…Dr Surujbally calls act "evil"
SOPs Sophia murder suspect still on run
3 more charged following Sophia unrest PSC expects delivery of credible elections result Bomb scare at GRA, employees sent home
By Vahnu Manikchand
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is probing the detection of what seems to be “fake” Statement of Polls (SOPs) that were submitted to the Commission from polling stations across the country following Monday’s General and Regional Elections.
According to the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield, he made the detection while processing the SOPs and immediately alerted the Commissioners as well as the Chairman.
soon as the Commissioners deliberated, I can provide you with the outcome,” he stated. Nevertheless, Lowenfield revealed that there are approximately 33 fake SOPs found, adding that none of these SOPs were counted. He noted that this observation of the fake documents was made since he detected the absence of the security features that only a few persons knew about.
On the other hand, Chairman of GECOM, Dr Steve Surujbally commended the Chief Elections
GECOM had ordered from a Canadian company. “As the Statement of Polls came in… we were able to pick up those things immediately (that) this is wrong; these are not the right ones,” he noted.
Dr Surujbally disclosed that the CEO has already begun making checks on the anomalies that were detected. However, the Chairman pointed out that these irregularities are not of a great quantum that would disturbed the results but noted that with the race running so close, these “consequen-
peripheralities is taking the Electoral Commission’s time away from getting the final 2015 Elections results out. He further declared that he cannot comprehend as to how these inauthentic documents made their way into the polling stations among the genuine forms.
Dr Surujbally went onto called the act “evil”.
“The distrust is aroused once again. I said the word “evil” because I meant it. It is a terrible most reprehensible thing to attempt and of course it goes nowhere but it goes their way by
However, Lowenfield was not keen on divulging the details of his observation, noting that the matter was before the Commission.
“I made a fair and frank observation to the Commission… the issue is, at this point in time, with the Commissioners… In my humble view, I don’t think that is required for the media at this point in time. As
Officer for bringing his observation to the attention of the Commission. He disclosed that the Commission went to great lengths to have polling papers endorsed with certain security features to ensure that there would be no breach of protocols.
The Chairman explained the anomalies that were detected included polling papers that were found to be different from those that
In addition to the previous concerns raised, the PPP/C further disclosed that the ballots cast by the Disciplined Forces on May 2, 2015, and that were to be deposited and counted at polling stations with low allocation of voters, had mysteriously been sent to polling stations with large number of voters.
tial matters” must be dealt with.
According to the GECOM Chairman, such
those who want to make an issue out of something that was captured and stopped immediately,” he remarked.
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is alleging massive rigging on the SOPs and has made calls for GECOM to halt the declaration of the final results.
In a memorandum to the diplomatic community, the outgoing party is contending that irregularities plagued the May 11, polls including the voting at polling stations and the processing of the voting by GECOM electoral staff and others.
In support of its contention, the PPP/C discloses that many Statements of Polls received by GECOM from the 10 electoral districts were identified as “fakes”. The party claimed that during a meeting on Wednesday evening, the Chief Elections Officer reported that he had noticed that many of the SOPs had formats different from the authentic SOPs that were earlier distributed to the Electoral Districts to be used by Presiding Officers to tabulate votes at Polling Stations.
These fake SOPs, the PPPC/C says, did not additionally carry the endorsed signatures of GECOM that were applied to every SOP purchased by GECOM from Canada. It was also dis-
closed that SOPs had numbers of voters that exceeded the voters that were assigned to the polling stations. As a result of the above observations, the PPP/C made the following decisions for GECOM to consider.
These include that GECOM cease the declaration of the results until the following is completed; The establishment of the genuine nature of each SOP submitted to GECOM for the 10 electoral districts and provision of a quantitative assessment of fake SOPs; the total recount of all ballots cast in the May 11 elections; the earliest disclosure of these irregularities, the nature and the results of the investigation done by GECOM and the submission of interventions to regain confidence in the electoral process of May 11.
Meanwhile, the PPP/C also mentioned in the memorandum to the diplomatic community that Monday’s election were heavily influenced by fairly extensive reports of irregularities by the party’s polling agents thus it has made formal requests for recounts.
In addition to the precious concerns raised, the PPP/C further disclosed that the ballots cast by the Disciplined Forces on May 2, 2015, and that were to be deposited and counted at polling stations with low allocation of voters, had mysteriously been sent to polling stations with large number of voters.
However, despite all the above observations, the APNU+AFC coalition had registered their rejection of the PPP/C requests for recounts and had insisted that GECOM could not allow the requests. In addition, the APNU/AFC had also served a 24 hours ultimatum to GECOM calling for the declaration of the results and a rapid swearing in of the winner.
friday, may 15, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com
The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic from Friday, May 15 – 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, May 16 - 14:30h-16:00h
The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:
Friday, May 15 – 14:25h-15:55h and Saturday, May 16 – 15:20h-16:50h
Ferries will be departing the Parika and Supenaam stellings on:
Friday, May 15 - 05:00h and 16:00h
Saturday, May 16 – 05:00h and 17:00h
Today through Saturday, all regions can expect cloudy to overcast skies with frequent moderate to heavy showers, light intermittent rain and isolated thundershowers over some areas. Gusty winds are likely to occur before and during showers. Rainfall is expected to range between 30.0 mm and 90.0 mm within a 24 hour period. The highest rainfall is expected over Regions Three through Six, Seven, Eight and some areas in Region 10. Please note that with the forecasted weather conditions, water accumulation is likely to occur in flood prone and poor drainage areas.
Winds: East North-easterly between 4.471 metres and 5.81 metres per second.
High Tide: 02:06h and 14:35h reaching maximum heights of 2.62 metres and 2.60 metres respectively.
Low Tide: 08:07h and 20:26h reaching minimum heights of 0.58 metre and 0.60 metre respectively.
Spring Tide Advisory will be in effect from today. The forecasted rainfall along with the Spring tides can cause coastal flooding. Residents are advised to take necessary precautions.
The A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition is on track to forming the new government, according to the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) final preliminary results.
The APNU/AFC is in the lead with a total thus far of 206,817 votes while the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has 201,457 out of a total of 410,391 votes cast. According to the election body, these were the emerging results after all of the 2299 Statements of Polls (SOPs) were checked and verified.
This announcement
was made at the seventh press conference hosted on Thursday by GECOM, at its media centre in Kingston, Georgetown.
Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield said the Returning Officers were expected to make their declarations by Thursday afternoon, after which those will be perused by him. Lowenfield said that they are pushing to ensure that declarations are done but cautioned that it may take a bit longer than the two hours mentioned.
Lowenfield told reporters that while it is possible that numbers can change in the reconciliation pro-
cess, such a change is unlikely to be significant enough to affect the outcome reflected in the preliminary results. “We should be singing from the same sheet.”
He further expressed the view that recounts notwithstanding, the results would not be significantly altered. “If there was any variance, in my view that variance would not be significant,” he said. As such, he noted that it was safe to presume that the alli-
raking in 201,324 votes while the PPP/C received 198,148.
The smaller of the parties such as the National Independent Party received 561 votes, the United Force 880, the Independent Party 338, and the United Republican Party, 338.
The CEO said that the numbers thus far can be interpreted to mean that the APNU/AFC has won not only the presidency but will also have con-
Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield said the Returning Officers were expected to make their declarations by Thursday afternoon, after which those will be perused by him.
ance has won the keenly contested elections, unseating the PPP/C, who has been in power for the past 23 years. According to Lowenfield, the APNU/ AFC has won Regions Four, Seven, Eight and 10 while the PPP/C has won Regions One, Two, Three, Five, Six and Nine.
However, overall, the APNU/AFC was still able to lead the regional votes,
trol over the National Assembly after managing to grab the majority of 33 of the 65 seats. The declaration of the results is expected to be done today.
Once the declarations are made, the relevant political parties will have until Saturday to request partial or total recounts in some or all of the districts/ regions if they so desire.
Editor: Nigel Williams
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
Although the country is understandably preoccupied with the aftermath of general elections, politicians should soundly condemn the recent spate of horrifying acts committed on young children in Guyana – as should religious and civil society – in the loudest voices possible.
Yet there is hardly a murmur from anyone, despite the almost daily reports of children being sexually molested, raped or murdered. Theirs are a small, voiceless section of our society crying out for our protection.
While there are groups that protest for their own rights, none seems to focus on the rights of young children to grow up protected from those who wish to harm them. None seems to feel the anguish of the mothers and fathers who must endure an existence after burying their children.
Not one group or organisation has taken the lead to significantly advocate for improved laws for and rights of Guyana’s children, many who are too young to explain the fears they may have as children their age are being harmed.
As the majority of sexual offences occur against children, their fears are, all too real. Tragically, as young innocents, some have no notion of the monsters lurking unseen in our society.
Acts of physical and emotional abuse are committed daily against young children; sexual abuse of these young children, when considered along with the types of violence against women, point to a truly alarming situation in Guyana that few are tackling head on or making any significant progress with.
While many mime the old cliché, “children are the future”, few have shown any initiative aimed at truly making Guyana a safer place for these children of the future. It has become a meaningless phrase, seemingly uttered for popular appeal rather than out of authentic concern for these children.
The blame game has been played repeatedly; it is already old: a ship that sailed years ago. Who has an updated, more innovative and genuine plan for fighting for the rights of young children that does not revolve around a political party?
Has the plan for improving the rights of a child become a political football that can only be revealed if party X wins over party Y? What does than say about our politicians?
The aggressive fight to stop violence against young children goes beyond politics. But alas, we live in a less than ideal world and therefore our children remain suffering at the hands of sexual predators, bullies and murderers while the adults fiddle with whatever they believe are of more importance to themselves.
Who knows of the potential for great achievements from among the now dead or traumatised child victims of sexual violence? Every child has the potential to become a great political leader, scientist, engineer, author or artist; snuffing out an existence denies the world of such. For those that survive, innocence is destroyed and impacts much of the victim’s future, making what may have already started out as a rough life increasingly harder.
It is not enough to have sympathy for a mother in anguish; the factors leading to the sexual act of harming a child can be complex and varied; therefore, every facet of a plan to fight sexual offences against children needs to consider more than just punishment of those who commit these heinous acts.
Programmes and personnel are needed to manage mental illnesses, drug addictions and paedophilia – often indications of abusive personalities. Reducing poverty and ignorance that often breeds sexual abuse of young children is also essential. So too is the need for specialist training that can spot signs of sexual abuse and for specialists to care for and counsel victims.
Many programmes should aim to stop sexual abuse and violence before it occurs and require a wide and organised range of policies along with efficient cooperation among different agencies.
This requires skilful planning and above all, the will to ensure innocent young children enjoy a childhood and one that is free of fear.
Dear Editor,
The social media controlled by the Opposition has been active with their weird imagination. Or is it with their malicious rumors?
I am presently in Georgetown. I did not flee Guyana. I am here and as far as I know the records of the Ministry are in the safe keeping of the Permanent Secretary. I have no intention of transferring any property to my name for a dollar, as did happen in 1992 when the PNC was voted out of office.
I ask everyone to observe how peaceful this postelection period has been. The Opposition believes it has won and therefore has held back its supporters. Yet they have kept the Sword of Damocles over our heads by warning us that if they lose they will create mayhem in Guyana.
This is a damning admission that all of our post-elections violence has been controlled by the Opposition. They can initiate or call off all the violence and prove without a doubt that they own the powers of creating peace or instability in our country. They were born out of this violent nature and they live by it.
But I am proud of the work the PPP/C has done in Guyana to ensure we live in a country with a robust demo-
cratic system and guarantees freedom to all citizens.
As a Government, the PPP/C continuously worked to strengthen our freedom and democracy. No matter what anyone says, we must be proud of what we nurtured and developed – a free country with a robust parliamentary democracy.
There is freedom of the media. People have choices at elections. The country moved from a HIPC to a middle income country and escaped the trap and stagnation of being one of the world’s most indebted countries.
The next Government (either a PPP/C or a non-PPP/C Government) will have a country ready to take off to new heights and a treasury with reserves that leave it with a macroeconomic stability.
The infrastructure is building towards a modern country. The economy is the most diverse economy and the most robust in Caricom. I feel proud of my role in building a modern Guyana and we must forever be thankful that the PPP/C brought the commitment, the vision and the know-how to build our modern Guyana.
I don’t know who has won yet. But the data I have indicate a close contest that ei-
ther side could win. Guyanese must be proud that a country which experienced an almost three-decade long dictatorship has a very robust democracy today. Elections in Guyana today can lead to a change in Government and the 2015 elections will show that people have a choice. The sitting Government did not interfere with the election process in a manner that prevented any possible change.
I do believe and I know that there were many issues with the elections and the fact that the Opposition was able to manipulate and steal more than 10,000 votes from Georgetown demonstrates that we no longer have a system where the Government can control the elections process to prevent any change.
The fact is that because the Opposition believes it has won, we have no post-election violence. But the situation remained tense throughout because the same Opposition has threatened that it will not be able to restraint its supporters should they lose.
This sound a lot like the maxim: “those who own the dogs are the only ones who can call off the dogs”. Mr Burnham ominously warned us in that manner in the early 1960s and Mr Granger warned us even more peril-
ously recently in Bartica. In this case, the Opposition has made it clear – as long as they win, there is no fear of violence, but if they lose, they will “bruk up the country”. This is unfortunate, but I am hopeful that as we further mature, elections in Guyana can always be free of violence and abuse, no matter who wins.
The PPP/C has endured rigged elections between 1968 and 1992 without ever putting anyone at risk, without ever threatening the safety and well-being of anyone. It is a testimony to the PPP/ C’s commitment to a peaceful Guyana that win or lose the PPP/C will not encourage or incite any violence in Guyana.
It is sad to see that APNU+AFC (the PNC in disguise) can only guarantee a violence free post-election period only if it wins and practically guarantees violence and mayhem should they lose. This will always be a major difference between the PPP/C and APNU+AFC (the PNC). Whatever the results, the PPP/C will work for the welfare of Guyana and our people, no ands, ifs and buts. We have no pre-condition for working for peace, progress and prosperity.
Dr Leslie Ramsammy
Dear Editor,
The PPP/C is contending that irregularities plagued the May 11 General and Regional Elections including specifically the voting at Polling Stations and the processing of the voting by GECOM electoral staff and others.
In support of its contention, the PPP/C discloses the following: Many Statements of Polls (SOPs) received by GECOM from the ten (10) Electoral Districts were iden-
tified as fakes.
At its meeting of May 13, the Chief Elections Officer of GECOM Keith Lowenfield disclosed that he had noticed that many of the SOPs had formats different from the authentic SOPs that were earlier distributed to the Electoral Districts to be used by Presiding Officers to tabulate votes at polling stations. These fake SOPs did not additionally carry the endorsed signatures of GECOM that were applied to every
SOP purchased by GECOM from Canada.
It was also disclosed that SOPs had numbers of voters that exceeded the voters that were assigned to the polling stations.
As a result of the above, the PPP/C made the following decisions for GECOM to consider:
1. GECOM ceasing declaration until this is completed and the establishment of the genuine nature of each SOP submitted to GECOM
for the 10 Electoral Districts and provision of a quantitative assessment of fake SOPs
2. The total recount of all ballots cast in the May 11 Elections; the earliest disclosure of these irregularities, the nature and the results of the investigation done by GECOM; and the submission of interventions to regain confidence in the Electoral process of May 11.
PPP/C
Freedom House
Dear people of Guyana,
We need the philosophy of love and that of peace and calm. I have seen many who appear to be supporting the APNU making certain comments not very nice, and then I see people of the PPP/C being depressed and also not saying pleasant things.
Look, listen and read well. While I believe a recount must be done if requested to end all complaints, the reality is this:
Regardless of who wins, the truth is life continues. If PPP/C wins, there will be no “witch hunt”, and if APNU wins, it will be same. This is time for healing, and calling on the Universe of God to pour down its healing fertilizing winds and energies.
The nation needs healing, not suspicion, pain and hate, distrust and confusion. Meditation time: Close your eyes all centre your concentration at the middle of your forehead between the eyebrows. Breathe calmly three times, slowly in and very slowly out.
Then say: I am a peaceful soul; I am a loving soul; I am a progressive soul. And breathe and think that from the heart, slowly,
and eliminate as you exhale the negatives, the confusion, the annoyance, and think as you inhale:
I am a calming soul; I am a child of God; I am a peaceful soul; I am a loving soul, I am one with God; I am one with God...breathe slowly a bit more and the tension will disappear.
The message I get from deep through mediation is that the hand of God is involved. It seems the universal god, with his spirits of holiness, and the universe wish for the parties to be one patriotic national front Government for all to work together.
The political animosities must end; the hostilities must end now! And no one must abandon their country.
If this or that party wins, and have faith in your country, I do, regardless of who wins, and if the APNU wins, then so be it, God bless them and God bless Guyana.
The fight is done, those who have lost may have gained more than they realize. They need to reflect, and recharge, and all should end the hostility and combativeness, and think of togetherness: One people; one nation; one destiny.
Change is good it is said. Let us see!!!! The winner knows they will be on test and will the best they can.
If PPP/C loses, they can look with victory of all their accomplishments and achievements for Guyana, as one can look and see, we have emerged from the dark ages. They have placed Guyana on the high road to success.
Politicians need to see the writings on the wall of life; god’s sign posts...the hearts and the universe, and read it with the heart and soul and comprehend the message for oneness. This is what I read friends and families.
If APNU wins there will be no confrontations from them, they will wish to win hearts and souls, this is the reality, and prove that they are better. Therefore if your party, the PPP/C loses, there must no annoyances, no quarrels, no misbehavior, no tears, for you had done what you could, as at times there are things you and I have no control over, so just acceptance from the universal conscience; work and bless your country and go about your business.
Roshan Khan
Dear Editor,
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), which has been accredited as a domestic observer, would like to commend our fellow citizens for their participation in and conduct during the General and Regional Elections, which was evident in the high and generally orderly voter turnout.
While we are disappointed that our identification badges were not issued by GECOM in time to enable us to observe the Joint Services voting process, we were subsequently issued 181 observer badges and able to field a total of 160 observers across administrative regions, who visited more than 500 Polling Stations for the General and Regional Elections.
The Union finds it appropriate to commend GECOM on their level of preparedness for the 2015 electoral process as evident in the level of transparency, logistics and inclusiveness of all stakeholders, including the international and local observers in the process.
The Union wishes to endorse the electoral process, noting that it was generally, free, fair and transparent.
Our observation team can testify to the level of proficiency and extraordinary commitment displayed significantly by the GECOM Elections day staff, party agents and security officials at the various polling stations.
The Union however wishes to express its concern particularly, that one of its observers was not allowed access to the polling station in “E” Field Sophia, despite the intervention of Patrick Yarde, the Union’s President.
In several cases it was noted that political party operatives in the vicinity of some polling stations were misleading intended voters.
In addition, there were reports of concerns of disturbances especially one in Sophia, which to our relief was brought under control by the Joint Services within a reasonable time in the circumstances. These cases were contained to the areas in which they occurred.
The GPSU is saddened by such development and would like to express its displeasure with those occurrences which unfortunately did inflict a stain on an otherwise proud display of our people.
Nevertheless, the union’s observation team did note that while concerned citizens were being vigilant outside of several polling places, these did not impede the efficient transportation of elections material including Ballot boxes and statements of poll.
During this period of tabulation by GECOM the union notes with concern the slow pace at which results are being made available to the Guyanese people, resulting in much anxiety.
The GPSU would therefore like to join other concerned groups and organizations in urging our fellow citizens to remain calm and orderly and
ensure that the post elections period in marked by racial harmony, unity and is free of any disturbance, however, these pleas must not be seen as an opportunity to test the patience of the electorate.
Additionally, it has been brought to the Union’s attention that there appears to be irregular activities taking place at various public service/sector locations. We therefore call on our members to be vigilant and conduct themselves firmly in a professional and lawful manner and if required take appropriate action to protect the public property in the public interest.
The GPSU wishes to assure all public officers that the Union is fully prepared to support and protect them against any action that is intended to penalize them in discharging their legitimate responsibilities.
Indira Thakurdin GPSU
Government of national
may be best outcome
Dear Editor, I do not know which party officially has won the election. But there seems to be the inevitability of change (or a continuation of the status quo) that some people are not willing to accept. Certain trends reveal which party has won.
All the parties received the same information from presiding officers. So they know who won, only the public is being kept in suspense with one party hoping for a miracle, that would not happen.
Unless there is massive fraud, the results cannot be vitiated by the court and at any rate the PPP/C is not moving in that legal direction.
The PPP/C has been running behind in everything allowing the coalition to beat it to the punch -- this usually happens to a party without a campaign manager and direction.
By the expression on their face, it seems that some PPP/C members have resigned themselves to defeat. If the party has indeed lost, then the leadership should accept it.
That does not preclude a public announcement that the party wishes to satisfy itself that the results in certain areas are accurate (if the outcome is very close) and wants the recount to be completed.
In fact, the recount should go ahead even if a winner is declared.
The PPP/C claims its numbers show it in the lead, in contradiction to the APNU+AFC coalition’s claim. That being its position, then PPP/C should release its numbers to ease tension or dispel rumor of sinister acts.
If the opposition coalition has won, then President Ramotar (and Liz Harper) should face the verdict with maturity and congratulate David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo for a hard fought campaign and let the healing begins.
If the people voted for change, and a lot of PPP/C supporters cross the divide as my NACTA poll was suggesting, the PPP/C must be matured enough to accept it. It is not the end of the world.
The PPP/C must understand that there were a lot of angry former supporters (who the party alienated) and they voted with a vengeance for being disrespected by some very arrogant and uncouth party officials.
The coalition claims it won a huge victory based on the release of its numbers. I do not think those numbers are going to hold. I think the election outcome will be close as I found in my NACTA polls.
If less than a percentage point separates the parties, a recount would be in order to satisfy the loser; recounts are usually done when an outcome is very close – that is standard practice in every society.
But if the margin is huge, as the coalition claims, a recount would not alter the inevitable and the PPP/C should accept it was defeated. The coalition should not oppose a recount as it will not change the inevitable. A recount will erase doubt that the coalition has won.
If the coalition is so confident that it has won, then allow the recount. Opposing it will lead to court action that will
further delay the announcement of a winner.
If a recount would take a significant number of days, then the leaders of the two parties should meet publicly and issue a joint statement that a recount is underway and that the nation needs to allow GECOM to complete its work. The recount would not alter the outcome. The two leaders should pledge to accept the results of the recount.
The business and diplomatic communities should bring the leaders of the two parties together to address the delay of the declaration of the results if the recount is undertaken or if the matter ends up in court further delaying a recount and announcement of a winner.
If without the recount, the outcome is marginally close and the announcement of a winner will take days, then the business community should serve as mediators between the two parties bringing them together for some kind of compromise.
In such a scenario, a Government of national unity may be the best outcome with the winner leading the Government.
If the Opposition has won comfortably, or even marginally, as David Granger is claiming, and if Ramotar knows in his heart Granger has won, then Ramotar must do the right thing - pick up the phone and congratulate Granger and explain to him that he would like the recount to be completed for the final declaration of the results.
Vishnu Bisram
Record-breaking interest, participation from youths
Dear Editor,
The 2015 election has seen record-breaking interest and participation from the youth of Guyana, comprising roughly 60 per cent of the electoral population.
The delay in declaring the results of the elections has effectively ground the country to a halt. Citizens are uneasy, and for good reason.
The expectation of a swift
announcement is not unfair and unreasonable – any further delays are likely to agitate the already anxious population.
For the past three days, many schools and businesses have been wary of opening their doors, since the reaction to the declaration is unknown.
We respect the right of all parties to request a recount of the ballots, however, we believe clear information should
be provided to the population regarding the legality of the request, if the request has been granted and if counting has begun.
We are calling the Guyana Elections Commission to act within the ambit of the law and officially declare the results of the elections.
Michael Leonard BLUE CAPS
By Gomatie GanGadin
Presidential Candidate of A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change coalition (APNU+AFC), David Granger has called on all Guyanese to remain calm and respectful even as they await the official declaration of results of the 2015 elections and his swearingin as the next President of Guyana.
The preliminary results, as announced by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) after being verified by the Commission on Thursday showed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic
(PPP/C) attained 201,457 votes while APNU+AFC gained 206,817. Granger said this demonstrates that “we have come together as Guyanese to elect a Unity Government that will represent the rights of all. We call on Guyanese who are celebrating this victory to do so respectfully and within the ambits of the laws of the land”.
He said these election results reflect the spirit of national unity, which inspired the APNU+AFC campaign.
“We call on all Guyanese to ensure that their conduct, in the days ahead, reflects our motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”.
Meanwhile, the capital
city, Georgetown, erupted in celebration when the announcement was made that APNU+AFC was leading the PPP/C. Hoisting flags and pieces of green and yellow cloth and dressed in green and gold with palm leaves in their hands, the supporters of the coalition paraded through the capital city and across the country. While the results were undeclared and were not final by any means, APNU+AFC supporters converged at the coalition’s campaign headquarters over in Crown Street, Queenstown chanting “Granger, Granger”, “President David Granger” among other things and singing and dancing to the
coalition’s campaign songs.
The crowd comprised schoolchildren, office workers, the elderly and even the disabled. APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon and AFC Co-Chairman Raphael Trotman ventured into the crowd, greeting, hugging and taking pictures
around the mining town, while Buxtonians took to the streets and partied with loud music. At the Stabroek Market Square, passersby stopped and looked on as the market vendors left their stalls and small businesses, took to the middle of the market and danced to the
there was such a large voter turnout in that region, but more so, they gave the coalition the votes in order for it to win with a majority and to take the country forward. Later in the afternoon, as the numbers swelled at the office in Queenstown, Granger mounted the ve-
with the supporters, promising that the government of national unity intends to fulfil all promises made.
Over in Linden and Buxton, two strongholds of the political grouping, the atmosphere was one of excitement and exuberance as the supporters took to the streets to party and celebrate. Linden supporters took their vehicles and had a motorcade all
coalition’s songs, making remarks such as “at last” and “we win”.
Immediately after the announcement was made, co-chairs for the coalition, Raphael Trotman and Joseph Harmon told media operatives that they were eternally grateful to the people, especially those in the Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) area since for the first time in a long time,
randa and addressed them, thanking them for believing in him and for finally living up to the country’s motto of “One people, One Nation, One Destiny.”
“This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you. Thank you very much. It has been a long road, but we didn’t lose faith … we will ensure that everybody has a good life … when we go out to work, we go out as brothers and sisters, we go out as one people, because we are one nation and we are going forward together to make sure that every child, every mother, every young lady, the elderly, has a place here. Thank you for letting me reach the highest office in the land. This is not for me, this is for you and your children,” Granger said.
He has urged that supporters remain sober and humble as the work has now begun for the country since there was a lot to do, while cautioning them that while the time has indeed come to celebrate, they should do so in a responsible manner. “Be happy. Do not hurt anyone. We’ve had a clean campaign, we did not hurt anyone; we did not assault anyone. We’ve got to protect people … all of us are Guyanese and we are brothers and sisters. On May 11, we gained something, we told the world that we are one, that we are Guyanese and we deserve decent lives,” Granger told the large crowd.
The official declaration of the polls will be made today by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, providing that none of the parties request a recount of the ballots.
The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to come clean as the final results for the General and Regional Elections for 2015 are being tabulated.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo said at a press conference yesterday that GECOM was duly obligated to offer an explanation to the public concerning how the fake SOPs were mixed with the others, who put the fake SOPs with the others and how many fake SOPs were detected.
do not match and used these as grounds for his argument that fake SOPs were still counted. For PPP/C tabulations for box number 4643, the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition gained 21 while PPP/C gained 267 and for GECOM, the results were 81 and 207 respectively.
Another instance shows that for PPP/C for box number 4644, APNU+AFC has 16 while PPP/C has 261, and for GECOM APNU+AFC has 76 while PPP/C has 201. With these varying figures, Jagdeo maintained that some transgression occurred during the process and, therefore, demanded that GECOM conduct a thorough investigation into the matter before making the final declaration of the 2015 Elections results.
Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Donald Ramotar said he believed that the General and Regional Elections were not free and fair, as was declared by the many international observers, but were in fact rigged.
Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield had disclosed to the public that GECOM detected several fake SOPs while the votes were being tabulated; however, he insisted that the fraudulent papers were immediately disregarded. However, Jagdeo contends that fake SOPs were still counted.
He explained that now, during the verification process where GECOM matches its results with those of the political parties, there are vast differences in the numbers.
Jagdeo presented seven instances where the results
“This calls for a fullfledged investigation, because GECOM is using tonnes of fake SOPs on which they have declared the preliminary results,” he asserted.
In fact, Jagdeo said the PPP/C would explore all avenues to ensure the results tabulated were the ones that actually obtained on Election Day.
“The PPP/C is not go-
ing to just roll over because APNU is threatening violence because the elections is not declared in their favour…,” he said, noting that “at the end of the day, whoever wins will have to live with the results”, but insisted that those results have to be fair and reflect the choice of the electorate.
Jagdeo said some of the options available to the Party are the filing of an injunction in court or a post-
election petition.
The former President reminded that GECOM’s credibility was at stake and that the electoral body should take into consideration the risks involved before deciding upon disagreeing to a total recount.
Further, Jagdeo said he was cognisant that the international community was calling upon the PPP/C to accept the results, allow GECOM to go ahead with the declaration and allow Guyanese society to move on.
However, he reminded them that their credibility too was at stake.
“International observers said the elections were free and fair. They are talking about Polling Day because tabulations are still going on and they promised to observe the verification process, which is now ongoing and so they too must and should be concerned about the differences between the SOPs GECOM produce versus the SOPs the party has where there is a difference,” Jagdeo insisted.
Ramotar on Thursday disputed the declarations made by the international observers that the elections were free, fair and credible. Some five observer missions participated in this year’s elections: those of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR); the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth Observer Mission, Caricom, and the Carter Center.
“I would say it is always useful to have international observers. I do not agree with their assessment of these elections, but that does not mean that in the future I would reject them. I think that they probably need to be more,” Ramotar told reporters.
The observers have all commended the electoral process. The Carter Centre commended the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), noting that thousands of dedicated poll workers, party agents and officials of the Commission served with honesty, integrity, and professionalism.
It was noted that during its observation, the Centre had focused on the administration of the electoral process since the team comprised experienced electoral administrators.
The Mission said it was impressed with the work of GECOM on Election Day.
Observers from Caricom had found that the electoral process was a free, fair and transparent one,
while the OAS had lauded the massive turnout of voters and certified the process. Representatives of UNASUR had praised the electoral systems in place. They pointed out that the voting stages adopted by Guyana are not seen in any other South American country, referring to the ID display in polling stations, the presence of security personnel at all polling stations and political representatives in the stations among others.
Nevertheless, the PPP/C Presidential Candidate said he strongly believed that the elections were rigged by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, which, according to the preliminary results, won the polls. He added that there was collusion between GECOM staff and APNU/AFC members.
Ramotar explained that this was one of the reasons why his party requested a recount of the votes for the General and Regional Elections.
In the meantime, he urged supporters to remain calm and wait patiently on a decision to be made.
friday, may 15, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com
AGuyanese man took his own life after fatally shooting another whom he found in bed with his girlfriend on Dean Street, Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday morning.
The jilted lover, Phillip Reid, age 27, and his rival were pronounced dead on the scene by Emergency Services which responded to the report. The woman was unhurt.
It was reported that about 09:45h, Reid shot and killed his girlfriend’s secret lover before turning the gun on himself after he walked in on the cheating couple in a surprised visit to his girlfriend’s home.
Sources told news outfits that Reid whipped out the gun and shot his girlfriend’s 24-year-old paramour in the chest and then shot himself in the head.
The mother of one of the victims rushed to the scene, but was denied entry into the building by Police. “My son is gone and I can’t go up?” she wailed.
The violence followed a report in Monday’s Post that shootings, murders and the number of shooting victims in the city have all spiked this year compared to the same period in 2014, the New York Post reported.
The prime suspect in the murder of 17-year-old
Alissa McPherson is still on the run, and the Police are making every effort to arrest the young man.
Up to Thursday, the Police said that they were still on the lookout for Shivanand Roopnarine, 19, of School Street, Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD); however a wanted bulletin has not been issued thus far.
Roopnarine is suspected to have absconded to the interior to avoid prosecution but recent reports suggested that he was seen on the East Bank of Demerara attending a dance.
Denise McPherson, mother of the dead teenager told Guyana Times that she is seeking justice for her daughter while contending that the Police have no information with respect to the case. She believes that the immediate
family members of the young man have been in contact with him.
According to initial reports, McPherson, of Cappies Place, ‘C’ Field Sophia, went to a party with some relatives, and someone informed the suspect that she was having an affair with another man.
The young man subsequently arrived and an argument
ensued between the couple. It was further reported that he took the young woman into a corner where he stabbed her about her body.
McPherson was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she succumbed around 07:30h on April 19 while receiving treatment. Guyana Times was made to understand that the couple was having problems and prior to the incident, the teenager caught the suspect with another woman at his mother’s home.
This newspaper was also informed that a torn photograph of the couple was found in the teenager’s handbag.
A post-mortem examination conducted on the teen’s body revealed that she was stabbed at least 41 times.
McPherson reportedly sustained stab wounds to her eyes, chest, hands, neck and abdomen among others. She suffered a punctured lung
and her uterus was severely damaged as a result. The cause of death was given as haemorrhaging and shock due to multiple stab wounds. Following the autopsy, McPherson’s mother explained that she was unaware of what transpired between the teenager and the suspect that led to her daughter’s death.
Acouple appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after an altercation which stemmed from an alleged instance of child abuse.
Wayne Edwards, a 34-year-old taxi driver, pleaded guilty to the charge which read that on May 12 he unlawfully and maliciously assaulted his wife, Stacy Bristol, the Virtual
Complainant (VC). According to Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru, on the day in question the VC claimed that she tapped their daughter on her mouth over an incident and consequent to that the defendant dealt the VC a slap to her face. The matter was reported and the man was arrested and charged.
Addressing the court, the defendant stated that on the day of the incident, he came
home to find the VC in the upstairs apartment where his grandfather resides. He then asked her if she lived there or downstairs and she became annoyed. Edwards said that his wife was frying plantains so he took some to eat, which annoyed her even more.
He claimed that he then called his two daughters as to feed them and she called them away from him, but only the elder child went to
her and the woman dealt her a slap and threw her on the floor. The defendant claimed that in anger he dealt his wife a slap after which she left and returned with the Police.
The prosecution made no objection to bail as it is Edwards’ first offence. The man was placed on self-bail and the couple were ordered to attend counselling at Help and Shelter. The matter will return to court on May 29.
The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) presented a tour operator’s licence to Old Fort Tours and Island Resort.
Recently, the GTA said in a release, it has been ardently working with tourism businesses in Guyana to achieve 100 per cent conformity with regulation which they are to comply with, and this is the fourth tour operator’s licence awarded thus. Old Fort Tours and Island Resort is the fourth Tour Operator to attain this status after Wilderness Explorers, Roraima Tours, and Bushmasters.
Accepting the certificate on behalf of the company was Camille Boodhoo, who is renowned in Parika, on the East Bank of Essequibo, for offering travel and tour operation services.
Boodhoo was charged by the GTA Director, Indranauth Haralsingh to continue to maintain the good work and strive for
excellence in her operations. Haralsingh urged unregistered tourism businesses to register and become licensed with the GTA, emphasising the countless benefits that can be derived from doing so.
The semi-autonomous regulatory agency is mandated to market and promote the sustainable development of tourism in Guyana.
The tourism regulations serve as a framework which operators should abide by, and have the objective of improving competitiveness thus strengthening Guyana’s tourism product.
The GTA will continue to vehemently pursue tourism accommodation establishments, tour operators, tourist guides and interior lodges and resorts to ensure these businesses offer a tourism product that is safe and of an outstanding quality for both domestic or international visitors.
to invest US$50B in Brazil infrastructure
China is planning to invest up to US$50 billion in Brazil for new infrastructure projects.
The deal is due to be signed by banks from both countries during a visit by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang to Brazil next week.
The money will go towards building a railway link from Brazil’s Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast of Peru to reduce the cost of exports to China.
It says the fund will also finance a joint venture to produce steel.
Brazil currently exports much of its iron ore to China.
Jose Graca Lima, Brazil’s Undersecretary of State with special responsibility for Asia and Oceania, said: “We shall have to await
the end of the visit to expand upon which projects.”
As well as the giant railway project, the money is expected to be invested in car parts, energy, ports, hydroelectric power and railways.
Brazil’s economy, once among the fastest-growing in the world, has flagged in the past five years.
A corruption scandal at the state-owned oil giant Petrobras, which has embroiled many high-profile figures, has also shaken the public mood.
The Chinese Prime Minister will also be visiting Colombia, Peru and Chile.
In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged US$250 billion in investment to Latin America over 10 years. (BBC News)
The implementation of laws for the declaration of the financing of political parties at elections time is set to be one of the key recommendations to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by the observer missions who took part in the electoral process.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, at least five local observer missions, namely the Private Sector Commission (PSC), the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB), the British High Commission led by High Commissioner Greg Quinn, the United States Embassy headed by Chargé d’ Affaires, Bryan Hunt and the Canadian High Commission guided by Dr Nicole Giles, said that will be one of the key matters
which will be addressed in the report to GECOM.
While they did not venture into any details, they noted that it was one of the predominant issues in this year’s elections.
While the Embassies and the PSC will not be issuing official reports, the Diplomats said that they will be producing internal reports to be discussed with the political parties and the commission.
On Wednesday, Kate Wilkinson, the head for the Commonwealth Observers here in Guyana, disclosed that the mission intended to document several recommendations in relation to the declaration of the financiers for the political parties and their campaigns at the next elections held in the country.
Residents of Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) said that, although they have not yet received assistance from the Government, the dry spells that the region was experiencing have come to an end. However, while the spells have ended, they are still losing out as insects are eating away at their produce.
Residents from the farm-
Guyana Times on Thursday. Jacobus also stated that the regional administration has not yet offered any support to residents.
In early April, Region Nine was grappling with drought for several weeks. However, this came to an end during the latter days of that month. Many persons had reportedly begun falling ill owing to the dry weather conditions and have ex-
ing community of Aranaputa said soon after it began to raining again, insects started to destroy the vegetables from their farms.
“For business, it is slow; the rain is coming and we are getting back up. It is just that the caterpillars are eating the leaves and our agriculture produce,” businessman Adon Jacobus told
ALinden resident was remanded to prison on Thursday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after allegedly assaulting a Police Officer who caught him carrying narcotics.
The defendant, 27-yearold Theon Wiltshire, was brought into Court One where Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry presides. He was read the charges brought against him and given a chance to mount a defence.
The Chief Magistrate informed the defendant that he was charged for assaulting a Police Officer, Constable Solomon, on May 9 in Crescent Lane, Linden,
and possessing eight grams of cannabis sativa (marijuana) for the purpose of trafficking.
Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru told the court that the Constable was on duty in Crescent Lane when he noticed the defendant acting suspiciously, so the Police Officer approached him. However, Prosecutor Mangru stated, when Wiltshire saw the Officer before him, he grabbed him and dealt him several cuffs.
The Prosecutor said that more charges are expected to be laid against the defendant.
However, Wiltshire’s Attorney, Patrice Henry
told the court that he was unaware of these other charges against his client. He expressed surprise that the Police had not mentioned this to him earlier when he visited them regarding his client.
He told the court that his client was beaten by the Police severely while in custody, pointing out several bruises and lacerations that his client had on his hands and face. Also, he informed that Wiltshire had requested a doctor and was denied this by the Police.
Attorney Henry urged the court to release his client on bail, stating that he has never been in court for any matter previously. He
informed that his client was employed and had a fixed place of abode at 116 Second Street, Silvertown, Wismar.
The Magistrate asked the prosecution to look into the allegations made by Attorney Henry. She granted the defendant $20,000 bail on the charge of assaulting Constable Solomon and $50,000 on the charge of narcotics possession with the condition that he report to the Officer-in-Charge (OC) at the Mackenzie Police Station every Friday.
The case was transferred to Linden Magistrate’s Court for May 27.
pressed concerns over the shortage of water in the village, Andrica Holnes, another Aranaputa resident told this publication.
Guyana Times has learnt that there is only one full well in the village located at the school, and most residents would travel great distances there to fetch buckets of water back to their homes.
Two months after exsoldier Courtney Crum-Ewing was gunned down in Diamond, East Bank Demerara, while urging residents to vote, the Police are still to arrest the perpetrators. A Police source told the Guyana Times on Thursday that investigations into the murder were ongoing and that they are working with information at their disposal.
To date, he added, investigators have gone into the area where the man was gunned down to further question persons in close proximity, but they have come up empty-handed. The source stated that they have exhausted all the possible leads at their disposal, but remained optimistic that they will apprehend the murder(s) in due course.
At least eight persons
were detained and questioned by the Police for the murder of the 40-year-old father of three, but all were released. Investigators have also reviewed several pieces of surveillance footage with the hope of finding the car that was involved in the shooting.
The Police are also awaiting the results of tests conducted on a motor car belonging to one of the eight men who were arrested and questioned for the man’s murder. In addition, the bullhorn that the man was using at the time of his demise was also being tested while Police are still to ascertain if the last calls made on the man’s mobile phone were connected to his murder.
An autopsy proved that Crum-Ewing was shot five times – thrice to the head,
once to the back of the neck and once under his arm. All the bullets were fired from behind and at close range, except that which hit under his arm and exited his shoulder.
It was also reported that the bullet to the back of the man’s neck was fired at point-blank range and gunpowder residue was found on his collar. This newspaper was told that two .38 warheads were removed from the dead man’s head.
Crum-Ewing rose to prominence after he protested for the removal of Attorney General Anil Nandlall, following the revelation of an illegally taped phone conversation between the Attorney General and one of Kaieteur News’ reporters, Leonard Gildarie, recorded by Kaieteur News owner Glenn Lall.
Just 24 hours after two teenagers were charged for looting during the Sophia incident on Election Night, at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court, three others were on Thursday charged for the same offence.
Twenty-seven-year-old Clive Baird and 16-yearold Lawrence Harris, both of C Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, along with 19-year-old Melroy Weekes of D Field, Sophia, made their first court appearance before Magistrate Zameena Seepaul. Baird was charged with two counts of sim-
ple larceny, while Harris and Weekes were jointly charged for the same offence.
Baird was remanded to prison, while Harris and Weekes were granted bail in the sum of $30,000 each.
The three men were arrested by the Police as they were found looting in a home in C Field, which was later set alit after persons alleged that ballot boxes were stored there on Monday night.
Baird will make his next court appearance on June 5, while the two teenagers will return to court on June 8.
On Wednesday, 17-yearold Lloyd Grant and Orlando Noel were read separate charges of larceny and attempted felony by Magistrate Seepaul. The Magistrate stated that Grant was officially charged with simple larceny after stealing a pair of sneakers, valued at $20,000, from the home of the Virtual Complainant (VC), Richi Chand on May 11. While, on the same day, Noel of Lot 604 B Field, Sophia allegedly entered the home of Farida Prasad at C Field with the intention to commit a felony.
Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Donald Ramotar announced that the party will accept defeat once a total recount is done and the People’s National Congress (PNC) led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition remains victorious.
“We don’t want to be in Government against the will of the people. That’s not our objective. This party has fought all its life for democracy and we don’t want to be in Government against the will of the people but we are convinced that these elections were rigged and that is why it is very important for us to have a total recount of the ballots,” he said.
On Thursday, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) released the preliminary results of the General and Regional Elections which clearly stated that for General Elections, the PPP/C attained 201,457 votes while APNU/AFC
gained 206,817. Immediately after, the PPP/C held a press conference and reiterated its belief that elections were not free and fair.
Ramotar said the party lodged a request for a total recount of the General and Regional Elections, noting that the process should only take some eight hours.
“We believe that the only way to verify that the elections were free, I wouldn’t say fair because of some of the violence that took place on elections day and so forth but we should have a total recount of the votes. To give this elections integrity and credibility, we think that that it is essential to have a total recount of the votes,” he said.
Ramotar maintains that the elections were rigged, given the many incidents of irregularities that occurred during the electoral process on May 11.
Ramotar said he believes there were collusions between APNU/AFC and some of GECOM staff which allowed for these transgres-
Ajack of all trades was on Thursday remanded to prison on a charge of trafficking narcotics by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Delon Baxton, of 793 Amelia’s Ward, Linden, pleaded not guilty to the charge which read that on May 12 at Lover’s Lane, Mackenzie, Linden, he was found in possession of 27 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.
According to Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves, on the day in
question, at 23:35h, Police on patrol saw the defendant acting in a suspicious manner. While the officers were approaching him, the defendant took out a bulky package from his pockets and dropped it. The package was retrieved and opened, revealing 16 transparent Ziploc bags containing the drugs. Baxton was then arrested and charged. The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that there were no special reasons. Bail was denied, and the matter was transferred to the Linden Magistrate’s Court for May 27.
sions to occur.
On that note, Ramotar said he strongly believes that if a recount is granted and executed by GECOM there will be a vast difference in the outcome of the elections.
He alluded to a recount that was granted for Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), noting that the recount saw the PPP/C gaining some 80 more votes.
However, the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield explained to media operatives at a press conference that if there should be any change in the number of votes allocated to the various contesting political parties, that change is unlikely to be significant enough to alter the outcome
of the elections.
Asked whether he believes, given all the complications initially encountered, that GECOM can deliver a credible recount, Ramotar replied in the affirmative.
Meanwhile, in the event GECOM rejects the party’s request for a total recount, Ramotar admitted that he is unsure of PPP/C’s next move; however, he did not dismiss the likelihood of moving to the court to file an injunction to block the declaration of the final results.
Asked whether the PPP/C would consider participating in “a Government of national unity,” Ramotar said “that is not an option in front of the party.”
ATrinidadian national who is wanted in that country for a double homicide which was committed in 2014 was earlier Thursday arrested at a city hotel in Georgetown.
Police stated that as a result of cooperation with INTERPOL and intelligence garnered, law enforcement arrested 50-year-old Ralph Ramdhan known as Vernon Rampersaud. Information received also proved that he entered Guyana illegally. He is in custody awaiting deportation.
friday, may 15, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com
The Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Keith Lowenfield, has disclosed that the recount of ballot boxes requested by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) in Regions One and Two have not yielded any numerical changes of the ballots cast.
He made his announcement during GECOM’s seventh press conference held on Thursday at GECOM’s Media Centre in Kingston. According to Lowenfield, while the recount was done in these two regions, the requests by the PPP/C for recounts in the other eight regions were denied.
“In the other districts, the Returning Officers (ROs) informed the party that requested the recount why they did not consider the application favourable, responded in writing to the party to say that we would not be agreeing to the recount,” the Chief Elections Officer revealed. The PPP/C had initially made a request for a recount to be done in Regions One, Two and Eight; but subsequently asked for a recount in sections of all 10 regions, claiming that they were cheated of ballots.
However, the A
Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition had described the request as “desperate”, saying that it aimed at delaying the announcement of the final results. This charge was denied by PPP/C’s Candidate, Dr Frank Anthony on Wednesday at a press briefing. Dr Anthony had noted that some of the reasons that contributed to their call for a recount included the “unusually” high number of rejected ballots and voter turnouts in some areas, as well as the abandonment of several of their agents from polling stations owing to the alleged intimidation by activists of the APNU+AFC coalition.
APNU/AFC had asked its supporters to guard each polling station after the polls closed, and this caused confusion in some areas. “Some of our counting agents were forced to flee some polling places out of fear… we have noticed an extremely high number of rejected ballots which, we believe, may have resulted following the absence of our counting agents in these areas… Also, in some places, there was an unusually high turnout of voters which raises suspicion of possible electoral
transgressions,” Dr Anthony stated.
But Chairman of GECOM, Dr Steve Surujbally, told Guyana Times that even thought the party’s agents did not sign the Statement of Polls (SOPs), the votes were still counted as valid. Lowenfield further explained, on
Thursday, that the ROs are in their respective districts (regions) conducting reconciliations with the agents of the political parties. He noted that following this process with the agreement of all agents, the ROs will then declare the final results of their respective districts.
The CEO further stat-
ed that the ROs will then submit those declarations to him, which he will use to make the final declaration of the 2015 General and Regional Elections’ results. He explained that barring any further requests for recounts, he will be making the final declaration during the course of today.
On Thursday, Lowenfield disclosed that the coalition is leading the way in both General and Regional Elections. In the General Election, APNU/AFC secured 206,817 votes, while the PPP/C secured 201,457 votes. As it relates to the Regional Election, Lowenfield noted that the coalition is ahead with 201,324, while the PPP/C acquired 198,148 votes.
The Chief Elections Officer went onto state that the final declaration should not result in these figures being altered significantly, noting that they cannot al-
ter the outcome of the elections. “All things being equal, we are supposed to be singing the same song from the same song sheet. If there is any variance, in my humble view, that variance would not be significant as to alter the outcome of the Elections,” he declared.
Nevertheless, Lowenfield noted that the law provides for parties to make requests for a recount by noon the following day. Recounts have to be authorised in accordance with Section 89 (1) of the Representation of the People Act. The relevant section reads, “A duly appointed candidate or counting agent present, when the counting or any recount of votes is completed, may request the Returning Officer to have the votes recounted or again recounted; but the Returning Officer may refuse such request if in his opinion it is unreasonable.”
Awoman previously convicted of fraud was on Thursday
sentenced to four years in prison on 41 counts of embezzlement.
The woman, 37-year-old Jasodra Bahadur of Lot 18 Block CC, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charges which were read to her by Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The first charge alleged that on September 26, 2014, at Georgetown, she attempted to defraud Amarnauth Bahadur, an accountant of New Horizons Incorporated, of $46,196.
It was also alleged that between September 12 and October 28, 2014 with intent to defraud, she forged five New Horizons Incorporated bills for a total sum of $215,086 issued to Roti Plus.
It was further alleged that on six different occasions between August 28 and October 6, 2014, acting as a clerk of the aforementioned business, she fraudulently embezzled a total sum of $215,086, property of the establishment.
It was further alleged that between September 12 and October 6, 2014, she wrote four fraudulent bills to Amarnauth Bahadur with intent to defraud him of a total sum of $207, 405. On these charges, the defendant was sentenced to four years in prison.
Later in the day, 26 additional charges were laid against her to which she pleaded guilty. The charges alleged that between March 24, 2011 and April 19, 2013
on 26 different occasions, she stole an accumulated sum of $11,974,004, property of the Virtual Complainant (VC), Mohamed A Khan, a regular customer of New Horizons Incorporated.
According to Police Prosecutor Vishnu Hunte, the defendant, who was employed as a sales representative by New Horizons Incorporated, would conduct business with Khan, the proprietor of Dino’s Enterprise, which is located at Second Avenue, Bartica.
The prosecution then explained that the VC, through an employee identified as “Ramdayal”, would usually call New Horizons Incorporated and place orders for goods while another employee, Andy Thomas, would travel to Georgetown to receive the order from the defendant who would deliver the goods and sign the invoice indicating the quantity of goods delivered and the amount owed for the pur-
chase. It was further explained that for each month up to four orders were usually made and each month the VC would sign a blank cheque and after proper documentation was made, Andy Thomas would deliver the cheque to the defendant. It had been agreed between the VC and the company that the payee and the amount owed would be inserted on the cheque, which would then be cashed for that amount. During the years 2011 to 2012, 42 such transactions were made. It was then revealed that of the 42 transactions, the defendant signed her name as the payee on 26 of the cheques and inserted an amount in excess of what was owed to her employer thereby inflating the cheques.
The VC subsequently observed such occurrences and filed a report with the Police. An investigation was carried out and the defendant was arrested and charged. Under police caution, the defendant had admitted to writing the cheques, adding that she stole the money since she had financial difficulties. The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that the woman was previously convicted of a similar matter.
The Magistrate sentenced the defendant to three years in prison for 26 counts of fraud, to be served concurrently with the initial four -year-old sentence. In total, Bahadur will spend four years in prison.
Employees of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were sent home on Thursday following a bomb scare at the entity.
GRA employees were seen rushing out of the entity’s compound at Camp Street, Georgetown in a state of shock and disbelief.
When questioned by Guyana Times, employees related that the Human Resources Department informed them of the alleged bomb planted in the building and instructed them to leave the premises immediately.
Customers too were forced to halt their transactions and evacuate the building.
Moments after, the Guyana Fire Service arrived, spent several minutes seemingly investigating the matter before leaving.
Bank of Guyana.
When contacted by this publication for a comment on the matter, GRA Commissioner Khurshid Sattaur refused to talk to this media house, saying “I don’t want to talk to you, goodbye,” before ending the call.
Guyana Times reporters also made efforts to enter the premises but were denied access by security while other media outlets were allowed entry.
Reports indicate that rumours were circulating on social media, indicating that bombs were set out to be planted in the GRA, the Finance Ministry and the
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is urging the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to accept the results of the General and Regional Elections which saw the A Partnership For National Unity /Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition winning by just over 5000 votes.
Up to mid-afternoon Thursday, PPP/C Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar was demanding that GECOM conducted a recount of every vote before he conceded defeat. Ramotar’s party has alleged massive fraud and irregularities at the polls – a charge which all of the international and local observers disagreed with.
In a terse statement, the PSC said it welcomed the release of the results of the General and Regional Elections of 2015 by GECOM.
“We urge all parties to accept these results. We have every reason to believe that the results reflect the will of the people of Guyana. We urge the leaders to move forward in a spirit of unity, trust and reconciliation as we continue to build our beloved Guyana.”
Additionally, the United States Embassy also said it was standing by its earlier pronouncements that the elections were free and fair.
Subsequent to its statement, the PPP/C had sent correspondence to the Embassy highlighting allegations of irregularities at the polls. The Embassy, however, responded that it was in receipt of the recent allegations made by the
PPP/C and has looked into the claims. “Nothing contained therein changes our baseline assessment of the electoral process,” the US Embassy said.
Free and fair
It said, “Based on our observations of the polling, counting, and tabulation process and the conclusions reached by other international observer missions, we continue to assess that the election process was free and fair. We remain confident in the Guyana Elections Commission’s ability to deliver credible results that accurately reflect the way votes were cast by the Guyanese people on May 11. We urge the Guyana Elections Commission to continue with its important tabulation work and to provide verified results at the earliest possible opportunity.”
The Embassy said it understood the Guyanese people’s desire to see the final results of these elections. “It is important, however, to provide the Guyana Elections Commission the time and space to conclude its work?. We urge the people of Guyana to continue to exercise patience. The United States Embassy calls upon all political leaders to adhere to the Political Party Code of Conduct, which specifically proscribes public criticism of the Guyana Elections Commission or interference with its work. We expect all parties to respect the final results of these elections.”
When asked about the favourtism showed, the security guard stationed at the gate explained that the entity’s Commissioner would have to give permission for anyone to enter.
Meanwhile, at the Bank of Guyana, Governor Dr Gobind Ganga said he is aware of the rumours but will not act upon them. He explained that the bank has all the necessary security measures in place to prevent such from happening.
At least 15 people are trapped underground at an unlicensed gold mine in western Colombia, authorities have said, as rescue workers raced to reach them.
“A mine collapsed, apparently after flooding caused by the holes drilled to extract the mineral; at least 15 people are trapped,” said Luis Pineros of the emergency response agency UNGRD. “We’re in the middle of search and rescue operations,” he stated, saying 50 rescue workers and medics were on the scene.
The accident happened on an indigenous reservation in the municipality of Riosucio. Some of the miners are trapped at a depth of about 17m (metres), others at about 10m, said the Police Commander for the department of Caldas, Luis Duarte.
Government is moving to impose harsher penalties on people who either hurt children in Jamaica or fail to protect children placed in their care.
Against the background of an increase in the abuse and murder of children in “disturbing” circumstances, Information Minister, Senator Sandrea Falconer said, the administration would be amending the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA), and the Criminal Justice (Administration) Act (CJA) to be tougher on culprits. Cabinet has already approved the changes.
plained that under the amended CJA Act a victim’s status as a child would be treated as an aggravating feature, resulting in a substantial increase in the sentence on conviction, while new offences would be created under the CCPA for allowing children to suffer abuse, including “parental neglect and failure of an adult to report suspected exposure of a child to sexual or other abuse”.
The National Mining Agency said local fire fighters reported that gases in the deep, vertical tunnels had likely contributed to the cave-in.
Business has boomed over the past decade for Colombia’s illegal miners as the price of gold has risen from less than US$400 per ounce to almost US$1,200. Colombia is a major gold
The United States Coast Guard on Wednesday sent back 50 Cuban migrants caught trying to make it into the country on makeshift boats.
The more than four dozen people, who were repatriated to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, were intercepted in three separate incidents in the past week.
The Coast Guard said that all three cases involved “unseaworthy, homemade vessels that posed significant risk to the migrants attempting to make the perilous journey”.
The first interdiction occurred on May 8, when the crew aboard the Carnival Breeze cruise ship saw a rustic vessel south of Dry Tortugas, Florida, with 27 Cuban migrants aboard. The Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark stopped the boat and
took the migrants on board.
Later that same day, a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Key West intercepted a rustic vessel with 15 Cuban migrants aboard.
Then on May 9, while carrying out a patrol, the crew aboard an Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft located eight Cuban migrants north of Matanzas, Cuba.
The US Coast Guard said, in a statement, that in each case, all of the migrants were taken on board Coast Guard vessels and safely transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant for repatriation.
Opening in US-Cuba foreign relations prompts spike in illegal migrants trying to get to Florida by boat.
Since October 1 last year, 1759 Haitians, 2460 Cubans and 321 Dominicans have attempted to illegally migrate via the sea. (Caribbean 360)
producer, with output of more than 55,000kg (kilograms) in 2013, according to government figures.
Last week, Colombian authorities arrested nearly 60 people in raids targeting illegal mining operations used to finance the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia (FARC), the leftist armed group that has waged a five-decade war on the Government.
Mining revenues represented 2.3 per cent of Colombia’s national income in 2012, but more than half its mines are unregulated, according to official figures.
Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony says hundreds of jobs will be created for St Lucians with the planned construction of a Courts Megastore, a commercial and industrial park and two hotels in the island.
He spoke about the private sector investments, which he said demonstrated confidence in the economy, as he delivered the 2015/2016 Budget statement on Tuesday. “We are beginning to see encouraging signs of investment in the private sector,” he said.
“Unicomer will commence, in July, its new $15 million Courts Megastore; the Chreiki family has commenced construction of its new Dayana Centre at the corner of Bridge Street and Jeremie Street in Castries;
the CIE Group led by Mr Rayneau Gadjadhar plans to commence construction of a commercial and industrial park in Cul de Sac; and work on the Harbour Club, a 100room companion hotel to Dive St Lucia, is under construction at the Rodney Bay Marina.”
The Prime Minister added that what was perhaps the most significant investment coming St Lucia’s way was the Sunwing Group’s plan to demolish the former Smugglers Hotel and construct a new hotel in its place.
“I am advised that some 1200 persons will be employed during the construction of this property. On completion, some 600 persons are expected to be employed full-time,” he said.
(Caribbean 360)
Carnival 2015 business was neatly tied up on Wednesday as soca artistes received prizes for the two main soca competitions—the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians (Tuco) Road March competition and the International Soca Monarch competition. The first prize was distributed to reigning Road March champion Machel Montano. Montano received his fifth Mitsubishi Lancer, joking that he had the others parked in his yard and that three of them were in great condition. While Montano had previously said he
would be withdrawing from competitions, he hinted that this might also apply to the Road March, where the winner was chosen by the people.
Montano, who has joked about returning the following year to get the prize at previous prize-giving ceremonies, said next year might be different.
“I wish I could say I would see you again next year, but my plans have been changing a lot lately.” Montano said his plan was to contribute music geared toward healing the world.
During his second prize-
Reigning Road March
Champion Machel Montano
giving ceremony for the day, Montano said his focus
would be on crossing over into the mainstream music industry. He repeated that this year would be his last as a competitor in the International Soca Monarch competition.
Fellow soca artiste Dexter Stewart (Blaxx) shouted, “Oh yes. Thank you.” Montano smiled and acknowledged the comment before adding that he intended to be a part of the competition, in either an advisory capacity or as part of the audience. “I do not leave with a heavy heart but with an open mind,” Montano said. (Excerpt from the Guardian)
“Cabinet has asked that the necessary administrative steps be taken to impose stiffer penalties for persons who murder, rape or commit serious violent offences against children,” she said yesterday at the post-Cabinet press briefing.
Senator Falconer ex-
“Efforts are being made to ensure that cases relating to violence against children will be afforded priority scheduling, and disposal in the courts,” the Minister added.
The CCPA of 2004 imposes a fine of not more than J$500,000 or imprisonment with hard labour, if an adult who has custody, charge or care of a child wilfully assaults, physically and mentally ill-treats, neglects, or abandons a child. (Caribbean 360)
Peruvian Attorney General Carlos Ramos Heredia has been dismissed over corruption allegations which predate his time in the post.
He was suspended from office in December pending a probe into his alleged ties with the former Governor of the rich mining province of Ancash. Ex-governor Cesar Alvarez is in jail while on trial for alleged corruption.
The Attorney General is accused of covering for Alvarez while he was the head of an auditing department.
Ramos said the allegations were part of “a plot and conspiracy against me”. He has five days to appeal against the decision.
A commission which oversees the judiciary voted five to one to fire Carlos Ramos. It said it had found links between Ramos and
Alvarez, who is on trial for allegedly granting public work contracts in exchange for bribes. Investigators said Ramos had arranged to have prosecutors investigating Alvarez fired.
Pablo Sanchez, who has been acting as Interim Attorney General since Carlos Ramos was suspended, is expected to take over the post.
The sacking of the Attorney General comes just six weeks after the Prime Minister was forced to step down over allegations that the country’s intelligence services had spied on politicians, journalists and businesspeople.
Analysts say the scandals have hurt President Ollanta Humala, whose approval rating has plummeted to 24 per cent, according to a poll conducted last month.
Brandon Bostian, the Engineer of the speeding Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia, has said he has no recollection of the crash, in which eight people have been confirmed dead and dozens more injured. The eighth body was recovered in the Amtrak rubble on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Engineer experienced a concussion, 14 stitches to his head, and more in his leg from the wreck, his lawyer Robert Goggin stated.
The train was going 170 kilometres per hour (106 miles per hour) before de-
railing on a curve, where the speed limit is 50 mph. Federal investigators do not know why the train was travelling that fast, and are currently carrying out investigations
Goggin, speaking for Bostian because he has not given a statement to law enforcement as yet, said that Bostian remembers coming into the curve, trying to reduce the speed of the train and then getting knocked out. He does not remember using the emergency brake.
Bostian is cooperating with Police and consented to a blood test along with
Armed factions in Central African Republic (CAR) have freed more than 350 enslaved children as part of a United Nations (UN)brokered deal, as the country seeks to resolve sectarian conflict that began two years ago.
The 357 released children freed in the town of Bambari on Thursday, about 200 kilometres northeast of the capital Bangui, were given medical screenings, and efforts are underway to trace their families.
An estimated 600010,000 children are thought to be working as fighters, sex slaves or menial workers for rival militias in the country, but leaders of rival militias signed a pact last week for their release during a peace forum in Bangui.
Three separate ceremonies took place on Thursday near Bambari, as children left the ranks of both a Christian militia and the Muslim rebel groups.
Some of the children taken into the care of UNICEF (UN International Children’s Emergency Fund) were as young as 12, according to UNICEF Representative Mohamed Malick Fall.
“After two years of heavy fighting, the release of children by these groups - on the same day - is a real step to-
ward peace,” he said. Social workers will try to reunite children with relatives “when security conditions permit”, UNICEF said. Other children will stay with foster families until relatives can be found.
Tens of thousands fled Central African Republic to neighbouring countries amid the violence, as Christian militias targeted Muslim civilians accused of having supported the Muslim rebel regime. While the conflict was not religious in nature, it divided communities that had long lived together along sectarian lines. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
giving up his mobile phone. He claims not to have been drinking or doing drugs.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said the Engineer was “clearly reckless and irresponsible”. “Part of the focus has to be, what was the Engineer doing? Why are you travelling at that rate of speed?” Nutter said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), however, was not as quick to blame the Engineer. Accident investigators want to give Bostian some time to recover from shock before they start talking to him about the accident. (Excerpt from BBC News)
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the China on Thursday as he prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during a three-day trip aimed at promoting Indian exports and seeking more Chinese investment; boosting trade ties between Asia’s rival superpowers
Ahead of his trip, Modi said he firmly believed “this visit to China will strengthen the stability, development and prosperity of Asia”. “I am confident my visit will lay the foundation for further enhancing eco-
nomic co-operation with China in a wide range of sectors,” he wrote on Twitter last week.
Modi is likely to seek abolition of non-tariff barriers as part of efforts to reduce a widening trade deficit and boost local industry. New Delhi wants greater market access in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, information technology services and farm products, including bovine meat.
China is India’s biggest trading partner with two-way commerce totalling US$71 billion in 2014. Bilateral trade is estimated to reach a record
US$100 billion by the end of this year. However, India’s trade deficit with China has soared from just US$1 billion in 2001-02, to more than US$38 billion last year. Ties between the two nations have long been strained over a border dispute stemming from a brief, bloody war the two nations fought in 1962. China claims more than 90,000sq km disputed by New Delhi in the eastern sector of the Himalayas. India says China occupies 38,000sq km of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
Nigeria’s military has imposed a curfew in the main north-eastern city of Maiduguri after a surprise attack by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
Reports say that streets are deserted with markets, schools and hospitals shut down in the densely populated city.
The army said the lockdown was ordered to protect lives and property.
Troops and vigilantes fought off the militants on Tuesday evening as they tried to enter Maiduguri,
residents told the BBC.
This was their most serious attempt to enter the city since the military declared, in March, that it had recaptured all urban areas from Boko Haram, says BBC’s Nigeria Analyst Aliyu Tanko.
Maiduguri, a city of about two million people, is Boko Haram’s former headquarters. Boko Haram was founded in 2002 and initially focused on opposing Western education.
It launched military operations in 2009 to create
Islamic state and declared a caliphate in areas it controlled in 2014, most territory now recaptured by army
Pro-military vigilante leader Yusuf Sani stated that six of his men were killed and 12 others were wounded when three female suicide bombers detonated their devices.”The terrorists suffered serious casualties,” he added.
An army statement said the curfew would remain in force for 24 hours and the “situation is firmly under control”. (Excerpt from BBC News)
The death toll in a fire that destroyed a Kentex Manufacturing shoe factory in the Philippine capital has risen to 72, officials say.
Police have vowed to take swift action against those responsible, amid workers’ claims of poor health and safety standards. “Definitely there will be charges here, because people have died,” Acting National Police Chief Leonardo Espina said.
Police say the fire started when sparks from welding work ignited flammable chemicals near the building’s entrance. The Philippines has lax safety standards and large fires are relatively common, particularly in slum areas.
Wednesday’s fire spread quickly and a few people escaped. Many more were trapped on the second floor of the building, where, according to survivors, iron grills on windows prevented
their escape. “We were running, not knowing exactly where to go,” one of the survivors, Lisandro Mendoza, said.
Most of the victims are thought to have suffocated
in thick black smoke from burning rubber and chemicals. “Regardless of whether it was an accident or arson, people died. We are just determining what exactly happened so that we can clearly define what charges to file,” Espina told reporters on Thursday.
Survivors and relatives of the victims told the news agency that factory employees worked for below minimum wage, surrounded by chemicals, and unaware of fire safety standards.
The process of identifying the bodies will take time, officials warn, as fingerprints can no longer be used to identify the charred remains of the victims. (Excerpt from BBC News)
Myanmar migrants, on a boat stranded for a week in the Andaman Sea with no food or water, say that 10 people have died while some are resorting to drinking urine.
The fishing boat, carrying about 350 people of the Muslim Rohingya minority, has been refused entry to Thailand. Those on board told the BBC that the crew abandoned them and disabled the engine. The bodies of those who had died were thrown overboard.
Several thousand peo-
ple are still believed to be stuck in boats off the coasts of Thailand and Malaysia. Most are Rohingya Muslims who cannot go back to Myanmar, where they are not recognised as citizens of the country and are regularly persecuted.
The BBC’s Jonathan Head, from alongside the vessel, reports that it is a “desperate sight”. “People are calling out to us begging us for food and water.”
The migrants said that they had been at sea for three months. Their situa-
tion became critical when their crew abandoned them without a working engine
six days ago, anchored near the Thai-Malaysian border. Regional Police official
Major General Puttichat Akhachan of Thailand said, “We declined them entry to the country, but we gave them food and water to adhere to our human rights obligations.”
Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division stated, “We need to see the three nations (Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia) working together rescuing these people first, and then sorting out who’s going to take responsibility for them.” (Excerpt from BBC News)
friday, may 15, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com
The Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) announcement that the coalition, A Partnership for Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) is leading at the General and Regional Elections has sparked wild celebrations across the country,-something which their leader, David Granger, has urged them to temper with respect and calm.
The celebrations started in Georgetown and quickly spread throughout strongholds of the coalition. Screams of “victory” echoed through the streets of Linden as supporters of the coalition stormed the streets, following the announcement of the preliminary General and Regional Elections results across the 10 Districts of Guyana. Party supporters armed with APNU/AFC flags waved and shouted, some hugging each other in a festive mode. The colours green and yellow stood out as supporters quickly changed their mode of dress.
In the evening, a grand motorcade was held, which commenced on the Wismar shore and continued across at Mackenzie. Scores of supporters pranced through the streets, some on trucks, inside cars and other motor vehicles. Major businesses were closed as supporters gathered and celebrated outside the Mackenzie Market Square, and other locations throughout the community. Some residents even dressed themselves in
the coalition’s flags, some wrapping their heads in the head dresses. Although the results were not the final ones made at the time by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Lindeners indicated that they were certain of victory for the coalition.
“We waited a long time for this victory. I couldn’t even sleep last night. I’m just happy right now”, a resident supporter stated. Shortly after the announcement, Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon, addressing Lindeners on 104.3 Power fm radio, said that there has been a significant mismanagement of the nation’s resources under the present Government.
Solomon, who also serves as APNU Campaign Co-
ordinator said that there was cause for celebration as the country prepares to move forward. He also urged continued support for the APNU/AFC coalition.
New Amsterdam Across New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), the mood was similar even before GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield could have completed calling out the number of votes the parties obtained at the General Election. In the country’s oldest town, Thursday was like any of the other days which proceeded Election Day with businesses opening their doors, delivery trucks making stops at almost every street corner,
and hire car operators driving recklessly. As the midday hour approached, for the first time after Election Day, the town became tense as activity ceased, bringing the town to a virtual standstill. All were tuned to the National Communications Network (NCN) as it broadcasted live coverage of the IPL (Indian Premier League) when the network switched to the GECOM press conference.
The town which gave more that 80 per cent of its support the APNU/AFC coalition at the May 11 poll, erupted as Lowenfield made the announcement indicating that the coalition had gained more voted than the incumbent PPP/C. Moments later car horns were being honked through the town in
celebration of an anticipated declaration by the Guyana Elections Commissioner that the coalition has won.
At the APNU/AFC regional headquarters, situated at Strand and St Magdalene Streets, there was a buzz of activities and smiling faces. However none of the candidates who led the coalition in its political campaign leading up to Monday’s poll were present. They were attending a meeting at Adventure Village, Corentyne where GECOM’s Division Six Returning Officer Alfa Muhammad made a declaration of results.
Meanwhile, at about midday in New Amsterdam, the staff at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) was told that a bomb was planted in the building. The bomb scare saw a quick evacuation of the building situated at Strand and Matthew Allen Road. Members form the bomb squad made a search of the building and came up empty handed however the office remained closed for the second half of the day.
At Moses’s house
In Corentyne, a stronghold of the PPP/C but the home town of Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan, there was also wild celebrations from supporters. Supporters first gathered at Nagamotoo’s residence at Whim, Corentyne and then proceeded to Dr Veerasammy Ramayyah’s home. Led by
Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’, they hugged shouted and celebrated.
Not fazed by the rain, the supporters hugged each other and chanted the names of their leaders as the procession moved from Whim to Adventure Village on the Corentyne, gathering more supporters as they passed through the villages along the way. In addition to the marches, vehicles were seen passing through the streets with drivers and passengers alike flying the coalition’s flag as they joined in the celebration.
Speaking with Guyana Times Winston Profit, who was moved to tears, said, “We will celebrate peacefully and in unity. We will go back to work as per normal and children will go back to school in full, no matter if you are a supporter of any other party we just want for all of us to live as one as Guyanese should.” Another supporter who said she joined the celebration as she wanted this to be the way Guyanese celebrate throughout the country, in peace, love and unity. She explained that as Berbicians, people have always lived in harmony without racial tension and it is only around elections time it is noticeable. As such, she is moved to see everyone celebrating without any prejudice. Shouts of victory erupted throughout the streets of many villages, as supporters say they foresee a better life under the APNU/ AFC coalition.
On World Hypertension Day, May 17, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO) is calling on governments, health professionals, and all of society to do more to control blood pressure levels and help prevent heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and other serious health problems.
“Hypertension, which is the leading risk factor for illness and premature death from cardiovascular disease, affects some 250 million people in the Americas, and in most countries, rates of blood pressure control are unacceptably low,” said PAHO/Director Carissa F. Etienne.
People with hypertension are considered to have their condition under control if their blood pressure readings are below 140/90 mm Hg all day, 365 days a year. In Latin America and the Caribbean, an estimated 80% of people with
hypertension do not have good control. According to the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, in Argentina, Brazil and Chile collectively, only 57% of people with hypertension are aware they have
tension controlled. Among all people with hypertension (including those who are unaware of their condition), the percent controlled is only 19%.
The countries of the Americas have collectively established the target
Pedro Orduñez, PAHO/ WHO regional advisor on prevention and control of chronic diseases, noted
the condition, only 53% of those who are aware are under treatment, and only 30% of those under treatment have their hyper-
that hypertension has no cure, but it can be prevented, delayed or controlled.
“On World Hypertension Day, we want to encour-
of getting 35% of people with hypertension under control by 2019. To date, only three countries have reached that goal: Canada (68%), Cuba (36%) and the United States (52%). Other countries will have to make additional efforts to reach the target.
age all adults in particular to check their blood pressure regularly, to eat more fruits and vegetables and less salt, to be physically active, to avoid alcohol and tobacco use, and to take blood pressure medication every day, if it has been prescribed.”
PAHO/WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are collaborating on a project that could contribute significantly to the achievement of a global target of reducing hypertension by 25% by 2025, which would prevent millions of deaths due to cardiovascular disease.
Barbados was the first country in the Americas to implement the project, known as the Global Standardized Hypertension Treatment (GSHT) project, and other countries in the region are planning to implement it in the near future.
The PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health has launched a new course
on Managing Arterial Hypertension for Primary Healthcare Teams (currently in Spanish only), coordinated by the Argentine Society of Cardiology (SAC), with financial support from CDC and technical assistance from the Inter-American Society of Cardiology (SIAC) and the Latin American Society of Hypertension (LASH). Students who complete the course’s 12 modules and a final evaluation will receive a certificate from PAHO/WHO.
Hypertension medication
Since 2013, the PAHO Strategic Fund has allowed countries in the Americas to procure prequalified medicines for hypertension, diabetes, and many cancers at affordable prices, as part of PAHO/ WHO’s support for universal health access and coverage and countries’ implementation of a 2012-2025 regional strategy to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases.
Persons from across the country shared their views as it relates to how they feel about being a Guyanese and what impact the nation had on them over the past years.
Analecia Forter
“There are so many things that I like about Guyana, I do not know where to start. I like being a Guyanese. Our history and culture interests me. I do not think that there is another country that is culturally diverse as Guyana, that alone makes us unique. I like being unique. Most of the times you find the two major races getting along, it’s only a backward, small minded few that insist on having a racist mentality, but this too will change in time to come.”
Kevin Outar
“I am proud to be a Guyanese, over the years I have achieved so much and that too is because of the benefits I have been receiving as a citizen. Despite the political tension that rises from time to time, I can safely say that I am not affected by any. We have come a long way as we reflect on our history and our culture that is, how significantly it has changed thus, we becoming more inclined to our daily occurrences of life.”
Krishna Oodit
“As a Guyanese I must say that my culture is what made me attached and can be able to understand the varying aspects of life. I love the relation that persons share especially when someone new visits. I am sure that any foreigner that comes here is being treated to the greatest and most satisfied extent. Guyana is a country where you can come and relax knowing that there are so much places of interest and also beautiful hotels that can mesmerize anyone from its first experience.”
Navindra Ramsook
“I am proud of country; there are many things that I like about being a Guyanese. First thing it’s our democratic freedom. We are able to choose a Government of our own and which is not so in all countries. If you are out a job, you can easily go and apply somewhere and you will get through. As it relates to natural disasters, we are minorly affected and most of all our wonderful culture, one that everyone admires. The unity and love that persons have for each other is what keeps the nation together. I understand that there are cases with ethnic differences however; this will soon be changed as we are in the progress of developing a more united nation.”
Kumar Singh
“Being a Guyanese is one thing that anyone can be proud of. We are blessed with a beautiful nation, one that is not largely affected by corruption despite this being so, I must note that problems will exist; every country has its own challenges however in time they are all resolved. Living in Guyana makes your life so much simpler as compared to other countries where persons have to struggle on a daily basis. Some days if we do not want to go to work we can always explain to our bosses and they will understand, whereas in some countries from the time you slip up on your job, you lose it. I love the freedom that we have and the simple life that we live.”
Regina Ramcharran
“Being a Guyanese serves a very significant purpose for me. Overall I have achieved a lot and that too with the benefits that I was able to secure being a citizen. As long as I can remember as it relates to historical attempt in breaking racialism, it is evident that in today’s society these issues are being resolved gradually. As it relates to employment, business have been establishing across the country on a speedy mode which allows for everyone to get an opportunity in taking their career forward. There are lots more to add as it relates to citizenry benefits and I must commend the works of our officials who have been seeking to ensure that our needs are addressed and as a citizen we have a freedom of speech.”
Melissa Richardson “I love my multiethnic, multicultural background, this empowers my perspective. I love my youthful experiences as a student and athlete. I love my unique Guyanese sense of humour, sense of resilience and ability to persevere. I believe that we remain strategically important and have the capacity to harness our resources as a nation together. “Not a blade of grass.”
Ineverary Ishako
“I am a very proud Guyanese. Our relations in this country have been expanding significantly as we moved from a developed country to a developing country. One that can be able to help other countries during times of need especially as it relates to disasters. Apart from that, I must say that I am inspired by our multicultural background which indeed makes us the unique persons that we are. Notably, one cannot hide from the fact that we are giving the opportunity in every area, whether it be for work or recreation, chances exist of you developing. Our nation has been progressing for quite some time and I hope it continues to do so in the future.”
BY VAHNU MANUIKCHAND
Following the final sets of preliminary results disclosed by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Thursday, several of the smaller parties that contested the recent polls have registered their dissatisfaction at the figures released by the Commission, saying that they are not a true representation of the support they would have gotten.
Apart from the two main political parties – A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – Monday’s General and Regional Elections saw six other parties contesting.
These small parties are the United Republican Party (URP), The United Force (TUF), Healing The Nation Theocracy party (HTNT), the Independent Party (IP), the National Independent Party (NIP) and Organisation for the Victory of the People’s Party (OVPP). Of the eight parties, only six contested the
national election. The HTNT and the OVPP were the two parties that contested the regional elections.
At GECOM’s press briefing on Thursday, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield disclosed the figures for the General and Regional Elections, with the following parties secured these votes: IP 338; NIP 516; TUF 880, and URP 338. The figures for the regional elections are as follows: HTNTP 246 votes; TUF 1253 votes, and URP 1174. The IP and NIP did not receive any votes in this category.
Guyana Times contacted some of these parties to get their reactions to the numbers released by the Elections Commission, which is expected to make the final declaration of the elections result today.
Presidential Candidate of TUF, Marissa Nadir told this newspaper that the figures are inconsistent with what was reported by GECOM itself. She explained that on Wednesday, the Commission had announced that the total general votes for the TUF was 1013; however at Thursday’s announcement,
they gave the final preliminary results as 880 votes. “It miraculously dropped!”
Nadir further pointed out that her party has written the Elections Commission to rectify this, noting that they cannot go ahead with the
declaration if her concerns are not addressed. “Our votes need to be accounted for,” she declared.
According to the TUF leader, she was expecting to secure at least 1400 votes which would have put her party in a position to be in
line to acquire a seat in Parliament.
“It would have put us in a position of strength. Regardless, we were clearly able to re-established ourselves,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Presidential Candidate of the URP Vishnu Bandhu, also expressed his dissatisfaction with the results, stating that it does not truly reflect the support his party has gotten during its campaigning exercises. He noted that while he was not expecting to win the election, he could have made a difference had he gotten sufficient votes to secure a seat in Parliament.
Bandhu also mentioned that in addition to the figures, he is also concerns about several issues that were raised recently. He referred to the “fake” Statement of Polls (SOPs) that have been detected by Lowenfield, noting that this cannot be considered a “free and fair” election if issues such as this arise.
Nevertheless, the URP Presidential Candidate said that he does not want to disturb the process since that would further delayed
the announcement of the final results, which the people of Guyana have been eagerly awaiting since Tuesday.
On the other hand, Leader of the NIP Attorney Sapheir Hussain noted that any election is unpredictable and so he has no problems with the number of votes his party managed to acquire. “If the electoral process produces this as the results then we have to accept it,” he stated.
While Hussain did not have any issue with the figures, he did raise several concerns. One of which is the unconstitutionality of the delays in declaring the final results, noting that this is against the Representation of the People’s Act.
Furthermore, he pointed out that consequent to a petition in 1997, GECOM has failed to make certain changes, including those relating to the processing of ballots without signatures. “And now these said issues are being raised again,” he noted. The Attorney went on to urge the Commission to declare the results immediately.
ARIES (March 21April 19)
TAURUS (April 20May 20)
(May 21June 20)
CANCER
Don’t panic if your plans fall through. Instead, spend time pampering yourself. Some leisure time reading, listening to music or just relaxing will help soothe your frazzled nerves.
You will be able to sell a creative concept if you pitch your idea. Brainstorming with successful colleagues will give you valuable insight and inspiration to strive for more.
You will be eager to succeed, but someone close to you will feel left out if your career aspirations take up too much of your time. A personal relationship needs nurturing.
LEO (July 23Aug. 22)
VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)
Someone will try to jeopardize your position. Don’t go out on a limb for someone you cannot trust. Remain on good terms with your peers and colleagues to avoid jealousy.
An unanticipated challenge will have a prosperous outcome. Work on your communication skills. Use your leadership abilities to strengthen your business position. Build a solid base and you will excel.
A love interest will take you by surprise. Ask your financial adviser to recommend a sound investment choice that will help you stay solvent. Avoid overspending on home or self-improvement projects.
LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)
A romantic involvement is in the cards. A current or new relationship will increase in depth and passion. Open up talks that will lead to a better standard of living.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)
A surprising offer will come your way. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked by minor matters. Concentrate on completing any unfinished business to clear your slate for a new endeavour.
CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)
You will be distracted today. Don’t allow your lack of concentration to result in a careless mistake. Exercise extra caution while operating machinery or taking part in physical activities.
(Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)
A power struggle at home will lead to long-lasting resentment. Compromise and cooperation will help rectify the situation. It’s not worth your while to be stubborn.
AQUARIUS
(Feb. 20March 20)
Travel and education will feature strongly in your day. Consider traveling to an area whose features are vastly different from your own. The information you gain will be inspiring and rewarding.
Procrastination will be your downfall. Get an early start on your daily responsibilities if you want to have time left over for pleasurable activities that will ease your mind.
Confusion surrounds Zimbabwe’s upcoming tour to Pakistan with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) still in talks with its own government over security concerns. Despite fixtures for the two T20s and threeODI series being released and Zimbabwe naming a 16man squad, the tour is yet to be approved by Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), the regulatory body for all sports in the country, or confirmed to the ICC.
On Thursday afternoon, Zimbabwe Cricket issued a press release saying the tour to Pakistan had been “suspended” on the advice of the SRC. The contents of the release read as follows:
“Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has suspended the tour to Pakistan.
The decision not to tour at this time has been taken after considering the advice from the country’s supreme sports regulatory authority, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), which wrote to ZC saying that it had been advised against the tour by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We have consulted on the security situation in Pakistan with particular reference to your intended cricket tour of the country and have been advised that it would not be safe for the team to travel to Pakistan at this point in time,” wrote SRC director-general Retired Colonel Charles Nhemachena to ZC chief executive officer Wilfred Mukondiwa.”
Less than half an hour after sending that, ZC media and communications manager Lovemore Banda sent out an e-mail retracting
the statement: “My apology Please do NOT run with the attached. Discussions are still ongoing and the final position will be announced as and when.”
ESPNcricinfo contacted Banda after the second email was sent and he confirmed ZC was conducting meetings to make a final decision on the tour, which was
was reportedly going to spend US $500,000 on safety measures which included helicopter-monitored travel and 3,500 guards. Campbell, at the time, said he was “very excited” to tour the country and hoped it would spark a revival for cricket in Pakistan.
“I was fortunate to tour the whole country ... but
among others.
The international player body, FICA, also cautioned Zimbabwe against touring Pakistan after their own security report deemed the risks of visiting the country “unmanageable.” Several of Zimbabwe’s own players anonymously voiced concerns as well, although they have all been in training and
expected later on Thursday.
Several insiders believe it is likely the tour will be cancelled on the SRC’s instruction even though ZC was said to be satisfied with the arrangements made for the 10-day visit. Last week, a ZC advance delegation, including managing director of cricket Alistair Campbell, visited Pakistan and was given an extensive tour of the security measures at the Gaddafi Stadium and the National Cricket Academy, where the team was due to stay.
It has since been reported that Zimbabwe would stay at the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel. The Pakistan Cricket Board
World number one
The 33-year-old with-
But the 19-time Grand
think the injury - which is affecting her serve - will be an issue at the French Open, which begins on Sunday, 24 May.
Williams was the defending champion in Rome.
Britain’s world number three Andy Murray has pulled out of the men’s event, citing fatigue. (BBC Sport)
this is the start,” Campbell had said. “We start here in Lahore, and hopefully in years to come we’ll come back and play in the rest of the country, and resume normal relations with Pakistan.”
All that came before a bus attack in Karachi on Wednesday morning which killed 43 people and brought security concerns to the fore. Although Zimbabwe’s tour was to be exclusively played in Lahore, with Karachi ruled out as a venue because the PCB could not guarantee a safe passage from the hotel to the ground in that city, the overall situation in the country is of concern to Zimbabwe’s government,
were all available for selection.
Zimbabwe named a squad of 16 including six returnees and one new cap as they hoped to usher in the post World Cup era with a mix of experience and youth. Those cricketers might have to wait until India’s three-ODI visit to the country in July.
The ICC is awaiting official confirmation of the series from both the PCB and ZC before they will make a decision on whether they are sending match officials. But they have made provision in the bylaws that the PCB can use its own match officials if the ICC is not satisfied with the level of security for its own officials. (Cricinfo)
Kevin Pietersen’s return to the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad has been scuppered by a calf injury suffered while making the triple-century for Surrey that helped build a tidal wave of protest at his continued England freeze-out.
Andrew Strauss, England’s new director of cricket, has blocked any potential Pietersen comeback this summer because of “massive trust issues” that soured the later stages of his England career and have contributed to his 18 months in the international wilderness.
That decision seemed to signal a speedy return for Pietersen to play for Sunrisers in the final stages of the IPL but he had a scan on a damaged calf in London on Wednesday and returned to the Kia Oval with a noticeable limp. The prognosis was that the injury was expected to take a couple of weeks to heal.
His mood was soon to be enhanced as Surrey, led by their openers Steve Davies and Jason Roy, pulled off a dramatic run chase against Leicestershire, ensuring that his unbeaten 355 - the highest score of his life - would at least set up a victory for his county, if not resurrect his England career.
Sunrisers’ CEO K Shanmugam had announced that Pietersen would join the team on Friday in Hyderabad. He was bought by the franchise in this year’s auction but was allowed to return home to England to play county cricket at his request. They lie third in the IPL table and had hoped that Pietersen would give them additional firepower in their last home game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday as they press for a top-four place.
Tom Moody, the head coach, had also been excited by his return. “It is great news that KP will be joining us earlier than planned,” he said. “To add a world-class batsman to our squad at the business end of the tournament is a huge bonus.”
Pietersen’s priority will now be to recover fitness in time for his stint with St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League. His future with Surrey remains uncertain.
Sunrisers purchased Pietersen at his base price of 2 crore rupees (approximate-
ly GBP 200,000) at the IPL player auction in February. They agreed to release Pietersen ahead of the season to allow him to press for England selection.
In an irate column for the Telegraph newspaper Pietersen accused the ECB of being “deceitful”. He signed off the column by confirming he would be flying out to India to honour his IPL commitments.
“Under the agreement of releasing me from my IPL contract, Sunrisers Hyderabad have the right to recall me for the final stages of the tournament, so on Friday - at their request - I’ll be travelling out to India,” he wrote. “It’ll give me a good opportunity to cool down and assess what I’m going to do next. I’m just sorry it won’t be putting on an England shirt.”
Should they qualify for the knockout stages, Sunrisers will also be without their New Zealand pair of fast bowler Trent Boult and
Kevin Pietersen
batsman Kane Williamson, who will leave after Sunday’s game to join the national squad ahead of their first Test against England starting on May 21. However, they can count on the encouraging form of Eoin Morgan and Moises Henriques besides captain David Warner and the availability of Dale Steyn, who has been part of the playing XI in just four games so far.
Sunrisers’ retention of Williamson has caused New Zealand to abandon plans to field him - albeit belatedly - in their final preTest warm-up which begins against Worcestershire in Worcester on Thursday. Corey Anderson will still travel up to Worcester as planned on Thursday but Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Brendon McCullum will arrive early next week, along with Williamson. (Cricinfo)
Rohit Sharma’s decision to give Kieron Pollard the final over proved a masterstroke, as the medium-pacer kept his nerve to defend 12 runs. He bowled three successive dot balls in the end with Piyush Chawla swinging aimlessly, as Mumbai Indians won by five runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
While Mumbai moved into the top four with the win, Knight Riders could have confirmed a spot in the playoffs with a victory, but they went off track in the last five overs.
Fifty was needed off the last five overs but Yusuf Pathan’s half-century had reduced it down to 12 off the final over. But he fell off the first ball to Pollard, an inspired decision of Rohit’s, and although Umesh Yadav got a boundary, Chawla hardly saw the ball properly as he kept swinging across the line.
All Mumbai bowlers, except Hardik Pandya, took a wicket each. Pandya had earlier played a superb innings to keep Mumbai in the game.
Mumbai’s innings derived most of its strength from the 92-run stand between Kieron
Pollard and Pandya for the unbroken fifth wicket. The pair got together at the loss of Rohit Sharma in the 12th over, and accelerated with 72 runs in the last five overs.
Pandya smashed two sixes over midwicket and eight other fours in his unbeaten 31-ball 61. He not just outscored Pollard, who made 33 off 38 balls with just a four and a six, but dominated their partnership. Pandya struck Umesh Yadav for four consecutive boundaries in the 16th over before launching into Andre Russell in the 19th over for two fours and a six, reaching his first IPL fifty, off 25 balls.
Shakib Al Hasan’s two early wickets kept Mumbai from getting a brisk start. He first removed Parthiv Patel when he chipped to midwicket for Manish Pandey to take an easy catch. Pandey added to his tally after he held on to a chance offered by the other Mumbai opener, Lendl Simmons, in the fifth over. Shakib, then, took his second wicket, that of Ambati Rayudu, Russell taking a superb catch at wide long-on for two.
Rohit Sharma kept the score moving with singles
and doubles, and added boundaries in the ninth over against Piyush Chawla, a cut and a sweep. But he was undone by a beauty from Sunil Narine who got the ball to curve after pitching on middle-stump. Rohit was bowled for 30 off 21 balls with five fours.
Shakib’s two for 22 aside,
the Knight Riders would have been displeased by how Umesh and Russell bowled towards the end while also getting only one over out of Chawla.
Knight Riders began their chase of 172 runs with lots of boundaries but Robin Uthappa’s attempt to get cheeky resulted in him being caught at fine leg by Lasith Malinga, soon after hitting Harbhajan Singh for a six over square-leg. Manish Pandey’s poor call for a single made it 46 for two in the eventful sixth over from the offspinner.
Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan added 42 runs quickly before the Knight Riders captain was bowled by J Suchith, the next ball after being dropped on 38 by Pandya at deep mid-wicket. Yusuf kept playing the second fiddle as Shakib hammered 23 off 15 balls but he too fell in the pursuit of boundaries, caught off Vinay Kumar in the 15th over.
(Cricinfo)
Mumbai Indians innings (20 overs maximum)
LMP Simmons c Pandey b Morkel 14
PA Patel† c Pandey b Shakib Al Hasan 21
RG Sharma* b Narine 30
AT Rayudu c Russell b Shakib Al Hasan 2
KA Pollard not out 33
HH Pandya not out 61
Extras (lb 1, w 6, nb 3) 10
Total (4 wickets; 20 overs) 171
Did not bat: Harbhajan Singh, J Suchith, MJ McClenaghan, R Vinay Kumar, SL Malinga
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-42, 3-47, 4-79
Bowling: UT Yadav 3-0-370, M Morkel 4-0-27-1, Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-22-2, PP Chawla 1-0-9-0, SP Narine 4-0-38-1, AD Russell 4-0-37-0.
Kolkata Knight Riders innings (target: 172 runs
from 20 overs)
RV Uthappa† c Malinga b Harbhajan Singh 25 G Gambhir* b Suchith 38
MK Pandey run out (Simmons) 1 YK Pathan c †Patel b Pollard 52 Shakib Al Hasan c Pandya b Vinay Kumar 23
AD Russell c †Patel b Malinga 2
SA Yadav c Rayudu b McClenaghan 11
PP Chawla not out 1
UT Yadav not out 5
Extras (b 1, w 7) 8
Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 166
Did not: batM Morkel, SP Narine
Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-46, 3-88, 4-118, 5-128, 6-144, 7-160.
Bowling: SL Malinga 4-0-311, MJ McClenaghan 4-0-311, R Vinay Kumar 4-0-33-1, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-31-1, J Suchith 2-0-23-1, HH Pandya 1-0-10-0, KA Pollard 1-0-6-1.
Jamaica-born American quartermiler, Sanya Richards-Ross, has won just about everything there is to win in the sport.
Four Olympic and five World Championships gold medals highlight a rich and distinguished career for the 30-year-old athlete. However, missing from her bounty is the Diamond League title, a trophy that she is hoping to add this season.
Currently in Qatar for her first appearance at the series opening Doha Diamond League, Richards-Ross will be facing a couple of the women that are expected to push her all the way to the end in that Diamond Race.
World-leading time Jamaican Novlene Williams-Mills, the defending champion in the event, and her compatriot, Stephenie-Ann McPherson, the Commonwealth champion, as well as World Indoor champion Francena McCorory, will all line up in the women’s 400m at 12:34 p.m. Jamaica time tomorrow.
“I’d really like to win the Diamond League trophy this season,” RichardsRoss laughed. “Everyone that follows me knows I love diamonds, so it’s only
Sanya Richards-Ross
right!”
With the sort of shape that she is in, who would bet against her?
Richards-Ross ran a world-leading 49.95 in winning the 400m at the Jamaica International Invitational last Saturday, beating all three of her rivals to the line, with McCorory taking second in 50.73 and McPherson third in 50.98.
European 100m champion James Dasaolu said he is pitting himself against the world’s best sprinters on Friday because he feels in such good shape.
The Briton, 27, will come up against controversial sprinter Justin Gatlin in the
Friday will also be Gatlin’s first 100m race of the season. The American is a divisive character, splitting opinions after returning to the sport in 2010 following a second doping ban.
Last year he ran six of
Diamond League opener in Doha.
Injuries have been as much a part of Dasaolu’s career as successes.
But he said: “The year has been injury free. Normally I’d open up in June but everything’s been going well so I want to get the ball rolling.”
Dasaolu, Britain’s second fastest man in history, won his first major title last summer at the European Championships in Zurich. It was his long-await-
the seven fastest times in the 100m and achieved personal bests in both the 100m (9.77 secs) and 200m (19.68 secs).
But Dasaolu refused to become embroiled in the “political aspect” of the sport and said the 33-yearold had “done his time”.
“You can only control what you do as an athlete,” said the Briton. “I just block it out and try to not get involved in the politics of our sport, you’re just wasting energy.”
Dasaolu’s body has, in the past, struggled to withstand the rigours of threeround competitions, but he has increased the volume of training this winter to ensure it can hold up in Beijing.
“I’ve been able to tick all the boxes and do everything I need to get my season started,” said Dasaolu, whose main aim this year is to qualify for the 100m final at the World Championships in August.
The sprinter knows securing a place in the British team is not a foregone conclusion.
The American is looking forward to another big showdown and is expecting a close race, especially from McCorory and Williams-Mills.
“Both Francene (McCorory) and Novlene (Williams-Mills) are excellent competitors and will push me. I hope for a fast race and an opportunity to lower the world’s fastest time,” said Richards-Ross.
“I am still motivated by my desire to leave a lasting legacy in the sport. I’ve been blessed to have a long career, so now I want to continue being my best and leaving my mark,” added Richards-Ross.
“This is a big year for me,” said the Olympic champion, looking forward to the World Championships in Beijing in August.
“I’ve been training really hard to win another World title. I’m looking forward to going back to the Bird’s Nest!”
She added: “The start of my season has been great! I’m really happy with my runs in The Bahamas and Jamaica. I’m happy to be fit and healthy and I’m looking forward to a great race here.”
(The Jamaican Gleaner)
ed breakthrough, achieved despite not competing outdoors until July because of a hamstring injury and squeezing only three races into the build-up to Zurich.
That injury, sustained while racing indoors last February, is why the Croydon athlete restricted his commitments to one 60m race this year - a 6.52-second run in January, the second fastest by a European.
Having used last season as a “stepping stone”, Dasaolu is now ready to regularly compete against the best in the world.
“I’m always a believer in racing against these guys and getting used to running against them so come the World Championships I’ll be used to running against them,” he said before Friday’s 100m race in the Qatari capital.
“There will always be an element of nervousness in the championships but there won’t be that element of uncertainty.”
His team-mates and rivals, such as European 200m champion Adam Gemili, world 60m champion Richard Kilty and Chijindu Ujah are, he says, keeping him “on his toes”.
“It’s not just a matter of running the qualification time because you’ve got a number of guys making the qualifying time,” said Dasaolu, who was not selected for the Commonwealth Games last summer.
Dasaolu failed to dip under 10 seconds last year and his personal best remains the 9.91 he ran in 2013, which put only former world and Olympic champion Linford Christie ahead of him on the British all-time list.
“I’d love to be able to consistently go sub-10 seconds, but more than anything I want to be able to execute my race, execute what my coach has told me in training and the times will follow,” he added. (BBC Sport)
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The entire United States 4x100m relay team have been stripped of their London 2012 Olympic silver medals as a consequence of Tyson Gay’s drugs ban.
Former 100m and 200m world champion Gay was suspended for a year after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid.
The 32-year-old returned his London 2012 medal when his suspension was announced in May 2014.
Now the International Olympic Committee has told
US Olympic bosses that the whole team must return their medals.
The IOC wrote to the US Olympic Committee on Wednesday, telling them to collect the medals from Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Ryan Bailey, Jeffery Demps and Darvis Patton.
“We will begin efforts to have the medals returned and support all measures to protect clean athletes,” said a US Olympic Committee statement.
Kimmons and Bailey ran with Gay in the final, as
did Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, including a four-year suspension between 2006-2010.
Gay’s results from 15 July 2012 - the date he first used a product containing a banned substance - were annulled.
His one-year suspension was backdated to 23 June 2013, the date he tested positive at the US World Championship trials.
The American team finished second in London’s Olympic Stadium behind Jamaica, who were anchored
by Usain Bolt on their way to a new world record.
Gay and his team-mates set a new US record with their time of 37.04 seconds. If the medals are reallocated, Trinidad and Tobago - who finished third in 38.12 seconds - would be awarded silver. Fourth-placed France would take the bronze instead.
Great Britain were disqualified in their semi-final as the final handover between Daniel Talbot and Adam Gemili was not completed in time. (BBC Sport)
With their magical season on the brink, the Atlanta Hawks needed someone to come up big.
Al Horford wasn’t supposed to be the guy.
He would not be denied.
The Hawks center swooped in to snatch an offensive rebound and dropped in a shot from right under the basket with 1.9 seconds remaining, giving top-seeded Atlanta an 82-81 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards on Wednesday night and a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
‘‘I wasn’t supposed to be involved in the play at all,’’ Horford said. ‘‘When I saw the ball go up, I just ran in there.’’
In a game of back-andforth runs, the Hawks went more than seven minutes in the fourth quarter without making a basket, then ripped off 14 straight points to take the lead. Atlanta went cold again, and it looked as though Paul Pierce had doomed Atlanta for the second time in the series.
Having already made a buzzer-beating winner in Game 3, he got open in the corner and swished a 3-pointer with 8.3 seconds left, putting the Wizards up, 81-80.
Pierce taunted the
Hawks bench and home crowd on his way back down the court before bowling over John Wall, who was playing for the first time since Game 1 after fracturing several bones in his left hand.
nited a fourth-quarter rally and stayed in the game at the suggestion of All-Star Jeff Teague, who watched the closing minutes from the bench.
Schroder drove down
82-81 playoff defeat of Washington
Wall didn’t mind, throwing up his hands in celebration. The Wizards were on the verge of heading home with a chance to wrap up the series.
Atlanta had one more chance.
The Hawks gave the ball to backup point guard Dennis Schroder, who ig-
the lane and put up a shot, which was swatted off the backboard by Wall. But Horford yanked the ball away from Nene, who tumbled to the court, leaving the Hawks center alone under the basket. Horford, who had 23 points and 11 rebounds, put in the easy shot on a night when both teams struggled offensively.
‘‘A heck of a play by Al,’’ Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said.
The Wizards threw up a wild shot from halfcourt that didn’t come close as the horn sounded. The sellout crowd nearly stormed the court, held back by security while the Hawks celebrated. Horford screamed and pumped his fists, having put the Hawks one win away from advancing to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since the team moved to Atlanta from St. Louis in 1968.
Warriors 98, Grizzlies 78 — Stephen Curry turned in an MVP-worthy performance, Klay Thompson snapped out of his shooting funk, and Golden State rolled past Memphis in Oakland, Calif., to take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. Curry scored 18 points on six 3-pointers and added a career-playoff-high six steals to go with seven rebounds and five assists, and Thompson scored 21 points. With defensive stopper Tony Allen sidelined with a left hamstring injury, the Grizzlies struggled to contain Golden State’s streaky shooters. The Warriors made 14 of 30 shots from 3-point range, while Memphis made just 4 of 15. (The Boston Globe)
Long-serving West Indies women’s cricket coach Sherwin Campbell, replaced by countryman Vasbert Drakes for the team currently campaigning in the ICC Women’s Championship in Sri Lanka, did not possess a long-term contract, according to a West Indies Cricket Board spokesman.
Contacted yesterday, WICB media officer Adriel Richard said he was not sure that Campbell, who led the squad for over seven years possessed a long-term contract like recently appointed men’s senior team coach Phil Simmons.
“I am not sure, I think he may have been contracted from tour to tour so I can’t say that he was fired,” Richards said.
Efforts to contact WICB chief executive officer Michael Muirhead failed after he was said to be out
of Antigua, the site of the WICB’s headquarters,a and calls to his cell went unanswered.
Richards said he would think that Campbell was informed that he would not be selected for the Sri Lanka tour but when asked if the former Barbados Test batsman had been given a reason for his non-selection this time around, Richards said:
Andy Murray has pulled out of the Italian Open in Rome, citing fatigue.
The Briton was due to play David Goffin in the third round on Thursday after a run of 10 successive victories on clay.
The 27-year-old third seed, who had considered skipping the tournament to rest for the French Open, beat Jeremy Chardy 6-4 6-3 in the previous round.
and Madrid, where he defeated Rafael Nadal for the first time on clay in the final.
Murray’s match against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round in Madrid started at 01:12 local timeone minute short of the latest ever on the ATP tour. The match finished at 03:00.
“I don’t have a reason. you would need to ask the WICB board of selectors about that.”
Under Campbell’s reign, the West Indies became one of the more competitive women’s teams and are currently fifth in the Women’s Championship.
Drakes’ coaching experience includes a stint with the Barbadian women’s team prior to his new assignment. (Trinidad Daily Express)
“I’ve played so much over the past 14 days. I’ve played 10 matches with some extremely late finishes and my body needs to rest,” Murray told BBC Sport.
“I actually felt I played a good match yesterday, but my body is tired. I have to listen to that and respect that.”
Elsewhere in the draw,
Roger Federer survived a late fightback by Kevin Anderson to win 6-3 7-5 and book his place in the quarter-finals.
If the Swiss beats either Czech Tomas Berdych or local hope Fabio Fognini, he could play Rafael Nadal in the semi-final.
The Spaniard reached the last eight with a 6-4 6-4 win over American John Isner and will now meet Swiss Stan Wawrinka on Friday.
Murray’s victory over Frenchman Chardy followed back-to-back tournament victories in Munich
After several lengthy matches forced the late start, the Scot said: “If they want the players to perform at their best, players shouldn’t be playing at three o’clock in the morning.”
The ATP later said it would review its scheduling policy.
World number one Serena Williams has pulled out of the women’s event in Rome because of an elbow injury.
The French Open begins on Sunday, 24 May. (BBC Sport)
The Argentina Football Association (AFA) has confirmed the tragic passing of Emanuel Ortega, who died after suffering a head injury.
All football in Argentina has been suspended after San Martin Burzaco’s Emanuel Ortega passed away due to a serious head injury.
In a Primera C match against Juventud Unida on May 4, Ortega, 21, went shoulder-to-shoulder with an opposition player next to the touchline, and crashed into a concrete wall close to the pitch.
The Spanish football season will be allowed to finish after the week-long Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) suspension and players’ strike ended.
After Spain’s High Court ruled the players’ strike over
The Spanish Cup final will also go ahead as planned on 30 May.
Barca - who have also reached the Champions League final, in which they will take on Juventus - play Athletic Bilbao at the Nou Camp in the domestic Copa
which runs Spain’s top two professional divisions.
The players who backed a proposed strike believe the split of money in a new deal proposed by the LFP and Spanish government does not do enough for those at lower-ranked
a TV rights dispute was unlawful, the RFEF reversed a suspension of the end of the season. Barcelona can win La Liga on Sunday, with a game to spare, if they beat current champions Atletico Madrid.
del Rey final. The RFEF and players’ union (AFE) are not satisfied with a new law introducing collective bargaining for domestic television rights, supported by the National Professional Football League (LFP),
clubs. On Friday, LFP president Javier Tebas announced plans to take legal action against the suspension, warning it could cost 50 million euros (£36m) per matchday in lost revenues. (BBC Sport)
He had emergency surgery on a double skull frac-
ture, but on Thursday the sad news was confirmed that he had passed away.
“A pity his farewell,” a statement from the Argentina Football Association (AFA) read.
“The severity of his injury led to different teams of Argentine football to express their solidarity and support with the player.
“Due to the death of the player, the President of the AFA, Luis Segura, decided to suspend the next date of all categories.
“Argentine soccer wears black to dismiss Emanuel and accompany family and friends at this difficult time.” (Digicel SportsMax)
Cricket Australia has confirmed it will commission an independent review into the death of batsman Phillip Hughes.
Test player Hughes died in November aged 25, two days after being struck on the top of the neck by a delivery during a domestic match in Sydney.
A Cricket Australia statement read: “We have a responsibility and obligation to look into the events of that day.”
The statement added the review was not about blame but “preventing an accident of this nature happening again”.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland added: “When this tragedy happened, I said that it was a freak accident, but it was one freak accident too many.
“Never again do we want to see something like that happen on a cricket field.”
The review will be held with the support of Hughes’s family and is expected to publish its findings later this year. It will examine:
• the causes and circumstances which led to Hughes’s death
• what practices can be put in place to prevent a similar accident from occurring
• the use of personal protective equipment in order to protect the head and heart
• the medical screening of contracted players - especially those players with particular vulnerabilities
• the medical support and coverage afforded to players and on-field support staff, including match officals, at matches and training
Hughes, who also played for Hampshire, Middlesex and Worcestershire, was hit by a
from
His death stunned Australia and sparked thousands of tributes from around the world.
Around 5,000 people attended the funeral in Hughes’s home town of Macksville, New South Wales, with the service broadcast live to millions of people on Australian television.
After the incident, a British-based company designed a new helmet with a ‘stemguard’ - a device made of foam and a rubber-like compound that clips onto the back of a helmet, aimed at preventing another tragic death. (BBC Sport)
The rainy season is officially here and in times past a number of athletic meets would suffer the same fate year after year due to inclement weather, with some being postponed continually and at times even abandoned all together.
However, with the National Track and Field Centre being commissioned recently at Leonora, Wes Coast Demerara, the perfect time is presented to test the state-of-the-art facility’s du-
rability and all-weather surface.
The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) would be able to hold various meets once the rainfall is not heavy.
Given Guyana’s low sea level, hopefully the surface would not be flooded when it rains or if there is high tide or rain and high tide simultaneously.
The rainy season will also allow athletes to be tested in adverse conditions, something the local athletes face in higher altitude countries.
However, the important facet will be how the track holds up after athletes have performed on it during the rainy season on a consistent basis.
Whether the AAG is able to utilise the surface to its full potential during this rainy period will be another story to tell.
Nevertheless, it is important for the AAG to hold enough meets to test the surface properly and the athletes that will ensure that the surface is indeed state of the art.
New England Patriots
quarterback Tom Brady has appealed a four-match suspension over the team’s ‘Deflategate’ scandal.
The NFLPA have filed the widely expected appeal of Tom Brady’s four-game suspension for his involvement in the Deflategate scandal.
“Given the NFL’s history of inconsistency and ar-
bitrary decisions in disciplinary matters, it is only fair that a neutral arbitrator hear this appeal,” the NFLPA said in a statement.
“If Ted Wells and the NFL believe, as their public comments stated, that the evidence in their report is ‘direct’ and ‘inculpatory,’ then they should be confident enough to present their case before someone who is truly independent.”
The Wells Report, which was released on May 6, found the New England Patriots quarterback to be “at least generally aware of” the conduct between team employees Jim McNally and John Jastremski.
If the suspension is upheld, Brady will miss the first four games of the 2015 season, including the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Digicel SportsMax)
Berbice: Assad Fudadin (Captain), Anthony Bramble (Vice-captain), Kevin Ramdeen, Jonathan Foo, Keron Fraser, Rajiv Ivan, Clinton Pestano, Yodendra Harrinarine, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Gudakesh Motie, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, and Niall Smith. The Coach is Albert Smith and the Manager is Winston Smith.
Essequibo: Ronsford Beaton (Captain), Ricardo
Adams (Vice-captain), Raymon Reifer, Ricardo Peters, Kevon Boodie, Royan Fredericks, Hemchand Persaud, Kesho Rooplall, Anthony Adams, Roopesh Motilall, Wayne Osborne, Mark Gonsalves, Kevin Gordon, Rovindra Parsram, and Kemol Savory. The Coach is Vibert Johnson and the Assistant Coach/Manager is Forbes Daniels. Guyana Under-19 squad: Shimron Hetmyer,
Holders Sevilla swept into a second consecutive Europa League final when a 2-0 victory at Fiorentina on Thursday secured a crushing 5-0 aggregate success for the La Liga club in their semi-final tie.
Sevilla had all-but booked their place in the showpiece in Warsaw after thumping the Italian side 3-0 in last week’s first leg in Spain and will seal a record fourth triumph in Europe’s secondtier club competition if they can overcome Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on May 27.
The Ukrainians won 1-0 at home to Fiorentina’s Serie A rivals Napoli to progress to their first European final 2-1 on aggregate.
Sevilla coach Unai Emery paid tribute to
his players, who also dispatched Borussia Moenchengladbach, Villarreal and Zenit St Petersburg in the knockout rounds.
“Dnipro have made it and nobody has gifted them anything,” Emery told Spanish television broadcaster Cuatro.
“Knocking out Napoli is an impressive achievement,” he added. “It’s not going to be easy, it’s 5050 and we won’t be going there as favourites.”
Carlos Bacca fired Sevilla ahead in the 22nd minute at the Stadio Comunale Artemio Franchi in Florence when he sent a close-range effort arrowing into the roof of the net.
That left Fiorentina needing five goals without reply to progress but they fell further behind when Daniel Carrico made it
2-0 to the visitors five minutes later.
Fiorentina’s night went from bad to worse midway through the second half when Josip Ilicic sent a penalty kick sailing over the crossbar after Sevilla defender Grzegorz Krychowiak had felled David Pizarro in the penalty area. If Sevilla clinch a fourth UEFA Cup/Europa league crown in their fourth final they would surpass Inter Milan, Juventus and Liverpool, who also have three.
Sevilla won back-toback UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007 and beat Benfica on penalties to secure the renamed trophy last term.
Another triumph would also carry a lucrative berth in the group stage of next season’s Champions League. (Reuters)
gaBa postpones “King of the Hard court” to Wednesday
The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) has postponed its “King of the Hard Court” Tournament to Wednesday. The event was sched-
uled to restart today after a break as a result of the election period. However, due to inclement weather, the event had to be further postponed to Wednesday.
The best that Georgetown has to offer on the court will be on display during the tournament as GABA aims to pick up where it left off.
Imlack, Parmesh Parsotam, Balchand Baldeo, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Parmanand Ramdhan, Kasim Khan, Nathan Persaud, Travis Persaud (Captain), Looknauth Chinkoo, Akini Adams, Grisean Grant, Daniel Basdeo, Akshaya Persaud, Dexter Solomon, and Robin Bacchus. The Manager is David Black and the Coach is Adrian Amsterdam.
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)
Senior Men Four-day Inter-County competition will bowl off on Saturday with Guyana Under-19 taking on Berbice at the Enmore Community Centre ground and Essequibo going up against Demerara at the Wales Community Centre ground.
In the second round, slated for May 2124, Berbice and Demerara will clash at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, while Essequibo and Guyana Under-19s will do battle at Wales.
And the third round will go down from May 26-29 with Berbice and Essequibo at
Wales, and Demerara and Essequibo at the Everest Cricket Club ground. Below are the four teams.
Demerara: Leon Johnson (Captain), Vishaul Singh (Vice-captain), Rajendra Chandrika, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Christopher Barnwell, Joseph Perry, Steven Jacobs, Raj Nannan, Steven Sankar, Paul Wintz, Gavin Moriah, Shemroy Barrington, and Trevon Griffith. The Coach is Micheal Franco and the Assistant Coach/Manager is Clive Grimmond.
As the election re-
sults were being announced, Guyana’s first world boxing champion, Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis, was laid to rest.
The 44-year-old met with an accident a week ago on the East Bank of Demerara Public Road, and succumbed while receiving medical attention. Several close associates of the boxer and those in the boxing fraternity paid their last respects to the fallen hero.
A number of boxing stalwarts and family members paid tributes to the pugilist whose life touched Guyana in numerous ways, especially by becoming Guyana’s first world boxing champ.
While the event was an emotional one as many family members and close friends were seen in tears, Lewis was dubbed as a jovial person who was proud of his achievements as a professional boxer.
Just as jovial as he was
in his last interview with Guyana Times Sports, labelling himself as in the same bracket as Floyd Mayweather Jr. Lewis without a doubt will be remembered as a class act in and out of the ring… box on. Lewis, who had a record of 30 fights with 23 wins, defeated James Page in 2001 to capture the vacant WBA Welterweight Title, thereby becoming the first Guyanese to become a world champion.
Jamaica Tallawahs batsman, Jermaine Blackwood is focused on turning his form around in the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20 tournament as he feels the team has a good chances of retaining the title.
Having always been cited as a highly promising player, Blackwood failed to make an impact in the last two seasons of the tournament. He has so far accumulated a mere 84 runs from 13 games with a strike rate of 68.29, at an average of 10.50.
But the right-handed batsman, who is also a parttime off-break spin bowler, is determined to make an impact in the June 20-July 26 tournament.
“I did not perform close to my ability last season and I guess people are saying that; but this season I am just going to come up big and get up my strike rate. Once I get my strike rate up I know I will make an impact.
“The plan is to make a couple big half-centuries and
get my strike rate over 120 this year, and that will benefit the team also,” he told the Jamaica Observer in an interview from his home in Kingston on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old showed good early-season form in England’s recently concluded tour of the West Indies, where he scored a maiden Test century to finish unbeaten on 112 in the second Test. Blackwood then steered his team to victory in the third Test in Barbados hitting an unbeaten 53.
The attacking batsman, who is also electrifying in the field, is positive that he will make the transition of form in the shorter version.
“It is all about transitioning from Test to Twenty20 and I am just looking forward to the challenge. For me to be an asset I just need to go out there and play my game, but I am not putting any pressure on myself,” he explained.
“The team will expect me to score some runs this season because for the past two seasons I didn’t perform as well as was expected of me.
So this season should be a good one for me because I am coming through now, so it’s just to remain positive and play my game and I know I will help the team,”
shared the sentiments of South African coach Mickey Arthur about the team’s rollercoaster performance last season.
“I think we lost some cru-
tacking players and we have players that can come in the middle and rotate the strike and get boundaries when they feel like. So we do have a strong team and once
Jermaine Blackwood
he added.
Blackwood, who hails from St Elizabeth, the same parish as Andre Russell and Jerome Taylor, who are also members of the team,
cial games at crucial times, but this season if we win those games there is no doubt that we are going to win the title.
“Because we have at-
everybody plays their role, there is no doubt that we are going to win,” he noted.
Blackwood also believes the addition of former Sri Lankan captain Mahela
Jayawardene will be a positive for the team, and he is looking forward to sharing the dressing room with the veteran player.
“It is going to be a great experience (as) Mahela is a world-class batsman and I hope to learn as much as possible from his experience and ability, and the team will benefit from him also.” Blackwood is set to miss the team’s June 12 camp as he will be away on West Indies duties.
The Jamaica Tallawahs will start their campaign against champions Barbados on June 23 at Kensington Oval. They will then come to Sabina Park where they will contest three day/night games from July 7-12.
“There is no pressure at all and the atmosphere will be great, so as you turn up to the venue you just get that anxious feeling to go out there and perform well. Jamaicans always have high expectations so we just have to go out and make them proud,” Blackwood ended. (Jamaica Observer)