Kaieteur News

Online readership yesterday 107,377

October 23, 2012 - Vol. 5 No. 43 - Price $80

Email: kaieteurnews@yahoo.com Online: http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com

Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

National Assembly resumes sittings …

Opposition drowns out Rohee

Police $90M elections fund…

Broken-Down Bulldozer

Excess funds only repaid after public exposure Hinterland school feeding programme…

BK International spends US$3M on equipment - Walter Willis

Little evidence Broken-down Crawler Dumper

that $43M in snacks delivered - Auditor General report

Speaker rules against motion on Agricola unrest - Opposition denies it plotted Oct. 11 unrest

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Police $90M elections fund …

Excess funds only repaid after public exposure While the Auditor General has cleared the Guyana Police Force of the alleged malpractice with regard to the spending of $90M allocated for the 2011 elections duties, there still remains a grey area of why the surplus money was still in the police account after December 31, 2011.

The police in accounting for the money given to them in November to feed inlying ranks and provide transportation for the elections period, had admitted that “the remaining sum of $10,516,178 is still in the Force’s accounting system.”

That was in March this year, and it was only after questions began surfacing about the money that this anomaly was rectified and the surplus returned to the Consolidated Fund.

Last week the Ministry of Home Affairs released a report from the Auditor General, which while unearthing no major misappropriation, pointed to some accounting procedures that need to be rectified.

The audit was commissioned following an allegation by Divisional Commander E&F Division,

David Ramnarine, that he was forced to seek help from members of the public to feed his ranks during the period immediately before, during, and after the General Elections, since there was no allocation of funds to his Division during the period of inlynment.

It was later verified that Ramnarine’s Division was in receipt of monies and ration.

However, both money and ration were not received in a timely manner, resulting in Ramnarine making the claim.

The audit found that the sum of $43.008M was paid

into the Police Welfare Fund on November 25, 2011 via nine cheques; that is the Friday before Elections Day , which was the following Monday November 28, 2011.

“As a result, the Force had to implement urgent measures to ensure the adequate feeding of its ranks during the elections inlynment.”

It should be noted that the monies paid into the Welfare Fund were based on a rate of $1200 per day to feed one rank, an amount that would have validated the claims of inadequacy by

David Ramnarine

Clement Rohee

some Divisional Commanders, including Ramnarine and Steve Merai who at the time was serving in Berbice.

And given the geographical spread of the E&F Division that Ramnarine was in charge of, the figure took on a lesser value, and even much lesser value when taken into account that the division was inlying from November 23, two days prior to the official police inlynment date.

There was a big public spat on the matter, prompting the intervention of Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, who tried to reduce the impact of the embarrassment it had caused his Ministry.

But instead it exploded, leading to Rohee expressing a loss of confidence in the Commander and calling on Commissioner of Police (acting) Leroy Brumell to institute disciplinary action against him.

Meanwhile, the police in a desperate attempt to clear itself of accusations of misappropriation of funds, issued a statement detailing how the monies were spent.

It even made public a copy of a cheque issued to Ramnarine for the feeding of his ranks during the period in question.

According to the police, during 2011, the Guyana Police Force prepared a budget of proposed activities for the General and Regional Elections, which was submitted to the Ministry of Finance through the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Subsequently, supplementary provisions were received by the Force during November, 2011 in the sum of $90,649,200.

The police said that of this amount, $39,641,200 was for the shortfall on voted provisions and $51,008,000 was received under the line item 6261 – local travelling and subsistence – which also caters for the feeding of police ranks during the inlying

period for Elections.

“The Force wishes to clarify that the sum allotted to the police for elections duties was $51,008.000.00 and not the total $90,649,200,” the police had said in a statement.

Of the money received, the police said that $8M was to facilitate the cost of travelling expenses and the remaining $43,008,000 was brought to account by the police.

A total sum of $32,491,822.00 was drawn out to Police Divisions, Police Headquarters and Special Constabulary Headquarters to meet expenditure for the feeding of ranks, according to the police.

The Force explained that Police Divisions, Police Headquarters and the Special Constabulary Headquarters were allocated “cash” and “commodities” from the Police Consumers’ Cooperative Society Limited and other outlets for the feeding of ranks.

That statement was issued in March this year, and it was only at this point that the police indicated that it had in its account, $10M, which was not utilized from the amount in its welfare fund.

According to the audit report from the office of the Auditor General, after monies were disbursed to the various Divisions in the form of goods totaling $29,262 and cash advances amounting to $3,230, from the $43,008, “the difference of $10.516M was refunded to the Consolidated Fund in March 2012. This resulted in the Force’s Appropriation Account for 2011 to be overstated by the said amount.”

“Why this was the case, no one really knows. Maybe it was because the matter was exposed publicly that, that accounting anomaly was brought out,” said a well respected local accountant, who requested anonymity.

“Examination of the documents and records related to the purchase, (continued on page 18)

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 3

Member of Parliament unapologetic New documentary on Cuffy for release Feb. 2013 for protestors blocking bridge …Police continued to fire at protestors running to safety Member of Parliament Desmond Trotman said, yesterday, that he is unapologetic for remarks made in support of protestors blocking the Mackenzie / Wismar Bridge in light of promises made by the government for economic relief in the community.

Trotman was replying to Chairman of the Commission, Justice Lensley Wolfe, who had asked whether persons had the right to break the law given the problems facing Lindeners.

He said that he did not consider blocking the bridge as breaking the law when Wolfe said it was “Indeed a disappointment to hear a member of the legislature making such statements.”

Trotman replied, “Members of the legislature must understand and emphasize the problems the people are facing, and I say and do so unapologetically.”

Trotman said that the promises made by the government to the people of Linden before the 2011 elections, promising them economic relief, led to the protestors’ actions.

Trotman said that instead of relief, the electricity tariff was imposed.

He also said that the blocking of the bridge was done to enforce maximum impact of the people’s plight.

Trotman said that when he arrived in Linden on July 18 he joined a procession heading towards the bridge area. He said that some persons crossed the bridge and some did not.

Trotman said he heard Commander Hicken of E and F Division telling his ranks to load their firearms.

The man said that while at the bridge he saw a police jeep speeding in the direction of the protestors posted on the bridge. He however said that none of the protestors moved and the jeep swerved away from the people.

Trotman said that he went to Hicken and asked him what he hoped to achieve by his intimidatory actions towards the people, and the Commander, “smiled.”

Before this, Trotman described the mood on the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge as festive. He said children were playing games, poems were

being recited and drums were beating.

Trotman said that the police after the morning, went away and returned about 17:30hours with reinforcement.

The parliamentarian said he was not on the bridge but was on the northern side of the approach to the bridge leading to the GRA building.

He said that there was a footpath at the location and he could have seen the police approaching the bridge area.

He said that the police hoisted a banner but he could not see what was written. He said the police started to advance toward the crowd firing tear smoke and what he believed to be gunshots.

He said it was pandemonium when the tear gas broke out. The police continued to fire at the crowd even as they exited the bridge area, he explained.

Trotman when asked, said that he saw no protestor throwing missiles at the police. Neither did he see any other person with guns other (continued on page 18)

A scene from the new documentary

Amanda Wilson Overseas-based Guyanese documentary maker, Amanda Wilson, announces her latest project, Cuffy: Face Of A Rebellion - a 60-minute film celebrating the life and mission of a truly peerless Guyanese hero and the 250th anniversary of his 1763 Berbice revolt.

The documentary, currently in production in Guyana for release in February 2013, draws on months of painstaking research in slavery archives in Guyana, Ghana, the Netherlands, the United States and Britain, and extensive interviews with leading

academics, historians, politicians and journalists.

Among the multitude of inspiring legends of slave rebellion in the Caribbean, Cuffy’s story towers above them all - a tale of daring, vision, inspiration and unrivalled tragedy. Wilson‘s innovative media company Green Mango Media will share this extraordinary history with

audiences across the Caribbean, Europe and North America.

“At Green Mango Media, we believe it is time the Caribbean tells her own stories. We must preserve our history in our own words for future generations and proudly share the achievements of our revolutionary icons with the rest of the world,” said Wilson, the director and producer of the project.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

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

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

What’s with the pirated textbooks School has reopened and there is no word on the situation involving the textbooks. Just before the start of the new term the Education Ministry with the approval of the government had decided that it would award contracts for the reprinting of those books deemed critical to the education system.

Reprinting of these textbooks was nothing new; it had been going on for years. The importers of these books, when the reprinting began, raised Cain. They appealed to the government to bring a halt to what was definitely an illegal exercise but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

Media practitioners identified the illegal printeries and confronted the then Education Minister Shaik Baksh who claimed that he was unaware of the illegal practice. But there were these books in school. Some managed to duplicate the original in terms of colour but the vast majority used in the nursery and primary schools were printed in black and white.

Reprinting the textbooks was a copyright infringement and Guyana was a signatory to the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Guyana had asked for some time to fully comply with the terms and conditions because there needed to be certain legislations.

Further, Guyana argued that because of its poor state it should be allowed to slowly accede to all the conditions of the TRIPS agreement. The deadline for that accession has long passed but one can only assume that the various authors and publishers could not be bothered by a country with a population of less than one million.

However, outside these shores everyone takes intellectual property seriously. Neighbouring Trinidad has provided many Guyanese with a wakeup call. Those who are pursuing legal studies at the Hugh Wooding Law School suddenly found that while they were allowed to use photocopy tests at the University of Guyana they could not even enter the country with them.

It is the same in just about every other country in the region. We had the case of an athlete from French Guyana who visited a store in the city and bought many pieces of clothing that purported to be the real thing—the brand name items that they were touted to be. On her return to cayenne she was stopped at the port of entry and given an ultimatum—either destroy all the counterfeit clothing or face a term of imprisonment on conviction.

We all may have seen images of wholesale destruction of counterfeit brand name watches, shoes, videos and many other articles. On one occasion a local shoe dealer had to approach the courts to seize a quantity of China-made counterfeit shoes that had been allowed into the country. These could not have entered any other country. There are the music carts that peddle counterfeit compact discs and DVDs for little or nothing. It is because there are no safeguards of intellectual property that local musicians cannot hope to make a living from the music industry.

Eddy Grant, a multi-millionaire who made all his money through music once said that had he been in Guyana he would not have been anywhere close to being wealthy. But he made his name in the United Kingdom and the rest is history.

In the Caribbean the popular singers and musicians get their due for their intellectual property and need to do precious little other than to keep doing what they do best.

But in Guyana we refuse to adhere to the principles of intellectual property. We access signals from American satellites free of cost and that has become the norm for television in Guyana.

There was a brief challenge from Columbia Broadcasting Service (CBS) but the directors later concluded that the ensuing legal effort was not worth the while. And so we attempted once often to infringe intellectual property by printing textbooks. This time the furor was deafening. One British entity threatened legal action.

The result is that those who had the books on sale had to put them in warehouses. And those printers who were gearing to make money had their hopes dashed.

The children appear to be going to school without the required books and one must now wonder what is happening in the classroom. Guyana could have accessed some of the learning aids by electronic means but that was not on the cards.

Meanwhile the Education Ministry is saying nothing.

The PPP regime is in denial DEAR EDITOR, Ten months after the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime promised to end corruption and create jobs, we are left to wonder what the regime has done so far. Not only have they not reduced corruption and created jobs, but they seem incapable of easing the burden on the poor and the working class.

With unemployment on the rise, the PPP regime has been shown to be ignorant of the economic reality in the country. Mr. Ramotar’s most recent statement that he will modernize Guyana is nothing more than a propaganda exploit.

After 20 years of PPP reign, Guyana remains a semiprimitive society, where people have to wait for extremely long hours in lines for service from every government department/ agency, the traffic lights are in a mess, public hospitals are in shambles, and public schools and UG are collapsing.

In addition, constant power outages and the lack of potable water have become the norm, Georgetown is now the garbage/stink city instead

of the Garden City, crimes have spiraled out of control and corruption has reached new heights never seen before in Guyana.

But the fact that the cabal says the country is developing shows that the PPP regime is in denial.

President Ramotar’s refusal to change course is truly a nightmare. He has failed in his most important duty as President to correct the failed and corrupt policies of the previous regime.

In office for almost a year, Mr. Ramotar did little more than play night-watchman over the policies he inherited from Jagdeo.

He did not even bother to give any of his predecessor’s policies a little tweak to convince the nation that he is making the necessary changes to ease the burden on the poor and the working class.

This type of behaviour is difficult to explain to the average Guyanese, except for the fact that coming from the corridors of Freedom House, it is a normal course of action.

We had hoped that having experienced the consequences of Jagdeo’s

unpreparedness to deal with crime, corruption, and the trafficking of narcotics, President Ramotar would have been better prepared to address them. By now, his government should have had plans to restructure the country’s fiscal, monetary and trade policies to increase economic output and provide greater economic opportunity for the people, while at the same time tackling corruption, crime, and the illegal trafficking of drugs.

But this PPP regime seems to have come to office with nothing more than dreams of ending corruption and the delusionary idea that employment can be created without an economic development plan.

Apart from that, the 2011 elections proved to be an act of providence for the combined parliamentary opposition parties—AFC and APNU. The opposition’s unique perspective of being the architect of a majority in Parliament gave them a betterthan-average chance of developing strategies that could begin the process of correcting past mistakes and

charting a new course towards real economic development.

For the opposition to be taken seriously by the people, it has to pressure the Jagdeo/ Ramotar regime to reduce VAT, create jobs, provide tangible increases in wages for civil/public servants, and establish the Procurement Commission and an AntiCorruption Agency.

But the AFC and APNU have squandered this rare privilege and instead spend their time engaged in squabbling over inconsequential issues, unrelated to the reality of the country’s economic and social dilemma and the urgent need to radically change the perilous state of the poor and the working class.

This is clearly revealed by the fact that the list of issues the majority opposition has dealt with in Parliament is hardly recognizable in anything that would improve the lives of the poor and the working class.

That there has been no real progress by the majority opposition is not surprising.

We have pointed out in previous letters that the PPP regime is lacking in substance, but are we to believe that the combined opposition is no better prepared to tackle and improve the country’s economic and social problems.

For more than a decade, Guyana’s finances have been grossly mismanaged by the Jagdeo regime. The depth of the country’s financial crisis cannot be denied. Yet the PPP regime is in denial of this reality.

They do not seem to grasp the urgency of the situation. What is required is honesty, and a set of realistic goals to weed out corruption, create jobs and chart a pragmatic course that will improve the lives of the poor and the working class.

Because the PPP cabal controls the purse strings, it has been very easy for them to influence the electorate with baseless promises and illusory goals. The poor and the working class has for too long been the victim of this kind of crooked leadership.

The PPP politics over the years has been nourished by racial voting which it has used to make a section of the population gullible. Its leaders have always said that the people are their greatest asset.

Yet they have been selling them a pie in the sky at election time rather than telling them the truth. Wake up people!

Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

The Agricola protest was not a PNCR exercise and neither was it an APNU demonstration DEAR EDITOR, It is clear that Charrandass Persaud is totally out of sync with reality or has the poorest intelligence-gathering operation in Guyana; I would not like to think that he is just a malicious person, because judging from his letter SN October 20th 2012 “Mr. Granger should exert control over the Agricola protest” he and I are in agreement on many issues.

Where Mr. Persaud and I part ways, however, is on the grave and inaccurate assumption that his letter implies that the leader of the PNCR Brigadier David Granger and the PNCR or A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) was responsible for the protest at Agricola on Thursday 11th October 2012.

First let me remind Mr. Charrandass Persaud about a few facts. The Leadership of the PNCR met in emergency session on Saturday 6th October 2012, after Dameon Belgrave was shot by the police outside the White Castle Fish Shop on Friday 5th October. The party planned a series of peaceful demonstrations, all with the theme of ending police violence and demanding the removal of Minister of Home Affairs Mr. Clement Rohee.

On Monday 8th October, the PNCR held a peaceful picketing exercise outside the offices of the Minster of Home Affairs at Eve Leary. The exercise lasted for about two hours, protestors were well organized and there was no incident. The following day, Tuesday 9th October, the PNCR held a peaceful picketing exercise outside the Office of the President, emphasizing the same demands for Clement Rohee to go and for reform within the Guyana Police Force.

Once again the demonstrators were well organized and there was no incident.

On Wednesday 10th October, the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM), the youth arm of the PNCR, held a peaceful picketing exercise outside of the Office of the President; again it was well organized and there was no incident.

The GYSM activity was the final planned public demonstration by the PNCR in relation to the Dameon Belgrave shooting.

On October 11th, demonstrators at Agricola reacting to the insensitive and irresponsible remarks made

by Dr. Luncheon, burnt tires on the East Bank highway thus impeding the normal

DEAR EDITOR, On the night of Saturday, October 13, into the morning of Sunday, October 14, residents of Patentia, West Bank Demerara, had to endure the worst torment lately, in the form of loud, lewd music until 3am, which was being played somewhere at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara.

I was up until 3am calling all the police stations close by, including the one at Wales, and was rudely told that that does not concern them and they cannot do anything about it and I should call 911, although they were hearing the loud music.

Both Diamond and Grove police stations promised to “search and find the source of the noise”, as they claimed they were not aware of it, but unsurprisingly didn’t do anything, so we were left to endure the mental torture until the promoter decided to stop the “madness”.

I would like to think that being a promoter of such events is the best job in this country, since even the police cannot stop them from

breaking the law by playing deafening music after midnight.

Why are decent, hardworking citizens, children and the elderly subjected to this blatant abuse by some “high ranking people” in society?

Who gives permission for such events which disturb hundreds of people and does not ensure the promoters comply with the law by shutting down at midnight? Why when contacted to enforce the law, the police behave as though the person making the report is committing an illegal act?

How is society benefiting from these horrendous acts of discourtesy, inconvenience and inconsideration?

I hope this letter serves the purpose of which it is intended, that senior police officers take immediate action to stop all forms of noise nuisance. Also some training should be given to police ranks working the night shift to be more professional whilst performing their duties.

Disgusted Patentia Resident

Why are we being subjected to this blatant abuse?

commute for several citizens.

Brigadier David Granger as leader of the PNCR and Chairman of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), on October 12th, issued a press release condemning the incendiary, insensitive and irresponsible remarks made

by Dr. Roger Luncheon Head of the Presidential Secretariat.

The press statement also expressed dismay over reports that commuters were prevented from travelling to their destinations. The

partnership appealed for calm, and for respect for the rights of all citizens. The Grangerled APNU, after being informed of the lawlessness and banditry that occurred during the Agricola demonstrations, was forced to issue yet another press release. This time, APNU condemned all criminal acts and noted the PPP’s record of inserting known thugs and criminals into otherwise justifiable demonstrations to discredit those

demonstrations.

The Partnership (APNU) empathized with the victims that were preyed on by the criminal elements masquerading as protestors and labeled those actions reprehensible. There was also a call for calm and for the public to be alert to the divisive, devilish and destructive tactics of the desperate PPP Ramotar administration.

Now I would like to give Mr. Persaud the benefit of the

doubt and presume that he was just uninformed about what took place on October 11th and who the true authors were. This was not a PNCR exercise and neither was it an APNU demonstration. The David Granger-led PNCR and APNU have no history of violent demonstration. So I would hope that Mr. Charrandass Persaud would withdraw his highly erroneous assumptive letter and be guided by the facts.

Mark Archer

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

Why can’t I have a copy of this Bill of Quantities?

DEAR EDITOR, Recently the Government, through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, made an amount of money available to the Region 2 Administration for the development of a number of sports grounds.

My understanding is that the Regional Executive Officer, with the assistance of the Youth and Sports Officer, will identify these grounds and the tendering process would begin and contracts awarded to persons that submitted bids.

But because of the concern or dissatisfaction of the youths and the beneficiaries of the Pomona Playground, that is next to the Aurora Secondary School and is under the direct ownership and supervision of the Good Hope/Pomona Neighbourhood Democratic Council (N.D.C.), I was

approached and asked to air their concerns at the Local Government Committee Meeting and also the R.D.C. Meetings.

The first thing I did was to seek to have a copy of the Bill of Quantities, a document that will have in detail, the amount, size, quality of the materials that must be used, the amount of sand, clay and all other information, including the size of the building (shed) regarding this project.

It is strange but true that after several checks with the Overseer of the N.D.C. Office in question, the Office of the R.E.O., the Assistant R.E.O., The District Development Officer, and having this issue raised at several Committee Meetings, the local Government Committee, the Works Committee and also the R.D.C. Meetings, persons including the

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Regional Chairman are tightlipped about this important document.

The residents especially the youths who are the main beneficiaries of this project are very much disturbed that they did not get value for money, the quantity of sand that was placed there is far below what was expected and the size of the shed that was promised is smaller.

Knowing this ground well, I can confirm that the broken down shed that was on the south-western side of the ground was removed and placed to the southeastern side, using the same old materials including the zinc sheets, and for an enormous sum of money.

There is a conspiracy among senior government Officials of this region not to make this Bill of Quantities public.

I am therefore asking that the subject Ministers, Local Government and Culture, Youth and Sport investigate.

Archie Cordis A.F.C. Councillor Region 2

The new dispensation through the electorate has apparently changed nothing DEAR EDITOR, This new dispensation in Parliament through the electorate seems to have done nothing to change the behavioral pattern of both the Government and the coalition opposition.

It is business as usual for this regime, as every issue of concern tabled in Parliament by the opposition, has been swept under the carpet, and man in the street has become so frustrated that citizens have decided to turn their attention to the newly created people’s parliament to air their concerns and seek refuge.

It is the view of many that the opposition has not delivered on their promises and do not realize that politics is not for babes and suckling, especially when dealing with a regime consisting of bold-faced, corrupt, double-dealers, who have demonstrated their arrogance, and shameless defiance to truth.

I must remind citizens that wherever their concerns are likely to be urgently addressed, that

is the way to go. There is no time to waste, and do not subject yourselves to those who fail to address your concerns.

Tw e n t y years of suffering accompanied by promises is unbearable and the change you voted for, must be at no price or attachment. While the grass is growing the horse is starving.

I expressed my concern in your newspaper about the turbulent contractual steward at the Bartica hospital who is a lackey of this regime and one who has been a thorn in the flesh of the staff. It seems as if no one is capable or has the courage to confront this situation thus bringing an end to this unwarranted and continuous torment of employees of that medical institution.

This individual was undeservedly placed in this position by those in authority, bypassing suitably qualified candidates for the position.

According to confirmed reports it is an ongoing nightmare for employees

once they are not supporters of this regime.

Transfers and dismissals at random are some of the measures used by this individual. It is rumoured that this individual’s contract has been renewed for another three years, after years of discrimination and marginalization of staff.

I have spoken to those who should have brought some relief to these frustrated employees instead the aforementioned individual has cemented their position of authority.

The last person I spoke to concerning this i n d i v i d u a l ’s u n e n d i n g contract was the shadow Minister for Health, who promised to feverishly confront this matter, but as I said earlier, the era of promises remains with us. For politicians, I hope my missive attracts the desired attention with urgency, a closure to this unbearable bold-faced, disrespectful and highhanded behavior by this regime, and a review of this person’s contract Umar Saied

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 7

Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

The police’s inability or reluctance to solve high profile executions is troubling DEAR EDITOR, I, like many citizens, am troubled by the police’s inability or reluctance to solve high profile executions.

If one were to follow the sequence of events leading to execution they all have the same pattern.

(1) Background checks on victims will reveal the motive behind the killing.

(2) There is solid intelligence out there that suggests that none of the killers hired to carry out these executions reside in Guyana.

They are based in Venezuela, Cayenne and Suriname.

(3) All executions are well planned to the finest detail; victims are placed under surveillance for months by local people from the underworld. In many instances, ranks of police response teams are infiltrated, resulting in delayed responses.

(4) Killers enter and leave the country, illegally, through the backtrack routes.

(5) Intelligence out there suggests that the cost of executions is between US$500–US$25,000 depending on the status of the person.

(6) Intelligence suggests that three of the regularly used hit-men are Venezuelan nationals, four are Guyanese living in Cayenne, and one Guyanese and one Surinamese living in Suriname.

(6) Raw intelligence suggests that there are 3 locations in central Georgetown, where one can go and take pictures of the person, address and payments for execution.

(7) Raw intelligence suggests that weapons used in these executions are dropped off and picked up after execution by rogue cops and ex-cops who still possess their police ID. (8) There are many citizens out there who can help the police identify most of the killers who are responsible for executions, but are scared to cooperate with the police.

(9)There are other persons out there from the underworld who are being targeted for execution before December because of sour drug deals.

(10) There is a business woman who is involved in a property dispute after her husband died, she is currently being stalked and intimidated by persons known and

DEAR EDITOR, Parliament opened yesterday and the barricades were put in defiance of a parliamentary motion stopping the blockade. It calls into question what was the purpose of our votes in the last election. Parliament is now a joke in the eyes of the nation.

The Parliament passed a motion to stop the barricades but the Police Commissioner ignored Parliament.

Christopher Jones told a PNC rally at Stabroek Market Square last Friday that the PNC would pull down the barricades. Jones drove up to Parliament yesterday, saw three barricades, and quietly went into the National Assembly. Not only APNU, but the PNC is becoming an embarrassment to their supporters This same Commissioner has been lecturing the police force since the Linden deaths on professionalism, but you wonder if he operates with professional values himself.

I confronted the officers in charge outside of Parliament with a letter the Police Commissioner wrote. I had a problem getting them

to tell me who was in charge.

One officer wanted to know who was in charge in relation to what. I got agitated and told him there has to be an officer in charge of operations outside of Parliament I showed him a letter by the Commissioner in which he stated that pedestrians would be allowed to cross the barricades. This was because the police were preventing people from walking on the streets that had the blockade.

All the ranks rejected the Commissioner’s letter telling me that was a matter for the Police Commissioner not them.

I called the Commissioner and he refused to take responsibility for his police duties by indicating that Commander Vyphuis was the person to speak to. Vyphius listened to me, said not a word, then hung up.

This is the Guyana Police Force for you. These people, from the Commissioner right down, have no respect for professional values and are not going to professionalize the force. The Guyana Police Force makes a mockery of this country Frederick Kissoon

The police force makes a mockery of this country

unknown. This business woman has no confidence in the Police and has turned to my agency for help to save her life. We are in the process of gathering information to forward to the police as this woman, if it wasn’t for my agency’s intervention, would have surely been added to the list of unsolved murders.

In view of the foregoing, I call on the Deputy Commissioner of Crime, Mr. Seelall Persaud who is a

committed, dedicated and competent law enforcement officer and a man who is above reproach, to put in place the following: 1) Reactivation of the Criminal Intelligence Unit, headed by an officer who can manage and control intelligence.

2.) Shift around divisional CID Officers, Inspectors, Sergeants, every 6 months to other divisions.

3.)

Identify new,

committed, dedicated and competent ranks to form a new Police Narcotics Branch - former retired senior superintendent Phillip Armstrong should be recalled to head that section.

4.) Identify new ranks trained in interviewing and interrogation and deception detection techniques to support Mr. Trevor Reid, O/ C Homicide 5.) Have the Criminal Intelligence Unit and Police

Special Branch monitor the activities of CID Ranks placed in sensitive positions.

If urgent action is not taken to put a halt to execution-style killing, we will have a complete breakdown of Law and Order, as sections of the Police Force have been infiltrated by the underworld.

I also call on leaders of the opposition parties and civil society to come forward and take a stand.

Robert Gates

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Masquerade art form, historical events to be highlighted for Mash The fact that the masquerade art form is currently in jeopardy has prompted the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to engage intervening measures.

According to Minister with responsibility for the Ministry, Dr Frank Anthony, “the masquerade art form is suffering because the bands that we used to have we are no more having them.”

Against this background, he said that efforts are being made to organize an international conference on masquerade later this year.

The Minister said that the Ministry is collaborating with the Guyana Cultural Association of New York to host the event in December.

“They will be coming here and we will be talking and discussing our masquerades…We will be looking at music lyrics and we will also be showing some films and hopefully out of this workshop we can re-energize people to get more involved in the masquerade bands.”

These bands, according to Dr Anthony, have a long tradition and “we do not want

this part of our heritage to disappear so it is incumbent on all of us to sustain this art form.”

The Minister’s disclosure was forthcoming as he officially launched the 2013 Mashramani activities on Friday on Main Street Avenue.

The Mashramani activities, which will entail a number of events including song competitions, physical display and building décor competitions, are set to culminate on February 23, 2013 (Republic Day) with a grand, colourful street parade.

However, according to the Minister there are plans to make the parade even bigger, a move which will warrant the support of more companies and organizations including Non-Governmental Organisations.

“The parade is as good as we make it and therefore I am appealing to people to come out and make it a big and wonderful parade,” said the Minister.

Relating very ambitious expectations for the ‘celebration after hard work’,

Culture Minister Dr Frank Anthony makes a presentation flanked by representations of mannequins depicting the birds of Guyana Dr Anthony said that come next year “we have the opportunity of celebrating two important milestones in our country’s history.”

He was at the time alluding to the 250 th anniversary of the Berbice slave revolution and the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured immigrant to Guyana. “…In 1763 you would recall that we had the

revolution in Berbice…I want to challenge some of our companies that we must not let a milestone like this go unnoticed and so I feel that one of the fitting ways that we can celebrate this, is to have a nice float depicting 250 years since the revolution.”

The Mashramani activities, according to Dr Anthony, will also entail a special excursion to the

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Berbice River in an attempt to enlighten those who are unaware of where the revolt occurred.

In throwing out his challenge to the corporate society, the Minister said that “we need to take these milestones on board during our parade to showcase these important and historic events in our country.”

“I want to challenge you to not only make our parade next year fun but we must make it educational as well, so that we can teach the current generation about our heritage and our history,” said the Minister.

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 9

CHRISTMAS LOOKING GOOD! The government and the opposition had better amend the laws of Guyana to prescribe life imprisonment without any possibility of parole for the offense of battery. If they do not, then a small group of persons is likely to create a ruckus in the country.

And while the government and opposition are at it they had better also amend the same laws to ensure that it has extra jurisdictional application because it seems as if there is a handful of persons who want to ensure that anyone who is accused to battery in the United States is not allowed to perform in Guyana.

Those persons are going to have a rude awakening because when Chris Brown holds his concert in Guyana come Boxing Day it is going to be a sold out event.

The only persons who are likely to stay away from the show are those that would have stayed away anyhow.

No one who wants to see Chris Brown is going to stay home because of the past record of abuse by Brown of his former girlfriend, Rihanna.

Chris Brown was charged for that assault. He was sentenced to community service and is on a bond.

He has apologized for his actions and from all accounts the person he assaulted is

now on talking terms with him. They were even seen in public this past weekend.

Now if his accuser can forgive him who are these persons in Guyana who are opposed to Chris Brown coming here to perform?

What do those persons who are opposed to him coming and perform here really want?

Are they suggesting that a man who has paid for whatever wrongs he did is to be punished for the rest of his life? Why are they opposed to him coming here?

Unlike some other artistes, Chris Brown is not promoting violence. He is not advocating abuse. Nothing in his lyrics can be said to be encouraging violence against women.

So why crucify a man who has served his time and paid for whatever wrong he did in his country? How longer do these persons want him to be punished?

It is one thing to condemn a man for what he has done.

It is another thing to hold that over him for the rest of his life even though he may have paid his due, expressed remorse and been granted forgiveness from those whom he hurt.

Those who are opposed to Chris Brown coming to Guyana to perform for Christmas can make all the noise they want. They can

Dem boys seh

Uncle Donald get big birthday sport Everything does come to light. Dem boys seh suh de other day. Now a man claim how he buy $3 million worth of equipment fuh wuk pun de landfill site. Everybody was happy because dem sure de wuk gun done.

But when dem check pun de equipment dem see scrap iron. Right away dem realize that de contractor was buying scrap iron fuh export and nutten fuh do wid de wuk.

A big dragline had no wheel and de only time it gun drive is when Bee Kay put it pun a low bed fuh shipment overseas as scrap.

But that dragline wasn’t de only piece of scrap. Dem had heavy duty trucks, dem had grader, dem had scraper and all of dem big. Is a lot of scrap iron.

Of course, if anybody had to pay tax fuh dem thing de government that collect tax deserve to be put in a barrel and roll overboard.

And dem boys seh that if was de government did help Bee Kay fuh buy dem pieces of equipment then de very government was encouraging de man to fool people.

Somebody was thiefing de money.

De government did help people in de past. It help Barbie Jagdeo suh till he choke. And it still helping de man.

Dem boys seh that hand wash hand mek it clean. Barbie Jagdeo help Uncle Donald celebrate he birthday yesterday.

Uncle Donald tun a big boy and he come home from Cuba just in time.

He hear bout de party that Barbie Jagdeo and Bee Kay plan that he nearly cut short de trip.

When he go to de office dem woman try fuh kiss he. Kwame try fuh kiss he too and Uncle Donald had to slap he and tell he that if he use to kiss president before he better keep that kissing fuh some other president.

But dem boys still wish Uncle Donald a happy birthday.

And he younger than Luncheon.

Talk half and get a gift fuh Uncle Donald.

even have their mouthpieces echo their sentiments. It will not make any difference.

This Boxing Day there is going to be a massive concert in Guyana and Chris Brown will perform to a sold out audience.

Instead of persons being pleased that Guyana can now afford to bring these musical superstars to this country at a price that is affordable to the small man, it seems that the past of Chris Brown, a past that he may want to put behind him, is being dug up and flung in his face. Well that dirt is not

going to reach anywhere near Chris Brown because the tens of thousands that are going to the concert are not going to be bothered by those who feel he should not be performing in Guyana.

Those who are opposed to Chris Browne are going to find out how insignificant they are and how seriously they are taken in this society.

It will deflate some of their egos but it will be an eyeopener when they see how tens of thousands are going to party with Chris Brown for Christmas in Guyana.

Chris Brown is a mega

star. The opportunity to get to see him perform live is a once in a lifetime experience. People who will be coming to Guyana for the holidays- and the flights are almost fully booked already- will have an opportunity that they would not have in the United States of America.

It is not easy to get a ticket to a Chris Brown concert wherever it is held and therefore many of those who will be coming to Guyana from overseas for Christmas may never have seen Chris Brown

l i v e and would love nothing better than to be part of the happenings on Boxing Day. And for the price at which they will see him, well that is the icing on the cake.

Christ Brown for Christmas in Guyana! Now that is going to a great Christmas!

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

De-recognizing the reality of changing power The preparation of the 2013 national budget began since August. To date, the government has not consulted the combined opposition. It is doubtful it will. The indications the past eleven months are that it will not. The ruling party must have decided at one of its plenary sessions that it will not recognize any role for Parliament in the exercise of the power that the Constitution bestows on the Executive even if the Constitution does spell out such a role.

There is nothing in the use of power by the Executive since the combined opposition won more votes in the 2011 elections that would suggest there is going

to be a dialogue between the opposition and governmental leaders. With each passing day, the PPP Government displays a graphic contempt for the electoral reality that the national poll last year produced.

It is this writer’s opinion that more than other policy since the election results, two directions best describe what will be the attitude of the Government towards democracy, inclusiveness and power in general.

The first is the composition of the UG Council. The consensus in the society during the industrial dispute at UG in February this year was that the partisan Council was the problem at UG and what was

needed was a more professional and less politicized Council.

As the Minister of Education engaged the UG stakeholders the Council’s life came to an end. The general expectation was that there would be less party representatives in the Council and a more broad based approach.

When the new names were announced, the old game of the PPP stretching back to Premier Jagan’s rule from 1957 was played out.

The Government returned its quota of party people.

Nothing changed on the UG Council except that the PPP had now given Odinga Lumumba more latitude in Guyana.

He was now the PPP’s nominee in the UG Council and was appointed to the committee dealing with finance and the body that approves appointments of lecturers.

In case you are confused then un-confuse your mind.

This is not another person named Odinga Lumumba.

This is the same dolphin man who is close to the goat Minister (that the goat bit a long time ago but he keeps saying the goat ain’t bite him) and the President himself.

The symbolism behind the retention of the party hacks on the UG Council is the message that power will not be shared. The second policy is the make up of the broadcast authority. Filled with party functionaries, including the female version of Lumumba, who know absolutely nothing about the media and journalism, it is yet another direct message to the opposition and the society that the Executive office will not accommodate an inclusive approach but will exercise power to maximize the domination of the Executive.

There have been other egregious manifestations of the de-recognition of the post-election reality but these two examples should suffice for now along with the

budget impasse.

The question is what is going to happen as we move into the second year of the presidency of the man whose fans call him De Donald. One thing for sure De Donald is not De Man who is running De Show but whether De Donald is running De Show or not, the PPP, as the ruling party, is not going to dialogue with the combined opposition on any kind of inclusiveness.

It will not accept that there are constitutional provisions through which Parliament can limit the power of the Executive.

The Bureaucracy, which is directly controlled by the Executive, since it is subordinate to the Cabinet and takes instructions from the Cabinet (even if the Constitution prevents such interference), is not going to be brave enough to ignore a directive from the Executive and accept instructions from Parliament.

It was Moses Nagamootoo who said that

Frederick Kissoon the Police Commissioner may be in contempt of Parliament.

This opinion arises out of the Commissioner’s letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly in which he boldly rejected the Speaker’s request for an end to police barriers around the streets of Parliament.

The most likely prediction of what is going to take place is that the Executive’s derecognition of the choice the electorate made last November will become a blessing in disguise. As the combined opposition faces increasing contempt by the Executive, it will seek to save the embarrassment by doing something radical.

We don’t know as yet what it will be, but the APNU and the AFC know that sooner or later they will have to save their very existence by doing something.

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 11

National Assembly resumes sittings…

Opposition drowns out Rohee Chants of “Rohee must go” by the opposition-led National Assembly last evening drowned out Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, from getting involved in the business of the House, when sittings of the House re-commenced after a twomonth break.

Rohee was listed to present for a first reading the Firearms (Amendment) Bill 2012, but the opposition slammed the government for continuing to employ Rohee even though the National Assembly has passed a “no confidence” motion against him.

The government remains defiant, with President Donald Ramotar not acting on the “no confidence” motion that called for the dismissal of Rohee.

After lengthy arguments by both sides of the House, the Speaker said he was not clear on whether he could prevent or encourage a Member of the House from presenting a Bill. With no agreement

on both sides, Minister Rohee rose to present the Bill, but he was drowned out by the chants of “Rohee must go.”

The Clerk then rose to read the Bill, as is customary once it is presented, but the o p p o s i t i o n Parliamentarians sought clarity on whether the Bill was read as being presented by Rohee, since they did not hear him reading it.

The Speaker clarified that he had instructed the Clerk to present the Bill, because the rule allows the Clerk to present a Bill on behalf of the government.

The Speaker said he had sought legal advice on what powers he has in such cases.

Before the Bill was read, Opposition Leader David Granger argued that it would be a “damage to our parliamentary democracy” if Rohee was allowed to present the Bill.

He said that the National Assembly must not allow its efforts to be disregarded and to be

described as “a waste of time” and “as the most reckless in history.”

Granger said that the decision of the House to pass a “no confidence” motion against Rohee has been the subject of contempt, and vilification, and the House “must demonstrate the seriousness of its debate and decision making.”

“We took a decision and we must not allow ourselves to be the victims of a pattern of intimidation and spurious challenges,” Granger charged.

He said that if the House has ma d e a decision, that decision must be honoured.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall argued that Minister Rohee was appointed by President Donald Ramotar and therefore the House cannot determine his further employment as a government Minister.

Further, he said that the matter of the “no confidence” motion is before the courts and so the National Assembly should

not prejudice those proceedings.

APNU Parliamentarian, Basil Williams, disagreed with Nandlall on the appointment of Rohee as Minister. He said that the question of censuring Rohee is solely the jurisdiction of the National Assembly.

Williams said that the matter of the government “running to the courts” when the House has legitimately exercised its right, must stop.

AFC Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan added weight to the opposition’s argument, saying the decision ought to be respected, and the government must desist from its “arrogance” on the matter.

He said that the usual thing in Commonwealth democracies is for the Minister to d o t h e honourable and decent thing and leave office, but Minister Rohee is paying absolutely no heed to the decision of the House.

Government Chief Whip Gail Teixeira warned the opposition that if they insist on the matter they will “eat crow in this House.”

Minister Clement Rohee reacts as the opposition chants “Rohee must go.”

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 24, 2012

Public should see the ‘softer side’ of Police Force - Commander Josiah

Some of the scouts getting ready to be invested last Saturday Sixty young men and women were made fullfledged scouts last Saturday at their very own Investiture Ceremony at the Felix Austin Police College (FAPC), Adventure, Corentyne. They had spent the last few months in training and they reaped the full benefits last

weekend when they received their scouting paraphernalia and badges formally making them scouts.

The Scout Association of Guyana was founded in 1909 in what was then British Guiana under the leadership of Sergeant Major George Manley, a member of the

British Regiment stationed there. The first Scout Troop was formed at Queen’s College.

The movement spread rapidly, with Troops being attached chiefly to Church schools.

There were few open Troops in the beginning, but

Senior ranks of the GPF with friends of the Scouting Association of Guyana one which flourished was Troop 39. It was the first Troop to make the overland journey to Kaieteur Falls.

This Troop produced some of Guyana’s finest Scout Leaders - including two Chief Commissioners, D.B. St. Aubyn and Lawrence Thompson. It also produced four Assistant Chief Commissioners for Cub Scouts.

Scouting has a stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development that they may play constructive roles in society.

Sixty scouts from the Angoy’s Avenue and Adventurers’ Scouts groups passed their levels and were made scouts.

Assistant Commissioner of ‘B’ Division, Mr Deryck Josiah, told the gathering that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is not only about maintaining law and order but shaping and moulding the children of this generation so that they can become better young men and women in days to come.

He said that there “is another side to the police.

“People see us as just being here to enforce laws and ensure the right thing is done and to arrest, charge and what’s not...There is a softer side that we would like to present. (We would like) to offer young people a better way of life, mould and fashion the lives of young people in

various communities, for them to understand early in life that there is an alternative to crime...that you live right, obey the laws, do what is right and you will stay out of trouble”.

The Police Force, he said, has invested a lot in young people through craft. “Some learn about crime scene investigation, photography, finger- printing, etc”. “They go to camp and the association would arrange various levels of leadership training.

“We paid for it and allowed them to go. They were involved in our Summer Camp”. He pledged the Force’s continued investment in the scouts.

(Continued on page 27)

These new scouts are fitted and dressed with their scouting attire.

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Mining operations cease water supply at Port Kaituma

G

u y a n a Wa t e r Incorporated (GWI) says that it is currently experiencing operational difficulties at its facility at Port Kaituma, Region One. Mining activities have affected the water supply being utilized by the community, the GWI stated.

According to the utility c o m p a n y, t h e w a t e r production facility serving the community ceased operations yesterday due to mining activities affecting the source of water supply.

GWI’s hinterland team indicated that due to the influx of mud at the source, the pump at the facility is unable to perform as usual.

GWI’s hinterland team has advised that the source of

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Kaieteur News

water cannot be utilized until a significant intervention is executed by relevant authorities to cease all mining activities affecting GWI’s operations in the community.

“This is the second incident of the year in which mining operations have affected GWI’s hinterland service. A GWI team will be visiting the community today to conduct further investigations and to conduct water quality tests in order to take further action.” GWI noted.

“GWI’s hinterland team will be partnering with the regional authorities and all relevant parties to restore normal service to Port Kaituma in the swiftest manner possible.”

Hinterland school feeding programme …

Little evidence that $43M in snacks delivered - Auditor General report Questions have been raised whether some $43M in snacks for children in the hinterland schools were actually delivered. The questions were raised in the 2011 Report of the Auditor General which was laid in Parliament yesterday.

Last year, Government reportedly allocated $1.2B for the countrywide school feeding programme.

However, according to the audit report, checks with the Ministry of Education regarding the programme in Region Nine found little evidence that value was received.

“With regards to the School Feeding Programme in Region Nine, approval was granted for the procurement of snacks from a sole supplier. Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the consolidation of the School Snack Programme in Region Nine, two payments amounting to $42.999M were made to enable preparation and supply of schools snacks to 3,814 students across 48

Children of Jawalla, Region Seven, participating in Government’s school feeding programme. (GINA photo) villages in Region Nine,” the report said.

However, the inadequate documentation, on the related vouchers and at the Ministry, made it difficult to ascertain whether value was received for the sum expended.

According to the short response in the report published: “The Head of B u d g e t A g e n c y acknowledged the finding.”

There were no other explanations. The Audit Office recommended that the Ministry put systems in place to monitor the progress of the programme and to ensure that all relevant documents be affixed to source documents and secure them for audit scrutiny.

Former Education Minister, Shaik Baksh, last

year said that the $1.2B school feeding programme geared to alleviate hunger of poor school children in the hinterland and on the coastland has been having a positive impact on students’ attendance and performance.

He had said that the government is aware of the d i ff i c u l t i e s o f undernourished children to learn academically.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

GUYOIL sees near halfbillion-dollar shortfall in 2011 High acquisition prices, aggressive competition coupled with low margins were factors that contributed to a near half billion shortfall in the gross profit obtained by the Guyana Oil Company during the past year.

This state of affairs was highlighted in the company’s 2011 Annual Report which was yesterday circulated, among other reports, in the National Assembly.

The GUYOIL Report revealed that acquisition prices for refined petroleum products during the past year fluctuated between US$104.22 per barrel and US$138.77 per barrel with an average of US$124.40 per barrel. The pricing concerns were further compounded by what the Report describes as “aggressive competition in the market” which imposed great challenges on the operations of the company.

Its operation last year reflected a $0.495 B decrease in its gross profit indicative of a 14.61 per cent shortfall when compared to its 2010 figures. The gross profit for that period was $2.893B while in 2010 it was $3.388B. The report details too that the net profit before taxation was $1.822B compared to $2.516B in 2010, reflecting a decrease of $0.694B or 27.11 per cent. A total of $1B was earned as net profit after

taxation while in 2010 showed a higher sum of $1.422 B indicating a decrease of $0.422B or 29.7 per cent.

Owing to the price situation the noticeable deficit was reflected despite an increase of sales last year which amounted to $41.213B compared to $26.496B in 2010 representing an increase of $14.717B or 55.55 per cent.

Cost of sales, according to the Report, was in fact $38.319 B compared to $23.108B in 2010 an increase of $15.211B or 65.83 per cent.

It was revealed too that the volume of sales achieved last year was 1,277,380 barrels compared to 977,547 barrels in 2012 reflecting an increase of 299,833 barrels or 30.67 per cent.

GUYOIL is involved in the importation, storage, distribution and marketing of motor gasoline, gasoil, kerosene, fuel oil, Castrol lubricants and bituminous products. The products are distributed through the largest distribution network in the petroleum business in Guyana, comprising 36 dealer-owned and seven Company-owned service stations.

These are all serviced by its three terminal locations in Regions Two, Four and Six. During the past year GUYOIL acquired fuel under the PetroCaribe Agreement from the Venezuelan’s refinery

located in Curacao which is the local company’s main supplier. However, some of its supplies are secured from Trinidad.

According to the Report, too, “despite the challenges, GUYOIL continued to be the leader in stabilising the prices of fuel products to the benefit of the consuming public and industry.”

In an attempt to build and improve its operation the company continued in its bid to partner with BP/Castrol.

This, according to the Report, has allowed it to benefit from extensive training in marketing and product knowledge, thereby enabling it to maintain its market share in the lubricant business despite selling at significantly higher prices than the competitors.

It was outlined too that the company’s drive to expand its market share for fuel and lubricants along with retail pricing strategies coupled with vigorous marketing activities was the key factor contributing to its success in 2011.

However, the report did allude to its vigorous pursuit of trade debtors with the objective of collecting all debts. In fact legal action has been taken where necessary in an attempt to ensure that the company’s credit policy is being strictly adhered to.

From page 6 three sub-divisions, Fort Wellington, New Amsterdam and Whim Police Stations, who further distributed the items in appropriate quantities to the other stations under each subdivision.

In the absence of records, officers at the various Police Stations submitted statements attesting to the receipt and utilisation of items for the feeding of ranks during the elections inlynment.

The contentious E & F’ Division, which covers all the interior locations, including Linden was supplied with food items valued $1.377M; however, no record was maintained for the receipt and utilisation of the items, the audit found.

Notwithstanding this, statements were provided by the relevant Ranks at various Stations attesting to the receipt and utilisation of the food items they would have received and utilized.

The audit report stated that with the exception of ‘B’, E & F’ and `G’ Divisions, there was general consensus that the system used for the

feeding of the Ranks worked effectively, and that the food items supplied were adequate to feed their Ranks during the Inlynment period.

It was added that this system was better than giving the Commanders the cash and have them source the food items.

This, the report said, would have put a strain on them, since additional time and effort would have to be spent on acquiring the items, instead of totally concentrating on technical work in a time where security is required to be at its optimum.

The Officers who were stationed at B’ and “E & F’ Divisions contended that the system could have also worked in their respective Divisions.

However, the items should have been supplied in a timely manner; one or two weeks prior to the Inlynment, since it takes quite some time to reach all the locations under the Divisions.

“It was also stated that the items received were inadequate for the feeding of the Ranks during the

Inlynment period, and that much needed assistance had to be sought from private individuals and businesses to support the feeding of the Ranks.

“However, the assistance received was not documented.” The Head of the Force’s Budget Agency acknowledged the Audit Office’s findings, and assured that steps will be taken to avoid these situations in the future.

The Audit Office recommended that funds should be budgeted in “Elections Year” for future Elections instead of seeking Contingency Fund Advances; the release of funds for Elections should be done in a timely manner so as to provide the Force with adequate time and resources to properly manage activities associated with Elections; and the Force should ensure there is proper record-keeping for all funds related to its activities, especially the outlying Divisions.

Gifts and other assistance received should also be well documented and accounted for.

Excess funds only repaid after public exposure

Tuesday October 23, 2012

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Kaieteur News

BK International spends US$3M on equipment - Walter Willis

Old Bulldozer from BK Quarries

Broken-down Garbage Compactor

B

K International was contracted to work on the Haags Bosch landfill on a build and operate basis.

The company signed a contract in 2010 in accordance with a design

provided by government under an IDB-financed Georgetown Solid Waste Management Programme.

In the wake of criticisms over the operation of the site, BK International issued a statement, last

No daily cover of Garbage

week, to point out that, though the landfill was originally intended to provide for hazardous waste disposal, “the Project Manager, Mr. Walter Willis, is yet to approve a design for the construction of a

Broken-down Hydraulic Excavator

Broken-down Hydraulic Excavator hazardous waste cell.”

BK International added that the Engineer’s estimate for the Project when it was first advertised, and in the contract, is for an e x p e n d i t u r e o f approximately US$1M on

the provision of landfill equipment.

The spokesman added that the contractor has already invested from its own resources “in excess of US$3M value in equipment to operate the

site”.

Yesterday, Mr Walter Willis released photographs of what he said were the US$3 million worth of equipment that BK International procured for work on the landfill site.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

De Sinco boss still critical but stable Not much has changed as it relates to the medical condition of De Sinco Trading boss, Frank De Abreu. He is still listed in a critical condition at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

This newspaper understands that De Abreu has not regained consciousness and remains on a ventilator, but is in a stable condition. Hospital officials said that his condition hasn’t deteriorated or improved; “except that his blood pressure went up.”

The official stated that during the next 24 hours, doctors will be able to ascertain more details about his condition and figure the next move. “The next 24 hours will be crucial. It was initially 48 hours but the first 24 hours have passed so now we wait,” stated the source.

This newspaper understands that no further surgery has been performed. A general surgery was done on De Abreu whose face,

according to reports, was badly disfigured.

The surgery was performed to correct internal bleeding, a punctured right lung, broken rib and damaged liver; and doctors declared that it was successful.

Doctors had also feared damage to De Abreu’s skull but a CT- scan has shown that he was spared such detrimental injuries.

De Abreu’s car, PHH 9488, collided with a fire tender that was reportedly responding to a grass fire in Non-Pareil, East Coast Demerara Sunday morning. This newspaper understands that the fire tender slammed into De Abreu’s Honda which was heading east along Lamaha Street. The fire tender was heading north along Irving Street. The traffic lights at the intersection were not working at the time of the accident.

After the collision, the driver of the fire tender, in an effort to avoid other impacts, steered the vehicle into a nearby canal.

Four fire fighters were in

Frank De Abreu the fire tender at the time.

Although the driver, identified as Marlon Wilson, sustained severe injuries to the head, shoulder, neck and eye, three other firefighters sustained minor injuries and were treated at the hospital and subsequently sent away.

The De Sinco Trading owner was reportedly making his way home after checking up on ongoing rehabilitation works at Guyana’s top school, Queen’s College, since he had recently donated $1.5M for the aforementioned purpose.

Excess funds only repaid ...

From page 3 distribution and utilisation of the food items revealed the following: Adequate records were maintained for the receipt and utilisation of food items ($21.809M) that were supplied to Headquarters, ‘A’ and `D’ Divisions, Tactical Services Unit and Special Constabulary; records were only maintained for items valued $0.640M of the total worth of $3.140M received in `B’ Division,” the recent auditor general report stated.

According to the report it was explained that the food items were distributed to the three sub-divisions, Fort Wellington, New Amsterdam and Whim Police Stations, who further distributed the items in appropriate quantities to the other stations under each subdivision.

In the absence of records, officers at the various Police Stations submitted statements attesting to the receipt and utilisation of items for the feeding of ranks during the elections inlynment.

The contentious E & F’ Division, which covers all the interior locations, including Linden was supplied with

food items valued $1.377M; however, no record was maintained for the receipt and utilisation of the items, the audit found.

Notwithstanding this, statements were provided by the relevant Ranks at various Stations attesting to the receipt and utilisation of the food items they would have received and utilized.

The audit report stated that with the exception of ‘B’, E & F’ and `G’ Divisions, there was general consensus that the system used for the feeding of the Ranks worked effectively, and that the food items supplied were adequate to feed their Ranks during the Inlynment period.

It was added that this system was better than giving the Commanders the cash and have them source the food items. This, the report said, would have put a strain on them, since additional time and effort would have to be spent on acquiring the items, instead of totally concentrating on technical work in a time where security is required to be at its optimum.

The Officers who were stationed at B’ and “E & F’ Divisions contended that the

Member of Parliament ...

From page 3 than the police.

When asked by Commissioner Knights, Trotman said he did not see people using logs from vehicles to block the bridge.

When questioned by police Attorney Peter Hugh, Trotman said the situation did

not necessitate the police actions.

Trotman rejected Attorney Hugh’s suggestion that Hicken was not on the bridge at the times he claimed.

He also refuted the lawyer’s suggestion that he, Trotman, never spoke to Hicken in the area of the bridge.

system could have also worked in their respective Divisions.

However, the items should have been supplied in a timely manner; one or two weeks prior to the Inlynment, since it takes quite some time to reach all the locations under the Divisions.

“It was also stated that the items received were inadequate for the feeding of the Ranks during the Inlynment period, and that much needed assistance had to be sought from private individuals and businesses to support the feeding of the Ranks.

“However, the assistance received was not documented.” The Head of the Force’s Budget Agency acknowledged the Audit Office’s findings, and assured that steps will be taken to avoid these situations in the future.

The Audit Office recommended that funds should be budgeted in “Elections Year” for future Elections instead of seeking Contingency Fund Advances; the release of funds for Elections should be done in a timely manner so as to provide the Force with adequate time and resources to properly manage activities associated with Elections; and the Force should ensure there is proper record-keeping for all funds related to its activities, especially the outlying Divisions.

Gifts and other assistance received should also be well documented and accounted for.

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 19

Medical labs not accredited - Only two of 60 labs being processed

(Jamaica Observer) Despite increasing pressure from Caricom for mandatory accreditation, none of Jamaica’s 65 medical laboratories has been accredited, and the Medical

Laboratories 2005 Act, which would help to streamline this process, is yet to be passed into law.

The latest call from Caricom came during a recent meeting in St Lucia, where

startling information was shared about the quality of medical laboratories in the region. The issue, they said, was important, given the fact that an estimated 70 to 80 per cent of critical decisions made by doctors were based on laboratory results.

In the September issue of the Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) newsletter, it was disclosed that among Caricom countries, only The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, and Guyana have established regulations which make it mandatory for the monitoring and licensing of medical laboratories. Bermuda was the only country that was shown to have implemented mandatory legislation requiring laboratories to become accredited.

Laboratories in Jamaica are currently self-regulated, for the most part, but the Health Facilities Act (Medical Laboratories 2005) is expected to make accreditation mandatory once passed.

A source at the Ministry of Health, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the passing of the Act is one of the priorities for the ministry and it is currently

(Jamaica Observer) Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller says that her Government is now discussing a draft Letter of Intent that will embody its commitments during the period of a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The prime minister made the announcement Sunday, two days after the third Cabinet retreat where the IMF agreement was one of two issues that dominated discussions.

She said a “programme of work” that will address several areas critical to reaching an agreement with the Fund is to be implemented in coming weeks.

According to Simpson Miller, the areas to be addressed include the ongoing public sector wage negotiations, the reduction of discretionary waivers, and setting an “acceptable timeframe” to “achieve the desired debt ratio”, which is now approximately 140 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.

“The Bank of Jamaica will also continue to focus on reducing inflation and supporting financial system stability. In doing so, the

Central Bank will conduct monetary policy within the existing framework of a managed floating exchange rate regime,” she said in a statement prior to her departure for an official visit to Canada.

This, she explained, will maintain the competitiveness of the Jamaican dollar while using its instruments to ensure stability in the money, credit and foreign exchange markets.

Reiterating the importance of the agreement to addressing the country’s social problems, she said the Government was “working as hard as possible to conclude an agreement, but agreements of this sort exist between two parties”.

“The timetable is, therefore, not ours alone to set. The process is a very difficult and complex one. The negotiation requires us to do the best we can to ensure that we get an agreement that is in the best interest of Jamaica.

“An agreement is very important for addressing the critical economic and social problems that the country now faces.

The agreement must ensure that we not only carry out strategic reforms, but also

lay the foundation for sustainable growth. This is the only sound and sustainable basis on which we are going to deal with our very serious public debt situation,” Simpson Miller said.

Meanwhile, the retreat also facilitated the assessment of the progress of each ministry to determine whether they are “meeting the commitments made to the Jamaican people that are outlined in the People’s National Party’s Manifesto”. “...These are in keeping with the national growth agenda being pursued by the Government, while it seeks to honour its commitments to protect the vulnerable,” Simpson Miller said.

She also promised “increased communication of matters of governance” with Jamaicans at home and abroad.

“I have given my ministers the charge not only to be energetic and effective in the running of their ministries, but to have constant communication with the sector groups and communities most directly impacted by the programmes they undertake,” the prime minister said.

CEO of the JANAAC, Marguerite Domville

Gov’t, IMF mull over draft agreement

with the ministry’s legal department.

“We are working on the regulations, but it’s on the legislative agenda, because we have recognised that we need it,” the source told the Jamaica Observer.

Medical laboratories are still able to go ahead and apply for accreditation. But, according to the chief executive officer for the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), Marguerite Domville, only two of the over 60 private and public labs in the island are currently being processed for accreditation. Another 46 laboratory owners have taken application forms , but are yet to submit them.

“Accreditation is not an instant thing, it’s a process, so it takes a little time,” she said. “The statistic worldwide is between six months and two years to become accredited, because they have to meet an international standard.”

Domville said she is aware

of increasing international pressure for Jamaican labs to become accredited, based on standards established in the ISO 15189 medical laboratory standards by the International Organisation for Standardisation’s Technical Committee. Some of the requirements for accreditation, according to this standard, include having a proper quality management system in place and having qualified and trained staff.

Domville said many of the labs are currently working towards ensuring that they meet all the requirements before they turn in their applications.

“They will do so as soon as they are comfortable that they have all the different quality management systems in place,” she said, adding that while the laboratories in Jamaica have seen drastic improvements over the years, self-declaration is no longer accepted throughout the world, hence the urgent need for accreditation.

“There are dishonest people, and the results have

to be correct in the case of medical labs. If not, you will have serious errors,” she said.

Meanwhile, managing director of Central Medical Laboratories Limited, Audrey Clarke, believes the Medical Laboratories Act is long overdue.

“I think we are moving slowly,” she said in regard to the passing of the Act. She said that although her laboratory conforms to international standards and has never come into question, accreditation would create a certification that has worldwide acceptability.

Managing director of Mid Lab, Eunice Griffiths, said she, too, did not have a problem with the call for mandatory accreditation. She too believes that talk of the impending law has caused some labs to tighten up where necessary.

“What it has done is that it has raised the bar in the labs, because I would say not all, but most labs, are already on their way to applying for accreditation,” she said.

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

- Audit finds T&T did not get value in sale of BWIA’s London Heathrow slots for £5m (T&T Express) A forensic management audit commissioned by Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar has found that this country did not get value for money in the £5 million sale of its prime slots at Heathrow Airport in London, England, by former British West Indies Airways (BWIA) to British Airways in 2007.

The audit committee found that the fair market value of the slots then ranged from £23 million to £44 million.

The slots are used for the loading and unloading of passengers and baggage and re-fuelling and re-stocking of the aircraft at Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports.

In March 2011, PersadBissessar, upon her return from an official trip to London, requested Attorney General Anand Ramlogan investigate the circumstances surrounding the sale and whether there were any breaches in the process.

Economist Jwala

Rambarran, now Central Bank Governor, had chaired the Cabinet-appointed committee along with Dr Bijan Vasigh and compiled a 137-page report which cast blame on the former People’s National Movement (PNM) ministers who were involved in the process, namely former public administration minister Dr Lenny Saith, former minister in the Finance Ministry Conrad Enill, former minister in the Finance Ministry Christine Sahadeo and former chairman of the BWIA board of directors Arthur Lok Jack.

The committee’s report, dated May 8, 2012, recommended Parliament convene a special session at which, at a minimum, the former ministers and directors should be called upon to account for the role which they played in the slots sale.

The committee recommended further that Cabinet formally refer a copy of the forensic/management audit to the Attorney General for consideration “as to what

actions, if any, may be pursued against any of the above-mentioned former public officials, having regard to all of the circumstances of the case”.

According to the report obtained by the Express, the committee found the fair market value of the BWIA London Heathrow prime slot pair ranged from £23 million to £44 million in 2006 and, at a minimum, this was nearly five times more than the £5 million which BWIA received from British Airways.

“The committee also concluded that both the board and executive management of BWIA failed to fully assess the potential value of the London Heathrow slots, and the then Minister of Finance, in his capacity as corporation sole, failed to act to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago obtained fair market value for its strategic national air transport asset, the London Heathrow slots,” stated the report.

Jwala Rambarran “The Committee concluded that there is sufficient prima facie evidence to suggest that the former board of directors of BWIA and/or one or more of their members, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, who is the accounting officer to BWIA, and the former minister of finance as corporation sole were negligent in the exercise of those responsibilities that are prescribed to them by Act No 5 of 1973 (Chapter 69:03) Minister of Finance (Corporation Sole), the Exchequer and Audit Act Chapter: 69.01 and Financial Regulations 1965, and the Companies Act Chapter 81:01 in the divestment of BWIA’s London Heathrow Slots,” the report added.

The report further found that in the divestment of a State asset, Lok Jack was not reporting to the minister of Finance as corporation sole or even to the line minister of works and transportation, but reporting directly to Saith.

The report stated that Lok Jack was in possible breach of provisions of the Companies Act, “as he failed to take the necessary steps, inter alia, to efficiently and effectively manage the affairs of BWIA and to act, in good faith, in the interest of the airline or to otherwise discharge his fiduciary duties to the company”.

The committee concluded that the former BWIA executive management failed to carry out a detailed analysis of the impact of the positive market conditions on the fair market value of the BWIA London Heathrow slots at that time, especially the impact of the escalation of slot values in the wake of the Open Skies Agreement by the United States and the European Union.

Continued on page 21

Permell: US$295m land deal sank CL Financial (T&T Express) “The single transaction that caused the CL Financial empire to fall.”

This is how Peter Permell, chairman of the CLICO policyholders group, has labelled a billion-dollar purchase of property in Florida, USA, known as the Green Island Transaction.

Permell is now calling on Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to conduct a forensic investigation into the billion-dollar deal.

The CLICO policyholders group held a press conference at Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre in St Ann’s Saturrday.

At the press conference Permell spoke of the US$295 million purchase of 6,000 acres of land in Osceola County in January 2008, which he called the “most egregious example of mismanagement”.

Permell said the purchase price of the land deal worked out to US$50,000 an acre.

Roy Partin and his family, the owners of the land, were willing to sell the property for US$200 million, Permell said.

The transaction was conducted by British American Insurance Company Limited (BAICO).

BAICO is an 82 per cent owned subsidiary of CL Financial.

On September 4, 2008, the land deal was brought to the

attention of the CL Financial board of directors.

At that board meeting it was agreed that British American’s future was “possibly at risk”.

Lawrence Duprey, CL Financial executive chairman, was authorised to take whatever steps he deemed necessary to correct the transaction.

Among the financing for the billion-dollar investment was a US$12 million loan from First Citizens Bank, a US$20 million loan from Caribbean Money Market Brokers (CMMB) and US$26 million from British American (Trinidad) Limited.

An Ernst and Young report has stated that “all the loans were in default”.

On May 24, 2010, the Partins obtained a judgment for US$171,089,787.33 plus a per diem interest of US$95,205.48 for each day after September 1, 2010, that the money owed to them remained outstanding. On January 26, 2011, the Partins got back the property. Two lawsuits were filed by the court-appointed managers of BAICO at the United States Bankruptcy Court against former directors including Duprey.

BAICO’s current managing director Ramchand Ramnarine filed a lawsuit to have both lawsuits dismissed Continued on page 21

Granma and Trabajadores newspapers published yesterday an article written by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro rejecting rumours recently circulating about his health.

In his article titled “Fidel Castro is Dying,” the former president said that as soon as his message addressed to the first graduates from the Victoria de Giron Medical Science Institute was published, news agencies began to unleash their lies, even adding the most unexpected and stupid arguments.

Spain’s ABC newspaper said that a Venezuelan doctor revealed that Castro had suffered from a massive stroke and that he was about to enter a neuro-vegetative condition, Castro explained in his article.

Though many people in the world are misled by the media, most of which are in the hands of the privileged

and the rich, the people increasingly disbelieve the press, said Castro, and he went to recall that in 1961 everybody believed some news agencies saying that the Bay of Pigs mercenaries were about to reach Havana, when in fact some of them were actually trying to return to the US warships that had escorted them.

Castro also recalled in his article that just a few days before the 50th anniversary of the missile crisis, the news agencies pointed to three guilty ones: Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev and Castro, and he noted that Cuba had nothing to do with the nuclear weapon, or with the unnecessary massacre in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was perpetrated by US President Harry S. Truman, an action that established the tyranny of nuclear weapons. Cuba was defending its right to independence and social justice, Castro pointed out.

Fidel Castro rejects rumours of ill health HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) —

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Plea bargaining can help with case backlog - US Ambassador tells J’cans

US Ambassador to Jamaica Pamela Bridgewater (Jamaica Observer) MONTEGO BAY, St James — US Ambassador to Jamaica Pamela Bridgewater is advocating the use of plea bargaining to assist with clearing up the backlog of cases in the judicial system.

“We know that plea bargaining can free up valuable time and resources for cases in which prosecutors and the accused

cannot reach an agreement in their mutual interests, and trial becomes necessary,” the US diplomat argued.

“We are encouraged that Jamaica is examining existing ways to reduce its backlog of court cases,” she added.

Noting that “Jamaica’s laws allow for plea bargaining between the Government and the accused parties in order to facilitate prompt trials”, the

American emissary stated, while arguing that the provision is seldom applied.

She revealed that last month a United States prosecutor facilitated a oneday workshop in Kingston in which “ways to make Jamaica’s plea bargaining system work better” were explored. The seminar was attended by, among others, Minister of National Security

From page 20 on the grounds of “lack of personal jurisdiction”. On September 28, Ramnarine’s motion to dismiss was denied by the judge.

“The order states inter alia that based on the evidence currently before the court, there does not appear to be a forum that would provide a more efficient judicial resolution of this controversy,” Permell said.

“It is likely that the claim

against Ramnarine could be brought in another country.

“The Commission of Enquiry which was set up by the present administration was set up to investigate the causes for the demise of CLICO and British American and some of the subsidiary companies (of CL Financial including) CIB (CLICO Investment Bank) and so on.

What these documents are saying is that that particular transaction is the single

transaction that one can point to that actually caused those companies to become insolvent and therefore that transaction caused significant losses to British American Trinidad, First Citizens Bank which is a state-owned bank, CMMB, which you know is now taken over by First Citizens Bank and CLF because CLF committed itself to take over the project,” said Permell.

From page 20 London Heathrow, stated the report, had the most valuable landing slots in the world.

“The Committee concluded that there was sufficient empirical evidence to indicate that the sum of £5 million accepted by the board and executive management of BWIA did not represent fair market value for the country’s strategic national air transport asset, the London Heathrow slots,” the report added.

The report noted that the former BWIA board relied heavily on the advice of its international aviation lawyers, Clyde and Co, which estimated that the value of the BWIA London Heathrow Slots was about £5 million based on the nature of the

slots and on historical data on previous transactions in which they were involved.

“The committee found no evidence to indicate that Clyde and Co used a formal valuation model to estimate a fair market value for the BWIA London Heathrow slots.

“The committee concluded that the board and executive management of BWIA were misinformed that the value of the BWIA London Heathrow slot could not be established through formal independent valuation, as several slot valuation models did exist,” stated the report.

The committee also constructed an economic model to estimate the impact of the sale of BWIA’s London Heathrow slots on the wider

Trinidad and Tobago economy. It found that the impact that was likely is as follows: • A reduction of more than $5 billion (US$800 million) in Trinidad and Tobago’s GDP over the course of a decade, or equivalent to a loss of 3.5 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago’s 2011 GDP; • A reduction of almost 13,000 persons employed over the course of a decade, or equivalent to a loss of two per cent of Trinidad and Tobago’s 2011 labour force; and • A reduction of $670 million in tax receipts over the course of a decade, or equivalent to a loss of just over 1.5 per cent of 2011 tax receipts.

Permell: US$295m land...

Peter Bunting, Justice Minister Senator Mark Golding, Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington, and 100 judges, magistrates, prosecutors, defence attorneys, and police officers.

Ambassador Bridgewater argued, too, that the backlog often undermines law enforcement efforts.

“Such inefficacy contributes to impunity for many of the worst criminal offenders and gangs, an abnormally low rate of violent crimes convictions, lack of cooperation by witnesses and jurors, frustration among police officers, prosecutors, judges, and the public.

This comes at significant social cost, drain on the economy, and disincentive for tourists and international investment,” she said.

“We believe the judicial system must administer justice to criminals and enable offenders to become rehabilitated.

Those persons who labour in criminal courts to advocate or adjudicate criminal matters on behalf of the state are often illequipped, understaffed and overwhelmed.”

While acknowledging that faced with acute fiscal challenges, Jamaica is not in a position to inject more resources into the justice system, she highlighted alternate approaches to tackling the problem and pledged America’s support.

“The United States, for example, will provide for court training for prosecutors that will allow them to work more efficiently and effectively.

Relatively small investments in training, advisors, computerised case management systems, and digital court reporting equipment can yield good dividends,” she noted.

Bridgewater, meanwhile, said she was impressed with the nation’s war on corruption and lauded the

five-year-old Anti-Corruption Branch.

“I am happy to report that under the leadership of Commissioner Ellington, the JCF’s Anti-Corruption Branch has identified and removed officers engaged in corrupt and unethical behaviour.

Since 2007 when it started, more than 400 JCF officers have been dismissed for corruption or ethical violations,” Ambassador Bridgewater said.

She added: “Jamaica has made progress in its battle against corruption with the passage of the key anticorruption laws and the establishment of the Office of the Contractor General.

Corruption has no place anywhere, and particularly not in the law enforcement and judicial systems where it undermines the credibility needed for security forces to have citizens’ respect”.

The Ambassador was speaking Saturday night at the St James Civic Committee Annual Police Ball held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Syria rebels pessimistic on mediator’s ceasefire plan

Members of the Free Syrian Army raise a black flag over a tank that belonged to pro-government forces after they took over the site from them early Monday in Salqin city in Idlib. (Credit: Reuters/Asmaa Waguih) (Reuters) - Syrian rebels cast doubt yesterday on prospects for a temporary truce aimed at stemming bloodshed in the 19-monthold conflict, saying it was not clear how an informal ceasefire this week could be implemented.

International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, who held talks in Damascus on Sunday with President Bashar alAssad, has proposed Assad’s forces and the rebels hold fire during the three-day Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha which starts on Friday.

His call has won the backing of international powers on both sides of the crisis including Iran and Russia, which have provided support to Assad, and Turkey, which backs the rebels in a conflict that has killed 30,000 people.

But neither Syria’s army nor the rebels have shown signs of easing off as Eid nears. More than 200 people were killed on Sunday in fighting and bombardments including 60 soldiers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Yesterday the Britishbased group reported army shelling in Deir al-Zor in the east and Deraa in the south, as well as heavy clashes in towns and suburbs around the capital Damascus.

“This truce is just a media bubble. Who is going to implement it and who is going to supervise it?” said Colonel Qassem Saadeddine, a former army officer who defected and is now head of a rebel military council in Homs province.

“We are still committed to any UN decision. But on this truce...what is the mechanism to implement it?” Saadeddine, who is also spokesman of the joint command of the Free Syrian Army inside Syria, told Reuters.

He said rebels had implemented the last ceasefire in Syria - an April 12 deal brokered by former mediator Kofi Annan - but that Assad’s forces had not honored it.

Syrian authorities say it was they who implemented and rebels who broke the ceasefire.

Another rebel commander in Damascus, who declined to be named, was more blunt: “The truce will not happen.

We will not accept it. It’s not in our interest,” he said, adding that a three-day truce would achieve little anyway.

JORDANIAN SOLDIER KILLED Syria’s conflict has spilled over into its neighbors in recent weeks. The army has exchanged cross-border fire with Turkey, a Lebanese intelligence chief whose

investigations implicated Syrian officials was assassinated on Friday and a Jordanian soldier was killed near the border overnight.

Information Minister Samih Maaytah said the soldier, who died in clashes with Islamist fighters trying to cross into Syria, was the first to die on the Syrian border

since the uprising erupted against Assad last year.

Brahimi declined to say how Assad had responded to his ceasefire appeal. After his talks with the president he said the idea had won wide support among rebels and the political opposition, but suggested it was up to individual groups to decide how to implement it.

“Everyone can start this when they want, today or tomorrow for example, for the period of the Eid and beyond,” he told reporters.

Syria has not publicly embraced Brahimi’s proposal and state media quoted Assad as telling him that any initiative must be centered around “halting terrorism and ... commitment by the countries involved in supporting, arming and harboring the terrorists in Syria to stop these actions”.

Syrian authorities blame neighboring Turkey in particular for the bloodshed because it has sheltered

mainly Sunni Muslim rebels fighting to overthrow Assad, from Syria’s Alawite minority which is an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam. Gulf Sunni powers Saudi Arabia and Qatar also support arming the rebels.

“The indications that are now apparent and the government’s reaction...do not show any signs of a real desire to implement this ceasefire,” said Ahmed Ben Hilli, deputy secretarygeneral of the Arab League.

“We are days away from Eid. We hope the situation changes and the government and opposition respond even a little bit to this door for negotiations,” he said on the sidelines of a conference in Dubai.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein AmiAbdollahian called for both sides to establish a lasting ceasefire, and said the two sides in the conflict were beginning to converge.

“The views of different sides are getting closer to

each other and they have reached the conclusion that they should consider a political solution in Syria,” Abdollahian said after talks with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov.

His comments might reflect the growing concerns of outside powers at the relentless bloodshed but on the ground both parties to the armed conflict appear committed to a military solution.

The Syrian Observatory said there were heavy clashes in towns around Damascus such as Harasta, Douma and Artouz, and said helicopter gunships fired rockets on a village in the northern province of Idlib.

Rebel fighters also attacked a military base at Wadi al-Deif, close to the town of Maarat al-Numan which they seized earlier this month, cutting the country’s main north-south highway linking Damascus and Aleppo.

Barack) Obama has found that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been willing to go that route,” Carter added.

He spoke during a visit along with other members of “The Elders”, a group of former world leaders, to Israel, the occupied West Bank and Egypt.

“All indications to us is that this two-state solution has basically been abandoned and we’ve had a moving forward towards a ‘greater Israel’ which I think is contrary to the two-state solution concept,” Carter said.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2010 over settlement building in the West Bank, territory Israel captured in a 1967 Middle

East war that Palestinians seek, with the Gaza Strip, for a future state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Netanyahu has voiced support for a two-state solution, but has said a future Palestinian country must be demilitarized and accept an Israeli military presence along the Jordan River, its likely eastern frontier.

He has said Israel was willing to make “painful compromises” for peace that require giving up “parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland” but has balked at returning to lines that existed before the 1967 conflict.

Israel cites historical and Biblical links to the West Bank, which it calls Judea and Samaria.

Israel not committed to two-state solution: Carter

(Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter yesterday said the IsraeliPalestinian peace process had reached a crisis point and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was not pursuing a two-state solution.

“That policy of promoting a two-state solution seems to be abandoned now and we are deeply concerned about this move towards this catastrophic so-called onestate choice ... this is a major concern,” Carter told a news conference.

Carter helped forge Israel’s peace deal with Egypt in 1979, the first between the Jewish state and an Arab country but has been a strong critic of Israeli settlement policy in the

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“Every (Israeli) prime minister that I have known has been a pursuer of the twostate solution and I don’t know that (U.S. President

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 23

BBC chief to face MPs over sex abuse scandal

BBC director-general George Entwistle arrives at his home in London last night (Credit: Reuters/Neil Hall)

EU “sucks up decisionmaking” - Hague (Reuters) - Britain is increasingly disillusioned with the European Union which it sees as a “machine that sucks up decisionmaking”, the foreign secretary has said in prepared remarks.

“People feel that the EU is a one way process, a great machine that sucks up decision-making from national parliaments,” William Hague said in an advance text of a speech to be delivered later today in Berlin. “...That needs to change.

If we cannot show that decision-making can flow back to national parliaments then the system will become d e m o c r a t i c a l l y unsustainable,” Hague said.

The criticisms of Europe are some of the strongest to be voiced by a British government minister in recent months.

They are likely to strain already frayed ties between Britain and the EU’s power brokers, with Germany increasingly irritated by the isolationist instincts of Prime Minister David Cameron and the bulk of his Conservative MPs. “This coalition government is committed to Britain playing a leading role in the EU but I must also be frank: public disillusionment with the EU in Britain is the

deepest it has ever been,” Hague said.

After a torrid time for Cameron last week, in which a senior minister resigned for ranting at the police and the introduction of a new energy policy was botched, the prime minister will be keen to be seen as reasserting his authority.

Cameron is under pressure to claw back powers from the EU, or even pull Britain out of the 27-member bloc altogether, as antiEurope sentiment mounts among many legislators in his party.

He has said he plans to negotiate a “new settlement” with the EU as it seeks to further integrate in response to the euro zone’s debt crisis, but Cameron rejects opting out altogether given that Britain does almost half its trade with EU countries.

Another restraining influence on Cameron comes from the keenly pro-Europe Lib Dems, the junior partners in his coalition government.

The prime minister has promised a “tough” and “rigorous” approach to EU budget negotiations next month, and has pledged to block a proposed banking union in the euro zone if it does not contain safeguards for Britain’s own vast financial sector.

(Reuters) - The head of the BBC goes before MPs today with the publicly funded British broadcaster facing one of the biggest crises in its history over accusations it pulled a probe into sexual abuse by a former presenter as part of a wider cover-up.George Entwistle, who only took charge at the 90-year-old media organisation in August, will appear before parliament’s Culture Committee the day after Prime Minister David Cameron said the BBC had serious questions to answer.

Police are investigating allegations Jimmy Savile, once one of Britain’s most celebrated TV stars who died last year, abused women, including girls as young as 12, over a 60-year period with some of the attacks taking place on BBC premises.

Police opened a criminal inquiry into the allegations on Friday, saying more than 200 potential victims had come forward.

Entwistle, whose predecessor Mark Thomson is the New York Times Co’s incoming chief executive, and other managers have come under pressure to explain why rumours about Savile were not investigated at the height of his fame in the 1970s and 80s.

But far more damaging are suggestions an investigation into the alleged sex crimes by the BBC’s flagship “Newsnight” show was pulled a couple of months after Savile’s death in October 2011 because it

would clash with planned Christmas programmes celebrating his life and charity work.

The editor of “Newsnight” stepped aside yesterday after the BBC said he had given an “inaccurate or incomplete” explanation of why his team’s inquiry was dropped, prompting Cameron to voice concern that it appeared the BBC was changing its story.

The furore over Savile is the biggest controversy to surround the BBC since its director general and chairman resigned in 2004 after a judgeled inquiry ruled it had wrongly reported that former Prime Minister Tony Blair had “sexed up” intelligence to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

It comes as British newspapers await the recommendations of a separate wide-ranging inquiry into journalistic ethics following the phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s now closed News of the World tabloid.

INDEPENDENT REVIEWS “If there was corporate jiggery pokery - I’m saying ‘if ’ as there’s no reason to believe there was ... then George is at the heart of it,” Steve Hewlett, a media consultant and former BBC editor, told Reuters.

“Were it to emerge that Newsnight had been tinkered with because of corporate interests then that would be a disaster.”

At the time of the Newsnight investigation, Entwistle was head of BBC Vision, which oversees BBC t e l e v i s i o n ’s commissioning and programming.

Panorama said the BBC’s head of news, Helen Boaden, had briefly told him in December about the programme’s investigation and that as a result he might have to change his Christmas programming schedules, which included Savile tributes.

Neither Boaden or Entwistle provided responses to Panorama about the conversation, the BBC said.

The BBC has launched two independent reviews of the allegations, but Entwistle will face scrutiny from MPs as to why his organisation has a p p a r e n t l y p u t o u t partial or misleading information since rival channel ITV first aired the accusations against Savile at the end of last month.

“Why was it (the Newsnight investigation) dropped? Why is it that the initial reasons given, now appear to be contradicted by the journalists involved?” committee chairman John Whittingdale said, adding the suspicion of interference damaged the BBC’s reputation.

He said the committee also wanted to know why Savile’s behaviour at the BBC had not been challenged when he was alive.

While Savile was little

known beyond Britain, the eccentric, cigar-chomping one-time DJ was one of the most recognised TV personalities on British television, hosting prime-time shows.

But former colleagues have now come forward to say there had been rumours for years involving young girls and Savile, famous for his garish outfits and long blonde hair, and later knighted by the Queen for his charity work.

Other BBC employees have talked of a culture at the corporation where women were groped and have hinted that Savile was not the only household name to have been involved.

“The whole Savile business is certainly one of the worst (crises) ... because Savile became what he became because of the BBC and he appears to have abused BBC premises and programmes and staff to cover his tracks at the very least,” Hewlett said.

“That’s very difficult for the BBC who depend on the trust and affection of licence payers for their existence really. Anything that undermines or damages that is serious.”

Paid for by a yearly levy of 145.50 pounds on all British households with a colour TV, critics have queried whether such this licence fee funding arrangement should continue when some private media companies are struggling.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Russia condemns United States for human rights record (Reuters) - Russia accused the United States yesterday of double standards on human rights, criticizing its failure to close Guantanamo Bay prison and its use of the death penalty while the U.S. Congress considers a law which could punish Moscow for alleged abuses.

Russia and the United States attempted to “reset” their relations when President Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009, but ties have turned decidedly cooler

since Vladimir Putin declared last year he planned to return to the presidency.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has declared that Russia is Washington’s number one geopolitical foe, while Moscow has chafed under recent U.S. allegations that it harbors human rights abusers.

Now two weeks before the U.S. presidential election, the State Duma lower parliament house held a three-hour hearing criticizing its former

Cold War foe.

“The U.S. claim on the role of absolute leader in the sphere of human rights is unsustainable and is not confirmed by practical realities,” Itar-Tass quoted the Foreign Ministry’s human rights envoy Konstantin Dolgov as saying to lawmakers.

The Duma hearing took the form of a presentation by the Foreign Ministry recommending actions by the lawmakers.

Russia also said the

United States used human rights as a pretext for meddling in the affairs of sovereign states around the world, in a veiled jibe at Washington’s handling of an uprising in Libya. “(Russian authorities) must defend against policies being carried out by the United States directed at using the concept of rights as an instrument of pressure and as a basis for intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign governments,” the Foreign Ministry

presentation read.

That echoed a foreign policy decree Putin signed the day he was inaugurated in May, which said Moscow would seek closer ties with the United States but would not tolerate interference in its affairs and would “counter attempts to use human rights ... as an instrument of political pressure”.

In power since 2000, Putin has frequently accused the United States of meddling in the affairs of Russia and other nations.

Congress is considering a bill that would require the U.S. government to impose sanctions on people believed responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky, an anticorruption lawyer who died in a Moscow jail in 2009, and other human rights violators.

Romney and some lawmakers have demanded the bill be adopted if the United States upgrades trade relations with Moscow, after

Russia joined the World Trade Organization in August.

In a sign of deteriorating ties earlier this month, Russia said it would not renew a decades-old agreement with Washington aimed at dismantling nuclear and chemical weapons.

Washington said the two sides were still talking over its extension.

Russia has accused the United States of trying to sway Russian elections and meddle in its domestic affairs through its U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and it ordered the agency’s Russian operations shut down this month.

Kremlin critics said the move was intended to cut funding to organizations Putin sees as a threat following his return as president after four years as prime minister, and called it part of a crackdown on dissent.

Finnish PM unharmed in knife scare

Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen (Reuters) - Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen was unhurt after being confronted by a man with a knife during a pre-election rally in the western city of Turku, his aides said yesterday.

A man talked to Katainen before pulling out a knife, Katainen’s spokesman Kari Mokko said.

The man was immediately grabbed by Katainen’s security guards and taken away by police.

“He pulled out a knife and he was close to the prime minister,” Mokko said. “The prime minister was unharmed and police in Turku are investigating.”

The man’s motive was unknown.

Helsingin Sanomat’s online edition only described him as a man with long hair. Public broadcaster YLE said the man dropped the knife on the ground in front of the prime minister and did not appear aggressive.

Katainen, head of the fiscally conservative and pro-

euro National Coalition Party, later resumed greeting voters ahead of Sunday’s municipal elections, aides said.

The 41-year-old former finance minister is widely popular. An opinion poll published by the IltaSanomat newspaper last Friday indicated his party would win the biggest share of votes, with the Social Democrats a close second.

The anti-euro Finns Party is seen finishing fourth in percentage terms, behind the agrarian Centre Party.

Finland is one of the few remaining triple-A rated economies in the euro zone thanks to its tight fiscal spending but a fall in exports has forced many companies to slash jobs in recent months.

Some voters have been unhappy at Finland’s participation in European bailouts, saying they reward profligate countries while Finnish taxpayers suffer austerity at home.

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Granger calls on Ann’s Grove - Two Friends villagers to mobilise

Brig (ret’d) David Granger listens to the woes of a resident of Ann’s Grove

PNCR Leader Brigadier (Rtd) David Granger met scores of villagers during a “walk-about” in Ann’s Grove, Two Friends and Dochfour villages, East Coast Demerara. During the walkabout he listened to the problems affecting their communities.

Villagers expressed their concern about rising unemployment and the dysfunctional public education system which is producing an unmanageable number of dropouts. Granger was told that many villagers were small miners who worked in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region. Several of them complained about having been systematically ‘shaken down’ by rogue policemen and harassed by armed retainers of rich miners. Many

have been driven away from their claims and are now unemployed. Three villagers were killed in a mining accident at Aranka earlier this month. Villagers also raised other concerns – including poor drainage, bad roads, lack of adequate street lighting and lack of proper sporting and leisure facilities for young people – in the historic community.

Granger was able to see the results of poor government infrastructure works such as badly constructed roads, inadequate street lights and unfinished bridges that impede the flow of traffic– all of which have had an adverse effect on the daily lives of residents.

The PNCR Leader said that Central Government and

Regional Administration had roles to play in alleviating the villagers’ distress. He appealed to residents, however, to organize themselves to save the environment by preventing the dumping of bottles, plastics and Styrofoam into canals and the dumping of garbage along the roadways.

Granger challenged the youth of Ann’s Grove and Two Friends to mobilise, organise and collectively develop proper playing fields in the community.

The PNCR Leader was accompanied on his village walk-about by the Chairman of the Demerara-Mahaica Region Clement Corlette, Guyana Youth and Student Movement Chairman Christopher Jones, and Regional Councillors.

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Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Essequibo's centenarians were hard workers Over the years there has been an increasing number of elderly Essequibians who are one and two years shy of becoming centenarians.

More interestingly, over the span of those years, Essequibo has recorded a record number of centenarians to date.

W h i l e m a n y Essequibians may not be aware of that astonishing record, during my interviews with all four of those centenarians, I have noticed a significant factor which possibly has attributed to longevity of those four centenarians.

Essequibo's oldest r e s i d e n t , 1 0 3 - y e a r- o l d

Lillian Elliot, of Mashabo, an Amerindian community on the Essequibo Coast was born in 1909.

The 102-year-old May Garraway, Essequibo's second oldest resident, of Hackney, Lower Pomeroon River was born in the year 1910. Ram John Mohamed Khan, of Aurora and Charles Josephat Gardiner, Essequibo's newest centenarians of Aurora and Adventure Villages were born in 1912.

All four centenarians have attested that their common secret to longevity has been self discipline and observing a healthy lifestyle.

Elliot, who still goes to

the creek for her bath frequently, said that she relishes ground provision and fish. Her daughter, Joyce Garraway said that Elliot, who has been gradually recovering from a fall last month, continues to experience sporadic pains in her shoulder and back.

Garraway's meals also consist of ground provision and steamed fish.

The younger Garraway added that her mother worked for many years on her farm and consumption of fish with ground provision has routinely become her daily diet.

Khan and Gardiner, Essequibo's newest

Man held for “weed in crotch” A 25-year-old Turkeyen man was placed before the court yesterday for attempting to smuggle a quantity of marijuana via the Ogle Airstrip.

Colin Mansonhing was intercepted at Ogle airport by ranks of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Wednesday October 19 on suspicion of trafficking narcotics.

Mansonhing refuted the allegation that he had 464 grams of cannabis in his possession for trafficking, and pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Sueann Lovell. He was represented

by Attorney- at- Law Paul Fung -A- Fat. The defendant explained

to the court that he knows nothing about the narcotics mentioned in the charge. He said that he was heading to the interior where he works as a miner he was pulled aside by police ranks who later claimed that a bag which contained “fronto and weed” belonged to him.

Mansonhing opined that the allegation was “pinned” on him by the police.

But CANU Special Prosecutor Oswald Massiah told the court that the accused is no miner but was heading to Port Kaituma carrying a haversack when he was stopped by the police who uncovered the narcotics.

The defendant was

searched and a black plastic bag containing what later amounted to 464 grams of cannabis was found in his pants crotch. Massiah informed the court that Mansonhing is before another Magistrate for a similar matter while he was previously charged for abduction.

The defendant then argued that he is indeed involved in mining and that he is the breadwinner for his girlfriend and their new baby.

The Magistrate refused bail to the accused since no special reason was given for him to be granted his pre trial liberty. He will return to court on November 6.

May Garraway, 102 years old with her grandchildren centenarians have also shared similar sentiments concerning their diet.

Gardiner acknowledged partaking in a variety of dishes but expressed his craving for fish. But while all of the centenarians have credited their longevity in the interest of maintaining a healthy life style, they have also zeroed in on regular exercise and waking up early.

"I get up at three each morning and read my bible then prepare breakfast and lunch," Gardiner boasted.

Gardiner, who turned one hundred on Wednesday October 17, is active and needs no assistance to move around.

The popular Essequibian also attends the Airy-Hall Anglican Church frequently and takes it upon himself to uplift his monthly pension in the neighboring

Charles Josephat Gardiner, 100 years-old Village, Suddie.

Essequibo's two oldest residents, Elliot and Garraway are remarkably strong elderly women, who have single-handedly worked hard on farms to raise their children successfully.

Meanwhile, Khan who still travels abroad, has been a practicing Imam for the past forty years. He has a strong voice and confessed to praying regularly.

Main Street Lime to be a three-day event - Tourism Minister

G

overnment will be focusing on Caribbean countries in their “rediscover home campaign” where many events will be restructured; one such event will be the

Main Street Lime which will be converted to a three- day event in December under a “Christmas Village” theme.

This was disclosed at a recent press conference at the Ministry of Tourism, South Road office.

According to Minister of To u r i s m , I r f a a n A l i , “Rediscover Home” is in keeping with the Caribbean To u r i s m O rg a n i z a t i o n (CTO.) Events will be held to attract Guyanese living overseas, which would in turn inveigle persons to return to their homeland for vacations.

“We have thousands of Guyanese who were born out of Guyana and they have never come home, and we have Guyanese who would have never returned in 25 years, 30 years, and even 40 years who would have recently visited Guyana and spread the word which would have pushed our tourism level.”

Noting that Guyana has been having very good occupancy rates, the Minister said that most of the hotel rooms for certain packages are already filled.

“We have also launched an aggressive campaign with the private sector in having public-private partnership in

promoting, expanding and developing tourism, more importantly developing exciting packages that can attract people to Guyana during peak period of travel.”

One such Christmas package, he noted, is the “Unforgettable II Concert” set for the National Stadium on December 26.

Tourism Minister Ali noted that the promoters of the event have been granted tax breaks as set out and available for any activity of such magnitude during the stipulated period. And private investors will be financing the event.

He said many persons would travel to Guyana to ensure that they get the opportunity to attend the concert. The Minister further said that the Christmas packages will also be sold in Barbados and Trinidad since there is an aggressive advertisement drive in those two countries.

“The government wants to play the supporting and coordinating role so when mainstream benefits are derived from these activities, it can be properly channeled and packaged so that the economy as a whole can benefit.”

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 27

Antigua remembers plane crash victims - Guyanese family not present Antigua (Caribarena Antigua) - “Everyone who knew her was pleased to have been associated with her,” said Coswell Duncan, father of Jamaica-born Annya who was one of three people killed in the October 7 FlyMontserrat crash at the V C Bird International Airport.

He was speaking at a candlelight vigil held at the T N Kirnon School on Friday to remember the victims, organised by the newlyformed group Care Bearers.

The memorial was attended by Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, Civil Aviation Minister John Maginley, Guyanese Consul Robert ‘Bobby’ Reis, friends and family among others. “...She was a very special child to her mother ... And like her mother, I too can state with confidence and sincerity that she (Annya) was a person of impeccable character. She had been involved in education from the time of her birth until the plane crash which ended her life tragically,” Duncan said at the emotion-filled gathering that lasted just over two hours.

Annya was celebrating her 29th birthday the day of the crash, and was on her way to Montserrat where she taught at the Montserrat Secondary School for more than two years. “...I can also say that Annya’s common personal honesty, forthrightness and

courage are coveted attributes.

She was an excellent Teacher and a person of integrity, as well as a nononsense person. She was also an honorable young lady who took pride in her work; very jovial at times,” Duncan said.

He went on to sing a rendition of “God and God Alone” and later broke down in tears.

Family members of another victim Captain Jason Forbes, 31, were present at the gathering including his 4year old son, his pregnant wife, and his mother.

“Jason Forbes was the only person I really knew and it broke my heart … It felt like I had to do something,” said Tassian Brown, spokesperson for Care Bearers.

“Everybody was just like family. They cried together, they hugged together. It was beautiful ... I never saw anything like that,” she said.

Brown said the family of the third crash victim, 57year-old Sandrama Poligadu of Guyana, could not be present.

Last week family members were wondering about the return of the body to Guyana.

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer was the first of the estimated 150 people present to light a candle.

He thanked the group for organising the activity that, he said, provided the

From page 12 The GPF, he stated, is there to help and train. He mentioned the efforts of the late Police Commissioner, Henry Greene, who was actively involved in the scouting organisation, “who was behind this whole scouting business and ensured that things were going and organised meetings that we could meet and he ensured Commanders and Sub- Divisional officers got involved and ensured we worked with the young people and let them understand that we care for them”.

A one-minute’s silence was observed for Greene at the function. Josiah thanked the parents for allowing their kids to go and “help us help them— to mould the lives of these young people”.

“I am happy that you have allowed your children to come and be a part of our organisation and for us to link them with the Scouts

Association of Guyana”.

The scouts were housed at FAPC on Saturdays in a newly- constructed scout den, which was built under the auspices of popular Corentyne businessman, Mr Mustapha Ali of Ali’s Halall snackette of Tain.

The Adventurers Scout Group was formed on February 5, 2011 with 86 members, with the aim of forming and shaping character of the youths in immediate and neighbouring communities.

There are now 75 scouts who fall into the groupings of Cub Scouts (7-11 years); Explorer Scouts (11- 15 years); and Venture Scouts (15-19 years).

They are managed by seven leaders.

Remarks were also delivered by Mr Andrew Ramcharatar, Deputy Chief Commissioner of the Guyana Scout Association; Ian Amsterdam, Senior Supt. and Mr Mustapha Ali.

Public should see the...

opportunity to remember the “good and positive things” about those killed.

“To have died in such a tragic way is not something that one looks forward to but as I said, God is in the midst of things,” the country’s leader said.

The Montserrat-bound nine-seater twin-engine plane crashed soon after take-off. A preliminary report by the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority found

there was ‘significant amounts of water’ in the starboard engine fuel system.

FlyMontserrat has since been grounded following a second mishap this time in Montserrat that caused an aircraft carrying seven people to veer off the runway at the John Osborne Airport. No one was injured.

Investigators from the United Kingdom Air Accident Investigation Branch are leading that inquiry.

Guyanese grandmother, Sandrama Poligadu who died in the recent Antiguan plane crash.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Police action forced protestors to remain Hicken had firearm on bridge - protestor …. Claims wrapped in newspaper A contractor from the mining Town of Linden testified yesterday, that police action towards protestors on July 18, angered demonstrators and forced them to remain on the Mackenzie/ Wismar bridge which they originally attempted to cross.

Gordon Callendar, called “Bad Heart”, appeared before the Commission of Inquiry into the Linden events that left three people dead and several injured. Callendar said

that he is a councilor at the Linden Municipality.

Callendar said that he was among those protesting the hike in electricity tariffs on July 18. He said that he left his home and went to the Winifred Gaskin Highway to lead protestors over to the Toucan Call Centre where a massive meeting was scheduled to address the electricity issue.

The contractor said that on the journey, another group

of protestors from Christianburg joined the procession at the junction of Burnham Drive and Winifred Gaskin Highway. He averaged that the people numbered about 9,000.

He said that the march was destined for the Call Centre but the protestors started to move slowly as they approached the end of the bridge.

“The people encountered some difficulty with the police.”

According to Callendar, Commander of the Division, Clifton Hicken, Mr. Stanton and other police officers were at the end of the bridge monitoring what was happening. He said that a police rank driving a gold coloured police vehicle sped up to the protestors on the bridge and started to rev his engine yelling at persons to, “get out of the way.”

He said that those

actions enraged the protestors and the people “decided to stop there and then.” He said the people then started to chant and yell for justice when Hicken called back the policeman driving the vehicle to exit the bridge. “The next thing,” Callendar said, “Water, food and other items started to come on to the bridge.”

Around 14:30 hours, Callendar said that he noticed a Canter truck filled with black clothes policemen who went into formation a short distance away from the bridge. He said that an officer then raised a black banner with white writing and started to talk on a loud hailer ordering persons to “disperse and go home or the police would open fire.”

Callendar said that he later learnt that the officer was ASP Patrick Todd.

He said that the protestors again got angry and started to surround the police who in turn retreated and drove off after boarding their vehicles. Callendar said that around 17:30hours the police returned to the bridge with guns raised and again went into formation, heading towards protestors.

Callendar said the officers gave no warning but started to fire tear gas, pellets and live rounds at the crowd.

Callendar testified that he held on to a child and he and two women went to the water treatment plant on the left side of the bridge where he said he was able to see Commander Hicken with a fire arm wrapped in a newspaper.

The man said that he was not the only one to see the officer with the small firearm. He said he also saw the police on the bridge firing gunshots from the Mackenzie end coming through to Wismar end. He continued that around 18:00hours blackout engulfed the community and it was more chaos as persons scrambled to safety.

As the police went through the bridge he said persons’ belongings; music set, food items including his digital camera and laptop were tossed overboard. Callendar said that at that point he had already taken a boat and crossed over to the Wismar end of the bridge. While there, he said a young man who was later identified as Shemroy Bouyea, fell in front of him.

A staff from the nearby hospital later attempted to

help the hurt man but realized that he was already dead.

In earlier evidence, Callendar testified that he along with Chairman of R e g i o n Te n S h a r m a Solomon and Charles Samson had a meeting on July 16 with Commander Hicken, Officer in Charge Mr. Stanton and one Mr. Williams. The meeting was about outlining the five-day protest in Linden.

He said that Hicken told Solomon on the meeting’s conclusion, “You don’t know me and if you want to know more about me, ask Mr. Aubrey Norton about me and furthermore tell him I’m around in Linden.” Callendar said that he understood those words to be threats going out to the team.

This evidence was however excluded from the witness’s statement since he spoke of the meeting but not the contents, Attorney for the protestors, Basil Williams explained.

Callendar also said that before the events, he received a phone call from Commander Hicken who threatened him that he was coming up to Linden and he would be taking him (Callendar ) for a ride to Georgetown. That was on July 17, Callendar said.

He said that he t o o k Hicken’s words seriously as he “knew those guys to be funny people who could make people disappear.”

Callendar said he understood the C o m m a n d e r ’s w o r d s t o mean that he (Callendar) could disappear between Linden and Georgetown.

On the morning of July 18, Callendar said Hicken, Stanton and a Corporal Jordan came to his home.

He said he told Hicken, “I’m living here and if you want me anytime, I’m living right here.” The policemen subsequently sped away, Callendar claimed.

Callendar also told the Commission that following the events in Linden, he was advised to get out of the community. He said he did not return to Linden until three days after the President’s visit to the community.

It was later revealed during cross examination by Attorney for the police, Peter Hugh, that Callendar had never mentioned the Commander’s threats in his statement to the COI. He also said he made no report about the alleged Hicken threats to the police or the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 29

California Strike strikes gold at Norman Singh horserace meet

War Craft presentation - Organiser Gansham Singh presents the Norman Singh Memorial trophy to Ms Lisa Gopaul of the Crawford stable for War Craft telling victory in the E class event.

Jockey Yap Drepaul is perched on top of the animal. finishing line with Rock Sonia nosing ahead.

By Samuel Whyte Red Cloud and Windy War were left in third California Strike owned by Mohammed and fourth in the 1400M event. The win was ‘Nanko’ Shariff of the Shariff Racing stable, worth $500,000. struck its opponents hard as it raced away to War Craft, owned and trained by senior strike gold and take the feature C class event Council Marcel Crawford with Winston and the coveted $1.2M top prize and Banks Appadhu on the hunch, declared war on its DIH trophy in another major upset. The opponents as it crafted out its third event was the Norman Singh Memorial Turf consecutive victory to take the $450,000 Club in collaboration with the Jumbo Jet winners money in the E3 and lower 1200 M Racing stable grand one day horserace meet event. War Craft showed that it is battle on Sunday last at their No 6, Bel Air, West ready as the racehorse emerged from the Coast, Berbice Track. bunch down the homestretch to distance Imported from the United States of itself from its opponents for the win ahead of America, California Strike ridden by a top notch field with Top of the Line, Captain Jamaican Brian Blake was unstoppable as it Crook and Majestic rounding out the money. chalked up its first win in Guyana to take the The Jumbo Jet Stable was in winners row 1400M event from Got to go, with The in the two year event for West Indies bred Scores Even and The Message finishing fast horses as It’s My Turn ridden by Raj Drepaul to secure third and fourth. took its turn in the winning enclosure to The animals were off to a good start with collect the $400,000 winners money and California Strike taking the lead early as the trophy as it romped away with 1200M event others played catch up along the back stretch ahead of Gold Rush, Princess Alicia and The and the battle was on. By then the race was Wild Grinder. going at a fast pace with the leaders setting a It was another win for the Shariff Stable searing gallop as the animals hit top speed. in the 2 yrs old Guyana bred event as Silent California Strike was being challenged by the Night with Ross in control silencing the arena likes of Got to go with The Scores is Even and with a come from behind win. Silent Night The Message moving up in the order. Into the took control down the homestretch to batter homestretch the challenge was still on, but She So Special, Easy to Win and Lucky Gold California Strike called on its reserves to into submission for the win which was worth move ahead for the win to spark celebrations $300,000 and trophy over 1100M. among the Shariff entourage.

Trinidadian Jockey Patrick rode Top of The three year old event for Guyana and the Line of the Jumbo Jet stable to victory and West Indies bred horses saw another upset $300,000 and trophy in the G class 1200M with Rock Sonia of the Singh’s Stable with event ahead of Bridal Stone corner, De Girl Colin Ross on the mount riding a brilliant Them Sugar and Treacle. race to edge pre-race favourite Settle in The I1 and Lower 1200M race saw Navin Seattle of the Shariff stable ridden by Blake riding the Gump to victory ahead of Pixie as the two animals went after each other from Fire, Mona Lisa and Royal Time. The winner start to finish. Rock Sonia was out first only collected $150,000 and trophy. to be overtaken by Settle in Seattle. The battle Wonder Flower of the Singh Stable continued between the two animals until the ridden by Prem Chandra won the $120,000 Rock Sonia victory - Rock Sonia of the Singh Stable on the inside with Ross in green, battles Settle in Seattle of the Shariff Stable in Blue in the epic battle in the three year old event which was won by Rock Sonia.

California Strike Sporting NO1 saddle cloth of the Shariff racing stable with Blake in the saddles dusting its opponents to win the feature C and lower event and the $1.2M and the Banks DIH trophy. first prize in the J&K event from Diplomat, MacGyver 11 and Windy Killer.

Yap Drepaul was adjudged the top jockey, while the Jumbo Jet stable ran away with the top stable award. They were presented with accolades compliments of Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall, Bourda Market.

The organizers would like to thank Banks DIH Limited, Digicel, Jumbo Jet Auto Sales, Mohammed ‘Nanko’ Shariff of Shariff Racing stable, Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Chris Jagdeo Construction, Guyana

Tourism Authority, Dennis DeRoop of Simple Royal racing stable, Chen Singh, Goodwood racing Service, Lakeram “Buddy” Sukdeo, The Customs family and Rommel Jagroop Construction.

Over $8M were at stake while over 90 horses took part in the day’s activity.

The day’s activity was by and large incident free with the police officer lead by Assistant Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan and Inspector Gregory Springer and Dennis Stephen marshalling their troops well.

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

New Mr. Guyana Devon Davis Mark ‘Uno’ Perry to represent Guyana at Darcy Beckles in Barbados proud of achievement

F

rom the start of the year he said that wining the ultimate bodybuilding show in Guyana was his aim and indeed he has achieved.

That apart, new Mr. Guyana Devon Davis of the Guyana Defence Force Gym has been dominant to the extent that he won Guyana’s lone gold medal after a 7-year hiatus at the Central American & Caribbean Body Building championships.

He also won the Bantamweight (65kgs/143lbs) category at the Hugh Ross Classic Show this year and according to him, winning Flex Night in December will cap a phenomenal year for him.

Speaking after his winning performance after he dethroned Clint Duke of Total Fitness, Davis said he came with a plan and executed accordingly.

“After I went to CAC and got gold I said to myself that I have to win Mr. Guyana and I did it. This victory is a great one for me and means a lot. When I saw him {Duke}I said I have to hit it so when I won it was not a surprise to me. My next competition would be Flex Night; I intend to train more hard for this show to win it.”

J

Mr. Guyana Devon Davis.

(Franklin Wilson photo)

ust off the hosting of what can be considered a successful National Senior Championship, the Guyana Amateur Body Building & Fitness Federation has announced that it will be sending Mark ‘Uno’ Perry to compete at the annual Darcy Beckles Invitational Classic.

This show, the 4th of its kind set for October 27, is organized by former Barbados Champion, Roger Boyce, in celebration of Darcy Beckles who won every major local and Caribbean contest, and spearheaded Barbados’ assault on the Mr. Universe stage from 1976-1979 will also attract competitors from St. Lucia and Antigua.

The GABBFF made the announcement on Saturday last during their senior championship at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Perry, the winner of the inaugural Hugh Ross Classic show gave the audience a snap shot of what he is

The Big Guys Meet! Mark ‘Uno’ Perry shakes hands with Eustace Abraham after the GABBFF Seniors on Saturday last. (Franklin Wilson photo) currently looking like, conscious that the competition in the Land of the Flying Fish will be high.

He will be accompanied by GABBFF Secretary, Videsh Sookram.

He expressed confidence that he would do well for Guyana. He also said that he has been training very hard for this show.

Darcy Beckles had lost a memorable duel with Australia’s Roger Walker in the heavyweight class at the 1976 Mr. Universe contest in Montreal, Canada and the following year had a stirring toe-to-toe showdowns with compatriot and eventual winner, Roy Callender (representing Canada) in Nimes, France.

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 31

“Sickened” UCI strips Armstrong of Tour wins

R

euters - Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life on Monday after the International Cycling Union (UCI) ratified the United States Anti-Doping A g e n c y ’s ( U S A D A ) sanctions against the American.

The long-awaited decision has left cycling facing its “greatest crisis” according to UCI president Pat McQuaid and has destroyed Armstrong’s last hope of clearing his name.

“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling. Lance Armstrong deserves to be forgotten in cycling,” McQuaid told a news conference as he outlined how cycling, long battered by doping problems for decades, would have to start all over again.

“The UCI wishes to begin that journey on that path forward today by confirming that it will not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and that it will recognize the sanction that USADA has imposed.

“I was sickened by what I read in the USADA report.”

On October 10, USADA published a report into Armstrong which alleged the now-retired rider had been involved in the “most s o p h i s t i c a t e d , professionalized and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”.

Armstrong, 41, had previously elected not to contest USADA charges, prompting USADA to propose his punishment pending confirmation from cycling’s world governing body.

Former Armstrong team mates at his U.S. Postal and Discovery Channel outfits, where he won his seven successive Tour titles from 1999 to 2005, testified against him and themselves and were given reduced bans by the American authorities.

“It wasn’t until the intervention of federal agents...they called these riders in and they put down a gun and badge on the table in front of them and said ‘you’re now facing a grand

jury you must tell the truth’ that those riders broke down,” McQuaid added.

WIDESPREAD DOPING McQuaid, who faced criticism from several quarters for his and the UCI’s handling of the affair, said he would not be resigning. “Cycling has a future. This is not the first time cycling has reached a crossroads or that it has had to begin anew,” he said in front of a packed room full of journalists and television cameras.

“When I took over (as president) in 2005 I made the fight against doping my priority. I acknowledged cycling had a culture of doping. Cycling has come a long way. I have no intention of resigning as president of the UCI. “I am sorry we couldn’t catch every damn one of them red handed and throw them out of the sport.”

Other issues such as the potential re-awarding of Armstrong’s Tour titles and the matter of prize money will be discussed by the UCI Management Committee on F r i d a y. To u r d i r e c t o r Christian Prudhomme has said he believes no rider should inherit the titles given doping was so widespread among the peloton at the time but McQuaid made it clear the decision rested with his organization, not the Tour.

USADA charged five people over the doping ring.

Doctors Luis Garcia del Moral and Michele Ferrari and trainer Pepe Marti have been banned for life, while Armstrong’s mentor Johan Bruyneel has chosen to go to arbitration along with doctor Pedro Celaya.

The UCI also said it had dope tested Armstrong 218 times and the fact he never tested positive and “beat the system” means that other organizations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency should share the responsibility of accepting the results.

In recent years the Tour de France and cycling had looked to be winning the battle against dopers but when asked if the sport would one day be free of the scourge, McQuaid answered: “No.” The

International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would take its time to digest the news amid suggestions that Armstrong could be stripped of his 2000 Sydney Olympics time trial bronze.

“We will study UCI’s

Pat McQuaid

Lance Armstrong response to the USADA report and await to receive their full decision including

f u r t h e r potential sanctions against Lance Armstrong as well as

regarding any ramifications to his case,” an IOC official said.)

Page 32

Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Digicel Schools’ Table Tennis Championships...

Marian Academy, Bishop’s High win titles Marian Academy’s team, Priscilla Greaves and Kristie Lopes secured the Under-13 team title at Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Digicel-sponsored National Schools’ Championships when the event continued at the National Gymnasium on Sunday.

Marian Academy beat North Georgetown Primary’s Tariq Saunders and Neveah Clarkston 32 in the final. Saunders and Clarkston had placed second in the U-11 final the day before. Third place went to Queen’s College ‘A’, Rajiv Muneshwar, Kim Singh and Clarence Bair.

Mae’s ‘A’ with Miguel Wong, Jeremey Singh and Khalil Ninvalle was fourth. Mae’s

‘A’, Niron Bissu and Singh had won the U-11 title on Saturday.

In the 18-Years-and-Under final, Bishops’ High School, Chelsea Edghill, Denzel Duff and Reon Miller beat Queen’s College ‘A’, Shemar Britton, Jamaal Skeete and Ryan Narine 3-2.

St. Joseph ‘A’, Kevon Corbin, Kareem McKenzie and Matthew Brandon was third.

The tournament will continue on Friday at the same venue from 9:00am with the semi-finals in the 15-Years-and-Under; Queens College ‘A’will play Bartica Secondary ‘A’ as Bishop’s comes up against New Amsterdam Multi ‘A’. The presentation ceremony will follow.

Jail term too lenient for England goalkeeper Kirkland attacker - Leeds (Reuters) - A 16-week jail term handed out to a Leeds United fan on Monday for attacking former England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland in a match against Sheffield Wednesday was too lenient, the Championship (second tier) club said. Aaron Cawley, 21, from Cheltenham, pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court to assault and invading the pitch during the game at Hillsborough on Friday.

Wednesday keeper Kirkland was pushed in the face by Cawley and shoved to the ground moments after conceding an equalizer

in the 76th minute. After treatment he was able to continue for the remainder of the game which ended 1-1.“While we are pleased to see justice brought so quickly, our one disappointment is that we feel the sentence could, and should, have been considerably longer,” Leeds said in a statement on their website (www.leedsunited.com).

Cawley was given a five-year football banning order by the court and Leeds said he would be banned for life from attending games at Elland Road.

Golden Jaguars looking to rebound in Caribbean Cup against Curacao - lost opener to SSVG 1-2; St. Lucia beat Curacao 5-1 Following their disappointing 2-1 loss to St. Vincent & the Grenadines in their opening Group 2 match on Sunday at the Beausejour Stadium, St. Lucia, Guyana’s ‘Golden Jaguars’ will be seeking to rebound against Curacao when the two sides meet in their respective second games today.

They both lost with Curacao going down to the home team St. Lucia 5-1 in the feature game on Sunday. St. Lucia will take on St. Vincent in the feature game today.

Guyana’s woes in terms of winning matches continued as they suffered their 9th loss in the last 10 matches which included a 2-2 draw against El Salvador in El Salvador on September 7.

St. Vincent had taken the lead 30 minutes into the game through a Myron Samuel goal but that advantage was cancelled out in the early minutes of added on time in the first half when Gregory Richardson found the back of the nets for the Guyanese.

Cornelius Stewart scored in the winner for ‘Vincey Heat’ in the 79th minute.

While Guyana lost again, it was St. Vincent’s fourth win in their last six matches. Head Coach of the ‘Golden Jaguars’ Jamaal Shabazz said that Guyana created a lot of opportunities but failed to convert. He believes that the

loss will test the character of the team going forward.

“They all want to beat us back into line, we got to fight back and I am confident we will.

You got the feeling our team felt we just had to show up and we would get three points but the teams in the Caribbean all want a piece of Guyana.”

Coach Shabazz also stated that as they had decided, the local based players got the opportunity to take the field since a number of the regular starters were on club duties.

“We used all the local boys we could and players like Konata Manning and Anthony Abrams have got to step up their game. Sheldon Holder will start up front with Richardson. T&T based Kelvin Smith will replace Julien Edwards and Walter Moore come in for Dwain Jacobs. “The team did not play with hunger and

passion. I have got to search my own self and see if I am the problem, but we are professionals and must pick ourselves up and get our heads out of our backsides.”

Meanwhile, host St. Lucia snapped a six-game winless streak with a 5-1 victory over Curacao to get their campaign off to a positive start. Tremain Paul was the first of five different scorers for St. Lucia in the 14th minute, which led 2-0 at halftime and added a pair of goals in the final three minutes - one of which came after Curacao was reduced to 10 men.

Magnam Valcin netted the second goal a minute before halftime, and after Isenia Alexander tried to rally Curacao with a 48th-minute goal, Eden Charles restored the two-goal advantage in the 51st. Tafari Charlemagne tacked on additional insurance in the 87th, and Kurt Frederick completed the scoring in the 92nd - but not before Delando Felipe drew his second yellow three minutes earlier.

The victory was the first for St. Lucia since 4-2 win over Aruba on July 12, 2011, to advance to the second round of World Cup qualifying.

The winner of Group 2 will advance to the second round and join Grenada, Haiti and French Guiana, while the runner-up also will advance, joining Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname.

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 33

Thriller in store as ‘Big Truck’ collides with Shawn Corbin in ‘Redemption’ affair The last time Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite appeared in the local ring against Barbadian, Shawn Cox, boxing buffs trooped to the venue in anticipation of a slugfest.

Instead, the Barbadian, incensed by Braithwaite’s pre-fight remarks, entered the ring with his mind set on making the former WBC Cruiserweight champion pay for his brashness and disposed of his man in less than two minutes of the bout.

Braithwaite had blamed the loss on a surprise punch very early in the fight and had called for a return.

Instead, Cox traveled to Russia and engaged Denis Ismailov where he was knocked out early in the second round putting paid to an early rematch with Braithwaite.

In the meantime, Guyanese pugilist residing in Trinidad and Tobago, Shawn Corbin, had called out Braithwaite saying that he had been anxious for a fight ever since Braithwaite defeated Vincenzo Cantatore for the WBC Cruiserweight belt.

Several attempts to match the two fighters have failed for varying reasons until recently when both pugilists arrived at a common ground and agreed to the bout.

Guyanese boxing buffs will now get the chance to see the long awaited bout when the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC stages 50 rounds of fistic fury dubbed ‘Redemption’ a card that will also feature the cream of the nation’s boxers on October 27 next.

Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry is billed to oppose Jamaican, Rudolph Hedge, in defence of his Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) Bantamweight title. However, negotiations are still ongoing and GBBC officials have

Four of the boxers, from left, Ward, Marques, Atwell and DeClou pore over their contracts before affixing their signatures indicated that a confirmation should be made by this week.

Local featherweight champion, Clive Atwell will be in action in a 12 rounds CABOFE jnr/welterweight title fight against Trinidadian Prince Lee Isadore, in what should be a thriller.

Atwell is only now beginning to gel after scoring brutal knockout victories over Rudolph Fraser and Barbadian based Guyanese, Revlon Lake. He has signaled an intention of making it three in a row.

This feat will be easier said than done especially since the Trinidadian boasts an 8-1-1.

All 8 of his victories came by the knockout route.

Atwell’s record is just as flattering having chalked up 6 wins from 7 fights. His only blemish is a drawn decision against Mark Austin.

CABOFE and local middleweight champion, Edmond DeClou will also square off with Kelsey George in a 4 rounds super/ middleweight repeat, while

Sharon Ward, back after a lengthy hiatus, will square off with Quinda Rogers in a 4 rounds middleweight affair.

Former bantamweight champion, Dexter Marques will also be in action against Rudolph Fraser as the latter boxer looks to avenge an earlier loss when the two squared off in a bantamweight encounter early last year.

Meanwhile, most of the boxers scheduled to be in action appeared at the offices of Insurance Brokers, Abdools and Abdools to complete the signing ceremony last week. The New York based duo, Braithwaite and Dharry, is yet to arrive in Guyana but should be here within the next few days.

President of the GBBC, Peter Abdool said that the card had all the ingredients of a thriller and urged the public to come out and enjoy the show. He said that his executives were forced to await the availability of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

Pegasus Open Tennis starts Nov.2 Most of the country’s best tennis players will have another opportunity to rival each other for supremacy when the annual Pegasus Open begins on November 2, at the Hotel’s Hardcourts.

According to a release from the Guyana Tennis Association, the tournament coincides with the Hotel’s anniversary celebrations and because of the longstanding relationship that the Hotel has developed with the tennis community over the past couple of decades, it is hoped that the best players in the nation enter the tournament and make the occasion one where the highest standard of the game is viewed by the fans.

The tournament has also become one of the major events on the GTA calendar and players interested in participating can collect their entry

forms from Co-ordinator Jeremy Miller (tele# 6434423) or from their respective coaches or clubs.

The categories to be included are: Men’s and Ladies Singles, Men’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Men’s 35 Singles, Men’s 35 Doubles, Boy’s 18 Singles, Girl’s 18 Singles, Novices Singles and Novices Medley Doubles.

The novice categories will cater for players 18 yrs or older who are newcomers to the sport and have not participated in the major categories before. Novices will be required to play one full set, whilst in the other categories persons will play the best of three sets.

Entrance fee is $1,000 for the first category and $500 for each additional.

Deadline for entries is Oct 30th no later than 18:00hrs.

(CASH) since several other activities had been planned for that venue.

The bout is being sponsored in part by Digicel

and patrons are urged to retain their ticket stubs for a chance to win 2 cell phones which will be contested in a draw. Tickets are $3,000 for

ringside, while those for the stands will be sold at one thousand dollars. The action gets underway at 20:00hrs sharp.

Page 34

Kaieteur News

Tuesday October 23, 2012

KARIBEE RICE KO FOOTBALL FINAL...

BK Int. Western Tigers lift trophy with 2-1 win over Rosignol United BK International Western Tigers are the new KARIBEE Rice knock-out football champions following a hard fought 2-1 over Berbice’ Rosignol United on Sunday evening at the Georgetown Football Club Ground.

The Tigers cantered into the lead 30 seconds into the match through a Phillip Rowley goal; a shot from about 10 yards out the box to the right of the penalty area.

The shot had goal written all over it as the ball went into the top right hand corner, goalkeeper Joel Singh hadn’t a sniffer of a chance to stop the ball. Thereafter, the Berbice side fought play for play with the City side to the extent that they could have scored again until the 64th

minute from the penalty spot; Sherman David doing the honours to double the advantage. Pulling one back for good measure, 10 minutes before lemon time was Sherwin Caesar for Rosignol United. Pele were run away winners of the third-place game, blanking Monedderlust of West Coast Berbice 3-0. On target for the winners were Stellon David (21), Dirk Archer (54) and Jamal Cozier in the 60th minute.

Meanwhile, Western Tigers’ Phillip Rowley was named the most Valuable Player of the Tournament, while the best goalkeeper award went to Romel Legal also of Western Tigers.

The Manager of Karibee Rice was on hand to assist with the presentation of prizes.

The new KARIBEE Rice football champions BK Int. Western Tigers in a jolly mood following the presentation on Sunday night at the GFC Ground.

Tuesday October 23, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 35

Anthony Drayton rebounds from loss to Haifeng Su to claim Junior Chess C/ship

Anthony Drayton (2nd left) and Haifeng Su (left) shake hands with their opponents in the final round, Trenton Bennett (right) Davion Mars (2nd right) after the conclusion of the action.

A

nthony Drayton scored six points, half a point more than Haifeng Su, to dethrone the latter player and claim the spoils when the final day of play of the 2012 National Junior Chess Championship concluded at the KEISHAR’S Sports Club, Hadfield Street, Georgetown, Sunday evening last.

In a tournament of keen rivalry, Su looked ominous, on his

way to retaining the accolade but faltered in the fifth round when h e registered a draw against Saeed Ali. This was further compounded with a sixth round defeat to Davion Mars.

In the meantime, Drayton scored successive victories, one of them against Mars, to edge ahead.

The current champion had earlier suffered a slight setback when he surrendered a game to his

predecessor. It was an intense tussle that appeared to be heading for a stalemate up to rounds sixth and seven when the new champion held his nerves and surged ahead.

Individual fortunes changed in the sixth and seventh rounds, played on Sunday, and were crucial encounters for the leading players. The single round robin championship consisted of seven rounds and the junior champion

faced seven challengers vying for the title. The top two players Haifeng Su and Drayton registered 5 points but the former player had amassed five wins, one draw and one loss, while his successor scored six wins with just one loss.

The presentation of prizes to the junior participants would be made after the conclusion of the 2012 Senior Championship which is scheduled to begin in November.

Anthony Drayton (right) is congratulated by Shiv Nandolall

t r o Sp

Thrilling bouts climax GABA/DDL Junior’s Boxing Competition CUBAN COACH, FRANCISCO RODEN, IMPRESSED These two youngsters are still to master the technical aspect of the sport but they slugged it out anyway.

Kevin Mullings

One of the better fights between the Simon Pures out-punching Simon in every exchange. The Earlier, Keisha Arokium (RHJ) was gifted a pint sized pugilist eventually prevailed with a walk over after Ansila Norville failed to show unanimous verdict. for their 100-107lbs clash.

An appreciable crowd was highly The action heated up when Elijah The tournament attracted most of the top entertained when activities on the final night Insanally (HE) faced Joshua Alexander (YA) gyms including Young Achievers (YA), of the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association in the 90-94lbs class. The former boxer Harpy Eagles (HE), Forgotten Youth (GABA)/Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL) rushed out at the sound of the bell and dealt Foundation (FYF), Rosehall Town Jammers Junior’s Boxing Competition concluded in the former several clubbing blows that forced (RHTJ), Pocket Rocket (PR) and Essequibo the compound of the Central Police Station, him backwards. Alexander’s demeanor never Boxing Gym (EBG).

New Amsterdam, Sunday evening last and suggested permanence and in just 48secs, Meanwhile, Cuban coach, Francisco Cuban coach, Francisco Roden, says that he after he had received a volley of punches, he Roden, here on a training stint under the is impressed by what he has seen. cringed, received a mandatory 8 count and auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Youth Kevin Mullings (HE) and Clyde Walcott showed disinterest in continuing forcing the and Sports, travelled to the Ancient County to (FYF) set the pace from the very first bell referee to wave the contest off. assess the bouts and at the end of the when they faced off in the 50-54lbs class. The Intent on eclipsing that record, Travis proceedings deemed them to be good. He punches were unorthodox but this was the Hubbard (HE) lashed out at Junior Henry said that the boxers have shown distinct kind of blows that characterize tournaments (FYF) in their 110-117lbs duel and forced a improvement and once given the requisite featuring the Simon Pures of the sport. mandatory 8 count. Blood was also pouring attention can be forces in the upcoming Amidst the heated exchanges, the referee from Henry’s nose forcing the referee to call months. Mr. Roden, a reputable Cuban issued several warnings to Walcott for in the ringside nurse. Even before she had coach, is in Guyana to assist in the determined his fate, Henry had already development of young amateurs with an aim decided that he wanted nothing more to do of preparing them for possible participation with Hubbard. Barely 27secs had elapsed. in the 2016 Olympics.

Other results were: 60-64lbs Teo In an invited comment shortly after the Bumbury won from Orwing Harris by a final bout, the Cuban coach said that Guyana majority verdict, while in the 70-74lbs class, is laden with talent which needs a structured Kevon Mullings (HE) outlasted Shaquille programme to unearth and develop. He said Simon (PRBG). The 75-79lbs has a new that he is in receipt of all of the major champion in John Moore (FYF) who international games in the run up to the 2016 disposed of Roy Samuels (HEBG) while in Olympics and would be submitting same to the 85-89lbs Odeny Moore (EBG) was too officials at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and good for his gym mate, Cordel Walcott.

Sports for possible evaluation and a decision Tefon Green (HE) then prevailed over pertaining to its feasibility.

Tyron Lashley (RHJ) in the 95-99lbs division The finals were graced by a shortly before Shaka Moors (EBG) forced representative of the sponsor, Demerara the referee to call a halt to his 100-104lbs Distillers Ltd, Branch Manager Albert fight against Melshion Baratt (FYF) in Budhoo. He assisted in the distribution of the 48secs of the first frame. Romano Bumbury prizes while reiterating his company’s (FYF) then won when the referee support towards the development of the disqualified Anthony Miguel (YA) for young boxers. persistently breaking the rules in their 105Corporate support was also derived from 109lbs duel. Ejad Alli (CBG) then lost his Digicel, the Guyana Police Force and the 156-163lbs bout against Jose Chappell (HE) Guyana Defence Force. The Ministry of moments before Emerson Farley (HE) Culture, Youth and Sports provided the earned a lopsided verdict over his gym mate, transportation for the boxers and received Nikel Cosbert to cap the night’s proceedings. high praise for their input. ) 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

By Michael Benjamin

slapping. Mullings, merely 9 years old looked above the cut of the average novice fighter when, instead of blocking punches, displayed remarkable ring generalship, slipping those punches instead.

Walcott, a pint sized pugilist corrected the flaw of slapping his man but by then his opponent had piled up the points and went on to take a majority decision.

Kevin’s sibling, Kevon, also from the FYF but in the 70-74lbs category, continued where his brother stopped and laced Shaquille Simon (PRBG), winning unanimously in the process. He endured a torrid first round and countered his opponent’s attack with fleet-footed maneuvers that caused many of Simon’s punches to either fall short of the mark or missed altogether. He was all businesslike,