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October 13, 2015 - Vol. 08 No. 41 - Price $80
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Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
NCN satellite uplink can be operational within 2 weeks This is how it is done! All ICT projects expenditure approved The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has acquired a mobile painting machine and recently tested it along the Rupert Craig Highway, ECD.
- NFMU Head - insists no acts of corruption or favoritism taking place at unit
Essequibo resident charged with seaman’s murder
Husband, reputed wife granted bail for manslaughter
GRA reviewing Bandits rob West tax on imported Dem. Pastor, church liquor, cigarettes members in attack
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Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
More corneal transplants conducted at GPHC - Head of Ophthalmology T qualified to continue work
welve corneal transplants were conducted over the weekend at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The procedures, which were facilitated by a team from the United Statesbased Subraj Foundation, commenced on Friday and concluded on Sunday. Speaking of the procedures on Sunday was Corneal Transplant Surgeon, Dr. Stephen Waller, who was supported by yet another Corneal Transplant Surgeon, Dr. Joseph Pasternak, a captain in the US Army. Corneas to facilitate the operations were provided by four eye banks in the United States. They were solicited by Dr. Waller who said that he was able to secure 21 corneas for the weekend operations. “I got 21 corneas from four different eye banks and this is the first time that I got that many...Never before I got more than 12 and I have done this is several countries,” said Dr Waller. The Subraj Foundation, which was founded by Guyanese-born philanthropist, George Subraj, who resides in the United States, was able to facilitate similar operations in 2014 at which time six procedures were done. Earlier this year, 11 were conducted. And according to Dr.
Waller, all patients who were previously operated on are doing well. “They don’t all always do well but this time in Guyana everyone is doing well so far,” he insisted. Dr. Waller disclosed that most patients who require corneal transplant are those who suffer some form of trauma to their corneas that become infected. He noted that while the eye for the most part is intact a new cornea might be the only thing required to improve a patient’s eyesight. While most patients may require a change of cornea in one eye there are some who may need cornea change to both. Such a patient has already been attended to here by the transplant team, according to Dr. Waller. While one cornea for that patient was changed last year another was done earlier this year, he added. He is confident that with the team’s departure, Head o f t h e G P H C ’s O p h t h a l m o l o g y Department, Dr. Shailendra Sugrim, would be able to continue performing corneal transplants on his own. “Dr. Sugrim is gifted and he has all of the instruments,” said D r. Wa l l e r o f t h e
Ophthalmology Chief. Corneal transplant is a very intricate procedure that can only be conducted by a surgeon with a very steady hand under a microscope. “The suture is a third the size of a human hair and the cornea is only a third an inch across and it is a 50 of an inch thick...you can’t do it without a microscope,” said Dr. Waller. There are currently nine remaining corneas that can be utilised by Dr Sugrim. The corneas are stored in a special liquid approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. But according to Dr. Waller, corneas should not be stored for more than one month since they are the healthiest during this period. The important thing about storage, though, is to ensure that there is a temperature gauge to ensure that the temperature of the corneas remain stable. This therefore means that if there is a blackout the corneas may not be suitable for transplant. Corneas are extracted from the eyes of a recently deceased person who, before their death, would have been registered to donate their organs. The best donors, th
according to Dr. Waller, are children from 10 years old while the older donors’ suitability would be dependent on the number of existing cells. Donation is however governed by laws but such laws have not yet been enacted in Guyana. Before use, the eyes are tested for a number of diseases including HIV, syphilis, hepatitis and rabies. Nearly 40,000 transplants are done in the US each year. Dr. Waller is adamant that this transplant is one of the safest in terms of disease transmission. The visiting team, and Dr. Sugrim, are hopeful that Guyana will in the near future be able to harvest its own corneas. Dr. Sugrim said that it is his hope that efforts to address this limitation could be realised within a year. With the establishment of an E y e B a n k , a recommendation of the visiting team which was coordinated by Kidney Surgeon, Dr. Rahul Jindal, Guyana is expected to address a protracted shortcoming. Reiterating that the establishment of such a
Dr. Shailendra Sugrim facility would require time to put certain needful measures in place, Dr. Sugrim shared his optimism that the end result would be an Eye Bank that serves not only Guyana, but also the entire Caribbean. “It might take about a year to get it off the ground but we are now going to start the ball rolling. We need to set up an area; we need to buy equipment; we need to train people to go out and harvest corneas…and once this gets off the ground, we can supply corneas to other countries so if anybody else wants to send (corneas) they can ship these to us, and then we can make it available for use,” informed Dr. Sugrim.
Another important aspect of the process, he noted, would be to commence a process of advertising for people to become organ donors. Once a person who is an o rg a n d o n o r b e c o m e s deceased, for example by way of a vehicular accident, trained technicians would be dispatched to remove their corneas. This process would have to be conducted within about two or three hours of an individual’s demise, according to Dr. Sugrim. Dr. Waller is hopeful that a s p a r t o f G u y a n a ’s preparation to introduce its own Eye Bank training could also be had in Brazil.
Dr. Stephen Waller
Govt. wants to cut electrical fires by 75 percent Some 50 persons contractors, engineers, lecturers and instructors-commenced a National Electrical Code (NEC) training workshop yesterday at the Regency Suites/Hotel, Georgetown. The programme comes under the aegis of the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc. (HECI) of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, and is aimed at training 100 electrical personnel overall on the essentials of the NEC. The NEC which the new government intends to implement is a United States of America set of necessary criteria for construction, installation, repair, up-grade and other electrical works. The workshop will be held over two weeks. Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, at the opening ceremony, said that while many examples can be cited and which pinpoint the unquantifiable losses due to fires of electrical origin,
Participants of the National Electrical Code (NEC) training workshop yesterday at the Regency Suites/Hotel, Georgetown what stands paramount is the adherence to the same rules, and following the same set of standards which are delineated in the NEC. “We cannot allow that state of play to continue…We have to standardise our
approaches… We must adhere to the one code that governs us all. The NEC is structured in such a way that it gives the requisite guidance for all aspects of our operations, whether we are contractors, engineers, lecturers, or instructors. We
must hold each other’s feet to the fire of compliance, to ensure that other people don’t get burnt,” Minister Ferguson explained. She added that compliance to these standards is ultra-critical, as without it, lives will be lost,
properties destroyed, livelihood decimated, and generations of hard work literally brought to naught. “We can’t allow that… we are all in this together, to ensure that all critical elements of this code are meticulously adhered to.
This is my charge to you. Let us set a Key Performance Indicator for the electricity sector that seeks to reduce electrically related fires by at least 75%. Let us strive to set up achievable service levels that evolve around it ensuring that all home and office installations be verified for compliance with the new code within the next year,” Minister Ferguson charged in a government release. The Electricity Sector Reform Act of 1999 establishes the provisions, which led to the gazetting of the NEC, under the Electricity Sector (Technical Standards) Regulations 2008, made under the Electricity Sector Reform Act 1999. However, the bringing into force of the code was delayed to allow reasonable time for contractors to familiarize themselves with the new system. With its enactment, the necessary action will soon be taken to table the code into effect.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
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Kaieteur News
NCN satellite uplink can be operational within 2 weeks Satellite uplink facilities purchased by the National Communications Network (NCN), two years ago and capable of broadcasting ‘The Learning Channel’ can be made operable in as little as two weeks. This is according to a senior official in the Department of the Director of Public Information, a unit that has since taken on oversight of NCN. According to the official who spoke to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity, the equipment which was purchased at a cost of in excess of $20M only requires a ‘base station’ and a ‘hut’ to house it at which point in time it can be brought online. Kaieteur News, over the weekend, broke the news that NCN had purchased the equipment two years ago but the then government instead
of using it, opted to continue to pay TVG 28, now owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, a whopping $3.6M monthly, to broadcast The Learning Channel. The insider told Kaieteur News that while it is difficult to ascertain specifically on whose instructions the equipment remained idle, the fact is that it is only a small circle in the then government that could have effected such a situation. It was pointed out too that a $23M purchase of equipment had to be approved at a senior level. As such the previous administration cannot claim ignorance. It had to have known that the equipment was lying idle. Further this publication has since learnt that not only does NCN own its satellite uplink, it is also capable of having any event occurring
locally broadcast live not only across Guyana but throughout the Caribbean Region and even in North America. This publication was told that while there is currently not in train any plans to have the equipment brought online with any haste, it will be made operational by the end of the year. The contract with TVG 28 comes to an end in December and the administration has already signaled its intention to not have the contract renewed. The present coalition Government, when it was in the Opposition had accused the previous administration of deliberately positioning TVG and Ramroop to receive $3.6M monthly ($43.2M annually) for transmitting the signals. “What this means is that the previous government had been knowingly paying
Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop $3.6M a month to the Ramroop Group (owner of TVG) when these monies could have been paid to NCN instead,” an incensed senior Government functionary told Kaieteur News over the weekend.
But Ramroop was renting satellite bandwidth at a cost of $3 million per month. In April 2011, months before he ended his constitutional two terms in office, former President Jagdeo announced the launch of The Learning Channel. That same month, the then Government also announced that it will be using Cable Channel 80 as The Learning Channel for broadcasts in the city and its environs. Different frequencies are being used for outlying areas. Details of the deal with TVG were not made known until two years later, in April 2013, when former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, in response to questions by then Opposition Member of Parliament Jaipaul Sharma, disclosed that $3.6M was being paid monthly to
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo Ramroop’s TVG. TVG, it has been reported, collected $70M in 2011 (some $5.83 million per month) for the transmission of the channel throughout the country, using a dish network receiver system for remote communities. The Learning Channel is described as a noncommercial, apolitical educational television broadcast network, focused on education, since it started up on April 2011.
GRA reviewing tax on imported
liquor, cigarettes several other sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states are collecting Excise Tax based on the Specific Tax, and it is
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is in the process of reviewing how it taxes alcoholic beverages. The revenue collection body also announced tougher measures to reduce the smuggling of not only liquor but of tobacco products. According to the
body, the appraisal of the Excise Tax on alcoholic beverages is being done with the aim of streamlining the regime in accordance with regional and international best practices. “The Ministry of Finance has approved the Revenue Authority’s proposal for the
review which would include among other things, changes to the application of the tax from Ad Valorem (a tax based on a fixed percentage of the product value) to Specific (a tax calculated based on alcoholic strength).” GRA said that assessments show that
the GRA’s view that same should be adapted by the local administration. It is unclear what impact this would have on the price
of liquor as consultations with stakeholders have to be held. “The GRA plans to meet with local (Continued on page 15)
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news This is petty cash when compared to what was I do not mind paying people fair paid to the former CEO’s of GPL and Guysuco wages, but they need to deliver
DEAR EDITOR, I am appalled at the orchestrated outrage being vented against the Granger administration over the announced 50 % pay increase for Ministers. I am however consoled at the proven fact that democracy is now truly at work in Guyana. I must complement the Cabinet for agreeing to work in the first place, for the pittance they were receiving, and this indicated their commitment to national service. The fact is that the last PPP administration degraded Guyana’s currency and living
standards to such depths that the majority of Guyanese now consider what is basic in other developing countries, as being super for Guyanese. No Minister in Guyana should be working for less than Two million dollars (US$10,000) per month. Professional people have to be properly compensated for their expertise, leadership and the responsibility that rests on their shoulders. This is petty cash when compared to what was paid to the former CEO’s of GPL and Guysuco. For those who travel on international aircraft, you will
recall that safety instructions advise that in an emergency, you must put on your gas mask first, before attending to anyone who is travelling with you. Public Servants will soon be attended to and I am glad that Mr. Yarde understands this. I know that this Government is a caring government and we need to give them the space to achieve their objectives and make Guyana a respectable country once again. George Gomes Lieutenant Colonel (retired)
DEAR EDITOR, Despite all the bother and holler about elections and their probity in Guyana over the years, there is little or no evidence to show that the parties, agencies and stakeholders concerned have arranged any focused reviews of the recommendations by the plethora of Observer Missions, going as far back as 2006. What purpose do Observer Missions serve? How do they feel when on subsequent monitoring, they discover that not an iota of their recommendations has been effected? They are to be commended for their steadfastness over the years, particularly the Carter Centre, who initially designed the current construct of the Guyana Elections
Commission; but in their wisdom has, since 2006, advised its reconstruction from a political to a more professional composed institution, and more. But the activist NGOs and the attentive media have all ignored the ‘observations’ of such other international authorities as for example OAS, UNASUR, the Commonwealth Secretariat; not to mention the protestations of disaffected losers. One had hoped that with all the hype about proposed Local Government Elections, the Administration in general, and the Ministry of Communities in particular, would have convened a forum of relevant expertise and interests to focus on the most pertinent ‘observations’ that can improve, in the immediate
instance, the delivery capability of the Commission, with a view to reducing the incidence of negative criticism. In the longer term, the forum should be invited to complete on analysis of all the Observer Mission Reports (2006-2015) and conclude specific recommendations for effecting elections that will survive the scrutiny of critics in the future. In this regard the relevant legislation must be reviewed to ensure a restructured GECOM would be better defined in terms of professionalism and accountability relationships. The Commission of course would be required to contribute to this substantive undertaking – the sooner, the better. E.B. John
What purpose do Observer Missions serve?
DEAR EDITOR, With the furore surrounding pay increases for Government Ministers and Members of Parliament at full hilt, most of the urban based so-called interest groups are simply reacting to the pompous words of the Minister of State, the latter needing to eat the humble pie. Missing from his rhetoric is the fact that under the recently passed Bill No3/2015, passed on 30 July 2015, which amends the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, Cap. 73:02, “(i) to extend the application of the Act to the responsible Minister”, means Ministers are now responsible for allocations assigned to their Ministries. Therefore, not only can they be reprimanded by Parliament but also can now be brought before the courts to answer charges of wrong doing, unlike what transpired in Guyana for the last 49 years. A huge milestone in Guyana’s history. With this added responsibility, ministers are more than deserving of additional income. A law like this was unheard of under the past PNC and the PPP administrations and is also unrelated to the internal Code of Conduct the President has designed for members of the Cabinet and the Budget measure put in place by the Finance Minister to have each Ministry set up performance monitoring and evaluating systems. The late Singaporean Leader, father of their nation, Lee Kuan Yew, is famous for
building a road to his home from the airport upon his assumption to office. He was duly criticized since none of the country’s roads were in a state of repair. In 1994 he is noted for linking Ministers’ salaries to those of top professionals in the private sector, as it would ensure recruitment and retention of talent to serve. Guyana has been contextualized by corruption, a disease which has ravaged the country. Therefore, one should appreciate this endemic ill giving rise to salary increases for Ministers. Many past government Ministers currently live in large palatial homes, unknown from where they were funded. One has to live in the business world, not locked away in little noble castles to understand that much of those gory and persuasive temptations continue to exist when public officials engage with the private sector. I also hope these salaries prevent Ministers from needing to use an opaque health fund to repair their teeth or obtain loans for personal matters. Like the then Singaporean government, many key Ministries here in Guyana have embarked on five-year plans to restructure a badly wounded country, following years of corruption, greed and nepotism. What should perhaps also have accompanied the salary announcement is this fervent drive to put Guyana on a growth path. Targets and benchmarks would have
helped to further justify these salary increases. I do not mind paying people fair wages, but they need to deliver. Finally, comments coming from the Opposition on this and other issues, continue to sound ludicrous given their historical transgressions post-Cheddi Jagan’s death in 1996. It reminds the public of the PNC in opposition post 1992 and onwards where no one took them seriously. Sadly, the PPP has embarked PNC-like path with the likes of Irfan Ali, Jennifer Westford, Jagdeo, Lamumba, Bheri Ramsaran, Nandalall, Pauline Sukhai, Neend Kumar, Rohee, Ganga Persaud and Texiera to name a few, only bringing a helluvah baggage to the table. The coalition government will pay them scant regard as the PPP and the country did to the PNC back then. Their only chance of staying relevant and perhaps gain support is trying to find new blood with refreshing and constructive approaches to win over people. The difference this time around from 1992 is that Granger has opened the door of engagement. The PPP’s tradition and habit of sitting on the fence and throwing talk will not gain momentum in such an open door environment and its chance of tempering any APNUAFC’s excesses, becomes significantly lowered because of its tainted pack of Shadow Ministers, more so when public comments are aired at press conferences. Latchman Singh
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Tuesday October 13, 2015
Gov’t must push ahead with Fire Chief warns against establishing local law school - PPP unattended fires
Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall
Attorney General Basil Williams
PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee
By Jarryl Bryan The recent statements by Attorney General Basil Williams that establishing a law school locally was not a priority is not sitting well with the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP), who yesterday demanded that Government push ahead with the project. This was communicated during the party’s weekly press conference at Freedom House. General Secretary of the PPP Clement Rohee accused Williams of “flipflopping” on the issue, noting that it was President David Granger who had earlier expressed support for the project.
At a press conference on Wednesday last at the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Williams had reportedly stated that establishing the law school was not a priority, considering the state of the economy. He had, however, expressed support for a public/private partnership to advance the law school. Rohee took the position that since the administration found money to carry out the recent forensic audits, as well as for the recent 50% Ministerial pay hike, then the money could be found for the law school. The General Secretary, while acknowledging the costs that would be
associated with the project, also noted that a feasibility study will point out the benefits. He also noted statements by University of Guyana Vice Chancellor Jacob Opadeyi that a local law school would pay for itself. Under the established agreement between the Government of Guyana and the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) - based in Trinidad, 25 of the best graduating Guyanese students are allowed automatic entry into the law school to pursue the Certificate in Legal Education. This is after they would have completed the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree at the University of Guyana. However, last year the 25 Continued on page 24
The Guyana Fire Service has been operating in overdrive mode in recent weeks with much of its manpower being focused on battling grass fires. Many of these grass fires are the result of persons starting them and then leaving them unattended. This state of affairs is especially troubling to Fire Chief Marlon Gentle, who in an invited comment, yesterday, told this publication, that while Guyana isn’t known for having a fire season per se, “This however seems to be a period when many people start to get careless.” He acknowledged that there have been many grass fires and bush fires some of which have resulted in damage to property. “These fires have been damaging people’s fences, damaging people’s bridges; they have burn a couple of utilities poles too,” informed the Fire Chief. “People should desist from burning, especially in these open vegetations, and leave them unattended; they can use other means of clearing their lands. People are burning their grasslands so that fresh grass could grow for their cattle and so on...If they have to do this...this is really not the time for that because of this dry weather,” said Gentle. He added that at the locations where a number of these fires occur there is limited access to water. The water levels of canals within proximity have become depleted due to the prevailing
Fire Chief, Mr. Marlon Gentle dry weather pattern. “People have to be very cautious because these fires could get out of hand easily and spread to buildings in some cases,” asserted the Fire Chief. He said that an investigation into a recent fire at Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara that destroyed a two-flat house was able to confirm that it was caused by a lighted kerosene stove that was left unattended. The stove was situated in the kitchen of the bottom flat of the Lot 75 Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara domicile. The fire, which occurred in the wee hours of Friday last, has left four persons homeless including Patrick Whyte and his reputed wife, Camille Daniels, who resided in the upper flat. Two tenants resided in the bottom flat. When the Fire Service arrived on the scene of the recent fire, strategic tactics
were employed to help contain the fire since there was no chance of saving the building. There were some criticisms regarding the response time of the Fire Service. Gentle, during an earlier interview with this publication, assured that the Fire Service when summoned is usually able to respond as efficiently as possible. “I think that we have been doing our job. We cannot undo what was already done prior to arriving. Remember, a fire has to start before the fire service is alerted,” Gentle asserted. He had, even then, pointed out that because fire engines cannot respond swiftly with their capacity volume of water, there is a crucial need for firefighters to make use of waterways in the areas where fires occur. On the morning of the recent fire, firefighters were seen trying to access water from a nearby gutter. But according to Gentle, there are times when the available water sources are inaccessible. He therefore emphasised the need for efforts to be made to examine the location of water sources. “When these canals are at the back of a house how can people get to them? We can’t drive a truck through a dam or a house to access the canals there, and that is a limitation in itself to our firefighting efforts. I think people believe we can run a long hose about 40 feet away…These things have limitations and so we have to be close to access these canals.” He noted that while the efforts were made to invest in tankers, these are located close to fire stations, and he explained, “You can’t send a tanker (full with water) till over the river or till from Leonora. What time will it reach? Those tankers are very heavy…We wouldn’t send them long distances and run the risk of getting them into an accident,” he informed.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
Former China energy chief Jiang Jiemin jailed for corruption
Jiang used to head the China National Petroleum Corporation which is the parents company of PetroChina. The former chief of China’s biggest oil firm has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for accepting bribes, state media said. Jiang Jiemin was previously head of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and its listed firm PetroChina. He was arrested in 2013, shortly after taking a government job. Jiang was an ally of former security chief Zhou
Yongkang, the biggest official caught in the ongoing corruption crackdown in China. A statement from a court in Hubei province carried by local media said Jiang was found guilty of “receiving bribes, possessing large amounts of assets of unknown provenance, and abusing power as a state-owned company employee.” Media outlets said that Jiang had amassed a total of 14.8m yuan (£1.5m, $2.3m) in
assets. Besides his jail senten c e , a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e confiscated assets worth 1m yuan from him, local media said. The BBC’s Celia Hatton in Beijing says he received a lesser sentence after confessing his crimes and detailing the bribes he received in exchange for approving construction projects and offering personal job promotions. Pictures of Jiang in court published online showed the visibly thinner former official listening to the verdict with an impassive face. Jiang had risen through the ranks of state-owned CNPC, which is the parent company of PetroChina, in the late 1990s and 2000s to become chairman. He left CNPC in April 2013 to take his highest position yet, as head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission - a cabinetlevel position. He was arrested a few months aft e r a s s u ming that position. (BBC)
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Tuesday October 13, 2015
Jamaica has one of strongest UWI chancellor blames natural diworkforces in Carib — Adam Stewart sasters for high regional debt CHIEF Executive Officer of Sandals Resorts International (SRI) Adam Stewart has lauded Jamaica’s workforce as one of the strongest in the English-speaking Caribbean. Stewart, who was speaking Saturday night at the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA) 47th Awards Ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, encouraged managers to develop strategies to motivate their staff, which ultimately builds their company’s brand. The JMA awards are aimed at honouring excellence in the manufacturing sector, which currently contributes 8.3 per cent of Jamaica’s gross domestic product (GDP). A total of 365 members were reviewed for their performance throughout 2014, of which 20 companies were awarded. The Wisynco Group copped the Governor General’s award
for Manufacturer of the Year. Stewart was giving his first public address since snatching the prestigious Caribbean Hotelier of the Year award. “We are going to celebrate the things that are good in Jamaica and not the bad. Let us start off by looking at Jamaica...If you smile at a Jamaican you get a smile right back at you,” Stewart stated. “Jamaica has one of the best workforces of any English-speaking country in the Caribbean. In my own company I have my own challenges from time to time, but if you are having challenges in your organisation it’s not the people that work for you who are the problem, it is you as the leaders.” The Sandals Group currently operates in nine Caribbean islands and is regarded as the largest private sector
company in each island in which the group operates, except The Bahamas. Sandals is among the top 500 most powerful brands in the world. Stewart noted the contribution of women to the development of Sandals, noting that the ratio of females to males had grown from 15 to 70 per cent over the last 15 years. “Today, if you want something talked about ask a man, but if want something done ask a women,” Stewart said to applause. “Are we paying attention to the generations? Are we understanding what stimulates them and gets them motivated?” he asked. “Money is important, but I can assure you — because we employ 14,000 people from 60 nationalities around the world — that money is not the main motivator.”
Police successful in removing illegal firearms from streets Four months after the adoption of the ‘Six Point Plan’ to reduce homicides and violent crimes in St. Kitts and Nevis, The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has seen considerable success in the removal of illegal firearms from the streets. Police have seized 15 illegal firearms in the Federation so far this year, with eight occurring since the implementation of the plan. According to Police Records, there have been seizures of illegal firearms in every month since June. One illegal firearm was recovered in June. Two were removed in July, one in the Sandy Point area and the other in Cayon. In August, two illegal firearms were also taken off the streets, one in Nevis and the other was recovered on St. Kitts during cargo inspections and was seized when claimed by the customer. September saw a seizure in Nevis and one in the McKnight area. One illegal firearm was also seized during a counter drug operation in early October. “Some of the major contributing factors to more illegal firearms being seized by Police are our increased patrols, our increased stop and searches of automobiles and persons, and our increased searches of properties, both occupied and abandoned,” said Assistant Commissioner for Operations Vaughan Henderson. ACP Henderson, also
Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Sir George Alleyne. The Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) is lamenting the region’s massive debt to international agencies due to the effects of natural disasters. Speaking at the seventh Annual UWI Open Campus Ceremony for the Presentation of Graduates 2015, Professor Sir George Alleyne said the region’s debt burden, which is over $40 billion — based on a 2013 report — is due in large part to the battering it has endured due to weather systems. “One of the features that continue to be emphasised is that this (regional debt) has not been due in any way to the fiscal profligacy on the part of the region’s govern-
ments. Much of this has been due to the impact of natural hazards and consequent disasters,” he charged. He said the recent impact of Tropical Storm Erika, on Dominica, is a grim reminder of how the region could be devastated by natural disasters. The chancellor said the university has since offered to defer the fees of Dominican students attending the institution until 2016. He said the regional university must remain relevant to the development of the region and has developed two agencies to assist to this end. Sir George said natural disasters are “a way of life” in the region and the establishment of the Seismic Research
Centre in Trinidad & Tobago, which monitors and advises the region on seismic activities and volcanoes, assists with disaster preparedness and response. He added the recently established Disaster Risk Reduction Centre, which researches ways the region could reduce susceptibility to natural disasters and helps to train personnel to respond to them also helps the region to mitigate the effects of natural disasters. During the ceremony, held at the St John’s Pentecostal Church, residents from across the region were not only congratulated by the chancellor, but were charged to continue on their road to success. (ANTIGUA OBSERVER)
Delta flight evacuated in MoBay after fire on-board noted, “Our partnership with Her Majesties Customs and Excise Service and the St. Kitts Nevis Defence Force and our improved relationship with the public have also played a significant role.” The ACP also stated that a number of persons have been arrested and charged in relation to seizure of these illegal firearms. “Illegal firearms continue to pose a significant threat to our efforts to reduce homicides and violent crimes and it is still the weapon of choice for criminals who want to commit such crimes. That is why I say the seizure of 15 illegal firearms to date is more than encouraging when compared to a total of 12 illegal firearms that were taken of the
street by Police in 2014. With continued training in the area of firearms tool marking and ballistics, as well as collaboration with regional and international partners and stakeholders, our officers are expected to yield even greater success in the coming months. Our Officers are doing a great job and I applaud them for their duty and dedication,” said Acting Commissioner of Police Stafford Liburd. The removal of illegal firearms from the streets is one of the performance goals outlined in the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force’s Six Point Plan to reduce homicides and violent crimes in St. Kitts and Nevis. (St. Kitts Observer)
Montego Bay’s Sangster Airport has been closed after fire on board Delta flight 304 while on the runway yesterday afternoon. Commercial Director of MBJ Airports Limited Sitara Byfield said the fire started among cargo on the flight. It has since been extin-
guished. Some 160 passengers and six crew members were on board. They have all been safely evacuated via emergency exits. In the meantime, all flights into Montego Bay were rerouted into Kingston.
Delta Airlines said there are no reports of injuries arising from today’s fire on-board one of its planes Responding to questions from The Gleaner via Twitter, Delta said its teams are working to arrange another aircraft to continue the flight.
Guatemalan mayor lynched by crowd over attack on rival The mayor of a town in western Guatemala has been lynched by a group of locals who accused him of ordering an attack on his political rival. Mayor Basilio Juracan died after being beaten and set alight in Concepcion, Solola province, on Sunday. The residents believed he was behind an earlier attack in which two women were
killed and five other people injured. Guatemala is one of the most violent countries in Latin America and gun crime is rampant. However, the lynching of an elected official is unusual. Last month, Mr Juracan defeated Lorenzo Sequec in the mayoral race in Concepcion, 100km (62 miles) west of Guatemala City,
After losing the election, Mr Sequec accused Mr Juracan of mismanagement and demanded an investigation into the town’s finances. On Sunday morning, Mr Sequec and members of his family were travelling along a local road when they were cut off by another car. Unidentified gunmen stepped out of the car and opened fire on Mr Sequec’s car.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
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WORKING BACKWARDS There are two sets of contrasting philosophies at work in the controversy concerning the award of huge salary increases to members of the Cabinet. This column discusses these contrasting sets of philosophies. The first philosophy is the one that argues that the ordinary man deserves more than the bosses. This is contrasted with the philosophy that states it’s best to reward those at the top more than those at the bottom since there are greater benefits from this approach rather than the former. The first philosophy which argues for the poor man deserving more than the rich man has long been abandoned in practice. Yet it
is still seen as a morally desirable good and many people have come to accept it as infallible truth, never mind that even the socialists who preach working class power have always ensured that their leaders are better remunerated and the improvements of these leaders are at higher rate than the poor. Those who are still deluded by the notion that the poor deserve more than the rich are therefore going to be critical of any government which grants to Ministers a higher increase than the poor. It has never dawned on these advocates that this is a situation that is unsustainable because if the poor continues to get higher
rates of increases than the senior officials, there will come a time when the servant will work for more than the master. The world has long moved beyond the situation whereby the workers should enjoy a higher increase than their bosses. This is a discredited and archaic viewpoint. No one follows that mantra, not even those who are ranting and raving about the increases that the government has offered to its Ministers. The most important workers are those at the top. The 20/80 rule still holds true. Twenty per cent of the workers, mainly those at the top, do eighty per cent of the work. The best corporate
Dem boys seh...
Silence put Soulja Bai in pickle News does fly. People hear that de United Nations Secretary General was going to come to Guyana and decide that de man coming to side wid dem on de Venezuela issue. De man land wid private jet and only a few reporters been at de airport. Most of dem didn’t believe that de man coming. But Greenidge know fuh sure that Ban Ki Moon was going to be in Guyana suh he call de airport and tell de manager fuh get de cleaners to clean out and fresh up de VIP lounge. Dem, boys seh that when de manager go looking fuh cleaners he couldn’t find none. He mek all dem plane delay because he offer good money to anybody who gun clean de VIP lounge. Everybody who been booking passenger fuh all dem plane lef de wuk. Was confusion. When de man land Greenidge go out to meet him and remind dem boys of de singing group, ‘From boys 2 Men’. Ban Ki Moon is a short man but dem boys seh that it was a case of Gulliver in Lilliput. Ban Ki Moon was Gulliver. But de visit is a mystery. Why de man had to come to Guyana by private jet and
catch a passenger plane to go to New York? He coulda tek de same private jet and fly to New York. Something fishy happen and dem boys gun find out what. Is de same way dem find out that when stupidness was sharing, some people tek all. From de time Sandra, not Soulja Bai wife, begin to examine de Ministers’ pay dem should ah mek some press statement that dem salary was getting examine. But dem sit down and shut dem mouth. If only dem did do that then a second release telling de people that de examination done all de cussing dem getting now wouldn’t happen. But dem just like de set who been before dem—everything is a secret. That is why dem paying. Even Chris ram who collect a bright small piece to do some audit tun round and claiming that dem shouldn’t have pay dem self. De matron at de hospital was getting more than de minister but nobody didn’t seh nutten because dem didn’t know. A still tongue keep a wise head but talking does mek some people keep dem head. Talk half and pray that some people get sense.
strategy should therefore be to identity your top 20% and ensure that they are paid well and are looked after well in terms of benefits. The second philosophy that is relevant to the discourse of salary increases is the one that states that there are two sets of rules in society, one for the privileged and the other for the underprivileged. This is in contrast with the philosophy that states everyone should be treated equally. Those who feel that the same rules should apply to both bosses and their subordinates will be peeved by the increases that the Cabinet handed to itself. They will say that it is wrong for the salaries and benefits of ordinary public servants to be subject to the findings of a Commission of Inquiry. So, on the one hand, the rank and file workers have to await the findings of a Commission of Inquiry before they know what they will receive while on the other hand, the Cabinet excludes itself from this process. There is another philosophical angle that arises here and I would suspect that this is at the heart of the consternation that is being felt by people
throughout the country over the increases that Cabinet has handed to its members. That angle is that the big boys know what is best. This is something that needs to be looked at closely. The big boys have decided that their increases should not be subject to any Commission of Inquiry because they know best. The Commission of Inquiry however can give a wake-up call to this government by using the increases that the Cabinet has granted to itself as a base to reward the other members of the public service. It is not a
question of percentages but rather of numbers. If a Minister is going to be paid X dollars, then the COI can work backwards to determine what, for example, a constable should be paid. If this approach is taken, then the police constables may very well from next year have a starting salary in excess of $100,000 per month. Now that would be interesting would it not?
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 13, 2015
== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
CARICOM and the Venezuelan claim on Guyana Can CARICOM survive for the next 30 years? I doubt it. The zeitgeist that brought Carifta (which later became Caricom) into existence is dead. It died when the eighties were over. Its death was hastened by the global influence of Reaganite power. We start with the global physiology that made the birth of Carifta a success. Colonialism and the western powers’ suppression of legitimate nationalist aspirations in the Third World (for example, French brutalities in Algeria and the big powers’ support for apartheid) engendered immense encouragement for countries with similar histories, cultures and geographies to move closer together politically and in terms of economic arrangements. The prospect of the British West Indies becoming an integration movement was logical and natural. The islands and Guyana were
almost identical in historical, sociological and anthropological evolution. Contrary to the popular view in scholarship that the anti-colonial leaders in these territories were driven exclusively by market economics that led to Carifesta; there were other factors at work. There was the emotional drive that as contiguous territories, they should form themselves into a closer culturally knitted family. In other words, colonial domination made these leaders think in terms of family bonding. When the closer bond came in the form of Carifesta, Caribbean oneness was a natural theme that held the Anglo-phone Caribbean together. But the world was changing. Colonialism was long gone. European countries sought closer cooperation. OPEC used its monopoly to get more money for its oil. Ronald Reagan pressed on in
his confrontation with the USSR. Emerging was the shape of a new world order that was quite different from the sixties when Caribbean countries got their Independence. The dénouement was the end of the Cold War and the rise of neo-liberal globalism. The post-1990 Caribbean was different in two major ways. The new leaders were not the inheritors of the ideas of the Caricom founding fathers. These were people who weren’t brought up with the symbol of Caribbean oneness. The globalized world they were living in imposed a desperate search for survival. Which country or which region of the world can provide income for their small economies would be welcomed. This explains the presence of Taiwanese aid to OECS islands. The irony of Caricom in the 21st century is that the present leaders have rejected the very raison d’etrê of the integration movement. Caricom is supposed to be the unity of small states who when they act together,
derive greater economic protection and economic benefits both in the Caribbean itself and in the world. But Caricom states no longer accept this underlying purpose of Caricom. For many Caricom states, Caricom is too small an economic region, and its individual economies are too small to offer economic survival to each other in a cruel, globalized world. It is every man for himself. With this type of conceptual approach to the survival of small states, Caricom has lost its unifying symbol. Here is where Petro-Caribe comes in. If any travel writer should spend time in Guyana and the islands, they would find it hard to detect an emotional embrace among Caribbean people for their neighbours. If you ask a Canadian where Canada’s destiny lies, he/she would say in a close relationship with the US. If you ask any German where do Germany’s future lies, he/she would say inside
Europe. If you ask any French citizen if he/she is a proud European, they would say yes. There isn’t an island in Caricom, including Guyana whose citizens would say they believe in Caribbean integration and see their Caricom neighbours as one Caribbean people. Jamaica has the least interest in Caricom and would gladly leave it. Trinidad sees the OECS as trading partners that hardly interest them. Barbados does not need Caricom. It is happy with who and what it has always been. Guyana will not get more than a pleasant protocol stance from Caricom leaders over Venezuelan barbarity. For the leaders of Caricom, Venezuela and Guyana are two countries that have a border problem that they must work out. They will not see the Venezuelan claim as the bullying act against one of its historic Caribbean brothers. Caricom leaders will not jeopardize Petro-Caribe
benefits for Guyana, because Caricom’s present crop of leaders does not see the conflict as an attack on a Caricom sister-state. Current Caricom leaders do not practice the concept of Caricom sisterhood. That was sixty years ago when Caribbean islands and Guyana were kissing cousins. There isn’t much trade that takes place among Caricom members and the trend will continue. There is a creeping feeling among Caribbean people that West Indies cricket is dead and Caricom is dying.
A Berbice River resident who is said to be an alcoholic is now dead following a cutlass fight on Saturday at his home. Curtis Harris 58, a cattle farmer of Gate Roy, Berbice River, was pronounced dead on arrival at the New Amsterdam Hospital. Harris had lived with his son at Gate Roy. He
separated from his wife over five years ago, and would allegedly misbehave whenever he was under the influence. It is alleged that on Saturday, Harris reportedly came home drunk and began to berate a carpenter who was renovating his home. A fight then ensued, during which Harris was
allegedly chopped on the right arm. He collapsed and was transported by his son via boat to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where he died before receiving medical attention. Police later visited the scene and recovered the cutlass but are still to locate the suspect.
Frederick Kissoon
Berbice River resident dies after cutlass fight
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Linden special programme workers want community enhancement resuscitated The APNU/AFC government, fresh in the wake of nationwide criticisms regarding the recent salary hike for government officials, has now come under fire from officials of the Linden Community Development Council (CDC). Complaints were made by members of the CDC with regard to the members’ wages and the proposed number of workers for the reintroduced programme under the name, Community Infrastructure Improvement Programme. Members of the CDC stated that the current government is acting no better than its predecessors whom they have never wasted time in criticizing. This condemnation stems from the view that the newly implemented programme has failed to make reasonable offers for workers. Last Thursday, a meeting with the newly formed CDC Heads and Chairman of the Interim Management Committee, Orin Gordon, was held in the Linden Town Council boardroom, Mackenzie, Linden. Gordon called the meeting to update the CDC councillors on the offer made by Emil McGarrell, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communities, with regard to the programme. According to one source, McGarrell advised the Town Council that his Ministry had only budgeted for 150 persons to be employed under the program for the remainder of the year with the same $25,000 payment, as it is a “short budget.” Under the previous administration’s DNI program, approximately 400 workers were hired and paid $25,000 per month, while the program initiated under this administration will see that number being slashed by 250 with the same $25,000 per month. However, it was said that more workers are scheduled to be hired for the year 2016. The proposal made for the reintroduction of the programme was rejected by CDC heads along with several workers present at the meeting. They saw the programme as a condensed version of the previous one with a “misleading” new name. The general sentiment coming from workers was that the current administration seems to have become too comfortable in a relatively short period of time, and several persons opined that despite the name of the programme being changed, it remained the same or got worse in several areas. “Like all they good for is changing names for things
and keeping it the same,” one aggrieved worker stated. CDC members stated that if the government is really interested in the betterment of its people, they would take advantage of the provisions in place to garner money from the supplementary fund mechanism available to the executive. They further intimated that the least they will accept is 350 workers with payment of $35,000 per month for workers and $40,000 per month for foremen. CDC heads at the meeting explained that the government needs to come with another proposal. The Linden Municipality has been given responsibility for the programme. Gordon said that it is like a thinly veiled curse. “It’s like they give us a basket to fetch water,” he told Kaieteur News. He said that when he contacted the Permanent Secretary in connection with the issues and pointed out that the council will be faced with “sledges” from the people, the Permanent Secretary jocularly responded, “So, you want we get sledge then?” Gordon also complained of what he described as the unfair practice of having a new Council put in place with no equipment or structure to help them. With local government elections pending, residents made clear their plans of not supporting the current administration as they have not been performing in the interest of the people. CDC officials are especially peeved by the recent salary increases by as much as 50% for government officials. “Workers are upset that they are being treated in this manner. They have been feeling deceived. When the recent pay increases came to light it incensed workers because it appears as if the new government does not care about the people. It is more interested in (the Ministers) than the people and country as a whole. We vote for betterment, for change and we will not accept less than what the previous government gave us. What they basically telling us is that we not in their budget so our people can’t get raises. But I never hear of the 50% increase in the budget and yet they got it?” said Secretary for Linden CDC, Micah Williams. Residents who normally benefit from the programme are upset as cost of living was said to have gone up in Linden. Government recently raised the minimum wage to $50,000, while the workers
would still only be receiving the same pittance handed out to them under the previous administration. It was explained that it is not a case of the workers being greedy for more pay. They are open to working more hours per day if their pay is raised. One of the criteria to qualify for the program is that one cannot be employed elsewhere. “We not getting money from anywhere else, cause if we getting money from somewhere else, we can’t work with them.” The initiative which began
under the People’s Progressive Party Civic PPP/C, under the name, “Community Enhancement Project,” also known as (D’nI) was suddenly stopped last year without explanation thus causing hundreds employed to seek other means of survival. Shortly after, the “Cleanup my country Guyana” programme which was considered a political gimmick by many, was implemented. Linden once again never benefited from any of the monies allocated. The focus seemed to be on the beautification of
Georgetown. This issue came shortly after President David Granger’s visit to the mining community where he said he would be targeting the problem of unemployment in Linden. So far, however, the matter has been raised with several Ministers to move the issue forward but no results have been seen from these conversations. No direct discourse has been had with Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, regarding the matter despite several requests for an audience with the Minister.
A consultation was recently held by the Ministry and it was thought that this meeting was for the Linden Municipality as they had made several requests for meetings with the Minister. However, upon arrival they observed that the meeting was for all the Municipalities and no opportunity was available for specific issues to be raised regarding the different Municipalities. The Council is said to really want to see something happen but will not be insulted by the new government.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Govt delegation leaves Ministerial advisors in Canada By Lindsay Davidson The government on Monday announced the appointment of four Ministerial Advisors on the Diaspora during an Alliance For Change (AFC) Leadership Dinner Gala at the Woodbine Banquet Convention Hall in Toronto. The new Ministerial Advisors are Tameshwar Lilmohan, who is the President of the AFC in
Toronto, and Dr. Rohan Somar, Ron Alert and Earth Marshal from the United States. Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan made the announcement at the Gala that marked the end of a threeday trip of a high level team of Ministers and staff led by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo to Toronto to meet with Canadian and Diaspora investors.
The other members of the team were Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, Kibbyann ChesterHarding and Shawn Doris from GO Invest, Kenneth Jordan from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Kiran Mattai from the Guyana Energy Board. While the role of the Advisors is still not clear, indications are that they will
lead committees in their respective regions and liaise with the government on Diaspora matters. In presenting the certificates of appointment to the Advisors, Minister Ramjattan praised their hard work and continued support for the Alliance that according to him was largely responsible for helping the APNU+AFC coalition defeat the People’s Progressive Party at the May 11 elections. The Ministers, including the Prime Minister, also delivered remarks during which they all expressed thanks to the Diaspora for their support that resulted in the coalition’s victory at the polls and becoming the
government. During Saturday’s Business Forum a room of over 200 at the Riverstone Gulf Club in Brampton saw presentations from Ministers Patterson and Gaskin that identified specific investment opportunities available in Guyana that the government was ready to move forward on. These include waterfront development, transportation, highway construction, aerodrome improvement and construction and alternative energy projects among others. Minister Patterson said that four communities Mabaruma, Bartica, Mahdia and Lethem - are to be given
Attorney – at – Law, Sapheir Hussain is demanding payment in taxation cost amounting to $11 million against the Guyana Elections Commission, (GECOM), for services rendered in the 1998 Elections Petition. In the petition, Hussain had represented Asgar Ally of the Guyana Democratic Party. Ally was named as one of the respondents in the case which was brought against the GECOM by Georgetown resident, Esther Pereira. In 1998, Pereira, a supporter of Peoples National Congress Reform, PNC/R went to the High Court to challenge the outcome of Regional and General Election, held the previous year. The petitioner had cited Articles 60, 162 and 163 of the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act Cap. 1:03 and the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act Cap. 1:04 claiming that the elections
and the results were affected. Twelve persons were named as respondents, including the then Chief Election Officer; and Chairman of the Elections Commission, Doodnauth Singh, along with the representatives of the ten parties that took part in the elections. The petition was heard by Justice Claudette Singh. The hearing of evidence took more than two years and concluded on the 22nd May 2000. Addresses to the Court by the lawyers lasted three months. The trial judge thereafter gave a 77 page judgment on the 15th January 2001 and made further oral orders on the 26th January 2001. Justice Singh in her ruling declared that the elections law amendment act No. 22 of 1997 is ultra vires Articles 59 and 159 of the Guyana Constitution and as a consequence the said act is null and void.
Township status and the government aims to have them all powered by alternative energy sources. Following the presentations Ministers Gaskin and Patterson and their staff met with about 26 investor groups in back to back meetings that ran after 9pm. On Friday the team met with big Bay Street investors in Canada’s financial district where they discussed opportunities in mining, investment financing and alternative energy. The team, minus Minister Patterson, is due back in Guyana today. Patterson flew to Florida for more business talks.
Lawyer still to receive $$$ millions for services rendered in Elections Petition were not free, fair and valid
The judge also declared that the elections were not conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act Chapter 1:03 and articles 59 and 159 of the Constitution of Guyana and are therefore unlawful. The ruling resulted in fresh elections before the stipulated time. In the ruling, the court further determined that cost incurred in the petition be taxed and paid by GECOM to counsel for the petitioner and Senior Counsels for the Respondents ,including Attorney -at –law, Hussain for his representation of Ally, the 8th named Respondent in the case. However, it has been more than 14 years since the case concluded and the order was made, but the Attorney is yet to collect the payment in taxation cost, which amounts to some $11 million. Hussain has since made scores of written and oral demands for taxation of cost. On Thursday, the lawyer issued fresh correspondents demanding payments relative to his involvement in the Elections Petition. In the letter, addressed to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the lawyer expressed beliefs of an apparent breach in the rule of law and a conspiracy of the Registrar, Elections Commission and the then Government, not to comply with the order of the court and pay the required taxed cost. In correspondents addressed to the President, Attorney General and the Chairman of GECOM, an evidently, frustrated Hussain had demanded taxation cost within 48 hours. He warned that failure to do so would result in him seeking further court action, which will compel the parties involved to carry out the statutory order.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
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Kaieteur News
Barama signals $3B expansion, moves to renew contract
The Barama veneer processing plant at Buck Hall. (L-R) GM of BCL, Mohindra Chand; CEO Thomas Apun and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.
Government and officials of Barama Company Limited (BCL) yesterday met to discuss, among other things, the renewal of its operational agreement which expires in October next year. In the meeting with Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, were BCL’s Chief
Executive Officer, Thomas Apun and General Manager, Mohindra Chand. According to a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency, Harmon used the opportunity to reinforce government’s position of being receptive to foreign direct investment.
The minister noted that Government recognizes that the investment that BCL has made in the sector over the years. The Malaysianowned company is one of the biggest foreign direct investor, entering Guyana since the early 90’s. It is planning to invest
Four cops back in court on corruption charge
T
h e f o u r policemen who are on corruption charges returned to court yesterday. The men, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Terrence Browne, Corporal Shawn McPhoy, of 174 Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt; Constable Ray Drepaul Saul, of Eversham, Corentyne and Constable Tr e v o n M c K e n z i e , o f Princeton, Corentyne, are all on bail. They appeared on Monday before Magistrate Charlyne Artiga in the Whim Magistrate’s court. They had made their first court appearance in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court where Brown was granted bail in the sum of $250,000. He was ordered to lodge his passport. The allegation against Browne, of Lot 273 Sisters Village, West Demerara, is that between September 10 and September 11 at Salton Village, Corentyne, Berbice, he obtained a sum of cash from the other police officers
as an inducement to forego charges against Rennison Park. His colleagues, McPhoy, Drepaul Saul and McKenzie, were charged with corruptly obtaining $6M from Rennison Park as consideration to drop charges against him for trafficking in narcotics. They were remanded but were subsequently granted bail in the sum of $300,000 each in the High Court. The ranks had reportedly stopped a vehicle in which Park was said to be transporting some drugs to the eastern border. Mc Phoy allegedly obtained the money from Park. The prosecution had contended that Browne had obtained $500,000 from the ranks after they had received the bribe from Park. The court was also informed that two other police officers received a bribe of $500,000 but they returned the money. Brown is being represented by Attorney-atLaw Chandra Sohan, while McPhoy and McKenzie are
being represented by Attorney-at-Law Leslie Sobers, while Drepaul Saul is being represented by Attorney at Law Murselene Bacchus.They are scheduled to return to court on October 26.
almost $3B in new processing facilities within the next few years. “We want to see that you continue to grow under this administration. We will always try to do our best to ensure that the right atmosphere and environment is created so that business can flourish and you can employ more Guyanese,” Harmon told the two officials. According to the CEO, BCL is very much interested in continue to do business in Guyana. “He revealed that the company’s investors are also keen on moving the process of contractual agreements and renewals forward given that further investments are being considered to enhance the level of production, employment and economic
contributions toward Guyana.” This year marks 24 years since BCL has been operating here. It currently provides employment for more than 800 Guyanese. The plywood manufacturer had been granted 1.6M hectares of forest lands but says it can only utilize forest products from about 1.1M hectares. With Guyana looking to tighten up monitoring of its natural resources, the concessions granted to companies, both local and foreign, have been coming under scrutiny. The previous Government had made it clear that harvesting of logs from the forests it has made available for commercial activities is still way below what is allowed. Barama itself has been complaining of difficulties to hire skilled workers and acquire enough raw materials for operations. Barama, in August, said that it has invested $43B
since coming to Guyana. Annually, Barama said it contributes about $400M in taxes, royalties and other fees. About $1.6B annually is paid out for local service and other goods providers. “Barama’s activities have not only been in log harvesting. It has spent some $8.5B to date to construct over 3,000 kilometers of roads, which are in use by others. Between 1992 and 2013, to tell you we are responsible, we have harvested over 70 percent of the allowable area according to 40-years cycle. We have also been involved in other activities like cultural diversity, education, bursary, community projects, medical facilities, emergency response, sports…,” Chand had said in an exclusive interview with this newspaper. Barama has processing facilities at Land of Canaan, on the East Bank Demerara and at Buck Hall, Essequibo River.
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Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
All ICT projects expenditure were approved - NFMU Head - no acts of corruption or favoritism at unit
W
hile the findings of a forensic audit into the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) point to some “glaring acts of corruption” the Head of the entity, Valmikki Singh, is contending that this is not the case. In a statement, yesterday, Singh stated that the NFMU does not practise favouritism and that all of its financial reports are submitted to the Ministry of Finance on a monthly basis for review. Singh said those reports are also submitted to its subject minister—the Prime Minister. Kaieteur News reported last week that the Unit had spent millions of dollars on two ICT projects which were pursued by the then PPP Government. Those two projects were the One Laptop Per Family Project and the Fibre Optic Cable from Brazil to Guyana to s u p p o r t t h e P P P ’s e Governance project. Singh did not deny this but made it clear that his agency acted based on instructions handed down by the past government to fund mostly operational costs for the OLPF and the eGovernance projects. He said, too, that his Unit
ensured that every single request for payment submitted for the ICT projects, pre-May 11, 2015, was approved by the then Presidential Secretariat before such payment was made. The NFMU Head emphasized that this approach continued even after the May 2015 elections, where the Ministry of the Presidency and the Office of the Prime Minister authorized every request for payment. He noted that all expenditure made by the NFMU for the ICT projects were included in the NFMU budget estimates which were considered and approved by the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly for the years 2012 to 2015. Singh said that he is confident that any fair assessment and report of its operations will reveal that the NFMU is properly managed and that there were no acts of corruption or fraud at the agency. Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma, told this newspaper last week that the forensic audit reveals that “several fraudulent decisions opened up the Unit to abuse and horrible acts of corruption.”
Sharma, who is in charge of the forensic audits, also pointed out that the level of corruption which was taking place at the agency “exposes” the incompetence and “lack of integrity” of those who are in charge. “I really expected better from the Head of this Unit, Valmikki Singh, who earns around US$4,500 per month. All these things that happened under the Unit highlight a lack of professionalism, malfeasance in office and incompetence from him and those managing it. They occurred under his watch. It is unbelievable what they were getting away with under the PPP.” Sharma’s comments was based on the fact that the forensic audit into the Unit found that “almost 90 percent of the funds of the Frequency Management Unit dating back to 2012, were spent on two projects that had absolutely nothing to do with the agency.” The report on the forensic audit which was conducted by Chartered Accountant Chris Ram, showed that in some cases, the hog of the Unit’s funds went to the PPP’s failed Fibre Optic Cable from Brazil and the One Lap Top
Bandits rob West Dem. Pastor, church members in attack Criminals turned their attention to Sunday worshippers, carrying out two attacks. But only one was successful. In one attack, a gunman attacked two women who were heading to church on Sunday morning, while in the other the actual church was stormed by three men armed with handguns later on Sunday night. In both case police were at least able to make arrests that are greatly assisting them with their investigations. In the first attack a lone bandit met with fierce resistance which led to him receiving a thrashing at the hands of some irate residents of Meadow Brook who responded to the alarms of his intended victims.
According to reports, during Sunday, a man armed with a handgun confronted two women at Waini Street, Meadow Brook, in an attempt to rob them. The women were on their way to church. The women put up a resistance, and raised an alarm. Residents came out and arrested the suspect, who never got a chance to use his gun. He was handed over to the police along with the unlicensed .32 pistol with one round that was found in his possession. And later that evening at about 20:00 hours, Pastor Dillip Bikhari of the Universal Church at MetenMeer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, was in the process of closing the church
when he, along with Brazilian Andrea Santos and two other church members, were attacked and held up by three men armed with handguns. The men took away about $400,000, three cell phones, US$1,000 and a laptop computer and escaped. The police responded to the report received and were able to arrest one of the suspects in the Meten-MeerZorg area in whose possession was found an unlicensed .357 Magnum revolver, one of the stolen cell phones and the stolen laptop computer. He is in police custody assisting with the investigations. Charges are likely to be laid soon in both cases.
per Family project. Sharma said that he found this to be “very strange and downright deceitful.” The fibre optic cable which was started in 2011 was intended to bring another source of internet connectivity to Guyana. It should have been completed by 2013, but turned out to be a major embarrassment for the previous administration, after it faced delays due to damage and other technical issues. It was part of a bigger initiative to advance Guyana’s e-governance drive and equip 90,000 poor families with laptops and link state agencies into a network. The contract signed b e t w e e n D r. R o g e r Luncheon and Faisal Mohamed for the repair of the cable from Brazil has been described as the most generous giveaway package, worse that the Sanata Complex in the run-up to the 2011 elections. It also mirrored the giveaway of the radio frequencies done under the administration of former
NFMU’s head, Valmikki Singh
President Bharrat Jagdeo, during his last days. “It is unbelievable that (the NFMU) was hiding expenditure on these projects. It goes to show the kind of financial lawlessness that was allowed to take place at these agencies,” said the Junior Finance Minister. “They could have collected a lot more revenue but no. They allowed a lot of favouritism to take place and as such they lost, I would say, millions in revenue. They allowed their PPP boys to slip under the radar while
others were called upon to pay their dues. In fact, they weren’t collecting from two of their PPP big boys for some time. It was a lot of unfairness that was going on at that agency.” Sharma had said that the revelations of some of the forensic audits thus far vindicate the concerns the APNU+AFC had when it served in the opposition regarding the lack of accountability under the previous administration as well as the stench of corruption in some agencies.
E’bo resident charged for seaman’s murder
The two brothers Gregory in white and Ray in blue A 39-year-old Essequibo resident has been charged in connection with the stabbing death of fisherman Ronald Emanuel Reid on a trawler last week Tuesday. Gregory Nahar called “Biggs, of Paradise Village, Essequibo, was remanded yesterday after appearing before Magistrate Rhondell Weaver at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murder. The incident occurred around 14:30hrs while the fishing boat was off the Lichfield,
West Coast Berbice foreshore. Reid, 27, of Lot 25 Castello Housing Scheme, was a member of the six-man crew aboard the vessel. Investigations have revealed that Reid was involved in an argument with the accused and his brother, when he was stabbed to his back. Gregory, who was unrepresented in court, is to return to court on November 4 at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
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Kaieteur News
AG visits Supreme Another charged in Mahaica Court Registry rice farmer’s murder Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, visited the Supreme Court Registry and charged the staff to continue executing their duty with diligence. They are providing a critical service to the general populace, he said. The visit was sparked by the expiration of the working contract of (acting) Registrar for the Supreme Court, Rashid Mohamed. That contract expired on Saturday. Mohamed was basically managing the affairs of the Registry single-handedly. So now the Registry is operating without an Assistant Registrar, a Deputy Registrar and a Registrar. “Our government must be concerned about this situation …We are not in charge of the day to day running of the Registry, but as the government, we are
responsible for the administration of Justice and the delivery of Justice to the people…It must be of importance to us that the system of administration run smoothly,” Minister Williams stated. The Attorney General said that the current dilemma needs to be remedied quickly. He explained that he is unaware why the previous administration allowed the present situation to ensue, that is, where there was no succession plan, by the absence of the appointment of a Deputy and Assistant Registrar respectively. “In so far as we have the remit of the people of Guyana, and we have our duty to discharge, we will be as transparent as possible… people cannot call for transparency in one area and not want it in another area, we will continue to ensure that we
have a justice system,” Minister Williams reiterated. The Judicial Services Commission is the legal body responsible for the appointment of the Registrar, the Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court; however, certain requirements, both academic and professional, must be met, before one can receive such an appointment. Minister Williams believes that where the question of the administration of the justice is concerned, government is in its legal right to enquire into such matters, as it is the government that has the right to ensure its citizens are well served. On the other hand, the AG noted, the Judicial Services Commission has the responsibility for administrative matters of the Supreme Court.
‘Hit and run’ river death has police fuming Police are treating the death of 58-year-old, Nicholas Jacobus, as a “hit and run” river accident which occurred sometime Friday night in the Pomeroon River. No one has however been detained or questioned with regard to Jacobus’death. One source from the Pomeroon River said that the driver of the boat which hit Jacobus sped away to Charity. The source added that Jacobus sustained serious injuries to his face and shoulder.
From a statement issued by the police, it appeared that the 58-year-old logger was apparently traveling in his boat to his Kabakaburi, Upper Pomeroon home when he was struck and killed by the driver who continues to elude the police. A post mortem examination is expected to be performed on Jacobus’ remains tomorrow. Police stated that the front of Jacobus’ boat was damaged as a result of the collision. The logger’s death came almost the exact
time when the bodies of a young mother and her twoyear- old child were discovered by persons attending Sunday church in the Pomeroon River. Atika Sukhai, 22, and her daughter, Xolani Sukhai, both of Grant Experience in the Pomeroon River, were discovered under a dilapidated landing next to her home in the Pomeroon River. A post mortem examination is also expected to be done on the young mother and daughter. (Yannason Duncan)
GRA reviewing tax... From page 3 manufacturers and importers to discuss the impending changes and most importantly, the implications of the reform process on those who will inevitably be subject to the tax,” the statement assured. Meanwhile, as efforts continue to curtail smuggling and establish greater control of the flow of imported tobacco, spirits and beer imports, plans are in the making to introduce high-security Excise Stamps, GRA disclosed. The agency currently partners a foreign company to facilitate what it said is the timely and successful introduction of the stamps, and the accompanying legislation, software and other support initiatives that will be required. It will mean that imported alcohol and tobacco products will be stamped by examining officers.
“The stamps will target mainly tobacco and spirits, making the job of inspection by enforcement and customs officers much easier, and address concerns about public health and counterfeit products,” GRA said. There is reportedly a huge illegal trade involving alcohol like vodkas and whiskeys as well as popular brands of cigarettes. Excise Tax is an indirect tax levied on alcoholic beverages, motor vehicles, tobacco products and petroleum products produced or sold, domestic and foreign, within Guyana. GRA noted that as a result of a recent Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling on the now repealed Environmental Tax, a policy decision has already been taken to replace the said tax with a more comprehensive tax addressing the issue of non-biodegradable packaging for all food items, produced locally and imported.
F
our months after Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD) rice farmer, Hardat Kissoon was robbed and killed while making his way home in a minibus, another man has been charged with his murder. Yesterday, Paul James, 34, of 59 Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge, Georgetown, was remanded to prison until October 26, after the charge was read to him by Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. On June 1, at University of Guyana Public Road, East Coast Demerara, James allegedly murdered 42-yearold Kissoon of Cane Grove, Mahaica, ECD, while executing a robbery. Proecutor Deniro Jones told the court that the police file is still incomplete. He requested a short date to have it completed. Thereafter, the Magistrate transferred the matter to the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court, for October 26. On July 29, Kurt Clarke, of Howes Street, Charlestown was also remanded to prison
MURDERED: Hardat Kissoon after being charged with Kissoon’s murder. According to reports, Kissoon, a father of three was shot dead on June 1, by a bandit, who was posing as a mini-bus passenger. Kissoon had just joined the bus after leaving a city bank with $500,000. It was reported that the bandit had asked the driver to stop so he could get off. He then held Kissoon at gunpoint and demanded the bag containing the cash. The bandit shot the farmer to his
Murder Accused: Paul James chest before escaping on a CG motorcycle with an accomplice. Kissoon’s body was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was officially pronounced dead.
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Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
Joyce Sinclair advocates for continuous training for civil servants Management and training consultant, Joyce Sinclair, is advocating for a public sector that is characterized by empathy, continuous training and recognition for service. Ms. Sinclair has worked as a management and training consultant, for a number of years, with organisations including the Ministry of Public Service, CARICOM and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP). In her submission, before the Commission of Inquiry, (COI) into the Public Service, yesterday, Ms. Sinclair even advocated for training of politicians. “I would expect that politicians in each party would go through some sort of training…” S i n c l a i r, a f o r m e r Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service, spoke extensively about the
considerable lack of common courtesy and suitable behaviour in the workplaces, set up to cater to the public. These apparently “simple issues,” the witness said can have significant damaging effects on the overall performance of any workplace or agency. According to Ms. S i n c l a i r, t r a i n i n g i s necessary for persons conducting the simplest task, from answering a telephone
Jury finds man guilty of sodomising boy, 7
A
mixed 12member Jury has found buggery accused, Kevin Jordan, guilty of sodomising a seven year- old boy. Jordan was charged with two counts of buggery. The incidents are said to have occurred on November 2 and November 7, 2007. The trial was held in camera
at the Georgetown High Court, before Justice Dawn Gregory. The accused was represented by Attorney- at Law, Neil Boston. State Prosecutors, Stacey Goodings and Orinthia Schmidt presented the matter. After hours of summing up and deliberations, yesterday the Jury announced that they had
found the accused guilty of one count of the offence. He was found not guilty of the other count. H o w e v e r, A t t o r n e y Boston requested that a probation report be conducted on the life of the accused, before sentencing. As such, the Judge adjourned the matter until October 30.
to greeting/interfacing with members of the public. She said that “courteous telephone and office behaviour is often missing from training” for civil workers. Since disciplined and courteous behaviour helps to boost internal and external customer service, the managerial expert said that brochures and training on these aspects of work should be readily available to all categories of workers. Sinclair noted that Heads of Department/Ministries should ensure employees are aware of vision or mission statements. According to Sinclair, training should be offered to employees at all levels since there are problems with communication skills — pronunciation and the use of proper language is common across the board even persons in senior positions She said, too, that hand outs should be available to customer service trainees – indicating the responsibility
in conduct and roles and services. The witness also called for reintroduction of avenues to recognize and reward for staffers with excellent performance records. The former Permanent Secretary also noted that there should be regular managerial meetings and performance appraisals are essential to recognizing those with excellent skills. Reflecting on her experience managing departments within the public service sector, the witness related that staff incentives can be very helpful in boosting customer care performance. Commenting on other matters relative to improving the standards of public service, Ms Sinclair noted that a lot of social issues at work are directly linked to today’s cultural norms issues. In reference to conflict resolution in the workplace, Sinclair asserted that simple methods such as a soft answer to turn away wrath can be applied, in this regard. The Commission was established to inquire into, report on and make
Joyce Sinclair recommendations on the role, functions, recruitment process, remuneration, conditions and other matters pertaining to the personnel employed in the Guyana Public Service. The COI is also expected to determine measures to improve the efficiency of the public service, to review the methodology used in the classification and recruitment of public servants.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
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Kaieteur News
Allegations about portable mills have no supporting justification
M
inister of Governance, R a p h a e l Trotman, has dismissed as unjustified, allegations by portable sawmill owners, that they have been forced to halt their operations due to pressure from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), as the demands of the Commission are constantly changing. The allegations were
contained in a Letter to the Editor that was published on September 21, 2015. According to the letter, the GFC was treating portable mills as static mills, thus, causing higher production costs for the millers as logs would have to be transported miles to the established location. Trotman, however, said that the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has
Guyanese killing in Barbados dubbed ‘senseless’ Barbados (Barbados Nation) - A senseless killing. That’s how neighbours have described the murder of 59-yearold Brinsley Warde, who was fatally stabbed on Friday night in the City. It took well over 24 hours before police were able to get a positive identification of the body as Warde. Warde, the newspaper said, is a Guyanese resident living there for more than a decade. He was said by neighbours to have been a very quiet law-abiding person who kept a low profile. Lawmen had appealed to the public to come forward and identify the body. Warde, affectionately known as “Nut Butter”, lived at Chase Gap, Halls Road, St. Michael. He was fatally stabbed at nearby Nursery Drive. No motive has been given by police.
never treated portable mills as static mills. He stated that the Forests Act 2009 does not specifically define portable mills; in fact, the aforementioned Act treats portable mills as primary conversion plants. The Minister further asserted that the notion of having to truck logs for miles, in order to get to a portable mill (because of the incorrect assertion that it is treated as a static mill) is an inaccurate statement. Trotman said that there are “no ever-changing demands of the Guyana Forestry Commission,” but rather, a simple implementation in the agreed phased matter of the Code of Practice for Processing Operations. “Since portable mills have the ability to convert logs from their raw form into a product for resale; the erection and operation of these mills must be carefully considered. There are guidelines which the GFC must consider before deciding to issue or renew a licence for a particular portable mill.
- Minister of Governance These would include reasons such as suitability of the proposed site, suitability of layout and suitability of the equipment with regard to the minimization of waste. The financial and technical resources of the sawmill owner, adequacy of the supply of forest produce with regard to other primary plants in the area, and environmental and occupational safety and health records are also other things that are looked at,” Minister Trotman explained. The letter stated that there is also a requirement for an Environmental Protection Agency licence (EPA) which is a “complete waste of time for sawmills operating within concessions, and if a mill is to be relocated to another location a new licence is also required.” GFC is said to have always allowed these mills to be erected within the concession where trees are
located once the stakeholders meet the guidelines. Notwithstanding its ability to be operational almost anywhere, the Forests Act does not permit these mills to be operated in an ad hoc manner. The GFC as well as EPA needs to be informed of the change in location. Thus relocation of the portable mills is allowed, provided that an application is made and certain basic requirements are met. The Commission was said to also be charging
portable mill owners/ operators a hefty price for the licence, which despite the purchase date, would expire on December 31of the year of purchase. Trotman confirmed this claim as he stated that the legislation has consistently stipulated that all licences (including sawmill licences) issued by the GFC shall continue to be in force until December 31 of the year of issue. “GFC is simply being compliant with this,” Trotman stated. The application fee for a mill currently stands at US$50 while the actual licence fee to operate each mill is US$300. This has been in effect since 1996.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Boy, 14, drowns under mysterious - Mother says hospital circumstances did nothing to save him A
mother is claiming that her teenage son was left on the Leonora Cottage hospital floor to die, Sunday afternoon, despite being told that he was in the water for a long time. Charles Anthony Pross, 14, of Lot 676 La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) died around 16:30 hrs. According to reports, the teenager and his relatives had gone on a family outing at a resort in Bushy Park, Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) when the tragedy occurred. Shellon Henry, the teen’s mother, believes that strange happenings might have been responsible for her son’s drowning. The devastated mother said that the hospital could have done something to save her son’s life instead of leaving him on the floor to die. The woman explained that it was her brother’s birthday so the sibling took relatives out on a picnic at the resort. She claimed that from the minute they entered the resort, a lot of strange
things started to happen. Her relatives were treated differently from the others. “When we go in, the owner told us that we have to pay for the benab. Other people didn’t have to pay. After that, a child wanted to urinate and we had to pay $100 but again, we were the only people who were paying,” Henry said. She explained that when her relatives realized that they were being treated differently, they opted to leave but her brother insisted on staying a little longer. “When we agree to wait a little more, I tell them (her relatives) that I going to the washroom. While I walking, my son come to me and show me a red and black fish and tell me that the man (who works at the resort) give it to him,” Henry said. She added that she told her son to wait until she returned from the washroom and they will return the fish. “When I come out from the washroom, the man who gave my son the fish come to me and tell me that the water carrying away my son. When
I run go, my brother swim towards the location, the man showed us, and I stand in the shallow part of the water while the man was sitting right near me in the water,” Henry explained. She added that her brother combed the location where the man told them he saw the teen’s body but was unable to locate him. “You see when that man got up from where he was sitting, my son body bounced up right there. His feet were tied with twine and the bone at the back of his neck just pointing upwards like,” the mother started. She recalled performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on her son continuously until he reached to the hospital. “When we took him to the hospital, they didn’t have stretcher or anything. They just had him on the floor for almost an hour. One Cuban nurse left to go for a stethoscope and she never come back,” Henry alleged. She further revealed that when the nurses finally took her son into the Emergency
Room, they returned a short while and informed her that the teen had died. “They didn’t even try to pump the water or so,” she revealed. A Post Mortem examination will be done on Wednesday to confirm the cause of death. Calls to the Minister of Public Health yesterday, went unanswered. “A lady told me that the person there does sacrifice children. She said that my son is the fifth child that died for this year,” the mother said. However, this newspaper could not confirm any deaths at the resort. Meanwhile, police are probing the circumstances surrounding the death of 58year-old Nicholas Jacobus whose body was recovered from the Pomeroon River at around 09:45 hrs on Sunday. Investigations so far revealed that Jacobus was returning home from a shop in the Pomeroon River in a paddle boat on Friday. The boat alone was seen in the river the following day with the front damaged, Police are probing both deaths.
DEAD: Charles Anthony Pross
Tuesday October 13, 2015
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Kaieteur News
Former Accounts Clerk is the newest member of the legal fraternity
(FROM LEFT) Supreme Court Judge Nareshwar Harnanan, newest Attorney-at-Law Omadatt Terrence Chandan, with relatives, Attorney–at-Law, Rohan Chandan and Geeta Chandan-Edmonds Former Accounts Clerk / Computer Operator, Omadatt Terrence Chandan, was, on Friday admitted to the local bar, after his petition was accepted by Supreme Court Judge Nareshwar Harnanan.
The petition was presented by his uncle, Attorney-at-Law Rohan Chandan, who described his 37- year- old nephew as having a solid academic background and wealth of experience in the working
environment. In his early years, Chandan, of 206 Section ‘C’, Enterprise West, East Coast Demerara, attended All Saints Primary School from 1985 to 1990 and President’s College from 1990 to 1995.
Following high school, the young Chandan sought employment and gained experience working as an Accounts Clerk / Computer Operator. He went on to hold several other positions
including that of a teacher, Communications Officer, Legal Assistant and Corporate Secretary. During this time Chandan attended the University of Guyana in pursuit of a Bachelor of Laws Degree. Upon successful completion, the aspiring Attorney gained entrance into the Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad and Tobago, where he obtained a Legal Education Certificate, (LEC). In his official address to the court as an Attorney-atLaw Chandan said, “I often envisioned myself as someone championing the cause of the poor and the disadvantaged. Today, I truly believe that I can now make a difference by championing their thirst for justice. He recalled that studying law has been a most humbling experience. “You can rise and you can fall but
you must have the will to continue.” The former accountant told the courtroom of legal practitioners, family and friends that he had long dreamed of becoming a l a w y e r. “ To d a y, y o u r Honour, I am pleased to stand before you and say that the dream is no longer a dream; it is a reality.” The new Attorney expressed gratitude to his family and friends for the support and motivation in accomplishing his dreams. In expressing thanks, the Attorney made special mention of his mother, Tilackmati Devi Persaud, whom he described as a tower of strength, his brother Dharampaul Chandan, uncle Rohan Chandan, cousin Geeta Chandan Edmonds, colleagues at law school, and his many teachers at school and beyond.
St. Rose’s girl is latest Bar admission Guyana’s legal fraternity welcomed, Jochebed Tenesha Pollard on Tuesday. Her petition was presented in the chambers of Chief Justice (Ag) Ian Chang. Born on November 5, 1992, to Pastor Troy Pollard and his wife Marilyn, Jochebed was raised in church. She credited this for her moral background and social upbringing. Her early education began at the Stella Maris Primary School in Georgetown. This former St. Rose’s High School student attained eleven passes at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) in 2009. She was awarded for being the most outstanding student in Physical Education and Human and Social Biology. After acquiring her
From L to R: Dr. Philbert London, Attorney, Gordon Gilhuys, Attorney, Jochebed Tenesha Pollard, Chief Justice (Ag) Ian Chang, Parents, Troy & Marilyn Pollard. secondary education, the new Attorney-at-Law did work study at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Later on, she was transferred to the General Registrar Office (GRO). In 2009, Jochebed was
accepted into the University of Guyana (UG) where she did a preliminary year in Sociology. She then studied for a Bachelor of Law Degree from 2010 to 2013 and graduated with credit.
Jochebed, who aspires to become a criminal defence lawyer, joined the Caribbean Yo u t h E n v i r o n m e n t Network (CYEN) Guyana Chapter. In 2013, she did community work for CYEN
Trinidad and Tobago Chapter. Determination and persistence led to her acquiring her Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad and Tobago.
During her stay in the foreign land, she was accepted as a member of the Criminal Law Clinic, which is stationed at Justicia Ominibus Chamber, Trinidad. There, she was afforded the opportunity of meeting the Honourable Mr. Justice Adrian Saunders and the Honourable Mr. Justice Jacob Wit, of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), to engage in discussions as a result of issues relating to laws in the Caribbean and how they can be combated. The law clinic is directed by Israel Khan (SC) and Daniel Khan. Jochebed is the eldest of four children – the first in her family to become an Attorney; she intends to pursue all aspects of the law especially in the international sphere.
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Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
Rockstone Fish Festival 2015 kicks off…
Tourism Ministry to boost event for international participation The annual Rockstone Fish Festival was officially launched on Friday last at Rockstone Village, Region Ten, to the delight of residents there. The Tourism Ministry felt it would be
more fitting to launch the event at the location where the two days’ festivities are customarily hosted rather than in the city. Addressing the gathering was newly appointed
Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, who was there in place of Minister of Tourism, Cathy Hughes, who was attending to business in Georgetown at the time.
M r. S i n c l a i r t o l d residents that his Ministry was committed to the development of the event. It was also committed to finding the resources needed to make the festival an ultimate success. He added that among the expectations of the Ministry is the need to see significant growth of the event to attract more people, not only locals, but from the Caribbean, North America and other areas. The Director General encouraged committee members to discourage cast net fishing, and other modes of fishing that will cause spectators to deviate from the policy which dictates that patrons reel in their catch at the event, then return them to their home in the dark waters of the Paramakoushi River and its tributaries. He also urged promoters of the event to ensure large, ‘eye-catching’ signs are posted at strategic points to ensure persons coming to the event arrive without glitches, since the lack of proper sign boards have led to persons missing the turn off and ending up at other locations instead. Mr. Sinclair emphasized that with more people attending the event, the organisers will be able to earn more, while the Rockstone area will develop its own identity in the Caribbean and even globally. He added that while the fish festival is already enhancing the image of Rockstone, the Ministry will do all it can to make the event better and to make the area a better tourist attraction. Rockstone Hospitality Manager, Lynette Benn, thanked the team from the city for attending the function, noting that this year there would not be a pre-registration process, since all competitors at the event will be required to register upon arrival. She added that no illegal vending will be allowed. Paying
FILE PHOTOS: Scenes from a previous Rockstone Fish Festival
vendors are only allowed to sell fish and wild meat meals on the location. Committee member Faye Allicock delivered the vote of thanks. The Fish Festival offers boat tours to beautiful destinations, fishing and cooking competitions, cycling races from Linden to Rockstone, nature trails (three options), music, meals and tons of fun for the entire family. This year the event will also feature fish deboning, fish catching, and the largest fish competitions. Added to that, there will be camping, picnics, tours to Gluck Island, swimming and fish cooking contests, as well as
rafting, tug-o-war, and lots of games for the children. They will also be a cultural show featuring top performers from Rockstone and Linden. Admission to the event has been set at $500 for adults and $300 for children. There will also be an essay competition for schools around the area. Parking fees have been set at $1000 for cars, $2000 for minibuses, $3000 for 4x4 pickups, large buses, and canter trucks, while the fee for large trucks is $4000. The festival is the brain child of Guyana’s Tourism Brand Specialist and Innovator, Donald Sinclair. On a fishing excursion to the location in 2006 he envisaged its potential for community-based tourism. He then engaged the people living in that community, and together they created the blue print for the festival. The naturally a c c o m m o d a t i n g environment includes open spaces for camping and easy access to the Paramakoushi River, its tributaries and nearby creeks.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
Dynamic files US$97M lawsuit against Air India
Dynamic Airways has filed a US$97M lawsuit against Air India Dynamic International Airways LLC has launched a US$97.7M breach of contract lawsuit against Air India, in a New York Federal Court. According to a new statement, carried on PRnewswire, Air India subcontracted Dynamic International Airways LLC (a/ k/a Dynamic Airways or Dynamic) for the year 2013 and 2014 to transport holy pilgrims from India to Saudi Arabia—round-trip. Dynamic carried a total of 47,976 passengers for Hajj 2014 and around 6,000 passengers for the previous year. Dynamic claims that Air India owes more
than US$8.8M for both years. The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York states that Air India has been using accounts reconciliation in bad faith in order to delay making any payments. Due to long outstanding amounts, Air India decided that it does not want to continue its future business relationship with Dynamic. Dynamic said that it had a reasonable expectation to collect revenues of around US$42M related to Hajj 2015 and $42 million for Hajj 2016. Because of Air India’s (anticipatory) breach of contract, Dynamic claims
that it has lost expectation damages of not less than US$84M. Dynamic International Airways LLC is a US-owned carrier headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. It offers services from airports in New York, Guyana, Florida, Venezuela, and Hong Kong with its fleet of B767 wide body aircrafts. Recently, the company added “International” to its official name as reflection of its transition into international long haul carrier. Dynamic, using Roraima Airways as its local partner, has been flying the New York/Georgetown route since last year.
A businessman and his reputed wife were each granted $1.2M bail after they were slapped with a joint manslaughter charge in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. They were also each ordered to post $600,000 surety and were also placed on a bond to be on good behaviour until the matter is concluded. The duo, Charles Browne, 41, and Carren Reece, 44, are accused of unlawfully killing David Marks, on January 4, at Papi Show Landing, Mazaruni. Browne and Reece were not required to plead. They were represented by Attorney-at-Law, Gordon Gilhuys, who made a compelling bail application before Magistrate Ann McLennan. Gilhuys requested that his client be granted reasonable bail given that the offence brought before the court is a summary one and bailable. He assured the Magistrate that Browne and Reece will attend all court hearings to prove their innocence. In this regard, the lawyer
explained to the Magistrate that his clients had been reporting to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) periodically as investigations were being carried out. He added that during the investigations, they were released on bail. Further, Gilhuys told the court that the alleged killing came about as a result of a disorderly brawl. He added that his clients never touched Marks, who he said was beaten by public spirited citizens. The Attorney underscored that he intends to call several witnesses to secure a solid defence for Browne and Charles. Gilhuys’ bail application was met with objections by Police Prosecutor, Corporal, Deniro Jones. Jones objected to pre-trial liberty for the duo pointing out the gravity of the charge and penalty attached to the offence. The Prosecutor expressed concern that the accused might not return to court for trial, now that they have been charged. In addition, he also presented the facts of the
matter to the court. Jones informed that on January 4, last, at about 17:30hrs, Reece secured her shop and went out with Browne. He said that when the woman returned she noticed that her shop was broken into and the now deceased Marks was seen next to the shop armed with a piece of wood. He added that Browne and Reece, along with a mob armed themselves with cutlasses and inflicted injuries on Marks. According to the Prosecutor, to evade the beating, Marks plunged into the Mazaruni River, from which he was fished out four days later. The Police in a release had said that David Marks was allegedly seen breaking and entering a shop at Papi Show, Landing Mazaruni, when he was confronted by residents. It was reported that the suspected thief had jumped into the river in order to escape and was not seen until January 7, when his lifeless body was recovered from the river.
Husband, reputed wife granted bail for manslaughter
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Kaieteur News
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Experienced Plumber, Carpenter/Joiner , Painting & Lacquering of Cupboards . ( Day + Job Work)Call N. Osman 624-1737 (8:00am 4:00pm Mon-Fri .)
Landscaping: Palms, largest varieties of plants, Used in every one of our unique landscapes- Call: 648-1821/ 219-0468 Austin Power ’s repairs: fridge freezers, washers, gasstove, AC unit, house wiring-Call: 685-2588 Eagle’s fridge re-gas @ 99100 New Market Street $8,000 & washing machine repairs. Phone: 697-2969, 223-5818 License custom broker/tax consultant: assistance with tax compliance, tax returns, etc. Call: 660-9478 INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj Building- Tel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
Windows: To make and supply windows for residential buildings.Call: N. Osman 624-1737 (8:00am 4:00pm Mon-Fri.) Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 Driver’s Contract Cars, dispatcher –Call: 231-0316; 231-0002; 219-4087; 219-4086 One Experience Captain To Ply From Georgetown To Bartica Must Be 55 Years And Over. Contact # 650-0402 One person to make and bake bread and pastries- Contact Lucky Dollar Snackette 193 Charlotte Street- Tel: 226-2320 1 Female to work in snackette & bar. Must know to cookbetween ages 20-35 -Call: 6477432/ 223-5798 Part time Security guards, experienced with firearm, need police clearance, application & present a past reference. Call: 231-8344 or 231-8529
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE- CALL: 667-2535, 627-5098 Goedverwagting E.C.D: one spacious bedroom flat $45,000 monthly-Call: 6873014 Vreed-En-Hoop Junction, Storage Bond, office, lessons place, games shop, stationery shop & other – Call: 680-9905 Prime business place for rent @ MonRepos Public Road E.C.D, 3 (2) Bedroom apartment @ Block 8 Mon Repos E.C.D-Contact: 6181754; 681-1508; 220-6168 Huge bond space can hold up to four containers of goods & Huge corner lot at Meter-Meer- Zorg-Call: 6704036 Business place in Georgetown 1st floor and 2nd floor, have office space for lawyers, just opposite the High Court. Call: 670-4036 Mining blocks with high potential in the Puruni, Erereku & Siparuni area – Call: 615-8810 or 668-3100 House in Bel-Air Park: 3 bedrooms upstairs/downstairs, all modern conveniences $1,600US monthly. Call: 231-7839 working hours From November 1st 2015: 4 bedrooms house in Bel-Air Gardens with all modern convenience. No agents! Call: 231-7839 working hours. One large flat concrete building situated at Coverden E.B.D.Call Vena : 675-6652; 261-5201 Canal No.2 Polder W.B.D, great condition -$35,000 monthly-Call: 613-1860
Tuesday October 13, 2015
VACANCY
SALON
Work from home earn $5,000-$20,000 monthly. Call monday-friday (9am-5pm): 233-6517; 638-0595 or www.jobfairworldwide.com
-Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal, Mabelline. -Nail Technician Course Call: 647-1773/660-5257
Porters and Carpenters to work at Coveden, E.B.D, apply at Alabama Trading Georgetown Ferry Stelling.
Affordable salon services: pedi, mani, wash & blowout, facials, etc $2,500 each. Vogue @ Kalyan Mall, Lamaha Street. Tel: 647-1773/660-5257
Maid, 38-50years; experienced will be an asset @ Wieting & Richter LtdCall: 226-6150-7 Female accounts clerk, apply at Alabama Trading Georgetown Ferry Stelling. Accounts clerk: experienced in QuickBooks, accounting software, VAT NIS & PAYE, @ Technical Services Inc, 18-23 Industrial Site, Eccles E.B.D Agent require for preparing document and quotes for regional contracts. Email: mozatart@yahoo.com/ 6919383 M.A.X Consultancy & Accounting Services urgently need: field sales agents. For more information-Contact: 2231855/ 609-0623 Bond Clerk, Office Clerk, Security officers, Engineer, Kitchen assistant, Waiter/ waitress, Cleaner, Operator/ mechanic. Call: 603-4094 Bar worker to work in the Interior-Call: 231-0363 Male sales representative 25years and older @ Wieting & Richter Ltd-Call: 226-6150-7 Experienced Driver and porters @ Wieting & Richter Ltd-Call: 226-6150-7
PROPERTY FOR SALE One commercial property at Sheriff Street, one double lot @ Cummings Lodge –Call: 638-8930; 653-8226 Large 4 bedroom concrete house for sale at Ruimzeight Garden W.C.D, Residential Area- Call: 269-0189; 268-3214 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities –Call: 662-9335; 612-3244 Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461. Property at 172 Parafield Leonora, W.C.D,1 wooden and concrete building –Call: 619-3503; 227-7675 Property in Prashad Nagar; top and bottom flat, land size 100X50. Contact Dennis & Nanda: 223-5934; 648-9226; 627-3557 Pearl: Well Built 1,995 Sq. Ft concrete structure 45X165 lot, formerly meeting hall 13.5M. Call: 649-1670
TO LET Apartments for rent @ Nandy Park, E.B.D-Call: 227-5194; 624-5194 For foreigners fully furnished two bedrooms apartment in South. Hot & cold, cable, washing machine & internet. Tel: 689-5877 Fully furnished luxury 2 and 3 bedrooms apartments to let (short and long term). Call: 603-9671
#53 Village: East Berbice, concrete house and land for sale, please submit offers, Call: 674-2155 T&T Realty: Properties in West Minister, Robb Street (double lot); Alberttown, Canal #2 & rental. Call: 6609478 Huge property for sale Sheriff Street great location for a business of residential, lot size 60X110 –Call Today: 6704036
3 Bedroom apartments, WBD- Call: 687-5759 WANTED Experienced live in waitress – 18-25yrs – salary $60,000 monthly. Call: 610-5043 Housekeeping lady ages 2535, fit, hours are from 6am to 2pm. Herstelling, E.B.DCall: 231-8529 or 231-8344 FOR SALE/RENT American pool tables –Call: 277-0578
TAXI SERVICES
Heaven on Earth Massage Services; Relaxation awaits you –Call: 678-7499
1 Complete sound system, 1 Vyper Sound, interested persons- Call: 265-3586 Rottweiler pups with pedigree (certified) fully vaccinated and de-wormed. Call/whatsapp: 592-6645401 1-8 HP Tohatsu outboard, excellent condition- Call: 6425014 Pools table (slate) & house hold items, rum shop equipment –Call: 616-0398; 676-7643; 269-0916 Limited stock: 120z. Glass jars with Acid protective covers suitable for jam, achar, etcWieting & Richter Ltd-Call: 226-6150-7 One 52ft, complete snapper boat and one 38ft bore cruiser in excellent condition. Call: 654-2817; 648-6815 ‘One Manual Two-Function Home Used Hospital bed.’ Excellent condition Call: 683-6200 Toyota AT170 Carina powered by Toyota 35 Engine, asking price $500,000 negotiable. Call: 659-1004 Second hand chair set & wall divider cabinet for -$90,000. Contact Small: 696-7155 1 Building on Mattew Allen Road, N/A, Berbice- Contact Wieting & Richter Ltd, Water St. Georgetown-Tel: 2266150-7 Huskey Puppies for sale-Call: 695-2377; 216-2364 3 Jacuzzi –Call: 680-2095 2-LL 7000 F.G Wilson Alternators (600KVA) Wieting & Richter Ltd-Call: 226-6150-7 One-1000 gallon fuel tank at (New Amsterdam Location) Wieting & Richter Ltd-Call: 226-6150-7 Just Arrived! Yamaha Outboard Engines –various sizes –Call: 698-7047; 6817737 1-38 Gal/4500W electric water heater, 220 Volts, brand new$60,000 – Call: 233-3690; 2615280 VEHICLE FOR SALE
Apartment in Eccles, rooms in Albertown –Call: 225-3234
MASSAGE
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.
Mario’s Taxi Service; Travel & Collect Coupons to win a smart Phone, Drawing Every Month from October- Call: 225-7686; 225-7689
Pitbull minibus-Call: 6886316; 603-4494 One 1.5 Ton Toyota Toyace Canter, GLL Series good working condition –Contact: 623-1202 Continued on page 23
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news
Those involved in Guyana’s assets recovery ought to be cheered along and rewarded in advance DEAR EDITOR, Please help me proffer another perspective on the issue of the increase in pay our Guyana legislators have granted themselves in these “worst of times”. Perhaps this POV could be embraced by thinking Guyanese, though not likely by those who seem hell bent on bringing down the APNU+AFC Coalition For National Unity Government that we heralded, just five short months ago, as the harbinger of “the best of times” for Guyana, after that horrific experience of the PPPC government. First of all, we need to consider the task we placed in the hands of our government when we set out to fumigate Guyana by dispatching the Jagdeo/
Ramotar government in the May 11 2015 elections. We charged those we placed in at the helm of our nation (before finally getting on with the job of national development) with the task to pursue unrelentingly, all the crooks of the old administration who looted or national treasury….recover our plundered assets. That’s very intensive labour. Two bits of reasoning received a very long time ago, have been instructive in this matter. My mother, Hilda Cambridge, was the one who taught me to understand the logic of a mantra: “the hope of reward sweetens labour”; then there was Rick Henderson, a musician friend of my husband Julian Mayfield. Rick was a saxophonist, once a part of the
Duke Ellington band. When asked if he was able to make any real money teaching young musicians. Rick said: “I pay myself first; you should always make sure you pay yourself first.” Though in total agreement with some questions about the manner and timing of this decision to reward themselves, I believe that the negative brouhaha surrounding their pay slips could be distracting to what ought to be the focus of our Coalition Government’s first order of business. I suggest we allow them the leverage of an increase in salary while reminding them of their mandate and of our expectations of a living wage that ensures a better quality of life for teachers, public servants, pensioners, all, in
their national budget presentation for 2016, the year of our 50th Independence Anniversary Jubilee. We can truly claim we that we did “Co-Operate for Guyana” when we have evidence of repossession of our stolen assets with harsh penalties imposed on the criminals responsible; we can spend our Jubilee year celebrating in the essential spirit of Mashramani; a celebration after a cooperative exercise. Those involved in GUYANA’S ASSETS RECOVERY ought to be cheered along and rewarded in advance (why not) rather than heckled and demoralized. A LUTA CONTINUA! Joan Cambridge
GUYSUCO - AN EMERGING DEBACLE
DEAR EDITOR, In a Kaieteur News letter of Oct. 4, Mr. Oditt, a former Chairman of GuySuCo opined that recent letters and statements in the press had inferred a doomed fate for the Corporation and therefore he felt obliged to participate in a Moray House Trust Seminar on the sugar Industry to present participants with several of his viewpoints, which if implemented could enable it to return to profitability. In 1993 Mr. Oditt, a little known businessman but politically well connected, was appointed as Chairman of GuySuCo by the then newly elected PPP/C Govt. A supportive Board and senior management staff politically loyal were appointed to his team. Ten years later in 2003, he was relieved of his duties as his poor performance and lack of management capability to manage Guyana’s largest Corporation caused GuySuCo to incur large
annual losses during his tenure thus failing the mandate of his appointment, which was to return the corporation to profitability. In his missive Mr. Oditt concluded that GuySuCo must be run as a business and free from political interference if it is to return to viability through increased production and productivity. He however seemed oblivious to the old adage, “he who pays the Piper calls the tunes” and therefore the Govt. as owner had the obligation for oversight of the industry. Whether it had the right people and adequately devised strategic plans in place to make GuySuCo viable is another matter, as ultimately it was responsible to its constituents for performance of the Corporation. Privately owned businesses run into trouble too if they are not managed well. Some of Mr. Oditt’s proposals such as cogeneration of power from
bagasse for the national grid and the development of value added products from sugar to increase GuySuCo’s revenue stream and hence its profitability should have been considered and implemented during his tenure. GuySuCo missed the opportunity for its economic growth and profitability years ago when investments should have been made to increase production and productivity, mechanize field operations, improve worker skills and provide adequate support for research and development to increase yields. Brazil, the world’s largest sugar producer manufactured 38.4 million metric tons (MMT) of sugar last year and is expected to produce 36 MMT this year while it has the largest stockpile in 35 years which is depressing sugar price. This will be so until existing stocks are drawn down and production decreases further and/or demand increases. Ninety out of 300 of its sugar mills have
From page 4 its knuckles. While many such persons and entities routinely criticized the PPP government in the past, they were then considered, or self-identified, as opposition forces. Under the current government, these persons and entities have apparently taken on the role of guardians or custodians of a hard-fought and long-awaited political liberation in Guyana. They are therefore extremely sensitive to any acts of the coalition that suggest they fought or voted for nothing. Thirdly, political behaviour in the post-PPP era is already pointing to a major
challenge for the coalition government in the very next election. It is going to be judged mostly on its own record. The strong anti-PPP sentiments, which helped drive massive support for the coalition parties in 2011 and 2015, are likely to wane or be ignored in 2020. The APNU+AFC coalition must not only be cognizant of these and other factors, they must acquire the capacity to respond to them. The coalition is obviously in need of a political strategy accompanied by a strong public relations plan to set them apart from the previous PPP government in terms of responsive-
ness to the people, reasonableness of actions, and respectfulness for norms of good governance. The coalition has to also relentlessly sell itself and every achievement (be in a continuous campaign mode). It should not allow, as a simple example, its increase to public servants to be repeatedly and incorrectly cast as “only a 5% increase”, when the 2015 budget clearly speaks of stepped increases as high as over 20%. That work should start now with a proper response to the public concerns over the sharp increase of pay for Ministers. Sherwood Lowe
closed since 2005 and onefifth of those functioning have sought relief for unpaid bills and debt payment. Ten percent of Brazil’s sugar workers have lost their jobs in the past two years and there are more in line waiting to be let go. Given this scenario, it is no small wonder that the English speaking Caribbean countries as well as Mauritius, formerly a large sugar producer in the Indian Ocean have given up on sugar cultivation. The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) Report on the viability of GuySuCo is expected on Oct 17. It is hoped that the stark realities facing the industry will be honestly conveyed to its workers therein. Afterall, Yesu Persaud, former Chairman of DDL is reported to have said, “Sugar is what brought us all here.” Will its subsidies continue to flow to keep us here? I hope so. Charles Sohan
The APNU+AFC must stock-take and...
EDUCATION Princeton College Forms 1-5 CXC Adults Classes, Grade 1-6 Lessons: Phonic lessons @ East Street-Call: 690-5008; 619-7911 Private Custom brokerage, Training Certificate CourseOctober 19, 2015 –Call: 2231506 or 694-8322 Rising Star All Day Nursery, 2-6 yrs 15 students: 2 teachers enrichment programs Phonics, Reading, Speech, Vocabulary & Numeracy Call: 690-9378
From page 22
LAND FOR SALE 1500 Acres Transported land 4 Miles from Bartica, 2 Miles River front, sand, loam, forestry, rock quarry, farming, resort-Call: 603-1266; 625-9788 Guyana’s 1st 5-Star Community, modern amenities, luxurious, recreational & business facility, security entry and more- land @ US$ 7.2SqFtCall: 650-0978 80X40ft. Land at B Field, Sophia. Well-developed and ready to build on. Call: 6836200 Houselot @ Wallers Delight W.C.D, 9 lots available in different size; road side land, great investment for business or huge bonds. Call: 670-4036 365 Acres cultivated, 1135 acres-unclean, house 20X60 (porch)- Call: 657-0992 Two (2) Lot in Parika Contact # 650-0402 Land at Parfaite Harmonie: $1M, $1.4M, $1.6M, Tuschen 8th Street - $2M & 2nd Street -$1.4M. Call: 604-6724
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 656-0087 ,EMAIL:PRO_ A U T O R E N T A L @YAHOO.COM DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494
ACCOMODATION Aracari Resort: rates from US$45; breakfast included, fully air conditioned rooms, 5 mins away from the Demerara Harbour Bridge. Tel: 592-264-2946
VEHICLE FOR SALE RZ Minibus, BLL series – $1.250M Negotiable, Serious enquiries only. Owner migrating. Call: 662-3073 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 TacomaCall:680-3154 Toyota Noah & Voxy -$1.7M ‘G’ Series, never registered – Call: 617-2891 Two Hilux Pick up, one 3RZ, one Vigo-Call: 638-8930; 6538226 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call:680-3154 PRR Series Toyota Sienta, excellent condition$1.7M negotiable-Call: 691-7475 2- Unregistered new model Tacoma, Step, crash bar, alarm, bed covering, mag rim-Call: 695-6461 or 6397758 Ford Escape 2X4 SUV, left hand Drive, Stick Shift $1.7M. Call: 619-1249; 6770507 Unregistered Fielder Wagon, new shape Spacio, fully loaded, rims, camera, bodykit, HID, dark interior-Call: 6175536 Land Cruiser Prado in Mint condition, fully loaded, PNN Series-Call: 601-0053; 2750264 2013 Mercedes C250 turbo AMG coupe, retractable glasstop, mileage 15K, alcantara leather interior, brush aluminum acc- Call: 650-5136 For sale by owner: one Toyota 212 in excellent condition. Call: 652-8391 4 Wheel drive double cab, Hilux pickup in excellent condition –Call: 685-0942; 645-0240 3- Massey Ferguson Tractors, 1-MF tractor front bucket, 1 Toyota Forklift 3Ton, 1-Rav4 SUV. Call: 2580100 AT170 Toyota Corona; need body works and CV. Asking $275,000 negotiable. Call: 6638033 Recently registered RZ VVTI mini-bus- Tel: 668-5792 1 Mini-bus BJJ series –Call: 678-5887; 677-3177
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Teen’s discovery of skeleton-filled fuselage in jungle could be MH370
MH370 wreckage may have been found in the Philippines
A teenager hunting for birds in the jungle of a Philippine island claims to have stumbled upon a fuselage “full of skeletons” and a Malaysian flag, and authorities believe it could be from missing Flight MH370. The coastal wreckage in Tawi Tawi was under investigation by local authorities in Malaysia’s Sabah region Monday. The finding was reported by Jamil Omar of Borneo, 46, who says his nephew made the grim discovery in September, but didn’t realize what it was as he has no access to television or newspapers.
“There was a skeleton still in the pilot’s seat. The pilot had his safety belt on and the communication gear attached to his head and ears,” Omar told local police, Free Malaysia Today reports. The youth and pals found “many skeletons” in the fuselage, Omar said, some still wearing seatbelts, and more human bones nearby. The teen also allegedly swiped a piece of fabric to use as a blanket, only to discover later it was a Malaysian flag. “I have told the [Department of Civil Aviation] to look into the report. We don’t know if the report is true,
so we need to verify it first … Let’s not speculate and give space to the DCA to conduct its investigation,” Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai told local media. The claim comes five weeks after French experts confirmed a piece of wing that washed up on Reunion Island near Madagascar was indeed from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. The Beijing-bound Boeing 777 was carrying 239 passengers and crew members when it vanished into thin air an hour after departing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 last year.
From page 6 students were denied automatic entry to HWLS by the Council of Legal Education (CLE), citing overcrowding of the facility. Following this, the calls for a local law school took on new urgency. During his press conference, Williams had reportedly stated that the PPP backpedalled on establishing the law school. According to the Minister of Legal Affairs, Guyana had gotten permission to open a local law school, but had reneged. When contacted by Kaieteur News yesterday, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall denied that regional legal education authorities, specifically the CLE, ever gave the go-ahead for Guyana
to establish a regional law school locally. Instead, the former Attorney General affirmed that during his tenure (20122015) a decision was made at the level of both the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government meetings and the CLE to have a comprehensive study done. This study, Nandlall stated, would have determined several aspects of regional law education, including how adequate were the number of Regional law schools, versus increasing student intake, the viability of the law syllabus, new schools and reassessing the role of the CLE. ”At these meetings the position which I articulated,
was that while Guyana is interested in the establishment of a law school locally, Guyana will await the outcome of the review. Legal education in the Caribbean is a regionally managed and driven process, and any law school established in Guyana must be one (with) the support and recognition of the region and should be part of the regional system of legal education.” “This approach will ensure that any law school established locally will enjoy international recognition and the academic integrity which similar regional institutions enjoy,” Nandlall said. Urging the present Government to be more aggressive with regards to the school, Nandlall used several examples for viability purposes. He also pointed to the Texila American University as further proof of the law institution’s potential. “The establishment of a regional law school in Guyana will bring to the country immeasurable economic (and) financial benefits. “Students from the Caribbean and further afield will come here to reside for the period of their studies.” Noting that the financial inflows would be remarkable, he pointed out the impact that the Hugh Wooding Law School, UWI, St. Augustine Campus, Mount Hope Medical School, Trinidad, UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados and St. George’s University, Antigua had on their respective economies.
Gov’t must push ahead with establishing...
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Tuesday October 13, 2015
US reporter Jason Rezaian ‘convicted’ in Iran over spying A verdict has been issued in the trial in Iran of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian on charges including espionage, Iran’s judiciary has said. Officials did not give details of the judgement, but hinted at a conviction. A judiciary official said late on Sunday that the verdict could be appealed, suggesting Mr Rezaian had been found guilty. Jason Rezaian, 39, has been detained in Iran for more than a year. The Post has dismissed the charges as absurd. Appearing on state TV on Sunday, judiciary spokesman Gholamhoseyn MohseniEzhei said: “He [Jason Rezaian] has been convicted, but I don’t have the verdict’s details.” He added: “The time for an appeal is not yet over. So the court waits and if it doesn’t receive an appeal... the verdict becomes final.” Mr. Mohseni-Ezhei said Mr Rezaian and his lawyer
were eligible to appeal the conviction within 20 days. The Washington Post foreign editor, Douglas Jehl, called the ruling “vague” and said it was unclear if Mr Rezaian h a d b e e n s e n tenced. “We’ve now heard from the Iranian government t o d a y ’s [ S u n d a y ] a n nouncement that a verdict has been issued in Jason’s case, but that it’s not final and that it’s subject to appeal. “That’s really all we know, and unfortunately it reflects a continued pattern of mystery, opacity and gamesmanship surrounding the way Iran has handled this case. “The only thing that’s been clear from the beginning is Jason’s innocence. Everything else has been under a real shadow of darkness.” Mr. Rezaian faces 10 to 20 years in prison. Mr. Rezaian, his wife, who is also a journalist, and two photojournalists were ar-
Jason Rezaian was arrested in July of last year rested in July 2014 in Iran. Mr. Rezaian was the only one of the group not to be released. The Post’s Tehran bureau chief since 2012, he was charged with espionage and dis t r i b u t i n g p r o p a ganda against the Islamic Republic. He is a dual Iranian-American citizen and was tried in four hearings behind closed doors, the last of which was held in August.
Mumbai man ‘comes back from the dead’ before post-mortem Mortuary staff in Mumbai were given a big surprise when a man woke up shortly before a post-mortem examination. The 50-year-old homeless man was declared dead by a senior doctor in the Indian city and sent immediately to the mortuary against hospital rules. Patients pronounced dead are supposed to be kept on the ward for two hours in case the doctor has made an error. Doctors said the man, named as Prakash, had a
metabolic disorder and was delirious when police brought him in. Local media reported that he was found unconscious at a bus stop. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Dr Suleman Merchant, the dean of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, said Prakash was an alcoholic who had “neglected himself” and had maggots on his face and ears. “Maggots eat human tissues. Usually dead bodies have maggots. He must have been lying around for at least
six or seven days,” said Dr Merchant. He told reporters that the doctor who examined Prakash had checked the patient’s pulse, respiration, and heart. Dr Merchant said the hospital had launched an inquiry into the breach of protocol that led Prakash to be taken immediately to the mortuary. Prakash is in a stable condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit where he is being treated for an ear infection and malnourishment, Dr Merchant said. (BBC)
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
Syria conflict: US air drop for anti-IS forces in Hassakeh
Kurdish militia fighters, backed by Arab rebels, have driven IS from large parts of northern Syria. The US military has delivered more than 45 tonnes of ammunition to rebels fighting the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in north-eastern Syria. C-17 transport aircraft, accompanied by fighter escorts, dropped pallets of supplies overnight in Hassakeh province, a Pentagon spokesman said. The consignment reportedly comprised small arms, ammunition and grenades. It comes days after the US abandoned a $500m (£326m) plan to train thousands of “moderate” rebels to fight IS. The money will instead be used to provide much-needed ammunition and some weapons to commanders of rebel groups already established on the ground. The Pentagon said the more than 100 pallets dropped in Hassakeh were collected safely. They were intended for Syrian Arab groups whose leaders have been vetted and who enjoy the confidence of the US-led coalition battling IS, it added. This is indicative of the type of activity the US is likely to step up in the wake of the failure of its larger scheme to recruit train and equip a new opposition army. The stress now is on vetting the leaders of opposition militias rather than each and every member. Small arms and ammunition may be important in terms of keeping a specific group in the fight, but it is heavier weaponry - like the supply of US-made TOW anti-tank missiles to other groups - that has made the most impact on the battlefield. A spokesman for one of the groups, the Raqqa Revolutionaries Front, told the Reuters news agency that
they had been told that the supplies were to help them launch a joint offensive on the city of Raqqa - an IS stronghold - with the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia. The Raqqa Revolutionaries Front and the YPG are part of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish groups, called the Democratic Forces of Syria, whose creation was announced on Monday. In a statement sent to Reuters news agency, the YPG said “rapid developments on the military and political front” require “a united national military force for all Syrians, joining Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs and other groups.” YPG fighters, backed by Arab rebels and US-led coalition air strikes, have driven IS from large parts of northern Syria in the past year and now control much of Hassakeh. The Syrian government also has a presence in the provincial capital. Russian strikes intensify Meanwhile in north-western Syria, Russian jets reportedly intensified their attacks on rebel positions on the Sahl al-Ghab plain, as government forces battled to regain control of the strategic area. Fighting was focused on the village of Kafr Nabudeh, in Hama province, activists and officials said. Capturing the area would cut off a key motorway and give government forces access to Idlib province, most of which is controlled by a rebel alliance. The Russian Defence Ministry said it had bombed 53 Islamic State targets in the provinces of Hama, Homs, Latakia and Idlib over the past 24 hours. However, the jihadist
group is believed to have only a limited presence in Hama. The UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said he hoped Russia and the US would agree to form the core of one or more “contact groups” of countries supporting talks on a political solution to the Syrian conflict. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was “interested in establishing a coalition” between the US-led forces targeting Islamic State from the air and the Russian military. Mr Lavrov said he had asked “those who claim to know the situation on the ground better” to provide Russian forces with the location of IS militants but said they “have yet to reply”. He also said Russia was prepared to cooperate with Syria’s “so called patriotic opposition” but required information about their positions. Russia was also involved in anti-IS operations closer to home, it said on Monday, with the arrest of a group of Russian citizens in Moscow. The FSB security agency said in a statement that some of those detained had gone through IS training camps in Syria and were suspected of planning an attack on Russian soil. Explosives and bombmaking equipment were found at an address in Moscow used by the suspects, the agency said. More than 250,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in 2011. Some 11.5 million others - more than half of the country’s population - have fled their homes. (REUTERS)
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Preparations commence for Kennard FIFA ethics committee says Platini complaints ‘not valid’ Memorial Turf Club Boxing Day extravaganza ZURICH (Reuters) FIFA’s ethics committee has rejected criticism from UEFA president Michel Platini over the manner of his suspension, saying the argument that he was not allowed to defend himself is “not valid.” Platini, the head of European soccer’s governing body, was suspended for 90 days last Thursday along with FIFA president Sepp Blatter pending a full investigation against them. The announcement intensified a scandal around world soccer’s governing body. FIFA’s ethics probe followed reports of a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.1 million) from FIFA to Platini in 2011, nine years after he completed a spell working for Blatter as an adviser. The Swiss Attorney General said on Sept. 25 it had opened a criminal investigation into Blatter concerning the payment and a separate
Caribbean television rights deal. Platini is regarded as somewhere “between a witness and an accused person” in the payment case, the Attorney General has said. Platini, a candidate for the FIFA presidential election due to be held in February, described the allegations against him as “based on mere semblances” and “astonishingly vague.” The Frenchman said he had been willing to cooperate fully with the authorities carrying out various enquiries in compliance with the strictest procedural rules which, he said, FIFA had flouted. A statement issued on behalf of FIFA’s ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert rejected suggestions that Platini had not been fairly treated and that he had been interviewed for five hours by FIFA’s ethics investigators. “The argument put forward by Michel Platini’s law-
yers that their client had not had the possibility to defend himself before the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee before his suspension is not valid,” it said. “After the investigatory chamber of the FIFA ethics committee had heard him for more than five hours on Oct. 1, 2015 – with the hearing documented on more than 50 pages – the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber, HansJoachim Eckert, did not see a need for a second hearing with Mr Platini.” “This proceeding is fully in line with ... the FIFA Code of Ethics.” FIFA is due to hold an election on Feb. 26 to replace Blatter. The election committee will decide on who will be accepted as full candidates shortly after the deadline for nominations on Oct. 26. That deadline could pose problems for Platini if he remains under a provisional ban.
Tuesday October 13, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Today is an excellent day for you, Aries. You will receive some bursts of unexpected energy that help you accomplish whatever it is you wish to do. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Things may be moving a bit too quickly today for you to grab hold of anything, Taurus. There's an element of the unexpected entering into the equation.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) It may be hard for you to make a decision about anything today, Libra. Things may seem wishy-washy and unclear. Don't worry about it. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Things probably aren't going to go exactly as you planned today, Scorpio. Realize that people may act in erratic, powerful bursts, especially when it comes to emotional issues.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Enjoy the day today, Gemini. Take control of the situation and make the most of whatever comes your way. Do it with a smile.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Today is an excellent day for you, Sagittarius. Events will flow quite smoothly. The only thing to be aware of is that your emotions may seem rather erratic and unwieldy.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) Your flexible nature may get you in trouble today, Cancer. Personalities may clash when no one is willing to lead. Be aggressive without being manipulative.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You may be indecisive today, Capricorn. You may not be able to find solutions you can live with. You don't need to finalize anything now.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Things will flow smoothly for you, Leo. There's barely a reason for you to lift a finger. You have the good fortune of enjoying this day with very little effort on your part.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) There is plenty of air to fuel your fire today, Aquarius. You're able to get quite a bit done. Multitasking is key to accomplishing what you want to do.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) People aren't going to want to be quite as intense as you require today, Virgo. Things are light and airy.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may need to make some slight adjustments in order to get through to people today, Pisces.
It’s more than two months away but already organizers of the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) is already in planning mode in preparation for the 2015 Boxing Day horserace meet scheduled for Saturday December 26 at the Bush Lot Farm Corentyne. Speaking with Kaieteur Sport recently, President of the KMTC, Justice Cecil Kennard assured that organizers are putting all the logistics in place and the excitement witnessed in previous meets would be replicated. In regards to quality, Mr.
Kennard revealed that horses that are bred in the West Indies will once again comprise an integral force among the competitors. The prize money will also be lucrative and turfites are assured that most of the animals on show would be at their best. Seven races are carded for the day and the feature attraction will see horses in the A3 & Lower category battling for over one million dollars in cash, over a distance of one mile. Additionally, turfites will
be entertained with the G1 and Lower event, also over a distance of one mile and where the winner carts off one million dollars. Other races carded for the day include the J1 & Lower and 3 years old, H1 & lower with the West Indian bred animals, I & Lower, E & Lower and the K1 & Lower. Entries close on Saturday December 19 and late entries will not be entertained. Enquiries could be directed to Justice Kennard (623-7609) or Roopnarine Matadial (3263192).
Red Bull may quit F1 says designer Newey ABU DHABI (Reuters) Adrian Newey has accused Red Bull’s rivals of being afraid to supply them with engines for 2016 and warned there was a real risk of the four times world champions walking away from Formula One. “We’re possibly going to be forced out of Formula One — Mercedes and Ferrari have refused to supply us out of fear,” Newey, the sport’s most successful designer, told Reuters in Abu Dhabi on Monday. The Briton, whose cars have won 10 constructors’ titles, also criticised the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) for allowing Ferrari and Mercedes to establish a de facto duopoly. Red Bull, using Neweydesigned cars, won four successive constructor and driver titles with Sebastian Vettel and Renault engines in 2010-13. Renault have struggled to be competitive in the new V6 turbo hybrid era that came in last year, however, while Mercedes have been dominant and clinched a second straight constructors’ crown in Russia on Sunday. Red Bull are currently fourth. “Unfortunately, our relationship with Renault is pretty terminal — there’s been too much of a marriage breakdown, so we have no engine,” said Newey, who was in Abu Dhabi as head judge for the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy. “Improvement is needed, but there has been no clear direction on how to achieve that,” he said, adding Renault had rebuffed Red Bull’s attempts to help improve the engine and also bring in outside expert help. “Red Bull should not be put in a position where they’re only there to make up the numbers.” ENGINE PREDICAMENT Red Bull’s engine predica-
ment has become the talk of the Formula One paddock, with the energy drink company owning two of the 10 teams but potentially having no power units after this season. While sister team Toro Rosso are confident they can do a deal with Ferrari to run 2015 engines next year, if the regulations allow them to, Red Bull appear to be far from any agreement despite the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s assurances that the supply was ‘sorted’. Mercedes have ruled out a deal while Ferrari have indicated they would struggle to supply Red Bull with the same engines as their works team. “You can understand the position with both Ferrari and
Mercedes. If they happen to give Red Bull the same sort of engine that they have, they will show up the people that are supplying the engines,” Ecclestone told the BBC at the weekend. “I don’t want them to stop. I honestly think any of the engine suppliers would be OK for them.” Newey said Red Bull would not be able to compete next year unless the situation was resolved quickly, with 700 jobs at stake at the Milton Keynes factory. He said a decision was needed “well before” yearend “because design and manufacturing lead times are such that you need to know what you’re putting in” the car.
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Former FIFA executive committee member Worawi suspended for 90 days ZURICH (Reuters) Former FIFA executive committee member Worawi Makudi, the current head of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), has been suspended for 90 days pending a full investigation, the ethics committee of soccer’s governing body said on Monday. Worawi, who was on the committee in December 2010 when it voted to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar, will now face a formal investigation, the ethics committee said in a statement. “The decision was taken... on the grounds that a breach of the Code of Ethics appears to have been committed and a decision on the main issue may not be taken early enough,” said the statement. “The case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings.” The 63-year-old was due to stand for re-election as FAT president on Oct. 17 against former national team manager Vanasthana Sajakul and regional police chief Pisan Jundilok, and was considered the favorite. He won the FAT election two years ago against Virach Chanpanich but, amid controversy, Worawi was given a suspended 16-month sentence by a Thai court in July
for falsifying documents to amend the FAT statutes ahead of the vote. Last week, South Korean Chung Mong-joon, who also sat on the executive committee in 2010, was banned for six years, while Jack Warner, another member of the committee at the time, was banned for life on September 29. Switzerland’s attorneygeneral has opened an investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which was also the subject of a FIFA ethics probe conducted by former chief ethics investigator Michael Garcia. Garcia’s report has not been made public but a summary by FIFA’s ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert said there was not enough evidence to award a re-vote. FIFA has been in turmoil since May 27 when 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives were indicted in the United States as part of a criminal investigation into the allocation of media, marketing and sponsorship rights for soccer tournaments. On Thursday, FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini were handed 90-day suspensions pending a formal investigation. The probe followed re-
Football Association of Thailand (FAT) President Worawi Makudi speaks during a news conference at the association office in Bangkok September 19, 2012. (Reuters/Chaiwat Subprasom) ports of a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.1 million) from FIFA to Platini in 2011, nine years after he completed a spell working for Blatter as an adviser. Worawi had been on the FIFA executive committee for 18 years as one of the Asian Football Confederation’s representatives until he was voted off earlier this year.
Vettori to work with emerging English spinners ESPNcricinfo - Daniel Vettori has been roped in to work with the England Performance Programme spinners next month in Dubai. The former New Zealand left-arm spinner and captain will join the EPP batting and spin group, led by Andy Flower, for 10 days in November and work with Surrey allrounder Zafar Ansari, new Sussex signing Danny Briggs, Tom Westley (Essex) and Stephen Parry (Lancashire). Ravi Patel (Middlesex), Will Beer (Sussex) and Matt Carter (Nottinghamshire) will also be a part of the squad in a net bowling capacity. Vettori, who retired from international cricket after the World Cup this year, signed a three-year contract with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League in April. He also coaches Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. “Daniel has been one of the most successful and respected spinners in world cricket for almost two decades, so we are delighted to add his considerable experience to the England Performance Programme this winter,” Peter Such, the ECB’s lead spin bowling coach, said. “I
Daniel Vettori (Getty Images) am sure that the players will benefit from working with him for the 10 days that he is with the EPP in November.” The appointment is the latest example of England bringing in an overseas coach to help plug a specific gap. Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka batsman who is acting as a consultant with England’s Test squad in the UAE, said it was important to help young players learn about the game. “Everyone has a different way of thinking and if you can learn from that it will enhance your game,” he said. “Especially the juniors, because that is an investment that you put on to the table. This England group is quite young and I see them having another ten-year span - that’s a good core
group of guys you are working with. The more you invest in that, the better it is going to be for English cricket.” In a separate ECB placement scheme, legspinner Scott Borthwick will travel to New Zealand to play club cricket. He will also practice and train with Wellington, where he will be mentored by offspinner Jeetan Patel. Twelve young English spinners will be travelling overseas this winter, either with England’s Under-19s in Sri Lanka or on ECB-led placements to Australia and New Zealand. Warwickshire legspinner Josh Poysden and Glamorgan’s Andrew Salter will play Grade cricket in Sydney, while Somerset’s Jack Leach has been placed in Perth. Such said ECB was looking to provide its spinners with more “match play” overs. “We are looking to expose our spinners to cricket overseas during the off season, for the experience of competing overseas, taking more personal responsibility and also to continue their development by bowling those much needed match play and practice overs,” he said.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Jones, Williams shine as NOC overcome North E’bo A fine half century by Joshua Jones and a useful allround performance by David Williams handed host New Opportunity Corps (NOC) an 83-run victory over North Essequibo in a 20-over U17 match played recently on the Essequibo Coast. Jones a national U17 player slammed 54, while Williams struck 40 as NOC posted 153-4, batting first. North were bowled out for 70 in reply. Bomesh Ramdin made 27 as Williams returned to take 315. In another game played at the said venue, Zorg Sports Club registered a three-wicket win over NOC. The home team took first strike and managed 98-6 off their allotted 15
Joshua Jones overs. Akini Adams scored 28 and Shaquille Cummings 21. David Stoll and Silvan Williams picked up two wickets
apiece. Zorg responded with 99-7 in 14.3 overs. R. Nandkishore cracked 29; Cummings claimed 3-11.
Euro 2016 title is next on Germany’s list - Schweinsteiger BERLIN (Reuters) The Euro 2016 trophy is firmly in Germany’s sights, captain Bastian Schweinsteiger said, a day after a lacklustre win over Georgia secured their spot at the tournament in France in their final qualifier. In an open letter to the fans, Schweinsteiger thanked them for their support and said the world champions could have no other ambition than winning the title, the only major international trophy missing from the Manchester United holding midfielder’s collection. “In 245 days the Euro will get under way, the final is in 275 days,” Schweinsteiger, who joined United this season after more than a decade at
Bayern Munich said. “As World Cup winners we can only set the highest goals and we want to be in the final in Paris. And I can also say that we want the title. Since Rio (de Janeiro) we have our fourth star (for the fourth World Cup win). Until now all the good things in Germany used to be three but now we want more,” he said. Germany have won the European crown three times with their last triumph back in 1996 at the tournament in England. The Germans may be eyeing another title but they were far from convincing in the qualifying campaign, having to wait until their last Group D match on Sunday to make
sure of their 12th consecutive European Championship qualification. Coach Joachim Loew called it the most difficult campaign of the past 12 years after they lost to Ireland and Poland while struggling to beat Scotland. Germany still managed to clinch top spot on 22 points, one ahead of second-placed Poland. “In the first games after the World Cup we did not get the results we wanted,” Schweinsteiger said. “But we always trusted in us and never doubted we would live up to that trust. We united as a team and can say today that we had a successful qualification campaign.”
Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger during training. (Action Images via Reuters / Andrew CouldridgeLivepic)
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West Indies in Sri Lanka 2015-16 October 12, 2015
Wet October casts shadow over teams in flux ESPNcricinfo – In October, the northeast monsoon begins to creep in from the Bay of Bengal and turns Sri Lanka into a vast network of closely-spaced puddles. This is excellent for the nation’s paddy farmers, whose fields are made fit for replanting. It is less good for cricketers, whose fields are made fit for marine exploration. Spectators are advised to take umbrellas to any match in Sri Lanka, but going by the history of series scheduled for this time of year, snorkeling gear might not be unwise either. The teams have come to understand they are in for a wet series. In addition to having much of the two most recent weeks indoors, they have also shared a rich and storied history of being holed up in dressing rooms. West Indies’ first ever Test in Sri Lanka in 1993 was so beset by bad weather it barely entered its third innings. Their most recent Test on the island did not make it past the first. That 2010 tour saw more hours of rain than cricket. The groundstaff were also fitter than the athletes by the end of it. Maybe it’s the knowl-
edge that the coming series will probably go the same way that this West Indies side barely turned up for the threeday warm-up match, in which they were comfortably outperformed. The SLC’s only remaining solution to this recurring issue may be to demand mother nature stop scheduling monsoons in cricket season. Even this seems more likely to evince a positive response than asking the ICC for help with adjusting the cricket schedule. Internationals would ideally be played from January to March in Sri Lanka, but as most teams are engaged in the southern hemisphere at that time of year, this rarely happens. Instead,the SLC finds its international window increasingly hemmed in by T20 tournaments. West Indies could have toured in the drier month of September, for example, but a large chunk of that month had been reserved for the Champions League T20. As it turned out, that tournament did not even happen this year. It will be a pity if the weather dominates as expected, because the teams
appear to be evenly matched. Sri Lanka will feel they have edge in home conditions, but with both sides in flux, nothing can be taken for granted. The hosts have relied on spin to defeat West Indies on previous tours, but though they have a proven match-winner in Rangana Herath, their batsmen had been vulnerable against the turning ball in series against Pakistan and India. In Galle, especially, West Indies’ fortunes may turn on the potency of Devendra Bishoo’s legspin. Inexperience abounds in both top orders. West Indies have the likes of Shai Hope, Rajendra Chandrika and Shane Dowrich on tour, who have six Test appearances between them. Sri Lanka will likely field a top seven containing Kusal Perera, who has played one Test, and Milinda Siriwardene, who is uncapped in the longest format. Both teams are also without a permanent coach. The WICB has suspended Phil Simmons, who awaits HR trial for suggesting team selection had been subject to “interference from outside”.
The SLC, meanwhile, has recently conducted their annual coach cull, and are now overseen by their eighth head coach (including interim appointments) in five years. Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers at Hogwarts serve longer terms, on average. Sri Lanka are now overseen by the eighth coach (including interim appointments) in five years. Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers at Hogwarts serve longer terms, on average The series may be a chance for young captains to mould the teams they will lead for the foreseeable future.Angelo Mathews is some way down that track already, having been captain for more than two years now. But this is the first series in which the most prominent leadership figures of the past decade - Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara - are absent from the dressing room. Jason Holder, meanwhile, takes on his first as-
Both Angelo Mathews and Jason Holder will be challenged to bring the best out of their inexperienced sides © Associated Press signment as Test captain, and does so with a view to marking out other young talents who may form the core of his side in the future. For the moment, both sides are just hoping the skies
clear in time for the cricket. Training on Monday was hampered again by rains in Galle. Sri Lanka’s meteorological department has forecast showers all week, which given its track record, is as hopeful a sign as any.
Manning rallies Giants I never sprayed Putin, says Hamilton past 49ers in last minute
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) leaves the winners podium as Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain (R) sprays champagne in celebration after winning the Russian F1 Grand Prix in Sochi, Russia, October 11, 2015. (Reuters/Grigory Dukor) (Reuters) Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has dismissed as wide of the mark reports that he sprayed Russian President Vladimir Putin with the winner’s champagne after Sunday’s grand prix in Sochi. “I actually didn’t. I didn’t actually spray him. I think there’s a weird picture but I didn’t spray him. I definitely don’t want anything (to happen),” the Mercedes driver told Sky Sports television on Monday with a smile. Hamilton, who flew back home to Britain to join the team’s celebrations after they
won their second successive constructors’ championship in Russia, has got into trouble previously for his champagnespraying antics on the podium. He was criticized and accused of sexist bullying in April for aiming a spray of champagne directly in the face of a Chinese Grand Prix hostess in Shanghai. That incident, highlighted in photographs that showed the woman flinching, triggered condemnation in Britain and Germany as well as on Chinese social media but the hostess herself played it
down. Putin presented Hamilton with the winner’s trophy on Sunday, with the Briton starting the traditional champagne spraying ritual before the president had left the podium. Photographs appeared to show dark flecks of champagne foam on the back of Putin’s jacket as he departed. Some media reports subsequently suggested Hamilton, who is now on the brink of a third drivers’ title, had ‘soaked’ the Russian leader, leading to jokes on social media about what punishment the driver might suffer.
(Reuters) (The Sports Xchange) - Giants quarterback Eli Manning engineered his 27th career game-winning, fourth-quarter drive, connecting with tight end Larry Donnell on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left, giving New York a 30-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The 49ers scored 21 points in the second half on touchdown passes by quarterback Colin Kaepernick to wide receiver Anquan Boldin and tight end Garrett Cel e k a n d a t w o - y a r d touchdown run by running back Carlos Hyde. Hyde’s touchdown with 1:45 to play gave San Francisco a 27-23 lead before Manning drove his team down field. “It’s good offensively to get in a rhythm like that, but we have to win games,” Kaepernick said. “That’s why we play. “To me, there’s still 11 more games. We have an opportunity to go 12-4. We have to get on that path.” Manning, who finished 41 of 54 for 441 yards and one interception, connected on two of his three touchdown passes in the second half. The Giants had led 13-6 at
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws the ball against the San Francisco 49ers in the first half at MetLife Stadium. (Robert DeutschUSA TODAY Sports) halftime, with Odell Beckham Jr. catching five passes for 89 yards. He finished with 121 yards on seven catches. Two of Beckham’s longest receptions were directly responsible for New York’s first 10 points. His first was a 49-yard grab that set up the first of Josh Brown’s two field goals, then he made a 31yard catch to set the stage for running back Shane Vereen’s two-yard touchdown reception to make it 10-3.
Brown added his second field goal, a 41-yarder, to give the Giants a 13-3 lead with 4:02 left in the first half. The 49ers’ only points of the first half came on their opening and final drives, both field goals by kicker Phil Dawson. Boldin finished with eight catches for 107 yards. Hyde gained 93 yards on 21 carries, and Kaepernick was 23-for-35 for 262 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
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PCL 4-Day practice match
Singh, Johnson hit fifties on opening day
Vishaul Singh on drives during his unbeaten 76 at Bourda yesterday.
By Sean Devers Leon Johnson’s X1, led by half-centuries from their Captain and Vishaul Singh, batted all day on a placid Bourda track to reach 238-5 against Shemron Hetymer’s X1 when day one of the first PCL FourDay practice match ended yesterday. Singh, a diminutive lefthander with a single hundred from 22 First-Class games, finished the day unbeaten on 76 from 146 balls, 228 minutes with four boundaries while Johnson, who has two fifties from four Tests, reached the boundary nine times and cleared it once in an attractive 84-ball 61 from 112 minutes. Coach Eusan Crandon should be a bit disappointed that Johnson, veteran Shiv Chanderpaul (with the experience of 164 Tests and 30 hundreds to his name) and his son, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, all wasted good starts to be dismissed after doing all the hard work. The 30-year-old Assad Fudadin, with one half-century from three Tests in addition to four First-Class hundreds, was looking determined to make a big score after surviving a four-prong pace attack. After facing 28 balls and batting close to an hour for 12, an LBW appeal was turned down but Fudadin was then run out as he lingered out of his crease to leave Johnson’s X1 on 23-1. Tagenarine Chanderpaul batted in similar fashion to his illustrious father whose main
batting attribute is occupation of the crease. But once the younger Chanderpaul ‘saw off’ the new ball he upped the tempo somewhat. The 19-year-old Chanderpaul, who is yet the reach 50 from nine First-Class matches, gloved a lifting delivery from Raun Johnson and slapped Jevon Searles to the backward point boundary. He then lofted Paul Wintz back over his head for six and tucked him neatly to the mid-wicket boundary before his 81-ball 22 from 130 minutes, ended when he was bowled by Searles and from a Lunch time score of 71-1, Johnson’s X1 were 82-2. Johnson was well into his stride and stroking the ball sweetly. He got going with a couple of well timed on-drives off his unrelated namesake Raun, for fours as Hetymer used his pacers for all but one over before Lunch when leftarm spinner Raj Nannan was introduced and was cover driven by Johnson for four. The 28-year-old Johnson stroked Nannan pleasantly for boundaries in consecutive overs while Singh joined his GCC team mate and played in a sedate, but solid manner before Johnson, who hammered Searles to the mid-on boundary top-edged a pull and was caught and bowled by Gudakesh Motie at 114-3. Singh and Shiv Chanderpaul took their team to tea at 164-3 with responsible batting although Chanderpaul could have tried
to dominate the young bowlers a bit more. Under blue skies and with cotton wool like clouds drifting over the Bourda sward in sunny conditions, Chanderpaul worked the ball off his legs and picked up easy s i n g l e s d o w n t h e ground before steering Keon Joseph for four but he took 82 balls to score 37 runs from 93 minutes with two fours. The 27 minutes of play after Tea was as exciting as watching paint dry as Chanderpaul and Singh adopted a ‘no risk’ policy before Chanderpaul, uncharacteristically tired to clear short backward square and his pull off Steven Sankar was caught to end the 63-run fourth wicket stand. Raymon Reifer (4) was run out at 198-5 even as Singh, one of six left-handers in the first six in the order, continued to play with plenty of common sense and a surety. With a cooling breeze ruffling the branches of the Palm trees just beyond the Eastern boundary, Singh swiveled and pulled Motie for four before flicking Nannan to the fine-leg boundary. He then hit Sankar, who yesterday bowled one of his best spells in recent times, for an on-side four. At the close of a day, which saw a battle of attrition and steady bowling from all the bowlers, Chris Barnwell was with Singh, unbeaten on 16. Today is the second day and play resumes at 09:30hrs.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Dani Pedrosa claims 50th Grand Prix win at Japanese MotoGP BBC Sport - Spain’s Dani Pedrosa claimed the 50th Grand Prix win of his career with victory over championship leader Valentino Rossi in the Japanese MotoGP. Pedrosa, who almost quit the sport this year because of an arm injury, took the lead seven laps from the end. Rossi’s Yamaha team-mate and championship rival Jorge Lorenzo was third after suffering tyre problems. Rossi now leads Lorenzo by 18 points in the standings with a maximum of 75 available from the final three rounds. Only those two drivers can win the title, meaning Marc Marquez’s two-year reign as world champion is over.
Pedrosa, whose career began in the 125cc class in 2001, had not won a MotoGP race since the Czech Grand Prix in August 2014 and missed three of the season’s first four races after arm surgery. “I couldn’t go fast in the beginning,” said the 30-yearold. “But at the end my pace was faster and could win the race. I am very happy.” Meanwhile, San Marino rider Alex de Angelis is in a “critical condition” with bleeding inside his brain, following a crash in practice on the eve of the race. The 31-year-old is sedated in the intensive care unit of Dokkyo Medical University Hospital, with race doctor Michele Zasa stating
an MRI scan had showed he had a brain haemorrhage. De Angelis, who competes for Team e-motion Iodaracing, also fractured five vertebrae and two ribs, and suffered a slight fracture of the sternum and the left collarbone. Kent in control Meanwhile, British rider Danny Kent edged closer to winning the Moto3 title by finishing sixth in his race, one place ahead of main rival Enea Bastianini. Kent now leads the Italian by 56 points with three races remaining. The 21-year-old, from Chippenham, is attempting to become the first British world champion since Barry Sheene in 1977.
Ruthless England complete perfect 10 LONDON (Reuters) England became only the sixth team to end a European qualifying campaign with a 100 percent record when they beat Lithuania 3-0 in their final Group E match on Monday. England, showing eight changes from the team that started Friday’s 2-0 win over Estonia at Wembley, put themselves into a commanding position after scoring two goals which went in off the same right-hand post inside the opening 35 minutes. The first, after 29 minutes, was a powerful long-range strike from Ross Barkley that took a deflection off a defender before flying into the net. Six minutes later another well-struck shot from Harry Kane hit the post and struck the back of keeper Giedrius Arlauskis who conceded an own goal as the ball rebounded into the net. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
blasted England’s third at Arlauskis’s near post after 62 minutes as they became the only team in this qualifying competition to win all their matches. England coach Roy Hodgson said he was proud of his squad’s achievement, but was not getting carried away with far tougher opposition to come in next year’s finals. “Of course to get 10 wins out of 10 in these qualifying groups is never easy so we have to satisfied with it and be proud, it was a nice way to end what has been an excellent qualifying campaign for us,” Hodgson told ITV Sport. England have tough friendlies organised against European champions Spain, Euro hosts France and world champions Germany before the finals. “We know by going to France we will come across much better opposition, teams that are more capable
England’s Dele Alli in action during the match. (Action Images via Reuters / Carl RecineLivepic)
of causing us problems and we will see how we will deal with that,” Hodgson said. England sealed their place at Euro 2016 last month and never remotely looked like squandering the chance of joining France (1992 and 2004 qualifying), Czech Republic (2000), Germany and Spain (both 2012) as the only countries to achieve a perfect qualifying record. The victory, on a chilly night and on an artificial surface in the Lithuanian capital, meant England finished the campaign with 30 points, followed by Switzerland 21, Slovenia 16, Estonia 10, Lithuania 10 and San Marino one. In other results: Belarus 0 - 0 Macedonia Luxembourg 2 - 4 Slovakia Ukraine 0 - 1 Spain Estonia 0 - 1 Switzerland San Marino 0 - 2 Slovenia Austria 3 - 0 Liechtenstein Russia 2 - 0 Montenegro Sweden 2 - 0 Moldova
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Albion, Young Warriors through to next round of BCB/Tenelec inc 50-over cricket The mighty Albion Community Center, by virtue of winning their last round playoff match against Tucber Park, formerly Bermine, by 17 runs, drew the bye to the final of the 2015 edition of the Bobby Deonarine/Tom Gruntzel Sponsored Tenelec Inc Fifty Over First Division Cricket Competition for teams in Berbice. At Port Mourant, Albion won the toss and took first strike with former national youth opener and Berbice senior player Kandasammy Surujnarine and former national youth all rounder Balchand Baldeo putting on a opening partnership of 84 in 20 overs before Baldeo went for 30. National under 17 opener Adrian Sukhwa joined Surujnarine and put together a second wicket partnership of 64. The other partnership of note was 39 between national wicketkeeper batsman Anthony Bramble and the prolific former Berbice youth batsman David Latchaya. Albion
ended on 227 all out in exactly 50 overs. The top scorer was Surujnarine with 74 (5x4). He was supported by Bramble 35, Baldeo and Sukhwa with 30 each. Bowling for Tucber Park, former national youth pacer Niall Smith took 4 for 40 off 9 overs and his pace partner Romario Shepherd, a former national youth player, 2 for 34 off 10 overs. In their turn at the crease, Tucber Park made a spirited reply but ended up on the losing end finishing on 210 all out in 49.2 overs. They enjoyed a fruitful opening stand of 52 between Berbice senior players and former youth cricketers Anthony D’Andrade and Joemal LaFleur before the latter went for 38 with 2x6 and 3x4. Former national youth all rounder Eugene LaFleur joined D’Andrade and put together a solid 91 for the second wicket to put their team in the drivers’ seat. However, they lost their way when the third wicket fell at 169 with the Albion spin based attack taking control. They eventually
folded for 210 to lose by 17 runs with Eugene LaFleur top scoring with 56 consisting of 5x4 and 1 maximum. D’Andrade scored 48 with 5x4 and Joemal LaFleur 38 with 2x6 and 3x4. David Latchaya took 3 for 40 off 10 overs, Berbice youth off spinner Daniel Lewis 2 for 12 and former youth left arm spinner Gudakesh Moti 2 for 33 led with the ball. At Cumberland, Young Warriors won the toss and took first strike in blazing sunshine against West Berbice. They lost former Berbice Senior opener Maxie DeJonge in the first over caught behind off national senior pacer Raun Johnson for no score. Former Berbice youth batsman Wahied Edwards joined national senior opener and West Indies under 19 player Shimron Hetmyer and together they put on 40 for the second wicket before Hetmyer went caught off Johnson for a rapid 28 with 6 fours. Former West Indies under 19 prolific batsman
Kandasammy Surujnarine who also played for the senior national team, Gajanand Singh, joined Edwards who w as getting s e t t l e d i n t h e meantime. Together, they put on 103 for the third wicket when Singh was lbw to Andrew Dutchin for 33. Former national youth player Seon Hetmyer came and went for 19 off the bowling of Berbice senior off spinner Krishendat Ramoo. Kevin Ramdeen, a former national youth batsman went for 11 bowled by Johnson. All the while Edwards was batting steadily and was then joined by former Berbice youth
Ramjohn guides Amar Shakti CC to victory over Floodlight
The victorious Amar Shakti Cricket Club. A fine half century by Imran Ramjohn guided Amar Shakti Cricket Club of Paramaribo, Suriname to a sevenwicket victory over Floodlight XI in a T20 fixture played on Saturday night at Demerara Cricket Club. Chasing 118, Amar Shakti CC reached their target in 12 overs as they ended on 119-3. Ramjohn shared in a second wicket stand of 59 with opener Bhaskar Yadram to set their team on course after their team lost an early wicket. The pair negotiated some tidy bowling before unleashing some lusty blows. Yadram struck five fours and one six before he went for 30, while Ramjohn slammed seven fours and three
maximums in a top score of 66. Anil Beharry, Mahendra Nauth and Wayne Jones picked up one wicket each. Earlier, Floodlight were made to work hard for their runs as Shaw (only name) and Yadram maintained a decent length. Rabindra Singh top scored with 17, Yunnis Yusuf made 14, while Beharry, Rakesh Arjune and Jones contributed 10 each. Shaw finished with 3-35 and Yadram 2-20. Ramjohn received the man of the match and best batsman awards, Shaw took the best bowler accolade while Yadram was given the prize for the most outstanding catch.
Eugene LaFleur
Wahied Edwards
cricketer Ishwar Singh and together they put on an important fifth wicket partnership of 77. Edwards completed his century before both batsmen fell in the quest for quick runs. Edwards ended on 116 and Ishwar Singh a rapid 26. Johnson e n d e d w i t h 3 for 42 and national pacer Keon Joseph 2 f o r 5 3. In reply, the visitors raced to 38 without loss in 6 overs before losing three quick wickets with former Berbice senior opener Arthley Bailey making 19,
Rafael 17 and Andrew Dutchin 0. Former Berbice youth pacer Suresh Dhanai took 2 for 17 and Linden Austin 1 for 0. The West Berbice team conceded the game by inexplicably walked off the field claiming that the pitch was unsafe to continue play. Young Warriors will now clash with the winner of the Police vs Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets match in the only semi final. Albion CC drew the bye to the final at a date and venue to be named.
Camp Ayanganna to host double header today Second and third placed Slingerz FC and Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United will be in the limelight today when the Stag Elite League continues at the Guyana Defence Force ground, Camp Ayanganna this evening. Fresh from their 2-0 whipping of Buxton United on Saturday last the at the #5 ground, West Coast Berbice, Slingerz will hope to continue in that vein but will first have to get past the a GDF side that came from behind to draw with Alpha in their last encounter. However, their home ground was not happy a domain for them when last they played there having lost to Georgetown Football Club (GFC) 1-2; they will be going all out to ensure that this time around they final score would be in their
favour. That will be an uphill task though; given the depth of the Slingerz side but the team that wants it more on the night will prevail. Alpha will fancy their chances to take care of business against bottom of the table Buxton United who lost on Saturday last to Slingerz in Berbice . Buxton is capable of playing much better football and will have to dig deep if they are to salvage at least a point from this encounter which will kick off the action tonight at 18:00hrs. Meanwhile, two more matches are slated for tomorrow at the GFC ground. Monedderlust will take on Pele in opening play at 18:00hrs with GFC and Fruta Conquerors battling in the main event.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Another good ‘try’ for Guyana’s rugby By Edison Jefford Guyana’s rugby scored another good ‘try’ on Saturday when it was announced that a local giant in telecommunications had entered into a three-year sponsorship arrangement worth $13 million with the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU). It came as no surprise that the announcement of such a lucrative package came the week after the election of a new youthful Executive with Peter Green still at the helm. There is no doubt that the bold move to opt for youth bequeathed confidence in the corporate giants. It stands to reason therefore (as was hinted in my first analysis on the election of the new GRFU Executive “Good ‘try’ for Guyana’s rugby”) that many associations are struggling with development programmes because sponsors may be weary with some of the same old faces, who are still in leadership. I had suggested that the GRFU elections could be the beginning of a revolution that is necessary to change the face of sport administration in Guyana. The consequence of such a revolution was pellucid last
GTT’s Anjanie Hackett (fourth from right) hands over the sponsorship cheque to GRFU President Peter Green in the presence of members of the GRFU’s executive as well as GT&T PRO Nadia DeAbreu.
Saturday when GRFU signed its multi-million dollar deal. Guyana’s rugby scored another good ‘try’, following closely on the heels of the first ‘try’ when it elected a youthful administrative organisation. That move ricocheted in the mind of the sponsor, the Guyana Telephone and Te l e g r a p h C o m p a n y (GTT+) that obviously jumped at an opportunity to support youth and sport development.
The company’s Senior M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e r, Anjanie Hackett, implied that fact, when she stated, from reports, that the support is to develop the sport at the national level and to develop the sport and athletes over the next three years at $4.5 million per annum. Hackett also spoke about the potential that rugby has to grow and “become something special.” It was a statement of confidence in youth to deliver the goods and a mandate to the Union
to ensure that rugby gets back to the zenith of performance. GTT+ must be commended for this initiative. It is hoped that other conglomerates emulate such efforts. The sponsorship arrangement may have been in the pipelines before the GRFU Elections, but the result of the elections inspired the sponsor. This could very well be one of the blueprints for other sport associations to set about a much-needed revivification.
It is expected that with the financial impetus of GTT+, and others, because more sponsorship will certainly be required, Guyana’s rugby can surpass where it was during 20062011. The qualified rugby coach, Theodore Henry should be given the resources to rebuild a national unit that will be able to continue scrumming overseas. M e a n w h i l e , domestically, Green and his team should develop
grassroots programmes so that the nursery of the sport remains vibrant and strong. Nevertheless, resources should be pumped into a flag- bearing national unit to ensure they continue to succeed internationally. The point is Green has no excuse now. In the past, he had complained about lack of sponsorship when Guyana missed an important tour. Those complaints should dissipate with this injection of funds and results should be the expectation of all aficionados. As with Guyana’s male hockey team, natural ability alone will not suffice internationally. Phillip Fernandes, President of the Guyana Hockey Board, recognises that fact, and has been calling for an artificial surface in Guyana eons now. Holistically, the national teams with potential as the Men’s rugby and hockey teams must get the support they need to continue to publicise Guyana to the world. In the context of this analysis, an enterprising GRFU must now lay the foundation for consistent success. The ongoing Rugby World Cup in England ought to be enough motivation and inspiration for the youthful Union.
GCF name strong Elite team for Caribbean championships
Michael Anthony
Hamza Eastman
Geron Williams
Claire Fraser-Green
Orville Hinds
Alanzo Greaves
The Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) has named a strong Elite Team for the 2015 Elite Caribbean Cycling
Championships set for the Land of the Flying Fish, Barbados, this weekend, October 17-18. M i c h a e l A n t h o n y, Hamza Eastman, Geron Williams, Alanzo Greaves and Orville Hinds are the male riders with National Female Time Trial and Road Race champion Claire Fraser-Green who is based
in the UK is the lone female. President of the GCF, Horace Burrowes will manage the team that is expected to do well given performances over the past 12 months. Burrowes noted that this is the best possible team the federation could have named and he is expecting
the riders to do well. The riders will have to fund their own airfare according to Burrowes since the federation is cash strapped. The Barbados Cycling Union as host will provide accommodation for the 20 countries and over 90 riders that will be participating.
The Time Trials are set for Saturday with the Road Race on Sunday. The distance for the Women is 86.4km, while the men will battle over 158.4km around the Bushy Park Circuit, 11 times for the men and 6 for the women. For the event, the Barbados Cycling Union is
receiving support from the Pan American Cycling C o n f e d e r a t i o n ( C O PA C I ) , t h e International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Caribbean Cycling Federation (CCC). There will also be a CCC Congress on Sunday with GCF President Borrowes representing Guyana.
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Guyana’s sports landscape needs a stimulus package By Rawle Welch Despite failing to qualify for next year’s Pan Am Cup scheduled to be played in the USA from August 19-27, the performance of Guyana’s national stickmen clearly shows that they are narrowing the gap between them and the best countries in the Caribbean and South America. Guyana finished fourth at the just concluded Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) Pan Am Challenge, drawing with the top three finishers in regulation time, before losing in shootouts, perhaps a department of the game that Head Coach Robert Fernandes will have to place more emphasis on going forward. In describing the team’s outstanding performance, it is obvious that had it benefitted from a substantial injection of funding coupled with a higher level of coaching expertise (no disrespect for the magnificent job that the Head Coach had done) and preparatory games against the top regional teams as a start, this team would have been going to the Pan Am Cup in the USA.
However, with just the top two teams qualifying, Guyana will now have to wait for another opportunity to play against higher ranked teams outside the Pan Am Challenge. Guyana drew with eventual champions Brazil in the Group stage and then battled to a similar result against beaten finalist Venezuela in the semi-finals, all in regulation time, before holding Uruguay to a 2-2 stalemate in the third place playoff, but sadly on all three occasions lost in the penalty shootouts. While the extent of funding that Venezuela and Uruguay receive is not known, we know that Brazil has been getting substantial backing from t h e B r a z i l i a n Hockey Confederation, Brazilian Olympic Committee and the FIH following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), during the SportAccord meeting in London on April 5, 2011. According to the MOU,’all parties agree that the hosting of the Olympic Games in Rio presents an ideal opportunity to develop hockey in Brazil and that it is
FIH President Leandro Negre poses with a group of young players and members of the national Ladies team during his visit in may this year. in the best interests of Brazilian hockey and the sport worldwide if there are two Brazilian teams in the Olympics in 2016. For the most part, the activites outlined in the MOU are directed towards helping to develop the high performance system in Brazil and raise the calibre of play of Brazil’s top level players such that Brazilian teams ca n p a r t i c i p a t e and field a competitive squad in the 2016
Games. Key among the activities of the MOU is an agreement to hire a top level High Performance Director who will develop and co-ordinate the various elements of the high performance system as well as work with Brazilian coaches and athletes. On the developmental side, the FIH has made a commitment to seek muchneeded donations of sticks, balls and goal-k e e p i n g equipment from
Bronze medalist, Michael Parris, returns to Moscow for World Olympics General Assembly Thirty five years after earning this country world acclaim at the 1980 Moscow Olympics where he won a bronze medal, Guyana’s lone medalist, Michael Anthony Parris, will relive those memories when he returns to that former Soviet Union territory to attend the World Olympics General Assembly slated for October 20-22 next. Former President of the Guyana Judo Association, Jeff Sankies had represented Guyana at this forum before but his unavailability has paved the way for Parris’ selection. Guyana has fielded many athletes, of varying disciplines, at the Olympics games but Parris’ bronze medal feat stands out in the face of the many other failures. He is expected to fly out of Guyana next Monday morning. Over the years, the World Olympics General Assembly has facilitated discussions
Michael Parris towards assistance for those athletes worldwide that had attended Olympic meets and then somehow encountered economic difficulties. The impending summit aims to continue discussions in this vein and Parris’ attendance will support Guyana’s cause. When contacted yesterday morning, Parris
said that he is really honoured to have been selected for such an important and prestigious forum. He said that he intends to represent the cause with much alacrity in the hope that the fortunes of Olympians enjoy a favourable metamorphosis. Meanwhile, Mr. Sankies said that he is confident that Parris will render effective representation at the summit. He said that he is also concerned with the fate of local Olympians, many of whom encounter serious economic difficulties with no avenue for redress. He said that the Moscow forum will allow local officials to collaborate with their counterparts from Latin America and other countries to strengthen the claim for reparation as well as the achievement of one common goal. The former President of the Guyana Judo Association further said that
he will meet with either the Senior Minister of Sport, Rupert Roopnarine or his junior counterpart, Nicholette Henry, sometime before Paris’ departure, to further broach the topic of assistance for local Olympians. “They have given yeoman’s service to Guyana and should receive some consideration,” said Mr. Sankies. M r. S a n k i e s a l s o revealed that the Guyana Olympics Association has given a commitment to offset the financial expenses associated with the acquisition of Parris’ visa as well as part funding for his accommodation. Contacted for a comment, Parris said that he is humbled by his selection and expressed gratitude to Mr. Sankies, officials of the GOA and the others that have made his trip possible. He has since committed to solid representation. (Michael Benjamin)
sponsors over a two year period’. The lament for an artificial turf is well documented and its prolonged absence has severely hampered the development of the sport. Had the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) resign itself to the current state of affairs regarding the absence of such a facility then performances such as the recent one and those of the Ladies not so long ago would not have been secured. It was the foresight of the GHB leadership combined with the determination of coaches and players that has made us (Guyana) an emerging force in the sport in the Caribbean and beyond. W i t h a n e w administration in place, and one that has signaled its intention to place sports on the front burner, there are a few disciplines that need immediate attention inclusive of substantial funding. The hockey fraternity has paid its dues, it has worked tirelessly to keep the sport alive, but not merely, rather it has taken off, the successes has increased enthusiasm among clubs and more and more young pl a y e r s a r e j o i n g i n g clubs. The current President of the GHB Philip Fernandes was instrumental in getting both the FIH President FIH President Leandro Negre and the PAHF President Alberto ‘Coco’ Budeisky to make an historic visit in May this year and in their
interaction with the media, had said that a piece of land was the only obstacle preventing Guyana from securing an artificial turf. Imagine in a country where land is abundant, another discipline that could put Guyana, at minimum, on the regional sports map is being deprived of such a vital component. Come on stakeholders, just like what President Obama did during the economic recession of 20070 9 , G u y a n a ’s s p o r t s landscape needs a stimulus package to take it to the next level. A huge injection of funds to construct state of the art facilities in addition to the whole gamut of related pieces to produce elite teams and athletes is what is needed right now. It will be interesting to see how the team will be treated on its return and what steps will be taken to ensure that it stays together.
t r o Sp PCL 4-Day practice match
Singh, Johnson hit fifties on opening day
Leon Johnson cuts delightfully for four during his 61 at Bourda yesterday.
Ruthless England Dani Pedrosa claims 50th Grand complete perfect 10 Prix win at Japanese MotoGP England’s Kyle Walker in action with Lithuania’s Arturas Zulpa. (Action Images via Reuters / Carl RecineLivepic)
Dani Pedrosa come ahead of Valentino Rossi in the Japanese Moto GP. (reuters)
CampAyanganna to host doubleheader today Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210