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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial
Mercury and Gold In Boa Vista just across the Brazilian border there is a statue in the town’s centre in honour of the garimpero (the Brazilian equivalent of our porknocker) because of his role in opening up northern Brazil. In our country, our porknockers did not make an equivalent impact but they left a tradition that is finally bearing fruit – or ‘gold’ if you will. The initial investment for what was called ‘artisinal’ gold mining, was not too large –a pickaxe to loosen the soil, a battel with some mercury or quicksilver to separate the gold by amalgamation and fire to later burn off the mercury and leave the pure gold. In the last few decades, gold operations have become tremendously larger and last year we produced a record 438,000 ounces of the valued commodity. It is estimated conservatively that some 50,000 persons are employed in gold mining. But recent developments might threaten our quest for even higher production. Environmentalists and NGO’s from across the globe have worked assiduously to place mercury as one of the pollutants to the environment that must be eradicated. In many countries, such as neighboring Brazil and Venezuela, mercury pollution has been used by some segments of the society as a useful villain and affected communities have been ignored. Myths and taboos about mercury pollution have created hysteria and promoted hidden interests of economic groups. This enlarged the gap between artisanal miners and organized society and created more illegality, as miners found a way around the reflexive governmental legal reaction of simply banning the use of the substance without seeking to deal with the social problems precipitated. We cannot duplicate this experience in Guyana. The problem cannot be ignored but it also cannot be approached with exaggeration. True facts are the only way to create a trustworthy environment to implement, together with miners, effective solutions for mercury pollution. First and foremost there is the question of costs. After all is said and done, mercury remains as the most simple and very inexpensive reagent to extract gold - 1kg of Hg costs 1g of Au - when it is used correctly. This is especially true with regard to the size of the gold particles that is mostly found in Guyana. Responding to the heightened sensitization precipitated by the NGO’s, the European Union banned mercury exports from 2011 with the US following suit in 2013. However the processing (most mercury is recovered by recycling products that legitimately use the substance) and exportation simply switched to other countries. Once there is a market for a product, it will be supplied – albeit at a higher price with all the new hurdles that will have to be surmounted. On January 13 of this year, under the auspices of the UN, 140 countries signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury. This will be opened for signature by governments at a Diplomatic Conference in October 2013 in Japan. It will enter into force once 50 countries have ratified it or have otherwise agreed to be bound. This can spell doom for our gold industry. Unfortunately, burning is still the preferred method used by artisanal miners in which mercury released to the atmosphere represents as much as 50% of that introduced into the amalgamation process. However, when amalgamation is conducted properly and retorts are used, very little mercury is lost to the environment (as low as 0.05%). This recycling practice suggests one of the first attack points for providing relief for the environment and to its credit, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has recommended and facilitated retorting to the mining fraternity. A homemade retort built with standard plumbing water pipes can be easily assembled and use of this type of retort is easily understood and accepted by miners because it is inexpensive. All materials are familiar and accessible to the miners. Education is a prerequisite for long-term solutions for the mercury emission problem and not hysterical reactions to NGO’s pressure. In the meantime, Guyana has to intensify efforts to have Guyana become an exception once the Minaamata Convention becomes ratified.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
It is clear that the APNU and AFC do not have a common strategy DEAR EDITOR Many people have asked me why, despite their legislative majority, the opposition in Guyana have, since 2001, allowed the PPP ant its Executive Government to out-maneuver them. They are of course referring to the latest confusion surrounding the AFC-sponsored noconfidence vote. We now discover that it is the Executive Government, and not the Speaker, which has the power to convene parliament. Predictably, the former is deliberately
delaying the resumption after the latest recess. While the AFC is eager for the resumption, the APNU seems less enthusiastic. But even if parliament is convened in the next few days, it is not clear that the motion would proceed or succeed. The reason? Despite the APNU’s assurances, it is obvious that they are not on the same page with the AFC. There is a basic rule of JointOpposition politics-if you have a common adversary then you have to have a common strategy to confront
that adversary. It is clear that the APNU and AFC do not have a common strategythey never had one. It is difficult to effectively challenge a common adversary when the relationship of the two opposition groups is itself adversarial. The no-confidence m o t i o n i s t h e A F C ’s initiative; it is not an AFCAPNU initiative. That was a basic error that was bound to come back to haunt the AFC and to some extent the APNU. Both entities needed to sit down and discuss such an important initiative. If
you are going for a noconfidence vote, both parties have to be sure that they are ready for elections, and more importantly, that at least one of them or a pre-election coalition of the two could win a plurality or a majority of the popular vote. Anything short of that amounts to mere political posturing. I make bold to say that short of some swift consensus on the way forward by the APNU and the AFC, the PPP will survive this no-confidence (Continued on page 6)
Sunday October 26, 2014
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
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Who will clean up Pool the energies and potential of our various groups criminals from our streets? DEAR EDITOR, It would be a useful exercise if all of us who are interested in harmony and progress in our country, as well as the well-being of our citizens, should undertake to consider what each of us in the various levels of our society should be doing to really achieve these seemingly illusive goals. This would, first of all, call for introspection and selfexamination of what we have been doing for and against the achievement of these. Towards this end, I set forward some of the obligations that should be fulfilled by each of the members of our society, as well as those on both sides of this vast artificial divide that we have created in the political and societal structures, and ask that you measure your performance against these criteria, and adjust your actions likewise. 1. The government of the day should accept that it is in some way answerable to every one of our citizens, and try to consider the needs and views of everyone in its policies and programmes. They should see the need to try to convince beforehand all concerned, not least the official Opposition, of the efficacy of each of the projects they intend to embark on. They should appreciate that transparency and accountability in all their activities must be maintained, and create the structures to ensure this, as well as be
willing to address promptly any concerns raised by any quarter. They should make efforts to ensure that all citizens have the opportunity and means to raise these concerns at any time. They should particularly desist from giving the impression that they are above criticism and dialogue on any policy or project. 2. Those who consider themselves in the opposition, whether in the official structure or in our various organisations and communities, should be positive in their actions, appreciating that they should be cooperative as well as critical in their approach to contributing to the development of our country. They should respect the fact that in a democracy the wishes of the majority must be respected, and that they are obligated to cooperate with the government of the day to further the welfare of the country as a whole. They must be prepared to confront as well as confer with the government on all controversial matters, and develop a positive attitude towards resolution of issues. 3. The media should continuously realise that the vast powers they have at their disposal should be primarily utilised to provide a balanced perspective of all matters political and societal to all sections. They should appreciate that they would performing the best function to maintain
progress in our country by catering for all sections of the society in the opinions expressed, as well as serving as a uniting force between the various groups. They should be willing to be objective, impartial and impersonal in all their efforts to garner and disseminate the news. 4. The members of our society should strive to make their voices heard in a timely and effective manner of all the problems they face that can be solved by intervention by those in authority. They should be willing to approach respectfully and with factual evidence the relevant officials about any grievances, and try to resolve these peacefully and permanently. I cannot help but envisage the immense progress that our country can achieve if we should forget our differences and pool all the energies and potential of all our various groups towards a cooperative drive towards this. I pray that, with the help of the constructive traditions that have been handed down by our forefathers, as well as the tenets of the various religions that most of us still adhere to, that this can be fulfilled. Roy Paul
DEAR EDITOR, A few years ago, I was robbed and stabbed on the sea wall in the evening hours. I lost everything except my cell phone. I was trying to pacify the bandits and in the process of doing this I was stabbed in the back. Fortunately, I am still alive. This was not the case with James Peter; a nurse from India was stabbed to death for a cell phone. A very generous and promising nurse met his demise in the hands of the cowards, who are out on our streets freely looking for another prey. Hello you cowards and losers in life, don’t you have feelings? What if someone stabbed you right in the chest to rob your cell phone? How long can you be happy using that cell phone, whilst the blood of James Peter is crying out aloud? The curse of the family and friends of Peter will see your demise sooner. I have been wondering about my security in Georgetown. As everyone, I try to come home before 7pm.
This means I am not really free on our roads. Anyone can be in Peter’s place and get killed for a piece gadget. Who shall we blame, government, police force, ourselves? Who is supposed to clean up our streets and make it crime free and robber-free society? It seems like; we are heading towards an evil society, where evil is triumphing and where justice has a very slim place. Perpetrators are right in the middle of us; we won’t even know they are drinking a beer with us until they have stabbed us. I think we have take upon this responsibility to clean our society and make it crime free. The police force
alone cannot do this task, since the infrastructure is very limited. Am I not free to walk in my own street at night? Why am I not free? There is serious flaw in this society. We have to start from own home, bring up children with right ingredients of life, so that when they grow up they can be responsible and good citizens on this nation. I would like to extend my heart-felt sympathies to Vannie and all the Indian nurses working here in Guyana. We commend your service for the healthcare system of our country. JMDias Georgetown, Guyana.
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Kaieteur M@ilbox We were not recipients of the “Because we care grant” DEAR EDITOR, I write, not only as a concerned parent but as chairperson of the Four Miles,Port Kaituma Nursery School Annex PTA, seeking your assistance in highlighting our situation to the relevant authorities; namely, the MOE, Mrs.Priya Manickchand, the Finance Minister Mr. Ashni Singh, and Welfare Department. Editor, we, the parents of the above mentioned school, were invited to uplift these grants on Monday, October 20 at the nursery school. On Sunday, October 19, around21:30 hrs, most
parents were contacted by the head teacher via text messages stating that we would not be receiving this grant until further. notice. The following day, I contacted the teacher and she related what was told to her by her superiors. Attempts were made to get a better insight into the situation but officials remain mum on the issue. An investigation carried out by a few parents with connections in the various villages found that students of Falls Top Primary, Aracaka nursery/primary and Baramita Primary schools were also not beneficiaries of the much
anticipated grant. We are trying to be optimistic but this is Guyana and regardless of our race and creed, we fear being victims of other’s greed. We were part of that budget approved and should not be left out. We are therefore inviting the relevant authorities to show how much they care and let us know what is really going on with the promised and approved grants for our children. Please note, we are of the understanding that the teachers of our School are not to be held accountable. S. Williams
It is clear that the APNU... From page 4 vote. Once the AFC acted unilaterally, it left the APNU with no alternative but to come up with its own counterinitiative. The APNU could not allow the AFC to drag it into an early election that it was not ready for or did not think was tactically warranted. The AFC is reaping the rewards of its own rhetoric (or is it principle?) of not working with either of the two
older parties. Such rhetoric served the purpose of building a third force out of disaffected PNC and PPP supporters and the so-called Independents. But it was always dangerous to transform it into a dogma. The problem here for the AFC is that the rebel Indian Guyanese vote it got in 2011 would most likely be hostile to any overt alliance with the PNC. There are deep ethno-racial undertones there that would be mercilessly ex-
ploited by the PPP. Such is the nature of Guyana’s difficult politics. Let’s be frank here. There are limitations to a third party in a divided polity. Once the third party decides not to side with the larger of the two big parties (in this case the PPP) it has to cooperate with and play second fiddle to the other one (in this case the APNU). The AFC’s pugnacious behavior has flown in the face of that principle and has led to fragile opposition solidarity. That being said, the APNU has not done enough to woo the AFC, largely because both the PNC and WPA have old issues with the AFC, given the way Sheila Holder and Raphael Trotman held on to their parliamentary seats after they bolted those parties back in 2006. What does history teach us? One of the reasons the PNC government was eventually brought down was the partnership politics of the PPP and WPA, despite their rivalry. They not only talked, but formed broad alliances in the form of the Committee in Defense of Democracy to fight the 1978 referendum, the Council for National Safety to raise consciousness about the Jonestown massacre 1978-79, the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy in 1986, the Arnold Rampersaud Defence Committee in 1977 and the Arson Accused Defence Committee in 1979. They also appeared on each other’s platforms and had strategy meetings. But more than that, they brought other parties and Civil Society organizations into those alliances. David Hinds
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
Ebola death toll tops 4,900 as virus spreads - WHO (Reuters) - The death toll from the Ebola epidemic rose to 4,922 out of 10,141 known cases in eight countries through Oct. 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday. The virus, which reached Mali through a two-year-old girl who died on Friday, now threatens Ivory Coast, having infected people virtually all along its borders with Guinea and Liberia. Ivory Coast is the world’s biggest cocoa producer. The Ebola outbreak has hurt the economic growth that has been raising living standards in the region. The three worst-hit countries of West Africa — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — account for the bulk of the world’s worst Ebola outbreak, recording 4,912 deaths out of 10,114 cases, the WHO said in its update. The overall figures include outbreaks in Nigeria and Senegal, deemed by the WHO to be now over, as well as isolated cases in Spain, the United States and a single case in Mali. But the true toll may be three times as much: by a factor of 1.5 in Guinea, 2 in Sierra Leone and 2.5 in Liberia, while the death rate is thought to be about 70 percent of all cases. The WHO has said that many families are keeping infected people at home rather than putting them into isolation in treatment centres, some of which have refused patients due to a lack of beds and basic supplies. The U.N. agency, sounding an ominous note, said that out of the eight districts of Liberia and Guinea sharing a border with Ivory Coast, only two have yet to report confirmed or probable Ebola cases.
Marie Paule Kieny, World Health Organization (WHO) assistant Director General for Health Systems and Innovation It has also said trials of Ebola vaccines could begin in West Africa in December, a month earlier than expected, and hundreds of thousands of doses should be available for use by the middle of next year. The WHO says 15 African states including Ivory Coast are at highest risk of the deadly virus being imported. In the last 10 days it sent teams to both priority Mali and Ivory Coast to help national authorities gear up their capacity to detect and treat potential cases. Four WHO experts are travelling this weekend to Mali to reinforce the team there. The agency warned on Friday that many people in Mali had potentially been exposed to the virus because the little girl was taken across the country while ill. Some 43 people with whom she was in contact, including 10 health care workers, are being monitored for symptoms that include fever. In all, 450 health care workers have been infected to date — including one in Spain and three in the United States — leading to the death of 244 of them, the WHO said. “At the same time,
exhaustive efforts are ongoing to ensure an ample supply of optimal personal protective equipment to all Ebola treatment facilities, along with the provision of training and relevant guidelines to ensure that all HCWs (health care workers) are exposed to the minimum possible level of risk.” A medical worker quarantined in New Jersey on her return from treating Ebola victims in West Africa was being evaluated in a hospital isolation ward on Saturday after new contagion-control safeguards were imposed for America’s biggest urban centre. Isolation wards have been used for medical personnel returning from Ebola zones since Craig Spencer, a doctor who treated patients in Guinea for a month, came back to New York City infected. “The patient is currently in isolation at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, one of eight New York State hospitals that have been designated to treat patients with Ebola Virus Disease. Possible contacts are being identified and followed up,” WHO said.
Jamaica can be a super power, Holness urges nation to think positive Jamaica Gleaner Opposition Leader Andrew Holness said Jamaicans must not be afraid to believe that Jamaica can be a super power in the world. He said Jamaicans must believe that once the country can get past the political fight and over poverty, t h r o u g h t h e use of education, it is possible to raise the profile of the nation and improve Jamaica’s
rankings globally. But he has admitted that it will take some time to get people to believe that things can get better. Holness insists there needs to be a revolution in thinking and approach to finding solutions to the problems facing the nation. He adds that energy security and education are key driving factors for the development of Jamaica and
contends that his vision for Jamaica focuses less on politics and more on development and prosperity. He says growth requires effort, thought and will, but he says he believes the current Government lacks the will. Holness was speaking at the Outlook for the Future Public Forum, organised by the Jamaica National Building Society at the Hilton Midtown in Manhattan, USA, recently.
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Dem boys seh... Senior citizens receive musical treat from ‘Sweet Kendingo’ Sattaur hollering
Archer’s and Byer’s Home residents dancing to the music of ‘Sweet Kendingo’. By Nicholas Peters As a way to show appreciation to the senior citizens of Guyana, Berbice born musician Rudolph Kendall, also known as Sweet Kendingo, journeyed around Georgetown to various geriatric homes to give the gift of music to their residents.
His most recent stop was at the Archer’s and Byer’s home for the Elderly, located on Robb Street, this past Friday. This was done in observance of the Month of the Elderly, which is currently on going. In addition to the Archer’s and Byer’s home, the three time Calypso Monarch has
planned on providing performances at Uncle Eddie’s, the St Vincent DePaul Home for the Elderly, the Nazareth Home for Elderly Women and the St Thomas Moore Men’s Home. Seniors were up and about, dancing to the rhythms of ‘Sweet Kendingo’ as he energetically performed
Sattaur angry over ICAG, ACCA... (From page 3) appear also that some of these members may be aiding and abetting the Kaieteur News’ alleged reckless behaviour of fraudulent reporting of income and have now joined forces with the newspaper owner to have the Commissioner-General’s image tarnished with the hopeful consequence that the audit against Lall will not proceed.” Sattaur, who said that he
has nothing to hide, is making a lot of noise about the probe by ICAG. He now says that he cannot submit himself to an investigation for a very serious offence by a panel comprising Paul Chan a Sue, Khalid Ali and the chairman, Ramesh Persaud. Sattaur added that to avoid any investigation against him he will have his lawyers consider the possible sanction of the
very people who are to investigate him. He also wants to report what he called their “highly unethical and immoral conduct to their Parent body in the UK for serious misconduct and malpractice and for bringing the noble profession into disrepute.” He made it clear that he wants to avoid any investigation at all cost. The Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall simply said, “Let the public read the emails. Sattaur is unfit for the office he holds. And he is a liar.”
with his acoustic guitar. Some of the songs include classics from John Lennon, Ray Charles and the Bee Gees with seniors dancing to the melodies of What A Wonderful World, Love Has Been Good To Me, Love On A Saturday Night amongst others. The musician even included some Gospel, to further raise the spirits of the audience. “I believe that music transcends all boundaries, people and ages,” said the experienced entertainer, “I think that it (music) is the best gift you can give anyone, because it speaks to the soul. This is why I am performing…to give back.” The residents of the Archer’s and Byer’s home were more than grateful for this gift as many of them sang along to the music, requested their favourite songs, cheered on the musician and even got off their rockers and started ‘swinging’ like they did in their younger days. According to Kendall, he has been officially performing at these homes for about a year now and this most recent venture has been going on for two weeks. He hopes to reach as many geriatric homes in Georgetown this year as possible and is intent on visiting homes located in other areas around the country. ‘Sweet Kendingo’, a winner in the Guyana Soca Monarch competition in 2000 has even taken his talents to the international stage as he is the only Guyanese to have competed in both the World Calypso Monarch and World Soca Monarch competitions. He is planning on releasing a Christmas album for this year and will be dropping two new songs in the coming months.
like a li’l gyal
When li’l gyal play wid boy and dem get touch dem does run and holla. That is exactly wha Sattaur doing now. He send out nuff emails wha dem boys got and wha expose he mind, he body and he soul, plus he heart. He talk about a plan fuh de Waterfalls boss man. He seh that he want see de boss man in jail and he trump up charge through he organisation. Even de woman who representing he and de Attorney General seh that dem charge nah got no basis. Dem charge was wicked, vindictive and malicious. Dem come from he black and dutty heart. He didn’t stop there. Every day he call pun de police and de DPP fuh trump up more charge against de Boss man. He get Jagdeo newspaper fuh write article bout how de boss man get charge. Dem boys seh that when you live in glass house don’t pelt brick. All de boss man do is write a letter to de people who got a say in whether Sattaur is a good, decent and honest accountant. De boss man ask dem to find out if Sattaur got ethics, morals and any decency whatsoever. De body that overlooks all accountants and members to mek sure that dem keep in line write to Sattaur. Ramesh Persaud as the Chairman of the Investigations Committee of the ICAG order that Sattaur respond to the allegations. De shoes deh pun de other foot and now Sattaur know how it feel. Other people know how it feel when de shoe deh pun de other foot but dem boys gun talk bout it later. Sattaur know wha he write in de email and he know wha he admit. He tail deh over fire and he can’t stand de heat. De balls are about to be burnt. All of a sudden, because de people ask he fuh answer question, Sattaur seh that dem and de Waterfalls boss man team up against he. Sattaur can’t tek he own medicine. He did seh in one of de email from he that dem boys publish, he remind de Attorney General that we are all in this thing together. Dem boys seh that de ACCA people and de Waterfalls boss man never wuk together; never sleep together. Dem ain’t deh in nutten together. Talk half and let Sattaur holla fuh de other half.
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Bobby Ramroop in spotlight for failing to file tax returns Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop is again in the media spotlight this time for failing to file tax returns on one of the many companies in which he holds a majority interest Olive Branch Inc. Registered in October, 2009, the company was struck off the list of Companies in March this year for failing to file its tax returns. Olive Branch has its registered office as 233 Camp Street, Georgetown and at the time had as its sole Director, Dr Ramroop. Roopnarine Ravie Ramcharitar, was appointed the Company Secretary the following year. Ramcharitar serves as a Director on a number of companies in which Dr. Ramroop has a financial interest. Attorney-at-Law, Paul Braam was engaged, also, in the formation of the company. Four years ago, Guyana Times, Health Life Sciences Inc, Health Care International, Global Textile (Guyana) Inc, Global Printing and Graphics and Global Hardware Inc., were all struck off the list of
registrants The Official Gazette of Guyana had documented that they have all been struck off of the list of companies and as such were at the time all currently operating in breach of the Companies Act of Guyana. This would mean that Olive Branch Inc, for all intents and purposes is currently a legally inactive company. Companies are struck off the register of companies for a variety of reasons, among them failing to file their annual returns, providing necessary information as it relates to changes within the company. The companies can be allowed back onto the register but will have to file the necessary annual returns and pay an $800 fee. Chartered Account and Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram at the time had stated that while the Companies Act is silent on penalties when companies are found to be in breach of the law, the Directors can be held personally accountable. All of the named companies that were struck
Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroo off of the register of companies at the time fall under the Queens Atlantic Investments Incorporated (QAII) which acquired the Sanata Textiles Complex in 2008. The issue of these new companies attracted the involvement of the National Assembly. To justify the tax concessions granted to them, the government moved to the National Assembly with a Bill. The Memorandum of
Understanding that allowed for the acquisition of the Sanata Complex was signed between Dr. Ranjisinghi “Bobby” Ramroop, the Chairman of QAII and Geoffrey Da Silva, Chief Executive Officer for the Guyana Office for Investment in March 2008. The company was allowed several hundred million dollars in tax breaks and concessions which were all found to be illegal. The laws were subsequently amended to correct the situation. A special tax seminar was held after President Bharrat Jagdeo had berated Chairman of the Board of Directors of DDL, Dr. Yesu Persaud. At that forum, Da Silva had stated, “We made a mistake.” He was referring to the legality of the concessions granted to QAII. He said that they thought it was covered in law. Alliance For Change Member of Parliament Khemraj Ramjattan had told the National Assembly when the law was amended that the “QAII deal stinks to high heavens.”
Sunday October 26, 2014
China to help Guyana map mineral resources China has signaled intentions to help Guyana complete its geological mapping following the country’s participation in the 2014 China Mining Conference and Exposition. The invitation to Guyana had come from the Minister of Land and Resources of the People’s Republic of China, Jiang Daming. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, as a result of Guyana’s participation at this global event, the China Geological Survey has committed to assisting the Government of Guyana to undertake a mineral property assessment to gather geological data as vast tracks of land have not been geologically mapped. “Further, it must be recalled that major stakeholders within the sector have been making fervent representation to the Ministry through the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission for such a survey to be undertaken so that all miners can benefit for geological data.” Minister Robert Persaud
was accompanied by Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Clinton Williams. Persaud participated in discussions relating to the developmental trend of both Chinese and foreign mining industries as well as global commodities outlook. The Natural Resources and the Environment Minister during his presentation at the Mining conference stated that Guyana encourages green mining and investments that are environmentally safe and sustainable. “These he said are guided by policies and programmes that are aimed at maximizing the benefits of the extractive sector. However, he cautioned that all investors must adhere to the various acts and regulations governing the mining sector and respect the laws of Guyana.” Additionally, Minister Persaud pointed out that numerous opportunities exist for investment in the mining sector, but investors must be compliant with strict environmental guidelines which are being enforced by several regulatory government agencies.
Sunday October 26, 2014
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GRA head fails to act against corrupt officers Despite glaring evidence of corruption, the Guyana Revenue Authority appears to be deliberately shielding two Customs Officers who according to reports are favoured by those at the very top of the organization’s administration. The officers, who were found to be guilty of colluding with a local businessman to defraud the state of taxes, remain on the job and there is no indication that action will be taken against them soon. This situation flies in the face of Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur, who has been openly boasting that as Head of the GRA, he runs a tight ship and w i l l n o t tolerate corruption by his officers. But reliable sources have told this newspaper that the officers fingered in the scam are enjoying the protection of the GRA Commissioner General, who
GRA Head Khurshid Sattaur for some strange reason played no part in ordering the probe, although he was fully aware of the scam. In fact, it was left up to Sattaur’s Deputy, Clement Sealey, to initiate action that
led to the investigation that exposed the corrupt officers. The two Customs Officers are accused of facilitating the removal of a quantity of goods from the Laparkan Trading Co. Ltd. Customs Bond located at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri without the payment of applicable customs duty and taxes to the GRA. An investigation found that the officers accepted a sum of money to allow the businessman to evade taxes. Claims of Sattaur protecting the officers have not surprised many at the Guyana Revenue Authority. According to a source, the fact that Sattaur employs his children and close relatives at the GRA, has compromised the professionalism of the tax collection agency. This stance against the two Customs Officers has angered several senior officials attached to the GRA, who have been observing
Sattaur’s double standards as it relates to his public position on tax evasion in Guyana, while protecting his own officers found to be engaged in illegal tax evasion. Following a report by one of the disgruntled officers, who was on duty at the CJIA when the scam occurred and who was left out of the deal, an investigation was launched by GRA’s Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LEID). During the course of the investigations, the two officers implicated, Phil Surooj and Gordon Richards, both conceded by way of statements to LEID ranks that they facilitated the release of goods unlawfully with no duties being paid. A bribe of $80,000 is said to be the inducement for the Customs Officers to release the items consigned to a Robb Street business. When interviewed on July 1, Surooj reportedly told LEID
Public expenditure on Marriott hotel must stop immediately - AFC The Alliance For Change (AFC) is of the opinion that the continued spending of taxpayers’ funds on the Marriott Hotel project by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) is a clear reflection of government’s disregard for the spate of public outrage on this project. Hence, the party has made a strong call for all spending to be stopped immediately, until it can be ascertained which entity or who is funding the project. The political opposition party by way of its General Secretary, David Patterson recently stated that the revelations in the public media that both the Hong Kong investors and Republic Bank have not paid the promised amount (US$8M and US$27M respectively) leaves the public to raise questions as to the sourcing of the continued expenditure. Patterson said that “The Donald Ramotar administration” has a duty to this nation to come clean and ensure complete transparency and accountability of public funds. He said that the
Guyanese people are the highest taxed and poorest in the region and bemoaned the way the current administration chooses to “launder our taxes.” Patterson said that his party condemns the continued expenditure of public funds on this project and requested from President Donald Ramotar several things. As it relates to the management agreement with Marriottý International, Patterson said that the AFC needs to know the commitments the Government of Guyana is giving the Marriott, namely; management fees, tax holidays, duty free exemptions, etc. It also would like to know how initial losses, branding cost and the high powered expatriate management team assembled are covered. Patterson asserted that the party’s suspicion is that the losses will be met by the poor Guyanese taxpayers. Patterson said his party is requesting the Sale/Purchase agreement with Ace Square for the 67percent of Atlantic Hotel’s Sharesý. Bank records
Man sentenced for robbery under arms Magistrate Judy Latchman jailed Kevin Leonard for 24 months following his conviction on a robbery under arms charge. Prosecutor Joel Ricknauth told the Georgetown
Magistrates’ Court that on S eptembe r 1 5 , L e o n a r d along with two others at High Street, Georgetown, while armed with a knife robbe d Ry a n H a r r y o f $15,000.
David Patterson, AFC General Secretary
Head of NICIL, Winston Brassington
for the payment of the US$8.0M and a clarification on the continued involvement of Winston Brassington and his role in this project. Patterson said that the AFC is also requesting the amounts spent to date, amounts committed to be spent to completion a n d s o u r c e s of suchý funds as well as the completion date. He added, “Upon a new dispensation after new elections early 2015, it (the AFC)will not be fettered by the agreements signed on to by the People’s Progressive Party administration or its i n s t r u m e n t s , n a m e l y, Brassington, NICIL, or Atlantic Hotel Inc. It will revoke all such agreements entered into, after an independent audit of this project.”
It has been reported that the Georgetown Marriott Hotel which is being constructed in Kingston, Georgetown is yet to be boasted by funding from its private investors, US$8M or the Republic Bank syndicated loan of US$27M. To date, the only official source of funding has been the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). It has officially expended almost US$20M building the Marriott Hotel. Kaieteur News has learned that Ace Square Investments is yet to put in a single d o l l a r, w h i l e Wi n s t o n Brassington is busy trying to borrow a huge sum from a Trinidad Bank to help pay off the contractor who built the hotel with purely Chinese labour.
Officers that, during April 2014, he examined and released goods at Amerijet and Laparkan Bonds at the CJIA. He said that while on duty at Amerijet Bond, he was approached by a Customs Broker, who solicited his help on behalf of Customs Officer Richards and who gave him an Airways Bill consigned to the Robb Street Company, along with $80,000. According to Surooj, he observed that the cargo listed on the Airways Bill, consigned to the company was plastic trays and he and Kissoon proceeded to Laparkan Bond at CJIA, where they met the Bond Supervisor. He told investigators that he accompanied the Bond Supervisor and the Customs Broker into the bond, where he observed 12 boxes of old goods but did not examine the goods; neither did he see any Customs documents. According to Surooj, he then instructed the release of the said goods without the payment of the Customs duty and taxes to GRA and also instructed that the goods be released to the Broker, for which he collected a bribe of $80,000. Richards in his statement, confessed that on April 9, he met a Customs Broker, who gave him $80,000 wrapped in an Airways bill and indicated that it was to pay his taxes for goods stored in the Laparkan Bond at the CJIA. Richards said he took the money with the intent of working at Laparkan Bond that day but there was a change of plans and he was instead detailed to work as a cashier for that day. He said that as the cashier, he was in no position to assist
the Broker, so he met with his Assistant and gave him the parcel with the money that he had received the previous day. The parcel was subsequently returned to the Broker, Richards said. Richards further stated that he indicated that he was aware that Officer Surooj was on duty at Laparkan and Amerijet Bonds, therefore he contacted him via telephone and requested that he assist the Broker. When Surooj agreed to help, Richards made arrangements for him to receive the money from the Broker which was done through his assistant. From the statements given by the two officers, it is clear that they were involved in a transaction that was designed to defraud the state. It is also believed that they are part of an ongoing scheme that involves the waiving of customs fees for imported good once the price is right. The subsequent report which was based on the investigations done was reviewed by Wesley Duke, Assistant Commissioner, LEID and Karen Chapman, Deputy Commissioner at GRA who both signed off on the report on September 30 last. Clement Sealy, the Deputy Commissioner recommended the report and signed off on October 2. However, although the report was to be approved by Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur, this was not done and it was left up to Sealey to do so on his behalf. While there has been a recommendation that charges be pursued against all three of the individuals involved, this is yet to be done.
U.S. Ambassador to Guyana: Who Is Perry Holloway? On July 24, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Perry L. Holloway, a career Foreign Service officer, to be the U.S. Ambassador to Guyana. If confirmed by the Senate, it will be the first ambassadorial posting for Holloway. Holloway is from South Carolina. He graduated from North Augusta High School in 1979. He went on to attend Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in foreign languages, literature and linguistics in 1983. While there, he studied as an exchange student in Spain. Holloway went to graduate school at the University of South Carolina, earning a Master’s in International Business Sciences in 1986. One of his first jobs out of college was as a Manager at
a Radio Shack store. He later worked for Apple in Mexico. He joined the Foreign Service in 1989. Holloway has spent the vast majority of his career in Central and South America. His first overseas posting, in 1989, was as a Consular Officer in the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, subsequently becoming Staff Assistant to the Ambassador there. In 1992 he was made a General Services Officer at the Embassy to El Salvador and in 1994 was an Administrative Officer for the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico. Holloway went to the Embassy in Quito, Ecuador in 1997 as a General Services Officer. He began working in the anti-drug effort in 2000 when he was named Director of the Narcotics Affairs Section of (continued on page 59)
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The danger of breast cancer…
Get your mammogram done now Cancer Institute Manager urges More than 150 underprivileged women, over age 40, can walk into the Cancer Institute of Guyana (CIG) and get their mammogram done for free. A Mammogram is an Xray examination of the breast. It is used to detect and diagnose breast disease in women. Every year, dozens of women are diagnosed with breast cancer across the country; some of them eventually die. According to records from the Guyana Cancer Registry, from 2000 to 2012, a total of 5,445 persons were diagnosed with different stages of breast cancer. It is unclear how many persons survived the battle. Guyana’s lone cancer institute is currently treating 45 women who are battling breast cancer.
To emphasize breast cancer importance, October is dedicated annually to raising awareness of the disease. During this month, Non Governmental Organizations as well as other institutions would normally team up to spread awareness throughout the country. Under the theme, “See the difference, make a difference” the Avon Community Help Fund (ACHF) has partnered with the Cancer Institute to provide free breast screening services to uninsured and low-income women countrywide. This offer is available until December 30. Recently, ACHF’s Chairperson, Juditha DaCosta, presented a cheque to CIG’s General Manager, Fiona Legall. DaCosta said that the
money will go towards funding free breast cancer screening for women. CIG has offered the mammograms at a reduced cost. Kaieteur News was told that ACHF has been doing breast cancer awareness programmes for the past nine years but after realizing that a number of persons cannot afford a mammogram test, started investing in this area four years ago. The Cancer Institute’s Manager said that it is very heartrending when a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. She encouraged women of all ages to get tested for this deadly disease. She revealed that monthly self-breast examination helps women to know about their breasts. This understanding helps
them detect any change that they might need to show or discuss with a doctor. How it is done… Examine your breast in a mirror. Keep your hands on hips and straighten your shoulders and look for any visible changes in your breasts, like in size, shape and colour. Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes. You can also check for any fluids coming out of one or both breasts. Lie on a bed and touch your breasts using circular motions, make sure to feel the entire breasts. The Cancer Institute of Guyana is a private entity which came into existence in 2006 via a collaborative effort between the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Health to detect and treat cancer.
Glamour and excitement on display at tonight’s Miss Guyana Universe Pageant
Delegates of this year’s Miss Guyana Universe Pageant Attendees are in store for a whirlwind of glamour, entertainment and spectacle at tonight’s Miss Guyana Universe Coronation Ceremony. It has been a long road for these ladies, from nights of tedious practicing, to debutant galas, to candid interview sessions; all leading to the pinnacle of Guyanese pageantry at the Pegasus Poolside, which is slated to begin from 20:00 hours. Vying for tonight’s crown will be reigning Miss Jamzone International Soyini Fraser, Former Miss Guyana Universe contestant Niketa Barker, US-based Guyanese
Jyoti Hardat, Alicia Kirton, Sonia Cummings, Cardella Hamilton, Rochelle Cheddie Lakota McPhoy and Shonette Cain. The long awaited event will have regular tickets on sale for $3000 with VIP tickets selling at $6000. This past Tuesday, the delegates were part of a televised get-to-know interview session, where the public had the chance to get a peak at the personalities of the ladies. Following the telecast, people soon started to voice who their favourite candidates were, with Jyoti Hardat and Niketa Barker coming out on top as social media’s hopeful winners.
However this does not guarantee that the winner of tonight’s event will be either of those two contestants as the competitors will be decided by a fair and objective panel of expertise judges. The delegates will not be the only ones dominating the stage at tonight’s ceremony, as patrons can expect an exciting performance from Trinidadian Soca sensation Kes the Band. Local entertainers will include Malo and Tennicia DeFreitas who also plan to captivate audiences with their renditions. In addition to singers, attendees can expect
enchanting dance performances from the Ishara Dance Troupe and the Classique Dance Company. Stilt walkers, fire eaters and other electrifying forms of entertainment are promised, adding to the alluring pageantry that the organizers have planned. The Miss Guyana Universe Pageant is an annual event that will have delegates compete in swimwear, evening wear and intelligence segments. The winner will not only receive US$10,000 but will also have the chance to represent Guyana at the 63rd Miss Universe pageant on January 25, 2015 in Doral, Florida.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Govt. still pursuing Amaila Falls Hydro Project – President Ramotar - project can be operational by 2019 President Donald Ramotar is continuing to push forward in his bid to have the Amaila Falls Hydro Project get underway. He said that there is a possibility that by 2019 the project can become operational. The Head of State made the statement on Friday while addressing the media at the Office of the President. The President told reporters that the remaining US$80 million received from Norway could have been invested in the flagship of the Low Carbon Development Strategy— the Amaila Falls Hydro Project. The Norwegian Government has committed to providing Guyana with up to US$250M by 2015 for avoided deforestation once certain performance indicators are met. According to the President, had the Amaila Falls Project been on track, it would have attracted more than US$800 million in further financing from foreign direct investment. The Head of State said that this plan didn’t materialise since there was a significant setback last year when self-serving political games attempted to destroy the project that was about to benefit all Guyanese by providing them with affordable, reliable, clean energy. “The attempt to cause the collapse of the Amaila Falls Hydro Project in August 2013 was a disgraceful episode in our nation’s development, when some commentators and politicians refused to let evidence be their guide,” Ramotar told reporters. He said that the nation saw “untruthful statements” from people who had access to all the relevant information which proved their own statements wrong. The President vowed that he would not give up in the face of such baseless attacks and that his administration would remain steadfast in pursuing this transformative project. He said that their partners at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the government of Norway also remained steadfast in their resolve. The President added that he sees some form of progress. “Over the coming weeks and months, we will share with you the details of our new way forward. We can never make back the time that we have lost, but the Amaila Falls Hydro Project can still be operational by 2019,” the president said. The President said that as
President Donald Ramotar government continues to press for the 165MW Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Plant, all of the previous partners in the project remain engaged, including Sithe Global which had announced a pull out last year. Last August, when Sithe Global announced that it had pulled out of the project, its President, Brian Kubeck, maintained that “a publicprivate partnership of this magnitude requires a national consensus in order for us to proceed further.” Kubeck was referring to the fact that the political opposition was divided on the pieces of legislation it had to consider in relation to the venture. Government’s point man on the project, Winston Brassington, last January, met with the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources and had disclosed that Government had started looking at a number of options after Sithe Global’s pullout, recognizing that the parties involved had spent considerable time and monies in developing it. The contractor, China Railway First Group, remains “keenly committed” to the project. So does China Development Bank, Brassington had stated. Brassington made it clear that China is willing to step in and “fill the gap” with regards to financing. Under the financing structure, in the original arrangement, Sithe Global would have been putting in US$152M; IDB US$175M, Guyana US$100M and CDB US$413M. China Railway had already signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) agreement with Sithe for US$506M. Some 70 per cent of the total funding would have been coming from the CDB and the IDB. Brassington at the time stressed that talks are still ongoing with the partners with any negotiations still at a preliminary stage.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Facing criminal charges and the realities of the Magistrates’ Court By Sunita Samaroo So, you’ve found yourself on the wrong side of the law and you’re about to be charged. In fact, three days ago, you were sitting on the bench at a police station, not knowing what to expect. Perhaps a thousand questions danced around in your head during that time; the most common being “what next?” You may have wondered if that’s the “end of it”; if you’ll be jailed immediately. The idea of being taken from your family and friends for a long time just for being in the “wrong place at the wrong time” or that “one mistake” has definitely become terrifying. The first thing you need to do is relax. The law doesn’t immediately focus on what allegedly happened. There is a system that any alleged offender must go through and whether you actually snatched a gold chain at Stabroek Market or were picked up by someone who thought it was you who did it, you’re entitled to a fair hearing before a Magistrate. Your case will be called before a legal officer, simply because you’re entitled to it. The question that many people have, however, is oftentimes where they would end up. Which court? What will it really be like? There are, in fact, several courts in Guyana: the Court of Appeal, Full Court, High Court, Magistrates’ Courts and Land Court. While they are all part of one body called the ‘Judiciary,’ there are distinct rules which tell which court you will be heading to. The Magistrates’ Courts are the largest in number and judging from the fact that you were detained by the police for an alleged criminal offence, you will be facing a Magistrate. The law is no joke and things are serious, but
There seems no end to the madness. There are simply too many guns around, so every idiot feels that it is appropriate to reach for a gun at the slightest opportunity. The result is that a policeman will be shot at a night spot when an irate patron who has an illegal weapon will not hesitate to use it. As things go, he will be arrested and will actually deny shooting anyone. But then again, no one admits to a wrongdoing.
you need to compose yourself. Being a court reporter, I’ve witnessed the ‘court jitters’ one time too many. Funny enough, it is not only the one who will be charged that oftentimes experiences it. The litigants (person who reported a matter) have confessed to having them too, because no one is altogether sure what to expect. Section 20 of ‘The Law and You,’ a leaflet published in 2003 by the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, makes it as comprehensible as possible. The booklet which was edited by Attorneys-at-Law Rosemary Benjamin, Rose Cadogan, Sandra Bart and sitting Madam Justice Roxanne George, offers helpful insight into the realities of these situations. The leaflet explains the functions of the Magistrates’ court and the types of cases it normal deals with. It says that small criminal and civil matters are heard in these courts. Cases of minor assault, petty theft, abusive language, landlord and tenant claims and claims for debts under $50,000 are just examples of what a Magistrate is, by statue, allowed to handle. The Women Lawyers’ leaflet divulges that there are Magistrates’ Courts in every county and most of the cases brought by the police and individuals are heard in them. Guyana has over 30 Magistrates’ Courts and depending on which district a crime was allegedly committed, the nearest Magistrates’ court would be your best bet for the proceedings. The leaflet goes on to say that a person may, however, bring a private criminal action in the Magistrates’ Court, but the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has at all times the discretion to withdraw.
But what if you or someone you know were charged with an indictable offence? On occasion there is confusion looming over the term, but simply put, an indictable offence is defined as one which can only be tried on an indictment after a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is a prima facie case to answer or by a grand jury. In other words, the Magistrates’ court conducts preliminary inquiries/ committal proceedings into the merits of charges for indictable offences such as rape, manslaughter, murder, attempted murder and treason, before a Magistrate decides whether there is enough to send it over for High Court trial. In certain instances, there are of course other serious offences such as armed robbery and fraud that could be laid indictably and then you as an accused have a choice. Before biting your fingernails, understand that you get to choose whether you want the matter to be heard before a Magistrate or Judge - the Administration of Justice Act allows you that much. Most Magistrates will, however, inform you that their court can handle the matter. But if you find yourself
** A pedestrian is going to be the next road fatality. A speeding car is going to be overtaking a slow-moving vehicle without exercising due
care and caution. The courts are too lenient at this time, so a movement is going to push for vehicular homicide to replace the now outdated causing death charge. ** Armed robberies occur with amazing regularity. A gunman is going to attack a car in which a woman who had just left a commercial bank would be travelling. The attack would not result in any fatality, but the gunman is not going to escape.
charged for murder, rape or the like, the Magistrate, after hearing and assessing the evidence led before him/her, may then commit you to stand trial in the High Court. But if insufficient evidence was found to have been led against you, then the case would be discharged. If the matter is discharged, do not confuse that for an acquittal. Charges may and have time and time again been brought against a person for the same alleged offence. The case of former murder accused Carol Ann Lynch would be a prime example. She was charged twice for her husband’s murder. The first time it was discharged, but the DPP recommended it be brought again. The second preliminary inquiry was also fruitless. Your case in that court will be presided over by a Magistrate, who is normally an Attorney-at-law. A magistrate is respectfully addressed as “Your Worship” while the Prosecutor (the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial against an individual accused of breaking the law) as “Sir” or “Miss.”
FIRST HEARING In most cases your first hearing, can be considered a bail hearing and thousands have gone through this before in the Magistrates’ Court. Basically you listen to allegations and are asked to plead to the charge. You will not be called to respond if the charge is indictable. Indictable, except in certain cases, does not mean you cannot get bail. There are of course, categories of bailable and nonbailable offences. For simple larceny you can be granted bail by the Magistrate; it happens often but for certain things like murder, bail by a Magistrate is a “no-no.” Is it necessary to have a Lawyer? According to ‘The Law and You’ while it is not necessary, it is advisable to have an Attorney-at-Law represent you, particularly in the High Court, where rules of evidence and procedure have to be followed strictly. In the Magistrates’ Court, a lawyer can make your bail application and also defend you during trial. These are things, however, that you can also do. Magistrates quite
often clearly explain the procedures to you. “How should I dress for Court?” is another one that normally leaves one pondering. While some tend to overdo it, the leaflet has advised to dress as usual. It cautions, however, that “usual” does not mean unbuttoned shirts or very low cut dresses. A common feature of most courthouses is a Code of Dress notice on bold display. If you were picked up by the police, however, your chances of being dressed as fancy as you wish are markedly slimmer. Men are strictly not allowed to wear hats in court. For women, well-tailored long pants (not tight) are permitted, or pants suits. It is advisable to avoid wearing bright colours such as red, orange and pink, to court. The leaflet also advises that if you wish to bring a private criminal case, perhaps for insulting or abusive language, a complaint must be filed in the Magistrates’ office and a copy of it will be served upon the person you wish to summon.
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Sunday October 26, 2014
IMF forum discusses proposals to raise growth in the C’bean MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — Caribbean economic officials and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed possible improvements in energy provision, tax regimes, and the financial sector in an effort to boost economic prospects in the region. The proposals were discussed during a high-level forum on “Unlocking Economic Growth” by finance ministers, central bank governors, academics, and private sector representatives from the Caribbean and officials from the IMF, the World Bank, the InterAmerican Development Bank, and the Caribbean Development Bank, at a twoday forum jointly organized with Jamaica’s ministry of
finance and planning that concluded on Friday in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “The Caribbean forum has been an important platform for collaboration and for advancing solutions to the difficult challenges the region faces. This year we focused squarely on three key issues that pose challenges to greater competitiveness and growth: inefficient and costly energy provision, ineffective tax regimes for investments, and fragilities in the financial sector,” said Min Zhu, deputy managing director for the IMF. ENHANCINGENERGY PROVISION Participants called for a comprehensive energy strategy for the Caribbean, highlighting that high energy
costs in the region – where on average electricity costs are four times as high as in the US – are a major obstacle to competitiveness and higher growth. With a view to diminishing costs and reducing energy dependence, participants considered that the development of renewable energy should be encouraged by increasing the share of renewable energy in the overall energy mix. Nonetheless, there was recognition that oil/gas based electricity generation will continue to dominate for some time yet. Finally, given the limited fiscal space in many Caribbean countries, participants concurred that there is an urgent need to reexamine strategies to reduce transmission losses and improve production efficiency, with the support of the private sector and multilateral institutions. Moreover, energy subsidies, where they still exist, should be gradually wound down and targeted to the most vulnerable segments of the population. REFORMINGTAX REGIMES FOR INVESTMENT Participants agreed that private sector investment is key for economic growth and that finding the right balance between attracting foreign investment and raising revenues should be the guiding principle in determining tax regimes. At
present, however, the tax incentives regimes in the Caribbean have become increasingly costly, and have eroded the tax base for much needed social spending. While debate continues about the scope and usefulness for tax incentives, there was consensus that tax incentives alone cannot deliver much needed foreign direct investment. There is a need to reexamine the effectiveness and usefulness of these incentives, and determine a more optimal tax regime. Moreover, there was recognition that tax competition can be costly to the entire region, and that greater cooperation to limit harmful intra-regional tax competition is desirable. BUILDINGAMORE RESILIENT FINANCIAL SECTOR Participants stressed the
need for a robust financial sector that safeguards financial stability, ensures strong financial institutions and plays the financing role the real economy needs. In that sense, there was widespread agreement that the priority should be put on strengthening the framework for financial regulation and supervision. This would enable a financial sector with solid legislation and healthy balance sheets. In addition, participants agreed on the need to strengthen resolution regimes to achieve the orderly exit of unviable banks and provide the tools to restructure weak banks and rebuild capital buffers – without disrupting the system or imposing unfair costs on taxpayers. Finally, cross- border collaboration should be promoted to limit the dangers of spillovers.
“I am encouraged by the commitment of Caribbean officials to find meaningful reforms to strengthen the effectiveness of these important levers for growth. The IMF looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the Caribbean on tax and financial issues, including helping the authorities operationalize these into a clear policy agenda,” Zhu added. “But a main take-away from the discussions is that development of the energy sector faces both challenges and potentially high rewards; it is clear that this is a top priority for the region. If our Caribbean partners agree, the IMF will put the macroenergy nexus at the center of our work agenda for the coming year, so that we can continue to support regional priorities in cooperation with other international agencies.”
Workshops next month to strengthen region’s ability to respond to Ebola P O R T- O F - S PA I N , Trinidad — The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) will host workshops geared at strengthening the Caribbean’s ability to prepare and respond to outbreak situations such as the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa. From November 17 – 21, CARPHA, in collaboration with the Communicable Diseases and Hea l t h Analysis (CHA) unit of PAHO/WHO, will provide two training workshops on infectious substances shipping training and biosafety practices for the clinical laboratory, at its
Port of Spain headquarters. Laboratory professionals from across the Caribbean who complete the World Health Organization shipping infectious substances course will be certified to prepare shipments of laboratory samples. Successful participants will be certified for a period of two years to handle and package Category A infectious substances, such as samples from suspected cases of Ebola virus disease. CARPHA will also train personnel in bio-safety measures, practiced in the laboratory, which include infection control, proper use
of personal protective equipment (PPE) and waste management measures. It is expected that laboratory technicians actively involved in the packaging of laboratory samples, for the purpose of international transport, will in turn provide similar training to other colleagues at institutional and country level. Both the shipping and biosafety courses are in accordanc e w i t h W H O guidance on regulations for the transport of infectious substances 2013-2014 and WHO biorisk management programme respectively.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
Hamlet at the NCC: Civilization still alive in Guyana A British theatre group brought Hamlet to the National Cultural Centre (NCC) on Friday evening. It was an enjoyable production, but perhaps within the Guyana context the wrong Shakespeare play. Hamlet remains one of about four of Shakespeare’s plays that have become part of philosophy. It ranks as a book on philosophy rather than a drama of tragedy. The theme of Hamlet has influenced many phenomenal works of literature of which ‘The Lion King’ stands out. It was understandable for the group to take Hamlet across the world, because most Shakespearian companies would select Hamlet due to its influence on western philosophy, its theme, theatrical demands and the length of the play. In the Guyana context, it was perhaps not the most suitable aspect of Shakespeare to perform for a Guyanese audience. First, Guyana’s intellectual tradition died a long time ago, so there is little appreciation for Shakespeare in 2014 in Guyana. Secondly, Shakespeare hasn’t been done here in decades either at the Theatre Guild or at the NCC. It meant, therefore, an introduction should have started with a short play that would not be too burdensome on the new audience. Macbeth fits the occasion. Whereas Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest production, Macbeth is one of the shortest. The advantage Macbeth has over Hamlet in the Guyana context is very, very simple – Macbeth is a somewhat shorter version of the theme of Hamlet with the same captivating nuances. Other forms of Shakespeare that would have be suitable given the context mentioned above would have been Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice and Julius Caesar, maybe Othello too.
From taking subtle looks at the audience during the production, Hamlet was weighing on their patience. Yes, the remnants of the civilized class in Guyana were there and they would have been familiar with Hamlet in their younger age (as this columnist) but there was a substantial number of the non-Shakespeare generation. Heather Neill, theatre writer, is quoted in the booklet given to the audience as saying that Hamlet “seems to encompass everything, to speak to every nation and every generation.” Be that as it may, I don’t think Ms. Neill has an extensive Third World travel diary. If she is familiar with the breakdown of some states in the Third World, she would know Shakespeare would probably be mistaken for a perfume. Surely, Guyana falls into that category. The Hamlet performance last Friday evening has to be judged within the understanding of the group. It is named ‘Globe to Globe Hamlet’. This is a small company that is taking Hamlet around the world using a tiny travelling stage that relies on the more accommodating stage facilities of the host country. Even though the show was plausible, one suspects that a finer product will emerge in countries that have far more modern stuff than the NCC, which in fact is an outdated theatre. There was one conspicuous flaw in Friday’s show. The two directors went as far as possible to clothe their actors with medieval costumes, though there seems to have been a shortage. In what was a glaring contradiction, the central character, Hamlet, looked like a rapper on an American stage. He wore what may have been Dockers trousers, a tailored longsleeved shirt buttoned to the wrist and designer’s loafers
on his feet. His acting was good and he carried out his lines impeccably for the one person among the actors who has the shortest biography. But the directors did him an injustice by having him don 21st century clothes - maybe from the stores that Mario Balotelli shops at in Milan. Each time he took centre stage with his Denzel Washington body and David Beckham sartorial aura, I wondered if finance is a
problem with Globe to Globe Hamlet. I must confess the last time I saw Shakespeare was many moons ago at my graduate school, University of Toronto, so I cannot compare the acting with any recent production, but one can hardly find fault with any of the actors The most phenomenal moment at Hamlet last Friday was the audience. The NCC wasn’t filled, but for
Shakespeare to attract those numbers, it meant civilization is still alive in Guyana. There was a surprisingly large turnout of young Guyanese. I would appeal to the NCC administrators to fix seat 401 in the ‘L’ section. The leatherette is missing and below the sponge is a sharp metal object that touched my behind. My daughter suggested we move a row back, but it was a good thing we didn’t. Those were the
Frederick Kissoon seats of Nigel and Cathy Hughes. I invited Nigel to feel the metal object, but he said he didn’t want to get his finger pierced.
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Sunday October 26, 2014
Support group being touted as crucial feature for heart patients By Sharmain Grainger The possible formation of a support group for heart patients is currently being discussed among some patients of the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI). The relatively novel idea to these parts is one that is receiving favourable consideration by CHI’s management and was premised on the fact that a number of patients have to adopt complete life changes before and especially after surgery. There are other matters related to having a heart operation done that many (patients) often find they need tremendous support for. “I know what I had to go through, in terms of everything, like meeting the financial obligation, the emotional (aspect) and other things,” said Gregory Blyden of his experience as a heart patient at CHI. While an official support group is not in place, he recalled that while awaiting a heart operation at CHI, he was able to observe an interesting system whereby patients who previously underwent operations visited and sought to enlighten him along with others about their past experiences.
“To me that’s a plus...the nurses did tell me about what to expect and so forth, but those are from the nurses... but when you hear it from another patient you realise that this is not artificial this is real, because you are hearing it from the perspective of someone who has passed through this thing, and so it helps to boost your confidence,” Blyden reflected. And it is imperative to understand the extent of an operation, Blyden asserted as he pointed out that any heart surgery is a “major, major complicated surgery.” For this reason, he noted that he has personally learnt that patients must always seek to first be very relaxed ahead of surgery. It is for this reason he is convinced that patients (past and current) can come together to form a much needed patient support group. Because of a critical blockage (or single vessel disease) Blyden was required to undergo a bypass operation to the main artery on the left side of the heart. He remembers vividly a lot of what happened before and after his operation which was conducted in early September at CHI, and disclosed during an interview with this publication that he is recovering well. This is evident by the fact that most of the preceding symptoms that forced him to go to the facility have since dissipated. “Less than one month after surgery I was able to move around without my heart giving me pains; I don’t feel that, so surely that has improved. I don’t have shortness of breath like I used
to have.” noted Blyden. Although he was initially attended to by Dr Mahendra Carpen, the resident Cardiologist at CHI, Blyden’s operation was conducted by Chief Executive Officer of CHI and Cardiac Surgeon, Dr Gary Stephens. Ahead of the operation he was required to undergo a number of tests, some of which he resented, in light of the fact that he has a fear of needles. He was nicknamed “cry-ababy” by the CHI staffers as a result. Nevertheless, he noted that they (CHI staffers) were very instrumental helping him to learn to relax, especially the Anaesthesiologist, Dr Alexandria Harvey. “She really made me relax; she helped me build confidence and gave me the assurance that you will not experience pain. It was nevertheless a scary experience for me, because there were needles coming out of my neck, needle in my hands,” recalled Blyden, who also prepared himself for surgery by looking at heart procedure videos on YouTube. “I kept comforting myself by saying I am not afraid, God is in charge, and all is well.” While many patients develop symptoms of heart condition during their adult years, the 55-year-old Blyden, who lectures in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Guyana, recalled that his symptoms were in fact with him for years. For this reason he considered himself a rather unique patient. “I didn’t even realise
A recovering Gregory Blyden
it...but now I can recall some of these things....I had shortness of breath and things like that use to happen to me (in my) late teenage years; also when I was using the washroom I would feel nauseated and wanted to faint, but I never really gave it any thought,” recounted Blyden during a recent interview with this publication. But it was not until perhaps more than 10 years ago that he first had an inkling of concern about a possible heart condition. It was during a routine medical examination when an electrocardiography (ECG) was done and revealed some irregular details about his heart. Although this development was pointed out by a doctor, neither Blyden nor the attending physician followed up on that discovery. Life continued as usual, with Blyden at times suffering from intense heart palpitations.
“I would just be sitting doing nothing at times and this thing will just start going; other times I would be doing work,” recalled the lecturer, as he noted that climbing the stairway to his second floor office at the University was a very difficult task. Yet he didn’t direct keen attention to this situation but would instead “give it (the region of his heart) two good thumps...and it would seem to return to normal.” But his condition would take a turn for the worse last October after he lost his father and younger brother, a situation that was compounded when he misplaced a flash drive with some very important work. Blyden is currently reading for a Masters in Education and some of his work in this regard was on the misplaced gadget. “I lost my work and all kinds of things, so maybe things just started to buildup,” he opined.
Blyden, who is a member of the Woodside Choir, noted that it was during a performance at the National Cultural Centre in November of last year that he started to develop an excruciating pain that ran down his left arm. The occasion was the Ministry of Tourism’s award ceremony. “I was just praying for the performance to end,” said Blyden who later spoke with two senior members who encouraged him to visit CHI. At CHI, he was soon placed on the waiting list for surgery and before long was being prepared for surgery. During this time, too, he was prescribed a series of medication, and was required to undergo a stress test, and according to Blyden, “I failed that miserably”. And perhaps some of the stress was linked to the fact that “everything has a cost”, so while trying to obtain the requisite funding, he recounted that he was forced to rely on prayers and medication, which according to him “helped to lull (the pain) and also my own consciousness helped to bring about a change in my lifestyle.” And some of the changes, he noted, entailed him transforming from the busybody he had grown accustomed to many years ago. “I had to sort of relax on my activities a lot.” It was then, too, he would also take consideration of the fact that his family had a long history of heart complications. His mother, he recalled, left home one day to attend a senior citizens programme and never returned home. She suffered a massive heart attack. His paternal grandmother died of a stroke which has similar cause factors as a heart attack. But with a support group, Blyden is convinced that persons will be able to better understand and deal with their heart conditions in addition to the advice forthcoming from medical professionals.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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My column
The day I did the unthinkable In my very young days I was a server or as some people say, an altar boy. I therefore participated in many funeral services in Anglican churches and I often heard the priest say, “Oh death, where is thy sting?” It was a ritual, so the meaning meant nothing to me. It does now. I went to bed on the night of October 12, last. I had spent the day cooking and later, writing a piece for Kaieteur News. Earlier in the day, I tried calling my son, Alan, because it was his birthday, but I failed to make contact. I had seen him the day before when he visited my home. Neither of us knew that that would be the last time I would see him alive or talk to him. Shortly after one the Monday morning I got a frantic call, “Grandfather, come quick. Daddy getting a stroke”. What I did then was to tell them to get him to hospital, because by the time I would have got dressed and drive to his home in Sophia then get him to hospital heaven knows what could have happened. When I did see him later that morning he was hooked up to a ventilator, but a friend who took him to the hospital told me that he did not look good. He had sustained a massive brain haemorrhage. The doctor told me that the prognosis was not good and that should he survive the next
48 hours then he had a chance at life. My son died 24 hours after he entered the hospital. By then his mother was flying from her home in New Jersey. People often say that parents are not supposed to bury children unless they kill them. I did not kill my son. Things got rough when my exwife landed at the airport Tuesday morning. Her first words to me were, “I come home to bury me son?” I choked on my tears and tried to deflect the question. In the end I had to tell her that he died while she was in the air. But it was how I got the message of his death that hit me like a lightning bolt. My daughter-in-law called shortly after two Tuesday morning to say that Alan had suffered a cardiac arrest. I asked whether they had resuscitated him and she said, “He is dead.” That was two weeks ago and while I have had some moments of weakness, I am still to really accept that my son is gone. He was 42. There was a lot wrong with him. He was hypertensive and a diabetic. He was also alcoholic. I suspect that his drinking began after his brother and best friend, and his mother, left this country in 1994. He cried then and things began to go downhill. By then he was living on his own in a house his mother and me built for him. He was later to build a
permanent structure. I quarreled with him over his drinking; I beseeched him to stop but I kept pandering to his financial requests. There were times when he told me that he wanted money for gasoline when I knew otherwise, but I gave him. One never knows what love is until it is taken away. I loved my son but it was not the all-encompassing type that would keep me wondering about him all the time. It was more like having something that one treasured, knowing that it would there when you needed it. He was mine. The memories keep coming back and ever so often when I am alone the tears would flow. In the wake of his death I drowned myself in work. My colleagues would look at me and wonder what kind of an animal I was. They could not understand and I did not tell them. It was my duty to inform my sisters and brother who
live overseas. Their reaction was understandable and they too broke me down, but to them I had to be strong; I had to let them know that I was alright even though I was not. People know their friends in times of need. There were many, too many to mention. President Donald Ramotar called me, Dr Luncheon sent me a text, Priya Manickchand offered me help in any form as did Glenn Lall and his wife, Bhena. The calls were numerous and GT&T should give me a portion of the money they would make from the hundreds of phone calls people placed to me. How can I thank my hundreds of friends? His friends were there too. I remember the day he died I went to Woodlands Hospital to prepare him for the funeral home. There was this girl whom I do not know. She said to me that she once worked with Alan then she started to cry. We often see race in
everything. My son transcended race, because people of every race and colour shed tears for him. I thank them for their sentiments and hope to keep close to them because each of them has a piece of my son. The funeral was too big for me. Since 1982 all of my siblings had not been in the same place at the same time. My son brought everyone together and what was sweeter was that my 90-yearold mother was there. People reach out at times like those. One of my daughters could not come, but she did not miss the service. One of her friends, Karen Daniels, streamed the entire proceedings to her in New Jersey. Then she said that she regretted something she did after. She took a photograph of my son in his casket and sent it. My daughter collapsed. Two nights ago, I saw my son and I realized that I have
Adam Harris not let go. Even now I expect him to come walking in with the greeting, “Hi Pops. What you doing?” Here am I doing this piece and I am seeing him again. I know that I can’t have him anymore, that I will never be able to hold him, to scold him, to give him anything; not even to cuss him for his indiscretions. He has gone, taking his demons with him, and leaving me behind to feel that somehow I failed him.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
The People Progressive Party - does it really care? By Sheba Thomas The obsessive use of the new slogan ‘ Because we care’ by the People’s Progressive Party is intriguing; to care is a very humanistic quality that requires the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something. To care can be seen as a continuous action or devotion to something or someone. Now, after having the PPP/C in power for twenty-two years and having the past looking no different from the future under their leadership, as a Guyanese I am left to wonder exactly what it is they claim to ‘care’ about. “Because we care”, Guyana has not had local
Sheba Thomas government elections in the last twenty years under the PPP/C leadership and their continuous shenanigans with GECOM suggest we are far
from likely seeing any under their leadership should they remain in power. This same ‘caring’ government is denying us of our democratic right to have a say in our welfare and maintenance of our various towns and villages, and at the same time depriving youths from having experience in this voting process or taking up active leadership positions in their respective communities. The incentives to public servants remain stagnant year after year and only a 5% increase in salary is offered by this same ‘caring’ government. So despite the boasting of Guyana’s economic growth from 1992, the PPP/C still has the present workforce working for a next-to-nothing salary while the relatives of
Government Ministers and high officials and they themselves enjoy super salaries. The ‘caring’ PPP Government does not care enough to establish things like tax reduction for single parents with more than three children. Instead, a minute initiative of a ten thousanddollar education grant per public school student for the entire year will be granted. This cannot cover even one month’s expense for a singleparent to keep that child in school, to feed that child or ensure that child has a proper education. Some textbooks cost as much as $10,000. Then again there are various levels of caring. Our young people are left without a national youth policy even though it
is promised to us in the PPP/ C manifesto every election. The welfare of our youths becomes debatable as they are being gunned down, sexually assaulted, and fashioned into poverty. Our Health and Education ministries fail to establish solutions for the increase in teenage pregnancy and suicide. Our Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport seems lost whenitcomestohisroleinyouth development. The level ofour state health care becomes questionable as our maternal deaths and suicide rates increase. The Minister of Health is unprepared to accept findings of such results by the WHO. Our health care system is not prepared to educate Guyanese on the Chikungunya and Ebola viruses properly. Because they care, our roads, bridges and kokers will be built to last for short periods only because it seems like Guyanese don’t really
deserve the best for their taxpayer dollars. Instead of having foreign companies bringing in their people to construct projects such as the Marriott Hotel, they should make it mandatory for these companies to hire Guyanese workers. Instead of actually caring for the citizens of Guyana, the PPP/C is more concerned about their pockets and themselves. Had they truly cared they would have used the 2011 elections result to establish a government from all three parties for the betterment of all Guyanese. They would drop their ideologist attitude of winner-takes-all and come to a compromise with the opposition on certain issues for the sustainable development of this country. If this is what a caring government looks like after twenty-two years, Guyana is definitely ready for a change from the continuous stagnation.
Sunday October 26, 2014
SUNDAY SPECIAL LOG EXPORTS DOUBLE IN 2014 Guyana’s log exports for the first eight months of this year have more than doubled compared to the same period of 2013. According to the Forest Products Development and Marketing Council of Guyana Inc. (FPDMC) in its August 2014 Market/Export Report, a staggering 86,250 cubic metres of logs were exported between January and August. This earned US$14.5M. Last year, for the same period, 41,518 cubic meters were exports, earning over US$7M. This meant that log exports have doubled this year. For this year, until August, log exports represented about 46 percent of the total forest exports as against the 30 percent for last year. The increase of exports would have significance in light of the debate over logging activities. The regulatory body, Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), has insisted that it has a handle on activities with harvesting still way below expectations and targets. While Government has introduced a phased increase in royalties and taxes on log exports, there is nothing in the law to stop the trade. There have been criticisms over what is perceived to be heightened activities by especially Asian logging companies. According to the report, for August of this year, out of the US$2.27M earned, exports to China accounted for US$1.9M alone with 10,000 cubic metres. India followed next with US$311,000 and 1,537 cubic metres. Some 60 cubic metres went to Hong Kong in August, earning US$12,681. RONALD RAMJATTAN KNIGHTED BY QUEEN ELIZABETH II Although he left these shores more than a decade ago, Ronald Ramjattan still has a prevailing presence in Guyana, throughout the Caribbean and further afield. He is the business mogul standing firmly behind the well known Baron Foods Limited. As a food entrepreneur for many years he has maintained a flawless and distinguished reputation which was perhaps enough for him to be awarded with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham Palace. The award was bestowed upon him on October 9, last, by Queen Elizabeth II. According to Ramjattan in an invited comment to this publication Saturday, “it was
Kaieteur News
indeed a humbling experience for me as a Guyanese coming from a normal background.” With unreserved modesty, he spoke of being an entrepreneur in Saint Lucia, his adopted home, for more than 24 years, and was elated to not only be recognized, but be auspiciously honoured by the Queen. “I am indeed fortunate,” said Ramjattan who has been exporting his over 125 food products from Saint Lucia to Guyana for the last 20 years. All of his products have also been consistently maintaining an ISO 22000 Standard and are also exported throughout the English, Dutch and French Islands of the Caribbean, North America and Europe. His integral support to the Saint Lucian economy saw the Government there nominating him for the OBE award which was accepted by the Queen. Though grateful for the recognition, Ramjattan is of the belief that the honour “is a plus for Guyana and Guyanese living outside.” MONDAY EDITION TROTMAN TO CONSULT FORMER SPEAKERS ON RECONVENING NATIONALASSEMBLY In light of arguments by his predecessors, Ralph Ramkarran and Sase Narain, on the powers of the Speaker to reconvene the sitting of the National Assembly, House Speaker Raphael Trotman is expected to conduct a meeting with the two. This advice will be used to inform his apparently cautious quest for a “correct decision” that will stand the scrutiny of any court. While some politicians are vigourously pursuing viable options to halt the current delay of the sitting of the National Assembly, Former Speaker Ramkarran in his recent writings on his blog, (Conversation Tree) opined that every day that goes by without the sitting of the parliament amounts to a violation of the parliamentary rules. He argued that the present Speaker was obliged to convene the sitting of the parliament on October 11, the day after the parliamentary recess ended. He said that this is supported by the Standing Orders.
Ramkarran also stated that since the National Assembly is normally adjourned for the recess without a date being named, the next sitting date had to be October 11. The former Speaker said too that he takes responsibility for erring on this part during his tenure and said that such a violation should not occur under any Speaker,
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past or present. TUESDAY EDITION MARRIOTT’S CHINESE WORKERS CAUGHT DUMPING DRUMS OF WASTE OILAT SEAWALL An investigation is to be launched into the dumping of oil into the Atlantic Ocean by Chinese workers at Marriott Hotel construction site in Kingston on Monday. The incident saw a clash between three workers and personnel of the nearby location of the army’s Coast Guard. The dumping was witnessed by two tourists who were in the area to check out works at the Marriottbranded hotel. They said around mid-afternoon, after viewing the construction, they went around the back of the site, at the western end which borders the Atlantic Ocean. There they saw three workers with a blue drum dumping what appeared to be oil in the ocean. After seeing the two tourists, the Chinese workers stopped what they were doing. The tourists decided to back away and, from a vantage point, observed a bulldozer taking more drums to the area. The incident was captured on video, with several photographs taken. Shortly after, a Coast Guard rank that was in the compound of his workplace, which adjoins the Marriott’s property, saw what was happening. He went over and demanded that the workers stop what they were doing. The workers appeared to be reluctant. However, the rank insisted that the drums be covered. The matter was reported to the Commander of the Coast Guard. WEDNESDAY EDITION ACCOUNTING BODY LAUNCHES PROBE AGAINST GRA’S CHIEF OVER TAX INFO LEAKS A local accounting body that has powers to censure its members has activated systems to investigate complaints against head of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Khurshid Sattaur. The CommissionerGeneral is accused of abusing his office and breaching secrecy regulations by leaking confidential information on a taxpayer. In this case, the taxpayer is the National Media and Publishing Company, which publishes Kaieteur News. Earlier this month, the newspaper’s Publisher, Glenn Lall, filed an official complaint with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG). Any negative findings against the embattled head by the body will definitely have a long-
term impact on his professional standing and credibility within the accounting community. ICAG, in a reply to the complaint Tuesday sent to the newspaper, and addressed to Lall, said that it has received the formal complaint, based on a letter dated October 7th. The body disclosed that indeed, the Commissioner-General is one of its members. “The Council of the Institute considered the contents of your letter and the associated attachment at its meeting of 14th October 2014. It has been agreed that the matter will be referred to
the Investigations Committee of the Institute in accordance with our bye-laws (sic).” According to ICAG, the Investigations Committee will be communicating with the Publisher on the matter and subsequently on the status and conclusion. POLICE REFUSE TO HAND OVER REMAINS TO MFK’S RELATIVES Police are refusing to hand over the remains found at Cummingslodge, East Coast Demerara, a month ago, to relatives of missing businessman Mohamed F. Khan, although relatives are convinced that it is the
businessman. Police sources have told this newspaper that relatives of the missing businessman, some of whom have flown in from overseas, are seeking to have the remains so that they can bury it and bring some amount of closure to the situation. The relatives have positively identified a belt and a pair of trousers that were found with the decomposed corpse. The identification facilitated a post mortem examination on the remains on Monday. However, police are insisting that they will rely on DNA before they could safely conclude that the (Continued on page 47)
Ronald Ramjattan receives his award from Queen Elizabeth
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
Ebola is a national threat. It requires a national response
President Donald Ramotar’s broadcast to the nation last Friday, 17th October, was necessary but did not go far enough. The President indicated that his government is aware of the international alarm over the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in certain West African countries. This has been reported for the past six months. Whether he is prepared to do what is necessary to counter the threat to the Guyanese nation is another matter. President Ramotar, given the speed and ease of international travel these days and the virulence of the disease, must do more to convince the population at large that his administration is really ready to deal with the EVD threat. Guyana’s public health system might not have been as badly damaged as those of Sierra Leone and
Liberia, which were battered by civil wars and which are the most seriously affected by the epidemic, but is not efficient. The local government system here, also, is broken. EVD knows no borders in the ‘globalised’ environment in which modern countries must operate. The disease first emerged 38 years ago in the remote, sparsely populated hinterland of Central Africa. Its presence in populous West African coastal states has now indicated that it could affect urban and rural populations as well. The present state of regional, municipal and neighbourhood councils in this country where central government has eviscerated legitimate local government organs will impede community responses to the disease. Ministerial reactions have been uninspiring. Minister of Health, Dr Bheri
Ramsaran, though warned of the gravity of the public health threat, has reacted slowly. The Ministry - in the case of the still raging Chikungunya disease - let the population down. So far, except for some spotty training, it has failed to promulgate a comprehensive national plan and to launch a national campaign. Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett’s sweeping directive on 9th September to Guyana’s embassies and consulates, “…not to issue visas to nationals from certain West African countries,” is unfocussed and unhelpful. Persons whose travels did not necessarily originate in the scheduled countries could have been infected and could, therefore, beat the Minister’s ban and could be capable of transmitting the virus. The People’s Progressive Party Civic administration’s approach to
EVD is ad hoc, uncoordinated and unsatisfactory. The PPPC must deliver a convincing and comprehensive plan. The President’s promise “… to seek maximum cooperation” and to invite “leaders of all parliamentary political parties and civil society to join forces with the government in a national response to prepare and protect our people from the deadly Ebola disease” is still to happen. The task of educating and engaging the entire nation about the danger of the disease should not be underestimated. Communities must be enabled to maintain sanitary surroundings and persons must be taught hygienic practices. Surveillance must be improved at formal ports of entry to prevent infected persons from entering and to protect the population. It will
not be enough, however, to screen only legitimate passengers at official ports. Guyana’s well-known, notorious, illegal backtrack routes must also be closed. The government will need to consider constructing ‘retention centres’ at ports of entry for quarantining and monitoring persons who are suspected of having been exposed to the virus. There has to be a single national plan of action to contain the disease and to exercise control and coordinate the efforts of the government, civil airlines and the population. This is necessary to oversee the activation of neighbourhood, regional and national public health response and to recruit, equip and train volunteers. The government must act quickly to train more personnel and to acquire sufficient medical supplies ¯ including personal protective equipment such as face
shields, masks, goggles, gowns and gloves ¯ in order to be better prepared to protect the population. EVD spreads through human-to-human transmission. The disease can be fatal if untreated. There must therefore be early diagnosis of infection and prompt supportive care. There must also be better laboratory services than exist at present. There must also be strong systems for case management, contact-tracing and safe burials. APNU reaffirms its total commitment to protect the population from any threat to public health. APNU is prepared to work with the Government and civil society in order to achieve this goal. APNU calls for the immediate promulgation of a national plan of action to respond to the threat of entry of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) into Guyana.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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China wants its mining companies to disclose payments to overseas Govt’s The China Chamber of Commerce for Mining, Metals and Chemicals – a Chinese government-affiliated body – on Friday launched a set of voluntary guidelines for Chinese mineral companies that operate mining projects outside of China. The move by China provides an enormous boost for efforts worldwide to bring governments in line with global transparency standards, in particular the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the Dodd-Frank Act Section 1504, as well as the European Union (EU) Directives. The move to ensure Chinese companies toe the line has one local watchdog body lauding the move. According to the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), the announcement, reported by Global Witness, a major international monitoring organization, represents an important development with respect to Chinese involvement in the extractive sector in Guyana. The guidelines, which are not online yet, were handed out in hard copy at the launch in Beijing Friday by the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters. “The Guidelines for Social Responsibility in Outbound Mining Investments speak directly to the standards expected of companies operating in countries such as Guyana.” With respect, for example,
China’s businesses on Friday unveiled guidelines for its overseas based mining companies to disclose payments to Government agencies to ensure transparency. to disclosure of payments made to Governments, the guidelines state that companies must “Disclose all payments which are made to foreign government entities in countries of operation, including in-kind payments and infrastructure projects, in line with global transparency standards, in countries where those apply.” Global Witness noted that “To date, 44 resource-rich countries implement the standard of the Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which requires governments to disclose their receipts from mining companies and companies to disclose their payments made to government entities. The figures are reconciled and published in an annual national EITI report, in order to prevent corruption and inform the public about revenues from resource wealth.” According to GHRA, the
political significance of China’s endorsement of EITI standards puts considerable pressure on the United States to follow suit. “Congressional approval of the Dodd-Frank Act ( legislation drafted after the financial crisis of 2008) has been held up by the powerful oil and gas lobby in the US on the grounds that ratification would render them uncompetitive with respect to China. The Chinese move effectively pulls the rug from
under this argument.” Global Witness also noted that revenue transparency is becoming imperative for the mining industry. “Apart from the EITI, mining companies listed on US or EU stock exchanges are now required to disclose
payments made to any foreign government entity related to mining projects in all countries of operation, as established by the US DoddFrank Act. Similar provisions are required by the Hong Kong stock exchange as a (Continued on page 30)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
China’s top graft-buster says fight will never end
Former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang is under investigation (Reuters) - China’s fight against deeply ingrained corruption will never end, the top official in charge of tackling graft said before a meeting intended to clean up business in the world’s second-largest economy. Since President Xi Jinping launched his high-profile campaign against corruption upon assuming office last year, senior officials including powerful former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang have been removed from their posts and put under investigation. “All these efforts have gained the support of the general public,” said Wang Qishan, who heads the ruling Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. “This is just the beginning,” he said, adding that the party’s anti-graft campaign requires “consistency, intensified supervision, discipline and accountability”. The campaign for clean government “will never be concluded”, Wang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency late on Friday. Wang made the comments while talking
with overseas members of the advisory board of the School of Economics and Management at Beijing’s elite Tsinghua University, Xinhua said. “A clean government and a healthy and fair market offers the best soft environment for investment,” it paraphrased Wang as saying. At the graft watchdog’s annual plenum held on Saturday, Wang said that party members, especially those in leadership roles, need to abide by the rules and put into action the party’s discipline because the anticorruption drive is tough and complicated. “The fight against corruption and the construction of a clean government is still ongoing,” a statement posted on the watchdog’s website quoted Wang as saying. The party’s own plenum ended this week with vague promises to boost the rule of law, but made no mention of the disgraced Zhou. The party announced in July that it had launched a corruption investigation into Zhou, following months of speculation about his fate, making him the highest-profile victim yet of Xi’s war on graft.
China wants its mining... From page 29 precondition for listing and after listing.” The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and other lending agencies also require mining companies to disclose their payments to governments. Along with the
announcement from China, the United Kingdom (UK) also announced Friday its acceptance of candidate status for EITI membership. The UK EITI, in what Global Witness deemed “a wise move’, is to build into the scheme company reporting on the revenues they have paid for each individual project. Monitoring payments at this level means that money paid for specific projects can be traced through the system into government coffers. In another related EITI development, the international EITI Board is
exploring the terms for what it calls the “enabling environment” for civil society groups to assess whether countries are complying with EITI terms. “This is a central issue to the whole EITI and one of particular interest here in Guyana where we have recently adopted a more constructive attitude towards the EITI process. Without a flow of technical information, free from fear of retaliation towards technical staff of Public Agencies, the central purpose of this scheme – enabling citizens to use the data to hold their governments to account – will not be effectively secured,” GHRA said. There are several Chinese companies operating in Guyana, in the extractive industry. Among them are Bosai and Rong-An Inc. The extractive industry in Guyana has been coming under increasing scrutiny with calls for increased monitoring and regulations.
Sunday October 26, 2014
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Guyana to host forum for Caribbean Statisticians Commencing tomorrow, Guyana will be hosting the 39th Meeting of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians (SCCS) and the 24th Regional Census Coordinating Committee (RCCC) at the Princess International Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD). The meetings conclude on Friday. This is the first time Guyana is hosting the regional fora. They have been held in St. Kitts and Nevis (2013), Grenada (2012), Belize (2011), St. Lucia (2009), Barbados (2008), Suriname (2007) and Trinidad and Tobago (2006). This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the SCCS. The Annual Meeting of the SCCS is an event that sees Regional Directors of Statistics and Chief Statisticians of CARICOM deliberating on a Regional Statistical Work Programme geared at ensuring integration and cooperation of all statistical offices in the Region. Guyana’s Chief
Statistician Lennox Benjamin said that these two events (SCCS & RCCC) serve as a reminder of the key roles statisticians play in trying to “improve the quality of life of the peoples of the Caribbean Community”. “It enables policies that facilitate the development of each country in the region.” The Chief Statistician noted that the National Statistical Offices of the Region aim at “producing and disseminating statistics to inform public policies as well
as for use by researchers and the private sector.” He noted that there is an increase in demand for high quality statistics in a timely manner. The SCCS was established one year after the coming into effect of the Caribbean Community, with the recognition of the vital role of sound, relevant and timely statistics in guiding sustainable social and economic development of the Region. Given the establishment
of the SCCS in 1974, this year is an auspicious occasion for statisticians across the Region as it is the 40th anniversary of the SCCS. Benjamin said too that all member countries of CARICOM as well as Associate members participate. The meetings of
the Standing Committee were subsequently expanded to include meetings of the RCCC, which is the umbrella body for the conceptualization and implementation of the National Population and Housing Census throughout the Caribbean Region. The Twenty-fourth RCCC Meeting will serve to monitor and evaluate the Population and Housing Census in each Caribbean country and to continue to encourage the sharing of experiences, the identification of best practices and challenges, so as to provide support to countries in need. The RCCC also aids in fulfilling the SCCS mandate with the preparation of a Regional plan to support a common census framework. “Statistics is the core of everything we do and is
crucial in the development of our territories,” Benjamin reiterated. He said too that the continued challenge to statistics in today’s dynamic world is referred to in the theme of this year’s meeting ‘Data Revolution for Sustainable Development in CARICOM - Designing and operationalizing a framework for statistics.’ Several items have been placed on the agenda for discussion. They include, but are not limited to, sustaining the development of statistics in CARICOM; advancing the process of implementing the regional statistics work programme; economy, finance and investment statistics; population, demographic, social and living condition statistics and statistics on information and communication technologies.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
STARR COMPUTER to offer free weekly Tech Workshops Technology giant STARR Computer Inc. will from Tuesday (October 28) be offering free weekly Technology Workshops. At its Lot 59 Brickdam, Stabroek head office, the company also plans to launch a unique pilot Lenovo Experience Store, as Lenovo, the world largest computer manufacturer, prepares to take over BlackBerry. According to President of
STARR Computer, Michael Mohan, a combination of core engineers from Lenovo, IBM and Motorola plus a large cash flow will definitely resurrect the BlackBerry market opportunities. Already, Lenovo is poised to open a new unit next April to reflect the Internet of Things (IoT), a focus on smart devices. Underscoring that Lenovo maintains the highest level of
technical services to its customers worldwide, Mohan disclosed that STARR Computer has also chosen the highly reliable Lenovo Think Servers to power its new Smart Lab. This guarantees the end users less maintenance and down time. “For years, Guyana was known as the “BlackBerry” country. And, although BlackBerry lost its leading world market share over the last few years to Apple, before Samsung took over a dominant role in the market, many individuals still held on to their BlackBerry with hopes,” Mohan asserted. “A successful acquisition of BlackBerry by Lenovo will be good news for STARR Computer Inc as well as loyal BlackBerry users in Guyana since STARR is a Channel Partner of Lenovo. Channel partners are not only trained
President of STARR Computer, Michael Mohan to sell Lenovo products but are periodically trained to provide technical and complete business IT solutions.” In Guyana, Mohan noted, the STARR Tech Squad is
required to undergo annual recertification examinations with Lenovo to maintain its Authorized Service Centre status for Lenovo products sold Mohan noted that on the world stage, with its current 11,000 Partners, Lenovo recently inherited, via its acquisitions, an additional 3,000 Partners to distribute its full portfolio of products.
“Most importantly, having manufacturing facilities worldwide to serve its regional distribution channels with a full array of engineers and efficient production plants gives Lenovo the leverage to excel at an exponential rate in our region. Lenovo products sold in Guyana are generally manufactured in the US and Mexican facilities with a high level of UL and FCC compliant standards.” STARR Computer Inc. has also chosen the highly reliable Lenovo Think Servers to power its new Smart Lab. This guarantees the end users less maintenance and downtime.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Home is where the heart is, but don’t lose your head! (From page 35) eyes. I think I was actually humming inaudibly the old national service song, ‘I want to build this land that belongs to me…’ I slapped the machete against my leg in manly fashion. My punt-partner wasn’t impressed. A Guyanese sugar-cane field has a culture of its own. Those who work it generally know how much cane it holds, how and why it was burnt, how many punts it can fill, how much it costs their bodies, and how much money it can put in their pockets. They also know its bittersweet history, and theirs; many of the mostly East Indian labourers tracing back their lineage and livelihood from India, across Kala Pani, to the truly ‘New’ World. Guyana became their home and sugarcane, their identity. I later reflected on these things, but for me then, the idea of cane-cutting was as much a romantic notion as an economic one. I started out boldly enough, secretly reveling in what I always felt was my wiriness and deceptive strength. I think it was about 7 ‘o’ clock and as I said earlier, the sun was already ‘standing up.’ I swung at my first cane stalk, swung again, and it fell. So far, so good. I bent my back to the task. After about ten minutes, it suddenly dawned upon me that the other cane cutters were all ahead of me, and that I hadn’t tied a bundle yet. I hailed my partner. He came over and showed me how to do it. My first bundle had maybe a dozen canes, and as I tried to balance it on my head, the canes began shifting and sliding, and seconds later they were on the ground again. I tied them tighter; they continued to slip and slide but I managed to make it to the punt. It felt good, and I went back with renewed will. My second trip to the punt however didn’t fare as well as the first. In addition to the bundle of canes shifting and sliding, my head was beginning to hurt, my one-inch ‘afro’ providing little cushion from the hard, knotty stalks. As I struggled to keep them from falling again I realized with a growing sense of amazement, that I was literally in over my head. (Cool pun) Twice the bundle slipped and fell to the ground; twice I managed to pick it up and go on, and twice I noted just how far I was lagging behind the others. By the time I got to my third bundle, my partner, feeling sorry for me I guess, came and asked if I didn’t have some sort of a pad for my head. I answered sheepishly in the negative. Grim-faced, he tied the bundle for me, helped me hoist it to my head and
before going back to his part of the field, reminded me, somewhat ungraciously, that we had a punt to fill by such and such a time. By his tone I had the uneasy feeling that he wanted to use stronger language (maybe a few expletives) but he held his tongue, and I held my nerve. The bundle fell only once this time, and I felt a little better. “IAM TOUGH… I WILL BEA CANE CUTTER!” Time went by, the sun notched up its heat a few more degrees, and by ten ‘o’ clock I was seriously reconsidering my latest ‘profession’ My skin had turned two shades darker, my head was throbbing erratically, and I was building up a mighty thirst. But as far as I could see, no one had stopped working, and I didn’t want to be the first. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I felt I could do this thing. “I am a Guyanese. I am tough. I will be a cane cutter!” As the morning progressed I actually felt I was doing a fairly good job. Wasn’t it my first canecutting venture? Wasn’t I working with an unsharpened machete? Didn’t I not have a head pad? I had made more than a dozen trips to the punt by then and I thought it was beginning to fill up quite nicely, even though acknowledging that the ratio of my partner’s canes to mine was probably close to 2 to 1. Then without warning, the sun decided to pull out all the stops. It blazed! It burned! It singed! The sky got bluer, the canefield grew darker, my skin got blacker, and the only clear thought that filtered into my mind amidst a cacophony of voices, was one word. Water! It’s the thing they say you never miss ‘till the well runs dry, or in my case, my throat. I could feel my eyeballs sinking a few millimetres into their sockets. My back and head ached. I convinced myself that I could feel my skin shrivelling and my body shrinking. And it was then that I knew, suddenly, and with the certainty of an epiphany, that I couldn’t go on. Forget manliness. Forget pride. Long live common sense! “GO BACK TO TEACHIN’!” Finally, it was over; well not quite. It was about one ‘o’ clock if I remember rightly when we took a break, at least a group that included my work pal. Supremely thankful, I sank to the ground under a tree that afforded a little shade, and the one word that had bullied my thoughts for the last hour, came out in a sort of gasp, ‘Water!’ It was then my partner asked me with a look of utter
incredulity on his face, if I didn’t walk with any. I shook my head in the negative. He shook his in disbelief. Then, oh Blessed Father, he handed me something that looked like a sturdy canvas bag (I guess it was a canteen) and told me I could have some of his. I drank, and drank, then drank some more. It was as if there was a reservoir inside me that wasn’t filling up. I think I must have drunk three-quarters of the container. My partner either didn’t notice or didn’t care, or felt very, very sorry for me. I looked at him, and I thought, what were the odds of this scenario happening, where
the paths of a relatively young Afro-Guyanese teacher and an obviously seasoned Indo-Guyanese cane cutter would cross so unpredictably, in such a setting? Then he turned to me, and the following brief conversation ensued. “Tell mi sumting, is whe’ you use to wuk befo’ you come wuk hay pun dis estate?” “I’m a teacher. I used to teach in the Northwest, near Mabaruma.” “Go back to teachin’!” I smiled and told him I was going, and to take whatever I was going to be paid, for himself. I never found out if he
did. Then I went back to the estate compound to wait on the truck that would take me to back to Plaisance where I was then living with my sister and nephew. There was a mild hullaballoo as I turned into the yard on Ben Profitt Drive. I must have looked like a fiend from hell. Dishevelled and dehydrated, skin burnt and blackened, eyes red and sunken, and smelling of smoke and cane ash, I must have been barely recognizable. My nephew, Rasta Gary, seemed awestruck by the transformation, but not for long. As I went to the stand
pipe in the yard to wash up, I looked up and saw him staring at me from the house window. Then a wicked smile crossed his face as he yelled down at me, “Wha’ happenin’ Balgobin?” I didn’t have the strength or wasn’t in the state of mind for a witty retort, but I did manage a broad smile in acknowledgement of the humour and the absurdity of the moment. Yes, Balgobin the cane cutter, a one-day wonder, and a living testimony of the backbreaking effort and fortitude of the Guyana cane cutter. Oh, by the way, Big Respect to all the ‘Balgobins’ out there.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
Why has Chikungunya spread so fast countrywide? (From the desk of the Vector Control Director, Dr. Reyaud Rahman) Chikungunya was first detected in Guyana in May 2014. It was however detected in the first Caribbean territory, St. Martin, in December 2013. Before this, there were small sporadic outbreaks in the 1960s and 1970s in Asia and Africa. The disease remained almost dormant through the 1980s until June 2004 when an epidemic was reported on the Lamu Island in Kenya. The disease later spread to La Reunion, France, and other
Indian Ocean islands infecting over 500,000 persons in 2005. India was affected in 2006-2009 by an epidemic of over 1.5 million cases which spread to South East Asia and later the Islands in the Pacific Ocean. When the first case of Chikungunya was detected in the Caribbean in 2013, in four months there were more than 31,000 suspected cases coming from Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint BarthĂŠlemy, Saint Martin, St. Kitts and Nevis, the Dominican Republic and Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines. To date there are over 14,000 cases of confirmed Chikungunya cases in the Caribbean and over 700,000 suspected cases. Studies have shown that the virus strains circulating in the Caribbean are most closely related to strains found in China in 2012. This further displays the extent to which this disease has spread around the globe. Persons at risk of contracting Dengue fever are also at risk of being infected with the Chikungunya virus. This is due to the fact that the same mosquitoes that transmit Dengue fever can
transmit the Chikungunya virus. Over 3.6 billion persons are at risk of contracting Dengue fever which invariably means that 3.6 billion persons in 124 countries are at risk of being infected with the Chikungunya virus. The only defence against Chikungunya and other vector-borne diseases is to continue protecting ourselves from being bitten (decrease mosquito to human contact) and vector control measures to reduce mosquito density and abundance. The major reason why Guyana has had such a major
Dr. Reyaud Rahman
problem with the Chikungunya virus is because we have the vectors (mosquitoes) that transmit the disease in our environment, households and offices. These mosquitoes thrive in our country by breeding around our yards, directly in our houses and in some public buildings. Our conditions are perfect for mosquitoes to thrive as we have a hot, humid environment and rain, these are some of the most important factors necessary for mosquitoes to flourish and multiply. We have increased the vector control presence countrywide and plan on keeping the pressure on vector-borne diseases; once this is done we are confident that disease numbers will decrease year after year. Be reminded that effective vector control remains a partnership and goals cannot be realized if the members of the public do not do their part and decrease breeding sites around their yards, workplaces and general environment.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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The Emergency Room visit (cont’d) (With Dr Zulfikar Bux, Head of GPHC’s A&E; Asst. Prof. of Emergency Medicine) The emergency room of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) works without a break. It is there to provide a service for those in need of urgent medical care, be it the late hours of the night or the early hours of the morning. The staff of this department is trained to provide effective emergent care while adapting to constant changes in their environment. As previously discussed, there are three major sections of the department where patient care is delivered. Last week we focused on “triage”, this week we will discuss the other two sections; the “in room” and the “out room”. IN ROOM PATIENT CARE The “in room” section is the hub of the emergency department. It is where all the major decisions on patient care are made.
Diagnosing a patient’s condition, giving advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), realigning a broken bone, investigating a patient’s illness, giving pain relief, and admitting a patient for further care, are examples of features that occur in the “in room”. It is in here that nurses, doctors, patient advocates, social workers, medical clerks, attendants, laboratory staff, emergency security, and janitors work in cohesion to provide a constant service for every patient that is in need of their care. The final decision of discharging or admitting a patient is also done in this section. A discharged patient would have shown significant improvement in their presenting condition, and can be sent home with appropriate treatment or a follow-up plan. Once a patient is admitted, it means that their condition did not improve significantly enough and they now require
ward care. The emergency doctor will determine which specialty ward the patient would be admitted to, according to their medical condition. An admitted patient may not go their designated ward instantly. They can spend prolonged periods in the emergency room, either for medial stabilization before transport or to await the availability of an appropriate bed, given their medical needs. In general, patients that are sicker or seriously injured are kept in the “in room” section. The less sick or stable injured patients are usually placed in the “out room” section. OUT ROOM PATIENT CARE In this section, patients would have undergone “in room” treatment and are now stable enough to be placed here. Patients in this section are either awaiting return of their laboratory investigation or a period of observation to see the progression of their
medical condition. Only patients that are ambulating and have non-life threatening conditions are placed in this section. Patients and a relative are usually allowed in this section and this enhances patient safety and monitoring. These patients will be called back into the “in room” when their observation period has finished or their laboratory investigations have all returned. The doctor will then make a decision on discharge or admission for this patient. Changes in social patterns and continued evolution in
patient presentations will always pose a challenge to the emergency room staff. These are challenges that exist in any organization with emergency medical care. The creation of systems of hierarchy and accountability, along with appropriate and continued staff education, are important goals of the GPHC A&E. Continued focus on these goals should help to manage the ever-evolving patient care challenges and ultimately contribute to the delivery of productive emergent medical care for all.
Dr. Zulfikar Bux
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
Sunday October 26, 2014
From page 27 remains belong to Khan. But since the DNA process through the police might take some time before the results are obtained, relatives were advised that they could write to the Commissioner of Police seeking permission to have a private DNA test done, which will be much quicker. In the meantime, the remains are being kept by the Lyken Funeral Parlour. THURSDAY EDITION REMIGRANT WHO IMPORTED MERCEDES BENZ SUV SAYS…‘I DON’T KNOW I HAVE TO LIVE IN GUYANA’ …SPENDS MORE TIME OUT THAN IN Kamal Mangal, the uncle of Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who became a remigrant almost two years ago, has said that he was not aware that he had to be living in Guyana to qualify as a remigrant. He has also denied that he did anything wrong when he used the Attorney General’s home address to apply for remigrant status which allowed him to import a highend Mercedes Benz Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and other personal items as a remigrant. The vehicle, parked at a Delhi Street, Prashad Nagar apartment complex compound, is sometimes used by the caretaker, Mangal claimed. Kamal Mangal, who told Kaieteur News that he was 60, (Mangal is actually 67) came into the spotlight last week after a report in Stabroek News which said that state investigators focused on Nandlall while it was investigating a duty free racket under the Remigrant Scheme. Speaking with Kaieteur News on Tuesday, Mangal said he lived in the US for over 30 years and was originally from Black Bush Polder, Berbice. He flew in recently. Mangal admitted that he has been coming regularly to Guyana, but after applying for remigrant status, he never spent more than one month in the country. On most occasions he spent a few days. In Florida, where he has homes, he has been investing in apartments, renting them to tenants. In Maryland, he operates an auto body workshop. Within the last few years, he has been visiting Guyana more regularly. As a matter of fact, said Mangal, he had partnered with Nandlall to purchase the South Road offices which eventually housed the law firm offices of the Minister. SATTAUR FACES
Kaieteur News
LIFETIME BAN IF FOUND GUILTY …ACCA COULD WITHDRAW ITS INTL. CERTIFICATION ACCOUNTANT If found guilty in local court of law of any kind of criminal wrong doing or fraud, Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Khurshid Sattaur, faces possible lifetime blacklisting by the international Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). This is according to a prominent local Accountant who, speaking on the condition of anonymity, explained that following the launch of an investigation into Sattaur’s action by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana (ICAG), a report will be filed with ACCA. It was noted that the ACCA will act based on the results of the ICAG findings but will also be looking to see the outcome of any court proceedings involving Sattaur, or whether any private civil action would be taken against him. It was explained that if it is found that the Commissioner General did in fact breach the Oath of Office he swore to as it relates to the confidentiality of tax information, then the ACCA would be able to act and levy sanctions. The Commissioner-General is accused of abusing his office and breaching secrecy regulations by leaking confidential information on a taxpayer. Earlier this month, Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, filed an official complaint with ICAG, and the accounting body has since launched an investigation. FRIDAY EDITION REMIGRANT WAS NOT IN
GUYANAWHENVEHICLE CLEARED, REGISTERED - IN TWO YEARS, SPENDS 20 MONTHS OVERSEAS Shortly after admitting that he has been spending more time out of Guyana than in, a remigrant, who imported a high-end Mercedes Benz SUV under a special Government programme for returning Guyanese, may have breached the conditions under which he was allowed to import the vehicle. Kamal Mangal, 67, the uncle of Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, since registering the vehicle, PPP 9090, on November 2, 2012, has been more out of the country than in. When the vehicle arrived in Guyana in October 2012, Mangal was not in the country to clear it. He was also not in Guyana to
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register his vehicle on November 2, 2012. Between November 2012 and October 2014—a two-year span— Mangal spent about 20 months out of the country and only four in Guyana during his visits, spending on average two weeks at a time. The length of time spent in the country has direct bearings on the conditions under which duty free concessions for vehicles are granted to a remigrant. SATURDAY EDITION DUTYFREE CONCESSIONS…GRA FAILS TO MONITOR REMIGRANT - ALLOWS AG’S UNCLE TO DODGE TAXES There are strong indications that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) failed to carry required audit
checks, to ensure compliance on a remigrant who is at the centre of questions over a multi-million-dollar duty free concession he was granted. Under regulations of the tax collection agency, persons who qualify to become remigrants and have been granted duty free concessions on vehicles, are required to check with GRA every six months and must continue for three years. The remigrant is mandated to take in the vehicle, as well as his/her passport. The passport is required as it shows whether the remigrant has been living in Guyana. In the case of the Kamal Mangal, a remigrant who brought in a Mercedes Benz AMG sports utility vehicle (SUV), records indicate that he never spent more than a few days at a time
when he visits Guyana. It has been almost 24 months since the vehicle was registered on November 2, 2012. Mangal has spent a total of four months in Guyana and 20 overseas. Mangal’s case raises questions why GRA’s special unit, tasked with monitoring remigrants, allowed the man to slip below the radar. Mangal himself said that since bringing in the vehicle, he has never been contacted by GRA on any problems. Had he been taking his passport as required, GRA’s verification unit would have immediately discovered that he was in breach of the conditions under which the vehicle was granted. In 2012, based on an approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which granted Mangal remigrant status, GRA issued a tax exemption letter which clearly stated that he was approved for a remission of Customs Duty and zero rating of the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the Mercedes Benz SUV. Mangal was also told in that tax exemption approval by GRA that he is not allowed to sell or lease the vehicle within three years of registration.More importantly, Mangal was told to take his vehicle’s registration, licence, fitness and insurance for inspection to GRA every six months from the date of registration. Under GRA policies, the remigrant had to also take in his passport where a verification unit would check to ensure that he is indeed living in Guyana. There are no indications that GRA did anything in the case of Mangal who, according to records, was not even in Guyana in November 2012 when the vehicle was registered.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
Blue-light blocking glasses may help sleep after screen time The blue glow from televisions and other screens suppresses natural mechanisms that help us fall asleep at night, but blocking just the blue wavelength may restore normal nighttime sleepiness, according to a new study. Teen boys who used computers and other digital devices while wearing the glasses every evening for a week felt markedly more relaxed and sleepy at bedtime than when they just wore clear glasses, Swiss researchers found. “LED screens are widelyused in smart phones, tablets, computer monitors and TVs,” said study coauthor Vivien Bromundt of the Centre for Chronobiology at the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel. “The effect of screen light on the circadian physiology is particularly high in devices which are used in close distance to our eyes,” Bromundt told Reuters Health by email. “Looking at these screens in the evening can keep teenagers awake since it involves light exposure, particularly in the bluewavelength range to which the biological clock and its associated arousal promotion has its greatest sensitivity.” Looking at computer screens in bed has been linked to insomnia and to difficulty waking up in the morning in previous studies.
Light impacts circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles, the authors note. Teenagers already have a pronounced preference for staying up late, the study team writes in the Journal of Adolescent Health. But having to wake up early for school builds up a chronic sleep debt that affects teens’ mood and focus. Light-emitting diode (LED) screens give off shortwavelength light, which has been shown to block a natural evening rise in the hormone melotonin that promotes sleepiness. Exposure to this blue light keeps the brain alert and “activated” when it should be slowing down to shift into sleep mode, the researchers say. For the new study, they used orange-tinted “blueblocker” glasses that filter out short wavelengths of light in the blue portion of the visible spectrum. The researchers recruited 13 healthy boys between ages 15 and 17 and for one week, the teens kept to their regular sleep schedule at home but did not go out in the evenings or have caffeine drinks. They wore blue-blocker glasses from 6 p.m. until bed time each evening, while keeping diaries of how long they wore the glasses and how much time they spent with LED and non-LED screens as well as a sleepwake log.
At the end of the week, the participants spent one overnight in the laboratory, sitting for two hours in dim light, darkness for half an hour and then three hours in front of a backlit LED computer screen wearing the blue blocker glasses. They completed cognitive tests and provided saliva samples. Then the participants went to sleep for eight hours, and performed the same cognitive tests and saliva samples upon waking in the lab again. All participants went through the weeklong study protocol twice, once wearing blue-blocker glasses and once wearing clear glasses for
comparison. The kids reported spending the same number of hours with LED screens with blue-blocker and clear glasses. They reported feeling sleepier with the blue blocker glasses, especially toward the end of the evening. Based on their saliva samples, kids who wore clear glasses had less melatonin, called the “darkness hormone,” at bedtime. Kids who wore the blue blocker glasses had higher melatonin levels from 90 minutes to five minutes before sleep. The type of glasses did not seem to make a difference on the length or perceived quality of sleep itself.
The short-wavelength photoreceptors in the eye which respond to blue light act to reset the timing of the internal clock, suppress melatonin production, improve alertness and performance, and elevate brain activation, Bromundt said. “Blue blockers therefore can prevent those light responses which are not helpful in the evening hours when our body and mind has to prepare for sleep,” she said. But the blue-blocker glasses also blocked a significant amount of light generally, not just blue light, said Mary A. Carskadon, who researches associations of sleep regulatory mechanisms with sleep-wake behavior of children, adolescents and young adults at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. “Not only were they blocking blue, but they were also blocking a lot of light so it was dimmer in general,” said Carskadon was not involved in the new study. “So it’s hard to detect what really is inducing the effects that they see, which were not very large.” If it is not the blue light, but the general dimness making a difference, there might be the same effect if kids just turn down the brightness on their devices, she said. Kids wearing clear glasses performed better on the
cognitive tasks and had faster reaction times than those wearing blue blocker glasses. “If kids are looking at screens, playing a videogame, they are not going to want to have their performance affected,” Carskadon said. Although they did not change sleep timing, latency or other measurable aspects of sleep quality after one week of use in this study, the blue-blocker glasses did seem to increase sleep readiness for the male teens, Bromundt said. The results would likely be the same for female teens as well, she said. “More and more suppliers of light therapy devices offer blue-blocker glasses in their range of products, because both bright light at the appropriate time of day and darkness or light-blocking devices in the evening and night are applied to consolidate our sleep-wake cycle and can therefore improve sleep and wellbeing,” Bromundt said. Brown or yellow tinted glasses may reduce light transmittance also, but do not block as much light in the blue wavelength range as orange glasses, she said. Having and setting limits on screen time can be as difficult for adults as for kids, Carskadon told Reuters Health.
For kids, psychological abuse may leave the deepest scars Psychological cruelty to children from parents or caregivers can cause as much - or even more - emotional damage than physical and sexual abuse, according to a new U.S. study. The diagnosis is being overlooked and undertreated compared to physical forms of abuse, researchers say. “When you look at symptom severity, there was no difference between the three forms of maltreatment,” said Joseph Spinazzola, lead author of the study. Psychological trauma is different from “dysfunctional parenting,” where moms or dads periodically lose their tempers. “It’s sort of living in this situation where they’re not receiving any kind of love or warmth and instead they’re receiving either hostility, threats or impossible demands, almost as if they are an enemy or monster, a pathetic unlovable creature . . . .,” said Spinazzola, executive director of The Trauma Center at Justice
Resource Institute in Brookline, Massachusetts. The study used the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Core Data set to analyze the cases of 5,616 youth with histories of psychological, physical or sexual abuse. The children were ages 2 to 10 at the start of the data collection, which took place from 2004 to 2010. Forty-two percent were boys and 62 percent had a history of psychological abuse. The children and their parents or caregivers were interviewed by clinicians and also answered questions about behavioral issues and trauma on questionnaires. All three groups of children had scores in the same general range for socalled “internalizing problems,” like social withdrawal, sadness, loneliness, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, and symptoms like headaches or stomachaches. But children who had been psychologically abused
were more likely to have negative outcomes over the long-term than victims of physical or sexual abuse. They were 92 percent more likely to have trouble with substance abuse, 78 percent more likely to be depressed, 80 percent more likely to experience separation anxiety disorder and 92 percent more likely to be anxious, according to a
paper scheduled for an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Compared to children who had been sexually abused, the psychological abuse group was also 65 percent more likely to have academic problems, 91 percent more likely to engage in criminal activity, 47 percent more likely to injure themselves and 147 percent more likely to have attachment problems. “One thing that struck me was that, of the forms of trauma measured by this core data set, psychological abuse was the most enduring form of maltreatment,” Spinazzola said. “When psychological abuse co-occurred with the other two, the presence of psychological abuse heightened the negative effects to a greater magnitude than when they occurred in the absence of psychological abuse.” But psychological abuse is often overshadowed by physical and sexual abuse,
the researchers note. In one previous study, only 7.6 percent of psychological abuse was reported to child welfare agencies. Other research found psychological abuse was investigated only 36 percent of the time (compared to 53 percent of physical abuse cases and 55 percent of sexual abuse). “I think there’s a hesitancy to label a parent as engaging in psychological abuse because of that fear of unfairly blaming a parent for just being human and imperfect,” said Spinazzola. Spinazzola said that while there have been improvements in educating child welfare personnel to better recognize psychosocial abuse and neglect, more work was needed. “It’s a combination of sort of education and awareness both at the training level for social workers and graduate training but also outreach to families. Educating and supporting parents in how to effectively engage with
children and how to manage their own distress that can affect their ability to be effective parents,” Spinazzola said. Dr. Jill Glick, medical director of Child Protective Services at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, called the research “transformational.” Glick was not directly involved in the study, thoug h s h e i s a colleague of study coauthor Bradley Stolbach. “When you look at these children, you’re seeing the impact of it is so s i g n i f i c a n t a n d w h a t ’s happening to them gets lost in the (mix) of child abuse and neglect,” Glick told Reuters Health. She said the study was a wake-up call to better identify and diagnose psychological abuse. “This paper is telling us we need to have a public surveillance approach to psychological maltreatment with agreed-upon definitions,” Glick said.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
PlayStation Store now offers season passes to TV shows Today the PlayStation Store will begin offering season passes to TV shows, according to the PlayStation blog. The feature launches on the PlayStation 3 and via web and mobile, while the option will be available on PlayStation 4, Sony smart TVs and Blu-ray players at a later date. PlayStation 4 users
should note that while the option to buy a season isn’t available through the user interface on the PS4 itself, they can use the web portal and then play shows through their console. Then fans of Once Upon a Time can receive new episodes the day after they appear on TV. Castle’s current season is,
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‘Big Hero 6’ to the rescue at new-look Tokyo film festival
however, inexplicably unavailable at this time. Sony is running a sale right now on past seasons of The Walking Dead. Standard definition of the first season is only $10.99, while high definition is $14.99. The current season will run you $41.99, with most other shows around that same $40 mark.
Goodfellas Actor Sues Simpsons For $250m
Goodfellas actor Frank Sivero is suing the creators of The Simpsons for $250m (£156m) for copying the character he played in the 1990 film. Sivero alleges that Simpsons producer James L Brooks was “highly aware of who Sivero was, the fact that he created the role of Frankie Carbone, and that The Simpsons character Louie would be based on this character”. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor, 62, alleges that in 1989 he lived next door to the writers of The Simpsons and that they knew he was working on his mobster for Martin Scorsese’s film.
The animated mafioso character first appeared in Fox’s long-running show in October 1991. Louie has since featured in more than a dozen episodes, including one last season. The lawsuit states that “Louie’s appearance and mannerisms are strongly evocative of character actor Frank Sivero”. Louie is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, w h o a l s o voices Homer Simpson. Sivero’s lawyers are demanding $50m in damages for loss of likeness, another $50m (£31m) in actual loss for “improper appropriation of Plaintiff’s confidential idea”, $50m more in exemplary
damages and $100m (£62m) for “improper interference”. The actor wants a portion of The Simpsons’ profits because of a loss of “prospective economic advantage” and industry “type-casting”. He also claims Brooks promised him a film of his own and involvement in The Simpsons in the 1990s. There has been no response to the lawsuit from Fox so far. Sivero, who is also in The Godfather Part II, previously sued a restaurant for naming a sandwich after his Goodfellas character. Scorsese’s film also stars Robert de Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci.
Actor Keanu Reeves travels to a murky underworld in the action thriller, “John Wick,” playing a grieving husband and retired assassin, who reverts to being a killing machine to avenge the wrongs done to him by Russian mobsters. The film, jam-packed with car chases, gun fights, mayhem and murder, is the directorial debut of Reeves’ former stuntman Chad Stahelski and producer David Leitch. As
John Wick, Reeves singlehandedly guns down enough mobsters to fill a small cemetery. The film, which opens in U.S. t h e a t e r s o n F r i d a y, i s expected to earn an estimated $17 million during its opening weekend. But positive reviews for the Lionsgate R-rated thriller with the feel of a graphic novel and plaudits for Reeves’ performance, could boost its numbers
against this week’s other opener, the horror film “Ouija,” predicted to rake in $28 million, according to pro.boxoffice.com. “When we meet John Wick, we don’t know anything about him except that he is grieving for his ill wife, who passes,” said the 50year-old Reeves, best known for “The Matrix” t r i l o g y. “ A s t h e s t o r y unfolds we come to learn about the myth of this man as a killer.”
Actor Keanu Reeves returns to the dark side in ‘John Wick’
Hello Kitty and Doraemon anime characters strutted their stuff on the red carpet on Thursday, as Disney’s “Big Hero 6” kicked off a newlook Tokyo film festival that taps into Japan’s love of animation. The 27th Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 23 to 31, will hold special events alongside the main festival, including a “cosplay summit” and a Japanese food fair aimed at promoting Japan’s cultural and content industries. “Big Hero 6”, Disney Animation’s next big feature after last year’s hit, “Frozen”, centers on the bond between 14-year-old Hiro Hamada and the inflatable robot Baymax, as they and their friends battle a Kabuki-masked villain who has stolen Hiro’s microbot technology. The 3D comedyadventure, which screened out of competition, takes place in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo, a mash-up of San Francisco and Tokyo, and Japanese viewers will easily recognize the influence of Tokyo life and landmarks in the film. “The film has such a
strong Japanese influence. It really is a love letter to Japan,” Don Hall, co-director of “Big Hero 6,” told Reuters on the red carpet at Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills. “So to have it coincide with the Tokyo film festival, it’s probably the perfect place to debut it,” he said, explaining why the Tokyo festival was picked for the world premiere. “Big Hero 6” is only the second animated film to open the Tokyo festival, and is the first Walt Disney animation movie to do so. Other anime highlights are a section on the works of “Evangelion” animator Hideaki Anno, and “Super Mario” creator Shigeru Miyamoto will premiere in 3D his “PIKMIN Short Movies,” based on Nintendo’s Pikmin game characters. Japan is keen to boost its cultural exports and tourism by promoting its entertainment, fashion and other creative content under the government’s “Cool Japan Initiative.” This year’s festival will host a “World Cosplay Summit” for fans who dress up as their favorite anime and manga characters, and
leading Japanese chefs will work the kitchen in “Tokyo Cinema Cuisine” trucks. John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Disney Animation and Pixar, will hold a talk session on “Cool Japan”. Fifteen films will vie in the main competition section for the festival’s top Sakura prize. Five are world premieres, including the lone Japanese entry “Pale Moon.” Many others are making their Asian premieres after screening at Toronto and other festivals, including French-Belgian crime thriller “The Connection,” starring Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”), and drama “1001 Grams,” Norway’s Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn heads the competition jury. Reflecting the greater emphasis on anime and superheroes, costumed characters mingled with movie stars on the red carpet. “I managed to see some actors in person, but I also got to see Ultraman and anime like Doraemon, as there were a lot of them, so I was really surprised,” said 20year-old Chinami Kaneko. (Reuters)
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
New GPC targets cricket, baseball leagues in global campaign The New Guyana Pharmaceutical Company Incorporated (GPC Inc), owned by Queens Atlantic Investment Inc. (QAII), yesterday announced that it is about to rollout its iconic ‘Limacol’ splash-on in most of the major markets of the world. Limacol - and several of its
New GPC’s Chairman, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop
A bottle of Limacol
Brand extensions - will be introduced into major new markets in Australia, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and the Middle East. The company divulged in a press release yesterday that in addition to the traditional Caribbean ethnic market Continued on page 64
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By Ralph Seeram This article would be of interest to those Guyanese in the Diaspora who have not been visiting their homeland as often as they should. I just returned from Guyana after attending the funeral of a relative. Things have changed so much when it comes to funerals and especially wakes in Guyana. What is your recollection of a typical wake in Guyana? Maybe there were family,
Kaieteur News
friends and neighbors coming to share their sympathy with the bereaved. Wake nights basically consist of the host providing coffee and biscuits, in some case some “cook up” rice. Naturally the men will walk with their rum as they spend most of the night playing dominoes and cards. You may recall that there were also “professional wake house singers” who drop in to keep mourners lively during the night. Well my friends as the old Guyanese
song goes “dis time na lang time”, that was then. CULTURE SHOCK Normally one gets a culture shock when one leaves one’s homeland to take up residence in a society like the USA or Canada. That is expected. What you don’t expect is getting a culture shock when you visit your own country. I got such a shock that even as I am writing this article I have not got over it. As expected, after arriving in the Country I went to the “dead house”. As the women were greeting and sobbing
over the loss, I saw some smoke coming from the backyard. Curiously I went to investigate, only to be confronted by a cow cut into four quarters and hung under the house. In my mind I am thinking, oh they must have slaughtered a cow for sale to make some extra money. Folks imagine my shock when I was told “no it’s for the wake”. “You kill a whole cow for a wake?” I asked in disbelief. “Yes, it’s two nights of wake and we expect a lot of people, we have to cook a lot of food.”
Sunday October 26, 2014
the relative explained. “You don’t serve coffee and biscuits anymore?” “No; that was lang time” she explained. Hours later I returned to the “wake”. It was more like a party atmosphere with music blaring, though mostly gospel, and that was the nearest thing to religion. There was a bar, a bottle of liquor on each table, and there were quite a few tables, everyone engaged in their own conversations. There was beer, vodka, whiskey, brandy and of course Guyanese staple, rum. The “licka” was free and the men made sure it flowed freely. At the back of the house, on two makeshift firesides were large wedding house type pots of food. As I said the alcohol was free, but I was informed that at some wake, a bar is set up where you can make your purchases. FOOD The food was served in restaurant-style food boxes. So what was the menu? You had cook up rice, roti, curry, phularie, souse, boiled channa and other dishes made with beef. For some of the “mourners” it would seem as if there was a take away service, as I observed some of them requesting boxes of food to take home, some secretly packing their bags with food, as the servers passed around, not knowing who were served already. Of note there was only one table playing dominoes, no tables with cards. Times have changed. No “Rock of Ages” hymns etc. I tried to make a mental count of the persons there and memorized their faces, because I planned to see how many would turn up to the funeral the next day. I inquired from the son of the deceased why the big “sport” at the wake. He replied, “This is how we do it in the village.” This was the Upper Corentyne area. In the old days you never see much children at wakes, it was mostly an adult affair, not now, I can discerned that there were entire family at the wake little children and all. The wake seems to be more like an
outing than mourning. FUNERAL So it is funeral day and I am deciding, long sleeve shirt or short sleeve, considering the heat, and mosquitoes. I opted for short sleeves. The funeral was a more solemn affair. There was the singing of traditional funeral hymns, tributes to the deceased by persons who I am sure never complimented the deceased with the attributes while she was alive. I think some of the young ladies were a bit confused about if they were going to a funeral or to a club. From the outfits they were wearing, they were more suited for a party than funeral; some I observed were uncomfortable sitting, keeping their legs tightly crossed. Trouble was, those dresses were so short, there was no room to cover anything. They kept pulling down their dresses, but the fabric had already reached the limits of stretching. Those dresses and skirts were more suited for the ambiance of a night club. I did look to see if those attending the wake, attended the funeral, as expected half of them did not turn up for the funeral, especially the imbibers. Never the less, my sister-in-law had a great turn out; she was well known and loved in her village. It’s a pity she could not hear those glowing tributes. Some would argue she did in spirit. The officiating Pastor was a very dynamic preacher who ‘told it as it is”, recalling instances where families fought over “who got what” even before the dead was buried. He suggested the living make peace with their “enemy” as death cannot be postponed. Looking back I think the wake was not a bad idea. A party style wake is the way to go, celebrating not mourning. Come to think about it that’s the way I would want it— soca and reggae, no “Rock of Ages” and “Nearer my God to Thee”. Party like a wedding reception. Ralph Seeram can be reached at: ralph365@hotmail.com and Facebook.
Conductor charged for damage of property Deon Paul appeared in front of Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court Friday last, charged with damage to property charge. Paul, a conductor, on October 22, allegedly unlawfully and maliciously damaged one minibus
belonging to Clebert Forde. He was also charged with unlawfully obstructing a police constable in the execution of his duties. Paul who was unrepresented, was subsequently fined $75,000 on one charge and $10,000 for resisting arrest.
Sunday October 26, 2014
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 Just Arrived! A new shipment of combine parts, Italian made - Call: 660-0342, 222-3538, 335-3100,3353434, 335-4122 1 Model M Bush Truck with Winch & dump, 1 Honda ATV prospecting, 250 hours, excellent condition Contact:672-4536 Get copies of A+ Training videos, Rosetta Stone Language, Microsoft Office 2010 – Call: 672-2839 Generator: 65 KVA Perkins 4236 Engine – Tel: 623-9761 Two female & 1 male short fluffy dogs- Contact: 6996006 Perkins engines 1000, 1100, 4236 & 6 cylinder complete on bed, 320 BL excavator$14M- Contact: 691-2921 Lincoln generator welder$850,000, pallet jacks, fork lift, model M truck- Contact: 6912921 On Sale at Roxie’s Fashion are: Leotards & Tights, dance attire/costume, Ballet Shoes, etc – Call: 227-8538
Kaieteur News
FOR SALE 3000 PSI Karcher pressure washer – $110,000 - Call: 6097257, 602-57943000 Tibetan Terriors pups – Contact: 621-7766, 220-0770 Massey, Yanmar Ford 5000 Logging/ Agriculture Tractors, parts, Loader & Ford Truck- Call:615-1578/ 694-3595: Tools & Chainsaw668-2831 2 Craftsman pressure pump (3000, 2700 PSI) - $200,000 – Call: 645-6872 One caterpillar mini excavator - Contact telephone number 650-0402 or 260-4988 Chicken Hatchery (Robbins), 28,000 eggs capacity fully ready, all racks, trays, complete, $2.9M neg. Tel: 639-2000, 227-3939, 621-4000. Complete Dredge & excavator located in the Issano Mining area, sale includes all necessary camp essentials – Call: 681-9310, 604-0783 DELL/HP Computer complete with LCD’s $59,000, laptops from $55,000, Blackberrys - $15,000 @ FutureTech – Tel: 231-2206 Dry cow mould available only at: The #1 Plant Shot, 70 Sheriff Street – Call: 2278094
On sale at Roxie’s Fashion are: School Uniforms, Leotards, gym & swim wear – Call: 227-8538 Brand new 6500 WATT power fist gasoline generator on wheels- 110-220 voltPrice:$150,000- Contact: 6172205/ 681-1032 New American Made Warmer, aluminum ladders 32FT -$55,000, 24FT- $40,000 – Call: 609-7257,602-5794 Cupboard- 50,000, Bed$80,000, Couch- $25,000 Contact:666-7242 Shimano 7/8 speed rear derailleur $10,000, Shimano hyper- glide 8 speed cassettes (11-32 teeth) $12,000, original XBOX games- $2,000- Contact: 6429901 Massey Ferguson 390 4X4fully renovated – Call: 6886274, 691-3851, 678-8698 Pools table, original, cloth, cue stick, balls, pocket, coinshute, coin, rubber, spring, chalk – Call: 669-9927, 616-1886
TO LET Three bedrooms middle flat @ Broad Street with toilet & bath over head tank, ten minutes walk to Stabroek – Call: 692-0828. One bedroom apartment @ Diamond, E.B.D – Call: 6445151 One spacious 2 bedroom apartment at Goedverwagting, rent $45,000- Call: 222-7966, 6765375, 649-9876 Beautiful 2 bedroom apartment at Timerhri- Call: 658-4754 One 2 bedrooms apartment with toilet & bath, only decent married couple, price $40,000 monthly @ 91 Middle Road, La Penitence – Call: 621-5902 3 Bedroom at Lamaha Garden – Call:689-6001, 646-6851
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VEHICLE FOR SALE Special Sale: New Model Spacio with front & back camera, TV/DVD/CD, body kit, unregistered -$2M – Call: 617-2891 Toyota Premio $2.3M, Toyota Voxy - $1.8M, Vehicles fully loaded, never registered – Call: 617-2891
VEHICLE FOR SALE 2005 Honda Airwave, fully loaded, immaculate condition, no reasonable offer refused – Call: 685-1231 1 Suzuki 4 door car/van (Jeep) Automatic, Fully Powered with A/C, hardly used – Price:$1M Contact Rocky: 621-5902/ 225-1400
1 Hiace super custom bus BSS Series, with AC, TV, CD, Sunroof, mags, never worked on the road – Tel: 677-8359 Mitsubishi Hyab canter GPP series- Tel:622-3468 First Class Auto: In stock Premio, Spacio, 212, Sienta, Rush, Fielder, Bluebird- Tel: 609-8188/ 602-6307
1- AT 192 Carina (Private) automatic, fully powered, mags, A/C - price$1M Contact Rocky:225-1400
1-Dodge Ram 4x4, model 2002, 4 wheel drive $2.6M. 1-F150 model 1999 $2.2MCall: 674-4929 Venus Auto Sales, Raum Body kit- $2.2M, Noah$3.2M/$1.8M, Allion body kit- $2.350M, Spacio$2.350M (rims)- Contact: 624-5617 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 TacomaCall:680-3154 AT192, 212, Allison, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call:680-3154 1999 International Hauler Truck, double axel, 10 speed, Cummings engine, air bags, immaculate condition, lately registered – Call: 609-7257, 602-5794 One Toyota Hilux HC2, Extra Cab, price $6.7M Negotiable – Call: 641-2763 2007 Ford F150 4X4 Extended Cab, fully loaded Auto 22 inch Rims and tyres, excellent condition- Call: 610-5370 1 Toyota Noah Van – Price $2.1M – Call: 641-2763 Nissan Wing Road, PSS Series, price - $1.7M negotiable – Excellent Condition – Call: 698-5949 1 Honda 2004- 600 RR Toyota Raum, Rav4, Fun Cargo, AT212, AT192, AT170, EP71 Starlet, Tacoma – Call: 644-5096, 697-1453 Premio fully loaded - $2.3M negotiable – Call: 226-5473, 226-2623 One Premio. Fully loaded, 3 years old, excellent condition – Call: 673-6037 Cactus Autosales: Reduced prices Premio, AT212, New Raum, Spacio – Call: 2206262, 681-4208 One black Toyota Vios Car for sale, PMM Series, price – $1.5M- Call: 685-0659 or 6003308
1 Isuzu Canter (open back) short base manual, excellent condition, price - $1.3M Contact Rocky 621-5902/2251400 Toyota Tundra Extra Cab (unregistered) manual (5 speed) fully loaded 4x4 (V6) price $2.9M – Contact:6215902/225-1400 1-AT212 Toyota Carina (new model) automatic, fully powered, A/C, Alarm, mags, Price $1.4M– Contact Rocky: 621-5902 / 225-1400 1-Honda CRV (immaculate condition) automatic, fully powered (hardly used) price $2.3M – Contact Rocky: 6215902 or 225-1400 One Toyota Dyna Canter ( long base), manual, hardly used – Price: $1.7M- Contact Rocky: 621-5902 or 225-1400 Reduced: Hummer H2 SUT Model 2006, $17M neg. SUT model 2006, transferable, upgraded 22" rims PNN series 639-2000, 621-4000
SALON
WANTED
Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad Call: 647-1773/6605257
Bartender— Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Apply in person or phone 676 3000 Waiter/waitress - Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Apply in person or phone 676 3001)
WANTED One canter Truck Driver – Call: 622-1782, 658 -5803 One farmer – Call: 618-0487 If selling your land, email New York Real Estate, globonetinfo@yahoo.com or Call Hudson -604-2207 Farm workers – Call: 6395577 1 Cleaner to work in snackette & bar , must know to cook, age 20-35yrs – Tel:647-7432, 223-5798 One live in domestic or maid, Salary $60,000 – Call: 6645199, 688-5409 (9am-5pm) Labours for wood concession, accommodation provided - $5,000 per day – Call: 618-0487 Labourers for wood concession, accommodation provided, $5,000 per day. Call: 618-0487. ACCOMODATION Harmony Inn: Furnished apartments in Georgetown and Parfaite Harmonie W.B.D, Your Luxury Hide Away…. Call: 668-0306, 2181400, 694-7817
$250,000 Trike Can- Am Motorcycle, 200cc new, reverse gear, unregistered; Call : 639-2000, 621-4000
LEARN TO DRIVE
One Accounts Clerk – Call: 614-4358 International Cruiseline Purser officer, waitresses, waiters, cooks, receptionist, storekeeper, cleaners, electrician, carpenter, plumber, musicians etc – Tel: 231-6296, 650-9880 Sales boys & girls apply: Avinash Complex, Water Street – Call: 226-3361/ 227-7828
EDUCATIONAL Roxie’s Fashion, six weeks beginners sewing classes, starting October month end, to registered call: 622-4386 New in Georgetown! Dutch Classes (Nederland’s) stage 1, for groups, private or classes, affordable glenlester@gmail.com 6647220
“Cook – Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Apply in person or phone 676 3000” Cleaner - Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Applyin person or phone 676 3000 Security Guard - Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Apply in person or phone 676 3000 Hotel Manager - Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Apply in person or phone 676 3000 Hotel Reservation Clerk Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Apply in person or phone 676 3000 Marketing Clerk - Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Apply in person or phone 676 3000 Event Manager - Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Appry in person or phone 676 3000
VACANCY
Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
Housekeeper - Aracari Resort, Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara. Apply in person or phone 676 3000
Roxie’s Fashion has vacancy for computer literate sales person @ 103 Church Street, Cummingsburg – Call: 6224386 One experienced nail technician must know Air Brush at Nalline Salon, Vreed-En-Hoop – Contact: 604-2900, 658-1200, 625-3899 Vacancy for Plant Shop, Must be physically fit, pleasant, age18-30yrs – Call: 646-2108
Live in domestic to do house preferably from country work only – Call: 639-2000 One domestic worker – E.C.D – Contact: 622-3250, 665-9747 Waiters, cooks, bartenders, receptionist – Tel:231-1908/ 231-1912, Cotton Club Restaurant and Bar, experienced required, shift work Live in waitress to work in a bar – Call: 604-6606 Sawmill workers and wood mizer LT 40 operator – Call: 653-9752, 688-6579 Porters to work on Beverage Canter – Call: 649-9876, 2223927 Persons to sell local products 20% commission M&R Enterprise, Church Street – Call: 614-4047 (Continued page 64)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
Berbice gets first Wedding... PROPERTY FOR SALE 2 Storey building , 8 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, hot & cold water - $19M, Lot 11 Coghlan Dam, W.C.D, Just off main Road- Tel:264-1582, 6797587 House and land at D’Aguiar’s Park, for info Call: 686-1368 House & Land for sale by owner at Cemetery Road Helena No1 Mahaica E.C.D, For details call: 689-0820, 674-3902 1- 2 Storey wooden concrete building, 3 bedrooms upper flat, 2 bedroom lower flat, Public Road Grove E.B.D – Tel:657-0880 Two flat house at First Street, Foulis EnmoreContact: 258-0392 (between 6-9pm) Albouystown: Corner Spot Business and residence, 3 bedrooms upstairs, parking - $10M negotiable – Contact: 227-0583 Eccles: Two Flat Executive Concrete House; Three bedrooms upper, Two bedrooms Lower (separate flats) – Price: Negotiable – Tel: 602-2135 Prime Commercial Property, Cummings & Middle Albertown, 3 Lots With Business, (Nut Centre) ,$140M Neg. Agents Welcome. Tel 621-4000, 6392000, 225-2503
(From page 63)
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, (SALE) AND MORE, SAWS & DRILLS -$10,000 - CALL: 675-0767, 667-2535 1-2 bedroom apartment in Coghlan Dam,Vreed- En- Hoop, preferably Hindu Couple$30,000 monthly – Call:6221782, 658-5803, 618-2370 Business place for rent 3000 SQ FT W.C.D – Call: 690-1740 Hair salon/barber shop also includes salon equipment & furniture, located at Mon Repos E.C.D – Call: 220-7315, 655-5858 Office space at 43 Croal Street Stabroek Georgetown, currently available for immediate occupants – Call: 225-3269 1-3 furnished bedrooms apartment, 1-3 unfurnished bedrooms in Diamond, E.B.D – Call: 651-6263, 657-5933
1 – 2storey wooden & Concrete house with 5 bedrooms upper flat & lower flat 4 apartments located@ Shell Road, kitty - $30M – Tel:642-7898
1 Bedroom apartment with toilet & bath @ 86 Middle Road, La Penitence - $45,000 per month – Suitable for students/working couple – Call: 615-2622
FOR SALE/FOR RENT Located @ Lot 5 Block ‘K’ Walkers’s Delight W.C.D – 4 bedrooms all self contain. Price $25M/ per month $100,000 – Tel:6744929/ 662-0187
Prime commercial property, Cummings & Middle,Albertown , 3 Lots (business), (Nut Centre),$3,000 /$4,500 neg . Agents Welcome. Tel 621-4000, 639-2000 Land for rent @ Covent Garden on Lot 1 Public Road E.B.D – Size 40X100 – Contact: 645-1976, 613-8966
LAND FOR SALE Three Acres transported house lots and 1 Acre rice land @ Golden Grove W.C.Berbice – Call: 603-2095
DRESSMAKING Roxie’s Fashion offers sewing of shirts, pillow cases, curtains, chairs & Cushion Covers etc, 301 Church Street – Call: 2278538
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTAL CALL: 225-7126/ 2263693 DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM/ WWW.DOLLYSAUTO RENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & Pickup rental, cheap rate, low security – Tel: 698-7807/ 690-6494 PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL: CARS & SUV FOR RENTAL-$4,000&UPPERDAYCALL: 643-5122, 219-3900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 662-6045 Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call :225-9032, 647-2943 FOR LOW COST: REPAIRS TO FRIDGE, FREEZER,A/C UNIT, MICROWAVES,TV & WASHING MACHINE CALL: 629-4946 OR 2254822 Hibiscus Jewellery & Pawn Shop, 15-16 American Street, Best price offer, open from 9:00-4:00 – Tel: 225-7252 Services offered at Roxie’s Fashion includes: custom made clothing, flowering mosquito nets etc – Call: 2278538 Three business advice for young adults at M&R Enterprise, Church Street, more info – Call: 614-4047 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar: 2310655, 683-8734 For professional and affordable landscaping services, grassing, leveling, perorated & drainage, system, supply of earth- Call: 626-1044, 656-1326 BrianMoe@642-3543; Computer Technician; FB:Brian.Moe.165; Home and office visits at your comfort!! Repairs to refrigerators gas stoves washing machine, A/ C units – Call Lindon: 6411086, 694-2202, 227-8907
CATERING Roxy’s Catering: We offer a 10% discount, Holiday Special – Call: 223-0092 or 223-0095, one snackette attendant needed!
Berbice Wedding Exposition launch
From page 59 and programmes every year, the opportunity to make themselves economically viable. It will also give persons who attend the Wedding Expo at Tain a chance to benefit from the many discounts that will be on offer. Alexander said that his team also aims to market Berbice as a prominent wedding and tourism destination. Region Six Chairman, David Armogan, congratulated Alexander for undertaking the bold initiative. He said that an activity such as the Wedding Expo is good for Berbice and can be used as a new form of tourist attraction. It will also give opportunities to different sectors in the business environment and has the potential to open up new avenues.
He said that planning a wedding is very demanding and time consuming. These days, people are extremely busy with their work and other daily chores. As such, persons with required skills and expertise can be hired to do all the planning. People would prefer to have someone else take on all the stress and worries. Armogan, a successful businessman himself, said that business persons need to be more innovative these days, when thinking of setting up businesses. “Many persons would prefer to venture into traditional business areas. Alexander has chosen to do it differently. The fact that he has chosen to launch into something outside of the box means that he is a businessman with great ideas”. Also speaking at the activity was Senior Product Development and Marketing
Officer of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Annarie Shiwram, and Secretary of the Berbice Chamber and Commerce and Industry BCCDA, Guyandat Marray. Students of Berbice High School entertained the gathering with a splendid performance of a combination dance depicting the six races in different dance moves. Some 40 exhibitors have so far confirmed their participation for the exposition. A number of organizations are already on board with the organizers. They include Citizens Bank, Banks DIH Limited, Fly Jamaica, Pan American Motor Inc., A. Ally and Sons, Handin Hand, Homeline Furnishing, Furniture World, GTA, Impressive Signs and graphics, Little Rock Hotel, Guy Gas, Scotia Bank, CIDI, Outar Jewellery, J’s Printery, First Impressions Hotel and party Plus among others.
New GPC targets cricket, baseball... From page 61 where it always had a loyal following and customer base, New GPC will strike out into mainstream outlets in the United States of America (US), Canada and Britain. New GPC boasted that the increased sales in its home Caribbean markets will also be augmented.
According to Executive Chairman, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop “the launch follows a timeline built into Limacol’s expansion strategy that was initiated when the brand became the major sponsor of several major sporting events in Guyana and the Caribbean,” the release claimed. New GPC said “the ensuing broadcasts in every continent made the Limacol brand a talking point into all the nations where the sports, especially cricket, was played.” According to the New GPC, in the US the Limacol brand will be associated with baseball as well as with the new Cricket Leagues being launched. “Now that the Limacol Brand awareness has reached the critical benchmarks set in the strategy, the decision to launch was made. This major marketing push will see the Limacol production facilities at Farm, East Bank Demerara
ratcheted up to deal with the increased demand,” the company said. New GPC Inc expressed too that it has always been in the forefront of boosting the local manufacturing sector with Limacol and numerous other products. “All of these had been shipped to the traditional export markets. With the massive Limacol expansion occasioned by the new market roll outs, it is projected that Guyana will benefit substantially both in terms of increased employment opportunities and in earning foreign exchange. Dr. Ramroop emphasised that his company is very bullish on Guyana,” the release said. Limacol is a unique body splash on, manufactured in Guyana since the 1920’s. “Its signature slogan “Freshness of a breeze in a bottle” is known across the Caribbean - and now it will be on lips across the globe,” the company boasted.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Brazil’s election too close Trinidad: No ban for to call on eve of runoff travellers from USA BRASILIA (Reuters) Opposition candidate Aecio Neves is running neck-andneck with leftist incumbent Dilma Rousseff on the eve of a runoff vote that will decide Brazil’s presidential election, a poll published yesterday said. Brazilians vote today in the closest election in decades between a pro-business senator who is promising to revive a stagnant economy and a Workers’ Party president who vows to protect social programs that have lifted millions from poverty. Neves has 45.3 percent voter support against 44.7 percent for President Rousseff, the survey by the smaller MDA research company said. Brazil’s more closely watched polling firms are giving Rousseff a 6- to 8percentage point lead. Excluding undecided voters, spoiled and blank survey responses, Neves has 50.3 percent of the valid votes against 49.7 percent for Rousseff, the MDA showed. The gap between them is well within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points and is considered a statistical tie. The MDA poll commissioned by the transport industry lobby CNT surveyed 2,002 people between Thursday and
Dilma Rousseff
Aecio Neves
Friday. Brazil’s top polling firms Datafolha and Ibope were expected to release their final polls last night on the newscast of Brazil’s TV Globo network just hours before voting stations open. In a last attempt to sway some 10 percent of undecided voters, the candidates traded accusations over political corruption on Friday night in the final television debate. Rousseff and Neves sparred over who was best suited to restore growth to Latin America’s largest economy, fight high inflation, bring down rents and deal with open sewers in Brazilian cities. The campaign has been overshadowed by a bribery scandal at Brazil’s largest enterprise, state-run oil
company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, which has given Neves ammunition to try to convince Brazilians to end 12 years of Workers’ Party rule. The weekly magazine Veja reported on Friday that a jailed black market money dealer called Alberto Youssef has told police and prosecutors that Rousseff and her predecessor, Workers’ Party founder Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, knew about the corruption scheme that allegedly funneled cash to the ruling Workers’ Party and its coalition allies. Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court denied a Workers’ Party request to ban circulation of the magazine, but ordered its publishers not to publicize the cover of this week’s edition to avoid influencing votes.
IDB study suggests way forward to boost Caribbean exports WASHINGTON D.C., United States - CMC – A new study by the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) is urging Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to do more to facilitate trade in order to boost exports. “Three years of sluggish growth in the exports of Latin America and the Caribbean make it urgent to implement policies that facilitate trade,” notes the study, entitled “Trade and Integration Monitor 2014”. It notes that the fall in international demand and in the prices of many basic
goods that are exported from the region highlight preexisting vulnerabilities in the external sector. Despite efforts to diversify exports, the study notes that over the past decade, the region’s export basket has been concentrated on basic goods and their byproducts, making Latin America and the Caribbean vulnerable to fluctuations in price and demand. It said that in 2013, the region’s exports rose only 0.1 per cent, after having grown 1.2 per cent in 2012. The Monitor argues that,
Police probe allegations to assassinate businessman PARAMAIRBO, Suriname - CMC – Police say they have launched an investigation into accusations made by a businessman that he had been the target of an assassination plot involving a rival businessman. Ramsoender Jhauw told a news conference that he had in his possession a taped confession of a young man whom he claimed had been paid by a rival businessman to kill him. He said the alleged gunman “could not get it into his heart to commit murder, which is why he came to me”.
given uncertainty in multilateral trade-facilitation talks, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean should implement unilateral reforms and other measures linked to preferential accords in the region so as to stimulate exports. Conservative estimates indicate that only 20 per cent of the commitments included in the Agreement on Trade Facilitation negotiated through the World Trade Organization (WTO) have taken force under regional preferential agreements, the report notes. It includes a detailed report on recent trade performance indicators for the IDB’s 26 borrowing-member countries as well as profiles of free trade accords that are in effect. The Monitor is part of a series of annual studies that analyze the evolution of Latin American and Caribbean integration within the global trading system using systematized data available in the INTrade data base.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (Trinidad Express) — Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan Friday said he will not heed calls to ban people entering T&T from New York or Texas or the rest of the United States. He also said the measures which have been already imposed by Cabinet remain intact. Khan was asked for his views after news of a confirmed case of Ebola in New York city. Dr Craig Spencer, 33, who worked with Doctors Without Borders contracted the virus after treating Ebola patients in Guinea. Spencer is the ninth Ebola case discovered in the US. Khan said: “People have been calling for a ban for people from New York and Texas. Cabinet will not do that. We will not ban anyone from America. The same surveillance and conditions that Cabinet has imposed will stay. To place travel bans from people from the USA does not
make sense.” On Wednesday US attorney Jasmine Rand, who was in T&T for a lecture at UWI, St Augustine, said if persons from Nigeria had been banned, then in the pursuit of fairness, persons from the US should also be banned. Government on Wednesday announced a lifting of that ban but said it would remain in place for persons from the Ebola-stricken countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia. People who visited those countries within the past six weeks will also not be allowed entry. Citizens who visited these countries will be quarantined for 21 days upon arrival here. Asked about the specialised screening cards, Khan said: “Remember we are working on the cards. We are getting a little snag because they are saying it is not internationally accepted. We are going to put our own questionnaire. We are calling
Dr. Fuad Khan upon the immigration people to start producing their cards.” With respect to the vaccine which is being developed to fight Ebola, Khan added: “The serum would have antibodies in it. There is the need to fractionate the serum into its components. Remove the antibodies. Then they could synthetically manufacture it.” He also said the public should have utmost confidence in Brigadier Anthony Phillips-Spencer and Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Colin Furlonge who have been working assiduously to ensure T&T was kept safe.
‘Guardian’ story on T&T Ebola patient a fake
Trinidad Guardian - An article reporting that there is a Nigerian Ebola patient in T&T, which is currently circulating on social media sites is a fake. The article, which uses a T&T Guardian reporter’s name under an old-fashioned T&T Guardian masthead, claims a Nigerian doctor had entered the country without a passport and was being treated for Ebola at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Managing director of Guardian Media Ltd Lisa Agard said Friday the management of the newspaper was disgusted by not only the contents of the article but the fact that the creators had tried to attribute it to the newspaper. She said: “It was designed to spread fear and panic to the population of T&T. “We are particularly aggrieved by the fact that someone would use the Guardian’s (old) masthead and fonts and also falsely represent that a journalist attached to the Guardian newspaper was the author of the false article,” Agard said. “We view this development so seriously that we are going to report the matter to the police for them to ascertain whether any crime has been committed under the Computer Misuse Act, and it is our fervent hope that the
Lisa Agard authorities would be able to identify who perpetrated this malicious move to scare the population and damage the reputation of the Guardian newspaper.” Aside from grammatical errors and inconsistencies in the date, the article gives incorrect information about the virus itself. Nevertheless, the T&T
Guardian newspaper received several calls from concerned readers about the story. One woman noted the errors but said she still had to check and was a little afraid after reading it. The T&T Guardian posted messages on its Web site and Facebook page Friday morning to assure readers the story was a hoax and to ask them to ignore it. Health Minister Fuad Khan was quick to deny that the virus had entered the country. “There is nothing like Ebola in T&T and if people on social media are saying something different maybe they mean a person named Ebola, because the virus is named after a river and people probably named their children after the river too,” Khan said in a telephone interview. “There is no disease called Ebola in T&T at this time,” he added.
Unsanitary Trinis could bring CHIKV cases to a million - health minister PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Fuad Khan says he fears chikungunya cases in the twin island republic “might spread from 1,000 to one million cases” if people don’t make a concerted effort keep their immediate surroundings clean. CHIKV is spread by the bite of the dreaded Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits dengue fever.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
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St. Pius produce best performance... “Guyana Softball Cup 4”... From page 72 prepared to defend their turf. Over 12 different activities in the various categories are slated to be staged and millions of dollars in prizes including cash, trophies and other memorabilia are up for grabs. Among the activities listed to be held are steer roping, bare back broncos which will also see the females getting into action. There are also male and female barrel race, wild cow milking, calf roping, wild bull riding, Saddle bronco and the popular Tug O War event and the Rodeo King competition. The day’s action is set to kick off at 11:00hrs. A number of business entities have come on board to help sponsor the event including Banks DIH Limited, Mohammed Shariff Cattle Ranch, General Construction Limited and Racing Stables, Trophy Stall Bourda Market,
Jumbo Jet Businesses, Ainlim, Hand In Hand, Inshan Bacchus Trucking Service and Business enterprise, Kamal Seeberran, Kalim Goolab, Mahendra Dookie, Sunil Saran, Tojo Seocharran,
Jai Seegoobin, Neville Budhan, Colin Elcock Delmur Business entity, Chester Fry of Bush Lot, Hablaw Meat Centre and Rising Sun cattle Ranch among others. (Samuel Whyte)
Male cyclists cop Team Time Trial gold, females... From page 68 they did last year in Guyana. William Howard, who is also part of the team, said that the Guyanese rode smart and along with Mohamed they hatched the plan to win which saw the riders cutting the many turns that they encountered on the course. That he said made all the difference. Attention will turn to the Road Race today and the Guyanese will start as favourites to make a clean
sweep of the top three places in the male segment which is a 69km contest for the boys and 34.5km for the girls. Each lap for the Road Race course is 17.25km. The Coaching and Management staff said that they are not taking the Surinamese or the French Guiana team lightly but they are poised to clean up the opposition today. The male cyclists have also expressed confidence that they will do well again.
Sunday October 26, 2014 ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20) Try not to get involved in other people's problems. You can convince anyone of anything. TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) Be up front if you don't want to be embarrassed. Emotionally, things may not run so smoothly. You can make adjustments in your domestic scene today. GEMINI (MAY22-JUNE 21) Small business ventures can earn you extra cash. Your social activity should be conducive to finding love. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) You may find it difficult to discuss personal matters with family members. Look to a close friend for advice. Don't get so wrapped up in being rich that you overlook the fact that your plan may not be as solid as you thought. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) This will not be the best day to sign deals or to take care of other people's financial matters. Avoid overloading your plate. Your ideas will be well received. VIRGO (AUG. 23 -SEPT. 23) Make changes that will enhance your appearance. Hassles with in-laws could put a damper on your day. They will not have the patience to wait for you to complete things that they've asked you to do.
LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) You can gain valuable cultural knowledge through dealing with foreigners. Rely on yourself and you will look good to superiors. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) Unexpected events may upset your routine. Property deals look good. If you can get away for a vacation, do so. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) Try not to hesitate; act on your initial instincts. Implement your ideas into your projects at work. Channel your energy into decorating or household chores. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.JAN. 20) Friends may not be completely honest with you. Losses are likely if you get involved with uncertain individuals. Take a second look; difficulties with appliances, water, or electricity in your home may be evident. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) You can make gains if you work in conjunction with others. You will have some wonderful ideas that should bring you extra money. Empty promises are evident and deception probable. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Be sure to take advantage of the opportunities that exist. You must make sure that all your personal documents are in order.
From page 73 Fourteen teams for the Male Masters are: Floodlights, Brooklyn/Queens, East Coast Masters, New York Better Hope, New York President X1, New York Sea View, New York Softball Cricket League Legends, Ontario Softball International, Parika Defenders, Regal Masters, South Florida Softball League, Orlando Florida, Mikes Wellman, and Savage. Champion team for the Open category is Winning Trophy + $800,000, Runnerup is Trophy + $200,000. Player of the final will receive a Trophy. Player of the Series is Softball Bracelet (gold with diamond stud). Champion team in the Male Master category is Winning Trophy + $600,000. Runner-up is Trophy +$150,000. Player of the final will receive a Trophy. Player of the Series is also Softball Bracelet (gold with diamond stud). There will also be Plaques for special performances, eg, centuries and 5 wickets haul. Two spectators stand a chance to win a return ticket each to Aruba. Hampers are also up for grabs. Simply keep your half ticket and listen for your number to be called. There will also be many giveaways. Seventy One Sound system will be there, along with Tassa Drummers. Grounds where matches are to be played on Friday and Saturday are: GCC ground Bourda, Everest, Police Ground Eve Leary, DCC ground, Malteenoes, MYO, and Ogle ground. The two finals + three exhibition Female 10/10 games – 2 semi finals and a final between Trophy Stall Angels, Mikes Wellwoman, 4R Lioness and Karibee Girls will start at 11:00am on Sunday at DCC ground. The Tournament and presentation cer-
IGG Table Tennis... From page 69 services of a Dutch Coach for their team who would be working with them for the next six months. They also stated that they have seen a marked improvement in the Surinamese game in the past 12 months or so. Meanwhile, the female volleyball team lost to French Guiana three sets to one last evening winning the second set of the game. And the Chess team won against French Guiana but lost to Suriname, they will play the Surinamese B team today.
emony concludes 10PM. Sponsors are Stag, GT&T, Rubis Guyana, Trophy Stall, Survival, Steve Jewellery,
Clear Waters, Busta Soft Drink, Rohan Auto Spares, A & R Jewanram Printery, and W. J Enterprise.
Guyanese narrowly lose... From page 71 Krystal Peters for the Girls Doubles match as they sought to increase the advantage. But the Guyanese did not measure up and were defeated by Shemara Windveld and Santusha Ramzan 12-21, 5-21, Suriname again drawing level at two. The final match of the day, the Mixed Doubles was the match that would decide who walked away with top honors for the day. Given the opportunity to lead Guyana
to victory were Jonathon Mangra and Priyanna Ramdhani. They were on course for a win as they won the first set 23-21, defeating Alrick Toney and Rugshaae Ishaak. The Surinamese however rebounded to take the next set 21-15 before wrapping up victory at 21-14 in the deciding set. The Guyanese will have the opportunity to turn the tables on the host when they face off again to at the same venue from10:00hrs today.
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Sunday October 26, 2014
“Massive diplomatic skills needed for West Indies cricket now!” Says Colin E. H. Croft The combined diplomatic skills of USA Secretaries of State John Kerry, General Colin Powell, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Dr. Henry Kissinger, and former Commonwealth Secretary General and Foreign Minister of Guyana, Sir Shridath (Sonny) Ramphal are needed for this ultra-difficult West Indies cricket salvage job! West Indies Cricket Board’s emergency meeting was absolutely necessary, but that should have been done previously, with only West Indies Players Association and West Indies senior players present. This debilitating virulence has brought WI cricket to a new nadir! WICB’s statement afterwards was impressive, but the obvious problem here is that incumbents who got us into this morass in the first place are the same ones now trying to get us out of it. That
never works! Dialogue should have been entertained ages ago, while the team was still in India, but in total privacy. So all is now out in the open, with India’s Board of Control for Cricket in India blaming WICB and WI players for this, so whatever WICB does from here is still too late, even if hopes are high that good may still come from it. But independent, cool thoughts and minds are needed from here on in! Do you remember Warner Brothers’ Looney Tunes cartoon, depicting Bugs Bunny trying to outsmart arrogant and aggressive Yosimite Sam, with Bugs “daring” Sam, several times, to cross a continuingly repositioned line in the sand, until Sam crossed that final mark, falling over a deep, damaging precipice? Who was Bugs and who was Sam in this newest fracas between WICB, WIPA and WI players is open to conjecture,
DID YOU KNOW? In his continued series of local football facts this week, Statistician Charwayne Walker asks; Did you know that the English Amateurs Football Association Team toured Guyana in July 1969 and thrashed the National Team a combined 16 - Nil in two Internationals? Did you know that Guyana National Team lost 8 – Nil in the opening match at GCC Bourda against the English Amateur Football Team? The tourist arrived in Guyana after a Nil – all draw with Regional Champs Trinidad & Tobago in Port – of – Spain. The Guyana goalkeeper that took the 8 goals was Christopher Harrison. In the series decider at the same venue Guyana replaced Harrison with Michael Hampden but the results was the same. The English Boys led by a hat-trick from Bobby Page demolished the National Team 8 – Nil; and according to football fans, the local bus fare at that time was 8 cents. The 1969 National Team that lost 16 – Nil in the two Internationals against the English Amateurs: Christopher Harrison Michael Hampden Frank Oscar Joseph Alvin Braithwaite Ovid Henry Donald Neblett Robert Fernandes Lloyd King
Simeon Andrews (deceased) Gerald Francisco Michael Mitchell Maxwell Charles Edmund Baker David Woolford Duncan Joseph Joseph Lucas Kenneth Gibbs The English Association Amateurs Touring Squad 1969: Terry Crosbie - Skelmersdale Michael Mellows – Sutton United Larry Pritchard - Sutton United Phillip Fry – Enfield Roger Day – Enfield Bobby Page – Barking Dennis Moore – Dagenham John Swannel – Hendon Les Tilley - Leytonstone United Terry Deadman – Barking Howard Moxon – Tooting John Robertson – Litcham United Ian Reid – Litcham Town Ron Haider – Hendon Ken Gray – Leyton Stone Trevor Bladen – Enfield Derek Gamblin – Sutton United Michael Laing – Coach Charles Hughes – Manager The only time Guyana suffered a more humiliating defeat was December 1987 when the depleted Terrence Archer led unit lost 9 – Nil against CONCACAF Giants Mexico at the Municipal Stadium in Los Angeles.
but WI’s pull-out from India was certainly one step too far, one that hurts all involved! Those USA Sec-States might have pressing, lifeendangering, national and international assignments, but Sir Sonny should be called in, pronto, with his affinity and familiarity of similar situations, from 2009, to again try to sort out this deadly impasse in WI cricket. Bullying has occurred here too, but India was not at fault here. They hosted well. With the ODI series proceeding enticingly; 2-1, Tests to come; many have been greatly deprived of a potentially ultra-entertaining cricket series. Despite WICB’s endeavors, ramifications may still be great and long lasting. This is just warming up! India might still sue for nearly US$70 million initially, but this pull-out is going to have more far reaching pain financially, as India has already suspended bilateral series with WI, and will, for now, probably not tour the Caribbean in 2016, a tour much anticipated and absolutely needed, financially speaking. Incidentally, what about
the futures of WI players who play in Indian Premier League, and futures of such unheralded emerging WI players as Guyanese Leon Johnson and Barbadian Jason Holder in all this? Time is short to India’s Caribbean tour next Olympic year. Action must be immediate, if not sooner! While this suggested “Task Force” deserves the best and coolest thinking heads, there are very few noninsular persons without personal or professional agendas, vendettas even, left in the Caribbean who could command such respect and have anyone listen to them. Sir Shridath is one of those very few! Former Jamaican Prime Minister Percival J. Patterson is another who not only commands similar respect, but actually wrote much about ways forward for WI cricket and how it should really be run. Joining them should be present Grenadian PM, Dr. Keith Mitchell, one of the more progressive leaders in the Caribbean, and who, without the usual inane lip service, cares deeply about
WI cricket’s well-being. With those shakers, combine other independent moving cricketing inputs, to sort out this bind – Michael Holding, Sir Vivian Richards, yours truly even – people who are always honest about WI cricket. Chairman Clive Lloyd and his selectors, WI Players Association President Wavell Hinds, all of WICB, present WI captains Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Denesh Ramdin, are all much too close to this burgeoning overload to be as objective as required, with tensions and passions running so very high. It will not be easy. There is much darkness here; no pun intended. Hence, those with no axes to grind must be summoned to bring necessary illumination! World cricket needs WI much, but WI cricket has to heal itself first before trying to export that hopeful belief and attitude that this will never happen again! Sir Clyde Walcott was first to mention; 1970; when I first played for Guyana’s Under19’s, that “the game is always bigger than the man!” True! Our magnificent
game has survived many past severe negative episodes of undermining external and internal stimuli. Certainly, though, it will never be the same again after this so far unique debacle! Normally positive and helpful Cricket South Africa must be pondering if they could take chances on WI’s scheduled tour in December and January, CSA not being sure if similar situations could not put its extensive, expensive plans for that useful full tour into similar chaos and jeopardy. CSA could not officially cancel that tour, but they must be getting incessant migraines now. Meanwhile, ICC is hovering, waiting, contemplating. Drastic follow-ups are still very possible! Enjoy!
Inter Guiana Games... Male cyclists cop Team Time Trial gold, females take silver By Franklin Wilson in Suriname Compliments of Crown Mining Supply and Fazia’s Collection Guyana’s junior cyclists maintained their dominance at the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) level when the boys disposed of the challenges posed by home team Suriname and
French Guiana to win the 10km Team Time Trials yesterday in Paramaribo. The combination of Kravitz Jeffrey, Akeem Arthur, Alanzo Ambrose and Shaquille Agard clocked the winning time of 12 Minutes 53.19 Seconds to win from French Guiana who had to settle for the second place in a time of 13 Minutes 14.00 Seconds with Suriname third
Bush Lot United Turf Club AGM is today The Bush Lot United Turf Club (BLUTC) of Sea View Park West Coast Berbice holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) today. The meeting will be held at the Club’s entity Sea View Park West Coast Berbice beginning at 09:00 hrs. High on the agenda will be the reports from the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the club. A review of the club performance for the past year will also be undertaken, while ways and means to have the club functioning better will also be looked at.
The main agenda item is expected to be the election of officer bearers, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer and committee members. A number of appointments will also be made including judges, veterinary officers, stewards, medical doctor, and clerk of scale, clerk of paddock, starters and commentators. Plans for the club’s upcoming horse race meet which is set for Sunday 16th November, will also be addressed.
in 13 Minutes 59.16 Seconds. The duo of Toshawanna Doris and Ronella Samuels had to settle for the second place to Suriname in the female 6km Team Time Trials. The home team which clocked 9 Minutes 25.44 Seconds also represented that nation at the recently concluded Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships which they hosted. The Guyanese completed the course in 10 Minutes 07.39 Seconds. Commenting on the performance of the teams, Coach Hassan Mohamed said
that the results were good for team Guyana. “While I know that the boy’s team is a very good one, the girls are not as exposed as the males. I want to congratulate them all for making their country and themselves proud by their sterling performances.” Jeffrey, on debut at this level had difficulties with his breathing since arriving on Thursday last but made a remarkable turnaround and led his team home in fine style as they sealed victory like (Continued on page 65)
GMR&SC to hold competitors meeting next Thursday With the final leg of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship scheduled to be staged on November 16, at the South Dakota Circuit, the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) is inviting all competitors to attend a Competitors Meeting on Thursday, October 30, at the Club’s Headquarters on
Albert Street, starting at 18:30 hrs. A release from the entity stated that the Meeting is compulsory for all competitiors since it is aimed at apprising them of all the rules and regulations that will govern the event and it will also serve as a qualifier for participation in the day’s activities.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
NATIONAL OPEN BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS...
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SPORTS VIEW with Freddie Kissoon
Supporters treated to several This swimming pool madness slugfests on inaugural night must come to an end By Michael Benjamin The organizers have promised heightened action and the large crowd that turned out at the M&CC Municipal Centre, California Square, East Ruimveldt, were not disappointed as the nation’s top amateur boxers fitted the bill when the curtains went up on the National Open Boxing Championships at that venue last Friday evening. There were many slugfests but surprisingly, despite the savage exchanges, there was merely one abbreviated encounter; the 64kgs bout between Glenroy Smith (Essq) and Linden Daniels (GDF). The former pugilist rushed out at the sound of the bell and dealt his opponent several clouts that had him covering up to stem the tide. After an especially wicked blow had landed on Daniels’ temple, the referee jumped in and administered the mandatory 8 count which in the end proved to be useless since Daniels had long decided that he had had enough and shook his head when asked if he wished to continue. The time was just 30 seconds into the bout. Shaquancy Wright (Essq) is a hard working youngster and always gives of his best. Last Friday evening was no exception as the pint sized youth from the Essequibo Boxing Gym displayed remarkable work ethic to defeat his gym mate, Deron Williams in the 65-69lbs category. Leon Moore (HE) was a replica of his dad, Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore, and proved to be too good for his gym mate, Jakeel Cadogan, taking their 65-69lbs bout by a majority verdict, while his older sibling, Isaiah (HE), followed his brother’s lead with a convincing majority decision over his gym mate Kevon Mulling in the 8084lbs class. Shaquiel Wright (Essq) unleashed a two fisted attack on Keevin Allicock (HE) and was aptly rewarded with a majority verdict in their 100104lbs bout moments before Stevie Deprado (Essq) was gifted a walkover after his gym mate, Christopher Moore, was a no show for their 110-114lbs bout. Stefan Smith then carved out a points decision victory over Essequibo Boxing Gym pugilist, Akiel Mounter in the 147-154lbs division. All of these bouts were in the Junior Category and the respective winners have been crowned champions of their divisions.
The senior boxers were also part of the action and Republican pugilist, Nankumar Singh, seemed unaffected by his long layoff from the ring when he defeated Rupert Gillis (GDF) in the 60kgs division shindig. Both pugilists went after each other from the first gong but it was Singh who took control of the round and after he had dealt Gillis several clouts, the soldier hung on while emitting deep gasps. Gillis reasserted himself in the second round and matched his opponent’s grit and aggression and the two entertained the receptive crowd for the entire stanza. The difference in condition became apparent in the third round when Nankumar applied the pressure with a sustained two fisted attack that had Gillis tossing around the ring. The Republican pugilist was eventually adjudged the unanimous winner. The competition in the 64kgs division is indeed inspiring and it seems as though those boxers will be required to really dig deep to claim championship honours. There were three bouts in this category and in the first, Keeve Allicock (HE), outlasted Enock John (GDF) in a crowd pleasing affair. Allicock, clearly the superior boxer, was guilty of showboating and received a caution from the referee. He reasserted himself, re-entered the fray and employed a two fisted strategy to comfortably take the round. John came out swinging in the second stanza and landed a fortuitous punch on Allicock’s temple that floored him and forced the referee to institute the mandatory 8 count. Allicock then resorted to holding to stem the tide and the referee duly deducted two points from his score after a similar number of infringements. Undaunted, Allicock entered the final round with blazing fists and avenged the previous deductions when he floored his man early in the final stanza. The two then engaged in a toe to toe slugfest up to the bell much to the delight of the screaming audience. Despite the loss of the two points in the second round, the judges felt that Allicock had done enough to be awarded a majority decision. In the second bout in the 64kgs category, Ron Smith (FYF) eked out a split decision verdict from Clifton Graham (Rep) in what was a relatively easy fight for the former
pugilist and he has set up an interesting affair with Glenroy Smith, the only man to score a knockout on the inaugural night. The action continued last evening and there were whispers that the highly anticipated clash between United States based super/ heavyweight pugilist, Quincy ‘Biggy’ Small and Republican boxer, Jason ‘AK’ Barker would have comprised a part of the activities. Pugilists from the nation’s top gyms are on show including those from Young Achievers, Harpy Eagles, Forgotten Youth Foundation, Essequibo, Rose Hall Town Jammers, Pocket Rocket Boxing Gym and Carryll’s Boxing Gym among others. There are 10 divisions in the elite category and these pugilists will now box devoid of the protective headgear in conformation to the revised rules of the International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA). The other categories would be exempted from this rule and will wear the protective gear. The elite boxers also received special permission to use Cavelin Cream, a product that reduces the risks of cuts and bruises. Several corporate entities have rendered support for the success of the tournament including the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Monty Profitt, Courts, B K International and Mike’s Pharmacy among others. Tonight is the finals and the action gets underway at 20:00hrs sharp. Admission remains at $400 and $200 for adults and children respectively.
You cannot help in this country having contempt for some people. Shaun Samaroo, the Chronicle editorial consultant is one of them. Mr. Samaroo conceives Minister of Sports, Frank Anthony, together with Priya Manickchand as the two persons in whose hand rest the future of Guyana. This of course is the theatre of the absurd. And such masturbatory opinion-making need not be dignified with any elaborate reply This column is on sports so I will leave out a discussion on Priya Manickchand. The Minister of Sports is among a group of Cabinet members that in the opinion of this writer is incompetent. In response to a multi-party picket of the Aquatic Centre involving representative of APNU, AFC and socialist activists including me and Mark Benschop, demanding the pool be opened to the public, Anthony responded in the press by saying that will soon be done once a vacancy for a life guard is filled. That was three years ago. No one in this country should dispute what I see at the Aquatic Centre. If I jump into my car, it will take me a minute to get to the pool based on the nearness of my home to the centre. I pass the pool more than four times a day. I have noted two characteristics of the pool. One is that most of the time in the calendar year it is a deserted, ghost town. Secondly, it is used by the PPP elites and their friends. I saw the President, Gail Teixeira, and many other Ministers on several occasions, making use of the pool. Private citizens, including American and European visitors, make use of the pool. I saw this last Friday and Saturday (yesterday). Yet members of the public cannot walk in to have a swim. Anthony said that was on the cards once a life guard was found. Is there a life guard? If yes, then can an arrangement be made for the public to use it either freely or through a paid system? If no, then why are private citizens and the President and Ms. Teixeira swimming in it without a life guard? And if they can do so why can’t others. There are three public swim facilities in this country. None is opened to the public on any given day. Colgrain is reserved for swimming clubs (how many of those we have to assign a pool exclusively to them only?) Castellani is for the exclusive domination of
the PPP people. There is now an interesting development. The Castellani structure is almost abandoned because the PPP throne has moved to the Aquatic Centre. Contacts have told me that for more than a year, no one from the PPP hierarchy has used the pool. And thirdly of course, the Aquatic Centre. The public, opposition parties and civil minded groups must demand of Anthony and Donald Ramotar (saw both of them Friday evening at the Hamlet play, hope they know what is the theme of Hamlet) that one of these publicly owned pools be opened to the general population either to use freely or for a fee. But one must be made openly available to the citizens of Guyana. My suggestion is simple. Leave the clubs at Colgrain, open Castellani to the public and if the PPP wants, they can retain the Aquatic Centre for training and the PPP elites. But the most sensible approach is to assign that massive aquatic structure for public use. The youthful numbers that will be there on weekends will be staggering. No one is saying that you must have a free-for-all; you can charge a fee. My mother-in-law died two weeks ago and all my nieces and nephews were here in Guyana and I would have loved to take them swimming at the Aquatic Centre. It is a horrible indictment on the Guyanese people that they can allow the government to have three swimming facilities and all three are shut out from general use by the public. At least why not one of them? Do you know that the Ministry of Sports has built a state of the art gym on Carifesta Avenue for elite use only? These people have not even the conscience to set aside at least two days for the young people to exercise there. What is beyond belief is that there is a government in Guyana that covets the resources of the country anyway anyhow they want and the citizenry are silent, sheepish and fearful to even offer one word of criticism. It is my belief that the pools will remain in the exclusive hands of the PPP elites until there is regime change. I end with an opinion that I have penned twice before in the Freddie Kissoon column. What this country needs is a revolution with the subsequent Samuel Doe treatment of power abusers.
IGG Table Tennis: Guyana canters to male and female gold medals By Franklin Wilson in Suriname Compliments of Crown Mining Supply and Fazia’s Collection Guyana’s Table Tennis players, 12-year old Selanas Jackman, Priscilla Greaves, Kyle Edghill and Elishaba Johnson all 15-year-old players ensured the lads from the Land of Many Waters continue their dominance of the sport at the Inter Guiana Games level when they both won gold medals yesterday. Playing at the Anthony Nesty Sports Hall, the young Guyanese brushed aside the host nation’s A and B teams as well as French Guiana. The
B Team is used as a development team so the point against them does not count in the overall tally. Guyana won all its matches (singles and doubles) by respective 3-0 margins. Following are the results of yesterday’s matches: Girls Singles Priscilla Greaves defeated Zoue Hooghart (Suriname) 1210, 15-13, 11-3 Selenas Jackman beat Noemi Pawiroredjo (Suriname) 12-10, 11-7, 11-9 Doubles Jackman and Greaves brushed aside Hooghart and Pawiroredjo 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 Second round – versus Suriname B, Guyana won 3-0
Versus French Guiana, Guyana won 3-0 (gold medal game) Jackman defeated Maria Fatal 11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 Greaves trounced Diana Fatal 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 In the Doubles match, Jackman and Greaves brushed aside the Fatal sisters 11-7, 811, 11-6, 11-6. Boys Singles Guyana defeated Suriname A 3-0 Johnson got past Adesh Jawahir 11-2, 10-12, 11-7, 11-8 Kyle Edghill beat Jared Soogea 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 Versus Suriname B, Guyana won 3-0 Against French Guiana Guyana prevailed 3-0
Johnson defeated Dominique Banai 12-10, 11-6, 13-11 Edghill got the better of JeanChristophe Cognat in a five set thriller 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 4-11, 11-8. Doubles Edghill and Johnson returned as a unit to brush aside Banai and Cognat 11-9, 11-9, 11-8. The Coaching Staff as a collective, Melissa DowRichardson, Xenophon Goliah and Linden Johnson said they were very happy with the performance of this young and talented team. The staff noted that the Surinamese are leaving no stones unturned to get past Guyana and have engaged the (Continued on page 65)
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Kaieteur News
GCA’s Hadi’s division one cricket...
GDF, Police locked in tight battle Randy Lindore drives uppishly at GDF yesterday.
By Sean Devers In days gone by teams easily fielded teams in the Case Cup first division, Northcote Cup second division, Penta intermediate division and the Third Class tournament…all at the same time. Those days are now gone and interest for the once
glorious game is less than lukewarm even among those playing the game. Yesterday, the opening day of the latest round of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Hadi’s two-day first division competition was marred by two games not being played due the unavailability of
GCA/NBS second division 40-over tourney
MSC, Everest in winners’ lane Lewis, Mohamed, Bhola slam 50s Malteenoes SC and Everest Cricket Club recorded victories when action the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/New Building Society (NBS) second division 40-over tournament continued yesterday. At Malteenoes SC, the host overcame Sophia by 10 wickets. Batting first, the visitors were sent packing for 105 in 23 overs. Zalim Rasheed led with 30, Gareth Allen made 23 and Dwayne Peters 16. Shaquille Moseley grabbed 4-15 off eight overs and Mark Cumberbatch 3-29. MSC knocked off the required target in nine overs, ending 108 without loss. Troy Lewis stroked 54 (3x4,4x6) and Nikosie Barker 43 (4x4,3x6). At Muslim Youth Organisation, Everest thumped Third Class by a mammoth 162 runs. Everest posted 236 all out in 39.1 overs. Shaheed Mohamed slammed 56 (5x4,1x6), Manjrekar Bhola cracked 54 (5x4,1x6) and Denesh Mangal 30 (6x4). Trevor Hossein claimed 3-37, Pablo Ghisiawan 2-42 and Kapil Deosingh 2-46. Third Class were skittled for 74 in 18.4 overs in reply. Kevin Bob Semple made 24; Christopher Surat bagged 513, Raphael Singh 2-16 and
Shaheed Mohamed
Shaquille Mosley
players as clubs struggled to field teams. At Camp Road, Transport Sports Club (TSC) got a walk over from Everest, while at Malteenoes the game between the hosts and DCC was cancelled because DCC, who are engaged in the second division semi-final against Police, could not put together a first division team. The problem stemmed from the fact that the players in the Guyana Jaguars training squad were not allowed to play by Cricket Guyana Inc (CGI) due to their practice schedule. Everest was the heaviest hit by CGI’s decision. In the only first division match played the Army and Police were locked in a tight battle for first innings points at Camp Ayanganna when bails were lifted on day one. GDF were 83-3, 73 runs behind the 156 made by the Cops with seven wickets in hand. Police were given a solid 43-run start by Rawle Browne and Mark Persaud who both made 19, before 32-year-old Gilford Moore, who played five First-Class matches for CCC, trapped Browne LBW. Daniel Barker who hammered four boundaries in 31 and former National youth players Shameer Fazal whose 26 included four fours and a six, put together 47 for the fourth wicket before Fazal was caught and bowled by Jeremiah Harris to leave Police on 98-4 after Lunch was taken 97-3. Harris had 3-8, offspinner Markus Watkins 3-7 and Moore 2-19 did the damage with the ball for the Soldiers who lost their first wicket on 38 when Colin McPherson (9) was taken at mid-off as pacer Seon Daniels made the breakthrough. Dameon Ross hit four fours in 30 before he fell at 612, while Randy Lindore (5) departed at 71-3. Watkins (18*) and Harris (9*) were the not out batmen when play ended in fading light.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Huge task awaits GFF Committee By Santokie Nagulendran Last week, FIFA Head of Member Associations, Primo Corvaro, and Director of Legal Affairs, Marco Leal, boarded a plane to Guyana with a sole mission in mind: to solve the turmoil which has engulfed the leadership of Guyana’s football administration for the past 18 months. Their decision was ultimately swift and clinical: by Monday evening FIFA (via the GFF) had announced that Christopher Matthias has been relieved of his duties as GFF President and that a normalisation committee, made up of five members, would now govern the Guyana Football Federation on behalf of FIFA until September 2015. Thus, we have now arrived in a sad position whereby Guyana cannot be trusted by FIFA to handle its own affairs, and as such FIFA has intervened to put things right and give hope once again that Guyana can make game progress. The committee’s role will be to reform the constitution, oversee the daily affairs of the federation and ensure that everything is in order for a free and fair transparent election next September. In order to ensure the fairness of the committee, none of the five members can stand for office elections next year. Christopher Matthias and the one remaining executive he had in office will play no part in the committee after a turbulent year which has seen them engage in bitter disputes with fellow members of the football fraternity in Guyana, leading to arguably the worst period in Guyana’s National football history. Firstly, the GFF under Matthias took the unprecedented step of imposing bans on members of the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA), including GFF VicePresident Collie Hercules, for staging the GT Beer Knock Out final on January 1st 2014, a date allocated “exclusively’’ for the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks Beer Final. Last years’ Banks tournament finished with massive debts, and crippled Georgetown football: current GFA league games are being played without the league being able to afford basics like water for the players or a medical officer at games in case of injury. The whole sorry saga led to the resignation of fellow GFF Vice-President Rawlston Adams, with colleague Ivan Persaud penning a letter asking for Matthias to step down. This planted the seeds for a no-confidence motion to be filed, leading to a GFF Extraordinary Congress being held on 9th August after months of deliberation, and chaotically, it ended with no resolution, members failing to reach an agreement and representatives of various federations staging a walk-out. CONCACAF and FIFA members were in attendance, and reported back on the issue to FIFA headquarters, which ultimately led to the recent events occurring. Christopher Matthias had appeared on NCN Television to validate his position as leader on 16th July 2014, yet stirred more controversy as he claimed he did not believe “foreign’’ players, i.e. overseas-born, should represent the Guyana National Team. Matthias went on to claim that football in Guyana was improving, as well as stating that certain National Players cannot identify their own name, something which has never been proven. The remarks created headlines not only in Guyana, but globally, with Matthias and the sorry state of Guyanese football featuring in October’s World Soccer Magazine, a prestigious publication read by millions across the world. Amidst all the drama under Matthias’s
reign, football has been neglected and is paying a price as a result. The Under-17 Girls team lost all three games in the World Cup Qualifiers they played last year, conceding 40 goals in the process, including a 17-0 loss to the Dominican Republic. The Under-17 Boys team were eliminated from the first round of World Cup Qualifiers in July 2014, after the team was hastily assembled and sent to take part in Dominican Republic with little training. Finally the Men’s senior team, the flagship of the nation, were eliminated from the Caribbean Cup in the first round of qualifiers for the first time in twenty years, with no goals being scored in the process. The financial audit of the GFF’s current debt was never revealed by Matthias, yet it is clear to see that the debt, partly inherited from the previous administration under Colin Klass, is crippling the development of football in Guyana. However, FIFA pays Guyana $250,000 per year, and this year increased that figure to $750,000 as a result of it being a World Cup year, yet there has been no indication on where that money is being spent on, and no effort to generate funds from sponsors or fan support by scheduling games. With claims being made that the Under-17 Boys team were sent to the Dominican Republic with no spending allowance, and that referees in a recent Heritage Football Tournament have not been paid by the GFF, one has to wonder where the FIFA money was going and why it was not being spent on basic requirements. It is also alleged that one of Matthias’s first initiatives in power was to increase the GFF payroll by nearly 300%! The GFF Super League has not been given a start date this season and still owes teams like Western Tigers their prize money from the last tournament. Without any top senior domestic football being played for months now, the footballing development of young men across the country is being hampered, and this will naturally have repercussions on the future quality of the National Team. The 32-team Mayor’s Cup has been postponed to November 1st and will now become the first domestic competition to begin under the watch of the normalisation committee. The tasks which the committee will have to swiftly address are massive: the Senior Men and Women’s National Teams will have to be assembled virtually from scratch, overseas-based players will need to be persuaded to re-join the programme after years of neglect, International teams will need to be communicated with and convinced that it’s worthwhile to play Guyana in friendly matches. With 2018 World Cup qualifiers beginning in a few months for Guyana due to their decline down the world rankings under Matthias, the National Team needs to be prepared and the normalisation committee needs to ensure football takes precedent. Financial irregularities of past administrations will also need to be dealt with, as well as overseeing major domestic events such as the Mayor’s Cup and GFF Super League, all within a relatively short space of time. However, the biggest challenge facing the committee is how to unite the Guyana football fraternity? For too long Guyanese football has been plagued by personal politics and scandal, if there is ever to be real progress and development in the game, the only way to achieve it is by everybody working together as unit, communicating openly, and trusting each other to help reach the long-term objective of putting Guyana back on the footballing map. Once unity has been achieved, the other tasks facing the committee will seem slightly less daunting to conquer.
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
Safraz Esau named Man-of-the-Tourney as MY take LDS T/20 title
M
osiah Yellow’s (MY) Safraz Esau, who made the second highest runs (184), was named Manof-the-Tournament to spur his team to Championship honors after MY beat the Queenstown Jama Masjid (QJM) by eight runs in the final of the Second Annual Latter-day Saints (LDS) Premier League’s T20 Tournament on Diwali Day a t t h e M u s l i m Yo u t h Organization (MYO) ground on Woolford Avenue. The competition attracted teams from the City, Linden, Berbice, East Bank, West Demerara and East Coast and was described as a success by LDS steering Committee member Wayne Barrow. Alvin Persaud topscored with 31 and got support from Captain Daniel Barker, (17) and Avinash Pitamber (12) as MY reached 128 all out in 19.3 overs. Javid Kayum (4-26) and Majeed Khan (2-20)
were the best bowlers for QJM who responded with 120 in 18.4 overs. Paul Shiwram revived hope with a quick 31 runs which included four sixes and a four but only Azhar Khan who scored 18 from 12 balls of the other batsmen offered for QJM. The medium pacers, Alvin Persaud took (3-18) and Daniel Barker (3-21) were MY’s best bowlers. Alvin Persaud of MY was adjudged the Man of the f i n a l a t t h e Aw a r d s Ceremony, while Wazir Hussain of Moroni Orange was awarded the prize for the most runs (187 from five innings) in the tournament. Ajay Seepaul’s 15 wickets at a strike rate of 4.52 secured his award for the most wickets in the tournament while Aaron Sewparaud was adjudged the Most Promising Young Player. Nine year-old Aaron Bacchus was awarded the ‘Youth with Heart’ prize. (Sean Devers)
Fudadin ton keeps West Indies A on top
Assad Fudadin
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka A patient century from Assad Fudadin kept the West Indies A on top on Day 1 of the 3rd and final “Test” against Sri Lanka A at the Tyronne Fernando Stadium. After winning the toss and opting to bat, the opening pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and Fudadin put
on 137 runs. Brathwaite struck 75 from 119 balls, hitting seven boundaries. But Fudadin would be the one to carry on. The Guyanese lefthander hit 103 from 187 ball, striking 11 boundaries along the way. The Windies A then endured a collapse, falling to 178/5. On a rain-hit Day 1 where only 66 overs were bowled, the Windies A ended the day on 239/6. Chadwick Walton is unbeaten on 16 while Carlos Brathwaite is with him on 18. Tharindu Kaushal was the pick of Sri Lanka A’s bowlers, taking 5-94. Sri Lanka A lead the three match series, 1-0. Summary Scores: West Indies A 1st Innings: 239/6 (66 Overs). Assad Fudadin 103, Kraigg Brathwaite 75, Carlos Brathwaite* 18*, Chadwick Walton+ 16*; Tharindu Kaushal 28-4-945, Kasun Madushanka 10-041-1, Chaturanga de Silva 16-1-50-0, Nuwan Pradeep 10-1-32-0.
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The winning Mosiah Yellow team.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 26, 2014
COURTS/PETRA ORGANISATION SCHOOLS PEE WEE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT...
Action in this year’s Courts/Petra Organisation Schools Pee Wee Football Competition.
St. Pius produce best performance to reach quarter-finals
D
efending champion St. Pius warmed up for the defence of their title with a convincing 4-1 triumph over Green Acres to enter the quarter-final of the Courts/Petra Organisation Schools Pee Wee Football Tournament on a confident note as play in the Round of 16 ended yesterday, at Thirst Park ground. Last year beaten finalist West Ruimveldt also looked impressive as they eased to a comfortable 2-0 win over Ketley, while Tucville, who has been the most in-form team since the start of competition again displayed ominous form with a 4-0 thrashing of North Georgetown to make it to the quarter-final round. H o w e v e r, t h e m o s t imposing performance of the day came from Kitty-based F.E. Pollard who inflicted an 8-0 drubbing on Smith Memorial. The day’s full results are seen below: Game-1 South Ruimveldt Primary-0 vs St. Stephen’s Primary-0 South Ruimveldt won 3-2 on penalty kicks Game-2 St Angela’s Primary-2 v/s Marian Academy-1 St. Angela’s scorer Keyon Douglas-2nd and 14th Marian Academy scorer
Dwayne Bess-7th Game-3 Smith Memorial-0 vs F.E Pollard Primary-8 F.E. Pollard scorers Quincy Williams-3rd, 32nd and 36th Makhaya Jarvis-7th, 29th and 35th Lesedi Daniels-24th Bryan Williams-37th Game-4 East La Penitence Primary-1 vs St. Margaret’s Primary-1 St. Margaret’s won 3-2 on penalty kicks St. Margaret’s scorer Makhi Adams-35th East La Penitence scorer Fabian Boters-29th Game-5 Enterprise Primary-0 vs Stella Marris Primary-1 Earl Grant-17th Game-6 St. Pius Primary-4 vs Green Acres Primary-1 St. Pius scorers Raymond Austin-1st and 32nd Youhan Yarris-7th Sherwin Nelson-12th Brendon Solomon-27th Green Acres scorer Lebron Wickham-39th Game-7 West Ruimveldt Primary-2 vs Ketley Primary-0 Michael Oie-2nd Jason Persaud-10th Game-8 Tucville Primary-4 vs North G/T Primary-0 Rayheem Marques-8th, 17th Keion Marques-14th, 34th
Plenty of action anticipated today as Rodeo takes centre stage
A
large crowd is expected to converge at the Rising Sun Turf Club, Arima Park Arena West Coast Berbice where the Rising Sun Rodeo Committee stages its Rodeo. The Vaqueros and other participants from overseas and other parts of Guyana, including far flung interior areas have all arrived for what is expected to be a breathtaking and action packed day of action. Over the past week the organisers used the opportunity to
formalize preparations and made sure every system is in place. The venue was also tested with a few trial runs using mostly local cowboys and according to coordinator and President of The Rising Sun Rodeo Committee, Fazal Habibulla, all systems are in place. According to Habibulla, he and his West Berbice Posse, which makes up the bulk of the local brigade from the area, were also in action at the Rising Sun Turf during the week and are well (Continued on page 67)
Sunday October 26, 2014
Kaieteur News
Seaboard Marine CMRC...
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IGG GAMES - SECOND LEG...
Guyanese narrowly lose to Summerbell Jnr., Stuart Maloney coming to challenge Kristian Jeffrey Suriname on Badminton Court By Franklin Wilson in Suriname Compliments of Crown Mining Supply and Fazia’s Collection
Guyana’s Kristian Jeffrey (inset) seen in his Mitsubishi Evolution IX at the CMRC Meet in Barbados.
T
he final leg of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor R a c i n g Championship (CMRC) will be graced by the former Caribbean champion Jamaican David Summerbell Jnr and Barbadian Stuart Maloney, who’ve both confirmed participation for the November 16 event which will be staged in Guyana, at the South Dakota Circuit. Summerbell Jnr, who is widely considered as amongst the best pure race car drivers in the Caribbean will be coming to compete against one of the young emerging drivers in the region in Guyana’s Kristian Jeffrey, who leads the Caribbean Series after the two legs in Barbados and Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o respectively. The promising young driver has been enjoying an incredible season so far since making his impressive debut at the CMRC in Barbados earlier this year and is a hot favourite to grab the regional title in his first
Jamaica’s David Summerbell Jnr. races in his Mitsubishi Evolution attempt. The multi-talented sportsman is a former karting champion and national Squash champion and his success to date means that he has managed to transform his outstanding exploits from the other disciplines on to the track both in the Caribbean and Canada. The young speedster no doubt has his sights already set on dominating home turf which would place the ‘Land of Many Waters’ as it
positions itself to win the overall Country title. Jeffrey, who leads the current points standing in the I n d i v i d u a l c a t e g o r y, occupies pole position with 85 points and he is followed by another Guyanese Danny Persaud on 74, while another native of Guyana Paul Vieira lies in third on 43. In the Country points standing, T&T leads with 314 followed by Barbados on 300, Guyana third on 297 and Jamaica in the cellar with 151.
“Guyana Softball Cup 4” is next weekend DCC ground to host finals on Sunday
T
he Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) fourth Annual three day International Softball tournament is all set for next weekend, Friday Oct. 31 , Sat. Nov. 1 at various venues in Georgetown where admission is free. The finals are on Sunday at the DCC ground, Lance Gibbs St., Queenstown where admission is $500. A total of twenty six teams are taking part in two categories, Male Open and Male st
st
Masters. Six teams are from New York, three from Florida, two from Canada and the rest are from Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara. Twelve teams for the Male Open are: New York Softball Cricket League All Stars, South Florida Softball Premier League, Dant X1-Canada, Cotton Field Wild Oats, Parika Defenders All Stars, Wolf Warriors, Regal Stationery, Karibee Boys, Corriverton, Petama Enterprise, Farm X1, and Uprisers. (Continued on page 67)
Despite not being 100% fit, Guyana’s Badminton Captain Narayan Ramdhani led from the front but Guyana narrowly lost 2-3 to Suriname when the Badminton competition served off yesterday at the KNTS Chinese Sporthal, Paramaribo. It is a straight battle between the home team and Guyana since French Guiana did not field a team. These two nations have through the years been competing against each other with some memorable battles recorded. Young Ramdhani set the pace for Guyana when he won his singles game against Alrick Toney 21-16, 21-14. According to Coach Gokarn Ramdhani, Narayan was suffering from a neck strain but pulled on all his experience to lead his
Narayan Ramdhani (left) and Jonathon Mangra. country’s charge. N a r a y a n ’s y o u n g e r sibling, Priyanna who still campaigns at the Under-13 level took on the challenge of matching racquets with leading home girl, Rugshaae Ishack who is an experienced U n d e r- 1 9 c a m p a i g n e r. Despite the gap in experience, Priyanna held her own but lost 21-12, 21-12 as Surname drew level at one
game apiece. Not comfortable with the Surinamese leveling things up, Captain Narayan team joined forces with Jonathon Mangra in the Boys Doubles and they brushed the home pair of Kevin Lou and Patrick Vigilandzoon 21-13, 21-12 to restore the advantage. Next on court was the duo of Ambika Ramraj and (Continued on page 67)
t r o Sp INTER GUIANA GAMES
Male cyclists cop Team Time Trial gold, females take silver
Guyana’s male team powering to the gold medal in the Team Time Trials led by Kravitz Jeffrey, Alanzo Ambrose and Akeem Arthur.
NATIONAL OPEN BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS...
Supporters treated to several slugfests on inaugural night
Stefan Smith (right) ducks out of range from Akiel Mounter’s two fisted attack.
Leon Moore (right) uses a stiff right jab to ward off Kevon Mullings’ attack before taking the bout.
Fudadin ton keeps West Indies A on top 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