Tuesday September 06, 2016
The unacceptable excuses of our elected politicians DEAR EDITOR, We all expect human beings to have an “off day” from time to time. We all do and make allowances for the occasional miss- spoken words, phrases, utterance. Our words sometimes do get tangled as it exits the mouth.What we cannot defend is the habitual day to day “barrage” of nonsensical excuses the people of Guyana have been bombarded with the past 18 months from the members of the Collation. It is so very painful to hear the pathetic excuses coming out the mouths of our elected leaders. It leaves one to wonder the “mind” behind the words Are these the politician Guyanese are placing their hopes on to get the nation out of our present dilemma? Here listed is just a few “doozies” from our elected officials David Grainger – President. “Bond Fiasco…. Health Ministry attempted to avoid pitfalls of previous administration – Granger” KN Aug 12, 2016, the Head of
State asserted that “the Ministry of Public Health attempted to avoid the pitfalls of the processes which prevailed under the previous administration,” Joe Harmon – Minister of State. We do remember the early response of the Senior Minister trying to defend the Gigantic fifty percent raise. In his explanation, We have to pay people so they don’t have to steal... (to paraphrase) “No apologiesGovernment justifies salary increases – Harmon” KN Oct 07, 2015 Following news of over 50 per cent salary increases for Ministers of Government, Minister of State Joseph Harmon has stated that these increases are justifiable considering the quality of Cabinet members and thus the Government has no apologies to make….. The Minister also stated that there could not be a situation such as in the past administration, when Ministers were prepared to accept “lowly” salaries, but would engage in corrupt
practices. Harmon apologises to “hurt” Guyanese, but not PPP KN Nov 22, 2015 “I said I have no apologies to make to the PPP but in the event the Guyanese people felt offended by my statement then to the Guyanese people I would say… if they feel hurt or offended by it… I would say I apologized…(but) not to the PPP because I don’t think they deserve it.” Raphael Trotman – Minister of Governance “Salary Increases designed to ensure parity in Govt structure” KN Oct 15, 2015 The recent salary increases for Members of Parliament (MPs) are not exorbitant said Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, yesterday. In fact, he believes it is “fair.” He said, too, that the increases were necessary to address certain disparities in the salary structure in the three arms of the government the Legislative, the Executive and (Continued on page 6)
This 63 year old, poor woman needs justice from the police DEAR EDITOR; On the 26th August, 2016 at 20:30 hrs. Ms. Lynette Lalloo age 63 who is a “bottle business woman” who was in the corner of Chapel and Main Street, New Amsterdam, picking up bottles with her husband when a certain driver (name supplied) Mr. Anil Ramcharran who owns PSS 3369 knocked Ms. Lynette Lalloo on the spot. She suffered broken right arms and spinal injury; she is now disabled for life. I am seeking justice from the Guyana Police Force. Why the driver has not been charged and placed before the courts? The driver claimed
that she walked into the car which is a false statement. I am also seeking help from the driver’s family, the general public, Food for the Poor and the Public Security Minister and the Minister of Health. On Friday, September 2nd, at 14:00 hrs, a police inspector went home to the lady and stated that she was thrown in the path of the car and the police have evidence of this on camera. To date, the police cannot show us this. I am seeking justice urgently for this person. Concerned Berbecian
Do not treat pensioners’ like... From page 4 (numbers). The commercial was so poorly constructed that many people believe that they have to get registered again and many pensioners visit their respective registration offices, some travel very far (miles) only to be informed that those who have ID cards with the nine digits do not have to register again. Some people have two ID cards and they are using the older ID card which has seven digits and is being used to draw their pension. All they have to do is photocopy the new ID card with the nine digits and take it into the closest NIS office and they would make the changes. This irresponsible attitude causes
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great discomfort to pensioners but again, it seems as if no one cares. Finally Editor, the way the officials were carrying on about the oil in Guyana, a lot of people were under the impression that when the rigs started to work everything would be all right. In other words, they are acting as if the oil is the savior for Guyana. I am guessing that the officials of the oil company saw that the Guyanese public were being misled, thus they informed the public about how many people would be employed (which is low) and what is basically some of the requirements for getting employed. I’m quite sure that
the officials were very annoyed but I’m sure their brains are ticking to come up with some concoctions again to mislead the public because of their poor performance so far. Guyanese have to be wary of them because since coming into power they cannot fulfill their promises and instead of making people’s livelihood better, they are making it harder and making their lives better; fulfilling their needs. Meanwhile we are waiting for the investors and job creations that they were talking about before the last elections whilst they are going about mismanaging Guyana. Sahadeo Bates
Does GAWU intend to solve GuySuCo’s problems through resistance? DEAR EDITOR, In response to Mr. Seepaul Narine, the General Secretary for the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) letter that was published in the Stabroek News dated Wednesday 31 August, 2016 titled “The sugar industry can overcome its present challenges,” we wish to address certain aspects of the letter. The first is based on the point: ‘Our union will continue to resist this closure (reference to Wales Estate) and to struggle to protect workers’ interests as well as the general interest of those others who depend on the industry. We repeat our belief that the industry can overcome its present challenges’. In another part of his letter he stated that “Dr. James Rose, who opened the GAWU’s 21st Congress, reminded us that the industry, throughout its long history, has faced many severe challenges which were overcome through creative and unorthodox thinking”. The question which GuySuCo is posing to GAWU is, whether its own creative and unorthodox proposal for solving the problems of the sugar industry is through resistance? The cross-cutting theme in most of the resolutions approved by the Congress was ‘resistance’. Here again, GuySuCo would like to reiterate the urgent need for a paradigm shift in the leadership of GAWU. In order for GuySuCo to become a resilient, sustainable and profitable business, it would require much more than resistance
from GAWU and other stakeholders. The creativity and unorthodox approaches to which Dr. James Rose alluded, would necessitate the application of sound business, organizational and moral principles. It would require flexibility and adaptability; it would require that our workers know their rights and yet be able to fulfill their responsibilities to the Corporation, for which they have contractual obligations; it would require that workers see themselves as key players in ‘Putting GuySuCo First’ programme and it would require a highly mobilized GuySuCo community - ‘One GuySuCo’. The thinking, conversations and actions of GAWU have to shift and project its leadership as progressive and imaginative thinkers; who can see the wisdom in participating in and stimulating discussions on the re-configuration of ‘sugar dependent’ communities. So that even as GuySuCo transitions, these communities will also transition and be reconfigured to become more sustainable. The comment by Mr. Narine that, ‘thus, we find it inconceivable that given these truths, GuySuCo and the government are bent on pursuing their decision concerning the closure of Wales Estate. For the communities around Wales Estate the social vibrancy may soon be replaced by gloom and unimaginable hardship for the residents. We again urge that this unfortunate and short-sighted decision be
reversed’. Editor, this is a very sterile leadership posture when the world around us is changing, the ‘world of sugar’ is changing, GuySuCo has recognized that while it cannot avoid or prevent these changes from happening, it has to be able to anticipate, prepare for, respond and adapt to the change in order to survive and be sustainable. As GuySuCo continues to strategize to transform the Corporation into a profitable business, it is imperative that stakeholders like GAWU begin to think more critically and broadly about making the economies of ‘sugar dependent’ communities more diversified and sustainable. These communities have to expand beyond dependence on the sugar industry and also see the diversification programme as an opportunity, instead of as a challenge. It is important that GAWU understands that the Wales Estate is not closing; it is transitioning from sugar production to other ventures. It is disappointing that the leadership of GAWU is already predicting ‘gloom and unimaginable hardship for the residents’ when the diversification programme has not even been implemented. GuySuCo is cognizant that change is never easy and can be very challenging but the current circumstances of the Corporation has created a remarkable opportunity for it and communities to emerge with greater economic and social balance. The (Continued on page 6)
Contradiction of Roxanne Burnham’s low profile DEAR EDITOR, In response to the letter titled: “Roxanne Burnham Van West Charles writes on Lear Goring,” May I offer the following comments. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham NEVER received a mandate from the PEOPLE of Guyana to govern the said country. That mandate was awarded to a coalition of the PNC-UF parties. By default, the people of Guyana, in 1964, gave that mandate jointly to Forbes Burnham and Peter D’Aguiar, as leaders of their respective parties. May I quote Roxanne, “He that is without sin cast the first stone.” Since we are all born in sin, then we all have at least one sin, which was committed for us. How appropriate! But, at least we can ponder, “At whom, and
for what may stones be cast, may I ask?” If it is at Forbes and for his sins, then that would consume all of the stones in all of the quarries in all of Guyana. Since Mr. Burnham departed, Roxanne claims she has had a life of extremely low profile; however, the name Roxanne Burnham Gardens has not been such a low profile, nor has Melanie Damishana and Linden. Mr. Burnham has left quite a legacy, of which Roxanne must be quite proud. Wouldn’t it be appropriate for Roxanne to grace her Gardens here with her residence? And for Melanie to reside in Melanie Damishana and not Florida. What Roxanne has not addressed are the consequences of Mr. Goring’s drug dealing. How many lives have been consumed by the drugs Mr.
Goring peddled? How many Black children went to a cold bed without food, because their parent(s) spent the money on Mr. Goring’s drugs instead of heat and food? Ms. Roxanne Burnham Van West-Charles may be informed that I spent more than a decade as, officially, a teacher, but actually, managing all aspects of all the technology in a district of an alternate high school, in New York City and I am quite aware of what drugs did to many lives. The school catered to students, 16-24 years old, who were drop-outs. Most of the young men had been in trouble with the law. I wonder how many of the students were caught with Mr. Goring’s drugs. Finally, the message, which Roxanne is promoting is, “Crime pays and pay handsomely.” Zamir
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Questions on the land GuySuco is selling to raise money DEAR EDITOR, Your article captioned “GuySuCo in US$410M debt, selling 2,000 acres to raise cash –CEO Errol Hanoman” in your September 2 edition is not only mind-boggling, but rather frightening with respect to the future of the sugar industry and the perpetuity of government’s subsidy. Editor, GuySuCo’s current debt of US$410M or G$82 billion needs to be carefully analyzed. First, we must recall that in 2014 the then CEO of GuySuCo, Paul Bhim, reported to the National Assembly’s Economic Service Committee that GuySuCo had incurred a debt of G$58 billion. It means that for 2015 and 2016 year-to-date, the company has incurred an additional $24 billion debt. In 2015 and 2016 year-to-date, the government has provided 12 and 9 billion dollars to GuySuCo, respectively; a total of 21 billion dollars. In 2015 the company produced 227,000 tonnes sugar. Assuming that the average price for bulk and packaged sugar was US$420 (using a more-than conservative price for bulk raw at US15 cents per pound or an overall US21 cents), the revenue from the sale of sugar would have been US$95M or G$19 billion, an amount that’s barely sufficient to cover its annual employment cost. The company’s total operating expense was in the vicinity of G$30 billion, as such the subvention from the government last year of 12 billion dollars went towards subsidizing the company’s operating expense. It means that there was no major capital works, and of
course there was no increase in pay for the workers. An agriculture-based company as geographically diverse and operationally complex as GuySuCo, being starved of capital investment will have far-reaching deleterious effects on its operations and potential productivity, and a company that’s labour intensive and managerially complex being deprived of adequate pay increase will suffer from low morale, declining productivity, low attendance, shortage of suitable and talented human resource and poor labour relations. All of which are anathematic to the progress of the sugar industry. With the poor 1st crop 2016 of 57,000 (a drop in estimated target by 30%), this year the situation wouldn’t be any better. It’s highly unlikely that this year’s production will exceed 200,000 tonnes, for to even achieve this, the company has to produce 143,000 tonnes in the current 2nd crop, and the production for the 4 weeks since the crop started is only 9,000 tonnes, which is not encouraging. 200,000 tonnes is estimated to yield a revenue of G$16 billion. If the annual production is about 200,000 tonnes this year, the G$9 billion approved for this year as government’s subsidy will be woefully inadequate, together with the company’s own revenue, to meet the total operating expense of G$30 billion. It means that there will be the need for an additional $G5 billion from the government’s coffers (a total of G$14 billion this year), unless the company
endeavours to borrow the amount from commercial banks and thereby increasing its current debt of G$82 billion. It will be exacerbated if production falls below 200,000 tonnes. The question to be asked is, what are the reasons for the company incurring an additional G$24 billion in the last 18 months (2015 and 2016 year-to-date), if the government’s subsidy together with its own revenue was adequate to cover its total operating expense? Editor, on the selling of 2,000 acres of land to “raise cash” to offset G$82 billion it would require selling an acre of land for $41,000,000 or $941 per square foot. If bought by land developers for housing schemes, a modest 8,000 square feet of house-lot would have to be bought at $7½ M each; so at what price will this be re-sold to a potential homebuyer? GuySuCo’s main problem is its low sugar production and high operating costs, and these factors are by no mean mutually exclusive. Unless, there is a dramatic increase in sugar production, a reduction in its operating expense, and expansion of its value-added sugar products with aggressive marketing strategies, the scenario cited above will continue in perpetuity, which is the government will have to continuously subsidize the sugar company each year in the vicinity of 12 to 15 billion dollars. Diversification will not salvage it from its dilemma. It will only add to its woes. Dmithri Ramsunai Tain, Corentyne
The unacceptable excuses of ... From page 5 the Judiciary…….To those who are incensed by the salary bumps, Trotman said yesterday, the administration is not numb to their concerns. He said, “Trust us. You trusted us with government on May 11 and we ask you to continue to trust us and believe in us.” Winston Jordan – Finance Minister “Finance Minister justifies salary increases” KN Oct 14, 2015 Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, said yesterday that the salary increases for Members of Parliament were necessary for three reasons; to outline an income for Vice Presidents which did not exist before, to correct anomalies in the payment structure and finally, because the work load has increased. Khemraj Ramjattan Public Security Minister “Opposition loses motion
Tuesday September 06, 2016
Kaieteur News
on curbing rise of suicide rate” Aug 05, 2016 “They want to steal our thunder with this motion, and come and pontificate as though they are the genuine Popes and Bishops of the issue and they are not. “Much ado about nothing?…We have become embarrassed by the forensic audits – Ramjattan” Aug 28, 2016 “When we did the audits we found such rotten things in there and initially, we suspected rotten things were taking place. So we said that if indeed there are rotten things which involve criminality, …. Ramjattan said, however, that a number of the forensic audits only have rottenness to the extent that allows the administration to remove certain “elements” and change around systems. “That shady bond deal… We are humans, not a Cabinet of Angels; we will make mistakes –Ramjattan” Aug 25,
2016 “Think of it like a game of cricket. One man drops de ball at a crucial point in the game. Wuh de Captain must do? Box the man behind he head, tell he walk off the field and call a truck to drive over him?....... “We in the AFC, cannot in view of the partnership arrangement, go and box him (Norton) on his ears and ask him to walk out of Cabinet Basil Williams - Attorney General “Govt. US $5.7M settlement …No court records found for BK “US$10M claim” “….So if you disparage me as Attorney General, Chairman of the PNC, wha’ else? Member of Parliament…then y’all come and beg for me to pull back case I had against y’all. I don’t know nothing about BK. Go ask (Minister of) Communities.” Muhammad Raoof
Securing Governance Systems Within the Guyana Government Dear Editor; It has become a matter of course that individuals’ professionalism and integrity hit low notes in the political arena. This has been demonstrated in other countries, and Guyana is no exception. In this context, I wish to touch briefly on the state of governance in Guyana and need for the wider society to become more involved in the operation of Government. This has become necessary because we have had a political history that has flirted with socialism and government along the socialist model, and it is important that we do not return to such ideas. Socialism has demonstrated that it is inherently weak as a resource allocator both in the political and productive spheres. Politically, it fosters cronyism and corruption, and a stagnant ruling class which becomes a law unto itself, while the masses are destined to remain so, having no power to remove the ruling class. Fortunately, we have shifted to a democratic model which is based on
competition, the rule of law and free speech. Free speech and the rule of law are essential elements of a democratic system since these allow for discourse on matters in law and the adoption of appropriate models and systems to protect society and strengthen the operation of government. The three essential elements to securing effective government are clearly articulated transparency, accountability and governance systems. Guyana has suffered tremendously over the last generation because of the lack of these aspects in the management in our government affairs. We have yet to draft guidelines on transparency, accountability and governance systems which define and underpin government operations and protect our society from similar abuses of the past. In the absence of these guidelines, the media, notably our daily newspapers, so often taken for granted, has played a vital role in exposing past abuses and shaping public opinion on our political
and economic climate. Indeed, they have facilitated an energizing of our society by providing a vehicle for independent professional analysis across the various disciplines, all of which has worked towards better decisions from a more informed society. For this we are grateful and should render full support as they continue to hold government accountable and provoke and promote interest and solutions to our problems. However, wider society needs to recognize the stakes involved in having a government devoid of accountability and become more proactive and involved both in keeping government in check, and pushing for the guidelines on transparency, accountability and governance to be drafted and integrated into our government systems. Government and its officials are not a power and law unto themselves. They were not elected as slave masters, but as public servants, to serve the will of the people. Craig Sylvester.
Where is the voice of Clive Thomas and the WPA? DEAR EDITOR; Clive Thomas’ statement that Guysuco is selling land because it is cash strapped is disappointing. No business, organisation or its
management worth its salt, or in this case its sugar, sell its assets to finance current operating expenditure. I am surprised that Clive Thomas is taking this approach. Clive Thomas had a lot to say when the incompetent clique was in the forefront of the PPP when
the PPP was in office but he doesn’t seem to have much to say these days. There is not much action on his part either. Maybe he is all talk. Maybe the coalition has relegated him, Rupert Roopnarine and the WPA into the dustbins of history. H.Singh
Contradiction of Roxanne Burnham’s... From page 5 conversation about GuySuCo has to progress to include developing sustainable communities and enterprises. GuySuCo cannot become a profitable business enterprise by only focusing on sugar as its core business, the configuration of GuySuCo will be changed to include aquaculture, fruit crops and livestock and dairy farming and it is expected that the economic activities and flow of ‘sugar dependent’ communities will also be adjusted. The diversification programme will create new opportunities for communities to explore and exploit. The situation which the Corporation has found itself, has unearthed a fundamental flaw in the development programme for communities around sugar estates. The development programme to a large extent did not focus on building resilient and sustainable enterprises into these communities; therefore
as the vulnerability of GuySuCo increases these communities also become vulnerable. It means therefore that as GuySuCo transforms into the ‘New GuySuCo’, those responsible for developing these communities, have to design strategies and programmes which will make these communities less vulnerable. In other words GuySuCo was carrying a development burden which should not have been attached to the Corporation. Hence, this flawed approach has to be remedied. .As such, when Mr. Narine indicated in his letter that ‘for the communities around Wales Estate the social vibrancy may soon be replaced by gloom and unimaginable hardship for the residents’, this reinforces the need for a more diversified approach to the development of these communities in order to correct this flaw. Nevertheless, GuySuCo believes that this is an appropriate point for related
agencies, stakeholders such as, GAWU, and communities to commence or strengthen discussions and programmes on what are preferred growth areas. This will allow for communities to adopt values, opportunities, skills and expertise to determine the most beneficial aspects for sustained growth. These engagements should also examine the fiscal and economic health of these communities; and an evaluation should be done on how to get better economic results from tapping into the ventures with GuySuCo as well as new private and other developments. Another area for discussion should be the development of strategies for land use; for example, around the Wales Estate thus a part of the strategic conversation should be to incorporate the review on the use of land. Audreyanna Thomas Senior Communications Officer Communications Unit
Tuesday September 06, 2016
DEAR EDITOR, On Thursday, 1st September there was a tumultuous uproar in the RDC Boardroom during the statutory meeting. The Regional Chairman Mr Dennis Deoroop blew his top vehemently objecting to an article in the Guyana Chronicle captioned ‘Region 6 RDC accused of ignoring budget proposals by NDCs’. Moreover, his bragging about being a seasoned politician who can easily get rid of his opponent is quite disturbing and totally unprofessional as a public servant. Budget Consultation is at the heart of regional
development and it must be recalled that the Region 2 RDC has approved its proposed $4.7B budget for 2017 at its August 9 statutory meeting, after a series of consultations with Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), the Anna Regina Town Council, the Water Users’ Association, the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Group, programme managers, and other key stakeholders. It was boldly reported in the press that it was the first time that budget consultations were ever held in that Region. Therefore, this is the type of consultation needed in all the regions. Further, it must also be
recalled that in 2013, it was alleged that the Region 8 REO bypassed the Chairman and the Council in the preparation of that Region’s Budget. It was claimed that no consultations were held. So this would suggest that this type of budgeting is the norm, but the question is: Should this be the manner in which regional budgets are prepared and approved? In a letter to the press I emphasized the fact that the Region 6 Budget of $1.1 billion was passed after just over an hour’s deliberation and this was mainly due to the fact that the Regional Engineer Mr Roopesh dismally failed to provide the
Another spineless act of cowardice from Mr. Freddie Kissoon DEAR EDITOR, I, Mikel Puran, 17 years of age, am the son of the late Attorney-at-Law Vic Puran. My attention was first drawn to an article written by Mr. Freddie Kissoon in the Kaieteur Newspaper under the headline “Now Burnham’s daughter Roxanne joins the chorus.” Perusing Mr. Kissoon’s article, I was shocked that he once again chose to attack my father publicly after his death, knowing full well that my father cannot defend himself. I note that attacking dead people is a favorite pastime of Mr. Kissoon. It is a spineless act of cowardice. Mr. Kissoon would have dared not say those things about my father if he was alive. In the article, Mr. Kissoon states “I met Puran in Tiger Bay while he was tending to the Foreman Shoe Factory - a building that I suspect he purchased with questionable finances.” How can a supposedly educated man make such reckless and unfounded statements? One can only imagine how many of these statements damaging to people’s character are made every day by Mr. Kissoon. He concocts his lies every day to get a story for an article for which he is paid. To intentionally destroy the reputation of others for one’s own survival is as immoral as anything else. Kissoon loves to moonlight as a morality czar. The truth is my father never purchased Foreman’s property. The property was purchased by my father’s brother-in-law Lakhram Brijmohan. He is a wealthy engineer – who lives in the United States of America. The financing was certainly “not
questionable.” I cannot imagine that this man can sit in his house and fabricate these wicked lies about people, even the dead. I call upon the owner of this newspaper to get rid of this man. Mr. Kissoon continues his gutter journalism by writing, “I knew Puran had fallen in bad company and I believe those people eventually killed him.” I am calling on Mr. Kissoon to name the “bad company” to whom he is referring. If he fails to do so, I am calling on the Commissioner of Police and the Crime Chief to invite Mr. Kissoon to provide the names of these people, because after all, Mr. Kissoon claims that they murdered my father. I want the investigation into my father’s death to be reopened and for Mr. Kissoon to submit to the police the names of these suspects. I am a law student and I know that if he has such information and he fails to disclose it to the police he can be charged for serious criminal offences. I am calling upon the Police Commissioner to charge Mr. Kissoon if he fails to divulge the information he has about who killed my father. Mr Kissoon then writes about the Treason case which my father prosecuted. My father was a professional, unlike Mr. Kissoon. He knew his role as a prosecutor was to present the evidence, and it is for the court to decide. Unlike Mr. Kissoon, my father never pretended to be God and concern himself with how many children and their ages, that people have who are charged with criminal offences. As a prosecutor, my father would have been wrong to allow those factors to
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interfere with his ability to present the available evidence. That is why he told the unlearned Kissoon “… you should see the evidence.” But of course the egomaniac that Kissoon is would never understand these professional rules. Mr. Kissoon has convinced himself that he is qualified to morally judge the world. It is a level of insanity from which the public should be protected. Imagine Mr. Kissoon has the audacity to say “(the evidence)… had more holes than a discarded basket?” What qualifications and training does he have to assess the quality of legal evidence? Since Mr. Kissoon has chosen to attack my dead father and my father is not around to respond, I want to share with the public a few things which my father told me about Mr. Kissoon: 1. That he is a failure in life who is bitter and jealous with all those who have surpassed him and have become more successful in life. 2. That he is inherently a racist who attacks Indian people so as to find acceptability among black people. 3. That he is lazy and never worked more than three hours in his life lecturing at UG, but spends most of his days running and jogging and listening to strange music while other people work and when those people surpass him in life he is vengeful. 4. He stole books from the National Library, kept them for himself and denied other poor children the use of those books. I hope Mr. Kissoon respects my right to say what I have said. Mikel Puran
RDC Councillors with any explanation of the criteria used to arrive at the figures he submitted for all the capital expenditures. I further wrote that the Region 6, 2017 Budget exhibited poor planning and as a result no useful insight and evaluation could have been done by the Councillors who vetoed the capital expenditures in that Budget. Items and figures were simply read to the RDC Councillors with the copy of the Estimates providing miniscule information. There was no mention of any stakeholder consultations. Furthermore, as the Chairman of the Kilcoy/ Hamshire NDC, it was evident that the proposals submitted by my NDC were overlooked in the compilation of the Regional Budget and that no consultations were held by the RDC to justify the exclusion of items which the residents and the NDC Councillors have prioritized. When I questioned the Regional Vice-Chairman he bluntly told me that he and the Regional Engineer have done a ‘drive through’ in the areas and knew exactly what should be done! When the reading of the Regional Budget was done, I questioned the exclusion of the excavation of 2 main drainage canals at Belvedere and Nigg and was told that the Region will use its ‘long boom excavator’ to dig these canals. We have been hearing that for the past four months. It must be noted that all the large excavators in the
Region have been inoperable for the past months. I further questioned the exclusion of a mud dam in the Kilcoy housing area which should have been a priority but apparently the Vice-Chairman and the Engineer did not drive through that area! It must be reiterated that there must be broad-based consultations with all stakeholders if this Region is to move forward. This Region is not the private property of any political party and there is a time and place for political antics. It should not be done at the expense of this Region. When I took the Oath to office I swore to carry out my duties as a Councillor ‘without fear, favour or ill will’ and I will ensure that I do not allow political considerations to make me deviate from that oath. I wish to remind my fellow councillors of this Oath and unless this Oath is taken seriously then the Region and our country will never see the socio-economic development which we so badly crave. Therefore, it was quite alarming to see the ‘dirty politics’ being displayed at the RDC and the manner in which the APNU Councillors demanded an apology from Councillor Harbhajan and a retraction of the said article when the main focus of that article is that there should have been genuine consultations with the NDCs and that projects prioritized by them should have been given prominence. What is the cardinal sin in that? Is it not that what should have been done from the
inception? What is the agenda of these APNU Councillors? Is it to get rid of their AFC counterparts so that they can hog all the governmental offices gradually? It is already in the air that AFC’s Dr. Ramayya will be replaced by an APNU person from the Regional Office. If this is the modus operandi then it is time for the AFC to take a hard and strong look at what is happening. In conclusion, the 2017 Estimates presented for approval at the RDC and which were approved, can be regarded as mere figures with no evidence of broad-based consultations. I do hope that in the future that the RDC can reach out to all stakeholders and do proper consultations so that everyone can be involved in the decisionmaking process. It is time to put an end to this type of farcical budget preparation. Furthermore, their views should be given priority in the final analysis since there is no place for dictatorial attitudes and tendencies in this country. We have suffered for too long along that route! Moreover, the Regional Vice-Chairman should unreservedly apologize to the Council for his unprofessional behavior and remarks directed at Councillor Harbhajan and Dr. Ramayya made in the RDC Boardroom after the conclusion of the statutory meeting. Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor-Region 6
Please help us in Pafait Harmony! DEAR EDITOR; I live in Phase 1, Parfait Harmony, WBD. Please highlight the following concerns so that some relevant personnel/authority may do something positive: 1. Huge amount of over grown bushes can be seen on empty lands. They take over the road and trenches and grow over people’s fences (my fence too). Recently the trenches/ drains were cleaned which is very good but something needs to be done about all these bushes.
2. The area has no police station but an abundance of thieves, we all know this; it is a nightmare. We can’t leave our houses unattended. 3. Not much street lights so the thieves get to escape easily. Reporting theft to La Grange police station is a waste of time since it seems like they never catch the thieves. I made a report there and it was a waste of time. Editor, many thanks to you for publishing my letter. I am hoping for some positive actions. Scared citizen
Hamilton Green denies the accusation DEAR EDITOR; K N of Sept 04, 2016 published a letter purportedly written by one Imari Khanisi titled ‘ Hamilton Green did not support import substitution’, before making this ludicrous statement he, or she launched an assault on my character, clearly intended to hurt me and my family. Years ago there was a song ‘ You always hurt the one you Love’ The writer must be in love with me I am flattered by this calumny and total falsehood. For brevity
allow me to state as follows:First just about every Guyanese family has family members living overseas, however in my case close members of my family were not made to feel welcomed by the previous administration. But the massive deception is
when the letter states that I did not support import substitution let the author of this absurdity present the evidence. None exist .If he or she fails to do so, I hope some sense of decency would force an apology, Hamilton Green
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Tuesday Spetember 06, 2016
Commuters must reprimand Relative confesses, cops speeding drivers Woman’s mutilated corpse…
seek accomplice A young relative of Anita Mohan, the woman who was slain Sunday in her Cummings Lodge home, has reportedly confessed to playing a part in her murder. Kaieteur News understands that the relative admitted to taking a small sum of cash from Mohan’s home, while also implicating an associate, with whom Mohan had a dispute, in the crime. Detectives have reportedly recovered a metal kitchen implement which the killers used to beat the victim. However, they are yet to apprehend the detained relative’s accomplice. In a brief statement yesterday, police said that homicide detectives assigned to the case “are already in the process of seeking legal advice in the matter.” “A suspect has confessed to the crime and has given vital information of an accomplice, who investigators are making diligent efforts to apprehend.” The body of 48-year-old Anita Mohan was found in the kitchen of her two-storey home at 315 South East Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara. The body was found by
her 27-year-old son, who, along with a nephew of the victim, resides at the same house. The son, Intiaz Khan, said he discovered his mother’s body around 16:45 hrs upon arriving home. He said that upon checking the home, he discovered that the wardrobe was ransacked; however, he could not say if anything was missing as he was still in shock. Khan and his cousin, known as ‘Chucky,’ do carpentry and masonry. There are reports that a man owes Khan and his mother $20,000 for some ‘boarding’ work they would have done for him. Based on reports, on Thursday last, the said individual appeared in front of Anita Mohan’s home threatening to kill her by the end of the week. On that day too, the same individual, along with five other men had threatened a relative of the deceased. Residents who congregated in front of Mrs. Mohan’s home Sunday evening are of the opinion that the same individual is responsible for the woman’s demise. According to her son, when he discovered his
- West Dem. Road Safety Assoc.
MURDERED: Anita Mohan mother, the blood stains in the room were dry and her body felt stiff, suggesting she was dead hours before his arrival. The victim’s brother, Ramnarine Mohan said that he learnt of her death around 18:00 hrs on Sunday, from his nephew. He said that he had spoken to his sister briefly earlier on in the day. Loud screams were heard from her mother Evelyn Khamraj, who lives across the street from her daughter. The mother had arrived home at around 19:00hrs after visiting a friend, when she received the devastating news.
Gunmen rob grocery store at Parfait Five bandits carried out a daring mid-morning robbery of a grocery store at Onderneeming, Parfait Harmonie, yesterday. According to reports, the incident occurred around 10:30 hrs when a male ap-
proached shop owner Farrah Mohamed to buy a five-gallon bottle of water. As Mohamed opened the shop’s grill to sell the ‘customer’, another man carrying a gun rushed up to her. Three other men appeared and took Mohamed inside where they dealt her several blows about the body after duct-taping
her. It was reported that of the five men, three were armed. The woman was robbed of an undisclosed sum of cash and jewellery. According to her son, he was standing outside when the men entered the store. Upon realising what they were up to, he ran away in an attempt to raise an alarm in the community. However, his efforts proved futile as the men were gone before any assistance could have been offered. The men reportedly made good their escape using a route 48 minibus.
As the new school term begins, the West Demerara Road Safety Association is pleading with commuters to raise their voices against drivers of public transportation when they breach the various speed limits. Chairman of the Association, Owen Trotz, told Kaieteur News that he is not only pleading with residents of the West Demerara region, but to all Guyanese. “We are concerned about road safety on the West Demerara, but being part of the National Road Safety Council in Georgetown, we’re concerned with road safety throughout Guyana.” He said that persons are usually afraid to speak up, fearing they would be victimized by the minibus and hire car operators. However, in the name of doing what is right, Trotz is calling on persons to use their voices to effect change. Additionally, Trotz is calling on drivers in the West Demerara region to cooperate with the traffic ranks for a smooth flow of traffic, particularly in the Vreed-en-Hoop area which is plagued by daily traffic congestion. Trotz also identified other areas where drivers should pay keen attention, since there will be added traffic on the road due to the resumption of school. The areas are Parika,
Chairman of West Dem. Road Safety Assoc., Owen Trotz Uitvlugt, Den Amstel and Hague, where road and drainage construction is currently ongoing. According to the Chairman, his organisation had conducted talks with ranks of the West Coast Demerara Traffic Department concerning the congestion which usually occurs at the Demerara Harbour Bridge. Trotz, who is a retired Senior Police Superintendent, said that his entity plans to continue partnering with the police at these congested areas. On the issue of road fatalities, the Chairman said that his organisation’s plan to reduce accidents is through informing the public by conducting road talks and seminars.
$1M bail for bar owner accused of trafficking women A businessman who is alleged to have trafficked two women - and had them dancing and performing sexual acts with men in exchange for money - was yesterday released on $1M bail after he made an appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Dwayne Forde, a 36-year-old bar owner, of East Bush Lot Housing Scheme, Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, is accused of participating in two counts trafficking in Persons (TIP). He allegedly recruited, transported and harboured a Guyanese and Venezuelan national for the purpose of sexual exploitation between August 18 and 30. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail to the tune of $500,000 on each count. The defendant’s attorney, Stanley Moore made an application for his client to be released on reasonable bail. Moore told the court that his client has been fully cooperating with the police investigation. The lawyer pointed out that the defendant voluntarily surrendered to the police after he became aware that he was wanted for questioning. He assured the court that Forde will attend all court hearings because he is anxious to vindicate himself. However, Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers opposed bail for the defendant citing the prevalence and nature of the offence. Jeffers also pointed out the penalty that the offence attracts. But Moore explained that the penalty attached to the offence is not a ground for bail to be refused. The lawyer said that the prosecutor should provide statistical evidence to support his objections. Jeffers indicated that the case file is complete. However, he said that investigations are still ongoing and other charges are likely to be instituted against the defendant. This matter was adjourned until September 13 in the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court.
Dwayne Forde
Tuesday Spetember 06, 2016
Kaieteur News
The Public Service has never been neutral Guyana inherited a civil service, upon Independence, which was patterned after the British civil service. Under that model, there is a reason why someone is called a Permanent Secretary. The Permanent Secretary is supposed to be a non-political appointee, an officeholder who does not have to demit office whenever there is a change in government. In fact, the very purpose of having government ministries headed by such permanent secretaries is to ensure administrative neutrality. The permanent secretary acts as a buffer between the Minister and civil service. That person insulates the members of civil service from the politicization of their functions. The Minister enacts policy and policy alone. That
policy is transmitted through the permanent secretary, and it is for the civil service to implement that policy, regardless of the government of the day. The Minister provides general directions, which is another way of saying provides policy prescriptions to the permanent secretary. He/ she is not authorized to instruct the permanent secretary on any administrative matter. This is why it was shocking when the APNU+AFC government came to office to learn that a senior official in one of the Ministries was sent on leave for allegedly being insubordinate to a Minister. Civil servants should receive their instruction solely from the permanent secretary. They may be called for infor-
mation and information alone, from politicians, but they are not to receive instructions on the administration of their ministries and departments from any elected person. This is the theoretical position. It is a position which is based on the independence of the civil service, and of security of tenure to permanent secretaries who serve in that position, regardless of the government of the day. It is and has always been a theoretical position, because it is well known and established that many so called non-political civil servants, including permanent secretaries, were more political than politicians. Many of them set out to and did destabilize the PPP government when it was in power during the years 19571964. The Burnham adminis-
tration turned the neutrality of the public service on its head, beginning from 1968, after the flawed general and regional elections, which was described by Peter D’Aguiar was being unworthy of being called an election. “To call it an election is to give it a name it does not deserve; it was a seizure of power by fraud, not election.” The rigging of the 1968 elections set in train a series of actions to politicize not just the public service, but all aspects of national life. It is therefore remiss to attempt to isolate the politicization of the public service under Burnham which saw the political lackeys to positions within the service, the flying of the party flag over the Court of Appeal and the forced attendance of public officials at the Congresses of the ruling party. These were all justified by the Declaration of Sophia which placed the party over and above the government and
thus placed party loyalists in charge of the civil service. In 1992, after the elections, Desmond Hoyte held a rally for his supporters on Mandela Avenue in which he said that the PPP would find out how difficult it was to administer the government. He later in an interview suggested strongly that top officials of the public service could frustrate the work of government through maximum administrative delay. His comments were interpreted as not just analysis but also prescription. He was, in the eyes of some, hinting at bureaucratic sabotage of the PPP government. The PPP did complain about the pace at which some permanent secretaries operated. One Permanent Secretary was described as having two paces at which he operated: dead slow and stop. The man simply could not or was not interested in getting anything done. But since
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he was a permanent secretary inherited from the previous administration, he kept on until with no other option, he had to be let go. The PPP, therefore, in order to improve implementation, eventually appointed its own permanent secretaries. The new APNU+AFC government continues to do the same. The notion of a neutral and independent public service remains a fiction. The solution however is not to cut and chop every time there is a change in government. The solution is also not to pursue futile attempts to create a neutral public service. What is needed is smaller government and leaner bureaucracy.
90 children benefit from school supplies as school reopens Some beneficiaries of the school supplies donated by the Bri-Bac Foundation.
Local charity organisation, the Bri-Bac Foundation, partnered with several other entities and individuals to donate school supplies to 90 children from the communities of Tucville, Meadow Bank, Sophia, Durban Backlands, Lodge and even as far as Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara. The foundation has been doing this charitable exercise since 2003 and started off by assisting 11 children, that number has now grown as businesses such as Steve’s Jewellery, Swansea, Global Seafood, cricketer Leon Johnson, Impressions and others have come on
board the initiative. Brian Backer, the founder of the BriBac Foundation said that volunteers would usually go out into the communities and assess the needs of each child. After the survey is done, the foundation sends out requests for specific items needed. The supplies when received would then be placed into a backpack for each individual child according to their various needs. According to Backer, supplies would vary from school uniforms to shoes and stationery, along with a backpack for each child. The foundation targets
children aged three to 15, and it is a custom for the supplies to be handed over the weekend before school reopens. The handover was done
on Sunday, at Jamoon Drive, Lodge Housing Scheme in the presence of parents, and representatives of the various companies.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday Spetember 06, 2016
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Ramon/Raymond Gaskin and the hypocrisy of Guyana With each passing day, this country throws up more and more incredible dimensions of human behaviour that could only be found here. If you live in Newfound-
land and know absolutely nothing about Guyana, and you read what Ramon/ Raymond Gaskin wrote about the Kaieteur News, you would have no clue that it was
the outpouring of an immense hypocrite. Let’s get one thing out of the way before we quote Gaskin. I was literally less than ten feet away from Gaskin in a libel suit brought
by his close friend, Walter Ramsahoye, when he stated his first name as Raymond. He signs his name as Ramon. Then he signs his name as Raymond. In advising this paper on proper journalism, he should advise himself on his correct name, assuming he has a correct name. Here is Gaskin in his own words; “What we do have is newspapers, especially one popular tabloid, predisposed to sensational reporting based on half-baked tips, stories and rumours but still struggling to marshal all the facts. The challenge of getting all the facts often proves difficult in the absence of professionally trained staff. So generally you just end up with what you have and invariably end up with sensationalism to sell newspapers rather than fair and balanced reporting. In the case of Haags Bosch, we still do not know how a settlement was arrived at involving hundreds of millions of dollars, because the documentation is not available for serious analysis. In its stead there is daily speculation and innuendo and abuse of one contractor. With this approach, the participants are less likely to cooperate with any proper investigation and the public will be left to speculate on the so called settlement.” (end of quote). The story about the Haags Bosch dumpsite involves Gaskin’s boss, Brian Tiwarie. But you would never believe if you read Gaskin’s letter that he is writing on behalf of his boss. Gaskin resorts to semantics to tell us that he is a clever person. But he de-
ceives no one. He has been a consultant with Brian (BK) Tiwarie for the past twenty years. This is not a public secret. It is public information. But Gaskin wrote in the Stabroek News, a few months back, that a consultant is not an employee. I leave it up to readers to decide if a man is a consultant the past twenty years to a building firm if he is not in actuality an employee. In another section of his missive, Gaskin quotes from a law case. Here are the words; “In his judgment delivered by Justice of Appeal B S Roy in the matter of Ramsahoye v Glenn Lall and National Media Co (Civil appeal No l 69 2008) Justice Roy stated, “There can be very little doubt that the respondents (Lall and National Media) used the media under their control and management as a weapon of character destruction and claimed in their defence they acted in the usual course of their business as public journalists and without malice. They also claimed that the degradation of the appellant’s (Ramsahoye’s) character and reputation to be fair comment which the trial judge held to be an outrage. This is a clear statement. There is indeed a pressing need to move away from sensationalism.” (end of quote). The reader would not know that Gaskin was a witness in that case for Ramsahoye, and a witness in two more libel cases involving Ramsahoye, and that in all three cases he stated in testimony that he is one of Ramsahoye’s best friends, a
Frederick Kissoon friendship that he told the court is more than forty years old. In another column, we will discuss the testimony of Gaskin in those three cases to see if it meets the test of facts and truths. For now let’s talk about Gaskin’s complaint of sensationalism. By now, countless Guyanese would have seen Gaskin in the endless television programmes he shares with Christopher Ram. With gesticulations and decibels that could only be described as clownish. Gaskin makes sweeping allegations and sensationalistic accusations that remind one of The National Enquirer. Yet this man has the temerity to describe the Kaieteur News as a popular tabloid which in his words is, “predisposed to sensational reporting based on half-baked tips, stories and rumours.” I would not dignify the asininities of Raymond Gaskin to respond to that charge, by enumerating the phenomenal scoops and phenomenal investigative reporting that the Kaieteur News has been engaged in that have no match in the history of Guyanese journalism. The Catholic Standard under Father Morrison comes close. Many of this paper’s operatives risked their lives to get these lifetime stories.
Tuesday Spetember 06, 2016
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Kaieteur News
Ministers at odds over SOCU’s mandate Just two years after the Special Organised Crime Unit, (SOCU) was established as a mechanism to combat money laundering and other financial crimes, there appears to be some level of uncertainty among senior government officials as it relates to its mandate. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had set an international standard, which countries should implement through measures adapted to their particular circumstances. These standards comprise legislative and administrative components. Guyana’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill was passed last year, following the establishment of SOCU. The body was set up to deal solely with financial crimes as recommended by the FATF. But the unit, which was set up under the purview of the Guyana Police Force in 2014, recently became the topic of the news after Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Basil Williams, expressed concerns that SOCU was becoming increasingly burdened with police work. The operation protocols for SOCU had been extended due to developments in the Guyana Police Force‘s Standing Order No. 62. According to the amendments to the Police Force Standing Order, SOCU now has powers to investigate crimes such as murders, piracy, smuggling and other offences which traditionally fall under the ambit of the police. Owing to the developments that Minister Williams noted, the unit cannot lose focus of its core functions in policing the new Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. Williams’ comment comes ahead of the much anticipated on-site visit by a five-member team from the International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) which is expected to evaluate the country’s AML/ CFT management capacity. “SOCU as you know is a creature of the AML/CFT regime. It was created under the AML/CFT legislation. It is important for us, and SOCU has been very busy, very up and about, and it is very important for Guyana that SOCU actually performs its core functions, the functions related to AML/CFT, and that it is not burdened with other police work. SOCU is a specialised agency, and we have to work it out, nothing has come to Cabinet yet, to really determine its scope, but you know being in the FATF world, the CFATF world, the impression I have SOCU is really to be a
Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams kind of independent body,” Williams had stated. However Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan had defended the expansion of SOCU’s workload. Minister Ramjattan believes that the added work will not burden the unit. In an invited comment on the issue, Ramjattan said that SOCU should be allowed to assist the other police departments with investigations, since this would aid in the force’s capacity to do more work in an efficient and effective manner. According to Ramjattan,
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan
absolutely nothing is wrong with allowing the unit to expand its outreach. He noted that “we cannot waste our resources by having a unit set up with officers sitting around waiting on word from the Financial Intelligence Unit to conduct investigations, when there is other police work left undone.” “I see absolutely nothing wrong with allowing the unit to investigate other matter. It has not taken away from its (SOCU’s) original purpose,” he added. Over the weekend, Opposition Parliamentarian and
former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, also expressed concerns over SOCU’s added protocols Nandlall said, “SOCU’s added mandate to investigate murder, piracy, environmental offences and a whole host of offences which are neither “specialized” nor “organized” crimes,”. The opposition politician explained that the specialized crime unit to investigate solely and exclusively AMLCFT offences was a specific recommendation of FATF. As such, with no specialized Organized Unit in place to treat only with AMLCFT offences, Nandlall believes there should be no optimism that Guyana will soon exit the review process of FATF. ”I warned that using SOCU to investigate any other of-
fences may violate the relevant FATF recommendations. I was ignored. The Government has done worse.It has now institutionally expanded the scope of SOCU to investigate offences far and beyond AMLCFT offences. So, currently, we do not have a Specialized Crime Unit which exclusively investigates AMLCFT offences as is required by the FATF recommendations.” The FATF team has announced an on-site visit to Guyana slated for some time this month. The visit by the team is part of efforts by FATF to confirm that the process of implementing the required reforms and actions is underway to address deficiencies previously identified by that body.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday Spetember 06, 2016
Berbice Regional Chairman Accused granted$300,000 blasts contractors for “pussybail in High Court footing” with school furniture KNews grenade attack…
Ahead of the commencement of a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the matter, one of the three men implicated in the June 4, 2016 grenade attack on Kaieteur News, has been granted bail. The PI is scheduled to commence before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on September 8. According to information obtained by Kaieteur News, 36-year-old Alfie Garraway was granted bail in the sum of $300,000 by High Court Judge James Bovell-Drakes on September 1, last. Kaieteur News understands that the petition for bail was made by Attorney -at- law, Shawn Bancroft last month. Garraway, a trader, of
Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown; Joneil Howard, 20, a labourer, of 322 Section ‘C’ Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara, and Leroy Williams, 25, a clothes vendor, of 11 Durban Backlands, Georgetown, were all charged for the attack on Kaieteur News. According to the allegation, they unlawfully and maliciously conspired together with other persons to cause an explosion by way of grenade likely to endanger lives and cause damage to Kaieteur News’ 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown property. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge. At a previous hearing, Garraway was represented by
Alfie Garraway Attorney-at-law, Glenn Hanoman but the other two accused had no legal representation. It was reported that on the day in question, a security staffer heard an unusual sound near the vehicle of publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, which was parked on the western side of Saffon Street. On checking the front of the vehicle, the staffer spotted the grenade lying near one of the front tyres. Video footage from the company’s CCTV cameras showed a grey-coloured vehicle slowing as it approached Lall’s vehicle. The driver accelerated after the explosive device was thrown Meanwhile, Shemar Wilson, also known as ‘Abdue’, is still wanted by the police for questioning in relation to the grenade attack. He is 20 years of age and his last known addresses were 43 North Sophia and 51 West La Penitence, Georgetown.
With the reopening of Government Schools in Guyana yesterday, some East Berbice/Corentyne (Region Six) schools are yet to receive their full complement of furniture. Regional Chairman, David Armogan, is convinced that the contractors “pussyfooted” in providing the furniture since the contracts were awarded to several suppliers three months prior to the commencement of the new academic year. Armogan said that the three-month timeframe was enough for the contractors to deliver the furniture. He is still trying to ascertain what caused the delay. Thus far, some schools including Port Mourant Secondary have only received 70 percent of the furniture. Armogan said that he has received word that the contractors will be delivering the balance of the furniture by the end of this week. This furniture, he said, includes benches and desks for students, as well as furniture for teachers. The Chairman said that he foresaw this complication since Friday last, however not much could have been done to remedy the situation. GET LICKS “It’s not like you can go and buy these furniture at a shop. These are special furniture that have to be made. We had anticipated that the furniture would be delivered
and the contractors failed to do so...They failed us. They have really faulted,” the Chairman lamented. Asked if these contractors would have supplied the Region’s schools with furniture before, Armogan said, “Normally they supply every year, but I don’t know what happened to them this time around. We really get licks this time,” Asked what measures will be taken in the future to avoid this, the Chairman said that measures will be put in place to deal with delinquent contractors. Armogan said that delinquent contractors not being awarded with these types of contracts in the future, will be one measure that will be set in place. The issue, he said, has placed a strain on the education system in the region. Meanwhile, the Chairman said that he is unaware of parents returning home with their children because of the lack of seating accommodation. However, he assured this publication that he would be looking into the matter. An Education Ministry Official, who was contacted yesterday, said that the Ministry is also looking into the issue. Previous reports would show that matters relating to the shortage of furniture in Region Six on the first day of the new Academic Year are nothing new. Back in 2011, students returning to school were welcomed with a furni-
Regional Chairman, David Armogan ture shortage, which had evolved into a controversy where one Education Ministry Official, was accused of “covering up” the matter after the media had cracked it wide open following numerous complaints by parents. In 2012, there was a recurrence which was due mainly to wanton destruction coupled with the insufficient allocation of sums by the Ministry of Education to purchase furniture. The year 2013 was no different. An inspection by the Regional Administration had found that contractors had failed to deliver the required furniture on time which had resulted in hiccups at both the Primary and Secondary School level.
Tuesday September 06, 2016
Kaieteur News
Curacao MP named as suspect in murder probe WILLEMSTAD, Curacao (Curacao Chronicle) — A Member of Parliament of the ruling party in Curacao, Pueblo Soberano (PS), Elmber Wilsoe, has resigned from parliament after a leaked document from the Investigation Cooperation Team (RST) named Wilsoe as one of the suspects in the 2013 assassination of the island’s political leader, Helmin Wiels. An investigation in still continuing into the intellectual authors or those who gave orders and paid for the assassination of the popular politician and former political leader of the biggest party on the island. Wilsoe is named in the leaked document as the one who knew the exact location of his political leader. On Saturday night during a PS meeting, Wilsoe
Resigned: Elmber Wilsoe indicated that on Monday he would present his resignation letter to the president of Parliament. He also indicated that he is not doing this because he is guilty, but that he has a conscience. “I am a man of principle
and I respect the institution of parliament. I am against having suspects as Members of Parliament. This is why I will step down and take the time to prepare myself for the battle,” said Wilsoe during his speech.
China Harbour distance itself from PNP scandal Jamaica (Jamaica Gleaner) - One major Chinese company that has invested billions of dollars in Jamaica in the past decade, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), is publicly denying any knowledge of an ‘established practice’ to pay bribery to Jamaican government officials. CHEC affirmed to The Sunday Gleaner that it was “not aware of any such practice”. Questioned further if the company has ever been approached by Jamaican political parties for donation, CHEC’s spokesperson, Sherreka Lowe, said, “To my best knowledge, CHEC has never been asked to make any donation to a political party.” Chinese companies operating in the island are being forced to clear their names because of information disclosed last week by Dr Omar Davies, a former transport and works minister in the previous People’s National Party (PNP) administration (2012-2016). As minister, Davies presided over the signing of contracts valued at over billions of dollars with companies from the Asian powerhouse. Had To Clear His Name But he felt he had to clear his name after accusing Paul Burke, his party’s general secretary, of ‘linking’ him to kickbacks. Davies, in a letter to Burke, said: “I was informed that you
(Burke) [stated] explicitly that you had learnt that it is an established practice for large Chinese firms to pay an ‘agent’s fee’, ranging from one per cent to 1.5 per cent of the total project cost. You claimed that it was customary that the ‘agent’ would be named by the minister with portfolio responsibility for the relevant sector.” That fee, in relation to an undisclosed project, Davies reported Burke as saying, “would have amounted to between US$10 million and US$12 million”. Davies has denied knowledge of such a ‘practice’. This disclosure served to add fuel to the unfolding PNP’s campaign donations scandal. Last Wednesday, China’s embassy in Kingston said that it met with all Chinese companies in Jamaica and they “categorically” denied any involvement. “The embassy has discussed these allegations with Chinese companies in Jamaica. The companies have categorically denied the payment of any agency fee or other monetary sum or reward (whether in cash or kind) to any government official, public officer, or political party in relation to the implementation of any project or activity,” Fan Jianghong, economics and commercial counsellor at the embassy, told The Gleaner. Henry Denies Practice
The current Andrew Holness administration, through its Transport Minister Mike Henry, has also denied the practice. Henry, who previously served as portfolio minister from 2007-2011, said, “If it was established, it would have to be under the PNP.” In the meantime, Burke has said the comments, which he has not denied, have been “ d e l i b e r a t e l y misrepresented”. High-ranking party officials said when Burke made the statement during a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in April it was reportedly challenged for evidence. Robert Pickersgill, the transport minister from 20012007 under the P.J. Pattersonled PNP administration, said, “I’m not aware of any such thing. That was never said to me or told to me.” $ M U LT I B I L L I O N INVESTMENT CHEC opened its Jamaican offices in 2010 under an agreement with the then Bruce Golding-led Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration “to be the general contractor under the Ministry of Transportation and Works and the National Works Agency for two main projects”. Those projects included the Palisadoes Shoreline Protection and Rehabilitation Works and the US$400million Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme.
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2 Bedrooms apartment with toilet & bath @ Lot Q19 Pigeon Island, Chateau Margot E.C.D. Call Bibi: 2206799/ 603-9547 1 New & spacious 2 bedrooms apartment 5th Avenue Diamond, New Scheme. Call: 610-0652/ 6878113
RX8 Mazda, price $1.5M. Call: 602-6024
WANTED Office Clerk (senior/junior) with CXC English/ Mathematics, computer knowledge an asset. Call: 223-7500 One bartender. Call: 668-8332/ 638-5303 One part time driver, age 50 and older. Call: 216-2502 Dispatcher at Gem’s Taxi to work 11:00pm-7:00am. Call: 622-6413; 227-0638 Experienced salesman & driver to work with a baker shop. Call:618-0698 Waitress, live in or live out. Call: 664-1804; 681-4653 Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 We l d e r / F a b r i c a t o r , Machinist, Mechanic with technical background Apply in person @ Technical Services , 18-23 Eccles Industrial Site. Contract cars and taxi drivers. Call: 231-0002; 2310316 Live in waitresses to work in Bar - Call:692-4649 Indian, age 47 and older, we are looking for an couple (husband & wife) to work in Suriname- Contact: 3225442 / 6516666
TO LET
VACANCY Cook/baker for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 We l d e r / F a b r i c a t o r f o r interior location. Applicants must be experienced with verifiable references. Call: 618-2020 Receptionist between 25-35 years apply within 233 South Road Lacytown. Call: 2250198 FULL TIME WAITER/ WAITRESS AT AAGMAN INDIAN RESTAURANT, SHERIFF STREET, EXPERIENCEDPREFERRED. CALL: 219-0158 1 Qualified pharmacist to w o r k a t Tr u e Va l u e Pharmacy. Call: 618-4027 between 8am-4pm, attractive salary offer. Now hiring front desk agents, housekeepers, cooks. Please email resume to info@parkvuehotel.com Exist for one experienced dispatcher at confidential cabs. Call: 231-5784/ 2314000 Kitchen Assistant: 2 males &female, experienced a plus, must be able to work weekends. Call Mr.Khan: 695-6550; 656-9313
Male/Female sales attendant (Friday & Saturday) only. The General Store 16 E½ Durban Street. Call: 626-5317
Experienced bartenders and cleaners. Call: 225-8572 between 7am -9am
Waitress, between ages 1825 years. Call: 638-6669/ 6890113
Cashiers & sales clerk apply in person with written application at Nirva Supermarket. Call: 227-5771
Live in family: Husband to do driving & welding, wife to do domestic. Call: 227-1830 Experienced Drivers, cashiers, Roti/Puri cook, cleaners. Apply @ Hack’s Halaal with written application, 5 Commerce Street. 1 Salesgirl & 3 Labourers. Apply with police clearance & reference. Alpes Variety Store, 74 Robb St. G/town.
One RZ minibus, good condition -$900,000 and 1 Nissan Bluebird 2009 series. Call: 645-9921/ 265-0204 2002 Verossa, PPP 5997$2.3M- Call: 660-3004
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM
2 Bedrooms house, bottom flat at 64 William Street Kitty. Call Rawle: 600-8373
3 Bedrooms apartment for rent. Call: 267-1446/674-6080 VEHICLE FOR SALE
GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS)
2 Apartments @ 62 Victoria Avenue Eccles. Call: 6672536; 628-0016
One bedroom apartment to rent: PVC ceiling, tiled floor, corner spot @ 25 Craig Street C/Ville-$40,000. Call: 2231332
FOR SALE/RENT
TAXI SERVICE
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 3 Bedrooms house; top and bottom property at Canal No.2 Polder -$35,000 monthly. Call: 613-1860
IAE – CXC Jan/June 2017 – full time school; lessons/ classes for students, adults, repeaters & beginners. Call Mr. Roberts: 683-5742
Need a building contractor? House plan to be drawn or just an Estimate? Then call: 216-0671/ 692-8464/622-0267
FOR RENT
5 Acres coconut and other fruit bearing, no chemical, lease or sale – Demerara River across Timehri docks. Call: 261-2988
La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.2M, $1.6M, Uitvlugt -$2M, 100ftX50ft, Farm $3.2M (55ftX100ft), one mining claim -$1.5M. Call: 658-5897; 6732692
Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Repairs to LED, Plasma, LCD and other electronic items. Abdul Electronics. Call: 2250391
Tuesday September 06, 2016
Kaieteur News
One general domestic & one gardener. Apply @ R.Sookraj & Sons, 108 Regent Street opposite GBTI. 1 Cleaner for growing business, must have excellent recommendations. Call: 655-1560 from 08:00hrs15: 00hrs Mon-Fri.
CARPENTERS & MASON. CALL: 225-3234
2004 IST, PPP 3461 -$1.5M. Call: 660-3004
Three bedrooms concrete bottom flat in South Ruimveldt Gardens-$75,000. Call: 218-1949
Unregistered Corolla Fielder 2009, Axela 2011, dark interior, rims, TV, navigator, rear spoiler. Call: 617-5536
Fully furnished; 2X3 bedrooms, luxury apartments to let (long & short term). Call: 655-3505
LEARN TO DRIVE
Oswin J’s Auto Imports New Arrivals: Premio, Allion, Axio, Fielder, Rush, five comprehensive insurance for 6 months. Call: 609-2815
One 3 bedrooms top flat, one 2 bedrooms bottom flat @ La Grange Public Road & 1- 2 bedrooms @ Cummings Lodge, E.C.D –Call:679-1151; 619-0673
C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages)
TO LET Business place located on Robb Street next to Bourda Market. Call:623-7731; 6290636 Modern two bedrooms, one flat apartment in Bel-Air Park, access to public transportation & supermarkets. Call: 669-6932 Continue page 23
Tuesday September 06, 2016
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Kaieteur News
Berbice businessman murder PI
Main witness ordered into custody to facilitate further cross-examination The main witness in the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder of businessman Shameer Ali-Mursalin, was ordered to remain in police custody to facilitate further cross-examination, when the matter continued yesterday before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Magistrate’s Court at Springlands, East Berbice, Corentyne. Mursalin, called ‘Kazac,’ a trader, of Grant 1805 Weld Tank Dam, Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice, was fatally shot to the head on October 24, 2015. Fellow Berbice businessman, Dennis Veerasammy and two of his employees, Basheer Harrinauth and Delroy Fraser, are before the court for the murder. The case attracted media attention after it was reported that Magistrate Singh had allowed the main witness, Rocky Profitt, to testify without permitting him to review the evidence or sign his deposition. This took place in mid-August. Ever since, the witness had not attended court. On the last occasion, Police Prosecutor Bernard Brown told the court that he was informed that Profitt had been seeking medical
Shameer Ali -Mursalin
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. 1-Hyster Forklift With 1000 Series, Perkins Engine$1.2M, 1-CAT DP-40 3-Ton Forklift-$2.9M. Contact#6500402
Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh attention at a city hospital. According to the prosecutor, the witness was unable to attend court due to issues related to his health. The Magistrate had therefore reminded the court that a warrant was still out for Profitt’s arrest. But amidst public debate over the uncertified evidence (deposition), Profitt returned to court yesterday. He was allowed to review and sign his evidence after explaining to the Magistrate that he was
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Muscovy ducklings. Call: 602-7203 ill and could not attend court. The witness also provided a medical certificate to support his reason for being absent at the previous hearings. After the evidence was reread to him by the Magistrate, Profitt told the court that he had no difficulty with the information contained (in the deposition), which he then signed. The witness also faced questioning from Attorney Chandra Sohan, who appeared for the number one accused. Sohan also crossexamined another witness,
Jagdeo Ramdass. An arrest warrant was also issued for Ramdass on the last occasion. However, following crossexamination by Sohan, Magistrate Singh ordered that the main witness, Profitt, remain in custody at the Springlands Police lockups, pending further crossexamination from another attorney from Legal Aid, who was expected to enter an appearance on behalf of the other two accused.
Kaieteur News understands that the said lockup is also the holding cell for the accused in the matter. The witness was however placed in the waiting area of the police station until the matter resumed at 1:00 pm yesterday. He was later released from custody after the lawyer did not show up when the matter was recalled. The case was then adjourned until Thursday, September 8.
1 Business mobile meat centre; size 8ftX12ft steel plated, 1 3Y mini bus, 2-5’ freezers, 1- electric meat saw, 3 coolers- $1.8M. Call: 663-2882 33.6 Acres farm land @ Kuru Kururu, Linden Soesdyke Highway. Call: 679-1151; 6190673 2 Tug boat (ocean going), 12000 HP, 1-2200 HP. Call: 6630633 1 Gas station in Cotton Tree Village Berbice. Call: 6630633 57 Acres transported land before Soesdyke Junction also power tools. Call: 2654180; 615-3054 Cargo Trawler. Call: 682-8724; 616-5954 Carpets, water tank, printer, stereo & speakers, tea cups & saucers, plants & plant pots, massage oil, baby strollers. Call: 231-1284/2239719 Household, Restaurant & hotel Items: 3pcs living room set, ceiling fans, 4X3ft glass sliding doors, clothing. Call: 231-1284/223-9719 Elevator (good condition) Diesel Generator (23KVA, 110/220V). Call: 231-1284/ 223-9719 Text Books: My Lady Cosmetology, Barbering, Taber’s Medical Dictionary, Clinical Procedures @ Anointed Christian Bookstore, 59 Robb St.
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Tuesday September 06, 2016
Kaieteur News
Dominican court orders ex-Ukrainian official held amid probe SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A court has ordered three months detention for a former Ukrainian government official during an investigation into accusations he kidnapped a fellow countryman at a popular tourist spot in the Dominican Republic. An alleged accomplice from Bulgaria also is being held. Volodymyr Vasiliovich Saldo, 60, was arrested in late August along with the Bulgarian man after both were accused of kidnapping and torturing a 33-year-old Ukrainian man who allegedly owed them some $334,000 (300,000 euros), defense attorney Manuel Moquete said Monday. Dominican authorities identified the alleged victim as Denys Paschenko and said he escaped after being held 50 days against
his will. They said he arrived at a police station via taxi about two weeks ago with his hands and feet still shackled. Paschenko was previously detained in Greece in 2015 by Interpol following accusations of bank fraud. Moquete told The Associated Press that his client was actually the one kidnapped when he arrived in the Dominican Republic in June following an invitation by Paschenko to settle the debt. He said Vasiliovich opted not to contact police. Vasiliovich served as a Ukrainian legislator from 2012 to 2014 and as mayor of the town of Kherson from 2002 to 2012. He and the Bulgarian, identified as Georgi Kastandinov, are being held at a prison in Higuey, east of the capital of Santo Domingo.
French Ex-Minister in Court Over Tax Fraud, Money Laundering PARIS — A former French budget minister went on trial Monday accused of hiding his wealth in tax havens around the world — while at the same time leading the government’s fight against tax evasion. Jerome Cahuzac appeared in a Paris court on charges of tax fraud and money laundering that saw him resign in 2013 in one of the biggest political scandals under President Francois Hollande. The 64-year-old former cosmetic surgeon is accused of concealing at least 687,000 euros ($766,000) in income from tax authorities in 20092012. He’s also accused of laundering money in 20032013 through foreign bank accounts in Switzerland and Singapore and dummy companies in Panama and the Seychelles. Cahuzac, who acknowledged evading taxes for two decades, faces up to seven years in prison and a 1 million-euro ($1.1 million) fine if convicted. The fraud helped him finance a lavish lifestyle, such as expensive vacations, court documents s h o w. Investigators discovered that Cahuzac paid bills to one luxury hotel for a total of 127,000 euros ($142,000) for several stays with his ex-wife and their three children. Wi t h the French presidential election eight months away, the trial is sure to revive voters’ memories of the scandal that tarnished Hollande’s mandate just a few months after the socialist president was elected in 2012, promising higher taxes on the rich. Hollande is widely expected to seek a second
Charged: Jerome Cahuzac term next spring. On trial Monday alongside Cahuzac are his former wife Patricia Menard; a banker; a legal adviser; and bank Reyl, a respectable but little-known Swiss establishment, all accused of money laundering. Cahuzac and Menard entered the court Monday without speaking to reporters and sat separately as the judge summarized the case. The trial is expected to last two weeks. Menard is accused of hiding 2.5 million euros ($2.8 million) from French tax authorities and laundering money in the British tax haven of the Isle of Man and in Switzerland, allowing her to buy two London apartments estimated at around 3 million euros overall. The two have already paid 2.3 million euros ($2.6 million) in back taxes to French authorities. The scandal was
magnified by the fact that it involved France’s top taxenforcement official and that as a minister Cahuzac publicly lied to Parliament and to the French people. French law does not sanction perjury. When press reports first revealed the scandal in 2012, Cahuzac was sponsoring a bill to reinforce the fight against tax evasion and fraud. For months, Cahuzac strongly denied any wrongdoing, even to Hollande and government colleagues. He eventually admitted to the fraud in April 2013, saying he had been “trapped in a lying spiral.” Cahuzac said Monday in court that he knew that if his Swiss account were revealed, it would ruin 10 years of work, so he chose to lie. For the first time, Cahuzac said Monday his Swiss account had initially been opened in 1992 to collect funds from drug companies that were to be used for illegal financing of a branch of the Socialist Party led by Michel Rocard, France’s former prime minister who died in July. The Cahuzac scandal damaged Hollande’s approval rating, which took a 13-point dive in the first quarter of 2013. It also had the effect of increasing public mistrust of politicians and fueled demands for more transparency. The issues are often mentioned by the farright National Front party. On Monday, the Paris prosecutor’s office said it requested a criminal trial for former President N i c o l a s Sarkozy over suspected illegal overspending on his failed 2012 re-election campaign. It’s now up to the judges to decide whether Sarkozy must stand trial.
Tuesday September 06, 2016
Kaieteur News
Obama cancels meeting with Philippines’ Duterte after insult
US President Barack Obama has canceled a meeting with Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte after a reported insult by the latter. VIENTIANE (Reuters) President Barack Obama canceled what would have been his first meeting with Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, after Duterte described Obama in vulgar terms, a White House spokesman said on Tuesday. Duterte, a plain-spoken populist known for his colorful remarks and his campaign against illegal drugs in which thousands of people have died, described Obama as a “son of a bitch” to reporters on Monday, a day ahead of the planned meeting in Laos, where South Asian leaders are meeting for annual summits. Obama learned about the insult as he
emerged from the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China. At a news conference, he said he had told his aides to speak with Philippine officials “to find out is this, in fact, a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations,” leaving little doubt that the meeting would proceed as planned. “I always want to make sure that if I’m having a meeting, that it’s actually productive and we’re getting something done,” Obama told reporters. Instead, Obama now plans to meet later on Tuesday with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, said Ned Price, spokesman for the White
House National Security Council - a meeting where the response to North Korea’s latest missile tests is expected to be on the agenda. Obama arrived in Vientiane just before midnight on Monday, for the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to Laos, where he wants to begin to address the legacy of U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War. He was set to give an address on the importance he has placed on Southeast Asia in his foreign and economic policy during his two terms in office, which will end on Jan. 20, setting the stage for three days of meetings with regional leaders.
Venezuelan journalist charged after anti-Maduro protest CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A prominent journalist on the Venezuelan island of Margarita was charged Monday w i t h money laundering and will remain behind bars after publicizing a protest against President Nicolas Maduro. Videos of the Friday evening protest, in which residents of a workingclass neighborhood banged pots and hurled insults in Maduro’s face, became an instant social media hit encapsulating the frustration many Venezuelans feel with the direction of the socialist-run economy. Braulio Jatar, who is also
a lawyer, helped spread news of the demonstration on his Margarita-based website, Reporte Confidencial, which supports the opposition. His family said he was picked up by intelligence police early Saturday on his way to host his regular morning radio show. Police allege they found him with a suitcase full of cash. The case has garnered attention beyond Venezuela’s borders because Jatar holds a Chilean passport and his sister is editor of El Planeta, a Spanish-language media outlet in Boston. A Chilean consulate official was present at his court appearance Monday. Ana Julia Jatar, in a video
posted on Facebook, said her brother suffers from chronic hypertension that must be treated with medicine. “If something happens to my brother, if he doesn’t receive his medicines, it will be the government of Nicolas Maduro’s fault,” said Jatar, who is married to Ricardo Hausmann, a prominent Harvard economist and former Venezuelan planning minister who is a frequent target of Maduro’s scorn. The arrest has been condemned by press freedom groups and Venezuela’s opposition, which has been decrying a crackdown on anti-government activists amid increasing agitation against Maduro.
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Tuesday September 06, 2016
Tuesday September 06, 2016
Kaieteur News
Integrity Commission boss hits PM:
We are not sleeping on the job-Hosein Trinidad (Trinidad Guardian) -The chairman of the Integrity Commission retired Justice Zainool Hosein has described as “unfair” criticisms levelled against the commission by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. “We are not sleeping on our work. It is unfair especially when criticisms are made in the absence of any details to support it,” Hosein said yesterday. It was during a radio call in programme on Sunday that Rowley criticised the commission for the length of time which it was taking to investigate allegations made against former housing minister Marlene Mc Donald which led to her dismissal from the Cabinet. Rowley told i95.5 FM that “in the spirit of integrity in public life when allegations are made against public officials, especially parliamentarians, the Integrity Commission must act expeditiously to deal with those investigations, determine whether there’s a case to answer or whether the person’s name should be cleared and the person continue without a cloud. But those investigations are dragging on too long.” Hosein, a retired Justice of Appeal, said: “The comments are very unfair and are without any factual basis to support them. “If anyone is going to criticise and continue to criticise the commission they should try to have some evidence to support it and give us the opportunity to tell them why their proposed condemnation should not be voiced. “The matters that are being attended to the parties will be aware of what is taking place because they would have been written to, but Section 20 of the Act clearly prevents us from divulging to anyone details of any particular matter. We can’t do
that. The parties will know what is taking place.” Hosein said the commission was “exposed to adverse criticism and slander on no facts,” but he said: “We are not sleeping on any matter that we have on our files but it does take time to investigate because the information and the evidence may not be easily forthcoming.” He said investigations were “time-consuming and to use the old cliché ‘We don’t have the benefit of low hanging fruit.’” Hosein was appointed chairman of the commission 18 months ago. Under his watch, he said, the commission had introduced outreach programmes. They have already visited Tobago where he said there was 95 per cent compliance with the Integrity in Public Life Act. He said what the law required was that people in public life “file a declaration of income, assets and liabilities. If you have difficulties we will assist you. There is no need for anyone to be fearful of the Integrity Commission.” He said the commission had a number of proposals for amendment to the Act but “I do not share the view that this Act is not workable. We are utilising the provisions which are intended to facilitate our achievement of our objectives. There are provisions in the act which
allow it to work and we are utilising those provisions.” The commission utilises the services of an investigative team, comprising retired police officers, to conduct investigations into matters brought before the commission. Investigations could appear to take long because of a number of factors, sources said, as investigators did not have police warrants and depended on third party sources and they also have to deal with lawyers who may sometimes make investigations more difficult. When the investigation is completed a sub-committee reviews the findings and may make recommendations to the commission. The commission reviews and analyses the report and decides whether there is reasonable grounds to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions or to close the investigation. The commission is also now for the first time utilising the courts to go after people who fall within its ambit and fail to file declarations. The commission wants the court to order people to file and if not. to face fines or jail time. The Integrity Commission collapsed in 2009 when the High Court found that then chairman John Martin had acted in bad faith with Rowley on the Landate affair. This led to a mass resignation of all commissioners.
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Tuesday September 06, 2016
Iran, Saudi spar over running of haj pilgrimage Reuters -Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei renewed criticism of Saudi Arabia over how it runs the haj after a crush last year killed hundreds of pilgrims, and suggested Muslim countries think about ending Riyadh’s control of the annual pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia accused Iran, its main regional rival, of seeking to politicize this month’s event, saying in turn on Monday that Iran was compromising safety with its actions. “The Iranian authorities are the ones who don’t want the Iranian pilgrims to come here for reasons concerning the Iranians themselves and in light of them seeking to politicize haj and turn it into rituals against Islam’s teachings and that compromise the safety of haj,” the state news agency SPA quoted Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef as saying. He was reviewing preparations the pilgrimage that starts on Sept. 11. Custodian of Islam’s most revered places in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on organizing haj, one of the five pillars of Islam which every ablebodied Muslim who can afford to is obliged to undertake at least once. Riyadh said 769 pilgrims were killed in the 2015 disaster - the highest haj death toll since a crush in 1990. Counts of fatalities by countries who repatriated bodies showed
that over 2,000 people may have died in the crush, more than 400 of them Iranians. “Because of these (Saudi) rulers’ oppressive behavior towards God’s guests (pilgrims), the world of Islam must fundamentally reconsider the management of the two holy places and the issue of haj,” Khamenei said in a message carried by his website and Iran’s state media. “They must not let those rulers escape responsibility for the crimes they have caused throughout the world of Islam,” Khamenei said, listing Saudi Arabia’s involvement in conflicts in areas including Iraq, Yemen and Syria on the side of forces Iran opposes. Riyadh accuses Tehran in turn of destabilizing Arab states and spreading sectarianism by backing militias in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen and fomenting unrest in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Iran denies those charges. Iran blamed the 2015 disaster on organizers’ incompetence. Pilgrims from Iran will be unable to attend haj, which starts on Sept. 11, this year after talks between the two countries on arrangements broke down in May. “What Iranian media and some Iranian officials are raising is not objective and they know before anyone else that the kingdom has given the Iranian pilgrims what it gave others,” Prince Nayef said.
Tuesday September 06, 2016
Rooney defends England role after win over Slovakia (Reuters) Captain Wayne Rooney has said the reaction to his deeper role in the England team has been blown out of proportion after Sunday’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Slovakia. Rooney, who played his 116th international to become England’s most capped outfield player ahead of David Beckham, played in the midfield position where previous manager Roy Hodgson deployed him at Euro 2016. Adam Lallana scored his first international goal in the 95th minute of the Group F qualifier in new manager Sam Allardyce’s first game in
charge. “Too much is getting made about it. Listen, I’m playing on the pitch for England. I’m captain of the team and I feel I can do a very good job in the role I played tonight,” Rooney told Sky Sports. “It’s headlines for a lot of people, but of course it’s about the team and about us winning. I played in that role and helped us win the game. I’ve done it my whole career and suddenly it’s big news.” “It’s not a big thing and I think there’s a big over-reaction to it. I am happy where I’m playing and I think I’m doing a good job.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Eric Dier says England will take some time to recover from their Euro 2016 humiliation despite getting back to winning ways in Trnava. “There is a long way to go until the scars have been healed but it is a start. All we can do is win against whoever we have in front of us but I think there is a long way to go before we repay everyone for what happened in the Euros,” Dier said. “And for ourselves as well because we were the most unhappy of everyone and there is a long way to go until we are happy again.”
Tuesday September 06, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Those you live with may be experiencing problems. Make a point of working on yourself. Pleasure trips will induce exciting and passionate encounters with those of foreign extraction. TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) You can't win and they won't listen. Art investment will pay big dividends in the long term. You can make professional decisions today that will affect your position. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) (May 22-June 21) Expect temper tantrums on the home front if you haven't been letting someone have their way. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Be careful not to take on other people's problems. You may find yourself in a financial bind. Misunderstandings at work could easily lead to your demise. You may be overreacting to personal problems. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Try not to discuss important matters with colleagues. Authority figures may be less than accommodating if you have done something deceitful. Sudden changes concerning coworkers may surprise you. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Children may pose a problem if they don't like suggestions. If you can put some work into home improvements, you should. Try not to overspend on
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Kaieteur News
luxury items. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Don't be afraid to lay your cards on the table. Do not travel unless absolutely necessary. Be careful. Don't lend to people who have given you negative vibes. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your emotions may be hard to control if your mate is forcing you to undergo drastic alterations in your relationship. Try to be pat i e n t and understanding. Don't go overboard; start small and work toward building it up slowly. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Set aside any decisions regarding your personal life today. Try not to lend or borrow money or belongings today. You may be likely to have difficulties with females. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) You could lose a good friend because of it. Don't give them the use of your credit card. Travel will be favorable. Resist overspending on luxury items. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You may be frustrated by the way situations are being handled in your personal life. Your communication skills may win you points. You should be promoting your ideas. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may find your self in a romantic situation. You should get involved in competitive sports today. Your mind will be wandering to exotic destinations.
Pliskova ends hopes of Williams sisters’ showdown NEW YORK (Reuters) Karolina Pliskova ruined any chance of another Flushing Meadows sister showdown as she claimed a dramatic 4-6 6-4 7-6(3) win over sixthseeded Venus Williams on Monday to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals. At 36-years-old and the oldest remaining player in the draw, Williams battled until the bitter end as her 24-yearold Czech opponent needed five match points to finally put away the two-time champion. Since the draw was unveiled tennis fans had circled a potential semi-final between the sport’s most famous siblings on American tennis’s biggest stage where world number one Serena and Venus have met five times, including twice in the finals. Now it is 10th-seeded Pliskova, who will play Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska or Croatia’s Ana Konjuh in the quarters, that would need to complete a
Lallana gives England last... (From page 28) what he expected to be their hardest qualifying game, so he was delighted with the win. “We got what we deserved,” he said. “It looked like it wasn’t going to be our night and it was pretty nerve-wracking at the end, but well done Adam. It was an important win.”
Players urge ICC... (From page 26) meaning. Jason Holder: Creating windows [for domestic T20 tournaments] would make the whole situation a lot easier as players would not be forced to choose. If players could play both domestic T20 and international cricket, it would definitely help to keep players in international cricket. Shakib Al Hasan: It would be a great thing for Bangladesh to play more regular international cricket. I have been playing for 10 years and have only played 42 Tests. If I was from India or England I would have had the opportunity to play double that amount. Ross Taylor: We need to find ways of keeping our players. To survive as a cricket nation, we need our top players playing for New Zealand and not retiring early.
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic hits a backhand against Venus Williams of the United States (not pictured) on day eight of the 2016 U.S. Open tennis tournament. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports) Williams double to reach her first grand slam final. Serena, looking to continue her drive for a record
seventh U.S. Open title, will meet Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova in a fourth round clash later on Monday.
Kaieteur News
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Tuesday September 06, 2016
Players urge ICC to adopt two-tier cricket ESPNcricinfo International cricket’s future hangs in the balance this week. As a select group of senior administrators meet in Dubai to finalise a proposed model for radical changes to the game’s schedule, the players have warned of a massed exodus to Twenty20 leagues if nothing is done. An ICC working group of board chief executives, including the Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland, the ECB’s Tom Harrison, the BCCI’s Ajay Shirke, the PCB’s Subhan Ahmed, South Africa’s Haroon Lorgat and New Zealand’s David White are working with ICC management to finalise proposals for a new international structure. The model will feature leagues for all formats of the international game with greater equity in terms of fixtures for all nations, with the aim of pooling television rights so that richer boards can subsidise weaker counterparts. The pathway for admission to the top of the international game will also be opened up, an attractive prospect for Associates like Ireland and Afghanistan. However, opposition to the prospect of two-tier Test cricket, championed by the Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala and latterly the BCCI president Anurag Thakur, now poses a significant danger to the adoption of the proposed changes. The BCCI has
shown increasing belligerence over the past week, questioning funding levels for next year ’s C h a m p i o n s Tr o p h y i n England and suggesting the ICC president Shashank Manohar is not serving India’s interests. ESPNcricinfo also understands that the BCCI have made known their opposition to the possibility of pooled television rights money. The BCCI has previously been able to control the ICC board table via the threat - either perceived or overt - of withdrawing its lucrative tours of other nations. On Monday, the players’ global body FICA stepped into this febrile environment, revealing that 72% of players quizzed for the body’s annual survey are in favour of “the introduction of a divisional Test competition to add more meaning to each match”. The FICA executive chairman Tony Irish urged the ICC Board to carefully consider the new model under consideration. “To date, the issue that has been talked about most is Test cricket,” Irish said, “but we believe that this review is about creating clear visions for all three formats of international cricket, and balancing them alongside the continued expansion and success of the various domestic T20 cricket leagues. We know from our player surveys, and our engagement with players,
Jason Holder ©Associated Press
AB de Villiers ©Associated Press
that they are facing a conflict between international cricket and domestic T20 cricket leagues. “This is a fundamental issue that we want any future structure of the game to address. Our concern is that if nothing is done, international cricket may very soon lose more and more of its best players to free agency and the T20 leagues. “This re-structuring of international cricket should be about providing a better sporting product for fans, players and broadcasters. ICC management has done some excellent work on this, and we strongly encourage Member Boards to look beyond their own individual country interests in taking this forward. We understand that not everyone is in agreement over the
divisional Test structure currently proposed, but this should not derail the entire process.” I r i s h ’s v i e w s w e r e
Little Diamond Int’l Martial Arts Academy Instructors officially authorised to teach On August 15, 2016 after nine (9) months of careful observation by Grandmaster Abdool Nazim Yassim of the Shin-Kai-Ryu system of martial arts and the Little Diamond Int’l Martial Arts Academy (LDIMAA) three more of his students have received their Certificate of Authorisation to teach Martial Arts. They are 1st Dan instructors Tadious Edun (Registration number GY01-00004-Y) of Tuschen EBE, Maranda Bennett (Registration number GY01-00007-Y) of Goed-intent WBD and Marcell L y n d a Y a s s i m
(Registration number GY01-00003-Y) of Parfait Harmony WBD. The Authorisation and Promotion is in recognition of these Instructors outstanding Progress, Knowledge, Ability and Skill through Diligent study of the Martial Arts/Karate over the past years. Shihan Nazim and the Board of Directors of the Little Diamond International Martial Arts Academy (LDIMAA) have expressed their deep appreciation for the loyalty, support and dedication of these instructors to the martial arts. These 1st Dan
Instructors, Tadious Edun, Maranda Bennett and Marcell L. Yassim have now joined Ryan Daniels (also 1st Dan of St. Cuthbert’s Mission) along with 2nd Dan Instructors Kelvin Walcott (Enmore ECD) and Parsuram Arjune (Wales WBD) they all said of their accomplishment, “That they were happy to be recognised and Authorised by Grandmaster Nazim Yassim and the LDIMAA,” as they promised to continue to fellow in Shihan Nazim’s footsteps and in his work in the martial arts and to serve on the LDIMAA board of directors.
echoed by a selection of international players, including Australia’s captain Steven Smith and South Africa’s leader AB de Villiers. “We want our best players to be on the park as much as possible playing for our countries,” Smith said, “and at the moment that isn’t always happening.” Among other survey results, FICA found that “52% of all international respondents in the current structure still indicated that they would consider rejecting a national contract in favour of free agency in domestic T20 leagues. “70% of all respondents think there should be “ring fenced” windows in the calendar for certain domestic T20 events to prevent clashes with international cricket.
“75% of all respondents think that closing the wage gap between domestic T20 and international cricket would help to retain players in international cricket.” Discussions in Dubai this week are a precursor to the next round of official ICC meetings set down for October, after which the structural future of the game will become clear. Player views on cricket structure AB de Villiers: We have already raised our intensity and urgency just knowing that a Test league might happen. There is nothing like the pressure and adrenaline that comes with knowing you need to win matches. It’s time for all international matches to have more (Continued on page 25)
Obama says Kaepernick exercising constitutional right to make a point (Reuters) U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick was exercising his constitutional right by not standing during the national anthem, although it might be a “tough thing” to stomach for people in the military or law enforcement. Kaepernick sparked controversy last month when he remained seated through the traditional rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a preseason game, and has continued with what he says is a protest against racial injustice and police brutality. Many Americans have denounced the gesture as a sign of disrespect to the flag, although he has drawn support from some people, including some fellow players. Speaking in China after a gathering of leaders of 20 leading economies, Obama said he did not doubt Kaepernick’s sincerity in making the protest but acknowledged that it was d i ff i c u l t f o r s o m e t o swallow. “I think there are a lot of ways you can do it as a general matter when it comes to the flag and the national anthem and the meaning that holds for our men and women in uniform and those who’ve fought for us. That is a tough thing for them to get past to then hear what his deeper concerns
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on before the national anthem against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. (Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports) are,” Obama said. Kaepernick, who led San Francisco to the 2013 Super Bowl but has since been demoted to backup, is the latest professional athlete to use his celebrity to call attention to the issue of the mistreatment of minority g r o u p s b y l a w enforcement. Over the past two years, a series of police killings of AfricanAmericans in cities across the country have triggered protests and given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. Despite the controversy, Obama said he would rather have engaged young people “trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than people who are just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all”. Obama, speaking at a news conference, said he had
not been following the controversy closely, but added, “If nothing else what he’s done is he’s generated more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about.” “Sometimes it’s messy, but it’s the way democracy works.” In a gesture of solidarity with Kaepernick, American women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem at a Sunday match, calling it a deliberate move to support Kaepernick. Some critics of the player say Kaepernick, 28, should be punished. The National Football League has issued a statement saying it encourages players to stand during the anthem but does not require them to do so. The 49ers have framed the issue in terms of the right of free expression enjoyed by all Americans.
Tuesday September 06, 2016
Kaieteur News
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East Bank Table Tennis Coaching Programme a success I n t e r n a t i o n a l Ta b l e Tennis Federation (ITTF) Level-One Coach Candacy McKenzie contributed to the expansion of the Sport of Table Tennis in Guyana by hosting the ‘’Breaking Down Barriers with Table Tennis Balls’ Programme on the East Bank of Demerara from August 18-30. McKenzie, who successfully concluded the ITTF Basic Umpires and Tournament referees course under the tutelage of ITTF Umpires Course Instructor Silvia Garro, contributed to making a difference in her community by organizing a ‘School Vacation’ training camp for the children from ages six to fifteen from Grove and Craig on the East Bank Demerara where she resides. A Ta b l e Te n n i s enthusiast, McKenzie is regular fixture at GTTA’s tournaments; Umpiring, assisting with tournament draws and fixtures with a passion for the development of the sport. The programme was supported by the GTTA with balls, racquets, score counters and barriers.
Students who participates in the East Bank Table Tennis programme. McKenzie used her knowledge and certification to coach youths in the area to help provide an opportunity for them to learn life skills and to introduce the youngsters to the sport in a fun way in the hope of having them become national players, thus developing the sport on the East Bank and establishing her club.
Using the ground floor of ‘Juju Place’ in Grove which is equipped with two tables, McKenzie went into the community to get parents and children on board the programme and recruited over forty students. “It was a pleasure to see her aptly going through her instructions with the kids and their attentive ears as some parents looked on with
admiration,” President of the GTTA Godfrey Munroe informed. The sessions lasted from 09:30hrs to noon for the 611age-group and from 13:00-16:00hrs for the 1116s. Monroe, a former National and Caribbean Table Tennis champion, felt the initiative was a wonderful one with many of
the students staying beyond the scheduled cut-off time to play, making the area a hive of activity with youthful Table Tennis players. At the closing McKenzie expressed her appreciation on behalf of the GTTA and extended gratitude to Parents and Guardians who gave the children the opportunity to participate in the programme.
“I feel that with the p l a y e r ’s i n t e r e s t a n d determination, these participants will definitely perform well in Table Tennis,” McKenzie opined. “I am eager to continue working with them in the future in schools, on weekends and in afterschool programmes because they all have potential,” added the Coach.
Formula 1 sale set to cross the finish line
F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone (right) talks to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - US-based Liberty Media is in advanced talks to take control of Formula 1. Ta l k s w i t h C V C Partners, which owns a 35% stake in F1, are at an advanced stage, the BBC has learned. Liberty Media has stakes in several sports and entertainment businesses, including the Atlanta Braves Major League baseball club. A source close to the deal told BBC Sport that an agreement is yet to be completed, and other interested parties remain in talks. Others that have considered buying into F1
include, Qatar Sports Investments, and Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins American football team. CVC has held a stake for the past decade but sold some of its holding in 2012. A sale would end years of speculation and rumours about a potential change of ownership for the motor sport. Ge r m a n m a g a z i n e Auto Motor und Sport said the deal had been confirmed by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone and was worth $8.5bn (£6.5bn). Mr Ecclestone, who owns a 5.3% stake, met with
Liberty Media is in advanced talks to take control of Formula 1. (AFP) CVC co-chairman Donald Mackenzie and Daimler chief executive Dieter Zetsche, whose company owns t h e M e r c e d e s team, at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Sunday. Mr Ecclestone declined to comment about the sale. The potential takeover
by Liberty Media was met with cautious optimism in F1 circles. CVC has been criticised for taking considerable profits from the sport, which has suffered from falling TV ratings in recent years. The domination of the Red Bull and now Mercedes
teams has made races more predictable. Mercedes team has won 13 of 14 races this season. Given that Liberty is a media and entertainment group, analysts hope it will give more consideration to the spectacle offered by F1. Mercedes team chief
Toto Wolff said: “If there is an investor that wants to buy the shares it is good news for Formula One. Maybe it is good news that an American media company buys Formula One. There are things we can learn from t h e A m e r i c a n w a y, particularly in digital areas.”
Kaieteur News
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Tuesday September 06, 2016
Lallana gives England Ruby Cummings outspells last-gasp win over Yvonne Murray to claim 10-man Slovakia scrabble goodwill trophy
England’s Adam Lallana scores their first goal. (Action Images via Reuters / Carl) (Reuters) England’s Adam Lallana scored his first international goal with the last kick of the game as the visitors beat 10-man Slovakia 1-0 in their World Cup Group F qualifier on Sunday to get new manager Sam Allardyce’s reign off to a winning start. With the referee checking his watch, Danny Rose sent a hopeful low ball into the area for Lallana, who jinked left past a defender and struck a low shot through the legs of goalkeeper Matus Kozacik for his first England goal in 27 games. However, for much of a lacklustre contest in Trnava it looked like England would
be frustrated with a re-run of the goalless draw the teams shared in their last clash during the group stage at Euro 2016 in Saint-Etienne in June. England struggled to shrug off familiar problems, controlling the game without looking like winning it even after Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel was dismissed for stamping on Harry Kane in the 57th minute. His departure signalled a period of intense pressure from England with Lallana hitting the post, and substitute Theo Walcott seeing a scrambled effort ruled out for offside, before the Liverpool midfielder
snatched the last-gasp winner. “We didn’t panic, that was the main thing,” said captain Wayne Rooney, who p l a y e d i n h i s 11 6 t h international to become England’s most capped outfield player ahead of David Beckham. “We stuck to our plan and kept our shape. Adam scored the goal to get us off to an excellent start (in the campaign).” Before the game Allardyce, who replaced Roy Hodgson after England’s shock Euro 2016 exit to Iceland, said he would be happy with a point from (Continued on page 25)
Beth Langston: England bowler out of West Indies tour because of injury Langston made her England debut in the West Indies in 2013. (Getty Images)
BBC Sport - Seamer Beth Langston has been ruled out of England’s oneday international tour of the West Indies with a thumb injury. Langston, 23, is expected to be out for about
six weeks after breaking her left thumb during an intersquad training match last week. The Loughborough Lightning bowler has two T20 caps for England but missed this summer’s series
with Pakistan because of an ankle injury. England will play five ODIs in the West Indies, starting on 30 September. The England squad for the tour will be announced next week.
Months of staunch application and acute perseverance has eventually borne fruit for veteran scrabble player, Ruby Cummings, who turned in a masterful display to dethrone Yvonne Murray and cart off the spoils when scrabble players convened at M u r r a y ’s N a n d y P a r k residence for their monthly goodwill tournament last Sunday evening. Cummings amassed 5 points with a positive spread of 225 to lift the prized accolade and dismantle the Murrays’ dynasty. Ulric Harris was her first victim and she disposed of him by a spread of 42. Her next victim was the defending champion, Yvonne Murray and Cummings strengthened her claim to honours with a win by a spread of 34. Newcomer to the sport, Christine Afeez, turned in a credible performance but just could not avoid an 83 spread defeat as Cummings dug in for the coveted trophy. Maurice Munru checked Cummings’ advance when he defeated her by a close spread of 7 one game before Cummings scraped past Michael Benjamin by a nail biting 2 points after fortunes had swayed from one player to the next before Cummings came through with a final play that pushed her in front and sealed the issue. Cummings also
Ruby Cummings shows off the spoils. registered a victory over Carlton Murray (164) before benefitting from a bye. The players return next month to continue the intense rivalry but in the meantime will convene at the Herdmanston Lodge, Quee n s t o w n , t h i s a n d every Thursday afternoon to join other players for their weekly practice sessions. Meanwhile, Ms. Murray continues to agitate for the sport’s inclusion in the
schools’ sports curriculum. She said that she had had discussions with Minister Rupert Roopnarine who had supported the venture with a monetary contribution, on behalf of the Government, to offset the cost of the games. These items have since arrived in Guyana and will soon be distributed to 10 schools. Scrabble tutors will then be dispatched to these schools to prepare the children for competition soon.
INTERNATIONAL CRICKET CHANGES ON TOP OF AGENDA St John’s, ANTUGUA – Cricket and its place in the Summer Olympic Games, Test Cricket for 4-Days, Two-tier system for Test playing nations and Women’s Cricket in the 2022 Commonwealth Games are just some of the topics to be discussed at the next meeting of the Board of Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The meeting scheduled for September 9 and 10 in Dominica will also focus on the proposed International Cricket Council (ICC) reorganization and how West Indies may be affected. The regional 4-day Professional Cricket League
(PCL), the new-format Super 50 and other development plans will be up for discussions as the organisation gets ready for the new financial year, beginning October 1. Coming off a very successful start to 2016 w i n n i n g t h r e e championships, “The WICB remains committed to the continuous growth of cricket in the region, but more importantly to improve its rankings in the Test and ODI formats,” says President, Dave Cameron. The President noted too that “The recently concluded age-groups tournaments will be assessed to look at the
preparation for the Under 19 title defence in 2018 in New Zealand.” The men’s team will go in camp soon to participate in a series against Pakistan later this month; the women will host England in Jamaica in October, after which they will tour India in November; an ‘A’ Team will tour Sri Lanka in October and the men will head off to Zimbabwe in November. The President added that “The suggested changes in world cricket will affect how we move forward and we want to be ready for any adjustments made. We want the changes to be in the best interest of cricket.”
Kaieteur News
Tuesday September 06, 2016
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Mixed results at Round 3 of CMRC at Bushy Park Bushy Park # 68 Nazim Gafoor
Bushy Park # 104 Paul Vieira in action.
Bushy Park # 3 Ryan Wood. (Photos compliments Bushy Park facebook page)
Bushy Park # 8 Marc Gill & # 81 Mark Thompson compete. Bushy Park Circuit, Barbados – Guyana’s Superbike riders Elliott and M a t t h e w Vi e i r a dominated the category to head to the final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) slated for November in Guyana in strong positions to capture the overall titles following the conclusion of the third leg, at Bushy Park, Barbados. Elliott raced to victory in two of the three events, while Matthew claimed one first and two second places to be crowned champion rider which was enough to catapult
him into the lead in the points standing. Meanwhile, Group 4 was dominated by Barry Mayers in the AWD category by going 3 wins in 3 races with 2 overall wins.The 33year-old, Barry Mayers in the Chefette Restaurants sponsored Suzuki SX4 went to overtake Mark Maloney in the 3rd race to sweep the days’ action, but spun out and had to settle for 2nd overall. Whereas, the veteran, Mark Maloney annihilated the 2WD category with successive class wins with an impressive overall race win in the final Group 4 race. By
sweeping the 2WD category, by the end of the 2016 campaign, Mark Maloney will certainly claim the class wins in the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championships. Group 3 of the CMRC was swept by Paul Vieira with 3 convincing wins as he went unchallenged whereas, Group 2 action was mostly battled by Marc Gill and Mark Thompson. On the biker’s side of things, Elliott & Matthew Vieira were the standouts of the day. Two new debuts by some young and up and coming drivers were
Team Speedway # 45 Franklyn & # 44 Frankie Zachary Boodram.
Bushy Park # 275 Shan Sheejattan.
made with decent results. Bridget Singh (daughter of Ravi Singh) made her debut in a Honda Civic with decent results in Group 2 Action as she ended up around the mid-pack with her results. In Group 4 action, Zachary Frankie Boodram (son of Franklyn Boodram) had a disastrous day. The first race was going very well until another competitor collided with him causing some damages. Thereon, he battled in the next 2 races, but came away with 3 DNF’s due to multiple issues.
Kaieteur News
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Tuesday September 06, 2016
Wolf’s Challenge Softball Cup
Yusuf, De Monick slam centuries
Yunnis Yusuf By Zaheer Mohamed Centuries by Yunnis Yusuf and Roxanne De Monick highlighted the latest round of matches in the Wolf’s Challenge Softball Cup which concluded on Sunday. Yusuf struck 120 to help Floodlight to a massive 194run win over Parika Defenders at Malteenoes Sports Club. Yusuf clobbered fifteen
fours and twelve sixes in scoring 120 and got support from Ramesh Narine 47, Patrick Khan 45 and Wayne Jones 36 as Floodlight posted 286-7 off their 20 overs, batting first. Parika Defenders were sent packing for 92 in 11.3 overs in reply. A. Kumar made 20 as Dharam Persaud, Richard Khellawan, Jones and Clyde Canterbury picked up two wickets each. M i k e ’s We l l m a n
Roxanne De Monick overcame Bel Air Rubis by six wickets. Bel Air Rubis batted first and managed 141 all out in 19.5 overs. B. Mulla made 29 and Danny Mohanram 23; Greg De Franca snared 3-18, Ron Ramnauth 3-29 and Eon Lovell 2-24. Mike’s Wellman replied with 145-4 with Latchman Kallicharran scoring 57 and Lloyd Rooplall 50. S. Sankar took two wickets. A t G a n d h i Yo u t h
Organisation, HS Masters b e a t Wo l f ’s Wa r r i o r s Masters by 64 runs. HS Masters got to 152-8, taking first strike. Danny Mohanram got 43; Basil Badassee hit 29 and Hackim Majeed 19. Wolf’s Warriors Masters responded with 88 all out in 17.3 overs. Fazlim Bacchus scored 32; Mahendra Arjune captured 3-12 and Hanoman Singh captured 3-17. In the female category at
Latchman Kallicharran (right) and Lloyd Rooplall MSC, Trophy Stall Angels defeated Blue Divas by 88 runs. Trophy Stall Angels scored 201-3 in 15 overs. Roxanne De Monick slammed 100 from 33 balls to become the first player to score a century for her team. She cracked four fours and ten sixes, while Akelo Castello made 46 and Odessa O Neil 28. D. Amos had two wickets. Blue Divas were restricted to 113-7 in reply.
M. Taitt made 31 as Amanda Rogers claimed 2-23 and Jenelle Nero 2-25. Trophy Stall Angels beat 4R Lioness by four wickets. Batting first 4R Lioness made 96 all out in 14.1 overs. Akaze Thompson got 28 and T. Wilson 19; Natasha Leacock had 3-25 and Aneesa Persaud 2-19. Tr o p h y S t a l l A n g e l s responded with 98-6 in 12.4 overs. Heema Singh made 33; Thompson grabbed 4-22.
Powell, Pooran named for Pakistan T20s ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC — Rookies Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell are set to make their international debuts after being named in a West Indies Twenty20 15-man squad to face Pakistan later this month. Both players were rewarded for stirring performances in the Caribbean Premier League and are the only new faces in the squad which will once again be led by emerging allrounder Carlos Brathwaite. H o w e v e r, m a r q u e e opener Chris Gayle will not feature after advising the Courtney Browne-led selection panel of his unavailability. The veteran left-hander was included for the hastily arranged two-match series against India last month in Florida but never played due to injury. Opener Lendl Simmons has also been left out because of “medical reasons”, the West Indies Cricket Board said. However, the bulk of the squad remains unchanged with the likes of star allrounders Andre Russell,
Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, along with offspinner Sunil Narine, all named in the line-up for the three game series from September 23-27 in Dubai. Pooran and Powell, however, were two of the stand-outs from the CPL, shining with the bat for their respective franchises. The left-handed Pooran gathered over 200 runs for Barbados Tridents with two half-centuries — including a top score of 81 — but more notably, a strike-rate of nearly 200. Powell, meanwhile, continued to impress, playing a key role with 228 runs to help Jamaica Tallawahs win the Caribbean title. The 23-year-old righthander, a clean and powerful striker of the ball, is also a useful seamer. Selectors have also included fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who recently retired f r o m Te s t s , a f t e r t h e Jamaican claimed 13 wickets for St Lucia Zouks at an average of 17 and an economy rate of seven. Meanwhile, Test players Kraigg Brathwaite and Alzarri Joseph are set to
Trinidadian Nicholas Pooran
Jamaican all-rounder Rovman Powell. make their One-Day International debuts after being named in the Jason Holder-led 15-man squad. The 23-year-old Brathwaite, the Test vicecaptain, averages 34 from 31 Tests and has become known for his obdurate, slow style of batting. However, he showed flashes of his aggressive side with a stroke-filled 94 from 122 balls against Australia in Hobart last December. Joseph was part of the successful West Indies Under-19 squad which
captured the ICC Youth World Cup in Bangladesh earlier this year, and he subsequently made his Test debut against India last month in St Lucia. Still only 19 and with a mere ni n e f i r s t c l a s s matches under his belt, Antiguan Joseph is widely viewed as one of the most talented seamers in the Caribbean. Rising T20 star Evin Lewis has been named in the ODI squad for the first time while wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, recently axed from
the Test squad, has been retained in the one-day setup. The three-match one-day series runs from September 30 to October 5, with the first two matches in Sharjah and the last one set for Abu Dhabi. A three-Test series follows the limited overs tour and will run from October 13 to November 3. SQUADS: T20 — Carlos Brathwaite (captain), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles,
Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton. ODI — Jason Holder (captain), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Keiron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels.
Kaieteur News
Tuesday September 06, 2016
RHTYSC, MS Town Week Celebration
Poonai, Anamayah, HC Alphonso, Harris Paint, Ministry of Business, OP on board
DR. Ryan Anamayah of Anamayah Memorial Hospital hands over sponsorship to RHTYSC, MS Executive Member Mark Papannah. Plans for the hosting of the best ever Town Week celebration in the history of Guyana gained momentum during the last week as more sponsors came on board to support the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club and its eight cricket teams. The Club would be hosting a series of activities during the period 14th – 25th of September to mark the 46th anniversary of Rose Hall Town, which attained the status of township on the 20th of September, 1970. Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster who is spearheading the anniversary celebrations noted that the RHTYSC, MS has an unmatched record of attracting sponsorship due to its proven track record of success. Over the last week the RHTYSC, MS has attracted sponsorship from Anamayah Memorial Hospital, Harris Paint Company, HC Alphonso and Sons, the Ministry of Business and the Office of the President. The Anamayah Memorial Hospital would be sponsoring the Inter Ward Basketball Competition between North and South Rose Hall Town, while the Harris Paint Company donated several gallons of paint towards the decorations of the township.
HC Alphonso and Sons of New Amsterdam have contributed ten tons of white sand towards the Family Recreational Park, while the Office of the President contributed 100 Guyana flags towards decorating the electric poles in the township. The Office of the Prime Minster had earlier donated a similar amount of flags while the Guyana Tourism Authority would also be handing over a quantity of flags next week. The Ministry of Business on Monday last donated $200,000 towards the hosting of the massive Career and Business Fair on the 22nd of September. The Fair would be held on the Rose Hall Town Public Road and is expected to attract at least 80 NGO’s, Government Agencies, schools and International Agencies. P o o n a i ’s P h a r m a c y would be standing the cost of lighting up the Arch Square, where most of the activities would be held. Foster expressed gratitude to the four donors and stated that the RHTYSC, MS organised, Rose Hall Town 46th Anniversary Celebration would be the best ever organised event of its nature in the history of Guyana.
Noting that organising the events is very difficult, due to the fact that members of the public would not have to pay any entrance Fee, the experienced administrator stated that almost every angle has been covered. The RHTYSC, MS and its cricket teams would like to specially invite members of the public to be a part of the historic celebrations and the full calendar of activities are: 14th September – Parade and Opening Ceremony 15th September – Medical Outreach and Public Exhibition 17th September – Steelband Concert/Dancing Competition 18th September – Day of Sports 19th September – Educational Competitions (Schools) 20th September – Launching of Booklet on Rose Hall Town, Feeding of the Poor and honouring of Senior citizens. 22nd September – Career and Business Fair, After Party. Friday 23rd September – Opening of Family Recreational Park Sunday 25th September – Rose Hall Town Yard Fowl Curry Competition/Public Concert.
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Englishman Ian Greenwood appointed new TD of the GFF To commence duties on October 8 The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has announced that Englishman Ian Greenwood is the new Technical Director (TD) of the federation replacing Canadian based Guyanese Claude Bolton who resigned with effect from March 1st , 2016. The federation in a release yesterday said that Greenwood has been appointed following public advertisements and a competitive and comprehensive selection process. It said that Mr. Ian Greenwood is an English UEFA-Qualified Coach, with over 10 years of coaching/management experience at various levels of the sport including the U14, U-15, U-16, U-18 and U21 teams at Leeds United Football Club and seven years’ experience in coach education. The new Technical Director, who will officially begin his tenure on the 8th October, 2016, functioned as Development Coach, Head Coach and Academy Coach for a number of English
Football Clubs including Huddersfield Town Football Club – of the English Championship, 2007 – 2014 (Academy Coach); Leeds City College Football Academy, 2010 – 2012 (Head Coach); and Leeds United Football Club (English Championship) – his last place of employment – as a Development Coach (2004 – 2007) and as Academy Coach (2014 – 2016) respectively. As part of his job, he designed club curriculum and technical programmes. He also supported squad and team management at various levels of the academy to progress players to the first team and youth international squads. Greenwood, who has an MSc Degree in Sports Coaching, has also been involved in coach education in the capacity of Club / Professional Coach Mentor as well as Lecturer at the following institutions – Leeds City College, Huddersfield Town Football Club, The Football Association and Leeds Beckett University. Leeds United’s Academy
Ian Greenwood is renowned for producing England internationals such as James Milner, Fabian Delph, Aaron Lennon, Paul Robinson, Alan Smith, Jonathan Woodgate and Scott Carson. The Academy also produced Premier League players such as Harry Kewell, Ian Harte, Gary Kelly, Danny Rose, Jonny Howson, Sam Byram and Lewis Cook. The Federation received 13 applications from eight countries including Guyana, England, Scotland, Portugal and the Philippines. Of the total received, six were shortlisted. The interview was done in two-parts; the first beginning in July and the final in August 2016.
GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Nat. U-17 League
EDFA to resume matches this weekend Another of the associations which was severely affected by consistent rain over the past two months is set to resume m a t c h e s i n t h e G F F / N A M I L C O Thunderbolt Flour Power National Under-17 Intra Association competition, this weekend. Associations were hoping to capitalize on the August holiday vacation break to maximize on playing matches but this was not possible as a result of excessive rainfall which rendered most playing venues unplayable. However, with more sun in the past week or so, associations are getting back into the NAMILCO Flour Power flow. One such association is the East Demerara Football Association which has scheduled four matches for this weekend, double headers on Saturday and Sunday at the Melanie ground.
From 09:00hrs on Saturday, Buxton Youth Developers will take on Golden Grove and from 11:00hrs, Bachelors Adventure Paradise Sports Club will match skills with Buxton United. At the same times on Sunday, Plaisance will come up against Ann’s Grove with the main attraction between BV Triumph United and Victoria Kings. Berbice Football Association Up in the Ancient County of Berbice, two matches are scheduled for today at different venues. From 15:00hrs at the Mahaicony ground, New Amsterdam United, currently third in the points standings will make the trek to face off with home team Mahaicony Thunder Hawks which presently occupies the fifth place. One hour later at the Rosignol ground, sixth placed Rosignol United will
be aiming to take full points from ninth place Litchfield Nuggets Youth and Sports. Three matches are slated for Thursday at various venues. At Mahaicony from 16:00hrs, Mahaicony Thunder Hawks will entertain Monedderlust. Two matches will kick off at 15:00hrs; Rosignol United will be at home to New Amsterdam United and at Burnham Park, Cougars will take on Lichfield Nuggets Youths and Sports. Cougars FC’s Shane Hamilton is the current leading goal scorer with 9 to his tally, followed by Nial Roberts of Paradise Invaders who has 5. Alex Pautaib (Corriverton Links), Troy Munroe (NA United), Shafeel DeHarte (Paradise Invaders) and Lamar Reid (Cougars) are all third with four goals apiece.
t r o Sp
Bushy Park # 33 Elliot Wayne Vieira & # 5 Kevin Graham battle.
Matthew Vieira with flag.
3 d n u o R t a s t l u s e r d e x i M k r a P y h s u B t a C R M of C
Bushy Park # 261 Kristian Jeffrey with flag after winning race # 3.
Englishman Ian Greenwood appointed new TD of the GFF 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