Guyana Times Daily - March 4, 2015

Guyana to opt out of UN Good Offices process

wednesday, march 4, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

PPP/C youths urge GECOM to cut ties with IRI-funded youth group says partnership

The Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO), the People’s Progressive Party’s youth arm on Tuesday called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to break its formal arrangement with the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) to develop strategic messages aimed at mobilising youths to vote during the upcoming May 11, 2015 General and Regional Elections.

In North Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Honduras and Venezuela, the IRI worked through youth groups tilted to the Opposition to effect regime change.

According to the PPP/C’s youth arm, there are several questions which must be answered by the Commission and the Youth council since the details surrounding the partnership remain sketchy.

“We are concerned about the manner in which the announcement was made, the process used to select the GNYC, the legitimacy of the GNYC and its mandate as far as representing the interests of Guyanese youth are concerned, the content of the agreement reached

“a clear show of bias”

and the apparent exclusion of other national and legitimate Youth organisations. The PYO therefore calls on GECOM to scrap its arrangement with the GNYC and engage a wide cross section of youth organisations with the aim of achieving higher levels of transparency, cooperation and democratic principles as far as rolling out an effective voter education and responsibility programme for Guyanese youth is concerned,” the PYO said.

From the view of the ruling party’s youth component, it was a clear show of bias since there was an exclusion of other independent and political youth organisations from the purported agreement reached noting too that the grouping does not represent the youth population in Guyana and as such, cannot speak for it. “The GNYC, in no way speaks for or represents the thousands of youth under the PYO’s membership. As a matter of fact, the GNYC has no authority to conduct any business with GECOM on behalf of Guyanese youth.”

The PYO like the PPP also sought to discredit

the GNYC stating that it was obvious that the council was affiliated with the Opposition parties and was using the partnership to secure executive power. “Similarly, the PYO believes that the GNYC has deeply rooted political interests and affiliations to opposition groups in our society which are trying desperately to access executive power through dubious means,” the organisation said.

The grouping further went on to state that it was alarmed over the involvement of Glen Bradbury, Chief of Party (USAID/IRI LEAD Project), and Julie Sookram, representative of IRI LEAD Project who had represented the GNYC at the meeting with GECOM. “The PYO also wishes to express outrage over the involvement and interference of the controversial Leadership and Democracy Project (LEAD) in the domestic affairs of the country. History has shown how projects like these have swayed the outcome of elections in other countries by targeting youths through cosmetic organisations such as GNYC and sending them subtle cues.”

According to the body, the Guyana Elections Commission erred in the execution of its mandate when it failed to inform its Commissioners of its intention to utilise the services of the questionable GNYC and when it failed to make public both the minutes and contents of the agreements reached with the GNYC as far as developing messages and strategies to encourage youth to vote.

However, responding to the comments made regarding the Commission’s engagement with the Youth Council, Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally related that the decision taken by the Commission to utilise the youth organisation to assist in voters’ education was in keeping with its mandate and as such, no rule has been broken.

He noted that the Commission was ready and always willing to work with any and all civic organisation including the University of Guyana to ensure that the young people of the country are encouraged to play their part in the elections process. Asked to respond to statement that the decision was made with no input whatsoever from GECOM’s Commissioners and other officials, Surujbally said that there is no need for the seven-member commission to have an input or to approve the Elections Commission’ partnership with the Guyana National Youth Council since an open decision had already been made with regards to the body’s mandate of maximizing participation at the General and Regional Polls.

“Wherever these youths

are in civic society already existing then I think one doesn’t have to go back to a commission to get that (approval). The Commission has given its overall ruling that we must focus on getting people out to vote,” he said. According to the Chairman, the Commission’s stance on the partnership will not change anytime soon. GECOM and GNYC last Thursday, in what they said was in the interest of increasing the voter turnout of youths in Guyana on Elections Day, agreed to work in consultation and collaboration with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in the production of a number of strategic communication messages for dissemination countrywide.

Port Kaituma School raided 4 times in 1 week

Much to the annoyance of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the Port Kaituma Nursery School was broken into four times in one week.

The PTA Chairperson Oneka Henry told Guyana Times that the breaking and entering have been ongoing since last year.

Henry alleged that these acts are being executed by secondary school students residing in the dorms of the Port Kaituma Secondary School.

She explained that biscuits and juices are the main items that are often stolen while expensive commodities such as the television set and refrigerator would be intact when the teachers arrive for school.

“It has to be children because the evidence points to them,” she opined.

Henry also pointed out that the perpetrators would often leave on the lights overnight. “We already

have high rates of electricity here. And we have energy saver bulbs and when they

said, they would leave the doors of the building partly open, inviting “the bigger criminals” to steal the expensive equipment.

She said the PTA invested a large sum of money to strengthen the security of the school with the installation of steel grills on the windows to keep the perpetrators out, but to no avail.

“I guess the contractors did a terrible job because these people would break out the grills and come in through the windows,” Henry explained.

Further, she noted that the local Police intervened in the situation but their presence does not appear to

burn out that, it’s going to be expensive to keep buying back,” the disgruntled woman said.

Adding to that, she alleged that the students would leave the water taps running, thereby flooding the school.

But worst of all, Henry

be effective in warding off the criminals.

“We want higher authority to look into it, or if it’s the children, we want them to stop because they’re not heading down a good path and it’s a huge strain on the school,” Henry said.

The damaged fence through which the perpetrators entered the compound

The inferior grilles on a window of the Port Kaituma Nursery School

wednesday, March 4, 2015 |

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, March 4 – 14:30h-16:00h and Thursday, March 5 – 05:00h-06:30h

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, March 4 – 15:40h-17:10h and Thursday, March 5 – 16:10h-17:40h

FERRY SCHEDULE

Ferries will be departing the Parika and Supenaam stellings at 06:00h and 16:00h

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery to heavy rain showers can be expected in the morning to mid afternoon, with thundery showers returning in the later afternoon and lasting throughout the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly between 4.02 metres and 4.91 metres per second.

High Tide: 03:51h and 16:07h reaching maximum heights of 2.47 metres and 2.56 metre respectively.

Low Tide: 09:42h and 22:01h reaching minimum heights of 0.72 metre and 0.64 metre respectively.

Guyana-Venezuela border controversy:

Guyana to opt out of UN Good Offices process

...says mechanism has yielded little, favours Venezuela

uyana has signalled its intention to opt out of the United Nations Good Offices Process –a mechanism set up to help resolve the decades-old claim Venezuela has made on a portion of the Essequibo.

For decades the two states have been locked in the Good Offices Process, which ended when the latest Special Representative, Professor Norman Girvan died in April 2014.

In an invited comment, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn RodriguesBirkett explained that the Good Offices Process yielded little results after more than 20 years. “We are, therefore, look

ing at the other options under the Geneva Agreement,” she added, suggesting that “the other side (Venezuela) is comfortable with the Good Offices Process because it suits their purpose –no movement.”

The Good Offices and Mediation are roles taken up by the UN SecretaryGeneral in the prevention and the peaceful settlement of disputes, as enshrined in the UN Charter. These roles can be set in motion at the SecretaryGeneral’s own initiative, in response to a request from one or more of the parties to a dispute, or as a result of a request from the Security Council or the General Assembly.

“The other options – either of them – will have to be exercised by the UN Secretary General. Indeed prior to Professor Girvan’s death, he was given just a six-month extension which is a sign that the UN was also weary of no solution,” Rodrigues-Birkett explained.

According to the UN, the role of the Secretary-General as an important peacemaking actor has evolved through extensive practice. The range of activities carried out by the SecretaryGeneral has included good offices, mediation, facilitation, dialogue processes and even arbitration. But Venezuelan experts have reportedly insisted that their Government sticks to the current mechanism.

Venezuelan newspaper El Universal has quoted the Retired Colonel Pompeyo Torrealba, the head of the Essequibo Advisory Unit of the Venezuelan Foreign Office as saying, “Venezuela should continue the procedure of the Good Officer because it enables us to hold a direct negotiation, without middlemen. We already know about the results where we have negotiated with intermediaries: we have lost valuable

territory.”

Venezuela’s approval

According to El Universal, the consulted experts agreed that Venezuela’s approval will be always necessary for the case to be settled at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, or in any other court of competent jurisdiction. As such, they saw Rodrigues-Birkett’s call as irrelevant. This was supported by a Caribbean expert in international law who was consulted by this publication.

The issue of the Guyana/ Venezuela territorial controversy was again brought to the fore after the Venezuelan Foreign Minister objected to ExxonMobil’s dispatch of a rig to proceed with the exploration of oil in the concession. A similar incident occurred in 2013 when Venezuelan authorities seized the research vessel, Teknik Perdana, in Guyanese territory and held its crew members.

Former Opposition point person on international affairs Aubrey Norton told Guyana Times that he supported Guyana’s decision to explore other options, concluding that indeed little progress had been recorded in the UN Good Offices Process.

“The Geneva Agreement has offered a plethora of options; I believe it is correct for Guyana to look at it and see what are the other options,” he stated.

According to him, the Government

and Opposition should set up a joint committee to come up with a way forward. “There is need for Government and Opposition to agree on a structured way forward, so that Venezuela has no opportunity to exploit Guyana. A joint committee could help to determine the best way forward in terms of promoting Guyana’s interest,” Norton, a former Lecturer in the Department of Government and International Affairs at the University of Guyana, added.

Transcending partisanship

Despite the ongoing preparations for elections, Norton insisted that “something like territorial issues should transcend partisan political interest … elections can be no excuse for failing to discuss this holistically”.

“Guyana always has to ensure the promotion and protection of territorial integrity,” he added.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has said it requested that the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela desist from taking any actions that could only result in the stymieing of the development of Guyana and its people and that would be in contravention of international law. The Ministry said it also informed the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Organisation of American States, the Commonwealth as well as the UN Secretary General about this recent action by Venezuela.

The decades-old controversy began in the 1800s, when Guyana was a colony of the British. A Tribunal of Arbitration finalised its decision on October 3, 1899, awarding unanimously to the Britain almost 90 per cent of the disputed territory.

According to Guyanese Diplomat Dr Odeen Ishmael, Venezuela had not accepted the 1899 Award as a final settlement of the border dispute and in 1944, “45 years after the Arbitral Award, Severo Mallet-Prevost, one of the four lawyers who had appeared for Venezuela before the Arbitral Tribunal, wrote a memorandum in which, for the first time, he attacked the Award on the alleged grounds that it was the result of a political deal between Great Britain and Russia,” he wrote.

In recent years the two countries have enjoyed mutually beneficial and often amicable relations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

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

Editorial

Clear and present danger from IRI youths

Just a year ago, this newspaper ran a series of editorials on the activities of the International Republican Institute (IRI) – an arm of the US Republican Party –as the executing agency for the USAID "Leadership And Democracy" (LEAD) Project in this country.

We were concerned that under the cover of the LEAD Project, the IRI would be acting to mobilise Opposition youths through training in social media to destabilise the present Government.

Inter alia, we pointed to the activities of the IRI in other jurisdictions to illustrate that predilection in its modus operandi. In January, 2014, we had cause to refer to the 2009 Opposition coup d'état in Honduras:

"The IRI was heavily involved in a ‘democratisation’ project in Honduras at the time and provided much nonmonetary aid, such as training, advising and providing resources to the Opposition forces benefiting from the coup."

In Feb 2014, we noted the condemnation by UNASUR of Opposition violence in Venezuela and quoted from an article by Dan Beeton of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research, a credible Washington DC-based Think Tank, “Violent Protests in Venezuela Fit a Pattern”:

"Venezuela’s latest round of violent protests appears to fit a pattern, and represents the tug-and-pull nature of the country’s divided Opposition. Several times over the past 15 years since the late, former President Hugo Chávez took office in 1999, the political Opposition has launched violent protests aimed at forcing the current President out of office.

"Venezuela’s Opposition receives funding from US ‘democracy promotion’ groups including the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and core grantees such as the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

“The NED, which the Washington Post noted was set up to conduct activities ‘much of’ which ‘[t]he CIA used to fund covertly’ has made a number of grants directed at empowering youth and students in Venezuela in recent years, and the USAID has also given money to IRI, NDI and other groups for Venezuela programmes.

“In Venezuela, (the IRI) funded groups involved in the 2002 coup, and (their) spokespersons infamously praised the coup after it happened."

On their website, the IRI actually boasted: "New York Times cites IRI programmes in Venezuela." It printed in full, an article by that newspaper of record in the US: "Venezuela groups get US aid amid meddling charges."

In Guyana, without even consulting the Government on its parameters of operations, the IRI launched its programme and only paused when the Government threatened to deport the Head of the IRI from the country.

As in other jurisdictions, which include North Africa (including Egypt), the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Haiti, while claiming to educate "Guyanese" on their responsibilities in a democracy, the IRI ended up in Opposition constituencies more often than not.

In light of the above information, we find it alarming that the supposed "neutral" Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has actually engaged a Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC), which was funded and trained by the IRI, to "mobilise" the youth vote in the lead up to the May 11 elections.

The point we wish to reiterate is that GECOM should at least consider whether it is not being used by the IRI to achieve the same ends that it pursued across the globe during the past three decades: regime change.

What makes GECOM's decision even more troubling is that it appears that the Commissioners representing the political parties in the body were not involved in the decision.

The Chairman was reported by this newspaper to have interpreted its general mandate to be engaged in "voter education" to give him the authority to engage the IRIfunded GNYC in this task. We believe the Chairman has overstepped his authority and should be reined in by the Commissioners.

The May 11 elections must reflect the will of the Guyanese people – not that of outsiders.

PYO condemns exclusion of other youth groups from the GECOM-GNYC agreement

Dear Editor,

The Progressive Youth Organisation of Guyana (PYO) wishes to express its concern over a recent announcement by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that it has entered into a formal arrangement with the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) to develop strategic messages aimed at mobilising youth to vote during the upcoming May 11 General and Regional Elections.

We are also concerned about the manner in which the announcement was made, the process used to select the GNYC, the legitimacy of the GNYC, and its mandate as far as representing the interests of Guyanese youths are concerned, the content of the agreement reached and the apparent exclusion of other national and legitimate youth organisations.

That aside, the PYO is also extremely concerned

over the involvement of Glen Bradbury, Chief of Party (USAID/IRI LEAD Project), and Julie Sookram, representative of the IRI LEAD Project, whom we understand represented the GNYC at this meeting with GECOM.

As a national youth organisation, the PYO condemns in the strongest possible terms the exclusion of other independent and political youth organisations from the purported agreement reached.

The GNYC in no way speaks for or represents the thousands of youths under the PYO’s membership. As a matter of fact, the GNYC has no authority to conduct any business with GECOM on behalf of Guyanese youth.

Further, the GECOM erred in the execution of its mandate when it failed to inform its Commissioners of its intention to utilise the services of the questionable

GNYC and when it failed to make public both the minutes and contents of the agreements reached with the GNYC as far as developing messages and strategies to encourage youth to vote.

The PYO also wishes to express outrage over the involvement and interference of the controversial Leadership and Democracy Project (LEAD) in the domestic affairs of the country.

History has shown how projects like these have swayed the outcome of elections in other countries by targeting youths through cosmetic organisations, such as GNYC, and sending them subtle cues.

Similarly, the PYO believes that the GNYC has deeply rooted political interests and affiliations to Opposition groups in our society, which are trying desperately to access executive power through dubious means.

The PYO therefore calls on GECOM to scrap its arrangement with the GNYC and engage a wide cross section of youth organisations with the aim of achieving higher levels of transparency, cooperation and democratic principles as far as rolling out an effective voter education and responsibility programme for Guyanese youth is concerned. The PYO will not be muzzled or sidelined on this matter and will use all avenues available to ensure that it is part and parcel of the process of ensuring that the 2015 elections are free, fair and transparent.

We will also through our party, the PPP/C, further express our consternation over GECOM’s apparent modus operandi and its recent undertaking with the IRI funded GNYC.

Progressive Youth Organisation, Freedom House

Granger has skeletons in his closet

Dear Editor, Dr Walter Anthony Rodney, prominent Guyanese historian, political activist and preeminent scholar was assassinated on June 13, 1980. This is an undisputed fact.

From the evidence presented so far to the Rodney Commission of Inquiry (CoI), it is evident that the PNC, led by former President Forbes Burnham, planned and executed the assassination of Dr Rodney.

The bomb that killed Rodney was given to him by a member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant Gregory Smith, aka Cyril Johnson, another undisputed fact.

During this period, Opposition Leader and Leader of the new coalition PNC-APNU-AFC was a very senior ranking member of the GDF. David Granger was hand picked by Burnham to be his Political Liaison Officer.

Given the connection and the level of trust, it is very likely that Granger would have known of Smith’s activities through Burnham, and he could have been asked to facilitate his needs in order to accomplish the mission. After all, I doubt Smith had the authority to requisition a walkie-talkie and explosive devices from GDF supplies without the approval of a senior GDF Officer.

The Rodney CoI needs answers from Granger, and he’s not willing to do his civic duty as a public figure running for the Office of the Presidency. The CoI wants to find out what Granger knows about the Rodney assassination, and when he knew it, but Granger refuses to testify. What is Granger hiding from the Guyanese people, and more specifically, from the WPA, that is part of his ANPU coalition.

According to PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee: “Granger is deliberately withholding important information from his constituents which could serve to incriminate him and his

party and in the process do further damage to his electoral ambitions.

“Is it that he is afraid of the many skeletons in his closet that would be exposed and therefore destroy his presidential ambitions? Or is it a case of cold dismissal of the public demands for answers regarding his and his army's role in the assassination of Dr Rodney?” Rohee is right! This is a man that demands transparency and accountability from the Ramotar Administration. Yet the same does not apply to him. Is this what the Guyanese people can expect from another secretive PNC-APNU

No horsing around! These horses seem to be observing proper road protocol as they cross Quamina Street in Georgetown in single file with the 'baby' well protected in the middle (Carl Croker photo)

Guyanese and Holi celebrations in America Granger has skeletons...

Dear Editor,

Guyanese and Trini students played an important role in the introduction of Phagwah celebration at City College that spread to other CUNY colleges and other universities around the US during the late 1970s.

During the late 1970s when I was a student at City College in Harlem, a group of us from Guyana and Trinidad started an Indo-Caribbean club. It met weekly during club hours on Thursdays. We also held social get-togethers on Friday afternoons and on the last day of school before a break or a holiday. We observed Phagwah or Holi and Diwlai celebrations as well as national days like India’s Republic Day.

During the 1970s, there were only about 100 IndoCaribbean students, many of whom patronised our events and meetings. The several hundred Indian nationals who experienced Holi or Diwali in their homeland also attended the celebrations we organised and some even came to our meetings.

They also had their own India Club that was largely dysfunctional when they stopped attending its meetings. There were hundreds of students also from Pakistan and Bangladesh, but they did not experience Holi or Diwali, though they were familiar with both festivals, and they did not join in the celebration on campus. The initial celebrations relating to Holi were not full blown with the smearing of abeer, abrack and gulal, as we were accustomed to in Guyana or Trinidad. A limited amount of talc powder was used by a few of the celebrants.

Later celebrations in-

volved the use of the varied colours, as the number of Indo-Caribbean students grew exponentially and the celebration gained wide acceptance. Vegetarian snacks were served, mohanbhog was made on campus, and mithai (variety of sweets) bought from Indian stores.

The Finley Students Centre (not in the current NAC location in the North Campus) in the South Campus had several lounges outfitted with a full kitchen with a complement of cooking utensils and eating wares. I was chef responsible for preparing meals for Holi and for Diwali, as well as for other social get togethers, or when we aired Indian movies (a rare event on campus), or hosted fundraisers on campus.

We had a most joyful experience during Holi celebrations and a wonderful time in the afternoon after classes especially if it was a Friday or Thursday when classes ended early to accommodate club time.

We played Indian music (chowtaal was not available during initial years), but later on chowtaal music became a feature of celebrations especially by later Indo-Caribbean students in the mid-1980s. Musical equipment was provided by the Finley Centre. Although CCNY had a radio station, WCCR, it did not allow Indian music or chowtaal except when a handful of us fought for it and got approval.

Our Indo Club also was successful at obtaining a half hour spot for an Indian programme (through our activism in the student. I served as the deejay, but the programme was terminated with a comment from the African American head

of the station: “In India, they don’t play western or American music. So Indian music is not allowed here.”

It is not factual that English music is not played on Indian radio stations or TV. Reggae and calypso, as well as American and English music, are commonly aired in India. The racist comment exposed the ignorance and racial prejudice of some people. AfroCaribbean students from the Caribbean Student Association did not support us in the struggle to restore the programme, also describing us as not “West Indian” but “East Indian”.

Much later, an Indian programme was restored on the radio station and chowtaal music was featured on it during the festivity. Ditto songs related to Diwali during the celebration of that festival. As a result of our introduction of celebrations relating to Holi and Diwali festivals, the festivities have caught on and spread to other campus in a much bigger way at Hunter, Baruch, Lehman, York, Queens, etc.

It is also very popular at campuses in California, Utah, Ohio, New Jersey and Upstate New York, etc where large numbers of Indian students are enrolled. Brightly coloured gulal of all colours is used on various campuses. It is observed with great fanfare, not only by Indians or Hindus.

Students of all backgrounds and religions partake in the celebrations and the splashing of colours. The introduction of Holi and Diwali by Guyanese and Trinis has helped to keep Indian and Guyanese culture alive in America.

Vishnu Bisram

Several lives were lost in the struggle for democracy

Dear Editor,

The APNU Leader and Presidential Candidate David Granger is reported to have said during a recent interview that there is nothing to apologise for during the period when all national and regional elections were massively and blatantly rigged by his party, the PNC.

Does Moses Nagamootoo, his Prime Ministerial running mate, share those views and sentiments expressed by his political boss, now that the AFC has become an integral part of the Granger-led coalition?

The issue goes way beyond that of rigged elections, but spanned an entire reign of terror, as the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry so forcefully reminds us.

Several lives were lost in the struggle for democracy, scores of Opposition members and supporters tortured, jailed, victimised and harassed, not to mention the shattered dreams of countless Guyanese, all because of the insatiable greed for power by the PNC regime

It is clear from the interview given by Granger that

the PNC has no intention whatsoever to make a break from its dictatorial past and embrace a new approach to politics based on truth and reconciliation, and an acceptance of the norms of democracy as the basis for governance.

All the talk of a Government of national unity is shallow and meaningless unless there is a willingness to accept responsibility for past misdeeds, something which Granger and the PNC seem reluctant to do.

Hydar Ally

Administration?

I believe Granger does have skeletons in his closet for there is evidence of this. Only a few years ago, former GDF Officer Malcolm Harripaul gave an insight of Granger's mentality as Brigadier General in the GDF. In his own words, Harripaul wrote: “I remember well I once went to him (Granger) with a problem. The credit union had for the second time turned down my application for a loan on the grounds that I did not have sufficient service, although they had twice given loans to another officer who had less service than me.

“I explained my case to Granger and he was visibly upset. He called the officer on the phone and calmly said, “I have young Harripaul in my office. Could you please bring me his cheque for the loan he applied for?” In less than five minutes the cheque was brought. Now let us examine the seriousness of this statement. Harripaul brags that after he complained to Granger about his loan request being turned down, Granger called the officer, and without asking the officer to justify his decision to deny Harripaul the loan, calmly ordered the cheque. Harripaul thought this to be sound management because he got his loan. The Loans Officer I am sure, thought differently. Add Granger’s management style as President to an incompetent Finance Minister and what you’ll get is another bankrupt Guyana.

I have long call for Granger to disclose his roll in the 1973 seizure of ballot boxes by the GDF, and he needs to come clean with the Guyanese people if he’s to be trusted with the Presidency.

In his letter, Harripaul admitted what we’ve all known for decades: Acting under direct orders from the Commander-in-Chief, Forbes Burnham, the Guyana Defence Force facilitated the fraudulent rigging of the 1973 National Elections with the seizure of ballot boxes, and the killing of PPP political observers.

Why is this admission so important? Well, in addition to disrobing one of Granger’s skeletons, it was the first time that a former Officer in the GDF serving under Burnham’s Political Liaison Officer, Granger, admitted that the GDF helped Burnham to rig the 1973 election.

Here again is Harripaul in his own words: “Dr Jagan contested the 1973 elections knowing fully well that whether the elections were rigged or not, the USA would not have permitted him to take office. That was the geo political reality of 1973. “Off course the PPP supporters did not know all of that. The PPP supporters were misled by Dr Jagan into believing

that they could return him to power by elections if the elections were free and fair.

“Dr Jagan exhorted them to turn out in masse to vote, to surround the places of poll, to take control of the ballot boxes, and to block the roads. That gave Burnham the legitimate cause to deploy the GDF to protect and secure (his interest in rigging) the election process.

“A few PPP supporters were shot and killed at 64 Village, Corentyne. Burnham gave his party a landslide victory.” What a damning admission by a former GDF Officer to make. My problem with Harripaul, is his acceptance of the justification of the rigging by the Burnham Administration and the GDF, and to blame the entire reason for the rigging on one of Guyana’s Founding Fathers, Dr Jagan.

If a junior officer, Harripaul, knew the details of the rigging, it is inconceivable to think that David Granger may have been one of the planners, and possibly the architect of this operation. After all, he was “fighting on the side of irreligion and untruth because he was fulfilling his duty to the Crown”. And if he played no part in it, perhaps the PNCAPNU-AFC Leader may wish to explain to the voters why a brilliant strategist like Burnham would have left out his Political Liaison Officer in the planning of this operation that deliberately and illegally stole the

1973 election from the PPP, and disenfranchised the will of the Guyanese people. Granger needs to clear his name and remove the shroud of doubt that will haunt him at the polls every time he runs for public office. It is interesting to note that Harripaul is now a close advisor to the Leader of the new PNC-APNU-AFC coalition, and former Head of the GDF, Granger.

As I end this letter, I received an email with a news item that says, “David Granger has promised residents of Region One that should the APNU/AFC coalition take office after May 11, the region’s energy woes would be addressed.

This statement shows just how dishonest and desperate politicians get in an effort to win votes during an election campaign.

If Granger was truly concerned about the welfare of our native Guyanese and the “energy woes” they suffer, he would not have cut funding from the national Budget for the solar panel project that Amerindian homes and villages would have benefitted from.

And he would have given his support to the PPP/C Government for the construction of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project to ensure all Guyanese benefit from cheaper, reliable source of energy instead of lying through his teeth to steal votes from the PPP/C.

Harry Gill

Page Foundation

Helping new babies (and dads) get a good night’s sleep

By Mike Farrell

If you are like almost every other new father you are not alone in this question. It’s a fair question to ask especially after you’ve been up trying to soothe your screaming newborn.

I have good news. The screaming and crying will eventually subside and yes, you will eventually get some well deserved rest. But, it may be a while. So here are a few tips to help you make it through those (short) nights.

1. Breastfeeding mothers need help. That’s right, don’t assume that because your wife is breastfeeding that you are “off the hook.” If your wife is breastfeeding she will treasure you for taking the time to get up and bring your baby to her. It seems insignificant now. But at 03:00h in the morning it’s a beautiful gesture.

2. Take shifts with your wife. Agree before you go to bed at night which of you will get up with the baby first. It might help to simply pick even and odd hours. For example, if the baby wakes up during the 23:00h,

01:00h, 03:00h, and 05:00h then you wake up with him or her. If it’s during the 00:00h, 02:00h, 04:00h, and 06:00h then your wife will wake up with the baby. The point is – have a plan before you go to sleep at night. This will eliminate the anger and frustration of the moment when neither one of you wants to get up.

3. Learn the different ways your baby likes to be held. Some like to be held chest to chest. Others like to be cradled. And still others like to be seated facing away from you. Find the position that your baby feels most comfortable in try soothing them in that position.

4. Don’t be too proud or embarrassed to sing softly and even talk to your baby. The sound of your voice is very reassuring to your baby and it is part of the bonding process. Your baby will quickly learn to associate your voice with safety and security.

5. Gentle bouncing works sometimes. But be careful not to bounce baby

too much or you may upset your baby’s tummy.

6. Pacifiers work too Some babies find comfort in a pacifier. Others refuse to accept it especially if your wife is breastfeeding.

7. Rocking, either in a chair or in the bassinet, can also be helpful means of helping ease your baby back to sleep.

8. Pacing the floor was very soothing to my daughter. In fact she would transition from a “deathly scream” to silence if I put her chest to chest with her head on my shoulder and simply started pacing the room. While pacing the room you’ll discover little nooks and crannies that you had never noticed before.

9. Placing a warm heating pad in your babies cradle before bed time can ease the transition when laying baby down for the first time at night NOTE: The heating pad should never be left in the cradle when it is occupied.

10. A warm bath in a baby tub can also be a great way to soothe your baby before bedtime. It’s important that you have a towel to wrap your baby in right away after the bath. This will eliminate him from getting cold.

These are all useful tools that will help you get your baby back to sleep a little quicker – and that’s good for you. If you discover other ideas write me and let me know what works for you. (babyparenting.about.com)

Getting toddlers to sleep

soothing a toddler who can’t sleep

By Maureen ryan

Baby needs to sleep. You know it. Maybe even she knows it. But she’s fighting it. Even good sleepers can have times when they can’t fall asleep, or they may wake up and not be able to settle themselves back down during the night. Maybe your child is in a sleep resist ance phase, maybe she has teething pain, or maybe she missed her afternoon nap and is just sad and mis erable now at the end of the day.

If your child is regularly having problems initially falling asleep on his own or never seems able to soothe himself back to sleep when he wakes up during the night, then he may have sleep problems that you need to work on. However, if you’re facing oc casional bedtime or naptime meltdowns, what your toddler might need is some oldfashion soothing and cuddles. That’s easier said than done, though, when you have a screaming, thrashing child who doesn’t seem to want to be calmed down. At 20 to 30 pounds or so, your toddler is not the easy-to-swaddle-and-soothe infant you once rocked to sleep. But she is still a baby in many ways, and right now, she may need that rocking more than she did a year ago. The key is to put her at ease and keep holding her close even while she squirms. Here are a few tips that can help you

Eliminate distractions. Seeing toys, hearing a TV set, or noticing other people in the room will divide an overtired or overstimulated toddler’s attention and make it harder for her to settle down. If at all possible, take her into a dark room with no noise, or use soft music or white noise to create a calm environ-

ment.

Lay him across your chest in a cradle position. Yes, he may long ago have let you now that he thinks he’s too old for that baby hold, but cradling him will truly help a tired child. Hold him as far up on your chest as possible. Preferably, you’ll be able to reach his ear with your lips and put your cheek next to his. Don’t press him tightly, but do encircle him firmly so that he will be limited by how much he can wiggle and kick. Thus, with your arms, chest, and face, you can wrap him up just like that old swaddle blanket.

Sway and rock rhythmically. Different babies may like different moves. I had one child who liked a fairly strong bounce, while another preferred a gentle, stead sway. The rhythm will help ease him into sleep. Stick with it longer than you think you stand i. This is not the most comfortable position, and as your child continues to wail and wiggle, it’s very easy to give up after a minute or two. You certainly aren’t expected to do this all night, though (that wouldn’t be good for anyone anyway), but it will take longer than two minutes. It may even take longer than 20 minutes depending on how upset your child is. If in your head you’re focusing on when you can put her down it’ll become a frustrating experience very quickly – and that means it’s likely not to work.

Using something other than a clock to help you pass and measure time can help you stick with the rocking until baby settles down and can help you fill your mind with happy thoughts so you can weather those kicks and scratches. Music for instance might soothe both of you. My daughter responded really well to the Baby Einstein Galileo CD (Compare Prices) and the soft classical tunes helped me relax into muscle-aching rock-a-bye hold while still having me focus on her (you, know, instead of daydreaming about Pina Coladas or stressing over the pile of dirty laundry outside the bedroom door). You can, of course, softly sing your own favorite songs as well. Have at least three or four regular tunes at the ready and be prepared to rock and soothe for at least however long it takes to sing all of them. This might also be the time when you say your own quiet prayers. I regularly pray the rosary whenever I have to rock my son. In addition to helping you measure out time so you don’t give up on that rocking motion too soon, concentrating on something that makes you feel better –whether it’s songs or scripture – will help you to relax and, thus, help baby relax. Know when to put baby down. I am, in general, a believer that you need to teach your child to fall asleep on his own. If you’ve settled your baby down and gotten him into the yawn/ eye-rub/curled-fist stage, you can put him into his crib. The crying may immediately start up again, but you’ve likely soothed away what was mainly bothering him and he should be able to settle himself down to sleep at this point.

(babyparenting.about.com)

Defence blames Police investigations in closing arguments

– claims no substantial evidence against accused killers

The defence lawyers for the two accused in the trial for the murder of 16-year-old Neesa Lalita Gopaul in 2010, in their closing arguments, told the 12-member mixed jury panel on Tuesday that the Police did a poor job investigating the teen’s killing.

The teen’s mother Bibi Sharima Gopaul, called “Nari”, and her then lover, Jarvis Small called “Barry” allegedly killed the teen some time between September 23 and October 2, 2010, at the Emerald Tower Resort, Madewini, Linden/Soesdyke Highway.

The attorneys highlighted the many inconsistencies in the evidence given by the various investigating ranks who testified in the trial.

Attorney Lyndon Amsterdam, who in association with Attorney Glen Hanoman and Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos, is representing Small, began by telling the jury that even after a month of taking evidence, he could not select any evidence to address them on. He stated that the evidence given throughout the trial was “so contradictory”, showcasing how poorly investigations were being done in the country.

The Attorney noted that when the State concluded its case, he was left with more questions than answers. He further told the jury that the State was unable to properly establish circumstantial evidence much less direct evidence to show that his client murdered the teenager or played any part in her killing.

Lack of evidence

Amsterdam pointed out that then Officer in Charge of the Leonora Police Station, Detective Superintendent of Police Terrence Paul, took one direction in the investigations, that is, suspecting Small and Gopaul of the teen’s murder. He said despite being senior to Paul, other investigators never looked at anyone else.

In addition, he told the jurors that no officer went to the school or talked with the friends and neighbours of the teenager to find out anything about her. The defence counsel noted that Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Joel David and Superintendent of Police Hugh Jessemy admitted to the court that they believed more investigations needed to be carried out before charges were laid against the two accused. He directed the jury to the fact that even after the duo were taken to court for Neesa’s murder, the Police were still desperately trying to gather evidence.

Furthermore, the Attorney pointed out that testimony was led to show that Police removed several items from Neesa’s home, including a sheet with suspected blood stains, as evidence, but no forensic tests were ever done and those items were never seen

again. “The evidence disappeared in thin air,” the Attorney said.

The Attorney then discounted the testimony of Bibi Gopaul’s former holding cellmate, the State’s “star witness” Simone De Nobrega, saying it should not be considered when deliberating on a verdict for Small.

De Nobrega told the court that her former cellmate had confessed to her about watching Small stran-

gle her teenage daughter before bashing her head in with a piece of wood at the Emerald Tower Resort trail one night. The State witness claimed that Gopaul also confided in her that Small then put the body in the trunk of the car and they returned the following evening at midnight to the area, where they wrapped the teen’s body in a sheet before putting it in a suitcase.

According to De Nobrega, the teen’s mother further told her that Small then used a pair of dumbbells and red ropes to weigh the suitcase down in a nearby creek.

Amsterdam informed the jury that the witness’s evidence cannot be used

Prime suspect in Providence shooting still on the run

Investigating ranks, probing the execution of 19-year-old Ryan Sooklall, are yet to make an arrest. The teen was gunned down on Sunday evening, a short distance away from his home at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

On Tuesday, Crime Chief Leslie James told Guyana Times that the hunt is still on for the prime suspect. James disclosed that ranks are working with the information provided to them thus far.

This newspaper was told on Monday that the Police had visited the home of the suspect but the house was cleared of his belongings.

According to information received, Sooklall, of Lot 27 Providence, was shot twice in his back around 18:35h. Reports revealed that the teen was at a shop in Parker Street, Providence, with some friends when a man suspected to be in his 20’s stormed into the yard and opened fire.

Sooklall ran behind the shop to hide but was shot twice from behind. He reportedly ran some distance before collapsing however his body was found some three hours later. An eyewitness had identified the shooter as a Bagotstown, EBD resident.

She told this newspaper that the young man had accused Sooklall of throwing an improvised bomb on his aunt’s house in Bagotstown. The woman recalled that she saw the young man armed with a gun heading towards the yard

against his client, because he was not present at the time when the alleged “story” was being told and such evidence is considered under the law to be hearsay. In concluding his almost threehour address, the Attorney urged the jurors to put their emotions aside and look at the “hard core evidence or lack thereof” before them and it did not “fit” the number one accused, they should acquit him.

Gopaul’s Attorney, George Thomas, in his hourlong submission sought to discredit the evidence given by De Nobrega, stating that her testimony was “riddled with inconsistencies”.

Thomas reiterated to the panel that up to the time the Magistrate read the charge to the accused, the Police had no idea what evidence they had, as the only evidence is the story of the State’s star witness, which she claimed was related to her between October 15 and 20, 2010. He challenged the credibility of the evidence, saying that De Nobrega, who was currently serving a five-year sentence for fraud could not recall how many persons she defrauded.

“Do not be fooled by her,” the defence counsel advised jurors as he highlighted several pieces of information that De Nobrega disclosed in her testimony that was never said in her statement to the Police or at the Preliminary Inquiry at the Magistrate’s Court. He claimed that De Nobrega ei-

ther said to the court whatever was on her mind when she testified last Thursday or it could be that his client never confessed to her.

De Nobrega had testified also that Gopaul confided in her that she poisoned her husband Javed Gopaul because she was unhappy in the marriage and wanted to be with “Barry”. The witness had mentioned that Gopaul said she began administering poison to her husband sometime after she met

Small in March 2010; however, the Attorney pointed out to the jury that the man died since September 2009.

Additionally, De Nobrega had reported that Gopaul had asked her if the body of a poisoned person was exhumed after one year, whether traces of the substance could be found. The witness further stated that the accused had told her that she wanted her hus-

band’s remains to be dug up and burnt “at any cost” and she was willing to pay for it. In addressing this part of the witness’s evidence, Attorney Thomas explained to the panel that Gopaul’s husband was buried at a Muslim Cemetery in Leonora and that her father had access to the facility; as such, she could have gone to the man, rather than talking to a stranger.

The Attorney further noted that De Nobrega had admitted that a problem ensued between her and Gopaul and they never spoke again. He pointed out that then Officer in Charge of the East La Penitence Station, ASP Denise Griffith-Jacobis, stated that after it was reported that the two inmates had a problem, they were separated, on October 10, 2010. This contradicted De Nobrega’s testimony that Gopaul confessed to her over a period of five days beginning on October 15, that year.

Like his colleague, Thomas also outlined some of the flaws in the Police investigation. He then concluded that the Prosecution failed to show beyond a reasonable doubt that his client was present and contributed to the death of her daughter and asked the jury to find his client not guilty.

Lead State Counsel Diana Kaulesar will be addressing the jury when the matter resumes this morning in the High Court before Justice Navindra Singh.

but before she could have raised an alarm, he started to shoot indiscriminately hitting the front of the shop with the first bullet.

She related that the teenager ran to save his life but the man discharged two bullets in his direction. The suspect, she said, escaped on a pedal cycle.

“I left to make a report at the Providence Police Station but as I was there, I received a call telling me that they find Ryan…me and the Police hurried home but they de hurrying with he to the hospital,” the woman recalled.

The Police have stated that the suspect had several brushes with the law and is well known to law enforcement officers. He is allegedly a part of ring that indulges itself in stealing mirrors and other parts from vehicles.

Meanwhile, the Police investigators have since retrieved at least two spent shells at the scene.

Neesa Gopaul murder trial

Nessa Gopaul

Bibi Sharima Gopaul

Jarvis Small

Ryan “Plywall” Sooklall

wednesday, march 4, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyanese nabbed with cocaine at JFK

...says thought he was smuggling diamonds

AGuyanese man has been arrested in the United States for allegedly smuggling cocaine inside cans of diced fruit came up with story that’s nuttier than a fruitcake.

Colin McKenzie allegedly told investigators that he thought he was smuggling diamonds.

McKenzie, 48, and his two suitcases were selected for inspection Friday by Customs and Border

Protection officers after he stepped off a Caribbean Airlines flight at Kennedy Airport. Inside the suitcases were three large tin cans that McKenzie claimed contained diced fruit.

But the cans “felt unusually heavy and did not feel as though it contained liquid or syrupy material,” US. Department of Homeland Security special agent Edward Gonzalez said in a Brooklyn Federal Court complaint.

The cans were X-rayed and showed they contained material of a uniform, not liquidy, composition, according to the complaint. Colin McKenzie alleged that someone in Guyana gave him the suitcases with the cans of cocaine in them, and offered to pay him thousands of dollars to deliver them to a man in the US.

The material tested positive for cocaine and the gross weight of white powder was

10 kilograms. McKenzie may not have helped his cause by admitting that he thought the cans contained diamonds, not dope. He allegedly said that someone in Guyana gave him the suitcases and offered to pay him between $5000 and $6000 if he delivered them to an identified person in the U.S., the complaint states. McKenzie was held without bail. His lawyer did not return a call for comment. (NY Daily News)

Alleged thief shot in buttocks at Belle Vue

An alleged thief was shot in his buttocks Monday night during a confrontation with the owner of a furniture making workshop at Belle Vue, West Coast Demerara.

Police said in a release that they are investigating the incident that oc-

curred at about 23:00h which resulted in Sunil Dindyal, 42 years, of De Willem, WCD being shot and injured to his left arm and buttocks by a licensed firearm holder.

Investigations have revealed that Dindyal was seen removing a vibrat-

ing machine and a sanding machine from a workshop owned by the licensed firearm holder and was shot during the confrontation. The vibrating machine and sanding machine were recovered. Dindyal is under guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Charity man discovered dead in his home

The decomposed body of a 43-year-old man of Charity was discovered on Monday in his home days after he was not seen by neighbours and friends.

The gruesome discovery was made around 07:30h

Monday by residents living at the Charity Housing Scheme. According to information reaching the Guyana Times, the man who is known as Ganesh aka “Braff” was living alone. Information revealed that

residents saw him Saturday last sitting on his veranda and since then he was not seen again. Persons then started to smell a stench emanating from his yard.

A report was made to the Police who later checked the

premises and found the man’s body. No marks of violence were evident. Ganesh was a known alcoholic. Residents said he would usually roam the Charity area where he makes a living by picking up garbage for vendors.

Eyew tness

I...of Muckraker yellow boss

t had to happen sooner or later: the Mook throwing a fit when his “house slaves” have the temerity to have opinions. When your humble Eyewitness had referred to the Mook’s Editor as a “house slave”, some took exception. They missed the point. It wasn’t your Eyewitness who thought the Editor and minions were “house slaves”, it was the Mook.

Malcolm X, described the “house slave” well. When the Master was sick, the house slave would moan in anguish, “We sick, Massa!! We sick!” Even though he was property to the Massa, he yet identified so closely with his oppressor, that he actually felt his pain. This was the “Stockholm Syndrome” hundreds of years before there even was a Patty Hearst!!

Seems the Mook told his “house slaves” he was taking an extended vacation. Actually his ass was in a sling over the repercussions of his Lexus scam over in the US - where it all originated. His crimes in the US couldn’t be swept under the rug like in Guyana: City, State and Federal agents were after his ass.

He’d actually spent the last two months on his knees trying to weasel his way out of the fix he’d created. Not much time to keep his eye on his Muckraker – but he figured his houses slaves were looking after his interest. Isn’t that what house slaves were supposed to do? You, dear reader, would appreciate that the Mook’s mood, wasn’t exactly sunshiny!

So when he stumbled across a news story in the Stabber accusing him of being a big fake when it came to basic journalistic principles like “credibility” and “transparency”, he blew a gasket. Hey!! The Stabber was supposed to be in the Opposition trenches with him, no? Problem was, the Mook had become insufferable to even his fellow conspirators against the PPP/C. He’d begun to believe his own BS!

What made his blood boil though was that none of his house slaves felt that the Stabber’s stabbing of their “Massa” important enough to interrupt their Mash celebrations to even call him – much less pen a suitably vitriolic riposte.

Massa was being attacked and here were these ingrates “wining”!! That he had to interrupt his efforts to avoid being fitted for an orange jumpsuit in the US and rush down to Guyana for damage control, pushed him over the edge.

And so we had the cat-o-nine tail being applied condignly to the backs of Harris and his minions. “Ow, Massa, we sorry!!” “Ow Massa, we insulted by Stabber!” “Ow Massa, is Chabber force we fuh do it!!”

...of LEAD

Old people say you don’t need light to see in bright daylight. So we wonder what it is with “GECOM” giving everybody the wide-eyed innocent look about its collaboration with the LEAD-funded “Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC). We placed “GECOM” in scare quotes because the seven Commissioners weren’t consulted on the decision so evidently it’s a decision by the Chairman and the Chairman alone.

It would appear that the gentleman is prepared to ignore the role of the International Republican Institute (IRI) in effectuating regime change in so many places. Invariably these (hot) spots are where the US Government aren’t too enamoured of the incumbent Government. Their modus operandi is to ostensibly organise youths into the nuances of “democracy”.

They claim it’s pure coincidence that share their “democratic knowledge” only with Opposition youths. It’ll be interesting to follow the mobilisational pattern of the “self anointed” GNYC (in the words of PPP’s GS Rohee).

We’re taking bets they sure as hell won’t be bringing out the PPP Youth vote!!

...on rum shops

Alcoholism is the #1 cause of deaths in Guyana: just agglomerate the suicides, cirrhosis of the liver, traffic accidents, murders, etc caused by “drink”. And yet the GRA’s expanded the opportunities for creating “bottom house” rum shops. Shame!!

GT&T awards topperforming vendors

The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has awarded several of its vendors for their outstanding performances during a grand dinner and award ceremony at the Pegasus International Hotel.

The categories were Top wholesale and retail sellers, outstanding mobile money partners, and top Internet sales, among others.

Referring to GT&T’s vendors as partners, Chief Executive Officer, Radha Krishna Sharma said the success of retailing and wholesaling GT&T’s products and services, comes from the company’s open door policy.

This policy the CEO said

allows for company partners to share their views thus aiding in the development of a business strategy designed to propel the company forward.

“This renewed partnership resulted from listening to your feedback and suggestions which you have provided over the years. We recognise and understand your role as an integral part of our business strategy in moving this company forward,” Sharma said.

Sharma expressed total satisfaction in the company’s performance over the years. The CEO recently celebrated a two year anniversary following his appointment in January 2013.

He promised continuous growth and availability of excellent service by the company.

For Top Wholesaler in GT&T’s C-point, G&J phone cards investment grabbed the prize, while World Access C-point Center out of Linden grabbed the top prize for top credit retail agent.

Starr Computers was awarded the prize for Top internet sales and Cellphone Shack was given an award for top SIM card sales.

A fairly new promotion, M. Beepat and Son’s Limited received the top prize for best Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) performer. Meanwhile, Ishwar Thakurdin, the company’s MMG Managing Director, congratulated the businesses who received MMG awards.

Geriatrics vs youths

Satiricus was sulking. He’d been very happy to learn Guyana’s voters were mostly youths. The news made him feel youthful...even though he was getting a bit long in the tooth. But when he saw the team the Opposition came up with after their month of secret negotiations, all he could think about was – Guyana was definitely, “A country for old men”!!

GrainJa must be pushing 80...NagaMan ditto...and his nemesis Speaker Rolph? Reporting on him over the years, Satiricus had decided that fella was born old!

His plaintive wail was: “Where were the youth-men and youth-women the census keep telling us about??” At the last elections, a whole crop of fresh-faced neophytes had entered the ring.

Wasn’t there that fella Bond?? No Beretta for this Guyanese Bond. Hadn’t he gun butted that barber with a Glock?? Hadn’t he faced pellets to prove his manhood? Where had been GrainJa and Nagga Man then?

Then down in the town of Lindon there had been Salaman Gundy. Wasn’t it written that he would be “the next best thing” in Opposition politics?? OK...OK...so he was the one who’s written it...but still!!

He’d held off the troops of the cruel General Hickenus at the bridge over the troubled waters of Mc Kenzie, hadn’t he?? Where was GrainJa and Nagga Man then? That alone should have given him a shot in the Opposition “A” Team. These old fogies!!

Satiricus’ hope for a younger Opposition team had been raised when RoopNaRain announced he was going to fade out from the scene. In Satiricus opinion RoopNaRain had long faded to black….

“How the heck do you give a graduate in ‘litricher’ the Agriculture portfolio?” thought Satiricus. But then again, there were chapters and chapters in DH Lawrence’s “Sons and Lovers” about rearing pheasants (between the “f” words young Satiricus used to look for!!)

Maybe RoopNaRain was using this knowledge of pheasants (not of “f” words) to diversify Guyana’s Agriculture.

But he was gone...and rather than “another Rasta youngsta” taking his place – it was Nagga Man! Nagga Man liked to tell people he also liked “litricher”. Satiricus, however, knew the truth. Nagga Man had a speech impediment: he actually meant he liked “liquor”!

Satiricus suddenly perked up. The Geriatric GrainJa and Nagga Man would never survive this campaign. The youths would take their places in the Opposition benches!!

Murder accused further remanded until May 13

Abdool Shazim Razack, 19, and Ashraf Alli, 18, the two teens who have been charged for the kidnapping and murdering of 17-year-old Lusignan taxi driver Dhanraj Latchman were further remanded to prison when they appeared at the Leonora Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

The Preliminary Inquiry into the matter was scheduled to commence on Tuesday morning. However, when the case was called for the PI to begin, it was related that the witnesses were not informed by the police and as such, were not present.

The Magistrate, Rushell Liverpool proceeded to further remand the two until May 13, 2015.

Latchman, of 115 Lusignan, East Coast Demerara and a former

student of the Institute of Business Education (IBE), had left his home to transport the two accused to Parika, under the pretext of uplifting some money. They admitted to investigators under interrogation that they strangled

the taxi driver on July 15, 2014. They further told investigators that their motive for taking the teen to Parika was for the car to be hijacked and sold, but the deal they had made had fallen through.

After killing the teen, the two reportedly drove the car and parked it at Hubu Backdam before taking a bus back to the city, and then travelled home to Lusignan.

The taxi driver’s car was found abandoned at the Hubu Backdam with the windscreen broken and with pieces of wood and sand in the back of the vehicle, while his swollen and badly beaten body was discovered two days later buried in a shallow grave, some two miles from where his car, a Toyota 212 bearing licence plate PNN 9823 was found.

Dhanraj Latchman

GT&T’S CEO Radha Krishna Sharma during the dinner and award ceremony on Monday at the Pegasus Hotel

Govt up in arms against illegal trade in wildlife

Amid prevailing challenges, Guyanese must push for tangible results in the area of sustainable wildlife management and conservation, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud said on Tuesday, as he rallied for support.

At the time, Minister Persaud was speaking at a Stakeholders’ Forum to mark World Wildlife Day, which was held under the

portance of wildlife resources and the need to conserve such resources,” Minister Persaud explained.

Nevertheless, he said the Natural Resources and the Environment Ministry has embarked on a number of initiatives that seek to address the issue of wildlife management and conservation.

Central among these is the establishment of the Wildlife Management Steering Committee in November 2014. This com-

theme “Wildlife crime is serious; let’s get serious about wildlife crime”.

He said the theme should not be taken at face value, as it put the spotlight on illegal trade and exploitation of wildlife. “As wildlife stewards, you have a responsibility to ensure that your hunting and trapping practices are done according to the regulations. With that said, we recognise that the regulations and other pieces of policies that protect wild flora such as the National Policy on Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture 2014 are only as good in practical terms as the partnerships that we are able to forge,” he told those present.

He said collaborative partnerships would aid in the promotion of innovative initiatives that conserve wildlife and combat illegal activities related to wildlife.

On the part of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, he said though the air was clear on all the technicalities of wildlife management such as the implementation of a licensing system for wildlife dealers, and the establishment of quotas for harvesting targeted wildlife species, it was also cognisant of the challenges that must be overcome before these are implemented.

“Some of those challenges include: building capacities of staff within the Wildlife Division and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) for scientific research, the provision of the requisite training and equipment to detect, investigate and prosecute wildlife offences; and educating the general populace on the im-

mittee, he explained, acts as an advisory body in providing general oversight and guidance in the development of strategies and programmes for wildlife management and conservation in Guyana.

Additionally, the Ministry has collaborated with an international NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO) – Panthera – to develop a project in the south of Guyana on sustainable hunting practices as a foundation for managing wildlife harvest.

“This project when completed will be scaled up to the other regions of the country. Rest assured forums of this nature will be replicated with key constituencies that are not adequately represented today such as the Amerindians and stakeholders in other far-flung regions. Our intention would be as it is today to not only educate stakeholders on responsible hunting practices but to encourage self-regulation and voluntary reporting of wildlife hunted,” he further explained.

Ongoing partnership

The development of a targeted communication strategy to achieve compliance with the regulations, the development of a wildlife management and conservation booklet with key messages and themes on wildlife for distribution to Wildlife Hunters and Trappers, and a closer working relationship with Wildlife Stakeholder Groups are among the gains to be achieved from this ongoing partnership.

Guyana became a party to the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in 1977. This mandates the adoption of appropriate measures for effective implementation of the convention. Failure to enact legislation to implement the Convention can lead to compliance measures being instituted against the defaulting party including recommendations to suspend trade. Guyana was previously subjected to a recommendation for trade suspension for inadequate legislation.

However, the suspension was lifted after the enactment of the Species Protection Regulations in 1999. This regulation along with the Wildlife Management and Conservation Regulations 2013, which provide for the collection, hunting, sale and possession of wildlife govern the international and domestic trade of wildlife respectively.

In an effort to strengthen the regulation and management of the international wildlife trade, a Wildlife Import and Export Bill was tabled in the National Assembly in 2014. This Bill seeks to repeal the Species Protection Regulations and establish the Wildlife Import and Export Authority to replace the Wildlife Division.

These regulations make provisions for among other things, penalising the harvesting of prohibited species of wildlife, exporting, re-exporting or importing wildlife without permits and the use of prohibited devices and methods to hunt wildlife. Penalties for offenders range from $30,000 to $750,000 along with prison time.

New Education Bill to address needs of hinterland communities ― President

Among the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) Administration’s plan for the education sector is curriculum reform to meet the needs of different segments of the population, one of which is hinterlands students, and this was expected to have been addressed during the 10th Parliament, whose life was unfortunately cut short.

During an interactive session with youths on Sunday, on the National Communications Network’s programme ‘At Home with the President’, the Head of State was asked about the possibility of a different curriculum being crafted to meet the needs of hinterland school.

The President said curriculum reform was among some of his administration’s plan for the education sector during the 10th Parliament. Among the bills which were to be tabled in the National Assembly was the new Education Bill which would have given consideration to the different areas of education and most importantly the relevant needs of various communities.

The President said when he made the decision to prorogue the 10th Parliament (in November 2014) he was hopeful that the combined opposition would have yielded to calls for dialogue with

the aim of going back to parliament to deal with important pieces of legislation.

In the meantime, President Ramotar said the administration is making small moves in this area as it has an agreement with the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) to have Portuguese incorporated into their curriculum. The President noted that should be done by 2016.

“As you know we border Brazil which has one of the largest economies in the world and we think we have synergies with Brazil in that regard in the areas that they operate.” Meanwhile the President registered his satisfaction with the strides made in the education sector in hinterland communities. He noted that the hinterland has moved from a place with little to no

school to where almost every Amerindian community has a primary and nursery schools. In the hinterland, there are 12 hinterland secondary schools with another coming on-stream soon.

In most regions there are secondary schools with dormitories where children are provided with free meals and textbooks to aid in their learning process. The $780M Kato Secondary School in Region Eight, with accompanying dormitory will soon be completed. This modern institution will cater for 400 students, 250 of whom will be accommodated at the dormitory.

President Ramotar added that already these investments are speaking well for Guyana as it is the country in the Caribbean and South America with the lowest dropout rates. In addition, Guyana is said to be the country in the Caribbean and South America with the highest enrollment rate for nursery education. Meanwhile in an effort to bring the hinterland students on par with the rest of the country, the President noted that plans are on-stream for more technical institutes. Soon it is expected that such an institute will be established in St. Ignatius, Region Nine to benefit youths in that region.(GINA)

Man held after ganja find in minibus

Aman has been arrested after police found seven kilograms 196 grams of Marijuana in a Berbice minibus on Tuesday.

In a statement police said that about 19:15h two police ranks were in a minibus at Rosignol, West Bank Berbice when they be-

came aware of an odour in the vehicle, as a result of which the vehicle was subsequently searched.

Seven kilograms 196 grams of marijuana were found concealed in the vehicle. A man has been arrested and is in police custody assisting with the investigations.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud

President Donald Ramotar

wednesday, march 4, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Coalition raises stakes for Opposition politicians – Bond

The coalition of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) has raised the stakes for politicians with “big ambitions” — some of whom may not see a future in such a broad set-up, that could limit their influence and also eliminate them from leadership positions.

This is the view of APNU Member of Parliament James Bond, who in an interview with this newspaper on Monday, said:

“When more than one party come together, persons come together and start to wonder, what they would get and what they wouldn’t get.”

He said this more often than not could lead to frustration and those with “big ambitions” may walk away.

On Sunday via social media, Bond sought to encourage his fellow politicians to not crack under pressure.

“I think a lot of people are uncertain of their own future because of the coalition,” admitted Bond, who served as a Member of Parliament in the recently-dissolved 10th Parliament.

Bond further reaffirmed his stay in the APNU/AFC coalition, by stating that he was not mindful for any parliamentary positions within the coalition.

He had challenged David Granger and Carl Greenidge for the leadership of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) back in 2011.

He stated that the priority of the coalition was to change the mode of the Government as experienced under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C).

He claimed that present Government lacks transpar-

ency and is unkind to public servants.

He added that the result of the coalition has been beneficial in two ways. He highlighted that the coalition has been successful in breaking down Guyana’s barrier of politics and ethnicity.

“This coalition shows that it is okay for Indians and Africans to work together, we have created two important dynamics in Guyana,” Bond declared.

Resignations

Since the APNU/AFC coalition was formed on February 14, there have been three resignations thus far with the most recent being Africo Selman of APNU, which is believed to be the resignation that prompted Bond’s statements.

While Selman has said that she chose to leave the coalition because of infighting and confusion, it was rumoured that Selman was to join the PPP/C.

Following Selman’s resignation, APNU’s General Secretary, Joseph Harmon, stated that she was an insignificant loss to the party.

However, Bond told this newspaper that Selman resigned because of personal

issues she had with another party member which she never spoke of until she tendered her resignation.

But in addition to Selman’s resignation, there have been two others from the AFC, namely, Balwant Persaud’s and Sixtus Edwards’.

Persaud had accused the AFC of corruption, rigging of internal elections, misappropriation of funds, and bullyism by the “gang of five”.

Persaud, during the announcement of his resignation, said the AFC had betrayed his trust and that of thousands of its supporters who believed the party when it promised never to align or join forces with APNU.

Grumblings

Ever since the Cummingsburg Accord was signed with the large concessions granted to the AFC, there have been grumblings among some APNU and PNCR members as to what is in it for them.

Despite trailing APNU by 19 seats in the National Assembly, polling just about 10 per cent of the votes in the last elections compared to APNU’s 40 per cent, the AFC was able to secure the Prime Ministerial Candidate position in the person of Moses Nagamootoo.

In addition to being assured of 12 seats in the National Assembly, the party will be allocated two Vice Presidents, both of whom will be members of the Cabinet, should the coalition.

Further, according to the Accord if the coalition succeeds, AFC’s Nagamootoo will be responsible for running the domestic affairs of the country; chairing Cabinet; recommending ministerial appointments and providing the organi-

Nursing students

Students of the Georgetown Nursing School locked the gates of the compound as they vowed to embark on a series of protests against the decision to relocate them to the Kingston Annex.

For the past two weeks, the student body had organised several protests in front of the Ministry of Health.

However, the most recent protest on Tuesday was carried out by the students themselves without consultation from the student body.

In fact, Guyana Times understands that the student body of the school is no longer functioning.

sational structures of ministries for the approval of the President. He will also appoint heads of agencies and non-Constitutional Commissions with the required and agreed democratic mechanisms of consultation and appointment. Besides, the AFC will lead the Home Affairs Ministry and will make up 40 per cent of the Cabinet.

In a comment one day after the signing of the accord, political commentator Ramon Gaskin had expressed his deep disappointment with the heavy focus on positions, rather than policies.

According to Gaskin, despite the fact that the two parties have been preaching that they wish to see a government of ‘national unity’ and wanted what was best for Guyanese society, this was not reflected during or after their dialogue. According to him, it would appear that the political parties were only fighting for positions and their piece of the ‘meat’.

“I noticed that in the coalition talks, they were only talking about who gets what and what goes to whom.

"I am very disappointed with that because in the entire discussions, all they could have said was that this goes to that person, he gets that, she gets this and nothing is said about the needs of the Guyanese people,” Gaskin related.

He noted that it would appear to him that the two political parties seem to have the procedure all wrong and had placed self-interest first, as he strongly believes that a programme or agenda on the needs of the Guyanese should have first been worked out, before positions and leadership were discussed.

Healing of the Nation party set to join APNU/AFC coalition

The Healing the Nation Theocracy Party (HTNTP), well-known for its focus on the Rastafarian community, indicated that it may be joining forces with the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition to contest the upcoming General and Regional Elections on May 11.

In a recent interview with Guyana Times, HTNTP Presidential Candidate Alfred Park confirmed that negotiations are ongoing with APNU, but said nothing tangible has been placed on the table thus far.

Park explained that if HTNTP decides to “link with APNU”, the party maybe unable to serve its own people, the Rastafarian community, due to the limited power being offered by the coalition.

However, in a separate interview with this publication, HTNTP Prime Ministerial Candidate Ras Leon Saul said that the party is willing to unite with other “elements” in order to expand its capacity to succeed at the polls. “We are

lock gates to compound

essary facilities to conduct their studies.

“They don’t have a lab, a library or a canteen,” one of the students stated.

But Dr Ramsarran had previously explained to this publication that moves are afoot to improve the facilities and he does not understand why the "nursing students are making a big fuss about the situation.

merging our resources with other resources, with existing forces…,” Saul noted. Saul said too that he has a positive feeling about these ongoing talks. But contacted by this newspaper, APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon was tightlipped on the issue.

“I’m not in a position to confirm that at the moment,” Harmon said. Nonetheless, he assured that APNU will always be willing to allow any other member or any other party to crawl under its umbrella, once they represent the same interest.

Legalising marijuana

Meanwhile, HTNTP’s main focus is the legalisation of marijuana, something which both parties of the coalition have spoken positively about. AFC for its part had said that it would examine the legalisation of marijuana once it is elected into office, noting that the law should be a tool of reformation not condemnation.

“In Guyana, we are not traversing new grounds. We believe that too many people are in our jail today for the use of the drug. I don’t see anyone in jail for tobacco or alcohol, and so we have to be careful that we do not criminalise our young people and condemn them to a jail for the possession of marijuana; in terms of trafficking, then the law will deal with that,” AFC’s Executive Member Moses Nagamootoo had said shortly before he was selected as the coalition’s Prime Ministerial Candidate.

APNU had also said that should it form the next Government after the May 11 elections, it would commission a study on the matter that will inform the issue. The local Rastafarian community, which utilises the plant for religious purposes, has held the issue as a bargaining chip for its support.

Across the Caribbean, territories are advancing their review of the decriminalisation of the drug. Puerto Rico is currently debating easing marijuana possession penalties, legalising medical marijuana and allowing the cultivation of medical-grade marijuana. Activists in Jamaica, St Lucia and other islands have pushed to legalise marijuana use, with the Jamaican Cabinet recently approving a bill that legalises the possession of small amounts of marijuana in that country. It means that for the first time, the country’s Rastafarian community would be able to smoke it legally.

The move to lock other students out of the compound was reportedly orchestrated by one student who wants to apply a “no classes policy” until the Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsarran meets with them.

The students claim that the Minister has not yet met with them despite their efforts to push for negotiation on the relocation.

Maylene Thomas, a nurs-

ing student, explained that a group of students had approached the Ministry for discussions on the matter before they embarked on the protests.

The students’ main concern is about the capacity of

the Kingston Annex to accommodate the more than 400 additional students from the East Street location.

They also contended that the building in Kingston is not equipped with the nec-

Meanwhile, a representative from the Kingston Annex of the Nursing Students Association reportedly pointed out that the facility is ill equipped to facilitate all of the students and the move would create additional strain on the already limited resources at the complex.

The students are determined to continue their protests until they meet with an official.

However, many in the Caribbean still consider marijuana a dangerous drug and possession of the substance can lead to jail time and stiff fines across the region.

James Bond

HTNTP Prime Ministerial Candidate Ras Leon Saul

Nursing students protesting along Brickdam, Georgetown

GDF launches Military Electronic Health Information Network

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) launched the first Military Electronic Health Information Network (MeHIN) on the continent of South America last Friday, the Army said in a release.

The launch was done at the headquarters of the GDF’s Medical Corps at Base Camp Ayanganna. GDF’s MeHIN is to be known as the Military Health Information System or “MHIS”. Speaking to the Force’s latest achievement, Colonel Administration and Quartering, Captain (CG) John Flores indicated that the acquisition of the technological resources and training to facilitate the launch of the project had been in the pipeline for a few years.

“The Force recognised that it needed a more efficient mechanism for the management of patient care, including records management and security, over what it had been doing traditionally. The acquisition of the technological resources as well as the necessary training of our staff means that the GDF has now moved into 21st Century medical management mode,” he said. “The system will allow

us to effectively record and manage the medical services and interventions provided for our soldiers, regardless of where they are located across Guyana.”

Care services

In her remarks at the launch of the MHIS, US Department of Defence HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme (DHAPP) Senior Health Informatics Adviser, Mary Kratz, said that the GDF was to be “...commended for their leadership to Guyana and the Region...”

Kratz also explained that, among other things, the MeHIN will support the tracking of HIV services such as prevention, counselling and testing as well as care services provided by the GDF. According to her, the GDF has now joined 11 other “military partners” from the Caribbean, Africa, and Central America who participate in the MeHIN. “I welcome the GDF to the Military eHealth Community and look forward to continual improvements to MHIS through the shared contributions of military medical partners to drive the requirements of services provided by both

Mother of 2 gets 18 months in jail for assault

Tears flowed down the cheeks of Sadie Grant in Court Six of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday when the assault accused was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

It is alleged that the defendant had unlawfully assaulted the Virtual Complainant (VC) Candace Griffith on February 28, at their home in National Avenue, South Ruimveldt Park, Georgetown.

Police Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendant, Denise Griffith, elaborated the details to the court. She stated that the defendant and the VC live in a two storey house – the defendant in the upper flat while the VC resides in the lower flat. They developed a relationship over the years, thus becoming good friends.

However, the Police Prosecutor stated that on the day in question around 07:00h, the VC was standing at her front door of the house attending to her children when the defendant came down the stairs and asked for a pass.

The Prosecutor said that the VC ignored the defendant and did not give her a pass but continued attending to her children. The defendant then jammed the VC in the shoulder which started a confrontation be-

public and private”

Kratz, together with Director of Global Health Informatics Systems for Vista Life Sciences Inc, Brain Mayo, spent the last two weeks training GDF Medical Corps Staff, key GDF administrative personnel as well as GDF ICT personnel, on the hardware and the software used by the MHIS. During that time, the MHIS was also deployed and practition-

ers gained practical exposure to utilising the system. The GDF MHIS currently comprises 14 user computers, one large computer server, robust security mechanisms, Electronic Medical Record Software and is ready to host an eLibrary of medical references. It also contains 36 user accounts across the GDF sites/locations.

Captain (CG) Flores thanked the US DHAPP, the

US Department of Defence

Security Cooperation Office

Commander Robert Novotny and Kratz and Mayo for enabling the GDF to acquire the MHIS and to commence a historic path to modern medical management. “We are thankful to you for the assistance provided to bring this project on stream. The GDF and Guyana’s continued cooperation with the US Department of Defence

is aiding in our capacity as a military to advance our capabilities. Becoming the first military in South America to acquire this technology and the requisite skills is significant in itself. The GDF will not, however, wish to rest on this achievement, but will lead the way in aiding the national health infrastructure to develop similar capabilities as our MHIS will deliver for us.”

The GDF MHIS is designed to aid in efficient, accurate and timely reporting to measure the impact of medical programmes, enable cost and security efficiencies of personnel and operations management, and improve clinical care and treatment by allowing authorised users easy access to medical record information and aid in the professional development of GDF’s medical personnel. The MHIS project was managed under the auspices of the GDF HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme Manager Beverley GomesLovell.

tween the parties. The defendant reportedly picked up a plastic pipe and proceeded to beat VC with it.

The defendant then put away the pipe but continued to assault VC by dealing her several scratches about her body.

Prosecutor Griffith continued that the matter was subsequently reported to the Police and the accused was arrested and charged with unlawful bodily harm.

The defendant agreed that she did indeed jam the VC in her shoulder which started a fight, but she said she only picked up the pipe when the VC hit her.

She told the court through tears that she has been in trouble with the law once years ago, but currently has no pending matters. She has two children, aged three years old and seven months old.

Presiding Magistrate Dylon Bess addressed the defendant stating that he has considered all the statements, the offence committed, the fact that she is young and has two children who dependent on her. However, he stated that the court cannot allow her to continue to lash out at people.

He sentenced her to 18 months imprisonment.

Mary Kratz (in black) with Senior Officers of the Force and the GDF personnel trained to use the MHIS

2 in custody for execution of GGMC employee

Bandits rob M Ali and Son Supermarket in NA

Police have now arrested two persons who are assisting with the investigation into the execution of a Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) engineer, Trevor Abrams.

Crime Chief Leslie James told Guyana Times on Tuesday that in addition to the suspect whom the Police have found a false license plate with, another person has been taken into custody. The Crime Chief noted that the two suspects are working along with the Police as the investigation continues.

James further revealed that the Police have received other leads and are currently following those. “We are doing everything to ensure that we get justice,” he stated.

Abrams, 31, of Lot 129 Samatta Point, Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was executed on Friday while driving along the Little Diamond Public Road, EBD.

According to information received, the young man was driving his Silver Grey Toyota Allion bearing registration number PSS 6855 when another car pulled up alongside him. Several gunshots were reportedly heard as the two cars sped away.

However from all indica-

tions, Abrams attempted to escape and accelerated, but crashed into a utility pole and ended up in a nearby canal. The man was rescued by public-spirited citizens and rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police have since confirmed that a high powered assault rifle was used to carry out the attack on the Government employee.

However, the first suspect, who resides at Covent Garden, EBD, was taken into custody along with a motor car suspected to be the getaway car. According to informa-

tion reaching this newspaper, a false number plate was found in a drum on the man’s premises on Sunday which he claims was placed there by someone. Sources also stated that upon the arrival of the Police at his residence, he went into hiding but eventually came out to be questioned by the investigators.

During questioning, his story had several loop holes hence he was taken into custody along with the car bearing registration number PLL 5966 at the Diamond Police Station.

The man claimed that the car was rented to someone on the day of the shooting. When asked to produce the name and telephone numbers of the client, he was adamant to reveal same. The Toyota Carina AT 212 Silver grey car had damage consistent with a vehicular accident.

Investigators are of the view that the man along with an accomplice might have committed the murder but there needs to be circumstantial evidence, a senior Police rank stated. He added that the Police are verifying whether the man was a deportee. The motive behind the murder is yet to be discovered.

Fidel Castro’s revolutionary lover dies at the age of 89

Natalia Revuelta, a Cuban socialite who emptied her bank account and sold her jewellery to support Fidel Castro when he was planning his insurgency, has died at the age of 89 in Havana.

She caught the eye of Fidel Castro when he was a young revolutionary in 1952.

They later had an affair that produced a daughter, Alina, but they never married.

Natalia Revuelta was considered one of the most beautiful women in Cuba.

Blonde and green-eyed, she was a noticeable figure in Havana’s social scene when she met Fidel Castro in 1952. She was married at the

time to a heart surgeon nearly twenty years her senior but observers said she appeared to have had an appetite for revolution and adventure.

Pawned jewels

She allowed Castro to use her home for meetings when he was beginning to plot his insurgency. She handed over all her savings to support his movement and later pawned her sapphires, emeralds and diamond jewellery for his cause.

The couple never married and Fidel Castro initially refused to recognise his daughter. When he did, she was twelve years old and struggled to reconcile with her natural father.

In 1993, Alina left Cuba disguised as a Spanish tourist to live in the US.

Her mother Natalia was “one of an extraordinary contingent of beautiful and highly intelligent women who dedicated their lives to Castro and his cause”, said one of his biographers, Tad Szulc.

Although Mrs Revuelta had little contact with the Cuban leader once their affair was over, she remained in Cuba holding various Government jobs.

In an interview she once said she was never bitter that Fidel Castro put his revolutionary project first. But she added, “it took years to get him out of my heart.” (BBC News)

Jamaica strengthens greenhouse gas project

The allocation of J$25 million in the 2015/16 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, is expected to help strengthen the country’s effort to develop a robust national greenhouse gas inventory.

The project, which is being funded by the United States Agency for International Development, is schedule to commence in April, 2015.

Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.

Anticipated targets under the initiative dubbed, ‘Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory and Sector Action Plan Project’, include procuring equipment and software, and implementing training courses to enable the effective monitoring of GHGs islandwide.

The project includes the training of officers of the Climate Change Division (CCD) and targeted Ministry, Department and Agencies (MDAs) in the de-

velopment of climate change strategy and action plans; provide technical expertise to enable the revision and climate proofed National Forestry Management Plan, national energy action plan 2013-2016 and the national transport policy; and the hiring of an information technology consultant.

The project is slated to be completed for March, 2017, and is being implemented by the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change.

(Jamaica Observer)

Armed bandits broke into M Ali and Son Supermarket and gas station at Strand New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and carted away an undisclosed sum of money after emptying several shelves in the supermarket on Tuesday.

The incident occurred around 01:00h. At the time, two pump attendants were on duty when a car pulled up to the gas station that is under construction, but stopped before reaching the pump. One of the pump attendants approached the car thinking that the driver may have wanted to purchase phone cards, cooking gas or a five-gallon bottle of water when one of the occupants got out and punched the pump attendant.

Realising that they were under attack, the attendant attempted to run away but the man held onto his shirt. He then tried to get out of the shirt, but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, two other men exited the car and caught the other attendant who was attempting to run to safety. They screamed for help but were restrained.

The three men, all of whom had handkerchiefs tied around their faces, took the pump attendants to the side of the gas station where construction work acted as a barrier to the view from the road. The attendants were then bound with their hands behind their backs and their shirts pulled over their heads making it impossible for them to see or hear properly. They were then told to lie face down on the ground.

One of the robbers, armed with a gun, guarded

the attendants, as he sat on one of them. The other two bandits used a sledgehammer to smash open a window and then sawed open a hole in the grill work.

also cleared as the men took cranberry juice, biscuits, cooking oil, flour, cigarettes and cubes.

Reports are that after the car left, the attendants went to get assistance from the guards at ScotiaBank but they were reportedly asleep. This is the 10th time that the supermarket has been robbed. Sources close to the business are questioning the actions of the Municipal guards who did not hear any of the attendants screaming for help. Those guards occupy an office on the other side of the road from the gas station.

Meanwhile, at the time of the robbery, several cam-

Greed

The men gained entry to the supermarket and hammered open a safe used to hold large notes from the night-time sales. Its contents were then removed and about one hour into the ordeal, the men made a telephone call saying that they were ready and had gotten “Good ting”.

Soon after the phone call was made, a car pulled up and the men left, taking with them an undisclosed sum of money from the safe and an even more substantial sum from a drawer along with several bags of items. The two cash registers were also emptied while hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of phone cards were also stolen.

Several shelves were

eras were on. A 19-inch monitor was displaying the view from eight cameras when the men entered the supermarket; however, no attempt was made to remove the recordings on the hard drive.

Store Manager Salina Ali told this publication that the hard drive was not working and the fact that no attempt was made to remove it was an indication that the robbers were aware that the hard drive was not working. She further stated that only a few persons knew that the hard drive was not working. The two attendants who were gun butted were taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital after the incident and treated and sent away.

Police are investigating the robbery. No arrests have been made so far.

Jamaica Govt to borrow at least J$129B in 2015/16

Jamaica’s Fiscal Policy Paper (FPP) for 2015/16 says that central government’s borrowing for financial year 2015/16, which begins on April 1, will amount to approximately J$129 billion. Of the budgeted loan receipts, J$56.3 billion is programmed to be raised from domestic sources and J$72.5 billion from external

(overseas) sources. The overseas loans will be in the form of policybased/development policy loans from international financial institutions, as well as J$11 billion in project loans in addition to loans from the international capital market.

However, the FPP says that the borrowing need for

2015/16 represents a 21 per cent decline in gross loan receipts compared to 2014/15. This reduced financing requirement is due chiefly to the lower fiscal deficit, as well as the fact that the Government of Jamaica had pre-financed a significant portion of its obligations due in 2015/16 from resources raised in 2014/15.

(Antigua Observer)

Trevor Abrams

The window the men broke into before cutting open the grill work to gain entry

M Ali And Son Supermarket under construction in New Amsterdam

Israel’s Netanyahu warns US against “paving way to Iran bomb”

The Israeli Prime Minister has warned that a deal under discussion on Iran’s nuclear programme could “pave its way to the bomb”, rather than block it.

In a speech to US Congress punctuated by standing ovations, Benjamin Netanyahu depicted Iran as a “threat to the entire world”.

Talks on Iran’s nuclear programme are nearing a critical late-March deadline for an outline agreement to be reached.

It also comes just two weeks before a closely fought election in Israel.

Netanyahu insisted that he was not trying to meddle in internal US politics.

The White House had criticised his plan to address Congress – at Republican invitation, without consulting

Germany, Russia and China are seeking to reach agreement to curtail Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

They fear Iran has ambitions to build a nuclear bomb – something Iran denies, insisting it is merely exercising its right to peaceful nuclear power.

Negotiators are currently working towards a lateMarch deadline for an outline agreement with Iran, which would be followed by a detailed deal by the end of June.

But Netanyahu said: “We’ve been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well this is a bad deal, a very bad deal.”

the White House – saying the Israeli leader was trying to swell US Opposition to any Iran deal. The US, UK, France,

Netanyahu was greeted with whoops and cheers as he made his way to the podium, shaking hands as he went. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Delhi gang-rapist stirs anger in film interview

Afilm-maker behind a new documentary about a fatal gang rape in India that caused global outrage has said one of the men sentenced to death for the killing showed no remorse during a “chilling” interview.

Mukesh Singh, one of five people convicted over the 2012 attack in New Delhi, told British film-maker Leslee Udwin from his prison cell that the murdered student was at least partly responsible for the incident, in comments that experts say reflect a wider instinct to blame victims of sex crime.

In the interview, Singh said the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, should not have been roam[ing] around at nine o’clock at night” and that “a girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy”.

“What I found when I interviewed him, the most chilling thing that I found, was that I got an insight and understanding into the way he views women and that is what is extremely shocking,” Udwin told reporters on Tuesday.

“No regret for one second out of 16 hours [of interviews], no regret. In fact, the opposite. Mukesh’s atti-

tude is ‘Why are they making a fuss about us, everybody is doing it’,” she added in New Delhi before a special screening of the “India’s Daughter” documentary.

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student died from her injuries 13 days after she was savagely attacked on a moving bus while on her way home from the cinema with a male friend on December 16, 2012.

Before her death in a Singapore hospital, she was able to speak to police about the crime, which caused outrage across the world and triggered mass protests in India. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Egyptian court suspends parliamentary elections

An Egyptian court has suspended the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections, following an earlier Supreme Constitutional Court ruling deeming laws regulating the vote unconstitutional.

The decision by Judge Yahia Dakrouri of the Administrative Court on Tuesday was expected after the higher court’s ruling last week. The country’s election committee later will set a

new date for the vote.

The Supreme Constitutional Court’s ruling declared the law defining voting districts unconstitutional.

The Government is working on amending the law. The Supreme Election Committee said in a statement earlier that it will set up a new timetable for elections after the law is ready.

It was not clear how long

Around the World

Mourners honour Russian Opposition Leader Nemtsov

Mourners for the Russian Opposition Leader Boris Nemtsov have gathered for his funeral in Moscow as a Russian news agency reported that authorities had allowed a Ukrainian witness to his murder to return to Kiev.

The body of Nemtsov, 55, who was shot dead near the Kremlin four days ago, lay in state on Tuesday at the Andrei Sakharov rights centre ahead of his burial in Moscow’s Troekurovskoye cemetery.

Nemtsov – a former Deputy Prime Minister and a longtime critic of Russia’s

President Vladimir Putin –died after four bullets were fired into his back late on Friday when he was walking with a female companion in one of the most heavily policed areas of the capital.

On Monday, Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, pledged that the “heinous crime” would be “fully investigated”.

A reward of three million roubles (US$48,000) was offered for information on Nemtsov’s death, a substantial amount in Moscow, where the average monthly salary is 60,000 roubles (US$960).

Ganna Duritska, a

Ukrainian model who was with Nemtsov at the time of the attack, said on Monday that she had given all the information she could to investigators but they were preventing her from leaving Russia, citing concerns for her security.

However, Russia’s ItarTass news agency later reported that Duritska had been allowed to return to Kiev.

Meanwhile, Bogdan Borusewicz, Poland’s Senate Speaker, said he was unable to attend Nemtsov’s funeral as his visa application had been refused by Moscow.

Former CIA Director pleads guilty to sharing secrets with mistress

Former CIA Director David Petraeus has agreed to plead guilty to mishandling classified materials, the US

removal and retention of classified material, which carries a possible penalty of up to a year in prison, a US$100,000 fine and five

Department of Justice has said.

A Justice Department statement said on Tuesday that a plea agreement was filed in US district court in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The former top US Army General was charged with one count of unauthorised

it will take for the amendments to be written, but voting for a new parliament is expected to be delayed for at least several weeks.

The parliamentary vote initially was set to take place in phases beginning on March 22. It is the final phase in a transition period following the 2013 ouster of President Mohamed Morsi by the military.

Egypt has not had an elected legislature since 2012, when the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament’s Lower Chamber was not constitutionally elected.

The first two steps of the transition following Morsi’s ouster were the adoption of a new constitution by referendum in 2014 and a presidential election, which former Army Chief AbdelFattah al-Sisi handily won.

(from Al Jazeera)

years of probation.

The case was filed in Charlotte, the hometown of Paula Broadwell, the general’s biographer and former mistress.

But the plea deal will allow Petraeus to avoid a trial that would have shone a

light on embarrassing details of his affair and his flouting of secrecy laws.

According to court documents, Petraeus gave Broadwell binders of classified material from Afghanistan, which were known as “black books”, while she was writing her book and then lied to federal investigators about providing them to Broadwell.

When Petraeus resigned from the CIA, he signed a security exit form indicating he had no classified material in his possession. However, he still had the black books in his home at that time. On April 5, 2013, the FBI searched his home and seized the black books from an unlocked desk drawer in a first-floor study.

The scandal marked an abrupt fall for Petraeus, a man who led US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and was thought to be a potential candidate for President. (Al Jazeera)

Three dead as Kiev accuses Ukraine rebels of shelling

Three Ukrainian servicemen were killed and nine wounded as pro-Russian rebels shelled Government positions despite a ceasefire deal, the military said on Tuesday, announcing Kiev’s highest casualty toll in several days.

The losses underscore the fragility of a two-weekold ceasefire agreement which Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called the last chance for peace between Kiev and the separatists he says are being armed by Russia.

After the separatists initially ignored the ceasefire to launch one of the biggest

offensives of the war, fighting finally slowed down dramatically last week. In recent days, both sides have been withdrawing artillery from the front line, the next stage in a peace agreement brokered by France and Germany.

Both sides still accuse each other on a daily basis of breaking the truce, however, and Tuesday’s shelling appeared more intense than in previous days.

In rebel-held Donetsk, among the ruins of the city’s airport, artillery fire was heard coming towards rebel positions from the direction of Ukraine’s frontline

stronghold of Pisky. “We have no mortar rockets anywhere here. We have already withdrawn everything bigger than 100 millimetres in accordance with the Minsk agreements,” said the Donetsk rebels’ self-styled Defence Minister Vladimir Kononov. “If the Ukrainians continue to shoot... you just heard incoming fire... then I think it will lead to an end of the ceasefire,” he said among the loud explosions. In Kiev, a military spokesman said rebels had shelled Ukrainian positions 22 times over the past day.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says a deal with Iran could pave the path to Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons

The affair with Paula Broadwell brought about David Petraeus’ abrupt fall (EPA)

The Supreme Constitutional Court’s ruling declared the law defining voting districts unconstitutional [Reuters]

wednesday, march 4, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Libellous Ramayya

...ordered to apologise to PPP/C official

Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member, Dr Verasammy Ramayya, has been ordered by the court to publicly apologise to Executive Secretary of the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Zulfikar Mustapha for libel in 2011.

On November 19, 2011, Ramayya had spread lies about the PPP/C official via a television programme

called “Issues of the People”, aired on controversial DTV Channel 8 in Berbice.

Both the owner of the television station, Gregory Rambarran and Ramayya were slapped with a libel lawsuit in 2012.

The charges claim that Ramayya made libelous claims regarding Mustapha during the height of the elections campaign in 2011.

The duo was represented by AFC Leader and Attorney Khemraj Ramjattan while Mustapha was represented by Attorney Adrian Anamaya before Justice Nareshwar Haranand at the New Amsterdam High Court.

After losing the court case against Mustapha, Verasammy will have to publicly apologise via print and electronic media within the next seven days.

He is expected to issue the electronic apology on Saturday on his television programme which airs at

08:00h on DTV Channel 8.

He is also expected to pay the sum of $250,000 to Mustapha, which the politician says he will donate to

Attempted murder accused handed charge of unlawful wounding

In October 2014, Robb Street resident Eon Ford was charged with the attempted murder of Joseph Adams. However, on Monday the accused was read the reduced charge of unlawful and malicious wounding when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, for which he will be tried.

The new charges were read on Tuesday in Court Five by presiding Magistrate Fabayo Azore. The Magistrate stated that the murder charge was withdrawn due to the survival of the Virtual Complainant (VC).

Reports show that Ford on October 8, 2014 was drinking with Adams at

charity.

Mustapha’s Attorney explained to this publication that his client was not keen on receiving money, but thought it best to do so as an act of detriment.

APNU/AFC to launch campaign today

The newly formed A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition is set to officially launch its campaign for the upcoming General and Regional Elections today, Wednesday at the Pegasus Savannah Suites.

The two parties will be campaigning on one platform in keeping with their ultimate goal and theme of a government of national unity.

General Secretary of the main Opposition – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Joseph Harmon said it was excited and ready for the for-

mal launch of its elections campaign, while promising a package of surprise new candidates and other major announcements.

He was at the time responding to the question of whether Guyanese society can expect any surprises in terms of the party’s list of candidates. It is expected that the coalitions’ name, symbol, campaign theme, its manifesto, representatives, new members and other plans will be revealed at the media launch.

The two parties had, on Valentine’s Day, February 14, signed what it deemed the ‘Cummingsburg Accord’ to officially announce its pre-election partnership.

According to the agreement the AFC trails APNU by 19 seats in the National Assembly polling just about 10 per cent of the votes in the last elections comparing to APNU’s 40 per cent.

However during the negotiations the AFC had insisted that it must lead the coalition and having not succeeded in wresting this from APNU they were able to field the Prime Ministerial candidate in the person of Moses Nagamootoo.

In addition to being assured of 12 seats in the National Assembly, the party will be allocated two Vice Presidents both of whom will be members of the Cabinet.

LIAT prohibits carriage of e-cigarettes in checked luggage

Regional airline LIAT has announced that e-cigarettes are prohibited for carriage in checked luggage on the airline's services effective immediately.

Citing a recommendation from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), LIAT said e-cigarettes are a fire risk. E-cigarettes mainly use lithium cells to heat liquid nicotine into a vapour and these devices have, in some instances, overheated or caught fire when the heating element was acci-

dentally activated.

The FAA pointed to two recent incidents in the United States. In the first incident, e-cigarettes packed in a passenger’s checked bag in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft caused a fire that forced an evacuation of the aircraft.

In the second incident, a checked bag that had missed its flight was found to be on fire in a baggage area. Emergency responders attributed the fire to an overheated e-cigarette inside the bag.

Meanwhile, LIAT noted

that airport security in the territories in which it operates have not yet confirmed a unified stance on the carriage of e-cigarettes in carry-on baggage. It is therefore recommended passengers should not carry e-cigarettes in their cabin baggage either, so they don't lose their devices if the airport security decide to remove them.

Should airport security across the territories subsequently allow e-cigarettes to be carried on board flights, LIAT would review its current recommendation.

Bourda Market on Robb Street when an argument broke out between the two men. The defendant took a knife from a stall with the intention of wounding Adams but the Virtual Complainant (VC) saw the knife and tried to escape. The defendant chased the VC along Robb Street, catching him and stabbing him in the stomach and face.

The VC had to be rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Ford

for unlawful wounding instead of attempted murder

The defendant was not required to plead to the lesser charge. However, his Attorney Paul Fung-AFat asked that the matter be tried at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, which was granted by the court. Ford’s trial for this reduced charge begins on March 23. The Prosecution told the court they had six witnesses to give evidence against the defendant.

West La Penitence man gets lucky

with

dismissal of threatening charge

Dexter Andrews from West La Penitence was released on a bond to keep the peace on Monday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for three months after he was brought before the court for threatening his neighbour, the Virtual Complainant (VC) Natasha Thomas.

It is alleged that the 47-year-old man had made use of a host of threatening expletives against Thomas on February 27 in the West La Penitence area where they both live.

The defendant stated that he and the VC shared a relationship. He added that he does not plan on continuing the relationship with the VC.

He further told the court

Dexter Andrews was a happy man when he left the court on Tuesday after his case was dismissed

that he had never been accused of any offence and has no pending court matters.

The defendant was placed on $10,000 bail to return on Match 23 for the start of his trial.

However, in a strange

twist, the VC approached the court later in the day requesting that the matter be dismissed against the accused. Presiding Magistrate Dylon Bess queried about her sudden change of heart as the VC told the court that morning that she does not wish to have any form of contact with the defendant. It is with this that the Magistrate had advised her to apply for a protection order against the accused. Yet, the VC assured the court that she has not been threatened nor forced to dismiss the matter. The court reprimanded the defendant and placed him on a bond for good behaviour instead, which if he breaches he will be jailed for one month.

UGSS presses for extension of current semester

– academic board to examine proposal

Aproposal to extend the current semester at the University of Guyana (UG), which was delayed due to industrial action by staff members, will be examined on Thursday by the academic board after being placed on the table by the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS).

As promised, classes resumed on Tuesday, after the almost six week strike came to an end owing to the signing of an accord between the University’s Administration, the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA), and the UG Workers’ Union (UGWU) on Monday.

“The industrial dispute has ended and the proposal to extend the semester will be discussed this Thursday at the academic board,” UGSS President Joshua Griffith announced on Tuesday.

The strike action which began on January 26, the same day of the commencement of the second semester

of the academic year 20142015, had placed a considerable amount of strain on students, particularly those pursing their law degrees.

According to Griffith, should there be a three week extension; students will have to go through the semester without any breaks. He explained that students would have to forego the usual one week allocation for revision before exams.

Should the three week extension be approved, the semester will come to an end on June 19. With the same conditions as in the three week extension proposal, if the semester is extended for four weeks, it will end on June 26.

In the terms of resumption that was signed between the administration and the unions, it was agreed that staff members will work back the time which was lost during the strike in order to complete the backlog of work, and to meet all deadlines.

The terms of the resumption agreement also includes

an interim salary offer of 10 per cent payable from January 1, 2015 for all categories of staff, and promises that there shall be no victimisation or harassment by either side, that there will be no break in service, no loss of pay for strike days and no loss of work for the University.

UGSSA President, Dr Melissa Ifill had related that the signing of the documents “represents the end of a very protracted period of industrial unrest which ultimately resulted in a virtual standstill at the University of Guyana.”

The parties will resume negotiations at the bi-lateral level within seven days of resumption of duties, and will first address allowances and other conditions of work in the memorandum of demands. The parties will then address the multi-year salary agreement. If there is a failure to resolve their differences by June 30, the Labour Ministry will be called in to mediate.

Eon

is to be tried

Dr Verasammy Ramayya

Zulfikar Mustapha

What moving forward means to the youths of Guyana

Dear Editor

There is a lot of chatter taking place on social media about the need to move forward and in most cases, it is perpetuated by young people who are eligible to vote, and who have not experienced any other Government but the PPP/C. The main points being made are: let’s think ahead, the Government is flawed and they want a change.

I beg to differ from this and encourage young people to take a minute and look at the bigger picture. Let’s separate sensationalism and false propaganda from facts. Not because you were born after 1992, means that the past does not matter.

We all know as basic practice that before we make any critical decisions, we should understand the history of the issue and look at the progression of it – not from a linear standpoint, but from a multi-faceted lens.

When you take that minute to assess what to do next

or make the next big decision, you will begin to see what moving forward really means.

Moving forward – that we are now a country of freedoms: to information, to choose our sources of entertainment, to form our own political views, and access to education. These very basic freedoms that we now have to express ourselves did not come easy. It took 28 years of bloodshed and perseverance against an oppressive Opposition. Now it is dangerously ironic that the same members of that oppressive Opposition are using my young brothers and sisters to fight their frontline battle, knowing very well that they are misguiding you. They are still the same oppressive folks that the PPP/C struggled so hard to remove from office, so that we can now enjoy the benefits of a progressive Guyana. Moving forward – that

foreign investment is flooding to Guyana and is quickly becoming one of the country’slargest employers of young people. Another irony here is that we are not able to produce enough young skilled people to fill these positions, even though we have achieved universal primary education and are close to achieving universal secondary education.

Moving forward – that the PPP/C has educated more youths than any other time in this country’s history to become doctors, engineers, teachers and other leaders through aggressive bilateral and multilateral partnerships with countries and organizations. These young Guyanese specialists are now serving their country and bringing pride to their community and family. I can see the father sitting in his hammock with a smile on his face thinking that he would never have seen the day his kids would become great in this country.

Moving forward – that the PPP/C understands the history of Guyana and will take the time to educate the young people to make the right decisions.

I am confident that the PPP/C also understands that moving forward is only a natural part of our country’s path and we also know that the youths will take us forward in this path.

I am truly happy to see my fellow young generation proudly voicing their opinions and taking a stand for something, but is it something we can achieve through the Opposition? Do you fully understand what you are fighting for? And have you heard any tangible solution coming from the Opposition? I challenge the youths to ask the Opposition what moving forward means to them and how are they going to take you forward from where you already are with the PPP/C.

Malcolm Watkins

Guyana became economically bankrupt prior to 1992

Dear Editor,

I read a recent article in another section of the media, saying that financial lawlessness at NICIL, GRA, GFC, GGMC, etc will be dealt with by the APNUAFC. In the article, Carl Greenidge in vain efforts at mischievous political propaganda, succinctly nailed himself for being an alien to transparency and accountability, since it was he who never lived up to these management qualities.

When he was the Minister of Finance in the PNC’s illegal Government prior to 1992, which caused Guyana to collapse both socially and economically. Greenidge should have been

jailed.

Let me ask Greenidge a question: when he was a Minister of Finance, how many sector reports did he present to Parliament? In fact during the illegal PNC’s Government reign, reports by the state agencies were never submitted to Parliament which demonstrated the financial lawlessness, lack of transparency, lack of accountability and incompetence of the past illegal PNC regime.

No wonder Guyana was destroyed by Greenidge who is now the financial spokesman for the PNC/APNUAFC Coalition.

But the so-called “economic plan” by the PNC/

APNU-AFC coalition itself needs cleaning since its crafters, including Greenidge, practiced financial lawlessness when he was Minister of Finance.

The PNC/APNU-AFC’s “economic plan” is therefore basically a sham or a hoax designed to fool the people. But the Guyanese people will not be fooled.

Greenidge said that the PNC/APNU-AFC’s coalition “economic plan” is for “much needed transparency and accountability can be returned”. Is Greenidge suffering from amnesia or is simply being asinine?

The fact that Guyana became economically bank-

rupt prior to 1992 when Greenidge was the Finance Minister is ample evidence to prove that “transparency and accountability” were never recognised by Greenidge himself and his illegal PNC regime which rigged elections from 19681985. But today under the PPP/C Government, Guyana bounced back to an economically healthy nation with continued economic growth.

But it is the national Treasury, which Greenidge and the other Opposition vultures want badly to put their hands into. The Guyanese People will never allow this to happen.

Peter Persaud

AFC leaders are bent on power grabbing

Dear Editor,

The AFC’s programme, “Alliance on the move”, is now being used to incite racial strife among Indians and Afro-Guyanese in Berbice.

On a weekly basis, AFC’s Executive Dr Veersammy Ramayya has been telling viewers in Berbice that the Indians do not want a “Blackman” to rule over them, but they are going to the USA, a “Blackman country”, and they are going to Barbados, a “Blackman country”.

This is a wicked and racist statement since the Indians in this country are not against the AfroGuyanese, but they are against the PNC which destroyed this country, not only from 1964, but they

had stymied development since 1961.

The 1961-64 period was a period of strikes and strife, civil unrest, burning, looting, murder and mayhem and this was orchestrated by the PNC under Forbes Burnham and the UF under Peter D’Auigar and the CIA. This is no secret!

Therefore, the PNC has been systematically destroying this country since 1961. The people of this country do not want a return of the PNC and that has nothing to do with the Afro-Guyanese.

On February 28, Ramayya attacked the people of Black Bush Polder and called them racists. He repeatedly told Berbicians that the people

in Black Bush do not want a “Blackman” to rule them, but they are carrying their greens to Georgetown for the “Black” people to buy them in Georgetown.

He angrily told them that they should sell their produce at the Port Mourant Market. He concluded that the “Black” people are assisting Indians to live by buying their fish, rice and greens and therefore Indians should vote for David Granger as President.

The programme was filled with racist remarks, which he attributed to the Indians of Berbice. This is a wicked lie which is meant to ignite racial hatred. Ramayya has now realised that many AFC members

Freddie longs to visit the land of his forefathers

Dear Editor,

In his veritable daily column, "I’m ashamed of my country, my President, myself ", on March 1, I noticed that I've made it to Freddie's top five notorious "East Indian supremacists" list!

What have I done to be bestowed that dubious honour?!

I am presently residing in India (where I've lived for most of the past two decades), and someone should tell Freddie that I've never been bored once since taking up residence here.

This land of contrasts, smells, colours and adventure presents no time or opportunity to be bored! (Wished Freddie could check out Holi in India - to be cel-

ebrated on March 6; it’s a wild (and also beautiful) experience!

Freddie longs to visit the land of his forefathers. I'd love to show him (his expense!) some of the modern Indian city life, somewhat ancient village life, let him sample vegetarian biriyani with his hand if he so chooses, and experience the artsincluding (classical) dance, and simple music with tabla or dholak.

After this indulgence, I am sure that Freddie could snap out of his shame - and might also become a 'proud' Indian (like his hero, Eusia proud African!)

Devanand Bhagwan

IDB should be commended for showing confidence in Guyana

Dear Editor,

The Working People's Alliance (WPA) has reportedly took offence over the IDB continuing to honour financial commitments to the Guyana Government on the ground that elections are due to be held shortly and therefore there is an absence of parliamentary oversight over financial expenditures over resources provided by the Bank.

This argument is at best specious and lacking in any understanding on how the IDB and for that matter in other international financial institution conduct their business.

The first point to note is that loans and grants are not given to promote partisan interests, but to advance the overall good regardless of which political party is elected to Government.

and supporters are moving back to the PPP/C, so he is now getting desperate! He then resorted to ad hominem attacks on Sixtus Edwards and Balwant Persaud. He claimed that Mr Edwards lost his position as General Secretary and that is the reason why he was in Berbice exposing the lies and corruption of the AFC . What Ramayya needs to understand is that Mr Edwards was replaced by David Patterson in a rigged election since 2012 and that the ex-General Secretary only resigned a month ago. Is it reasonable to suggest that Mr Edwards took over two years to resign and attack the AFC because he lost his position? Mr

Edwards finally resigned because of the coalition with the PNC/APNU-AFC. It was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. He further claimed Persaud’s Canadian visa was revoked because he was involved in visa irregularities. Now the facts are clear. Mr Persaud only resigned from the AFC two weeks ago and until then he was a good man of reputable character! Why is it that two weeks after resigning Mr Persaud is now a bad and characterless man? The fact is that he resigned because of the coalition with PNC/APNUAFC and, like Edwards, it was the last straw. These people have had enough of the lies, deception and corruption of the AFC ‘fat cats’.

The WPA ought to be aware that even during the days of PNC dictatorial and minority rule both the IDB and the IMF did business with the then regime even though significant sums of money were spent on ill conceived projects many of which never saw the light of day.

One consequence of such reckless financial management by the PNC regime was a crippling foreign debt burden which at one time consumed over ninety per cent of the country's revenues.

I think the IDB ought to be commended for the confidence it has displayed in the country rather than the unwarranted attacks it has been receiving from the WPA and the political opposition as a whole.

This is why there can be no hiatus in the operations of the Bank, whose modus operandi is based on predictability, political stability and continuity, and not on considerations based on narrow partisan self interests as is being suggested by the WPA.

Hydar Ally

I am appealing to the Ethnic Relations Commission and related organisations to investigate the racist statements made by the AFC executive members before it is too late. We cannot afford a replay of the 1961-1964 period.

The AFC leaders are so bent on power grabbing that they do not care about the negative and disastrous consequences of their utterances in public and since the coalition they are desperate to stop the exodus of their members and supporters back to the PPP/C and that is the main reason why they are now playing the race card.

Haseef Yusuf

Guyana won three titles in the inaugural 2015 Jamaica Winter Table Tennis Open championship, which was played from February 27 to March 1 at the Montego Bay Community College in Jamaica.

Kyle Edghill was the winner of the 18 years and under category while in the 21 years and under boys’ contest, Shemar Britton emerged victorious. The women’s singles saw Trenace Lowe winning the title.

In the Men’s singles semi-finals, Edinho Lewis lost to Damien Provost of France 4-0 while Shemar Britton lost to Emit Santos of Dominican Republic 4-2.

The Women’s singles final saw Lowe producing a dominant performance to defeat Yvonne Foster of Jamaica 4-0.

In the 11 years and under boys’ matchup, Colin Wong finished third, while in the 15 years and under boys’ final Miguel Wong (Guyana) lost to Alessio Tulloch (Jamaica) 2-3.

Meanwhile, in the 18

years and under boys’ final, Kyle Edghill topped his fellow Guyanese Shemar Britton 3-2.

Colin France

and over

in the

Bolt feels in better shape despite relay loss

Despite losing a sprint to the finish, legend

Usain Bolt says he is in better shape than he was last year when injury forced him to miss most of the season.

The Jamaican sensation was unable to catch up with Tyquendo Tracey while anchoring Racers in an exciting 4 x 100 metres finish against University of Technology (UTECH) at the 39th staging of the Gibson/ McCook Relays over the weekend.

Bolt however has conceded that he needs to get a lot more done if he is to perform to his usual standards this season.

“I think I am getting there. I am not perfect yet,” said Bolt, after his first outing of the season.

“I am in better shape than last season, but I need a lot more work. My coach will now decide what else I need to focus on”.

Bolt received the ba-

ton behind Tracey and despite making up significant ground, failed to overhaul his rival.

However he told journalists that he has identified his weak areas as he prepares to defend his titles at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Beijing, China.

“I was happy with the re-

sult. It’s always good to get back to the track to get some work in to see what it takes to get back on track,” said Bolt.

“You always try to win every race, but what I got from it is that I need more leg power. I will just keep working hard, continue working like I always do and bounce back, and show the world that for me it’s never over”. (CMC)

Guyana perform well at Jamaican championship

Jamaica 3-1 while finishing third in the 40 years and over category.

The team began their quest for regional honours on Saturday, February 28 with the men’s singles, 21 years and 40 years and over. On Sunday, March 1, they continued with the 9, 11, 13, 15, 18 years and under boys’ and girls’ and 50 years and over contests.

The team selected by the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) also included Elishaba Johnson and Sheldon Atherly (Bartica), the next generation of talent that contested in the 18 & 21 years and under categories.

The emerging talent of Miguel Wong who contested in the 15, 18, and 21 years and under years and the Men’s singles as well as seniors; Nigel Bryan who has restarted playing with loads of enthusiasm, along with Edinho Lewis and Joel Alleyne, contested the Men’s singles.

France carried the torch in the Men’s 40 years and 50 years and over along

Woods’ agent denies reports of failed drugs test

The agent of Tiger Woods has rubbished speculation that his client’s sabbatical from golf is due to a failed drugs test.

Tiger Woods’ agent has denied claims that the 14time major winner is serving a suspension for failing a drugs test.

Last Friday, former PGA Tour player Dan Olsen told radio station The Game 730AM that Woods - who last month announced his decision to take an indefinite absence as he tries to recover his form following back problems - had been banned, before then retracting his statement.

And Woods’ representative Mark Steinberg and the PGA Tour’s executive vice president Ty Votaw have both issued strict denials.

“Over the past year, Woods has withdrawn with an injury three times and now fallen outside of the 70 in the world,” Steinberg told ESPN.

“These claims are absolutely, unequivocally and completely false. They are unsourced, unverified and completely ridiculous. The PGA Tour has confirmed that there is no truth to these claims.”

Votaw added: “There is no truth whatsoever to these claims. We categorically deny these allegations.’’ Woods is expected to return in time for The Masters at August next month.

Veteran

reached the final

50 years

contest, but lost to Keith Evans of

with veteran player and Coach, Raynor Anderson.

The team was led by GTTA General Secretary and National Table Tennis Coach Linden Johnson.

Fly Jamaica contributed rebated taxes tickets to the Guyana national players to facilitate the team’s participation. (Treiston Joseph)

Shemar Britton

Trenace Lowe

Usian Bolt

Tiger Woods

Amla, du Plessis tons pummel Ireland

Just another day with 400 scored in a one-day international. Twice in two innings South Africa have now crossed the milestone, this time anchored by hundreds from Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, as they overwhelmed Ireland by 201 runs which did severe damage to their net run rate, which could be a factor in quarter-final qualification.

Given the margin it is stretching the point to suggest one dropped catch changed the game, but Ireland found out how costly it can be to reprieve Amla when he was shelled on 10 by Ed Joyce at short midwicket. It would have left South Africa 25 for 2. Amla and du Plessis forged a 247run stand for the second wicket before Rilee Rossouw and David Miller closed the innings with a partnership of 110 off 51 balls for the fifth wicket.

They could even afford for AB de Villiers to fall for 24 - albeit off nine balls - and still enjoy a supercharged finish. Rossouw brought up the 400 with his third six, clubbed over deep midwicket in the final over which cost 24, to carry South Africa beyond 400 for the third time this year. Next stop, 450. Ireland have not been frightened by chasing 300 at World Cups, having done it successfully three times including against West Indies in this tournament, but this target would have been beyond their compass even without such a terminal early slide to 48 for 5 against South Africa’s pace attack. Kyle Abbott continued to flourish as Vernon Philander’s understudy

with 4 for 21. The Brendon McCullum School Of Captaincy would have been to aim for the swift finish, but de Villiers opted to try a few of his fifth-bowler combinations (including himself, with the reward of a wicket) and Ireland showed their spirit. Andy Balbirnie, who was picked out by many of his team-mates before the tournament as a player to watch, struck a plucky halfcentury from 66 balls and

Rossouw, with 27-ball fifty, and Miller.

Amla’s hundred, his 20th in his 108th innings, which made him comfortably the fastest to that landmark, came at a calculated run-a-ball and as he skipped past his previous best of 153 with nine overs remaining, the second double-hundred of the tournament was there for the taking before he picked out long-off.

Du Plessis’ century,

Kevin O’Brien hit 48 which moved the defeat away from record-breaking territory. The lower-order runs could yet be crucial in future calculations.

There was inevitability to South Africa’s mammoth total once Amla and du Plessis had settled themselves inside the opening Powerplay. The tenover splits highlighted the team’s seamless progress: 57, 58, 66, 99 and 131 - the last block dominated by

brought up from 103 deliveries, was his first since last September against Zimbabwe and followed half-centuries against India and West Indies. On 19 he had edged Stirling between the keeper and O’Brien at slip, but it was a much tougher opportunity than the one given to Amla.

His reprieve marked the end of a brief period at the start of the match where Ireland made life tricky. John Mooney, who began

with consecutive maidens, continued Quinton de Kock’s difficult start to the tournament when the opener edged a delivery slanted across him although Ireland needed to use the DRS.

However, even in the early overs when Mooney hit a testing line and length there was no support from the other end as Max Sorensen’s first two overs cost a contrasting 21, including five wides. O’Brien’s first two overs, following the pain of seeing Amla missed, also went for 21 and William Porterfield turned to George Dockrell in the tenth over.

The 24th over, the second of Sorensen’s second spell, provided a kick to the innings as it was dispatched for 24; Amla effortlessly took sixes over long-on and cover while du Plessis picked up one for himself. The second over of the second Powerplay, bowled by O’Brien, cost 13 and the next from Mooney was flayed for 27 as his figures took a battering. Amla continued to lead the sixes count, including a wonderful inside-out drive over cover. O’Brien, though, held his nerve and produced a well-disguised slower-ball yorker to defeat du Plessis, although Ireland’s fellow bowlers may have wondered if that was a smart move when de Villiers strode to the middle.

This time the fireworks were brief. There was not a dot ball in sight as he skipped to 24 off eight but then got too far under a reverse sweep against Andy McBrine, recalled to side in place of Alex Cusack. It meant a memorable double for the offspinner who,

two balls earlier, had ended Amla’s stay. McBrine finished with figures he could be proud of, but any hopes Ireland may have had of a quieter end to the innings were emphatically dashed.

In the early stages of the chase, Dale Steyn and company were in no mood

when he edged a full one having been pinned back by a bouncer.

Porterfield, after trying to marshal his bowlers amid the batting onslaught, flicked low to midwicket to give Abbott his first. Niall O’Brien was held at first slip, although in Amla’s

SCOREBOARD

South Africa innings (50 overs maximum)

HM Amla c Joyce

b McBrine 159 Q de Kock† c †Wilson b Mooney 1 F du Plessis b KJ O’Brien 109 AB de Villiers* c NJ O’Brien

b McBrine 24

DA Miller not out 46 RR Rossouw not out 61 Extras: (b 1, w 7, nb 3) 11 Total: (4 wickets; 50 overs) 411

Did not bat: F Behardien, DW Steyn, KJ Abbott, M Morkel, Imran Tahir.

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-259, 3-299, 4-301. Ireland Bowling: JF Mooney 7-2-52-1, MC Sorensen 6-0-76-0, KJ O’Brien 7-0-95-1, GH Dockrell 10-056-0, PR Stirling 10-0-68-0, AR McBrine 10-0-63-2

Ireland innings WTS Porterfield* c du Plessis

for messing around. Steyn, in his 100th ODI – notably spread over a near 10-year career which shows how he has been managed and also how South Africa’s oneday schedule is not as prolific as others – pushed up the speedgun in a four-over opening spell.

He found the edge of Paul Stirling although, as with de Kock earlier in the day, DRS was needed to remove the batsman and he also had Joyce taken at slip

armpit when de Kock dived across, and Gary Wilson was trapped on the crease. He later returned to have Kevin O’Brien taken at deep square leg although may remain behind Philander in a fully-fit pecking order.

The result leaves just two unbeaten sides in the tournament – New Zealand and India – while the heavy nature of the defeat means six points may not be enough for Ireland to progress. (Cricinfo)

UAE bowl, both teams unchanged

Mohamed Tauqir, the UAE captain, won the toss and inserted Pakistan in Napier. UAE named the same XI that was thrashed by India, and the decision to bowl first on a pitch that is usually full of runs might be interpreted as a reaction to that game. UAE were bowled out for just 102 in Perth.

The match is effectively a must-win encounter for the two teams propping up the Group B table. Pakistan have won only once in their first three fixtures and UAE remain winless.

Pakistan kept faith with the same XI that defeated Zimbabwe, meaning no recall for legspinner Yasir Shah or specialist wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed. That meant Nasir Jamshed had another opportunity to impress after a wretched start to the tournament. With one run in two innings

and some less-than-athletic fielding, he may well require a strong performance to see off the challenge from Safaraz, who is also pushing to take the gloves from Umar Akmal.

Despite warm weather, there is a disappointing crowd of perhaps 250 at McLean Park for the start of the game.

Pakistan: 1 Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Haris Sohail, 4 Misbah-ul-

Haq (capt), 5 Umar Akmal (wk), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Sohaib Maqsood, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Sohail Khan, 10 Rahat Ali, 11 Mohammad Irfan

UAE: 1 Amjad Ali, 2 Andri Berenger, 3 Krishna Chandran, 4 Khurram Khan, 5 Swapnil Patil (wk), 6 Shaiman Anwar, 7 Rohan Mustafa, 8 Amjad Javed, 9 Mohammad Naveed, 10 Mohammad Tauqir (capt), 11 Manjula Guruge (Cricinfo)

Pakistan innings (50 overs maximum)

Nasir Jamshed c Khurram Khan

b Guruge 4

Ahmed Shehzad not out 27

Haris Sohail not out 31

(w 5) 5

(1 wicket; 15 overs) 67

Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis helped South Africa surge to 411

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NBA roundup…

Heat pull off big win against Suns

Tyler Johnson scored a career-high 26 points, Goran Dragic added 21 against his former team and the Miami Heat beat the Phoenix Suns 115-98 on Monday night in a game that included two thirdquarter altercations.

Hassan Whiteside finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds before getting ejected for Miami, which got 16 points and nine assists from Dwyane Wade.

Eric Bledsoe scored 20 for the Suns, who got 18 points and 13 rebounds from P.J. Tucker. Markieff Morris and Brandon Knight scored 13 apiece, and Alex Len had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The story line was supposed to be Dragic facing the club that traded him to Miami last month, amid hurt feelings on both sides.

Emotions boiled over instead.

In all, there were five player technicals, three ejections and two flagrant fouls assessed in the third quarter alone, the 12 minutes of play needing 42 minutes to complete.

Morris was ejected for a flagrant-2 foul against Dragic in the third quarter, and Whiteside and Len were both tossed later in the period after getting tangled up under the Miami basket.

Nets 110, Warriors 108

Jarrett Jack made a tiebreaking jumper with 1.1 seconds left and Brooklyn overcame Stephen Curry’s stirring fourth-quarter comeback attempt to beat Golden State.

Curry brought the Warriors back from 10 points down with under 4 minutes left to tie it, but couldn’t get a final shot off after Jack’s jumper.

Curry finished with 26 points, 18 in the final period. Jack, however, calmly ran the clock down and shot over him as the Nets won their first game at home since Feb. 6.

Brook Lopez had 26 points and Deron Williams 22 for the Nets.

Andrew Bogut scored 16 for Golden State, but Klay

De

AB de Villiers labelled Hashim Amla as South Africa’s “rock” after his 159 helped them convincingly beat Ireland at the Cricket World Cup.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers hailed opener Hashim Amla after he recorded a one-day international career-best 159 in their 201-run win over Ireland.

Amla survived a scare early in his innings before piling on the runs in Canberra, sharing a 247run second-wicket partnership with Faf du Plessis as

Thompson shot 3 for 17. He was 1 of 9 on 3-pointers and finished with seven points.

Alan Anderson scored 16 for the Nets, who had played eight in a row on the road since beating New York at Barclays Center on Feb. 6, a 24-day stretch between home games that ranked as the longest in franchise history.

Now the Warriors can’t wait to get home, ending their six-game trip and a stretch of 10 road games out of 11.

Clippers 110, Timberwolves 105

Chris Paul had 26 points and 14 assists, and Los Angeles allowed only one field goal in the fourth quarter to outlast Minnesota.

J.J. Redick scored 18 points before getting ejected in the fourth and DeAndre Jordan had 12 points and 18 rebounds, his ninth straight game with at least 15 boards. Glen Davis scored 12 points off the bench to help the Clippers get their seventh win in nine games.

Ricky Rubio had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Timberwolves, who were missing starters Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin. Minnesota went 1 for 14 in the fourth quarter.

Gary Neal had 19 points and nine rebounds, but missed a forced 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds to go that would have tied the game.

Raptors 114, 76ers 103

DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 35 points,

they charged past 400 for a second successive game.

De Villiers was delighted with their display, but singled out Amla for his impressive batting performance as the key to victory.

“He was incredible,” he said. “Hash will always be the rock for us.

“He effortlessly plays with a lot of class. Whatever you do he always has the answer.”

A disciplined bowling performance – led by Kyle Abbott with 4-21 – helped keep Ireland in check, something De Villiers

Lou Williams had 21 and Toronto snapped a fivegame losing streak with a win over Philadelphia.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey gave slumping AllStar and Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry another night off to rest. Even without their leading scorer in the lineup for the second straight game, the Raptors won for the first time since Feb. 20.

Patrick Patterson scored 15 points for Toronto, and Greivis Vasquez added 12. Nerlens Noel scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting for the Sixers.

Mavericks 102, Pelicans 93 Richard Jefferson tied his season high with 16 points, seven during a 16-0 Dallas run early in the third quarter, and the Mavericks raced past the New Orleans Pelicans 102-93 on Monday night.

The 34-year-old Jefferson made his fifth consecutive start in place of small forward Chandler Parsons, sidelined with a sprained left ankle, and hit five of six field goal attempts.

The Mavericks were led by Monta Ellis with 20 points. Rajon Rondo added 19 points, 15 in the first half.

The Pelicans, who entered on a five-game winning streak that equaled their longest in the last four years, were paced by Norris Cole with 19 points off the bench. Eric Gordon added 18 and Tyreke Evans 17. (The Vancouver Sun)

hopes to see more of as they go in search of a first World Cup win.

“I was very impressed with the bowlers,” he added. “They were very motivated. “The combination [we use] will depend on matchby-match basis. We will see how we go.”

South Africa moved level with India at the top of Pool B following the victory and will look to consolidate their position when they meet Pakistan in Auckland on Saturday. (Digicel Sportsmax)

wAnTed

Goran Dragic

CIDI annual cycling set for Saturday

Caribbean International Distributors Inc (CIDI) will on Saturday stage its second annual 11-race cycling programme at the inner circuit of the National Park, as a precursor to the second leg of the Cheddi Jagan Memorial road race on Sunday in Berbice.

The CIDI event will pedal off at 09:00h and

will culminate with the feature 35-lap School Boys and Invitational race, which is once again expected to attract the country’s leading riders.

The day’s activities, which are being sponsored

under the Thrill soft drink brand, will commence with the BMX events, such as the 6-9, 9-12 and 12-14 races, followed by rivalry in the Veterans Under-50, Over-50 and Over-60. There will also be races for the Juniors/Juveniles and Mountain Bikers. Last year’s main event was won by Hamzah Eastman, who was at the time riding for United Bike Shop. Eastman, who has since switched allegiance to Team Coco’s,

had clocked one hour, 18 minutes, 3 seconds (01h: 18m: 03s).

He would, however, face stiff competition in his bid to retain the title, as a number of seasoned cyclists are set to take the starting line. Among them are Alanzo Greaves, Robin Persaud, Marlon Williams, Paul Choo Wee Nam, Paul DeNobrega and Orville Hinds.

A new champion will be crowned in the Juniors/Juveniles, as last

Raffik and Sons T20 tournament...

Mahadeo inspires RHT Bakewell to successive victories

Abrilliant all-round performance from former Guyana Under-19 player Khemraj Mahadeo eventually led Rose Hall Town Bakewell to their third successive victory in the Raffik and Sons 20 overs tournament for teams in the Lower/Central Corentyne area.

Playing against Jai Hinds at the Albion Front Ground, the 30-year-old took 2 for 17 off his four overs before slamming an aggressive 58 to lead RHT Bakewell to an easy eight-wicket victory.

year’s champion Michael Anthony has graduated to the senior ranks. Junior Niles and Clyde Jacobs were the winners in the Veterans Under-50 and Mountain Bike categories respectively.

As was the case last year, CIDI Sales and Marketing Manager Alisia Katideen will once again be on hand to witness the races and assist in the presentation of prizes at the conclusion. (Avenash Ramzan)

Batting first after losing the toss, Jai Hinds reached a respectable 146-9 off their allotted 20 overs. D Naidu topscored with an attractive 50, with four huge sixes and a boundary, while L Veersammy chipped in with 44 (2x4, 3x6).

The pair added 90 for the third wicket but when Mahadeo bowled Veersammy in the 15th over, Jai Hinds suffered a major collapse from a healthy 1102 to 146-9.

Bowling for RHT Bakewell, Mahadeo was supported by Sherain Murray (3-27); off-spinner Azam Khan (2-30), and West Indies female pacer Erva Giddings (2-22).

In their run chase, Mahadeo and former

Berbice Under-19 player Vishal Crandon added 98 off 10 overs before Crandon was dismissed for 43 (2x4, 3x6). However, when Mahadeo fell at 115-2, RHT Bakewell was well within reach of the winning target. Mahadeo struck five fours and two sixes.

Former national player Delbert Hicks and Brandon Prashad then added 35 runs in an unbroken third-wicket partnership to take the visitors to 150-2 in 17.3 overs. Hicks was unbeaten on 20, while the promising Prashad was on 18. RHT Bakewell will play Yakusari Cricket Club at the Area H Ground next Sunday.

Khemraj Mahadeo

Flashback! Top performers of the various categories pose with officials of CIDI at last year’s event (Avenash Ramzan file photo)

Alisia Katideen

Tiger Sports supports local talent

Tiger Sports, of Old Road, Enmore, East Coast Demerara, is into the business of sports gear, trophies and other sport-related equipment , but its aim is much more than providing quality equipment for the country’s sportsmen and women.

In fact, the company, which is operated by former national wicketkeeper/batsman Sheik Mohamed, is also doing its bit to mould local talent.

At a match on Sunday at the Cultural Cricket Club Ground in Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara, where the hosts played against the Guyana Media XI, Mohamed, who appeared as a guest player for the home team, presented a pair of batting gloves to Ravi Persaud, who opens the batting for the Media XI.

The left-handed Persaud captured the interest of Mohamed, who was also a national selector attached to the Guyana Cricket Board.

Persaud topscored for the Media XI with 29, and immediately after the game, Mohamed made the presentation to the young batsman. Mohamed said he was impressed with the way Persaud went about con-

structing his innings, noting that he was an obvious talent.

Persaud expressed gratitude to Mohamed for the kind gesture, adding that he was grateful for the support.

“Khangan” softball at Lusignan on Saturday

The Lusignan Community Centre Ground, East Coast Demerara, will be buzzing with activity on Saturday night when popular entertainer Rajan “Zapper Man” Tiwari, stages what he dubs a “Khangan” softball cricket competition, set to bowl off at 18:00h.

Set to be held the day after Phagwah, the tournament is for 11-a-side teams and the number of overs will be decided based on the number of teams that enters.

According to Tiwari, teams desirous of playing are required to pay an entrance fee of $15,000,

with the winning team set to pocket $125,000 and the runner-up $50,000. Already, several top teams from the East Coast have indicated their interest, according to Tiwari.

He said interested teams can just turn up at the venue on Saturday and register or contact him on 652-9570 for more information on registration and other details.

Apart from the on-field rivalry, there will be several novelty events for patrons, compliments of sponsors Payless Variety Store, Banks DIH Limited and Smart Choice Variety Store.

Rose Hall Jammers created an upset when they sent the defending champions of the annual Anamayah Memorial Basketball Tournament packing.

With home court advantage at the Area H Ground in Rose Hall Town, the Jammers outplayed New Amsterdam Rockers to book a ticket for the final.

The Jammers were bent on securing their first-ever win over the defending champions from the start of the game, shutting down the pre-match favourites 13-4 at the end of the first quarter.

Despite some excellent shooting by Shimroy Mc Kenzie who had a game high of 18 points for the Warriors, they still trailed 16-19 when the half-time whistle came.

Esan Wiggings (12 points) and Antonio Asiam (12 points) joined forces for the Jammers in the third quarter to ensure that they finished the session with an eight-point advantage. Perry Cort with nine points also supported the Jammers to ensure victory.

In a losing effort, Captain Kirk Fraser (nine

important to maintain winning...

While, the Guyanese has won six Regional titles, their last was back in 1998 when they shared it with the Leeward Islands.

“Our disciplines have been good in all departments, but I think we could be a little better in the field, but mainly our discipline has been good and we have been gelling well as a unit. I thing the management staff has created that atmosphere where the players are comfortable, hence the good performances,” Johnson related.

Meanwhile, the squad resumed training on Tuesday at the Guyana National Stadium.

go a number of fitness tests before making a return to the side.

Guyana Jaguars Assistant Coach/Manager Rayon Griffith had told Guyana Times Sport on Thursday last that while the West Indies left-handed batsmen may be medically clear, the team management will still have to carry out some physical tests in order to make a decision on Fudadin’s return.

The 29-year-old had fractured his right little finger during West Indies’ warmups on the first morning of the Centurion Test in December last year.

Fudadin had surgery

withdrew due to personal reasons.

Former Captain Assad Fudadin, who was on the injured list is back to full fitness and was part of the Tuesday’s training. He is expected to under-

on the finger later in the day, before returning home. Ironically, Fudadin had himself been brought into the squad as a replacement player, after Darren Bravo

points) and Edmar Semple (seven points) failed to save the inaugural tournament winners from defeat.

Meanwhile on Sunday, newcomers to Berbice basketball, Hopetown Strikers will be at home to play Smythfield Rockers for a place in the final.

Strikers had created a major upset when they beat Fyrish Black Sharks 48-45 earlier in the competition.

The tournament is being organised by Vibert Garnette. At stake in the competition are cash and other incentives for the winning and runner-up teams.

Rajan Tiwari

Proprietor of Tiger Sports and former national wicketkeeper/ batsman Sheik Mohamed (right) presents a pair of batting gloves to Guyana Media XI opener Ravi Persaud

The Pride is in second position in the regional tournament on 82 points followed

by the Windward Islands Volcanoes, 80; Jamaica Franchise, 60; Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, 47, and Leeward Islands Hurricanes 17.

Assad Fudadin is back to full fitness and was part of the Guyana Jaguars training on Tuesday (Photo: Rajiv Bisnauth)

Leon Johnson

WICB PCL 4-day cricket tournament...

Important to maintain winning momentum, says Johnson

– Jaguars resume training ahead of Friday’s game against Jamaica

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Guyana Jaguars

Captain Leon Johnson urged his side to show the same “relentless” approach that characterised their four-

Guyana National Stadium. The victory helped the Jaguars to consolidate their position at the top of the table with 107 points. They have being the dominant force throughout the tournament with six outright wins

remaining games.

After the game against the Jamaicans, the Guyanese will tackle Trinidad and Tobago Red Force from March 13 at home before playing hosts Windward Islands

of seven, so it’s obviously important that we continue playing well,” Johnson pointed out.

The 27 year-old West Indies batsman was pleased with the businesslike manner in which the players

wicket win over Barbados Pride in Round Seven of the West Indies Cricket Board Professional Cricket League four-day tournament when they play the Jamaica franchise from Friday at the

for the season.

However, Johnson said that while the prospect of winning the title was definitely on course, it was important to maintain the winning momentum in the three

Volcanoes from March 20, in the final round.

“Momentum is certainly very important. We have been playing good cricket so far in the tournament; we only lost one game out

Kashif and Shanghai football…

went about their duties so far, an attitude, he said, signalled their enthusiasm in ensuring the South Americans win the title for the first time in 17 years.

Mohamed’s Enterprise comes big for 25th edition

The Kashif and Shanghai Organisation is celebrating its 25th anniversary since starting what has now become a household name in football competitions, and Mohamed’s Enterprise, the organisation’s longest and most faithful supporter, was not going to miss out on this monumental achievement.

The entity, located on Lombard Street, has been on board with the competition for the past 24 years, and apart from putting up the usual replica trophies for the champion team, the company has also agreed to donate the first-place cash prize of two million dollars.

Mohamed’s Enterprise Managing Director Nazar

Mohamed said he was enthused to once again throw his support behind the Kashif and Shanghai Directors, Kashif Muhammad and Aubrey “Shanghai” Major, and the community of Linden, where the two football promoters hail from.

He noted that he has a “personal attachment” to the promoters and the community; hence, it was an easy decision to renew the alliance with the tournament.

Both Muhammad and Major were on hand to receive the sponsorship, and they both expressed gratitude to Mohamed’s Enterprise for investing in club football for another year. The competition will run from March 20 to April 5, and will feature

Upcoming World Cup matches (with Guyana time)

Tuesday: 25th Match, Pool B- Pakistan v UAE, 21:00h

Wednesday: 26th Match, Pool A- Australia v Afghanistan, 02:30h

Wednesday: 27th Match, Pool A- Bangladesh v Scotland, 18:00h

Thursday: 28th Match, Pool B- India v West Indies, 02:30h

top football clubs from across the country.

Georgetown Football Club (GFC) will meet with Den Amstel, while Riddim Squad face off against New Amsterdam United on the tournament’s opening day at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) Ground.

When the competition continues on March 21 at the Victoria Community Centre Ground, two-time champions

Fruta Conquerors will play Mahaica Determinators and 2008 winners Pele come up against Grove Hi-Tech.

Anns Grove will travel to Linden where they will play Winners Connection on March 23 at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, the same day Western Tigers will clash with Hi-Stars.

Final first-round matches in the ‘win or go home’ formatted tournament will

see Guyana’s number one club Alpha “The Hammer” United playing newcomers Agricola Red Triangle and Slingerz FC, who themselves are playing in their first Kashif and Shanghai tournament, will feature against 2001 champions Victoria Kings at the DCC Ground.

The DCC Ground will also host the quarter-finals matches on March 27

and 28, while the recentlybuilt stadium at Leonora will be the battleground for the tournament’s semi-finals on April 1 and the final will be played at the Guyana National Stadium on April 5.

Winners of this year’s tournament will walk away with $2 million, runner-up $1 million, while third and fourth will pocket $500,000 and $250,000 respectively.

Mohamed’s Enterprise Managing Director Nazar Mohamed (centre) presents the sponsorship cheque and replica trophies to Kashif Muhammad (left) and Aubrey “Shanghai” Major

Wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble takes a catch during Guyana Jaguars catching practice (Photos: Rajiv Bisnauth)

Shivnarine Chanderpaul during training on Tuesday turn to page 23