8th Dec 2013 Guyana Times Daily

LOOK !

INSIDE Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 1976 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

December 8, 2013

GBTI commissions multimillion-dollar branch at Port Mourant See story on page 7

PRICE

$100 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

GuySuCo moving to address Enmore estate P2 woes

CXC to P3 develop new syllabi for CSEC, CAPE Canadian- P12 Guyanese receives multicultural award

Expanding for the comfort of Berbicians! The new multimillion-dollar Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) branch opened at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Region Six on Saturday

Woman succumbs 98 men abused to beating from by their women seek help jealous lover See story on page 8

See story on page 11

Policeman P12 drives away with spanking new motor car in Courts promotion

2 news

SUNday, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

GuySuCo moving to correct Enmore estate woes T he Guyana Sugar C o r p o r a t i o n (GuySuCo) has re-

ported that over the past six crops, the Enmore estate has been plagued with var-

ious challenges, but efforts are being made to correct the problem.

GuySuCo has reported that over the past six crops, the Enmore estate has been plagued with various challenges

The estate has been facing challenges in agriculture operations and in the factory, including engineering and processing problems.

The corporation in a release said during the course of the current crop, to date, almost 425 hours were lost through factory technical downtime, As a consequence of the perpetually high factory downtime, an estimated 60,000 tonnes of cane that could yield 4600 tonnes sugar will have to be carried over from the existing crop to the first crop next year.

The same factory problems caused approximately 39,000 tonnes to be carried forward from the first crop this year to the current crop, and in the second crop of 2012, 36,000 tonnes of cane were carried forward to the first crop of 2013.

“It means that unless the factory problems are fixed, Enmore will have to be perpetually carrying forward canes from one crop to the next. This is unacceptable and must be corrected.

“As a result of separate visits by three internationally recognised firms in fac-

tory engineering and processing, recommendations were submitted that the corporation solicits technical assistance to fix the problems in the Enmore factory,” GuySuCo said.

A series of corrective interventions were recommended together with a plan to improve the overall efficiency of the factory.

Estate, corporate management and the board of directors have reviewed the recommendations and necessary interventions and collectively agreed that external resources be sought to help fix the Enmore factory.

An internationally reputable firm whose representatives have recently visited the Enmore factory was approached to send two engineers who have the relevant expertise in engineering and processing, to work together with the existing factory staff to remedy the existing problems.

The engineers are expected soon and GuySuCo looks forward to working with them to improve the efficiency of the Enmore factory.

NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday, December 8 from 09:00h-10:30h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday, December 8 from

08:10h-09:40h.

WEATHER TODAY

Weather: Thundery showers are expected during the day, with partly cloudy skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 and 28 degrees Celsius.

CXC to develop new syllabi for CSEC, CAPE – formulate strategic plan for 2014 to 2020

Winds: East north-easterly between 2.68 and 3.58 metres per second.

High Tide: 08:33h and 20:56h reaching a maximum height of 2.43 metres.

Low Tide: 14:26h reaching a minimum height of 0.84 metre.

T

CXC Registrar, Dr Didacus Jules

saturday, December 7, 2013

LOTTERY NUMBERS K 01 05 16 28 13 26 11 FREE TICKET

Daily Millions

02 10 16 22 26 LUCKY 3

2

0

1

Draw De Line

01 06 07 09 15 16 17 DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

3

SUNday, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

he formulation of a Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Strategic Plan 20142020, among other issues dominated the council’s 45th meeting on Friday.

According to a release, the council also looked at the erection of a new CXC headquarters building in Barbados and the development of new syllabi for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

For the strategic plan, CXC Registrar, Dr Didacus Jules noted that the council will focus on three strategic objectives which are: strengthening the CXC business model, securing financial stability and delivering an enhanced stakeholder experience.

As it relates to the syllabi, CXC Pro-Registrar Glenroy Cumberbatch said, “We are looking at a green energy engineering syllabus… we’re looking at alternative ways to get energy in the Caribbean.” He noted that this decision was made since there are a number of individual countries within the Caribbean looking at

other means of producing energy.

“But who are the people to build these systems, who are the people who can then make payments to these systems?” he questioned.

“We don’t want to develop that then someone outside of our region are the people who are earning the money… we want to make sure that our students have a sense of knowledge to develop these… so that the jobs that are being created will go towards our own people,” Cumberbatch added.

As such, he said the overall thinking is that students will be able to gain good education as well as life skills for the world of work.

First paperless examination

CXC is also looking at offering Digital Media as a subject, for which a syllabus was formulated and approved for teaching in 2013 and the first paperless examination is set for May/ June 2014.

Meanwhile, highlighting the council’s plans to tackle the below-par performance in mathematics and English, Dr Jules said “We need to understand that when we are talking

about education, there are no quick fix solutions. It requires investment, it takes time… and we have to understand that education is not what I call an eco-system, some of these problems start from pre-school level.”

He said a regional literacy and numeracy strategy was developed in 2012, as well as a number of other short and long term plans which were shared with all governments in the Caribbean.

Cumberbatch added too, that despite the low perfor-

mances displayed, “I will tell you that there are more people writing English and getting acceptable grades now, than any time in the history of the Caribbean, so there is progress.”

It was also noted that less children registered for this year`s May/June CSEC examinations with a total of 149,311 compared to last year`s 156,970. Subject entries fell by just over 19,000. However, the subject entries for CAPE increased this year compared to 2012.

4

sunday, december 8, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com

Views Sunday Times Editor: Tajeram Mohabir Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231.

Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Mandela and Guyana

I

n a world that has, not without good reason, become more jaded about leaders, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, affectionately known by his clan name of Madiba, stood out for his generosity of spirit.

In the annals of world history, there are few parallels with the peaceful transfer of power he engineered in South Africa, deconstructing the system of apartheid in which the overwhelming majority of the country were officially denied their basic human rights.

In a 1993 speech, while unveiling a statue in honour of Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi at Pietermaritzburg, the architect of the decision to abandon the African National Congress (ANC) policy of non-violent struggle and plunge into guerrilla warfare, said of the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence: “It was a philosophy that achieved the mobilisation of millions of South Africans during the 1952 defiance campaign, which established the ANC as a mass based organisation.”

About Gandhi, he noted: “He negotiated in good faith and without bitterness.” Mandela exhibited the identical qualities as he sat down with his former oppressors to create a stable South Africa.

All comparisons, it has been said, are odious but our present crop of leaders can do worse than apply the philosophy of Mandela to our political context, which are light years less stark than that in South Africa when Mandela was released in 1990 after 27 years' imprisonment.

While it is true that the Forbes Burnham regime had established a dictatorship during its 28 years of illegal rule in Guyana, and that the latter was based on exploitation of blatant racism, we cannot really say it was as institutionalised as the system of apartheid.

After the ANC under Mandela won the 1994 elections, he pursued a policy of no victimisation and no witch-hunting, much as Dr Cheddi Jagan had done here after our free and fair elections of 1992.

The latter, however, thought that actions such as not making any changes in the armed forces that had supported the dictatorial regime or not continuing to downsize the public service, would have led to national reconciliation.

While Mandela also allowed much of the white-dominated institutions to continue unchanged, he made a most important innovation: a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Spearheaded by Bishop Desmond Tutu, this institution more than anything helped South Africans move past the bitterness and rancour engendered after the violence and atrocities inflicted from both sides of their divide.

In Guyana, we have never been able to do the same, and rather than moving on, new reminders of old wounds are being established to remind constituencies of the divisive past. The monument to the victims of the Son Chapman tragedy of 1964 was only established in Linden last year by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), led by David Granger, a historian who has taken an unabashed anti-Mandela line to continue invoking old sores in his writings, speeches and actions.

Another parallel with Mandela and Dr Jagan is that while both of them were committed to a dominant role of the state in economic activities towards protecting the interest of the poor and the powerless, both pragmatically accepted the liberalisation, stabilisation of privatisation premises of the neo-liberal world order they found themselves enmeshed in during the 1990s.

Both countries achieved the economic stability that eluded some of their neighbours, but South Africa’s growth rate, averaging 3.5 per cent annually within the ambit of their 1996 economic framework, known as “Growth, Employment and Redistribution”, has drawn criticism for not achieving the ends implied in the goals – greater upliftment of the Blacks who continued to be excluded from the wealth of the country.

In Guyana, even though we have achieved higher growth rates, averaging five per cent, we also need to raise this to overcome the destruction of the economy wrought by the previous People’s National Congress (PNC) regime.

But we hope that all politicians will follow the example of Mandela towards this end and eschew sterile political oneupmanship.

First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar and members of the first family on Saturday joined Human Services Minister Jenifer Webster, other government ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and others at a “Night of Caroling” at State House, Main Street, Georgetown (Bisham Mohamed photo)

Mandela’s compassion, valour were supported by unusual physical stamina, mental acuity

Dear Editor, On behalf of citizens, councillors, staff of our capital, my wife Jennifer, family and myself, I express condolences to Nelson Mandela’s family, his colleagues, and the people of South Africa, on the loss of their revered son and a great soul.

With a characteristic fighting spirit, even after 95 odd years, he doggedly held on to life up to the end, so now he has bid us an earthy farewell, as he moves to a higher plateau, a place of eternal bliss and peace.

One philosopher reminded us that any generalisation which affirms the historical significance of outstanding human individuals can be thought of as the “Great Man Theory of History”, thus in every period of history certain individuals by their words and deeds, are outstanding history-making charismatic personalities, above the ordinary.

As an outstanding leader, freedom fighter and statesman, Mandela’s claim to greatness cannot be questioned. His compassion and valour were supported by his unusual physical stamina and mental acuity. These offer us a beacon of light to guide us along the pathway to a better world.

Many will recount his exploits, in particular his willingness to confront the awesome might of apartheid, and injustice – but then there was his healing hand

of magnanimity. When he became president of South Africa in 1994, his ability to forgive, while not forgetting, demonstrated true greatness. His resoluteness in the face of challenges, even from within, and those who sought revenge, was remarkable. This was no ordinary man.

My first acquaintance with Mandela was during the independence celebrations of the Republic of Namibia, in southern Africa on March 21, 1990. It was a moment of satisfaction since it signalled the dismantling of apartheid and imperialism in southern Africa. This former German protectorate under the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) leadership, was at last free.

Dignitaries from across the globe were present.

Mandela had just been released from prison, yet at state and other functions he was the centre of attraction.

Heads and diplomats were all dwarfed in the presence of this one man.

Incidentally he and other freedom fighters remembered Guyana’s strong support for their cause, and expressed their gratitude.

New President of Namibia Sam Nujoma and Mandela both spoke of their disappointment that Forbes Burnham had died and could not be present to share in this moment of glory.

Nujoma recalled his memorable visit to Guyana as the

special guest of Burnham.

Mandela was the personification of dignified majesty, the quintessence of African ancestral piety, resilience and deep spirituality. In spite of being put in jail, Mandela showed neither signs of hate nor revenge. He was now free to continue his work for peace and a just world.

It was, therefore, with a sense of pride to remind the group that the People’s National Congress (PNC) government had accorded Mandela Guyana’s highest national honour – the Order of Excellence, then on October 28, 1988, we renamed one of our major road links Mandela Avenue in his honour. The citation was “Hero in the Struggle for Freedom, Human Rights and Against Apartheid.”

As we mourn, let us pause to take a leaf out of his book, not with pious words but deeds. Of significance this man of indomitable will, 50 odd years ago, in the face of injustice, was forced to go underground, and later with others established an organisation to oppose corruption and injustice. It was known as Spear of the Nation – Umkhono We Sizwe. Beyond this we must remember how at the Rivonia trial he was facing the death sentence.

Also recall his statement from the dock on April 20, 1964. He reminded the court thus: “I am a convicted prisoner serving five years

for leaving the country without a permit and for inciting people to go on strike at the end of May 1961.”

After dealing extensively with the prosecutor’s case against him, his concluding remarks are of tremendous significance, he said, “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African People, and I have fought against white domination, and have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve, but if needs be it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

As we say farewell to Mandela his strong words must inspire and strengthen all of us, but in particular our young people, some of whom may be wilting under the weight of injustice, immorality and greed.

Our determination to dedicate our lives in the struggle for freedom, truth and justice, and further our willingness to die for them, will be our greatest tribute to Mandela. As he goes to join the great majority, we say, farewell, Dear Brother, you have fought a good fight.

So now I pray to let his soul rest in peace.

Yours faithfully, Hamilton Green Mayor of Georgetown

guyanatimesgy.com

sunday, december 8, 2013

5

You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Political negativity, or the return to socialism?

Dear Editor, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh has worked overtime to keep our economic growth steady. He has brought Guyana through the most agonising global economic downturn in modern history. The 2013 budget and a string of new measures presented in March of this year are beginning to pay off.

After intense lobbying from the private sector, the government took steps in reforming business and personal tax rates such as the reduction of Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax. Also the mortgage interest and reduction in personal property taxes has contributed to the housing boom we have experienced this year.

In addition, it created a pool of discretionary dollars for us to use to improve our well-being.

The goal of the 2013 budget was to expand the base of the middle class and ultimately achieve incremental wealth creation and

continued job growth. Poverty reduction is not just about more money for the vulnerable but giving them the opportunity to rise above their current levels.

All indications are that these measures are working and the benefits will be more realised in 2014 and beyond. The cap reduction on business property tax was long overdue and the measures were good supply-side measures especially for small businesses.

I can still remember the 1970s recession and mismanagement which induced pessimism all over our nation.

This had given way to some new thinking in 2001 when the “Reform” component joined the People’s National Congress (PNC). All this now is gone and the socialist and failed economic policies are back.

One just had to follow the negative response to the proposal by NEW GPC INC/CPL OPCO to acquire the cricket

and football ground in order to put forward a different approach to local sports and entertainment events. It was a business investment. That is what capitalism with a social conscience is all about.

When one has the money to spend why stop it. Jobs are created with any investment.

Somehow it seems like the dunce hats we use to make in school in the 1970s are still on the heads of those politicians of the past heads, that they continue to block initiatives that bring about jobs for our people.

In Georgetown, we constantly experience the mismanagement of the city and its consequences on the citizens. The unfounded negativity by the opposition politicians and certain sections of the media has led to our freedom of speech rights being turned into nasty politics and negative views on our country which will continue to deter foreign investments.

The structured economic plan and approach by the government have been tested constantly over the last two years and it is because of sound measures, we are still seeing growth in our economy. I reckon our economy would have performed more strongly had key programmes not been stifled.

The other main players in our economic drama, the opposition politicians, have for the entire year not presented any new measures but sloppy, slippery estimates of shadowy economic analysis as in the case of their rejection of one of the nation’s energy solutions – the Amaila Falls hydro project.

To date, they continue the negativity against Guyana with justification that it is what opposition politicians are supposed to do. What they keep failing to realise is when you are in opposition, it is an opportunity to present to the voting population why you

would be better in government. At least, we can all conclude now that their failure to do so is evident, but of more concern to the citizens is their anti-Guyana approach that is holding back stronger economic growth and job opportunities for our citizens.

As citizens, we must understand that Guyana does not have any amount of spare capacity in our economy, thus every unfounded negative policy against projects that will enhance growth must be rejected. Our economy will remain somewhat unbalanced until we reverse the trend of negative politics by the opposition parliamentarians, when they continuously cut capital projects that are put in place to ensure long term success for Guyana.

Voters need to weigh this type of pessimistic and negative politics in the future against the hope for long-term

growth that sees every citizen having the opportunity to benefit. We need to fix the roof while the sun is shining, and that was what the 1970s-80s politicians running APNU had failed to do.

I am glad the government and the finance minister have taken on the challenge to put measures in place to hold our economy together. Guyana is on a growth pattern where citizens are benefiting. The housing boom, lending rates, and increase in investment have trickled down to many citizens who are grabbing those opportunities.

We need all of us, the citizens of our nation to be optimistic, to ensure good management, good politics and a little luck that can see our country excel and be more competitive in our region.

Sincerely, Dr Peter R Ramsaroop

Corruption growing within the police force Dear Editor, There is growing corruption within the Guyana Police Force and the emergence of a new attitude that sees police ranks sharing sensitive and confidential information with members of the criminal enterprise.

Together, these two issues, if not addressed condignly, have the potential to undermine the efforts being made to cause a reduction in crime and criminality in Guyana. These sentiments were expressed recently by Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), Retired Justice Cecil

Kennard.

Kennard said that he is worried that public trust and confidence in the police as a constitutional entity is waning as more reports of complaints are being filed with his office. The issue, he asserts, that prevents successful prosecution and disciplinary action against the rogue ranks involved in corrupt practices, occurs when the complainants are afraid to testify because of fear of victimisation or being targeted by the colleagues of ranks involved.

Justice Kennard said that reports lodged at his of-

fice reveal that the police are accused of executing their duties with a lack of professionalism and their general conduct leaves much to be desired.

He condemned the use of indecent language, unnecessary force, thuggery and other forms of unnecessary coercion against citizens during the performance of their duties, explaining that this paints a bad image of the training that ranks have received.

Adding insult to injury, Kennard revealed that the new trend of behaviour that has seen some ranks leaking information to the press and

criminals about ongoing investigations and the movements of the force is a cause for concern.

Kennard said that the force has to become more stern and in instances where this is believed to be the case, must exhibit a no-tolerance approach which should see delinquent ranks being charged for revealing confidential information.

Kennard also believes that if issues of bribery, payments for favours, payments for nonprosecution of crimes and such like continue, then the fight against crime and criminality will be lost.

He said that while he recognises the efforts of the current Commissioner of Police, Leroy Brumell and other top brass of the Guyana Police Force, they cannot be expected to be at every nook and cranny or in every way to pick up instances when the police exhibit unprofessionalism or are involved in corrupt practices.

He said that the salaries they receive in return for performing their respective duties is no excuse for engaging in illegal activities that taint the image of the force.

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee has urged the commissioner to act quickly

to address the public perception that Guyanese police are mostly unprofessional and corrupt. He has stated publicly that citizens need to come forward and give evidence and to assist the force in fighting corruption.

His ministry has also launched an initiative which is aimed at creating a mechanism through which citizens can report corrupt practices of police and holders of public offices. Let us therefore hope that the corruption within the police force will be stopped.

Sincerely, Annalisa Ally

6

sunday, december 8, 2013

Page

Foundation

Health HOW “To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Gautama the Buddha

Anu Dev

W

ell, some may think it’s the time to be jolly and all that but for others it’s that time of the year when the denizens of universities are gearing up for finals. Trying to force in all of the work from the semester into the old grey matter. No jollity here, I can tell you! It’s times like these that I miss QC’s tradition of only having course-work for the first term.

But up to now (three whole months!) medicine is fascinating. And I haven’t been grossed out by anything yet. I found it interesting that they plugged in “Medical Ethics” right up front...does it become a dim memory by the time we finish?

I was also struck by how finely balanced all our regulatory systems are, ensuring that all of the processes in our body are in sync. And by how elaborate our immune system is to prevent us from getting sick all of the time.

There are an awful lot of bacteria and viruses out there launching attacks on us, but we don’t spend every waking moment sick, do we? That’s because our immune system

guyanatimesgy.com

is fighting off the invaders all the time.

And I realised how much we take these things for granted. We eat what we want, when we want, not caring about what the nutritional content of the food or our irregular eating times might be doing to our bodies. Or we adopt a sedentary, couch potato lifestyle. And while we take in the car every 3000 miles for the oil and filter change, we don’t make regular check-ups with our doctor just to check if the systems are OK. Until we get sick, that is.

But being healthy isn’t just about being physically healthy. The WHO defines

health as, “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

There might be interminable arguments by philosophers about where the mind might be located but there’s no question mental health is as important for normalfunctioning as any of the other aspects of health. Mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” (OK...that one’s

from the text!)

What about social health...we are social beings, aren’t we? Well that deals with your lifestyle choices. Do you want to die early from lung cancer? Then by all means, keep chain-smoking those cigarettes. But secondary smoking is even deadlier to those around. So just quit! Smoking and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol are all lifestyle choices that you should say no to, if you (or those around you) want to stay healthy. Remember alcohol and domestic violence are highly correlated.

Other decisions you can make about your lifestyle are about the food you each.

Eat smarter, eat healthier. In Guyana, we’re at high risk for diseases like hypertension and diabetes. These diseases don’t have absolute cures, just ways to manage the illness. So let’s take preventative measures to prevent ourselves from getting these diseases.

We really should be focusing more on prevention, rather than just treatment.

And there are little everyday things that persons could be a little more aware of. Things like sneezing or coughing into a tissue. Germs, remember? The importance of washing your hands is something that cannot be stressed enough. And while we’re on the subject of hands, nail-biters really should ease up – it really isn’t sanitary, not to mention unsightly. Laughter’s a better way to deal with tension.

TO

be respectful

B

eing respectful tells people you not only care about others, but you care about yourself. The most important part of being respectful is respecting yourself; if you don’t, people won’t respect you.

Being respectful is something that should be incorporated into your everyday lifestyle and part of your regular social skills. Being respectful is shown in a lot more ways than just using your “please” and “thank you.” You also need to feel respect for someone even if they don’t respect themselves or you. Or at least act like it. Remember – It takes respect to earn respect. Here are a few steps that also would help you learn how to be respectful.

First you need to show kindness and courtesy. Always consider the next person’s position and feelings before reacting.

Offering a seat to the elderly, crippled, or simply helping a child to cross the street is a simple act of kindness and courtesy.

Stand in a well-mannered position during a conversation: Always stand in a well-mannered position during a conversation (For example, when you are having a conversation with one of your friends).

Also maintain eye contact as these two things are one of the important aspects of showing respect. These also tell how much you are interested in the conversation.

You need to have manners; to be respectful because manners are a part of being respectful. Good manners include not speaking unless spoken to, showing regard and concern for the elderly, etc. Offering a

guest something to eat or drink also reflects good manners and upbringing.

You should ask permission before using someone’s property. If you don’t, this can be considered as stealing. It is also considered rude and inconsiderate to help yourself freely to anything that does not belong to you.

Think before you speak. Always contemplate if your words are going to hurt someone. We sometimes tend to speak out of turn, which is entirely not a good thing to do.

Always use the basics: please, thank you, and so on.

This forms a great part of being polite and at the same time helps create warmth and compassion.

Try to have respectful friends. Always remember we are judged by the company we keep.

Be respectful to others even if they’re not respectful to you. Show patience and humility. The other person may learn something from you. This does not imply becoming a doormat.

The first step of being respected is respecting yourself. Be respectful to yourself, or others will not respect you, or take advantage of you.

Never insult anyone or say something that may offend them. Even when angry, keep your hostility in check. You do not want to have regrets later, when the damage has already been done.

Do not insubordinate or disobey a figure of authority. Authority is there for a reason. We need to relish and feast on the wisdom of authority figures. (WikiHow)

news

7

SUNday, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

President lauds GBTI commissions Caricom’s contributions multimillion-dollar to region branch at Port Mourant

President Donald Ramotar and Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque toast to the organisation’s 40th anniversary The Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) donates several bins to the Port Mourant Primary School at the commissioning of its branch in Port Mourant on Saturday

T

A section of the gathering at the commissioning

he Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) in keeping with its name on Saturday opened its second branch in East Berbice and 12th overall in the country.

Addressing the occasion, GBTI Chief Executive Officer John Tracy, said the location is strategic, pointing out that it is next to a market.

He said the new branch will have a different business approach compared to the other banks in Berbice.

“We will be bringing to you the latest technical products and services, and

in so doing, the bank will be opened on Saturday so you can come and do your banking on Saturdays.

However, we will still have what is called conservative banking, which allows you to do banking and not come to the bank at all.”

GBTI Chairman Robin Stoby explained that GBTI is now focusing on renting buildings to establish branches and not investing millions on developing real estate.

The bank spent some $50 million to convert the building housing the new branch, and Stoby said the

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh speaking at the commissioning

facility will focus on the housing sector and microenterprise development, among other things.

“The family-owned businesses are traditional in Guyana and have a great part to play in the lives of people in the community.

In this regard, apart from the financing that we make available, we have conducted business workshops at all of our locations in which we discuss with customers issues such as record keeping, preparation of financial statements, cash management and banking; we make the business of the business workshop an annual activity and we intend to do so at this location.”

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said the new branch is a signal that GBTI is responding to emerging opportunities, and reflects the bank’s confidence in the local economy.

“The financial sector is a good barometer... to growth of an economy. When one sees growth in the financial sector, one will be cor-

rect in concluding that the economy is growing and prospering,” he said.

The minister called on business persons to utilise modern banking services to carry out transactions rather than moving around with large sums of cash.

“If entrepreneurs utilise some of the services which banks, including GBTI are offering then they can prevent some of the robberies which we read about in the newspapers.”

The minister also lauded GBTI, which will soon introduce the switch, a system that allows persons to use their banking cards at an ATM, irrespective of which bank they have an account.

“So if your bank has a long line, you can some here and do your transaction,” he told the sizable gathering.

Region Six Deputy Regional Executive Officer Imran Ali in brief remarks thanked GBTI for its confidence in Region Six, where it now has two branches.

T

he efforts of Caricom and the resultant benefits to the Caribbean and its people were acknowledged by President Donald Ramotar when he delivered brief remarks at a simple ceremony on Friday at the Princess International Hotel, to mark the body's 40th year of service to the region.

The president said that he recognised the organisation’s work in making the dream of closer and stronger ties, among member states, a reality. This was a dream shared, both, by regional leaders, past and present, he added.

“In this globalised world, the need for us to have stronger and closer relations is very important. We have the conditions to help move us closer together, we have a common history, and I detect too, that among the ordinary people of the region, they desire that we come closer together as one Caribbean people.”

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, addressing invitees who included many former staffers, said the organisation had a lot to celebrate. He

listed some of the achievements which included the formation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), collaboration in the fields of agriculture, security, environmental education and an increasingly stronger international presence.

“It is clear we have a lot to celebrate and we are also certain that there is a lot more to be achieved. At this junction in our journey, we are seeking to position ourselves as a community, to be better able to deliver a few more tangible benefits to our people in the next 40 years and beyond.”

Caricom staffers, who the secretary general described as having served with commitment and unflinching dedication for 20 years or more, were honoured with various tokens and awards for their long service to the organisation and the region.

In 1972, Commonwealth Caribbean leaders at the Seventh Heads of Government Conference decided to transform the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) into a Common Market and establish the Caribbean Community.

8 news

SUNday, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Woman succumbs to beating from jealous lover

A

mother of five was beaten to death on Friday evening by a man with whom she shared a relationship, moments after he went to her home at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice and saw her talking to a male friend.

The dead woman was identified as Jasmattie Dowlatram, 26, also called “Mamo”, of lot 432 Ankerville Village, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice while the suspect, Joseph Singh called “Toni”, 32, of Lot 10 Sewdin Street, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne was arrested.

According to information received, the suspect, a cattle rancher and the now dead woman shared an intimate relationship for the past six years, and he would frequent her home.

However, on Friday,

the suspect went to Dowlatram’s home and saw her conversing with another man in her yard. Upon seeing this, Singh got upset and the man with whom his lover was chatting with bolted from the scene.

But that did not calm Singh down. He took Dolatram to a lonely area south of Ankerville, where he questioned her about the man.

Reports gathered revealed that Singh became annoyed, armed himself with a piece of wood and dealt her several lashes about her head and body.

As a result of the lashes, the woman fell into a nearby drain in an unconscious state.

He then picked her up, placed her on his bicycle and took her to the Port Mourant Hospital, where

she was seen and examined by a doctor, but succumbed while receiving treatment.

The woman suffered a wound to her face and head and a fractured left arm.

A piece of wood measuring three feet, 10 inches in length was taken by the police as the suspected murder weapon.

Nirvani Dolatram, a sister of the dead woman said about 04:00h on Saturday morning, she received a telephone call from a friend informing her that her sister was murdered by “Toni”.

Nirvani said she panicked and immediately left home and went to the Port Mourant Hospital, but by the time she arrived there, her sister’s body was already taken to Ramoo’s Funeral Home.

There, she positively identified her sister, claim-

ing that she had several marks of violence about her body.

“We hear that Toni tek meh sister to the hospital and he tell the nurses what happen… the nurse say that they call the police… they arrest he and he tek them to the place that he beat Mamo… he then show the police the wood that he use to beat she.”

The now dead woman’s husband, Naimchand Ram and her father, Haimchand Dowlatram, both died tragically last January. They drowned after their fishing vessel capsized in the vicinity of Kilcoy, Mahaicony.

Mamo leaves to mourn her five children and several siblings. A post-mortem is expected to be performed on her remains on Monday.

Eyew tness Much ado...

...about MoUs ometimes one wonders how’s anything to be achieved in this country when every initiative for development is branded as being corrupt and underhanded. And to rub salt into the wound, without even a gesture at comprehending the modalities of what is going on.

Take for instance, the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) signed between the government of Guyana and two foreign firms – one from India (DY Patil Group) and the other from China (China Paper).

Now it’s no secret that these two countries – the first and second most populous in the world – are also the two fastest growing economies. Their population growth and rising incomes have dictated a focus on securing resources to fuel their growth and food security needs.

They’ve been active on every one of the continents in this search whether through private firms (India) or private/state firms (China). So every country and everybody knows what they want.

Countries have been lining up for them to become involved for all sorts of reasons.

The main one being that even before economies of the western countries tanked in 2008, they hadn’t exactly been lining up to get involved in fostering agriculture and low grade technological investments that the lesser developed countries needed. They, after all, are basically self-sufficient in food production – and our products like sugar and rice are basically non-essential to them. So we’re off their radar.

China and India, however, do want agricultural products – especially the ones our tropical climate can deliver. So we have common interests. Now for the MoUs about which there’s been such a hue and cry: started by the Stabber News and their house-broken political proxy Dr Rupert Roopnaraine of APNU (the MuckrakerKN has Joe Harmon and Khemraj Ramjattan for that role...they all get a small piece).

If they weren’t such paper pushers and had the slightest acquaintance with business practices they’d know that a MoU is a very preliminary agreement – a gentlemen’s handshake, if you will – about the subject in question.

It’s not legally binding. In projects like the large agricultural ones under purview, the firms would’ve indicated their broad interest and would’ve been given permission to conduct, as the DY Patil spokesperson said, tests and feasibility studies, among others.

The Stabber jumped from China Paper’s advertisement seeking environmental specialists to concluding that they’ve moved “beyond the MoU”. Wanker!! They could just be desirous of conducting environmental impact tests. But in the climate of hostility towards the government created, it won’t be surprising if these international firms move elsewhere with their financial and technological resources.

And we’ll remain with our vaunted “potential”.

Holding wood.

S

...about strikes The civil servants are at it again...that is, at not being “civil”. They’re threatening to strike...that is, to stop working. With their approach to the concept of “work”, if they remained at their desks...we’d never know. Unless, of course, they put their head down and go to sleep, which they mostly do.

But from what we’ve been seeing, this time it looks like they’re going out into the streets – and if its anything like the last time – 1999, it’s going to be downright nasty.

With the “civil” servants, screaming and cursing and generally behaving bad.

The last time, they demanded a 30 per cent pay increase and Dr Henry Jeffrey appointed two fellas – who we can now see were his soul mates and who promptly gifted the “uncivil” servants whatever they asked for – and then some.

Well, like they say, “this time na lang time”. And there’s a whole lotta folks who believe it might be the time to find out whether we need all these “servants”.

Might be time to give them their freedom. ...Bourda While Bourda does have a glorious history, so did Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. But when the South Bronx neighbourhood went to the dogs...the owner of the team simply moved across the river to New Jersey. A lesson here for Guyana?

NEWS

9

SUNday, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Rose Hall teen stabbed Simply the Truth in the back Constructive things A I teenager is battling for his life in the Emergency Unit of the New Amsterdam Hospital after he was stabbed several times by three men at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice, on Friday evening.

The three, men led by one “Johncona”, have since been evading police.

Amzad Singh, 19, of Sharple Street Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice, was stabbed over an old grievance.

Reports received revealed that Singh and one of the suspects identified as Leon (only name given) had an argument sometime back at their work place at Hampshire Village, Corentyne.

The injured man reportedly told investigators that he left home about 18:30h on Friday evening and was heading to Spready’s Snackette, Port Mourant to purchase snacks.

On his way home, he was confronted by the three suspects who were on separate bicycles and out of fear, he attempted to escape, running in the direction of Church's Chicken. Upon looking back, he saw the men and decided to run into a street, but the three suspects caught up with him.

Leon reported held on to him, while the other two un-

Amzad Singh

identified men stabbed him in the back and made good their escape.

Singh reportedly ran out to the public road where he met his uncle Kissoon Jaipaul, a watchman of Rose Hall Town, who took him to Port Mourant Hospital, where he was seen and examined by a doctor.

He was transferred to New Amsterdam Hospital.

The police have launched an investigation, but no one was arrested.

Unfortunate news

Amzad’s mother Tajwattie Singh told this publications that she sent him to purchase a piece of chicken at Spready’s, but about 30 minutes after, a

friend rushed to her home and told her that her son was stabbed and advised her to visit the Port Mourant Hospital.

At the hospital, she explained that her son was being attended to by doctors and nurses, and as such, she was not allowed to see him.

After a few minutes elapsed, she was given permission to visit her son who was conscious.

“When me ask he what happen, he said that the same three people who he had a problem with about three months ago… Dem de bust he head and he had to get stitches on head… The police de ask me if I want continue the matter but I tell them no because they say meh son had to pay $5000.”

On the day in question, the young man reportedly told his mother that he was on his way home when the three suspects pulled him in a corner; threw him on the ground and started to beat him. They then pulled out a knife and stabbed him several times.

“He is in a real critical condition… he lost a lot of blood… we mek a report at Whim Police Station but de police went and tek a statement from he,” the angry mother said. The police are investigating the matter.

Somerset and Berks resident narrowly escapes venomous snake shocked to see a huge snake ready to strike him.

She said he screamed and family members quickly surrounded the freezer and killed the reptile. The snake was devouring a bird in the freezer. Junior’s family is involved in farming and lives close to the bushy sea dam.

The snake that almost killed Somerset and Berks resident Collin Junior

A

labourer from Somerset and Berks on the Essequibo Coast is thanking God for his life after he narrowly escaped death from the “fangs” of a brown Diamond Head snake.

According to Colin Junior, a member of the Voice of Faith Miracle Ministries, it was God who saved him from the poisonous reptile. Junior said if he was bitten by the snake, it would have been a premature departure for him on Earth.

Patrina Stephen, a sister of the man, said she is thanking Jesus Christ for

saving her brother’s life.

The seven foot snake was killed at the Somerset and Berks sea dam embankment, which is situated some two miles from the public road.

According to Stephen, who lives with her family next to the sea dam embankment, the huge venomous snake was noticed in an old freezer near their house on Wednesday.

She said her brother was searching for a bag to put crabs and he pushed his hand in the freezer without looking. She said when Junior pulled out his hand and looked into the freezer, he was

Professor Daizal Samad

f we complain about 50 things, we should at least suggest one potential solution. As administrators, we should welcome the complaints. But we should insist on just one potential solution. And then we act!

Immediately!

In five years, I have an ocean of complaints, but just a cupful of potential solutions. It is significant that almost all the complaints are about the personal benefit of those that complain. It is rarely about anyone else. It is certainly not about this country and its handful of citizens. When did we become a nation of wimps and whiners, of creeps and crawlers?

Let us make a few constructive suggestions, even though it would not advance our careers, give us big houses, lend us power, nor put money in our pockets. These are suggestions that, if taken on board by our lawmakers (gosh, that is so U.S.A.!), may assist our nation to move forward with pride.

Let us talk about power.

In 2009, Qatar invited what they estimated to be the finest education and civic leaders. They were meant to look at ways forward in terms of technology, education, and global development.

The Big Fellahs were invited: Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Gerhardt Shroeder, Tony Blair, the Indian genius who designed “The Hole in the Wall” Project Sugata Mitra, the young man who invented Twitter Jack Dorsey, and so on. They were all invited by Her Royal Majesty Al-Thani, Crown Princess of Qatar.

I was invited, and my mini-world tour paid for.

Toronto. New York. India.

China. Qatar. And round again. Not a single cent came from Guyanese taxpayers!

I was then Director of the University of Guyana (UG) Berbice Campus.

Professor Daizal Samad

But make no mistake about it. I was not invited because of Guyana. No one else from the West Indies (save one) nor South America was invited. I believe that I was invited because I was the former Senior Advisor for Higher Education in the Sultanate of Oman.

At that assembly of movers and shakers, I met the person who had invented and patented the Under Water Torrent Turbine (WTT).

He is from Nova Scotia in North East Canada where I had spent some 15 years. He talked about his invention, I talked about Guyana, Land of Many Waters. The perfect match.

Simply, here is how it works. The turbine is embedded into the river bed, so that there is no interruption of boat traffic. It generates electricity from the current – and we know that Guyana’s rivers are always on the move!

The technology is cheap, environmentally friendly, and as dependable as our rivers.

Embed one in the Corentyne River and feed the whole of Corentyne up to Number 19, say. Then we export electricity to Suriname.

Income for Guyana! Similar WTTs could be embedded into the Demerara and Essequibo Rivers.

Then smaller fit-for-purpose WTTs

are designed for our interior.

Once we have cheap, dependable, clean energy, we negotiate with Malaysia.

Malaysia makes a car called the Proton. It is ranked with the Toyota, but it is cheaper (I owned a few when I lived in Malaysia).

We negotiate with Malaysia to open a car assembly plant here in Guyana.

We now have cheap, good cars. And we export! More money for Guyana. We are not dreaming here. The technology is there.

Another constructive suggestion. We all know about this scourge called domestic violence and child abuse. It seems to get worse with each passing day. These conferences, seminars, workshops and vigils have no impact whatsoever. Talk and more talk, then people leave to back to where they came from.

The first people we blame, of course, is the police. After all, the police are not husbands and wives and mothers and fathers and sons and daughters! They are just machines in uniforms. The frustrations they suffer seem separate from our suffering.

Rubbish!

For domestic violence and child abuse, let us form a Special Victim Unit.

Guyana sends five handpicked law enforcement officers (I could name them!!) to be trained by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

They come back after three months of intensive training and teach 25 other chosen officers. We spread them out across the country in strategic locations – and we provide the scientific tools. This is not only to remedy, but prevent and pre-empt.

The scourge will not end, but we lessen all of it. Let us stop wimping and whining, conferencing and holding nice flashlights in vigils. We act! And act now!

More later.

10 news Ramotar, Webster call for united stand against domestic violence SUNday, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

and killed. Domestic violence has no colour, creed, race o religion and that is why we need to unite and fight it.”

Anger not the answer

Human Services and Social Security Minister Jenifer Webster (left in second row) and First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar (at her right) join others in the march against violence against women

F

irst Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar and Human Services and Social Security Minister Jenifer Webster on Friday joined their voices with numerous persons from non-governmental organisations, civil society, government ministries and the University of Guyana to denounce violence in all forms and call for a united stand against the scourge.

The voices of women and men could be heard along city streets as they marched along High Street, D’Urban and Joseph Pollydore Streets, and Mandela Avenue, ending at the National Cultural Centre as part of the 16 days of Activism to End Violence Against Women.

The period of activism from November 25, to December 10 is being observed in Guyana by the Labour, Human Services and Social Security Ministry and its many partners.

Among the organisations joining the walk and rally were the University of Guyana’s Sociology

Department, the Women and Gender Equality Commission, The Witness Project, Police Wives Association, Guyana Police Force, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), the Women’s Progressive Organisation, Artistes in Direct Support, the National AIDS Secretariat, the Tactical Services Unit, the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute, the Guyana Bible Society, and various departments from the Labour, Human Services and Social Security Ministry.

Collective effort

First Lady Ramotar commended the grouping and noted that while government has developed strategies and expended funds to combat violence, there is need for greater involvement at the personal and community levels. “Let us make this a collective effort and be concerned about what is happening around us,” she urged.

Thus far in 2013, 15

women were killed as a result of domestic violence, They are Molly James, 34; Bhanmattie Devin Bacchus, 28; Samantha Bagot, 37; Parbattie Mangroo, 19; Maryann Sunita Nauth, 30; Geeta Bissoondyal, 28; Shaneza Ramdat, 23; Gweneth Alexander, 18; Vanessa Richmond James, 26; Angela McAllister, 17; Maharanie Parmanand, 47; Tameshwarie Narharry, 51; Shanta Devi Persaud, 36; Sherry Ann Tiwari, 23; and Siromanie Nadia Loaknauth, 42.

Expressing sadness at the passing of these women and empathising with the numerous other women maimed and injured as a result of domestic violence, Minister Webster urged, “Women if you see the signs, walk away. Do not stay in abusive relationships. Domestic violence is on the rise and we must work together to put an end to it. It should have no place in our society. As a people we cannot continue to just look on and see our women and children being abused

She urged men to be more loving and supportive of women and to resolve difference in a mature and responsible manner. “I am aware that men have challenges too, but anger is not the answer. We have to solve difference differently. There are places and people men can go to, the Men’s Affairs Bureau, religious bodies and NGOs. Let’s talk through the problem and do not resort to violence.”

She also encouraged men to think before they act because in most cases when women are killed, children are left behind to suffer.

Women’s Affairs Bureau Administrator Hymawattie Lagan also called for stronger action at all levels to eliminate violence, noting that it is everyone’s business.

Men’s Affairs Bureau Administrator Diego Alphonso appealed to men and boys in need of help to utilise the services of the men’s bureau.

Their messages were reinforced by University of Guyana sociology lecturer Shonell Smith-Eone in a fitting calypso, while her students dramatised the effects of domestic violence on women. Sabrina Pollard also recited a poem on domestic violence, written by her mother Zairool Neisha.

The grouping also released purple balloons in memory of those who lost their lives and white ones as well to promote peace.

Counting

S

atiricus was simpatico. On two days last week, the MuckrakerKN had to apologise for making a mistake in counting. Basic counting. Like 1-2-3...they claimed the Education Ministry overpaid contractors to the tune of $1.5 billion when in fact all they had overpaid was $1.5 million. You couldn’t even build a latrine with $1.5 million.

But even when the Muckraker said “sorry” and “beg pardon”, they still couldn’t get it right. Satiricus was never a maths whiz at school...he still had nightmares about algebra.

But something had to be wrong with someone over at the MuckrakerKN. How the heck you could mix up “billions” for “millions”? And then “millions” for “thousands”?

So Satiricus wandered over to the back street bar where he knew Teacher Samad would be bending his elbows. This being Friday afternoon and all. Samad might have an answer.

Or one of the gang.

“Budday!! That is not a math problem...that is a “bad mindedness” problem,” said Samad after Satiricus brought him up to date.

“What you mean? It look like they don’t know the difference between “billion” and “million”. And when they apologise, they say the ministry really overpay “thousands”.

So it look like they don’t know about thousands too.”

“Sato...Sato...Sato. When you gon learn,” Cappo chipped in. “Listen to Samad.”

“Sato, my friend. It’s all about a man who want to bring down the government,” said Samad. “The man who own the MuckrakerKN – Mook Lall.”

“Well, the Mook never went to school. Why you think they call him “Mook”?” retorted Satiricus, “Maybe he get confused with all them noughts.”

Cappo couldn’t contain himself, “You think a man who bin backtracking fuh 20 year na know about thousand and million? Ah wha wrang wid you, bai?”

Samad continued, “The Mook know when he print a big headline on the MuckrakerKN front page that the government overpay “billions”...everybody gon think is corruption with they friends!”

“And when he print that lil piece “apology” inside the paper...nobody gon see that,” interrupted Suresh. “People gon still think the government givin’ away money to dey friends.”

“But pick sense fram nonsense, Sato,” piped up Cappo.

“How dey could write dat the government overpay $885 million pon one school lab in Essequibo? Da kinda money can build wan skyscraper much less wan school lab.”

“And, Sato, me friend, newspaper don’t print a story just like that. The editor does check. Then the sub-editor does check...then the proof-reader does check,” pointed out Samad. “This was a cook up story.”

“But Mook Lall don’t mind he look stupid?” questioned Satiricus.

“He born looking schupid. But he want Pressie Donald and de government fuh look schupid,” concluded Cappo. “Schupid people like company!”

Local Govt Ministry receives revised Solid Waste Management Bill

L

ocal Government and Regional Development Minister Ganga Persaud said the ministry is in receipt from the attorney general's chambers, the revised Solid Waste Management Bill.

The bill, which was brought before the National Assembly in 2012, was sent to the attorney general’s chambers for further modification and clarification.

Minister Persaud said he has made copies of the document and has sent them to Opposition Leader David Granger, Alliance For Change leader Khemraj Ramjattan and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) shadow local government minister, Ronald Bulkan.

Minister Persaud said he has requested of the parliamentarians that they analyse and read the document

and to offer their comments and guidance so that they can work together, so that when the bill again reaches the National Assembly, there will be little or no difficulty in terms of understanding its content.

The Solid Waste Management Bill seeks to establish a single authority at the national level that will enforce, make policies and decisions, review and analyse the entire solid waste management system in the country.

Minister Persaud said he does not perceive too much difficulty with regards to the bill, particularly in Parliament, for the reason that some of the persons who worked on it are now members of the opposition and will be able to explain the contents to their party members.

news

98 men abused by their women seek help G

uyana has over the years seen an increase in domestic violence with not only women and children being affected, but men as well.

Help and Shelter coordinator Margaret Kertzious said more male victims are becoming conscious of their plight and instead of behaving violent, they are seeking counselling.

Thus far in the year, some 98 men have visited the organisation’s Crises Service Centre to seek help. Kertzious said men need to put their pride behind them and seek help when needed.

She said that out of the 98 men, quite a number of them were referred to the centre by the magistrate’s courts, which saw it fit for them to be counselled.

Apart from the counselling programme, she noted that the Callin-Centre also caters for men who were battered by their spouses.

A few years ago, men were reluctant to report a domestic violence case against them to the police, or seek counselling for abuse meted out to them at the hands of their wives or girlfriends, but this lofty approach is rapidly changing.

Kertzious stated that there is no one-off solution to domestic violence as it requires a few days, weeks or even months to be addressed at a person-by-person level.

With a capacity to house 46 people, Help and Shelter has been in operation for the past 17 years, diligently serving the Guyanese

Help and Shelter Coordinator Margaret Kertzious

public.

The coordinator explained that facts cannot be swept under the carpet since a high percentage of women and children are being abused on a daily basis. As seen in the media, she disclosed that lack of education and public programmes might have contributed tremendously to the upsurge in domestic violence.

Financial insecurity

She said while women have a right to end an abusive relationship, they are forced to stay and

endure the abuse as a result of financial insecurity.

“If they are to leave, it means that they will have to be financially capable of carrying on their lives but once they are accustomed to being supported by their spouses, it is high probability that they will stay.”

She also added that there are other factors that might lead to women staying in an abusive relationship, highlighting mental, emotionally and psychological connections as a few. More importantly, woman might endure the abuse for the sake of their children.

In addition, she stated that woman can be easily lured to return to an abusive home which they would have left.

“In most cases, women go back with their abused spouses who promise to change their life styles, but the majority lack financial independence.”

As part of empowering woman, Help and Shelter has been training women in various skill areas to move on in life. She added that a relationship is a two-way street and while domestic violence affects women and men, it will ultimately affect the children who in most cases are severely affected.

Kertzious reiterated that once funding becomes available, they will continue to sensitise the public on the various programmes that are available to curb domestic violence since the organisation believes that not much is being done.

11

SUNday, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

TT prime minister to represent Caricom at Mandela’s memorial service

TT Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar

C

aricom heads of government chair and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will represent the community at the official state memorial service to be held on Tuesday in Johannesburg, for South Africa’s first democraticallyelected President Nelson Mandela.

The heads of government of The Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica and Suriname will also be in attendance at that memorial. Grenada will be represented by its deputy prime minister. The president of Haiti will travel to South Africa for the state funeral to be held on December 15.

Caricom, through messages from its chair, other heads of government of the community and through the secretary gener-

al, joined the rest of the world in mourning the death and honouring the life of Mandela and in extending deepest condolences to his widow Graca Machel and the entire Mandela family as well as to the government and people of South Africa.

According to Persad-Bissessar, “Mr Mandela displayed qualities which defined the zenith of human behaviour. Forgiveness, humility, integrity and undying love for his fellow human beings, particularly for his country and its people were his hallmark. He led a life that which may make emulation almost impossible. His struggles, redemption and victory took us to the zenith of human possibility and left a legacy of inestimable value to the world.”

The Caribbean Community was privileged to have Mandela grace its 25th anniversary celebrations in Saint Lucia, in 1998, where he met with heads of government. His buoyant spirit and ebullient sense of humour endeared him to all, exemplified as he rose from his seat and danced to the music at the concert to mark the occasion.

The simplicity with which he conducted his life shone through in the manner in which he interacted with all who came into contact with him. His example of sacrifice for principle and ideals in defiance of unspeakable atrocities meted out to his people and denial of his own liberty has inspired millions around the world. His stature was defined by his policy of reconciliation without recrimination and bitterness.

12 news

sunDAY, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Policeman drives away with spanking Canadiannew motor car in Courts promotion Guyanese receives multicultural W award

By Carl Croker

Narine Dat Sookram

T

he Guelph and District Multicultural Award is given each year to citizens who have made an impact in the community, where their initiative has been to welcome diversity and inclusion.

Guyanese-born, Narine Dat Sookram received the prestigious award earlier this year and has become the first Guyanese to be bestowed with this honour.

Sookram said that hate and cultural conflict tend to divide people, but respect, inclusion and understanding help to unite community.

He noted that multiculturalism strengthens community through cultural events which brings cross cultural understanding and the elimination of racism.

Multiculturalism is nothing new to Sookram and it represents equality, he said. Sookram said living

in Canada does not deny his right to maintain or explore his Guyanese cultural heritage. In fact, for this reason, he initiated the annually prestigious Caribbean Dream Concert in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

Sookram noted that all have a culture regardless of where one lives, and it should be strengthened as the understanding that unity can be achieved through diversity.

He said being a Guyanese-Canadian means that he has the right to be proud of his home country, Guyana and his place of citizenship, Canada, to celebrate both cultural heritage.

“It’s like have the best of both worlds”, he said.

Sookram, who migrated to Canada two decades ago, understands how newcomers are faced with making considerable adjustments to a new society.

However, he also knows that they also contribute to the social, economic and political fabric of Canadian society as well. Sookram said that multiculturalism promotes the integration of newcomers into a developing community.

“The community we live in today is different from the community 50 years ago and will be different from the community of the future,” he said.

The multicultural cultural award winner has received many prestigious awards, including the Who’s Who in the World, TIAW World of Difference 100 Award, Canada’s Top 25 Immigrant and Mohawk Alumni of Distinction.

hen 26-year-old Fazil Mohamed walked into the Courts Main Street branch Saturday last, to purchase a 26” flat screen TCL TV, he did not expect to win the brand new Mazda Demio motor car the store had on display.

But luck was in his favour, and a distant dream became reality.

The father of one, who hails from Eccles, turned up at the Main Street store on Friday, taking time off from his normal hectic traffic duties and clad in his blue and black police uniform, to collect the keys to his brand new ride, after being informed of his good luck the day before.

Mohamed, who is normally seen at the corners of Regent and King streets

monitoring traffic, said he is elated at the fact that his transportation woes are now over, relating that it has always been his dream to acquire a car, and had planned that by the time he reaches 30, he would have saved enough to purchase one.

He learnt of his good fortune through a call while on duty and found it difficult to keep his cool for the rest of the shift as he could not wait to break the good news to his family.

“I always say what is for me in life I will get it one good day,” he said, trying to maintain his composure.

The Creative Life (TCL) collaborated with Courts this year in making this Christmas promotion a reality. Customers, who buy any TCL 32” brand television from any Courts store

Courts Main Street store Manager Pamela Humphrey hands over the car keys to Fazil Mohamed in the presence of Marketing Director Mani Rampersaud and Finance Director Steve Nauth

across the country, gets a chance to win one of two cars. Mohamed was the winner of the first.

Courts Marketing Director Mani Rampersaud in a brief statement said that this is testimony to

the store giving back to customers and took the opportunity to encourage shoppers to keep shopping, to get a chance to be like Mohamed and drive away a brand new car. The next draw is at month-end.

China Harbour receives prestigious award in Jamaica

C

hina Harbour E n g i n e e r i n g Company (CHEC) was recently awarded the prestigious Jamaica Institution of Engineers Project of the Year Award 2013.

The company was presented with the award for its outstanding work on the Westmoreland Bridge in St Mary, Jamaica.

The award represents a significant milestone for CHEC. It is the first award presented to the company’s Caribbean and Latin America Division since its establishment in April 2010 at the start of the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP).

The Westmoreland Bridge is one of the main projects executed under JDIP. Regional and Project Manager Zhongdong Tang expressed gratitude on receiving the award.

“We are truly honoured

Jamaica’s Project Implementation Manager for China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), Peter Chen (second left) is pleased to receive the “Award for the Project of the Year 2013” from Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE) Past President, Dr David Smith (left), at the JIE Annual Awards Dinner at the Jamaica Pegasus on Thursday. Joining in the moment are JIE President, Dr Noel Brown (far right), CHEC’s North-South Highway Deputy Manager Jinfu Zhu (second right) and CHEC North-South Highway Project Quality Control Manager Ryan Smith (middle)

to receive this top award from our colleagues at the JIE as it shows appreciation for our contribution to the

infrastructure development of Jamaica.”

Tang added: “We achieved this accolade

through our partnership with the government of Jamaica, including the engineers at the National Works Agency who worked with us on the bridge, and the efforts of the diligent workers from the community in St Mary that were committed to this project.”

The 187.6 metres long Westmoreland Bridge which connects the townships of Richmond, Highgate, among others, to the Junction Road in Georgia, St Mary was completed in August 2013. The completion of the bridge has since reduced the burden placed on commuters who were forced to travel longer distances to reach their destinations on the other side of Wag Water River; a task which also proved costly.

The Westmoreland Bridge is the second major bridge constructed by CHEC for the Jamaican government, the first being the Rio Grande Bridge. Both projects were properly executed and completed on time by both the Chinese and locals who worked in unison.

The Westmoreland Bridge is designed with six spans, supported by seven piers and a superstructure made of pre-stressed, post-tensioned concrete T/ Girders is the longest one of this type in Jamaica.

It replaces the old Westmoreland Bridge which was permanently damaged

by Hurricane Gustav in 2008 and has a life span of 75 years. It was constructed efficiently as a main project under the all island JDIP for US$18,000,000 with the National Works Agency as their client. Environmental consciousness was one of the main criteria used to adjudge the winner of the award.

The award was presented at the Jamaica Institution of Engineers annual awards dinner and gala on November 14.

news

South Africa to hold daily Mandela cortège

Young and old South Africans remember Mandela as the father of the nation A huge wall of flowers and other tributes is building up outside the Houghton house

own thoughts when asked how he wished to be remembered.

“It would be very egotistical of me to say how I would like to be remembered,” Mandela said.

“I’d leave that entirely to South Africans. I would just like a simple stone on which is written, ‘Mandela’.”

Crowds are celebrating Mandela’s life outside his home in Houghton

This child had her own way of signing a book of condolence in Johannesburg

A

funeral cortège bearing Nelson Mandela’s body will travel through the streets of Pretoria daily on three days before his burial next Sunday, the South African government said.

It said the cortege will leave a morgue on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning to go to the Union Buildings where his body will lie in state.

Mourners are being encouraged to line the route.

Meanwhile, vigils for the former leader are continuing across South Africa.

Hundreds of mourners have gathered outside Mandela’s home in Johannesburg’s northern suburb of Houghton where he died, and thousands of flowers and candles have been laid outside.

Mandela died on Thursday evening aged 95.

On Saturday, the government published further details of the 10-day state funeral, saying as many people as possible would be given the opportunity to pay their last respects.

On Tuesday, an official memorial service will be held at the FNB Stadium on the

outskirts of Johannesburg.

Burial When the three days of lying in state are over, Mandela’s body will then be flown from an air force base in Pretoria to Qunu in the Eastern Cape for burial.

Qunu is where Mandela grew up and later retired to.

Flags at all official buildings will fly at half mast throughout the period and books of condolence are being circulated across the country and online for people to post tributes, record memories and express their emotions.

Sunday has been designated an official day of prayer and reflection and President Jacob Zuma urged South Africans to go to stadiums, halls, churches, temples or synagogues.

“We should, while mourning, also sing at the top of our voices, dance and do whatever we want to do, to celebrate the life of this outstanding revolutionary who kept the spirit of freedom alive and led us to a new society. Let us sing for Madiba,” he said, using Mandela’s clan name.

A government statement recalled the former president’s

Overwhelming emotion Ahmed Kathrada, Mandela’s friend of 67 years and his companion in prison on Robben Island, told the BBC of his “overwhelming emotion” at seeing his old friend in hospital earlier this year.

“For 67 years, I knew him as a strong man. I was shocked [to see] this strong man, a shadow of himself.

That was overwhelming... so much so that I told [his wife] Mrs Machel that I don’t want to see him again. I thanked her very much but I said, please, I can’t bear it.”

Kathrada said Graca Machel had sent him a message earlier on Thursday that the former leader would die that evening.

“They were told by the doctor that he was on his very last,” he said.

Tributes to Mandela have come from leaders, celebrities and members of the public around the world.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Mandela “achieved more than could be expected of any man”.

Pope Francis said Mandela had forged “a new South Africa built on the firm foundations of non-violence, reconciliation and truth”.

The former South African leader spent 27 years in jail before becoming the country’s first black president in 1994.

He served a single term before stepping down in 1999.

Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 along with FW de Klerk, South Africa’s last white president.

He suffered repeated bouts of ill health and since September had been receiving treatment at home for a recurring lung illness. (BBC News)

13

SUNDAY, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

Hindus in U.S. mourn Mandela’s death

H

indus have offered heartfelt condolences on the death of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela on December 5 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, U.S.A., said that they were saddened by the passing of Mandela, 95.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, stated that with the death of Mandela, “we had lost someone unique and brave, whose vision of humanity embraced all peoples and who set a milestone for the world with his efforts in

pluralism, common ground, equality, colour-blindness and coexistence”.

Mandela, who symbolised the victory of the human spirit, made huge contributions towards the creation of a just society and pursuance of a social justice, Zed added.

Meanwhile, leaders of various religions will gather in Nevada in the next few days in memory of Mandela.

According to Zed, this multi-faith service will include prayers and reflections by Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha’I and other religious leaders.

President Donald Ramotar and First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar on Saturday signed the Book of Condolence for the late South African President Nelson Mandela at State House (Government Information

Agency photo)

14

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNday, december 8, 2013

Regional

Eight killed in Colombia blast APUA makes little progress in clearing arrears to water company blamed on FARC

E

ight people were killed Saturday in a bombing in Colombia which was immediately blamed on leftist FARC rebels who are currently engaged in peace talks with the government. The victims comprised two civilians and six members of the military and police, who died when a vehicle loaded with explosives blew up in the small town of Inza as locals prepared for a farmer’s market, authorities said.

Seven soldiers were

wounded in the early morning blast but their conditions were not immediately disclosed. The army said in an official statement that the incident “clearly shows that the FARC continue to systematically commit acts of terrorism against civilians.”

Police Commissioner Rodolfo Polomino told reporters that the attack was “further evidence of indiscriminate FARC terrorism.”

As well as the two civilians, those killed included

an army major, two lieutenants, a sergeant, a soldier and a police sergeant, the statement said. The blast occurred as Bogota and the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), established in 1964, attempt to negotiate an agreement to end their near 50-year-old conflict. Considered Latin America’s longest-running insurgency, it has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced more than 4.5 million people. (Excerpt from Yahoo! News)

Mexico Men detained over radiation truck robbery

All six men were admitted to hospital after showing signs of radiation poisoning

T

he authorities in Mexico have detained six men suspected of stealing a truck earlier this week carrying medical equipment including a radioactive element.

The suspects had been admitted to a hospital in Hidalgo state with possible symptoms of radiation poisoning. The truck was sto-

len on Monday as the driver made an overnight stop on the outskirts of Mexico City.

It was found abandoned two days later on a nearby field.

The Mexican authorities said the protective case containing the radioactive isotope – Cobalt-60 – had been tampered with.

Anyone who came into contact with Cobalt-60 faced

life-threatening levels of radiation, officials warned.

Hospitals in the area had been told to look out for people with symptoms of radiation poisoning.

The six men, aged from 16 to 38, have undergone tests at the General Hospital of Pachuca, said Hidalgo Health Secretary Pedro Luis Noble Monterrubio.

“None are showing immediate signs of radiation poisoning,” said Mr Noble.

They have been discharged by doctors but have been handed over to Mexican police. The truck was carrying radiotherapy material from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana for disposal. Its driver said he had stopped on Monday night to rest at a petrol station in the town of Tepojaco, outside Mexico City, when he was attacked by two men.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Venezuela’s president tightens grip on media

Henrique Capriles, Venezuela’s opposition leader and governor of Miranda state, talks with the media as he attended a meeting with members of the Chilean right-wing alliance at a hotel in Santiago, July 18

A

s Governor Henrique Capriles campaigned for president of Venezuela last April, he could not venture more than a few steps without being hounded by dozens of sharp-elbowed cameramen and photographers.

Nearly eight

months later, the visibly thinner and exhausted opposition leader is accompanied by just a handful of journalists at what was supposed to be one of the final, electrifying opposition rallies ahead of this weekend’s mayoral elections. Critics say the

shrinking media coverage has been deliberate. Even while Venezuelans endure their toughest economic crisis in 15 years of socialist rule, the opposition has been largely knocked from public view by what they claim is a government-led campaign to intimidate media outlets that give airtime to the opposition and the nation’s mounting woes.

Between January and September, the number of attacks on journalists, cases of harassment and reports of censorship has risen 56 per cent compared with the first nine months of 2012, according to a complaint filed by press freedom groups in October to the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights.

Even more damaging has been the sale of several media outlets once critical of the government to owners who more closely follow the official line.

(Excerpt from Yahoo! News)

T

he Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) has shaved off a small portion of its multimillion-dollar debt to privately owned water company SembCorp Antigua Water. The power company now owes SembCorp US$7.5 million, a reduction from the US$7.7 million reported in January.

In January, SembCorp, which supplies upwards of 65 per cent of the country’s daily water supply, publicly accused the utilities company of falling short in its payments by about US$130,000

monthly.

S e m b C o r p ’ s C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Consultant Paula Lee had said as of January 18, APUA had been paying the water company US$240,000 per month, after a court order compelled the statutory corporation to increase its monthly payment. Prior to that the allotment was US$92,000 monthly.

The amount owed is for water provided over the last two years. Lee, who spoke on the issue again Thursday, said the amount paid is still unacceptable, considering

the size of the debt.

“Only US0.2 million dollars was paid for the entire year. This is totally unacceptable,” the consultant said. “It is very expensive to operate a reverse osmosis plant. We have to play employees and freight charges.”

She added that, “It is not fair that consumers in Antigua & Barbuda are expected to pay monthly charges to APUA for water service and APUA, in turn, does not compensate the provider of the water.” (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Haiti protest derides Dominican court ruling

H

undreds of protesters gathered Friday to criticise a recent court decision in the Dominican Republic that could strip the citizenship of generations of people of Haitian descent living in the neighbouring country.

The crowd peaked at about 2000 people but thinned out during the march uphill to the Dominican Embassy to protest the decision passed two months ago by that country’s court. The demonstrators urged people to boy-

cott travel to the Dominican Republic. Riot police set up metal barricades on a major thoroughfare that block protesters from reaching the district where the diplomatic mission is located.

The ruling has been met with sharp objection, from Caribbean leaders to the United Nations. On Friday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights became the latest international entity to oppose the court decision, calling on the Dominican government to take urgent meas-

ures to guarantee the rights of those people affected.

Advocacy groups estimate 200,000 people, many of them of Haitian descent, could lose their Dominican citizenship because of the court ruling. Dominican officials say only about 24,000 would be affected.

Haitian officials have said little about the matter.

President Michel Martelly has called it a “Dominican issue” and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe posted on Facebook that a lot “is being done to solve the problem.”

(Excerpt from Newsobserver)

Lecturer on seismic surveys: Money for fishermen generous

T

he compensation given to TT’s fishermen is extremely fair, considering about 90 per cent of them admit to fishing elsewhere during periods when seismic surveys are being done. So said economics lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Roger Hosein during the university’s Trade and Development Unit lecture on compensation packages for fishermen during seismic surveys. He delivered the lecture at the Faculty of

Social Science at the university’s St Augustine Campus Friday.

In October the Energy Ministry reported that fisherfolk were paid approximately TT$8545 a month a boat during the seismic period. The ministry also said between 2010 and 2013 over TT$77.3 million was paid to fisherfolk by five oil companies as compensation for seismic activity. The entity responsible for granting licences to companies to do seismic surveys in TT is the

Energy Ministry.

Hosein said as long as fishermen were not mooring their boats, the compensation given to them by oil companies was “generous.” “There is no legal contract that says fishermen cannot fish in other parts of the country while the seismic survey is being conducted and most of them do fish in other areas,” he added. Hosein also challenged oil companies to pay more attention to compensating communities. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Haiti’s senate president under fire over letter to Chilean counterpart

T

he senate president in Haiti has been accused of treason after inviting the Chilean parliamentary leader to use his influence to make sure that Chilean UN troops deployed in the Caribbean country take the side of demonstrators who are seeking to overthrow the elected government. Simon Dieuseul Desras wrote on November 6, to the president of the Chilean National Assembly, Jorge Pizarro Soto, to denounce the Haitian executive branch which, he said, is in

the process of establishing a dictatorship in the country, while planning to dissolve Parliament.

Desras, a fierce opponent of the government leadership, said the parliament was concerned about the stance Chilean troops could take in relation to public disturbances, linked to the Haitian people’s struggle to defend the country’s sovereignty and their rights to public liberties.

“The Haitian Parliament is convinced that the troops from your country would

choose, should it be necessary, to defend the Haitian people, thirsty for democracy, against the excesses of an arbitrary and totalitarian regime,” wrote Desras to Pizarro Soto.

Desras, who called the unrests and mobilisation to overthrow the government understandable, predicted that the lack of confidence in the executive branch and other aggravating accusations about the handling of public affairs could plunge the country into a chaotic situation, in the coming months. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNday, december 8, 2013

15

Around the world

China’s parliament: Japan has “no Al-Qaeda says it shot down Syria drone right to criticise” air defence zone J

A group of disputed islands, Uotsuri Island (top), Minamikojima (bottom) and Kitakojima, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China is seen in the East China Sea, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 2012.

C

hina’s parliament has declared that Japan has no right to criticise the establishment of a Chinese air defence zone which it said was in accordance with international law, state media reported on Saturday.

Japan, South Korea and

their ally the United States have all protested at China’s decision last month to declare an air defence identification zone in an area that includes islands at the heart of a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.

China’s National People’s Congress firmly

opposes the so-called resolution passed by Japan’s lower house of parliament, said Xinhua, citing a statement by the congress.

Japanese lawmakers had adopted a resolution protesting China’s “reckless and risky measures” and said they would never accept Beijing’s “unilateral attempts to change the status quo”.

The Chinese parliament’s statement also reiterated China’s stance that the Diaoyu Islands, or Senkakus as they are known in Japan, are part of Chinese sovereign territory which Japan has tried to encroach upon with its own air defence zone.

The Chinese assembly blamed Japan for the tension over the East China Sea, and called on Japan to stop its “provocative” words and actions in order to repair relations, Xinhua reported. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Newlywed couple murdered man “because they wanted to kill together”

A

couple married for just three weeks lured a man to his death with a Craigslist ad because they wanted to kill someone together, police said.

Elytte Barbour told officers before his arrest Friday night that he and his wife, Miranda, had planned to kill before, but their plans never worked out until last month when Troy LaFerrara responded to an online posting that promised companionship in return for money, authorities said.

Elytte Barbour, 22, and

Miranda Barbour, 18, face criminal homicide charges in connection with LaFerrara’s death. His body was found on November 12 in an alley in Sunbury, a small city about 100 miles north-west of Philadelphia. The couple had recently moved to nearby Selinsgrove from North Carolina.

According to Sunbury police, Elytte Barbour told investigators he hid in the back seat of the couple’s SUV as his wife picked up LaFerrara at a mall on November 11. He told police that, on his wife’s signal,

he wrapped a cord around LaFerrara’s neck, restraining him while Miranda Barbour stabbed him.

The 42-year-old Port Trevorton man was stabbed 20 times, police said.

Miranda Barbour was charged Wednesday.

She initially denied knowing LaFerrara, but her story evolved as investigators gathered evidence, including the discovery that the last call received by the victim’s cellphone was made from her number, according to a police affidavit. (Excerpt from

The Guardian)

Anti-fracking clashes in Romania as activists break into Chevron site

Romanian protesters tear down the fence of the exploring perimeter of U.S. energy giant Chevron in Pungesti, Romania on December 7

H

undreds of protesters have broken into a Chevron site after the U.S. oil giant resumed its search for shale gas in north-east Romania. RT’s Lucy Kafanov reports from the scene, where clashes ensued as riot police started streaming in.

Some 400 people gath-

ered on Saturday in the village of Pungesti, according to local media. RT’s Lucy Kafanov reports that the demonstration kicked off quite peacefully with the protesters chanting “Chevron go home.”

“The situation then escalated. Some people had run across the road towards the

Chevron property, there was a bit of a commotion, and we saw the protesters run into the property; the surrounding perimeter fences were taken down,” Kafanov reports. Local media said people were able to tear down fences to 20 acres of land owned by the company. Riot police officers were called into the area, which made the situation “very heated” as clashes between the demonstrators and the police ensued. “We did see some demonstrators injured, as well as police officers injured.

They were taken away in medical vans. We also saw probably about four or five arrests, possibly more, we’re still not confirmed on the numbers,” Kafanov says.

Following the incident, the U.S. company later announced it was suspending activities in the area. (Excerpt

from RT News)

abhat al-Nusra, alQaeda’s local branch in Syria, has sent Al Jazeera exclusive footage of what it said was a drone it shot down while it was flying over Aleppo, saying it was the first operation of its kind for the group.

The group said the government of President Bashar al-Assad has started deploying drones in its fight against the rebels, especially since opposition fighters escalated their assault on the northern city. Cameras mounted on the unmanned,

remote-controlled aircraft were being used by government troops to take aerial photos of rebel sites, Jabhat al-Nusra told Al Jazeera.

“We believe they are Iranian made and operate under the supervision of Iranian experts,” a member of the group said. Iran has been a staunch ally of the Syrian government and there have been several reports on the possibility that Iranian Revolutionary Guards are fighting alongside Assad’s troops.

Jabhat al-Nusra, des-

ignated as a terrorist organisation by the U.S., is one of the most effective groups fighting the regime across Syria, but especially in Aleppo. It has carried out several deadly suicide bombings on military bases and government buildings.

The group declared its formation in early 2012, a year after the start of an uprising against Assad.

The nearly three-year conflict has killed more than 120,000 people and left millions displaced. (Al Jazeera)

Paris summit ends with vow to form pan-African force

A

meeting of nearly 40 African leaders came to a close in Paris on Saturday evening with French President François Hollande vowing to provide both logistical and material support to build a pan-African military force capable of intervening in regional conflicts.

Hollande concluded the two-day Africa-France summit by committing to help the African Union turn its plans for a rapid reaction force, which was agreed to

in principle earlier this year, into reality.

“We all agreed on the fundamental principle that it is up to Africa to ensure its own security,” he said.

France has offered to provide equipment, logistical support and advice on coordination for the force, and will seek to persuade Britain, Germany and other European Union partners to help finance the project.

“Europe can play its part,” Hollande said. “For Europe to ensure its own de-

fence, Africa must be able to ensure its own. Our interests are linked. Terrorism knows no borders.” The summit also called for a “major international mobilisation to increase the level and predictability of financing for African peacekeeping operations”. As part of efforts to help African states create more effective military units, France has offered to provide training for 20,000 troops from the continent for five years. (Excerpt from

France24)

Pro-Morsi protest women freed after Egypt court ruling

The BBC’s Orla Guerin: “It became a very controversial case”

F

ourteen women jailed in Egypt over a protest in support of ousted President Mohammed Morsi have been freed after an appeal court ruling.

Seven juveniles jailed over the protest last month in Alexandria have also been released, on three months’ probation. The women’s 11year sentence was cut to one year, suspended.

Human rights groups had attacked the convictions – on charges of belonging to a terrorist group, obstructing traffic, sabotage and using force. One campaigner described it as madness.

Reducing the sentences on Saturday, Judge Sharif Hafiz nevertheless convicted the 14 women of three counts relating to violence during the protest. The

women’s lawyer said they would appeal against the new sentence too. For the appeal hearing, the 14 women appeared inside a special cage in the Alexandria courtroom dressed in prisonissue white and holding red roses.

They had written the word “freedom” on their palms. Their supporters in the courtroom chanted, “God is great”, as the verdicts were announced.

The women’s lawyer, Ahmed al-Hamrawy, urged the court to acquit them, arguing there was no evidence against them. “Even in Mubarak’s era there were morals,” he said. “Egypt’s women and girls were a red line and they weren’t placed on trial.” (Excerpt from BBC News)

Russian diplomats charged in alleged Medicaid fraud scheme

D

ozens of current and former Russian diplomats and their spouses were charged with participating in a nine-year fraud scheme that allegedly bilked the U.S. government of more than US$1.5 million in Medicaid benefits, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday.

The 49 defendants – 25 current and former Russian diplomats and 24 of their spouses – allegedly exploited their positions by filing fraudulent Medicaid ex-

penses related to prenatal care and childbirth, the complaint said.

The complaint said that of 63 births to Russian diplomats in New York City in the past nine years, the overwhelming majority were paid for by Medicaid benefits. “A multitude of Russian diplomats and their spouses ran a scam on the health care system designed to help Americans in need,” Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a news

conference.

The defendants allegedly obtained letters from officials at the Russian UN Mission as well as from the Russian Federation in New York and the Russian Federation in the U.S.A to prove their false incomes, according to the complaint.

“Being a diplomat does not give you the right to commit health care fraud,” George Venizelos, assistant director in charge of the New York FBI office, said at a news conference. (Excerpt from CNN)

16 News 1254 laptops distributed on Saturday SUNday, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Persons receiving their laptops at the Diamond Secondary School

M

ore than 1200 families were presented with laptop systems as the government continues to bridge the digital divide through the One Lap Top Per Family (OLPF) project.

Residents of Betervegerwatin, Chatteau Margot, Vryheid Lust and Success on East Coast Demerara; Kingston, Georgetown; and Golden Grove, Supply, Garden of Eden, Brickery, New Hope, Samatha Point and Kaneville on East Bank Demerara received laptops on Saturday.

OLPF Project Manager Azariah Asim said 335 persons from East Coast Demerara flocked the Chatteau Margot Primary School to uplift their com-

puters.

Similar distribution centres were held at the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) office at Woolford Avenue, Georgetown, the Diamond Secondary School, East Coast Demerara and the Assembly of God Church at Grove, East Bank Demerara, where 50,628 and 241 laptops were distributed respectively.

When Guyana Times visited the Diamond Secondary School, hundreds of persons were lined up about 09:00h in anticipation of receiving their laptops.

The distribution process commenced at 10:00h, and from all indications, residents were overwhelmed with joy to receive their early Christmas gifts.

“I feel happy that the government has kept its promise to us and without a doubt this laptop will help my family to be more educated,” Sugrim Keshan said moments after receiving his computer.

Another beneficiary, Marlyn Ali expressed similar sentiments, noting that the government’s decision to implement the OPLF initiative was a great move, as it raises the bar of education in Guyana.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo was the brainchild of the OLPF programme which started back in 2011. It has been designed to equip 90,000 families with laptops, simultaneously expanding the use of Information Communication Technology (ITC).

PPP/C hosts “Night of Reflection” for Mandela on Monday

T

he People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) will be hosting a “Night of Reflection” on the life and work of former South African president and global peace icon, the late Nelson Mandela, who died peacefully at his home on Thursday, after months of being in and out of hospital.

This public event is planned for Monday at the Umana Yana, Kingston, Georgetown, starting at 17:00h and will feature a number of high-ranking government officials.

Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) and the PPP, shared decades of relations dating back to the days of the former president of Guyana, the late Dr Jagan, a global icon himself, who waged similar struggles as Mandela for the poor and working-class and to free the poor and oppressed.

Dr Jagan was a leading advocate against apartheid rule in South Africa and became a close friend with

one of South Africa’s leading anti-apartheid figure OR Tambo.

Both the PPP and ANC struggled in their own countries to ensure that the well-being of the poor and working-class were well represented.

Such was the extent of the relationship between ANCled government and the PPP that the ANC posthumously awarded to Dr Jagan that country’s highest award, the Oliver Tambo Award Back in July 1998, former President Janet Jagan and then Foreign Minister Clement Rohee met Mandela in St Lucia. Mandela, then president of South Africa was attending the heads of government conference of the Caribbean Community.

President Donald Ramotar in his condolence message described Mandela as a ‘’giant in defence of human rights and for a free and just society, not only for his beloved South Africa, but for the oppressed the

world over’’.

In the PPP/C’s condolence message, it recognised Mandela as among many things – a fighter against apartheid rule, a leader of the South African people, an international statesman, a person of strong moral character and tenacity of conviction in a free and democratic South Africa – attributes that sets him apart from others, especially during the dark and painful moments of white minority rule.

In 1962, Mandela was arrested, convicted of incitement and leaving the country without a passport, sentenced to five years in prison, and in 1964, he was charged with sabotage and sentenced to life in prison.

He was freed in 1990 and in 1993 won the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1994, he was elected the first black president of South Africa and after just one term in office, he stepped down in 1999.

Explore Guyana 2014 magazine launched

From left, Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) President Kit Nascimento, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali and THAG Executive Director Treina Butts display copies of the magazine

T

he Tourism and H o s p i t a l i t y Association of Guyana (THAG) on Thursday launched the 2014 edition of the Explore Guyana magazine at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown.

The magazine seeks to promote the local tourism sector.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who addressed the gathering, spoke glowingly about the sector.

“The biggest improvements in the future will come from the tourism sector and the new tourism sector is one identified by

the government for great growth and contribution for our country.”

Prime Minister Hinds said government has been collaborating with the private sector to take the sector to the next level.

“Tourism is something for the whole country, government has to balance a number of things all around and incentives may be pursued in difference ways.”

Investments in programmes such as having a new runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the construction of the Marriott Hotel, he notes are necessary, and can be con-

sidered as growth in the tourism sector.

Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali said Guyana is known for its eco-tourism but this has to be properly marketed.

“We have to utilise the culture and heritage of Guyana” to generate revenue in the tourism sector, he said, noting that only then the sector will be able to move from strength to strength.

The Guyana Explore Magazine is for free distribution and citizens are urged to get their copies at the Tourism Ministry and the tourism agencies.

17

news

sundAy, december 8, 2013 | guyanatimesGY.com

276 graduate from BIT programme in Berbice Polls predict opposition victory in India T

wo hundred and seventy-six persons on Wednesday graduated after completing training under the Board of Industrial Training’s (BIT) National Training Project for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE) and Single Parent Programme.

Under the youth empowerment programme, 247 youths benefited from training of which 54 have already gained employment, while four have advanced to further training.

The youths were exposed to training in 17 occupational training areas at 49 training locations. Among the graduates were 70 engineers, 36 welders, 19 mechanics, 15 joiners, and 60 in home economics. BIT also collaborated with the Health Ministry and 65 persons benefited from training in the area of health services through this collaboration.

Training was done at hospitals and health centres.

Meanwhile, 29 persons graduated from the Single Parent Programme, 15 of them in garment construction while eight completed training in the area of cosmetology and six in catering.

Trainer, Colin Langford, speaking at the event at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute, noted that the initiative is indeed a tremendous success, adding that several persons coming out of the programme have managed to start their

secondary education systems which are affordable and free to all Guyanese.

Vision

Shenella Campbell, who graduated from a course in catering, receives her certificate from Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul

own businesses, contributing to society and generally living better lives. He said that the vocational training programme should be commended for its responsibility of empowering single parents, as well as the thousands of youths who have benefited thus far.

Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mark Roopnarine lauded the youth empowerment and single parent programme in reducing unemployment, while also bettering the lives of single parents. He encouraged personal independence and entrepreneurship among the young graduates, as well as the single parents.

Rapid growth

Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul was impressed with the rapid growth of the programme

which is undoubtedly making an impact on the economic well-being of Guyanese in the various administrative regions. The labour minister also stressed the importance of the BIT initiative in tackling unemployment.

He acknowledged, however, that the issue of unemployment is by no means unique to Guyana, since the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is also seeking to manage this issue in even the developed countries. “Our programme is geared at assisting every single youth who wants that opportunity, and I think it is because of that we must recognise the role of central government in this regard.”

Despite the additional training and support that are available through the BIT programme, youths are encouraged to capitalise on the nursery, primary and

The BIT initiative is a demonstration of government’s longstanding vision for the creation of job opportunities for young people and empowering women.

The programme is also recognised as critical in dealing with the issue of child labour since it provides school dropouts an opportunity for a second chance to be schooled.

During 2013, a total of 2292 youths have thus far benefited from training in over 50 different trades and technical and vocation skills.

Some of these include engineering, electrical, building construction, health services, home economics, information technology, clerical and forestry. Overall, a total number of 12,697 people benefited from training under the programme since its inception in 2005.

Earlier this month, 29 youths graduated for Bartica, Region Seven, while another 429 graduated at the Leonora Technical Training Centre, Region Three.

By Vishnu Bisram In New Delhi

T

he opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India is expected to sweep the elections that were held over the last fortnight in five crucial states (in the Hindi-speaking belt) based on conversations I had with voters, political analysts and politicians and from exit polls.

Pre-election surveys two weeks ago also predicted a BJP sweep. So there is unanimity in pre and post poll surveys pointing to a BJP sweep although polls are known to veer significantly off the mark.

Almost everyone I interviewed said BJP should win.

The state assembly elections are considered a semifinal before national elections are held in May for the parliament – elections that are drawing the interest of significant numbers of Indo-Guyanese because the Indian government is encouraging investment of overseas Indians in India and vice versa to build relations.

This writer campaigned in previous elections in India for friends who ran for office helping them to victory in middle class English speaking areas.

Exit polls had the BJP ahead and voters I spoke with say they also want a change and want to give Narendra Modi,

BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi

the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, a chance to expedite development in India.

He is known as a performer, as a person who can clear bureaucracy and gets things done. He is the most popular politician in India at the moment and there is a Modi wave sweeping the nation after 10 years of Congress rule that has been plagued by corruption scandals. The general elections are important for Indo-Guyanese and Indians in the diaspora in general because the BJP is known to favour closer relations with Indians abroad and committed huge amounts of developmental assistance to Guyana and other poor diaspora countries. turn to page 19

18

guyanatimesgy.com

sunday, december 8, 2013

thursDAY, march 11, 2010 | guyanatimesGY.com

By Bernice Bede Osol

archie

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) Don’t give in to someone who asks for a donation but does not supply you with sufficient details.

Charity begins at home, and you must protect your family and assets.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19) Put a push on to make more money. Sign contracts or make changes that can up your standard of living. Positive change is heading your way. Send out resumes.

PISCES (Feb.20March 20)

dilbert

Pick and choose what you do. Too much action can lead to injury. A secret may be divulged if you have been too trusting and have shared personal information.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Calvin and Hobbes

You can make a difference by altering your lifestyle. Cut corners and lower your overhead. The changes you make will ease your stress. A chance to raise your income is apparent.

TAURUS (April 20May 20) Stay focused on what needs to be done.

Discipline and hard work will help you get your place in order and your year-end deadlines out of the way. Leave time for family fun.

Peanuts

GEMINI (May 21June 20) Don’t share personal information. A problem will arise that can affect your reputation, leaving you in an awkward position. Keep busy working on self-improvement and important relationships.

CANCER (June 21July 22) Don’t let your temper ruin your day. Stand back and take a long, hard look at a situation before you decide to engage in battle.

Make love, not war.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22) You’ll have plenty of exciting ideas that should be shared with friends and launched as soon as you can get details and work out arrangements. Fun and games should be your goal.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) You’ll have to make some adjustments at home if you want to avoid chaos and complaints. Be sure to get approval before you take measures that will affect others.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23) Look for a bargain, but don’t buy what you cannot afford. Discussions will give you a better idea of how to handle a changing situation you face with a friend, colleague or lover.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22) Create a warm, inviting atmosphere at home and enjoy. Improve your love life by taking an opportunity to indulge in talks that will bring you closer to someone special.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21) Stick to facts and figures. Believe only what you hear personally and can verify. Confusion is likely to strike if you are gullible or embellish.

Know your limits and your overhead.

YELLOW PAGES sunday, december 8, 2013

dentistry Dentures provided in 72 hours from as low as $4500. Contact Dr B Stuart, 209B Charlotte St, Lacytown. Tel: 225-5034

EDUCATION SAT/AP/CXC/IGCSE English classes, personalized tutoring. Phone: 6124821 after 4pm, 274-0437 after 7pm.

flowers Available: Fresh long-stemmed roses, fresh dried and silk floral arrangements, gift items, bridal boutiques and wreaths. Nesha’s Flowerland. 78 Church Street (opposite St George’s Cathedral). Tel: 227-3553/225-3315

FOR SALE 1 stall stabroek market phone: 718757-8031, 658-0145 Mecury in large quantities, 99.9999% purity in grey flask. Phone: 219-4535 60FT Antenna (Mass) for Radio, TV, Cellular, with cables, brackets, sky light $500,000 227-3939, 621-4000 73” 3D TV Mitsubishi Like new $450,000 227-3939, 621-4000 DIESEL Generator silent 28 kva SDMO John Deere engine, missing Fuel Pump, Panel, Avr MAKE OFFER 2273939, 621-4000 CLARKE forklifts 2000, 3000, 4000 Lb, lifting capacity MAKE AN OFFER TEL: 227-3939, 621-4000 Generac Generator 15 kva, portable, $500,000 cash or credit available Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000 Diesel Generator, 3 cylinder Lister pitter (England) key start, 15 kva, $650,000 cash or credit Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000 Chicken Hatchery (Robbins), 28,000 eggs capacity fully ready, $ 5.5 million or CREDIT available TEL: 227-3939 621-4000 LAND FOR SALE BY BIDS. PRIME COMMERCIAL LAND AT BUSY JUNCTION. WELLINGTON STREET AND SOUTH ROAD, GEORGETOWN. SIZE: 160 X 120. SEND SEALED BIDS TO BIBI, 38 CROAL STREET STABROEK, GEORGETOWN. CLOSING DATE: 2013/12/30.

LAND FOR SALE BY OWNER. 57 CROAL STREET AND CHALMER'S PLACE. SIZE: 100 X 120. CONTACT: 225-1831 RICARDO BASDEO, JAPARTS 38 CROAL STREET, STABROEK, GEORGETOWN, GUYANA, SOUTH AMERICA. TEL: 592225-1831, 592-227-3444, TOLL FREE: 1-941-234-4503, FAX:592-2273460. EMAIL: ricardo_japarts@hotmail.com1

GOLDSMITH R.Sookraj & Gift Shop for the best in hand made jewellery ,(made to order) Phone: 612-2125/223-6156

health Are you suffering from abnormal behaviors, addictions, stresses, or psychosomatic sickness? Feeling suicidal, low self-esteem, loneliness, unloved, anger, conflicts and relationship problems? For appointments call 592621-0552. 12:00pm -6:00pm, Email: healthworldhc@gmail.com

immigration Immigration & Visa Services We handle all Canadian, USA and UK immigration and visa matters. Self sponsorships, holiday/visitor’s visas, work permits, students visas, family, class, immigration forms, embassy enquiries, appeals for refused cases, US green card lottery, business class waivers, pardons, etc.

Get your visa approved. High success rate. Balwant Persaud & Associates.

Certified Immigration Consultants, 68 Sixth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown (Between Cummings & Lights Sts) Tel: 225-1540, 622-8308, 655-3105. Email: balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca

KEY CUTTing Professional Key Shop, 125 Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

Phone: 225-3923, mobile: 6213249. We cut any type of key, service and repair all types of locks. Get your extra key today.

lAND FOR SALE Promising gold and diamond mining land for sale in different areas.

Phone: 699-3992.

LOST One Dog which answers to the name Zion. Colour Cream/White/ Brown about 1 foot tall. Last seen on Wednesday, November 13, between Success & LBI, ECD. If seen please call on numbers 619-8086, 699-7077, 220-3183.

MEDITATION Learn transcendental meditation and reduce stress & anxiety, develop full brain potential, increase creativity and intelligence, concentration, focus and memory, be healthier & happier, increase energy vitality and longetivity, enjoy more success in life, improve relationships and develop higher states of consciousness, a technique that works for everyone, for next introductory lecture. Contact Ashoke phone 233-6921, 6093701, email: kashokejp_68@yahoo.com or Sherlock phone 2252243, 614-9726

spirituality Suriname astrology palmist and Djuka healer. The most powerful spiritualist in the world. Are you suffering from the following problems? (any religions) love, marriage, family, health, business, husband and wife relationships, property, court, children, promotion, visa, pregnancy, education, depression, job, sexual, jealousy, enemy, money, drinking, also you can have all evil forces destroyed such as black magic, witchcraft, voodoo, obeyah, etc, and gives powerful protection. Private and confidential. Phone: 674-2112.

Cleansing of spiritual problems of all kinds. Powerful Ifá protection against evil. Get help to overcome problems with love, relationship, legal, sexual, pregnancy, business, sickness, jobs, enemies, work, money. Call 10am - 4pm. Tel: 592-690-1824.

Email: anew-life@live.com Dutch Spiritual work. Unite lovers, get rid of evil, enhance prosperity, good luck baths and charm bowu guards, etc. Phone: 220-0708, 612-6417, 687-5653

property for sale

Toyota Hilux extra cab, pick up $3.m.

Phone: 264-2682.

Titan (hardly driven) $3.5M neg.

Phone: 691-9984

TO let

2 bedroom apartment – central Georgetown. Couple/Small family.

227 3471/614 1069.

1 flat concrete house at Parfaite Harmonie. Phone: 643-4740

House at Lamaha Gardens. Hot & cold water, AC, etc. Phone: 2194535.

One two storey house at lot 93 Atlantic Gardens, ECD; upperflat-3 bedrooms, kitchen and bath; lower flat-2 bedrooms, kitchen and bath.

Call 592-619-4483, 592-656-7471 EXECUTIVE TWO STOREY BUILDING 3 BEDROOMS WITH ALL MODERN CONVIENCES, MEADOW BROOK GARDENS, MR NARAINE. PHONE: 696-8230 Gas station land. Size: over one acre Phone Ms Liverpool on 625-7582, 681-9293.

1 three-building centrally located downtown in Thomas Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown, recently renovated, fully air conditioned, ideal for office with spaces for boardroom, or any other business. Immediate possession. Phone: 609-2876.

services Dutch healing and upliftment, for clearing of land, dredging and ground work (strictly interior operation). Phone: 662-1247.

HILUX SURF 4 DOORS, minor parts needed, sold as is $750,000 TEL: 2273939, 621-4000

Mitsubishi 3000 GT sports car, fully powered, $1.7 cash or credit available TEL: 227-3939, 621-4000

Small business space suitable for technician shop, taxi base, etc.

Phone: 691-7164, 231- 2619.

1 property at reasonable price, located in Bareroot, East Coast Demerara. Phone: 612-6417.

LEROY TRIDENT car 250 CC, 4 doors, power window, $495,000 cash or credit TEL 227-3939, 621-4000

Stretch limousine, Lincoln Town car, fully powered $6.5 million or credit available Tel 227-3939, 621-4000

PRIME COMMERICAL PROPERTY, AT BUSY JUNCTION CUMMINGS AND MIDDLE STREETS IN ALBERTOWN, 3 LOTS WITH BUSINESS, (NUT CENTRE) PRICE NEG. TEL 621-4000, 227-3939

Lot 48 Light Street, Alberttown.

Contact Ram on 619-4483, 6017883 or 227-1454, 226-6325.

Trike Can-Am style motorcycle, 200cc new, unregistered $450,000 neg or credit TEL 227-3939, 621-4000

Nissan Maxima, fully powered needs repairs sold as is $300,000 cash 2273939, 621-4000

optician

Da Silva’s Optical. For Your Eyes Only, Look Better See Better. Phillip A Da Silva OD, Shannon L Da Silva OD, Natalie Da Silva OD. 248 South Road, Bourda. Phone: 227-3529, Linden: 444-6376, Corriverton: 339-3536, Meten-Meer-Zorg: 275-0322, Grand Cayman Islands: (345) 943-1515 for the perfect trendy touch.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

Business place for rent , Plantain Walk ,Vreed –en Hoop.

Phone:649-0707.

Two modern apartments at Campbellville, hot & cold water, etc Phone: 219-4535 One house located in Lamaha Gardens, hot and cold water. Call 219-4535 EXECUTIVE TWO STOREY BUILDING 3 BEDROOMS WITH ALL MODERN CONVENIENCES FURNISHED/ UNFURNISHED, MEADOW BROOK GARDENS, MR NARAINE. PHONE: 696-8230 Two-bedroom self contained apt.

Caneville, Grove. PHONE: 669-1954 Two modern apartments at Campbellville, hot & cold water etc.

Call: 219-4535 Recently constructed bond with house and office space on the same lot, centrally located in Broad Street, ideal for business or manufacturing. Phone: 623-0425, 6092876

VACANCIES One customs clerk with at least three subjects CXC including English language and mathematics. Applicant must be computer literate. Please submit application before October 11, 2013 to email: windsortechhomes@gmail.com or call 669-6874 or 682-3481

JUST ARRIVED: TOP QUALITY RECONDITIONED VEHICLES; TOYOTA PREMIO; TOYOTA ALLION; TOYOTA COROLLA AXIO; TOYOTA NOAH; SUZUKI SWIFT; MERCEDES BENZ C200 COMPRESSOR; BMW 318i; COROLLA AE100 WAGON; HONDA CRV; LAND CRUISER (FULLY LOADED); MAZDA PROCEED; TOYOTA HILUX 4WD EXTRA CAB PICKUPS - 3RZ, 5L, SOLID DIFFERENTIAL; MITSUBISHI CANTER TRUCKS 3, 3.5 TONS OPEN TRAY; 2 TONS 4WD; 3 TON DUMP TRUCK; NISSAN ATLAS 2-TON TRUCK.PRE-ORDER YOUR UNITS EARLY AND GET THE BEST PRICES. FULL AFTER SALES SERVICE AND FINANCING AVAILABLE. DEO MARAJ AUTO SALES, 2 CHIMNEY ROAD, CHATEAU MARGOT, ECD. 624-0762, 2205177. A NAME AND A SERVICE YOU CAN TRUST. One 450 Honda ATV. Phone: 626-3817 Toyota Hilux 172 diesel extra-cab pick-up, 4x4 manual (5-speed transmission) a/c, p/s p/w p/l, winch, off road front bumper, KC lights, side baranka bars, bush-ready, Old Man Emu, rear leaf springs, lifted Old Man Emu shocks, snorkel, bed liner. Phone: 6230425, 609-2876

WANTED BODYWORK MAN TO SPARY MOTORCYCLE, HANDYMAN TO WORK IN STORE, MAID GO AND COME CLEANING ONLY (UNDER 30 YRS) APPLY GUYANA VARIETY STORE Tel 227-3939 One experienced production manager to work in Furniture Factory and one AutoCAD/draft person.

Contact 657-1414 Urgently needed! One plot of land in Parfaite Harmonie, Herstelling and Eccles. Phone: 675-7292 One female babysitter, between 40 & 45 years, must be from Georgetown, be able to work flexible hours and some weekends, applicant with a sound secondary education may apply. Phone: 614-5711, 9am- 3pm

Classified Ads $5+VAT per word Call: 226-9921

19

Polls predict...

from page 17

It was the BJP that initiated links with the diaspora in 2003 with the annual Pravasi conference when outstanding overseas Indians are honoured.

This idea of a conference on, and honouring of, diaspora Indians was first suggested by Guyanese Dharamdatt “Kid” Sukhai and Vishnu Bisram during the mid 1990s when they met then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with BJP stalwart, Dr Mukund Modi in New York. The suggestion was subsequently studied, reported (by the LK Singhvi Commission) and implemented by the BJP government a few years later.

The counting of the ballots for the latest round of voting will begin on Sunday and the results in Delhi are expected in the early afternoon. All the polls point to a hung Assembly in Delhi (70 seats with 36 needed for a majority).

Pollsters say a newlyformed party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is expected to put in an impressive performance taking a lot of support from both the ruling Congress led by Sonia Gandhi and the opposition BJP led by Modi. But this pollster did not come across a lot of voters who said they voted for AAP, although it is expected to win several seats and could hold the balance of power in the Assembly.

Splitting of votes The AAP did not contest in other states and it has been accused of splitting the antiCongress base to help the incumbent win more seats. The AAP seems to draw support from newer and younger voters. This writer found that many voters swung from the Congress to the BJP because of corruption scandals and because they have grown weary and wary of the Congress.

They want change because of price rise, onion shortage, and corruption. If all goes well, Dr Harsh Vardhan, a former health minister, is expected to become the new chief minister of Delhi. Voters told me he is a decent man who has done a lot for patients and the city over the last two decades serving as an elected member of the Assembly.

Aside from Delhi, the BJP is expected to retain Madya Pradesh and Chattisgarh and wrest Rajasthan (where the majestic Jaipur is located that is visited by hundreds of Guyanese annually on tours) from the Congress. Indian voters are known to reject incumbents but it appears that the BJP is bucking the trend in the two states it governs – all because of the Modi factor.

Voters told me they want to give Modi a chance and he was the star campaigner in all the states. He was sharp and acerbic in attacking the Congress, poking fun at the ruling party and its de facto prime ministerial candidate Rahul Gandhi.

There were record turnout of voters in all of the states and analysts say high turnout usually goes against the incumbent at the centre. But given the experience of personal polling in the past by this pollster, nothing is certain until the ballots are actually counted. Nevertheless, everyone I spoke with gives BJP the edge and much celebration is expected by Sunday evening.

20

december 8, 2013

guyanatimesGY.com

Johnson leaves England in disarray E

ngland are teetering on the brink of a second humiliating defeat in two Tests after fast bowler Mitchell Johnson rampaged through their outof-form batting once again.

Johnson took 7-40, including a wonderful spell of 5-16 in five overs after lunch, as England were rattled out for a feeble 172 to concede a first-innings deficit of 398 runs.

Only Ian Bell, with an unbeaten 72, and Michael Carberry (60) offered any resistance as their team-mates either tossed their wickets away or were simply unable to cope with Johnson’s fearsome pace.

Twice the left-armer was on hat-tricks after both Stuart Broad and James Anderson were bowled first ball, while Matt Prior’s dismal run of form continued with his fifth duck in nine Tests.

With time on their side, Australia then opted to bat again, and had extended their lead to 530 with seven wickets still in hand by the close.

But with two full days to come, England need a miracle in the city of churches to prevent themselves going 2-0 down in this Ashes series.

So abject was this display, and so one-sided has

ously patient deliveries.

If that was wasteful, Kevin Pietersen - scorer of 158 and 227 in his previous two Tests on this ground was then guilty of a crass misjudgement when, with two men in catching on the leg side, he attempted to flick Peter Siddle over them and instead picked out George Bailey at mid-wicket for just four.

Carberry and Bell briefly arrested the descent, Carberry going to his maiden Test half century, before David Warner clung on to a diving one-handed catch at mid-wicket to see off the opener.

But the real horror began after lunch, when Johnson tore in from the Cathedral End like some fast-bowling banshee to blow the England middle order away.

In the space of one extraordinary over he had debutant Ben Stokes trapped lbw on review for one, Prior caught behind after being roughed up with two short ones and Broad bowled behind his legs the very next ball.

Graeme Swann survived the hat-trick ball at the start of Johnson’s next over but then swiped at a wide one to be brilliantly caught

by Michael Clarke at second slip for seven.

Next into the mincing

machine was Anderson, bowled for a golden duck and given a fierce send-off by the close fielders as he departed, head bowed.

In five and a half overs Johnson had taken six wickets, England losing six for 24 either side of lunch.

Johnson leaves England in disarray.

Alone amid the wreckage stood Bell, who went on the attack with only Monty Panesar for company and raced past his half century as Johnson was rested.

But when the fast bowl-

er was recalled to the attack, he bowled the brave Panesar to leave England adrift in a sea of scorn.

As Australia looked for quick runs, Anderson had Rogers caught behind for two and Shane Watson taken in the gully for a duck before Panesar bowled Clarke with a beauty that drifted and turned.

But the pugnacious Warner (83 not out) and Steve Smith (23 not out) saw them to the close at 132-3 to leave their side in total control. (BBC Sport)

SCORE BOARD Australia 1st innings 570-9 declared England 1st innings Cook b Johnson 3 Carberry c Warner b Watson 60 Root c Rogers b Lyon 15 Pietersen c Bailey b Siddle 4 Bell not out 72 Stokes lbw b Johnson 1 Prior c Haddin b Johnson 0 Broad b Johnson 0 Swann c Clarke b Johnson 7 Anderson b Johnson 0 Panesar b Johnson 2 Extras (3-nb, 2-w, 3-lb) 8 Total (all out; 68.2 overs) 172 Bowling: Johnson 17.28-40-7, Harris 14-8-31-0, Lyon 20-5-64-1, Siddle 144-34-1, Watson 3-3-0-1

Fall of wickets: 9 (Cook), 57 (Root), 66 (Pietersen), 111 (Carberry), 117 (Stokes), 117 (Prior), 117 (Broad), 135 (Swann), 135 (Anderson), 172 (Panesar) Australia 2nd innings Rogers c Prior b Anderson 2 Warner not out 83 Watson c Carberry b Anderson 0 Clarke b Panesar 22 Smith not out 23 Extras (1-b, 1-lb) 2 Total (for 3 wickets, 39overs) 132 Bowling: Anderson 7-1-192, Broad 6-0-19-0, Swann 9-3-31-0, Stokes 7-3-200, Panesar 10-0-41-1 Fall of wickets: 4 (Rogers), 4 (Watson), 65 (Clarke)

Feeble England could lose 5-0, says Vaughan

India faces Olympic ban over ‘rules of good governance’

Mitchell Johnson celebrates knocking over Stuart Broad

been the series thus far, that Australia are now unarguable favourites to win back the urn for the first time since 2009.

Needing 371 to avoid the follow-on after Australia’s runaway 570-9 declared, England had begun with determination and discipline,

only for all that to rapidly evaporate into the warm south Australian air in the hour before lunch.

Joe Root set the tone, slog-sweeping the first ball he faced from Nathan Lyon to Chris Rogers at deep square leg to throw away his wicket for 15 after 79 previ-

E

ngland are in grave danger of being whitewashed 5-0 in the Ashes after a “pathetic” batting display during the second Test match against Australia, says former captain Michael Vaughan.

The tourists crumbled to 172 all out in Adelaide as they finished day three 530 runs behind their dominant hosts.

“England look as if they are petrified of the ball and that is a real worry,” said Vaughan on Test Match Special.

“I can’t see any other result than 5-0 the way this England team are playing.”

England, trailing 1-0 in the series after a heavy defeat in Brisbane, lost their last six wickets for 55 runs as Mitchell Johnson (7-40) ran through their middle and lower order. Australia then reached 132-3 by the close.

Vaughan was alarmed by the lack of fight from England’s players in the face of a high-class spell of fast bowling.

“It’s been pathetic, feeble - there is no way you can protect this batting today,” he said. “England would have been blown away on day one if they’d batted like this.

They are mentally shot.

“Even when England lost

sistance as their team-mates either tossed their wickets away or were simply unable to cope with Johnson’s fearsome pace.

Michael Vaughn

5-0 in 2006-07, I don’t remember them folding like this. This is as bad as I have seen from an England side.”

Vaughan, who captained England to their first Ashes triumph in 18 years in 2005, believes there were signs their standards were slipping during the 3-0 victory over Australia in July and August.

“The last three Test matches of the summer were the warning signs for this England team,” added Vaughan.

“They weren’t playing great. Their brand of cricket was poor - attritional and very negative. If you can’t go out and express your game when you are 2-0 up in an

Ashes series on home soil, when you’ve doctored your own decks, there’s a real problem.

“The majority of this England side will retire as legends and rightly so because they have won so much, but they have come up against an Aussie side that are better than we’ve seen in the last three series and are definitely hungrier.

“The crowd want it, the media want it. It is almost as if they have come to this series and said: ‘You’ve won the last three... we’ve had enough of it.’”

Only Ian Bell, with an unbeaten 72, and Michael Carberry (60) offered any re-

Changes Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott believes Alastair Cook’s side have already lost the series and called for changes before the third Test in Perth, starting on December 13.

“England can’t win the Ashes, they are not playing well enough,” he said on TMS. “History says you don’t come from 2-0 down. There has to be some straight-talking.

“Ian Bell must bat at three and someone needs to talk to Kevin Pietersen, he can’t keep giving it away.

“Cook needs to get forward more and I don’t think Ben Stokes is good enough yet. Joe Root needs to stop making mistakes, because what he did last year doesn’t count.

“I’d play Monty Panesar instead of Graeme Swann.

He doesn’t seem to know what field to set. He’s been a great performer, but we can’t be sentimental.”

Bell, who was batting at number five, described the team’s display as “thoroughly disappointing”.

But he pledged an improved performance when England bat to save the game in the second innings.

“As a group over a number of years, we’ve shown the amount of fight we have in that dressing room,” the Warwickshire batsman said.

“We haven’t got it quite right so far on this trip but there’s a lot of guys in there with a lot of cricket still to go in this series that will show people we have got the fight.

“It starts tomorrow and the last day so we certainly have to fight hard. As an England team, we haven’t done anything close to what we’re capable of doing.”

Johnson, who now has 16 wickets in the series at 8.93, said he felt emotional after dispelling his doubters with another match-turning display.

“For me to be able to back up a performance like Brisbane and do it here it is a really nice feeling for me,” he said “There’s been talk in the past, I can have those performances where I can blow a team away and then the next one not turn up.

“For me I think that was why it was a bit more emotional and special, because I was able to stick to my plans and go through.” (BBC Sport)

I

nternational Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach says India face expulsion from the Olympic movement unless they comply with ethics rules.

India was suspended by the IOC last year because of government interference in its election process.

They have yet to agree to IOC demands to bar officials who have been charged with a criminal offence - an impasse which has led to the final ultimatum.

The Indian body is due to meet today to consider their position.

“The [Olympic] charter is clear,” Bach told Associated Press. “If the suspension leads to no solution, then further steps could be withdrawal of recognition.”

No country has been banned from the Olympics since the South Africa team was expelled between 19681988 during the apartheid era.

“We need to be strict and to make sure the rules of good governance are being applied,” Bach added.

India won two silver medals and four bronze at the London Olympics last year.

(BBC Sport)

december 8, 2013

guyanatimesGY.com

21

Simmons extends stay at Ireland Rain aids West Indies’ P great escape F New Zealand v West Indies, 1st Test, Dunedin, 5th day…

or New Zealand, it must have felt like spending numerous hours debugging a simplistic computer code, and just when it all looked ready, seeing the message ‘core dumped’. Dunedin had been dry for almost 14 sessions, but the rain arrived just before tea on the fifth day to leave New Zealand stranded 33 runs away from their first Test win under Brendon McCullum. The rain intensity seesawed frustratingly before the match was finally called off, the third time New Zealand failed to close out a home Test this year.

Thirty-three runs. At the rate they were going, New Zealand would have needed approximately 12 overs, or 50 minutes, to score those runs. West Indies’ last three wickets had batted for 81 minutes in the morning, after the double-centurion Darren Bravo had been dismissed in the day’s third over. The 38-run partnership between Darren Sammy and Shane Shillingford for the eighth wicket had eaten up 56 minutes. And this is without even considering the dropped catches on the fourth day.

Shillingford was instrumental in delaying New Zealand with the ball as well. Venomous on a fifthday pitch, he bowled unchanged for 15 of the 30 overs in the chase, picking up four top-order wickets to dash any hopes New Zealand might have had of a quick dash to the target.

Epic escape

For West Indies, it was an epic escape. They had trailed by 396 runs after a forgettable first innings, were forced to follow-on, and then put up a gutsy fight to take a lead.

A draw was a massive boost for a side that did not last three days in both Tests on their recent tour to India. In fact, West Indies had an outside chance at victory after Shillingford’s spell.

Shillingford had not had an impact in New Zealand’s first innings, on a pitch that was hard with an even cover of grass, bowling 46 over for one wicket. After four days of sunshine, however, the grass had withered and Shillingford was West Indies’ only chance of defending 112. Sammy gave him the new ball and it took Shillingford only seven balls to strike.

In the last over before lunch, Peter Fulton missed a flick and Denesh Ramdin appealed for a catch down the leg side. Umpire Paul Reiffel said not out but HotSpot highlighted a faint nick after West Indies asked for a review. Two overs later, Aaron Redmond fell into a trap, clipping a sharply turning delivery straight

Seagulls walk in the puddles formed on the covers

into the hands of Narsingh Deonarine at leg gully.

Another two overs later, Shillingford lured Hamish Rutherford into playing a lofted shot and the batsman obliged, hitting a boundary wide of the long-on fielder.

The next ball was tossed up again and Rutherford couldn’t resist. He tried to repeat the previous shot, but this time he lobbed it straight to the long-on fielder, falling in exactly the same way as in the first innings. ‘What a shot,’ said a close-in fielder as Rutherford whacked his bat on his pads in disappointment.

At 22-3, New Zealand were in trouble, but had the experienced pair of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor to see them through the tricky period. Both batsmen continued from where they left in the first innings: Taylor staying solid, while McCullum blasted the first ball he faced through covers.

But McCullum’s aggression consumed him and he topedged an attempted sweep off a delivery that went the other way and Ramdin took an easy catch.

While Shillingford bowled unchanged from one end, the other bowlers were

not able to create chances.

Corey Anderson drilled three boundaries off the seamers and rose in confidence, taking on Shillingford with a powerful sweep to move to 20, while Taylor was on 16 with the help of two boundaries. That’s when it began to rain, and there was delight and despair in the dressing rooms as it did not stop.

New Zealand had looked good for an early finish when Bravo was bowled by Trent Boult in the third over of the morning. But Sammy, derided during the Tests in India for his irresponsible batting, didn’t let New Zealand take control. He ran his runs hard despite an injury to his hamstring to reach only his sixth half-century in 36 Tests.

Shillingford added 15 runs before he edged Neil Wagner to first slip. Tino Best hung around for 21 minutes, his stay ending in a similar fashion. With only the No. 11 for company, Sammy threw his bat at the first delivery with the third new ball and sliced it to deep cover, but he ensured 54 useful runs had been added after Bravo’s exit. Every minute and run counted in the end. (Cricinfo)

hil Simmons has signed a two-year contract to extend his tenure as Ireland coach until the end of the 2015 domestic season.

Simmons, a former West Indies all-rounder who took over as Ireland coach following the 2007 World Cup, guided them during a period of unprecedented success.

Under Simmons, Ireland qualified for six consecutive global events, and won nine trophies including three ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers, two Intercontinental Cups, the 2008 European Championships, 2009 ICC Trophy, 2010 World Cricket League Division One title and the 2012 World Cricket League Championship.

He will have a chance to add to that collection next week, when Ireland take on Afghanistan in the Intercontinental Cup final in Dubai.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision to agree a further two years,” Simmons said. “I love Ireland and the people, who have a similar outlook to life as West Indians. The team has been very successful, but importantly for me, they are still hungry for success and willing to learn and improve all the time.

“We still have a long way to go and it’s an exciting period to be involved with Irish

Under Phil Simmons, Ireland qualified for six consecutive global events, and won nine trophies

cricket, both on and off the field. We’re putting in place foundations that will serve the sport well in the generations to come.

“There’s always been quality in the Irish team, but we’re adding genuine depth which can be seen now in the players who aren’t in the squad. It’s certainly made selection meetings a lot longer though.

“We’ve dominated at Associate level and now have ambitions to take the game in Ireland to the next level with our desire to become a Test nation by 2020.

We’re on course to meet the challenges and targets that have been set, and I’m delighted to be part of that setup” Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom was upbeat after securing the deal.

“We are delighted that Phil will be staying with us for at least another two years. It is obvious that he has been one of the main catalysts for the continued success not just of the squad, but also of Irish cricket itself, that is now generally regarded as the country’s fastest-growing sport,” he said.

“Like us, he believes that this team is capable of great things both in limited-overs cricket and, eventually, in the Test arena and his passion for the Irish cause remains undimmed.

“Irrespective that Phil is already the longest-serving coach at this level, it didn’t require much persuasion for him to remain at the helm of a squad that he continues to lead with enormous skill and conspicuous success.”

(www.windiescricket.com)

Man Utd suffer second defeat in four days

SCOREBOARD New Zealand 1st innings 609-9 declared West Indies 1st innings 213 West Indies 2nd innings (following-on) K. Edwards lbw b Sodhi 59 K. Powell c Southee b Boult 14 D.M. Bravo b Boult 218 M. Samuels c and b Southee 23 S. Chanderpaul lbw b Wagner 1 N. Deonarine c wkpr Watling b Anderson 52 +D. Ramdin b Sodhi 24 *D. Sammy c Sodhi b Southee 80 S. Shillingford c Taylor b Wagner 15 T. Best c Taylor b Wagner 3 S. Gabriel not out 0 Extras (b-4, lb-7, w-5, nb-2) 18 Total (all out; 162.1 overs) 507 Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Powell), 2-135 (Edwards), 3-178 (Samuels), 4-185 (Chanderpaul), 5-307 (Deonarine), 6-363 (Ramdin), 7-453 (Bravo), 8-491

(Shillingford), 9-507 (Best) Bowling: Southee 29.1-4101-2; Boult 35-11-81-2 (w1); Wagner 30-3-112-3 (nb-2); Anderson 14-2-29-1; Sodhi 497-155-2; Redmond 5-1-18-0 New Zealand 2nd innings (target: 112) P. Fulton c wkpr Ramdin b Shillingford 3 H. Rutherford c Gabriel b Shillingford 20 A. Redmond c Deonarine b Shillingford 6 R. Taylor not out 16 *B. McCullum c wkpr Ramdin b Shillingford 9 C. Anderson not out 20 Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-1) 5 Total (for 4 wickets; 30 overs) 79 Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Fulton), 2-15 (Redmond), 3-31 (Redmond), 4-44 (McCullum) Bowling: Best 8-1-26-0 (w-1); Shillingford 15-5-26-4; Gabriel 5-1-16-0; Deonarine 2-0-7-0

M

Yohan Cabaye

anchester United slumped to their second home Premier League defeat in the space of four days as Yohan Cabaye’s goal gave Newcastle a first league victory at Old Trafford since 1972.

The home side struggled to break down the Magpies, other than a flurry of chances at the start of the second half, with Patrice Evra heading against the post before the ball rebound-

ed against Vurnon Anita’s arm.

Newcastle struck on the break when Cabaye fired home Moussa Sissoko’s cross.

Robin van Persie had a header disallowed as Manchester United tried to respond, but Newcastle held on for a famous victory which means home form that had been cause for concern for boss David Moyes is now turning into a crisis.

The Scot’s side have

dropped 13 points out of 24 in front of their own fans this season and suffered back-to-back league defeats at Old Trafford for the first time since the end of the 2001-02 season.

Wednesday’s loss to Everton meant Moyes’s side came into this game already trailing leaders Arsenal by 12 points and in danger of being out of the title race

by Christmas. At this rate, a top-four place will also be beyond them. (BBC Sport)

22

december 8, 2013

guyanatimesGY.com

GCB/GT&T/Hand-in-Hand Senior Inter-County Four-Day…

Mohamed, Khan bowl Demerara to innings victory

Interesting final day looms in senior chess championship

– Berbice close on 265-6 against President’s XI

Former national junior champion Anthony Drayton (right) defeated former senior champion Wendell Meusa to set up an interesting final day today

Royston Crandon

Christopher Barnwell

Sewnarine Chattergoon

By Rajiv Bisnauth

362-8 before declaring their first innings shortly before the tea interval. Resuming on 172-4, Demerara were well poised to take the lead in the first innings as they were only 26 runs short of the visitors’ first innings total of 198.

Continuing from an overnight 48, Christopher Barnwell went on to make 81.

His innings included of five boundaries and two sixes.

Chris Pattadin (63), who had not opened his account at stumps on day three, ably supported Barnwell, sharing in a 55-run partnership.

He then added 87 runs for the seventh wicket with Zaheer Mohamed, who slammed an exquisite 70 with the help of four fours and a six.

Bowling for Essequibo, Anthony Adams picked up 3-105 and Royan Fredricks 2-38, while Hemchand Persaud and Dellon Heyliger claimed a wicket apiece.

Meanwhile, Berbice amassed a formidable 265-6 at stumps on the penultimate day against the President’s XI at the Everest Cricket Club ground, Camp Road.

The Berbicians have now ammassed an 80-run lead after bowling out the President’s XI for 185 on Friday. The first day was completely washed out without a ball being

bowled due to a soggy outfield.

Berbice skipper Sewnarine Chattergoon scored 55 at the top of the order, hitting four boundaries in a secondwicket 108-run partnership with West Indies ‘A’ batsman Assad Fudadin, who made a solid 58 from 162 deliveries.

All-rounder Royston Crandon topscored for Berbice with an unbeaten 79 and was involved in the team’s second century partnership along with the pugnacious Jonathan Foo, who carved a mature 54.

Anthony D’Andrade (00), Rajiv Ivan (01) and Anthony Bramble (02) were the other batsmen dismissed.

Off-spinner Collis Butts, son of the former Guyana and West Indies spinner and current Chairman of Selectors of the West Indies Cricket Board Clyde Butts, was the pick of the President’s XI bowlers snapping up 3-40 from 29 overs with 10 maidens.

He was backed up by Robin Bacchus, Romario Shepherd and Steven Sankar who claimed a wicket each.

Play at Everest is scheduled to start at 09:00 hours today, weather permitting.

The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) and Hand-in-Hand Insurance have joined forces with the GCB to sponsor the tournament.

S

pinners Zaheer Mohamed and Amir Khan produced mesmerising spells as Demerara spanked Essequibo by an innings and 54 runs inside three days in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) senior InterCounty four-day tournament on Saturday at the Enmore Community Centre ground.

Mohamed and Khan exploited the low and slow conditions of the Enmore wicket effectively to finish with 6-11 and 3-48 respectively.

Off-spinner Mohamed ended the game with figures of 10-57, while leg-spinner, Khan finished with match figures of 8-110.

Face with a mammoth first innings deficit of 164, Essequibo suffered a calamitous final session as they collapsed from 51 without loss to 110 all out off 34.4 overs in their second innings.

Only Royan Fredricks with 51 offered any meaningful resistance as the Demerara spin duo made the most of some illjudged strokeplay and feeble defence.

Rajiv Balgobin (16) and Parmesh Parsotam (12) were the other Essequibo batsmen to spend some time at the crease.

Earlier, Demerara piled up

T

he final three rounds of the Vita Malt Plus national senior chess championship at the Ocean Spray Hotel, Kitty, will conclude today with the eight top participating chess players having suffered defeats, including main challenger, Wendll Meusa.

Meusa suffered an upset loss at the hands of former national junior champion

Anthony Drayton in their fourth round encounter on Wednesday last. Meusa had won three straight matches earlier, including one against reigning champion, Taffin Khan.

However, after the fourth round on Wednesday, Meusa are sharing the top spot with veteran player Errol Tiwari. Both players are on three points each, followed by Drayton and

Khan with two and a half points apiece. Roberto Neto and Glenford Corlette are on two each and Davion Mars on one point. Rashad Hussain is yet to score. The remaining rounds today will be a rigorous test for the participants and in the event of a tied score, a playoff would become inevitable to determine the 2013 national senior chess champion.

Meeting Mandela my greatest moment, says Sir Viv

C

ricket legend Sir Viv Richards accomplished whatever there was to achieve in the game – playing for West Indies, the No 1 team in the world in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, being part of two World Cupwinning teams and not losing a Test series as captain from 1985-86 to 1991.

However, when it came to matters off the field, Nelson Mandela, who passed away in Johannesburg on Thursday, provided him with his greatest moment.

Richards told MiD DAY from Antigua on Friday that meeting Mandela in Monaco during the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000 was his greatest moment.

“That meeting will stay in my memory for a long time. He knew about my decision to not go to SA (in the apartheid years). He said, ‘Thank you’ and those words meant so much. I was extremely happy. To hear this from a person, who is revered by almost everyone around the world was very special. When he said ‘Thank you’, I knew where he was coming from. He did say to me that he knew exactly what was happening then as well as the people, who helped make a difference (in dismantling apart-

Nelson Mandela

Sir Vivian Richards

heid),” said Richards.

In the film Fire in Babylon, Richards revealed that he was offered an “open cheque” to play in South Africa, but refused to bite the bait because touring South Africa during the apartheid era went against his principles.

Also, he felt that there would have been an exodus in West Indies cricket had he agreed to go.

“You felt seriously embodied with the folks who were suffering in South Africa. Human injustice was taking place for so many years,” he said.

The proud Antiguan first heard that Mandela appreciated his decision to stay away from rebel tours to South Africa from Bishop Desmond Tutu. That was

before he met Mandela in 2000.

“Tutu told us that they listened to the radio when West Indies played against England and Australia.

They were frequent listeners. He also said that they took satisfaction from the success we had at that time.

For me to hear that was a privilege,” said Richards.

Tutu told Richards: “Thank you so much for helping dismantle the apartheid regime; for helping in the upliftment of our struggling brothers and sisters.”

“When I heard that,” said Richards in Fire in Babylon, “I was moved.

Wow, they knew exactly the part you played. You felt very appreciated.” (www. windiescricket.com)

dECEMBER 8, 2013

guyanatimesGY.com

23

St Stanislaus wins Marian Academy relays

By Treiston Joseph

S

t Stanislaus College ran away with the inaugural Marian Academy relay event held as part of a Caribbean

Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) project on Saturday at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda.

The champions tallied 132 points, with Queen’s

Jason Yaw in the lead for Bladen Hall on the first leg of the Boys’ Open 4x400 metres relay leg before his team fell to third (Photos: Treiston Joseph)

Kevin Abbensetts crosses the finish line ahead of his rivals in the Boys’ Open 4x200 metres

College finishing second on 106 points, Bladen Hall Secondary third with 99 points, Tutorial High School fourth with 63 points and St John’s College rounding out the top five with 55 points.

The Government Technical Institute (GTI) swept the Male Open 4x100 metres, 4x200 metres and 4x400 metres relay with national sprinter Kevin

ULSC marks first anniversary today – cricket festival to celebrate milestone

T

he Unity Lancaster Sports Club (ULSC) will celebrate its first anniversary today with a cricket festival at the ULSC ground starting at 10:00 hours and concluding under floodlights.

The 20/20 cricket festival will feature rivalry among Crabwood Creek, Lusignan, Bravados and home team ULSC, with corporate support for the day’s activity coming from Ansa McAl Trading’s Carib Beer and GuyTrac.

According to a release from the ULSC, the teams will be vying for cash incentives and trophies.

“The T20 cricket festival culminates a hectic year of activities for the club. These include honouring [West Indies batsman] Shivnarine Chanderpaul and [former Guyana Cricket Board president] Chetram Singh, a raffle, a fun park for children, launching of the club’s Under-15 cricket academy, outfitting the Over-40, senior, Under-15 and Under-19 teams with uniforms, introducing boxing and carrying out extensive works to the main pavillion,” the release read.

It added, “The club remains grateful to Sterling

Products Limited, Buddy’s Pool Hall, GuyTrac, Impressions, Survival Supermarket, Goodwood, Nauth’s Auto Spares, Victory International, Giftland OfficeMax, Tiger Sports, Regal, Nauth Construction and Bakewell unwaversing support.”

The ULSC also took the opportunity to thank the media for their support over the past year, particularly the Guyana Times and the Kaieteur News, and also extends season’s greetings to all its members, well-wishers, sponsors and the Guyanese public.

Abbensetts anchoring all three events to victory.

Tutorial High School dominated the Girls’ Under-14 4x200 metres and Open 4x200 metres, while also winning the Girls’ Under-17 4x400 metres.

St Stanislaus ruled the Girls’ Under-17 and 19 4x100 metres while running away with the Girls Under-14 4x200 metres.

St Stanislaus also managed to capture both the 800 metres Girls’ Medley and Boys’ 1500 Medley events to close out the victory.

Queen’s College were able to run away with the Girls’ Open 4x400 and 4x200 metres relay, while East Coast’s Bladen Hall got a win in the Boys’ Under-14 4x100 metres

relay.

Meanwhile, after the St Stanislaus athletes were presented with the winner’s trophy, the event was deemed a success by Marian Academy’s Physical Education teacher, Keith Smith, as the documentation of the event will be forwarded to the CSEC examiners for evaluation and grading.

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

december 8, 2013

guyanatimesgy.com TOP SCORES

CRICKET: NEW ZEALAND 609-9 DECLARED AND 79-4 V WEST INDIES 213 AND 507; AUSTRALIA 570-9 DECLARED AND 132-3 V ENGLAND 172

GCB/GT&T/Hand-in-Hand Senior Inter-County Four-Day…

Mohamed, Khan bowl Demerara to innings victory – Berbice close on 265-6 against President’s XI

See story on page

22

Demerara wicketkeeper Joseph Perry reacts after taking a catch to dismiss Parsram Persaud off leg-spinner Amir Khan

Zaheer Mohamed about to celebrate after holding on to a return catch off Kemo Paul at the Enmore Community Centre ground (Photos: Rajiv Bisnauth)

St Stanislaus wins Marian Academy relays

New Zealand v West Indies, 1st Test, Dunedin, 5th day…

See story on page

23

Rain aids West Indies’ great escape

See story on page

21

The St Stanislaus College athletes strike a pose after winning the first Marian Academy relay event on Saturday (Photo: Treiston Joseph)

Shane Shillingford is mobbed after he picked his third wicket

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, Tel: 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230, 223-7231, Fax: 227-0685 - SALES AND MARKETING - sales@guyanatimesgy.com PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.