildfire today, causing a lot of unnecessary upset either among your neighbors at home or your colleagues at work. *************************** LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22): You’re finally setting in motion some longstanding goals of yours, Leo. Good for you! But even though everything is in place and you’re ready to go, it’s possible that you’ll receive notice today of some delay in your plans. *************************** VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 22): Beware lawyers, bankers, and stockbrokers today, Virgo. One of them is likely to try and mislead you with some inaccurate information.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22): A family member or other loved one may not be telling you the truth. In this person’s defense, he or she likely thinks they’re protecting you by shielding you from the truth. This is a time for you to trust your instincts, Libra. *************************** SCORPIO (OCT. 23 NOV. 21): You have an active mind and an even more active imagination, Scorpio. Today you risk short-circuiting your brain as you struggle to keep up with all the ideas and information swirling inside your head. *************************** SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21): If a family member is in a bad mood but not confessing why, it’s up to you to step in and help. He or she is carrying that big black cloud around, casting shadows everywhere they go. *************************** CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 JAN. 19): If a friend or colleague seems to be in trouble, you may not want to interfere for fear of being too intimate. But this isn’t a time to hold back, Capricorn. *************************** AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 FEB. 18): Your career may be sidetracked by petty gossip, rumor, and office politics. It’s likely that someone is pushing forward his or her agenda without any thought or concern for its impact on others. *************************** PISCES (FEB. 19 MARCH 20): Some bad news about your financial situation may not really be as bad as it first appears. Even so, it throws you for a loop. Doublecheck the information before spiraling into a panic, Pisces.

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(From page 54)

One professional seamstress & one frame builder- Call: 610-7005/ 2191342 Car wash attendantCall:694-4148 or 225-6296 24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl & office assistantCall: 663-1751/684-2838 Pump Attendant & Cashier @Shell Service Station Providence, E.B.D. Must be able to work shift (5am-3pm & 3pm-12pm)- Call:265-7305 (1) Customs Clerk (3) subjects CXC (English, Mathematics & must be computer literate). Due 11-1013. Contact 669-6874/6823481/ windsortechhomes @gmail.com Operators (Technical minds will be an asset) & Driver (Lorry license is an asset). BM Enterprise IncCall: 227-8176/7 1 Maid – must be good in Indian cooking & experienced in housekeeping – Call:223-5451/227-4799

SERVICES Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Profressional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call:225-6496,6626045,223-8115 Professional and affordable landscaping and tree trimming services. Budram’s Landscaping ServicesCall:656-1326/678-0058 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call:225-9032,647-2943 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer call:2310655,683-8734 Omar HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING FOR ONLY $10,000CALL:694-9843/227-2766 Cellphone repairs at Halema’s Fashion 104 Regent street next door to the Multicomplex MallCall:622-7740/696-4008 Tattoo & body piercing @ Halema’s Fashion 104 Regent street next door to the Multicomplex MallCall:622-7740/696-4008 Repairs to Fridge, Freezer, AC, Washers, Stoves: Call 683-1312,627-3206 (Nick)

CAKES & PASTRIES Courses in cake decoration, pastry making & cookery, Call: 670-0798. Also Wedding dresses for sale Baking & sewing courses @ W.C.D- Call:276-4018/6936335

EDUCATIONAL Electronic Course- hands on training. Starting 2nd October. Abdul electronicsCall:226-655/225-0391 Institute of Academic Supremacy East Street forms 1-5. Adult CXC classes: Maths, English A, Science & BusinessCall:226-8468/ 690-5008 Interested persons in Indian dance classes on E.C.D and E.B.D- Call Shellita 628-6855

VEHICLE FOR SALE

VEHICLE FOR SALE

PROPERTY FOR SALE

We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses - Call:680-3154

Toyota Raum: Mag rims, DVD player, remote start alarm. In Excellent condition $1.150 negotiable- Call:6679013

Kitty $30M, Queenstown $26M, Robb Street $125M, Prashad Nagar $39M- Call Diana 227-2256/626-9382

2008 White Tacoma 4x4 automatic, 32,000 miles, 4" lift kit with big rims & tyres. Excellent condition - Call: 610-5370

VACANCY

Hilux D4D pick up extra cab, GPP series- Call:644-5096/ 697-1453 1 Leyland DAF 60 single axle & dump - Call: 216-1315/ 613-6615 1- AA60 Carina- Call:6895254/643-0332 (2) AT 170 Carina and Corona both EFI automatic, fully powered $580,000 eachCall:619-1047 Sand truck for sale- Call:6861616 or 255-0690 Green Toyota Allion, PNN series $1.9M- Call:669-2650/ 677-5559 Mitsubishi Galant $1.1MCall:645-3605 Smart Choice Auto: Premio, Allion, IST, Runx, FielderCall:652-3820/665-4529 Best 2007 Nissan Titan flair, trunk cover, 22" mags, air brush $3.5M- call:674-9593 AT192, 212, Allion, Premio, Audi, BNN RZ mini buses, AT170, Marino. Cash or terms- Call:680-3154 One Bedford model M lorry with winch installed (unused). New reg $6M negotiable - Call Selwyn 625-9263

We repair LCD, Plasma, LED TV, Microwave, Washer & Dryer, Amp etc. Call:6472677/693-3277

ALYEA’S AUTO SALE: PREMIO 2002/2003, AXIO 2008. ALL PRICES ARE NEG. 40 CROAL STREET STABROEK- TEL:2317284/622-3823

HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING STARTING @ $9,000CALL:674-0725

1 Toyota Hilux single cab. Excellent condition, first owner- Call:657-3707

Colour Printing Business Cards 250 - $7000, 500 $9500 Postcard Flyers 2500 - $35,000, 5000 - $50,000Tel:225-7560, 680-8218

2007 Toyota ‘BB’ $2.5M, 2007 Rav4 $6.4M, Spacio $2.1M, Premio $2.5M. vehicles fully loaded- Call: 617-2891

Back/Front Colour Printing: BBQ Tickets 500 - $14,000, 1000 - $18,500. Tri-Fold Brochures 5000 - $75,000Tel:225-7560, 680-8218

1 Toyota- IST, Fun Cargo, AT212, AT192, AT170, Ceres, G-Touring Wagon & Tundra- Call: 644-5096 or 697-1453

Computer Technician: Home and office visits at your comfort!! Brian Moe@6423543/ FB:Brian.Moe.165

2008 unregistered Toyota Premio for sale- Call:6154114 Suzuki Escudo (Vitara): White, 2000cc, gas, engine, full- featured SUV in excellent condition-Call: 629-2404/ 623-8172

Upholstery, recovering of sofas chairs, recliner, couches and more- Call:6135132 CAR RENTAL First Choice Car Rental: Cars as low as $5,000 per day- Call:668-0306/6947817/225-6337 Wings Car Rental- Call:6431131

Sunday October 06, 2013

1 Toyota 192 $600,000call:669-4676/699-6342 One Premio PNN series $2MCall:677-4404 1 Leyland DAF GNN 2131. Price $3.8M negotiableCall:259-1370/650-3447

1 AE100 Corolla crystal light wagon $900,000 & 1 AT192 Carina $800,000- Call:6116632 AA60 Carina automatic. Price $350,000 negotiable reasonable- Call:644-2306 Driven Auto Sales- New Arrivals sale- Unregistered fully loaded Toyota Sienta $2,300,000 & Mazda Axela $2,400,000- Call:643-6565/2269931 Hilux Surf 4 doors, automatic, 4 wheel drive, needs minor repairs $850,000- Call:6214000/225-5239/227-3939 Hilux Surf 2 doors, automatic, 4 wheel drive, needs minor repairs $750,000- Call:6214000/225-5239/227-3939 Mitsubishi 3000GT in excellent condition, CD player, 18" rims and more $1.8M cash- Call:621-4000/ 225-5239 Trident car 250cc, new, power window, CD player $450,000 cash- Call:621-4000/225-5239 Stretch limousine for sale, seats 10 persons, fully powered, excellent condition $6.9M neg- Call:621-4000/ 225-5239 Toyota Camry SV40, crash can be fixed. Sold with documents $350,000Call:621-4000/225-5239 FOR SALE/RENT American Pool Table - Call: 277-0578

VERSAILLES: Furnished 5 bedrooms, self-contained rooms, modern facilities, g e n e r a t or, beautiful landscape, gated community- Call: 592-6248704/ 592-684-9203 ‘BB’ Eccles- Concrete house 3 bedrooms upstairs, downstairs 2 self contained apartments, 2 bedrooms each toilet & bath $28M- Call:2278409/660-4764 Prime property with business potential close to Leonora Primary School public road- Call:652-0709/ 268-3572 At 1045 Kaneville Grove, E.B.D (18x24) $13,000,000Call:686-7766/685-8934 Two storey concrete building 24x58ft, land size 50x131ft @Chateau Margot, E.C.D. price $33M negotiable- Call:661-9431 Alberttown double lot with 2 huge buildings $90M. Queenstown 2 storey concrete $80M, ‘AA’ Eccles $55M- Celebrity Homes Tel:668-3100/ 615-8810 La Penitence 2 storey front building $7.5M- Call Diana 227-2256/626-9382 Property for Contact:699-9926

sale-

One 2 storey 3 bedrooms 20x40 newly built concrete house situated in Parfaite Harmony $9M- Call:6385778/656-6407 House and land price $10M @ Grove H/Scheme 4th bridge- Contact Farida 6774404 Property for sale- Call: 627-5416

CAR RENTAL Fab’s Rental: Cars to RentCall:671-6051/609-6890 Premio, vitz call: 679-7139 Dolly’s Car Rental- Call: 225-7126/ 226-3693dollysautorental@yahoo.com/ www.dollysautorental.com Aidan’s Car Rental & PickupCall: 645-7981/ 698-7807

One –Two storey business property (transported) @ Brickery public road, E.B.DCall:660-8128 Two storey house, six bedrooms & two kitchen @ block ‘8’ Tushen, E.B.ECall:650-2982

For the best rates, call us on 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491

Sunday October 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Fearless, honest, loyal cops needed for SWAT success - “Gansta”

The idea of establishing a SWAT unit of the Guyana Police Force is not bad but it will only be effective if it is staffed by fearless, honest and loyal members who should be backed up by proper intelligence. This is the observation of one of Guyana’s most fearless cops, Ian Smith, popularly called “Gansta”. Smith, was part of a police crime fighting unit accused of extra judicial killings. Some of the ranks were labeled as enforcers for the disgraced US Embassy official Thomas Carroll in his visa selling racket. Smith, who rose to the rank of Sergeant, was controversially dismissed from the Guyana Police Force a few years ago; a decision which he challenged in court and won. He was wounded while singlehandedly engaging criminals who had minutes earlier robbed a citizen in downtown Georgetown. He believes that the present crime fighters in the Guyana Police Force are too laid back and are not producing the results expected, given the resources available to them now. “I am straightforward. The government giving the police the tools to do de job but the police are not producing de goods,” the former Target Special Squad agent told this newspaper in an exclusive interview

yesterday. At present Smith works in the private security industry where his skills are in demand. “You must realize when you dealing with criminals, you can’t let criminals come and get you. You got to go after dem. Dat is de whole problem in dis country now,” he explained. He said that blaming the government is not the way to go. “We (Target) was not no politicians; we was police and I understand the meaning of de word police… I could stand up and tell anybody dat I proud of what I did. At de end of de day I was glad that they get a SWAT team, but I hope they do de job what de government want it for,” Smith said. He recalled a previous attempt to set up such a unit following the disbandment of the Target Special Squad, which backfired after certain elements who were trained by the British seized the

opportunity to embark on their own agenda. “Look at it, 300 people they say hey train and it backfire; it ain’t last long. What they need is a small unit of people who are dedicated loyal and trustworthy,” Smith said. While many have already begun to see the proposed SWAT unit as a replacement of the disbanded Target Special Squad, Smith is convinced that the present crop of criminals cannot be taken lightly. He said that the present day criminals are not afraid to kill and something drastic must be done to protect the citizens from “these killers.” “You have to get a unit. When they (criminals) hear de squad coming, they pack up and run.” A lack of proper intelligence gathering is severely hampering the effectiveness of the police to halt the spate of criminal activities creating great unease in the society.

“You gather good intelligence and dis crime thing could done in a couple of months from now because is a set a youths come out now. Is nah no big people, is some youth men doing these things.” Recently, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee had hinted at rewarding members of the public who provided information on criminal activities to the police. But Smith believes that the Force needs to rebuild trust for this to bear fruit. He explained that on many occasions his unit used intelligence from outside the established intelligence mechanism of the Force. “We had one and two friends, because fuh get information, people gah fuh trust you fuh give you information. We used to give people money outta we own pocket sometimes. A lot of these criminals are no match fuh what we had to deal with. Nuff ah dem is follow pattern. But one thing I would advise

de police fuh do is fuh go after dem.” Addressing the issue of loyalty, Smith said that based on his conversations with young policemen, more money to do the job is the main motivating factor. “I would tell them no, when you join dis job you take an oath. You duty is to protect life and property, regardless of what. …when I was called to go on the (Target) unit in 1996, I couldn’t tell de Commissioner I ain’t going,” he said. “I am not ridiculing anybody; the Force has a good Commissioner but whoever is placed in charge of the swat team, they gat to produce the goods.” “We had two vehicles with 12 men and we lock it down because we had two good leaders...so when things happen we could able fuh go out there and know is who do

Ian ‘Gansta’ Smith in his crime fighting days it. We might get 92 percent and we gat fuh solve de other eight,” Smith stated. According to Smith, the word fear was not in his vocabulary when he decided to join the unit. He believes that fear is the main reason why the police anti crime units of today do not respond promptly to criminal activity.

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TEACHERS - crucial factors in nation-building It was William Butler Yeats, an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature, who said that “education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” This statement in essence speaks to the important role of teachers who are the key figures in the learning process and whose task was especially emphasised yesterday (October 5) when World Teachers’ Day was observed. Under the theme “A call for teachers”, teachers around the globe were recognised for their contributions towards education and the shortcomings within the various countries’ education systems which have, to some extent, hindered optimum performance, were highlighted. World Teachers’ Day was first celebrated on October 5, 1994, an observance which has since been ongoing annually. On this day, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Education International, encourage the celebration of the important role that teachers play in providing quality education, at all levels. It also commemorates the anniversary of the 1966 signature of the “UNESCO/ International Labour Organisation (ILO) Recommendation, concerning the Status of Teachers”. And Guyana certainly embraced the observance, although it went by without too much hype and fanfare. Nevertheless, the auspicious day was recognised as a time for reflection and the dawn of efforts to embrace measures to help improve the state of the education system. Very vocal about the need for improving the environment

I spoke about the madness and there was this so-called contract for a killing. This is just one. There is another in the works, but the problem is that the person contracted is a policeman who wants the support of his colleagues. At issue is a drug deal that went wrong but the target also has friends in the police force, so there is this a standoff for now. **** Some young men are planning a robbery near to a

in which teachers operate was President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Colin Bynoe. Bynoe, a teacher for 36 years, has been the head of the GTU for the past three years and over that period has not failed to emphasise the need for addressing concerns in the local education system. His proactive approach has been to engage dialogue with Government through the relevant officials within the Ministry of Education. And there have been some positive results, he intimated, during an interview with this publication Bynoe has simultaneously been very vocal in his call for teachers to not only upgrade their qualifications, but also to deliver a better quality education even as they embrace the use of Information Communication Technology in the classrooms. “I know it is going to be difficult for some people, but if we put our heads and shoulders to the wheel, we can help in bringing about a change in our education sphere,” Bynoe articulated. He disclosed that as Head Master of the Port Mourant Secondary School for the past seven years he has been able to develop an appreciation for the importance of teachers’ upgrading, particularly as it relates to ICTs. POLICY REVISION And although there is currently an existing policy within the school system, whereby teachers as well as students are not allowed to use their cellular phones, for example, during instructional hours, Bynoe is convinced that such a move could be revised. He amplified that instead of banning the use of technological gadgets altogether, they can be used effectively in the teaching

system. He pointed out that instead of fostering a system where children are forced to “thief” the opportunity to use their devices, they could in fact be guided on making use of them in a more effective manner, even to read articles after which questions can be asked. “Rather than putting them out, have firm rules against those who go against what is the intentional use of the devices...and if somebody messes up, they must get branded.” He alluded to the fact that the University of Guyana has already embraced the principle of ICTs, whereby students are asked to submit work via email. “We need to move further than that and strive to introduce it from the lower level of education,” said Bynoe, who made reference to the One Laptop Per Family initiative as a vehicle to encourage such practices. And once the school system is able to effectively embrace the notion of ICTs, Bynoe is hopeful that the Education Ministry can develop a suitable policy and put measures in place to ensure that it is monitored. BETTER QUALITY EDUCATION And there is no doubt in the mind of the GTU President that many teachers across the country are striving to do their best. He noted however that, though dedicated, some teachers are not getting the needful support at all times. And one of the concerns observed countrywide is that some parents are neglecting to do their part in partnering with the school system with a view of ensuring that their children are properly educated. “When students are finished in the classroom and they go home there is not too much follow-up that would really help to re-enforce what

national event. In their warped minds they believe that people will have money for the taking. They do not bargain for the plainclothes policemen in the area. The

fallout would be interesting. **** Drunk driving is commonplace in this country and in more cases than not they lead to serious trouble. This will continue to be the case at the end of a night out after a national event. Doctors will be called out but the strange thing is that the number of people injured would put pressure on the system. Strange enough, there would be more than one accident to contribute to this state of affairs.

the teacher would have done in the classroom...” Moreover, Bynoe is advocating for a drastic change in this regard whereby parents (or guardians) of children are mandated to show more interest in the schooling of their children. And certainly this does not mean all parents must be well educated themselves, since according to him, the simple act of ensuring that children are given timely meals or are reminded to complete their homework are steps in the direction of effective partnership. But partnering with parents is not the only strategy to achieving a better quality education. Bynoe noted that teachers’ ability to tutor can often be constrained by a number of poor conditions such as unacceptable physical teaching environments and overcrowded classrooms. These issues have on repeated occasions been highlighted and must be addressed if the performance within the school system is to significantly improve, the GTU President opined. “If we are going to ask our teachers to do better in the delivery of education it also behoves the employer to ensure that we look at the challenges and address them.” In addition to ensuring that the environment is conducive to teaching, Bynoe spoke of the importance of

GTU President, Colin Bynoe

having an ideal ratio of teacher to students, which can make the teaching/learning process more manageable. “Manageable to me means one teacher to 20 pupils in the primary school and one teacher to 25 students at the secondary level... This will allow for more individualised attention...,” Bynoe asserted. “Once such measures are put in place, teachers will understandably be accountable for the performance of those under their tutelage.” REMUNERATION FACTOR But even with all other measures being put in place, there is no greater motivating factor than the passion for teaching. And since it has been recognised that teaching is crucial for nation-building, Bynoe is confident that attractive payment for teachers must be the priority of any Government. He disclosed that currently statistics are available to show that remuneration of teachers in Guyana is currently at the lowest when compared to other territories. “Some people can’t

believe what our trained teachers are getting...it is truly unbelievable that in some territories it is more than US$1,000; but this isn’t happening in Guyana,” Bynoe mused. It is for this reason, he noted, that the GTU has been advocating for a 100 per cent raise in teachers’ remuneration. However such an increase, he pointed out, will have to mirror the type of output realised in the country’s classrooms. “This means if I pay you well I can demand a greater quality of work...” said Bynoe, who underscored that “if tomorrow we hear that the Ministry is willing to give teachers a 100 per cent increase we will be happy.” Although the union had in 2011 negotiated for a 10 per cent increase for teachers, the Ministry was only able to offer a five per cent increase, a payment basis that will continue until 2015. However, Bynoe is confident that moves are being made in the right direction for the overall improvement of the education system.

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Sunday October 06, 2013

Kaieteur News

Government doors closed, but workers may get paid WASHINGTON (AP) — Their government has failed to keep the doors open and has told federal workers to stay off the job as the political parties fight over spending and health care in austere times. Now Congress and President Barack Obama are sending this message to the 800,000 sidelined government employees: We don’t know when the impasses will end but you will get reimbursed for lost pay once the government reopens. With the partial shutdown entering its fifth day, the GOP-run House passed a bill yesterday that would make sure the furloughed workers get paid for not working. The White House backs the bill and the Senate was expected to OK it, too, but the timing was unclear. The 407-0 vote in the House was uniquely bipartisan, even as lawmakers continued their partisan rhetoric. “This is not their fault and they should not suffer as a result,” Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said of federal workers. “This bill is the least we should do. Our hard-working public servants should not become collateral damage in the political games and ideological wars that Republicans are waging.” Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, said federal workers shouldn’t have to worry about paying their bills while Congress and the White House fight over funding the government. “They have child care expenses, house payments to make, kids that are in college, and while the president refuses to negotiate, while he’s playing politics, they shouldn’t worry about whether or not they can make ends meet,” Turner said. But even as Congress and the White House rallied around the bill, one outside group said it “demonstrates the stupidity of the shutdown.” Making the shutdown less painful for 800,000 federal employees will encourage Congress and the White House to extend it even longer, driving up the cost, said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense. Ellis said “essential” federal workers who stayed on the job “will feel like suckers because they’ve been working while the others essentially are getting paid vacations.” The White House has opposed other piecemeal efforts by House Republicans to restore money to some functions of government during the partial shutdown. White House officials have said the House should reopen the entire government and not pick agencies and programs over others. In the 1995-96 government shutdowns, furloughed workers were retroactively given full pay. Also Saturday, the Pentagon said it was ordering most of its approximately 400,000 furloughed civilian employees back to work. The decision by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is based on a Pentagon legal interpretation of a law called the Pay Our Military Act, which Congress passed and Obama signed shortly before the shutdown began. The Pentagon did not immediately say exactly how many workers will return to work. The Defense Department said “most” were being brought back. The law ensured that members of the military, who have remained at work throughout the shutdown, would be paid on time. It also left room for the Pentagon to keep on the job those civilians who provide support to the military. Despite the White House’s declared appreciation of the essential the role of federal workers, there appeared no sign of a

Barack Obama breakthrough in getting them back to work. Lawmakers keep replaying the same script on Capitol Hill: House Republicans pass piecemeal bills to reopen popular and politically sensitive programs — on Friday, disaster relief and food aid for the poor — while Democrats insist that the House vote on a straightforward Senate-passed measure to reopen all of government. “We know that there are enough members in the House of Representatives — Democrats and Republicans — who are prepared to vote to reopen the government,’ Obama said in an Associated Press interview Friday. “The only thing that is keeping that from happening is Speaker (John) Boehner has made a decision that he is going to hold out to see if he can get additional concessions from us.” Flinching by either side on the shutdown might be seen as weakening one’s hand in an even more important fight looming just over the horizon as the combatants in Washington increasingly shifted their focus to a midmonth deadline for averting a first-ever default. At issue in the shutdown is a temporary funding measure to keep the government fully open through mid-November or midDecember. More than 100 stopgap continuing resolutions have passed without much difficulty since the last shutdown in 1996. But tea party Republicans, their urgency intensified by the rollout of health insurance marketplaces this month, are demanding concessions in Obama’s health care law as their price for the funding legislation, sparking the shutdown impasse with Democrats. Obama has said he won’t negotiate on the temporary spending bill or upcoming debt limit measure, arguing they should be sent to him free of GOP add-ons. Congress, whether controlled by Democrats or Republicans, routinely sent Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, “clean” stopgap spending bills and debt-limit increases. House Republicans appeared to be shifting their demands, de-emphasizing their previous insistence on defunding the health care overhaul in exchange for re-opening the government. Instead, they ramped up calls for cuts in federal benefit programs and future deficits, items that Boehner has said repeatedly will be part of any talks on debt limit legislation.

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Egypt issues tough warning against anti-army protests CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian authorities said yesterday anyone who protests against the army today when the country celebrates the anniversary of an attack on Israel forces during the 1973 war will be regarded as agents of foreign powers. Presidential spokesman Ahmed alMuslimani was speaking to the state news agency in anticipation of demonstrations by the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been staging protests against the army’s ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July. Egyptian authorities tightened security around the country after clashes on Friday killed at least four people. Mursi’s supporters on Friday mounted their boldest demonstrations since troops crushed protest camps demanding his reinstatement on August 14. The four who died in Cairo were all Brotherhood supporters, security sources said. Both opponents and supporters of the Brotherhood have called for more mass protests on Sunday, during celebrations of the anniversary of an Egyptian attack on Israeli forces in the Sinai during the 1973 war. “Protesters against the army on the anniversary of victory (October 6, 1973 war) will be carrying out the duties of agents, not activists,” the presidential spokesman said. “It is not befitting to go from a struggle against authorities to a conflict with the nation.” The Interior Ministry said security had been stepped up on highways, in all cities and at important installations. Political tensions have gripped Egypt and hammered the economy since the army ousted Mursi, installed an interim government and drew up a political road map it promised would bring fair elections. In a televised speech to the nation, Interim President Adly Mansour promised that a constitution would be written to accommodate “all Egyptians”. He said free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections would be held shortly after the constitution is finished. On Saturday afternoon, about 1,000 Mursi supporters tried to reach the Rabaa alAdawiya mosque area in northeast Cairo, where security forces crushed one of their protest camps in August. All but about 50 were turned back by police, who fired tear gas, security sources said. Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said in a meeting with aides that security forces would not tolerate attempts to block roads or

“spread chaos”, the state news agency reported. “The ministry will deal with the utmost firmness and decisiveness with any of those practices, and confront any lawlessness,” it quoted him as saying. The military boosted its presence around Tahrir Square - where hundreds of thousands of Egyptians demonstrated during the revolt that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 - after clashes on Friday in several cities. Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi said in a statement to the nation that “evil elements” still posed a danger but had lost much of their power, a reference to Islamist militants. Beblawi said the road map was “taking its natural course” and that he hoped it would conclude soon. He said the economy was starting to improve and “there were clear signs and reassuring indicators”. Authorities have cracked down hard on the Brotherhood, which won every election after Mubarak’s fall but became unpopular during Mursi’s rule, with many Egyptians accusing him of trying to acquire sweeping powers and mismanaging the economy, allegations he denies. The Brotherhood accuses the military of staging a coup and sabotaging democracy by removing Mursi, the country’s first freelyelected president. On August 14, Egypt’s military-backed authorities smashed the two pro-Mursi sitins in Cairo, with hundreds of deaths, and then declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew. Many of the Brotherhood’s leaders have been arrested since. Egyptian authorities face a rising number of attacks by militants in the Sinai, bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Palestinian group Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Fears are growing that an Islamist insurgency could take hold in other parts of Egypt, a key U.S. ally which has a peace treaty with Israel and controls the Suez Canal, a vital global trade route. In September, a Sinai-based militant group inspired by al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a failed suicide bombing against the interior minister in Cairo. On Saturday, security forces arrested two members of al Qaeda carrying hand grenades in the coastal city of Marsa Matruh, security sources said. One of the men threw a grenade just before he was apprehended, wounding six policemen, they said.

Supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood clash with anti-Mursi protesters during a march in Shubra street in Cairo Friday. REUTERS/ Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Sunday October 06, 2013

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Children lured from Rwanda Assad says will not negotiate to fight with Congo rebels - U.N. with armed rebels: magazine (Reuters) - A third of child soldiers who have escaped from Congolese rebel group M23 were lured from neighbouring Rwanda with promises of cash, jobs and education, the United Nations said yesterday. Some M23 child soldiers received training from the Rwandan Defence Force for up to two weeks before being handed over to the rebel group, with some of the children believing mistakenly that they were joining the Rwandan army, the chief of child protection at the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country said. U.N. experts have repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the 18-month-long M23 insurgency in eastern Congo, a charge the Rwandan government has fiercely rejected. The roots of the Tutsi-dominated rebellion lie in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, where Hutu troops killed 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Since the rebellion began, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo - known as MONUSCO - has interviewed 117 boys who were recruited by M23 and found 37 of them were Rwandan. There are still a couple of hundred children among the M23 ranks, MONUSCO’s chief of child protection Dee Brillenburg Wurth told reporters in Kinshasa during a visit by U.N. Security Council ambassadors to the Democratic Republic of Congo. She said four of the boys said they received military training by the Rwandan Defence Force in Rwanda at camps in Bigogwe, Ruhengeri-Nyarubanda and at the former university

campus in Mundende before they were handed over to M23. “(They were given) very, very sophisticated training, very serious training, some of them by Rwandans. They said some of the trainers had Rwandan uniforms on,” said Brillenburg Wurth. “Some of (the children) thought they were being recruited in the Rwandan Defence Force and they were trained in Rwanda and then they found themselves ... in Congo,” she said, adding that cash rewards, education and job opportunities were also used to recruit groups of children in Rwanda. Brillenburg Wurth said the ages of the child soldiers ranged from 11 to 17 and most were aged 15, 16 or 17. She said some children told how they had been recruited by a football coach and a police officer, who were earning $5 per child. The United States, which has called on Rwanda to drop its support for the M23 rebels, stepped up its pressure on Kigali last week by moving to block military aid over the recruitment of M23 child soldiers in its territory. The former M23 child soldiers said they were regularly posted on the frontline and saw many other children killed. “Within the group there is an extremely tough hierarchy and discipline. People who didn’t obey orders were just killed. One child told how he had to kill two adults who had done some infraction,” Brillenburg Wurth said. Among several M23 officers accused by the former child solders of recruiting, torturing and

killing children are Innocent Zimurinda and Baudouin Ngaruye, who are both subject to a U.N. travel ban and asset freeze. The United Nations has said Zimurinda and Ngaruye fled to Rwanda in March with fellow officers Jean-Marie Runiga and Eric Badege, also under U.N. sanctions, after M23 suffered a violent internal split. They escaped with warlord Bosco Ntaganda who was defeated by rival M23 commander Sultani Makenga. In July the Congolese government issued international arrest warrants and extradition requests to the Rwandan government for the four men on charges of commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the United Nations said. The U.N. Security Council delegation, which includes U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power and British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, is due to travel to Rwanda on Sunday, where they plan to discuss how former M23 combatants who fled to Rwanda can be dealt with in accordance with relevant international law. The United States last week partially blocked military aid to Congo over the issue of child soldiers. Brillenburg Wurth expressed surprise at Washington’s decision regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo, which last year signed an action plan with the United Nations to stop and prevent recruitment of child soldiers. “There have been huge results... They don’t recruit children any more. There’s been zero tolerance,” she said.

BERLIN (Reuters) Syrian President Bashar alAssad told a German magazine he would not negotiate with rebels until they laid down their arms, and said his most powerful ally Russia supported his government more than ever. In an extensive interview with Der Spiegel, Assad said he did not believe it was possible to solve the conflict in Syria through negotiations with the rebels, comments that might dampen hopes among Western powers for a political solution. “In my view, a political opposition does not carry weapons. If someone drops his weapons and wants to return to daily life, then we can discuss it,” he was quoted as saying. The Syria conflict started as a peaceful protest movement against four decades of Assad family rule but turned into a full-scale war after a government crackdown. More than 100,000 people have been killed. The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution last

week that demands the eradication of Syria’s chemical weapons and endorses a plan for a political transition in Syria. Washington blames Assad’s government for a August 21 sarin nerve gas attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds. The Syrian government and its ally Russia said anti-government rebels carried out the attack. Assad told Der Spiegel that U.S. President Barack Obama had “not even a whisper of proof” that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons. “He has nothing to offer other than lies,” said Assad, contrasting Washington’s stance with that of the Russians, who he viewed as “real friends”. “They understand much better what this is really about here... The Russians are much more independent than you in Europe, where you all orientate yourselves so much towards the United States.” “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is more determined than ever to support us... He knows from

his own fight against terrorism in Chechnya what we are going through here.” Assad said he was not worried about his own fate, which was why he and his family had stayed in Damascus through two and a half years of conflict, and he felt the Syrian people were rallying behind him as they saw the devastation wrought by the rebels. He said Syria would hold presidential elections two months before his current term ends next August and he could not yet say whether he would run. “If I do not have the will of the people behind me anymore, I will not run,” he added. Assad said his government may have made errors in the severity of its initial crackdown, but he still stood by its decision to “fight terrorism, to defend our country”. Assad said the Syrian crisis had been prompted by forces outside the country, in particular al Qaeda fighters. Financial aid from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as logistical aid from Turkey, was sustaining the conflict, he said.

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Sunday October 06, 2013

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“Ireland and Afghanistan provide hope for smaller cricketing nations!” Colin E. H. Croft News that Afghanistan has qualified for International Cricket Council’s premier event, 2015 50-overs World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand, reminds us that cricketing miracles and great achievements are still very possible. Afghanistan has outdone even its wildest aspirations, making history! Interestingly, they follow the similarly massive exploits of Ireland to get to these vaunted heights! Considering that Afghanistan is still in the midst of a war that started back in 1980 when USSR/ Russia invaded, only for them to be ousted, and replaced by another war, featuring some Afghani entities and United States of America, this is one of those sporting achievements that defy logic of civilian existence. Ireland, on the other hand, which was not known for its cricket output in the past, even if their great achievement in the minds of old-timers must have been that they actually beat West Indies, in 1969, in a one-day game, at least have shown

that consistency and production can pave the way for good progress. While not great cricketing entities in their own right, and relative minions of the game, Afghanistan, with 30 million inhabitants, and Ireland, with about 7 million, the same population as the entire English speaking Caribbean, do lend credence that they could be greater still, providing upsets in that tournament. Afghanistan has the advantage of being neighbors to another Asian cricketing power-house, Pakistan, while Ireland still has great associations with Great Britain, of which England, the proverbial home of cricket, is a part. Obviously, the cricket has rubbed off on both entities quite well! Ireland and Afghanistan have shown, despite small cricketing situations – soccer is the big Afghan favorite game, while hurling and soccer are much played in Ireland - that they could still achieve really big things. I do think that it would be distressing and destructive if any present West Indies

cricketing entity were to try to go solo, but many times in the past, individual countries involved in West Indies cricket have entertained thoughts, even airing them publicly in some cases, to go it alone, to play international cricket. Late 1960’s, when Barbados was the backbone of West Indies teams, with such illustrious players as (Sir) Garfield Sobers, Seymour Nurse, (Rev.) Wes Hall, Conrad Hunte, Charlie Griffith, Peter Lashley, Richard “Prof” Edwards, Rawle Branker and David Holford in its team, Barbados seriously considered that move. They even had “Test” games against Rest of the World selections and were beaten so badly that even with the greatness of its regional team, and then contributions to West Indies teams, the thought quickly died. Guyana too had massive headaches about its own grandeur. Clive Lloyd, Basil Butcher, Joe Soloman, Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, Winston English, Geoff “Reds” Murray, Rex

Serena Williams to play Jelena Jankovic in China Open final Serena Williams overcame a back injury to reach the China Open final where she will play Jelena Jankovic. The wor l d n u m b e r o n e walked off court clutching her back during the second set of her semi-final but returned to complete a 6-2 6-2 victory over Polish t h i r d seed Agnieszka Radwanska. The 32-year-old American said: “My back was a little tight from playing a lot so I was just trying to release it.” Jankovic beat Petra Kvitova in the other semifinal 6-7 (7-9) 6-1 6-1. The Serbian, seeded eight, broke serve eight times in the match and took advantage of Kvitova’s 25

Serena Williams

errors in the second set to record a first win against the Czech player and reach t h e f i n a l . H o w e v e r,

Radwanska never looked likely to break her duck against Williams in Beijing and the 24-year-old conceded she had been beaten by a better player. “It’s really hard to find the rhythm and stay in the game, because from the beginning she was dictating pretty much everything,” Radwanska said. “She’s the player that really doesn’t let you play. She is really just pretty much attacking everything, all the serves, all the returns a n d w h e n s h e ’s r e a l l y having her day, it’s really tough.” Williams has won the French Open, US Open and seven other titles in 2013, losing just four of the 75 matches she has played.

North Korea rewards athletes... From page 67 saying. Supreme leader Kim, the third of his line to rule North Korea, had “shown so profound loving care and trust” that longdistance runner Kim Kum-ok was moved to tears. “I could hardly enter the flat as every room of the wonderful flat is associated with the profound loving care of the Marshal and I was deeply touched by the benevolence

under the grateful socialist system,” she told KCNA. “I keenly realized once again under what profound loving care we are living.” North Korea, which struggles to feed its people due to a broken economy and heavy U.N. sanctions, won four gold and two bronze medals to finish 20th in the London Games medal table. South Korea finished fifth with 13 gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals.

Collymore, Randolph Ramnanace, Ovid Glasgow and Lloyd Cornelius were a good enough combination for thought of seceding to emerge. Late 1970’s, when Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Sylvester Clarke, Wayne Daniel, David Murray, Collis King and Emerson Trotman were in Barbados’ team, they did mention the thought, even if they did not do anything to encourage the phenomenon of leaving West Indies. Trinidad & Tobago too, twice, in 1970’s, and more recently, in 2000’s, have had those same thoughts. With influential Michael “Joey” Carew leading, and with productive players like Richard de Sousa, Deryck Murray, Larry and Sheldon Gomes, Oscar Durity, Prince Bartholemew, Jack Noriega, Raphick Jumadeen and Richard Gabriel included, Trinidad & Tobago too, 1970’s, may have felt that they could beat the world! More recently, that talk had again surfaced in Trinidad & Tobago, even if it does not come from the players themselves. T&T’s

patrons and supporters have openly shouted that their team should go it alone! After all, today – Sunday - T&T could find themselves, after Saturday’s semi-final in Champions League against Mumbai Indians, in the final of 2013’s competition, completing yet another triumph that has seen them victorious in so many regional competitions, and internationals too, especially in the T-20’s format. Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne and Darren Bravo, Ravi Rampaul, Kevon Cooper, Samuel Badree, Lyndl Simmons, Adrian Barrath, Rayad Emrit, Shannon Gabriel and Sherwin Ganga have all made respective marks representing Trinidad & Tobago, other clubs, and in international cricket too. It should be noted, for comparison sake, that, astoundingly, Guyana has only 750,000 or so inhabitants, while Trinidad & Tobago is listed at approximately 1.5 million, and Barbados officially has nearly 300,000. Those are unbelievably small populations to have such imaginations of

Colin E. H. Croft greatness, but the thoughts, at least in the cricket world, were not misplaced. T&T have shown that size or smallness does not matter! Ireland came to notice during 2007 ICC World Cup, which was held in the Caribbean. Against more experienced Zimbabwe, they tied a very exciting game, going one further to beat Pakistan. The enthusiastic Irish always gave good overall efforts, despite relatively little international experience. Now, Afghanistan, like Bermuda, Canada and Netherlands in 2007 World Cup, and even Sri Lanka, way back in 1979 World Cup, have a chance to showcase what Associated Cricketing Countries can do. Enjoy! c.e.h.croft@gmail.com

Rafael Nadal reaches China Open final to become world number one Rafael Nadal will return to number one in the world rankings on Monday (tomorrow) after reaching the final of the China Open. Nadal, 27, was leading fourth seed Tomas Berdych 4-2 in the first set of their semi-final when his Czech opponent retired with a back injury. “This is a great year, one of the best of my career,” said the Spaniard, who won the French Open and US Open and was last top of the rankings in July 2011. Nadal will play current world number one Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final. The Serb breezed past France’s Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 in his semi-final. Nadal broke serve in the fifth game and Berdych, who said he injured his back while reaching for a shot, retired a game later after receiving treatment. “It is special to be back to the top position of the rankings after more than half a year without playing tennis,” added Nadal. “What makes me happy is everything I did to be back where I am.” Berdych praised Nadal’s achievement in regaining the top spot from Djokovic, who had taken over from the

Rafael Nadal

Spaniard more than two years ago. Nadal returned to action in February after seven months on the sidelines with knee problems and has won 10 of the 12 finals he has contested since making his comeback, taking his Grand Slam victories up to 13. “With Rafa, well, just all the credit,” said Berdych. “It is really incredibly well done in the short time that he has become a number one again. That’s really an achievement for an athlete like him.” Djokovic has spent 101 weeks as world number one.

He was knocked off top spot in July 2012 by Roger Federer, after the Swiss player beat Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final, but returned to number one in November. Nadal had been assured of reclaiming the top spot if he reached the final in Beijing or Djokovic failed to defend his title. He has not lost a match since he was beaten by Belgian world number 135 Steve Darcis in the first round at Wimbledon in June. He has won his last 21 matches and 65 of the 68 he has played this season. (BBC Sport)

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Bangladesh U-19s St.Pius upset Tucville; wins also for trash Guyana ... St. Gabriel’s, St. Sidwell’s, F. E. Pollard Courts Pee Wee Schools Football

Tournament favourites Tucville suffered a surprising loss to St. Puis who defeated them 1-0 when the Petra Organization/Courts Guyana Inc. Pee Wee Under-11 Schools Football Tournament continued yesterday, at the Thirst Park ground. They were led to victory through a penalty strike off the boots of Bevney Mark which was netted in the 7th minute of play. St. Pius was awarded the spot kick following a hand ball in the area and Mark hit a powerful right footed effort low into the right hand corner.

St. Puis almost increased their advantage in the second period, but Marcus Wilson’s screaming right footer following an incisive run from the left flank was brilliantly saved with his legs by goalkeeper Kedar Chester. Tucville’s best chance of the match came through Rayheim Marques, who upon receiving a DeAndre Linton cross from the right side that landed just outside the penalty area, but his shot skimmed the crossbar and landed safely into touch. In other results, St. Gabriel’s edged Stella Maris

1-0 through a Teon Forde 24th minute strike. St. Margaret’s and Enterprise played to a 2-2 draw. Rashead Evans netted for Enterprise in the ninth and 14th minute, while Diego Briton and David Scott levelled for the Camp street side in the sixth and 27th minutes. F.E. Pollard squeaked past St. Angela’s 3-2. Dominick Fields, Keyambo Jervis ad Cordell Charles was on target for the winners in the 11th, 22nd and 30th minutes respectively. Netting a double for the losers was Devon Haywood in the 13th and 26th minutes. St. Sidwell edged Winfer Gardens 1-0 compliments of Miguel Stall’s 23rd minute strike, while J.E. Burnham and South Ruimveldt played to a nil-all draw. Defending champions Marian Academy registered their first win in this year’s competition thanks to a

walkover from Sophia, while Ketley and Success Primary played to a 0-0 stalemate. Powerhouse unit East La Penitence kept up their furious onslaught after trouncing Redeemer 3-0 with goals from Leroy Yaw, Fabian Boters and Andre Hope in the ninth, 25th and 28th minute respectively. North Georgetown won via walk over from West Field, while Redeemer returned later to gain a walkover from Sophia in a fixture that was to be played in opening week action. In the final fixture of the day, West Ruimveldt defeated St. Stephen’s 3-1. Leandre Gilbert, Ryan Archer and Michael Oie netted for the winners in the 10th, 13th and 29th minute. Scoring for the losers in the 19th minute was Jaiheim Taylor. The competition resumes next week Saturday with twelve more matches at the same venue.

From page 70 the West Indies in 2008. Offspinner Shailendra Shameer took 2-36 in a tidy 10-over spell. Ramcharran top-scored for Guyana with 33 which included two fours despite nursing a foot injury when he was hit by a return from a fielder and had to be looked after by the physio who travelled with the Bangladesh team. Ryan Shun (27) and Shameer (17) were the only other Guyanese to reach double figures although the 8th wicket pair of Skipper Shawn Pereira (8) and Romario Shepard (4) put together 21 in the most productive partnership of the innings. Leg-spinner Zubair Likhon captured 3-19 from eight and a half overs while pacer Yasir Rabbi took 2-19 from six overs. Meanwhile, Manager of the Bangladesh team Hoque Seezan said he was satisfied with the preparation of his team adding that the Bangladesh Under-19 squad was together for over three months before departing for Guyana. “I am satisfied with our preparations. We were involved in a tri-nation series in England just before coming here and the players were aware that the conditions here would be

almost the same as in Bangladesh. Many of the senior Bangladesh players who were exposed to Guyana’s conditions came and spoke to these lads about what to expect,” Seezan explained. The Manager who played one Test and six ODIs for Bangladesh said he played in Guyana against Reon King during the 2002 Busta Cup Regional First Class tournament when Guyana’s opener Azeemul Haniff scored a double century and had first-hand experience of playing here. Seezan informed that the Bangladesh Under-19 team has an adequate four-man support staff which includes Head Coach Australian Richard Mckinens and pointed out that it was easier for the boys to be divided up into small sections and each person who conduct different drills. “Even though I played at the highest level, as Manager I don’t get involved in the technical aspects of the game with the team. I leave that to the Coaches although I would offer advice from time to time,” Seezan explained. The Manager also has playing experience at this level having played against Chris Gayle in the 1998 youth World Cup in South Africa.

GYO, MSC and Police... From page 70 with 48 (3x4 4x6). Keon Morris captured 2-16, Shaun Massiah 2-17 and Kevin Ross 2-30. TSC replied with 194 all out in 38 overs. Charwayne Mc Pherson was their leading batsman with 51 (2x4 1x6),AzeemAzeez scored 39 (3x4) and Oslyn Batson 27 (2x4). Cordel Mars and Edwin Burnette snared 2 wickets each for the winners. At GNIC, Police got the better of the host by 6

wickets. GNIC managed 180 before they were bowled out in 28.2 overs, batting first. Orlando Fraser top scored with 54 (8x4 2x6), Delroy Charles made 27(1x4 1x6), Dwight Dodson 24 (5x4) and Troy Thompson 23 (2x4). Kelvin Leitch bagged 4-19 while Troy Benn had 2-37. Police responded with 181-4 in 23.2 overs. Benn returned to slam 76 (12x4 2x6) while Mark Rowbe chipped in with 38 (6x4).

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Trophy Stall Softball Pistons upset Jets 58-48, cricket continues today Bulls out Flames 69-43 LABA/Trophy Stall regulation Open C/ship

Another upset was recorded on Friday night in this year ’s Trophy Stall Regulation Open Basketball championship as the previously winless sixth ranked Wismar Pistons inflicted a ten point (58-48) defeat on the number two seed Amelia’s Ward Jets. This was the Jets’ second loss which makes their quest for a final four berth among the seven contesting clubs more interesting. In the evenings other clash, Half Mile Bulls put out Block 22 Flames with a comfortable 69-43 victory. The Jets, who still lead the points’ race with eight after playing five games, were set to play their final game last night and seemed certain to qualify should they beat their arch rivals and defending champions Kashif and Shanghai Kings, who have suffered two losses after three games. The Pistons now have a win and three defeats for five points while the Bulls and Flames are on six points, one behind Retrieve Raiders. They along with Bankers Trust Falcons are bracketed on six points after winning two and losing two from four of their six match schedule in this seven team race. The Jets took off first and led 13-10 and 27-23 after the first and second quarters of play but found themselves in a tight game as the Pistons fired on all cylinders and took control midway into the third period leading 39-27 at one stage. They stopped the Jets from propelling when they went on a 16-0 run; before concluding the third period to finish ahead by ten, 46-36.

Dwight Cooper

Mark Louis

From this third quarter onslaught the Jets’ wings were broken as the veteran former national centre Robert Byass entered the fray for the Pistons turning back the hands of time as he helped his side gain their first win. With 4:20 to go, Pistons were leading 52-42, and as their leading scorers shooting guard Mark Louis and power forward Dwight ‘Crab’ Cooper challenged everything, the Pistons were not to be denied that important win. With just 1:57 remaining, the Pistons had the game wrapped up and eventually won 58-48 behind solid scores from Cooper with 17, Louis 15 and Allister Bynoe 10. Again the top shoot for the Jets were national centre Shane Webster who netted 14 points, big brother Allister 13 and Rodwell Pellew who added eight for the losing Jets side. In the other game the young Half Mile Bulls were too strong for the Flames who went down 69-43 after the Bulls had taken the lead 16-2, 35-12 and 44-27 in a dominant

display that ended eventually 69-43. MVP and Top Scorer of this year’s LABA Under-19 Schools championship, shooting guard Terron Welch shot home a game high 18 points with Keon ‘Buckter’ Cameron 17, Kevin Easton 11 and Jamar Bethune nine were the standouts for the Bulls who have won two and lost two with two games still to play for six points, a record which is similar to the Flames and Amelia’s Ward Falcons. Only Devon Morrison with nine and Selwyn Noble eight offered any resistance to the Bulls’ running game. The championship continues on Wednesday with one game, a replay of a rained out game between Kashif and Shanghai Kings and Half Mile Bulls. Friday will see Block 22 Flames take on Amelia’s Ward Falcons in the opening encounter with the other between Retrieve Raiders and Kashif and Shanghai Kings. Round-robin play will wrap up on Saturday when Raiders takes on Flames and Pistons challenge Bulls.

North Korea rewards athletes with luxury apartments (Reuters) - “Happy laughter” drifted from deluxe new apartments in North Korea on Friday after some of the country’s top athletes were rewarded for their performances in international competitions. The North’s KCNA news agency said several athletes, including 2012 Olympic gold medalists Om Yun-chul, An Kum-ae and Kim Un-guk, moved into their luxury new homes along the banks of the Pothong river. North Korea, which is technically still at war with the South after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an

An Kum-ae armistice rather than a peace treaty, often rewards successful athletes with a life of luxury for glorifying the impoverished, repressive

state. Weightlifter Om, who won the 56 kilogram weight class at the London Games, was overcome with emotion and paid tribute to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the country’s Songun, or “Military First”, philosophy. “We sportspersons could exalt the dignity and honor of Songun Korea with gold medals in international games thanks to the deep loving care of Kim Jong-un, who has always led us in each match, instilling strength and courage into us,” KCNA quoted Om as (Continued on page 65)

The Trophy Stall Male and Female Softball cricket competition which is organised by the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association continues today. Fixtures Cyril Potter ground: Pitch 1: 9:30am - Floodlight vs Park Rangers. 12:30pm: Savage Masters vs Wellman. Pitch 2: 9:30am-Regal Masters vs Front Liners. 12:30pmWellwoman vs Karibee Strikers. 1:30pm-Trophy Stall Angels vs Regal. 2:30pm Karibee Strikers vs 4R Lioness. 3:30pm - Lady Jaguars vs 4R Lioness. Enterprise ground: Pitch 1: 9:30am Trophy Stall vs Success Warriors. 12:30pm Industry Super Kings vs Enterprise Legends. Pitch 2: 9:30am - Buddy’s X1 vs Brickery Super Stars. 12:30pm - Success Masters vs Parika Defenders. Following are results from last Sunday’s matches:

Farm def. Brickery Super Stars by 107 runs. Farm 173 for 4 in 20 overs. Rawle Reid 50. Patrick Khan 39. Brickery 66 all out. P. Khan 3 for 9, Imran Hamid 2 for 24. Wellwoman def. Regal by 6 wickets. Regal 68 for 6 in 10 overs. Mathana Cambridge 16. Wellwoman 71 for 4 in 9 overs. Katana Mentore 20. Abeina Parker 16 not out. Latoya Smith 16 not out. Farm def. Buddy X1 by 6 wickets. Buddy’s 145 all out in 14 overs. Lennox Mark 5 for 10. Patrick Khan 3 for 14. Farm 146 for 4 in 13 overs. Rawle Reid 66. Amir Aziz 33. Trophy Stall Angels def. 4R Lioness by 8 wickets. 4 R Lioness 40 all out off 10 overs. Trophy Stall 41 for 2 in 3.5 overs. Kavita Yadram 28. Savage Masters def. Parika Defenders by 9 wickets. Parika 111 for 10 in 20 overs. S. Mohamed 23. Mohamed Yusuf 3 for 19. Vicky Ramsaywack 2 for 9.

Falim Mohamed 2 for 35. Savage 112 for 2. Nadeem Baksh 35. F. Mohamed 30. M. Yusuf 28. Success Master def. Industry Super Kings by 57 runs. Success 138 for 8 in 20 overs. J. Ramnouth 42. Industry 81 all out. Success Warriors def. P. and P Warriors by 7 wickets. P and P Warriors 103 all out. Success Warriors 104 for 3 in 20 overs. Anan Rooplall 64 not out. Enterprise Legends def. Park Rangers by 19 runs. Enterprise 117 for 8 in 20 overs. Seemangal Yadram 58. Tony Singh 4 for 20. Park Rangers 98 all out. Narendrs Seebarran 3 for 9. Floodlights def. Front Line Masters by 27 runs. Floodlights 149 for 8 in 20 overs. Richard Persaud 31. Wayne Jones 30. Imtiaz Mohamed 26. Front Liners 121 for 10. Linden McCoy 42. Rudy Rodrigues 24.

Hearts of Oak Master’s Inter Ward Football for Berbice

The winning East Canje Team. With the absence of organised football in Berbice and the seemingly return to dormancy of the Berbice Football Association (BFA), the ever reliant Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club has once again stepped into the fray to organise activities for the football starved Berbicians. The Club has organised an Inter Ward competition for areas in East Berbice. The tournament which is ongoing features eight teams, divided into two groups. The top two from each group will move on to the semifinals. The one hour matches are being played on Friday and Saturday evenings with double headers on both

nights beginning at 19:00hrs at the Scot’s Church Ground, Princess Elizabeth Road, New Amsterdam. Group ‘A’ teams are North New Amsterdam, South New Amsterdam, Fyrish/Lower Corentyne and Manchester/ Central Corentyne while group B comprise Central New Amsterdam, Rose Hall Town, East Canje and Joint Services. The competition continued on Friday evening last with East Canje staring the show routing Rose Hall town 3-0, Sham Mohabir opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Shazam Parris then sealed the deal for the lads from East Canje with a double in the 24th and 26th minutes.

In the first game North New Amsterdam through a Delroy Ferdinand 47th minute effort and Manchester/ Central Corentyne via a Kevon Grenville 57th minute response played to a 1-1 draw. The competition was expected to continue last evening with another double header at the same venue. Fyrish took on South New Amsterdam and Central New Amsterdam were down to face Joint Services. Incentives are at stake for the first to fourth placed teams and outstanding individual players. The coordinator is Neil ‘Grizzly’ Humphrey. (Samuel Whyte)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday October 06, 2013

Rising Sun President’s Smith puts Mumbai Cup Horse Race Meet in all-IPL final A thrilling day of competitive horse racing is on the cards when the Rising Sun Turf Club in collaboration with the People’s Progressive Party, stages the one-day President Cup Horse Race Meet at the Rising Sun Turf Club, Arima Park, West Coast Berbice, today. Nine races are carded for the day with over $8 million in cash, trophies and other memorabilia at stake as the country’s best thoroughbreds take to the track. Already, the betting boys are casting their wagers in the feature event over one mile where horses the likes of Summer Classic, Cat Messiah, Elle’s Vision, Unsettled, America’s Joy, Another Jet, Got To Go and Treacle, have been doing good gallop and rearing to go. The feature event is sponsored by Banks DIH Limited and offers a winning purse of $1.5M and trophy. Trophy Stall is also a part of the sponsorship team and has put up the prize for several top individual performers including the top stable, best jockey, champion horses and best trainer. Shariff and Jumbo Jet are also among the sponsorship team. Several other races are listed for the day including the event between the three-years-old West Indies bred maiden animals and Guyana Bred three year old animals over one mile; the winner carts off $600,000. The 1100 meter race for D3 maiden horses and

- quality races on the cards for today

those classified E and lower has a first place purse of $600,000.The F and Lower race over 1400M has a pole position prize of $400,000 while the two events among the two years old animals over 1100M will net the top jockeys $300,000 each. Another event for West Indies bred horses will see the winner pocketing $400,000.The winner of the G3 and lower 1100M event will get $400,000 while the race for animals classified ‘I’ and lower for the $200,000 top money is slated for over 1400 M. The day’s final event is for horses classified in the J and Lower category over 1100M for a top prize of $140,000.

Other top horses on show are Grande Roja, Zelick, Diamond Dazzling, Who So Ever, Mission King, Renia Del Café, The Baliff, Traditional Man, Technology, Miss Karina, C.P Got Even, County Armagh, Fresh Again, Captain Crook and Prado’s Gold. Participating jockeys may contact Fazal Habibulla (232-0232 or 6577010); Justice Cecil Kennard (226-1399, 225-4818, 623-7609), Roopnarine ‘Shine’ Matadial (325-3192), Chandilall (615-8239) or Dennis DeRoop (609-9143). Activities are conducted under the aegis of the GHRA and the relevant rules apply. Race time is 12:00 hrs.

Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar provided the searing start that set Mumbai Indians on course for a second Champions League T20 final in three years, a final which will now be an all-IPL affair. Smith bludgeoned 59 from 38 as the pair made 90 together in 11 overs, in pursuit of T&T’s middling 153 for 5. Though the openers’ demise in the space of an over comprised a stutter, they had done enough to ensure the middle order could see out the dangerous Sunil Narine, and complete a straightforward victory, made easier by the injury to Rayad Emrit, who hurt his shoulder in the first over. Nathan Coulter-Nile had earlier been instrumental in subduing T&T, who had their own blazing start courtesy Evin Lewis’ 46-ball 62. Coulter-Nile conceded only 20 in his four overs, in which he also took one wicket, while both Kieron Pollard and Pragyan Ojha also took one apiece and gave away less than a run a ball in their threeover spells. Smith bludgeoned one back past the bowler and struck one sweetly in front of point to begin his onslaught, in the second over, and then, having ambled to three off seven balls, Tendulkar found form for the first time in the tournament. A crisp straight drive on the up off Rampaul was a throwback to his heyday, but the slog over long-on and a back-away inside-out drive that yielded consecutive sixes soon after were more a product of the present age than a bygone one. The pair took 49 runs from the Powerplay, but even the onset of spin only brought a slight dip in the run rate, as they were only made to deal with one over from Sunil Narine, even as they took the game away from T&T. Tendulkar crossed the 50,000-run aggregate for

Dwayne Smith attacks off the front foot

recognised cricket across all formats in the eighth over, to the crowd’s delight, while Smith doled out boundaries fashioned from power and touch in equal measure. Tendulkar was caught behind for 35 from 31, before Narine struck twice in the following over, to give rise to T&T hopes, but Mumbai needed only 58 runs from the last eight overs, and Dinesh Karthik’s unbeaten 33 ensured not even Narine would derail the chase. A six over extra cover off Lendl Simmons off the first ball of the 20th over sealed the victory. Lewis’ first boundary in T&T’s innings was off a Mitchell Johnson edge through second slip, but he slapped the next one over the third-man boundary and rarely erred again until his demise. Lewis took a liking to Johnson’s next over as well, carving two off side

boundaries off it, but though Darren Bravo’s early strokeplay suggested he too had the Mumbai attack’s measure, he walked past Pragyan Ojha’s legside wide to have himself stumped for 14. Having hit 61 off the first eight overs, T&T slowed significantly against Ojha, Coulter-Nile and Pollard, who bowled tight lines and mixed up their pace to good effect on a dry Delhi surface. Yannick Ottley’s unbeaten 41 off 30 pushed T&T beyond 150, which seemed a competitive total despite the mediocre returns from the middle overs, but with one bowler down and the remaining quicks far from their best on the night, T&T could not deny the IPL champions. Scores: Mumbai Indians 157 for 4 (Smith 59, Narine 317) beat Trinidad & Tobago 153 for 5 (Lewis 62, Ottley 41*) by six wickets.

Grass Roots Volleyball action set for Berbice today A Grass Roots volleyball competition organised by the Regional Democratic Council and the Ministry of Sports will be staged today at the Port Mourant Community Centre Ground, Corentyne, serving off at 10:00hrs. The one-day competition is open to all teams, clubs, villages and organisations (work) that are playing the game and wants to be a part of the action. Teams are asked to turn up with their uniforms and balls if possible.

Incentives are up for grabs and will be presented to the winning and runner-up teams as well as outstanding individual players including the best setter, best spiker, most discipline team and best uniformed team. A number of top teams have so far registered for the competition including Port Mourant Training Centre (One and Two), Port Mourant Jaguars, Port Mourant Invaders, Rollers and Albion United. Other teams are expected from Canje and Upper Corentyne and some schools.

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Kaieteur News

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GBBC October Fight Night By Michael Benjamin It was dubbed Friday Night Fights as administrators of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) experimented with several modules to enhance the fortunes of the sport and by extension, young pugilists. The initiative was subjected to lukewarm support and once again the GBBC executive was forced to huddle around the table to devise new strategies towards the effective sustenance of the sport. It took hours of introspection but it now seems apparent that officials have come up with the antidote to effect changes in the flagging fortunes of the boxing fraternity. As such, the cards will now be staged on the customary Sunday night and fans will be highly entertained when the GBBC presents the 30th edition of Guyana Fight Night on Sunday October 13 next. N o t a b l y, GBBC administrators have sought the intervention of Michael Fung of Mingles fame and already that gentleman has instituted some of the relevant changes to enhance and broaden the support base, not only in terms of crowd support but also the input of corporate Guyana. At a recently convened press conference, Mr. Fung read the battle act to the boxers and reminded them that they have a very important role to play in the scheme of things. He told them that it is important that they attend gym sessions regularly even as they aspire to improve on techniques to enhance their individual performances. The boxers and coaches

- multiple champion, Clive Atwell takes on tough Jamaican now understand this and all have aspired to address these concerns with an aim of improving their individual quality and by extension, that of the card. The GBBC also has an important role to play and have aspired to procure the best talent when organising cards. And so it is that in the first venture consequent to discussions will see an international flavor to the cards. Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) Lightweight champion, Clive Atwell, will be required to intensify training sessions if he is to get past Jamaican, Glenroy Augustus Beckford whom he tackles in an eight rounds lightweight affair. Over the years, Atwell has pedaled his trade in the amateur ranks until January 2010 when he stripped off his shirt to engage Carlton Skeete in a 4 rounder which he easily won on points. Thereafter, Atwell faced Mark Austin in September of that very year in a hectic affair that ended in a draw. It proved to be the only blemish to his record as Atwell developed leaps and bounds. His resume looks good with victories over Rudolph Fraser (KO 2 for local Featherweight title), twice against Revlon Lake (KO 4 & KO 3 for local Lightweight) and Prince Lee Isidore (TKO 12). Perhaps the bout that defined Atwell as a dangerous pugilist was against Venezuelan Rafael Hernandez in April this y e a r. A stunning performance saw the Guyanese pugilist clinching a lopsided verdict after all three judges, McKenzie Granger (119-110), Eon Jardine (118112) and Nicolas Hidalgo

(116-113), scored in his favour. Atwell is now the most decorated boxer on the local scene and is set to launch into the future; he must take care of Beckford in the imminent bout. Beckford has earned the right to challenge Atwell after being active on ‘The Contender,’ the Jamaican version of the Guyana Fight Night where he defeated Owen Barrett,

Dean Palmer and Martin Anderson. He has boxed 47 rounds with a knockout ratio o0f 9.09, in total contrast to Atwell who has a knockout ratio of 50%. Notwithstanding, one should not write off the Jamaican since history is replete with those pugilists who have suffered because of such complacency. Meanwhile, the other bouts are also touted to be

potential humdingers and will see Richard Williamson engaging Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques in the toughest fight of his fledgling career in the bantamweight division over eight rounds. Marques is a classy boxer but Elton Dharry had employed skill and wits to defeat him last year for the local bantamweight crown. Williamson is talented but is devoid of experience. However, what he lacks in this department will be compensated in the skill and determination department. Both two boxers uncharacteristically demonstrated respect for each other at the contract signing ceremony but the underlying threats were apparent. Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) middleweight champion, Edmond Declou will square off with Derick Richmond in an 8 rounds middleweight contest and the former boxer said that he was really training for a bout against Howard Eastman. Nevertheless, he said that he has already made the mental adjustment and will be going after Richmond with a vengeance.

Richmond is no slouch; he will best be remembered for his brave effort that saw him slugging it out with Syrian boxer ‘The Dentist’ Mahmoud in a fight that ended in a draw. He also defied the odds to register a 3rd round k n o c k o u t over Romeo Norville when they clashed last year August. A boxer with a mean wallop, Richmond has shown his worth in late round rallies which have stood him in good stead. He is honing his skills at the Pocket Rocket Boxing gym in Berbice under the tutelage of former champion, Jeff Roberts. Otherwise, welterweight pugilists, Kishawn Simon and David Thomas go after each other in a 4 rounds welterweight scrap and the former boxer is brimming with confidence while promising to repair his debut loss to Patrick Boston. Eight boxers are also scheduled to appear on the amateur segment of the card and these names would soon be announced as officials of the Guyana Boxing Association mull over the best pairs for the card.

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Bangladesh U-19s trash Brathwaite makes a century Guyana U-19s by 111 runs before game is drawn ‘We are satisfied with preparations’- Bangladesh Manager By Sean Devers Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team opened their first ever tour to the Caribbean by trashing their Guyanese counterparts by 111 runs with 5.3 overs to spare in their warm-up match at the historic Bourda Oval yesterday. This game concluded their preparations for the seven-match Under-19 ODI series against the West Indies Under-19 side which is scheduled to commence tomorrow at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence with a day/night encounter. Played in sweltering heat and watched by a handful of die-hard fans, the Bangladesh teenagers scored 242-5 off their allotted 50 overs before dismissing the home team for a disappointing 131 in 44.3

Hoque Seezan overs. It was a confidence boosting win for the visitors on South American soil after they were spearheaded by a 122-run fifth wicket stand between Mossadek Saikat

who flayed the Guyana bowlers in his commanding 75 and Uddin Jashim who fashioned an unbeaten 65. The pair joined forces at 95-4 and carried the score to 217 on a fast outfield and slow track before 14-year-old stand-out national Under-15 player Renaldo Ali Mohamed removed Saikat to a good catch by Steven Sankar, who surprisingly bowled just two overs. Saikat innings was decorated with four fours and five sixes while Jashim counted seven boundaries in his fluent knock. Nazmul Shanto hit five fours in his 43 and along with 33 from Sadman Anik who reached the boundary three times, also offered batting support for Bangladesh whose Under-15 side toured (Continued on page 67)

Kraigg Brathwaite went ahead and brought up the only hundred of the match on a final day when everybody just went through their motions. The match was called off at 3.30pm, the earliest it could have been, and the teams travelled to Hubli, waiting for a more interesting contest. There wasn’t even an outside chance of a result after 20 wickets had taken three days to fall on a slow and flat pitch. The only matter of interest left was to see how Zaheer Khan would bowl. He tested the batsmen with some short-pitched bowling, but had only a wicket to show for his eight overs bowled on the final day to take his innings figures to 13-4-27-1. Zaheer began the day with a concentrated short-ball barrage at Kieran Powell. The pitch didn’t offer much bounce, but Zaheer’s accuracy meant he hit the batsman on the forearm twice, and made him fend too. Powell managed to punch him for a four, but was eventually caught on the back foot when Zaheer bowled one full and outside off. The edge was taken, Zaheer’s plan had worked, but that was the last success he got in his first first-class match of the year. One of the few players who would have come out happy for this match was West Indies A captain Kirk Edwards. Not because of his scores, but because during the match he received the news he has been picked for the Tests against India. He last represented West Indies in May 2012. Although he believed he shouldn’t have been here in order to make the comeback. Before the start of the match, when asked if this tour could help him force his way back,

Kraigg Brathwaite

he said he was hoping he wouldn’t have to play the A tour to return to the national squad. Back in the side now, Edwards is “grateful”, but not content. “It feels good to be back to international cricket,” he said, “but having said that, I am in the squad and not in the XI. I am not guaranteed to play. But it is a step closer to where I want to be so I am grateful.” Edwards did go on to suggest he was not entirely happy with being out of the side. “I can’t say I was confident of making the team because I have seen worse things happen to me over the last couple of years,” he said. “I never count my chickens before they are hatched. “I was frustrated at the beginning but you have to face the reality,” he added. “Instead of thinking about things not happening for you, it is best to think about what is happening for you. You need a positive mindset. You need to be confident that whatever you set out to do, nobody can stop you from doing.” Edwards prescribed

similar attitude to others who might think they have been hard done with. “Sorry, my heart is a bit cold about feeling bad for people because it is just cricket,” he said. “Sometimes the guys who really don’t have to do much and they get picked. Then there are guys who really have to work hard and get picked. I have observed that over a period of time. I have no feelings for people who - I don’t want to say I don’t have feelings for them - but whoever is hard done needs to suck it up, and go and work extra hard and get back instead of sting around and moping about the situation.” Was it hard to tell himself the same when “worse things” were happening to him? “Not very hard because that’s how I am,” Edwards said. “Just a tough life, buddy. You just have to face it. Simple.” Scores: West Indies A 406 and 233 for 3 (Brathwaite 104*, Deonarine 93) drew with India A 359 (Nayar 89, Jagadeesh 86, Kaul 64, Cummins 3-58).

GCA/NBS second division tourney

GYO, MSC and Police chalk victories Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO), Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) and Police recorded victories when action in the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)\New Building Society (NBS) second division 40 over competition continued yesterday. At GYO, the host beat St. Stanislaus by 60 runs. GYO batted first and posted 188 all out in 36.5 overs. Dereck Koulan top scored with 57 (10x4) while Mahendra Geenarine made 28 (6x4). Suresh Sookai grabbed 4-31

and Paul De Freitas 3-33. St. Stanislaus were bowled out for 128 in 22.3 overs in reply. Price Roberts with 63 (10x4 1x6) and Travis Belgrave 14 were the only batsmen that offered resistance; Richard Hoyte claimed 3-16, Shivdat Motee 3-20 and Geenarine 212. At MSC, the home team overcame Transport Sports Club (TSC) by 20 runs. MSC took first strike and scored 214-8 off their allotted 40 overs. Danny Narayan led with 59 not out (3x4) and Kareem Naughton supported (Continued on page 68)

Danny Narayan