Guyana Times Daily - January 14, 2015

wednesday, JanUaRy 14, 2015 | gUyanatimesgy.com

High incidence of child labour in Pomeroon – PPP/C Councillor

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Councillor Arylene Boyan has reported that child labour is prevalent in the Lower Pomeroon area in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) and there is need for more truancy campaigns.

Boyan was at the time speaking at the monthly Regional Democratic Council (RDC) meeting for 2015 held on Tuesday in the boardroom of the RDC in Anna Regina, Region Two. Boyan, who overlooks the welfare of Pomeroon residents, said there has been an increase in the number of school dropouts and children who are not attending school regularly in the area. Boyan explained to the Council that on a daily basis, children are seen working on farms and not attending school. She said that although efforts were made to reach with parents, the situation still remains the same.

The PPP/C Councillor said that education is the key to development and parents in the area need to send their children to school more regularly. The Councillor is calling on the Education Ministry to visit the area and conduct truancy campaigns.

Meanwhile, Region Two Education Officer Bharamdai Seepersaud said that a truancy campaign is schedule for next week. She

noted that she has received several complaints from residents about children not attending school. Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud called on the Education Ministry to step up and conduct meetings with residents to address the issue. He said that parents who have children attending school are receiving vouchers from Government, through the Education Ministry, adding that poverty should not be a reason why children stay away from school. He also called upon parents to encourage their children to attend school.

TACKLE Project

Back in 2011, Government had announced that it was moving to review national legislation and policy framework regarding child labour in the country with the view to making possible adjustments to strengthen enforcement mechanisms related to the issue. The review was part of the Tackling Child Labour Through Education (TACKLE) Project, launched in 2008 in 11 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, including Guyana. The project seeks to help reduce poverty by providing equitable access to basic education and skills development to children involved in child labour or at risk of being involved in such a situation. The project involves

strengthening the capacity of national and local authorities to better formulate, implement and enforce policies that fight child labour in partnership with social associates and civil society.

Bringing national laws into harmony with the (International Labour Organisation) ILO Conventions is one of the first steps participating countries are expected to take under TACKLE. The project was strategically developed through a partnership signed in 2004 between the ILO and the European Commission (EC) aimed at implementing a common mission to reduce poverty and improve labour conditions in developing countries. The overarching pur-

pose is to accelerate efforts against increasing poverty to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In Guyana, Government embarked on the TACKLE Project to reduce truancy and increase school attendance. Last year, several truancy campaigns were held in various communities to investigate whether children were suffering because of child labour. Several activities were held to promote the reduction of child labour, including ‘World Day against Child Labour’, the ‘Red Card to Child Labour’ campaign, and posters were posted at pub-

lic institutions, including schools. The United States Trafficking In Persons (TIP) 2010 Report stated that the US Department of Labour withdrew 984 children from employment in logging, sawmilling, fishing, hazardous farming, factory work, mining, and freight handling from 2005 to 2009. However, the Guyanese authorities had refuted and condemned this claim. The Guyanese officials have also challenged those in Washington to produce evidence of child labour in Guyana and proof that it removed 984 children from exploitative situations here.

US author publishes adventure fiction novel based on Guyana

Jess Eise just released her second novel Black River Redemption that is based on her travels in Guyana, South America. The novel is a compelling adventure fiction story about a young woman who sets out to research malaria in the small country of Guyana but is met with a twist of fate and a life experience she will never forget.

Eise spent two months in Guyana, for a work project in January and February of 2014. She was inspired to write her second novel by the people she met, the culture, and the remarkable diversity. “If people know Guyana at all, they know it because of the tragic Jonestown mas-

sacre. However, it’s so much more than that,” the author said. “The diversity and culture are remarkable – it’s an English-speaking, Caribbean culture in South America with an absolutely unique and stunning landscape.”

The novel captures many facets of the Guyanese culture and geography. The unique black rivers that distinguish the country are a recurring theme. She integrates the many different ethnicities that form a part of the country. “I was so motivated by the many interesting and brilliant Guyanese people I met while I was living there. I confess, I actually integrated some of them loosely into the novel.

They might even recognise themselves!” the author related.

Black River Redemption is available on Amazon in both paperback and for Kindle.

Jess Eise graduated from Saint Louis University with a Bachelors in Political Science, International Studies and Spanish. She received her Masters from New York University in International Relations and Journalism. She has done extensive Communications work domestically and abroad. Black River Redemption is her second novel. Her first novel, In A Wild Place is also available for sale on Amazon.

TT-based Guyanese extradited to US for financial fraud

Ravindranauth

Roopnarine, a fugitive wanted in the United States for financial and fraud-related crimes, is the latest criminal to be extradited from Trinidad and Tobago, according to a release from the Office of the Attorney General.

Roopnarine, who was born in Guyana, is the third person to be extradited in three days. Trinidadian Shazam Meighoo and Surinamese Edmund Muntslag were both extradited under differing circumstances last week. “The Central Authority Unit in the Ministry of the Attorney General has succeeded in extraditing yet another criminal wanted by the US law enforcement agencies,” the release stated.

“Ravindranauth Roopnarine, a fugitive on the run from US authorities for financial and fraudrelated crimes, was arrested on Tuesday January 6,

2015. The fugitive, who is 55 years old and is a Guyaneseborn Canadian citizen, had various addresses in south Trinidad,” it said.

In December 2010, the Federal Grand Jury of Florida issued an indictment charging Roopnarine and three other individuals with six counts of mail and wire fraud; four counts of money laundering; and one count of conspiring to commit bank fraud. “On November 12, 2014, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan SC signed the Authority to Proceed to commence the extradition proceedings and a warrant of arrest was obtained and handed over to the Interpol Bureau,” the release stated.

“Around 6.45 p.m. on Tuesday, the fugitive was observed on the premises of a restaurant and bar along Manahambre Road, Ste Madeleine. Assistance was sought from the Senior Superintendent and police officers of the Southern

Division and Roopnarine was apprehended.

“He appeared at the Port of Spain Eighth Magistrates Court before Magistrate Marcia Ayres-Caesar, who upheld submissions made by the head of the Central Authority to deny Roopnarine bail. He was remanded into custody and the matter was adjourned to February 4, 2015.” The release added that the extraditions show this country’s commitment to international judicial cooperation.

“This case represents another noteworthy accomplishment, in light of the recent appointment of Attorney General Ramlogan as vice-chair of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. “It exhibits our ongoing commitment to international judicial cooperation and our promise of swift action on cross-border money-laundering and financing of terrorism,” it stated. (Trinidad Express)

PPP/C Councillor Arylene Boyan

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, January 14 – 11:30h-13:00h

Thursday, January 15 – 13:00h-14:30h

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

Wednesday, January 14 – 10:55h-12:25h

Thursday, January 15 – 12:00h-13:30h

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika departure – 06:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h

Supenaam departure – 06:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers can be expected in the early morning, with heavy showers dominating the remainder of the day. Thundery showers will return in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 23 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 10:54h and 23:31h reaching maximum heights of 2.26 metres and 2.21 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 04:21h and 16:59h reaching minimum heights of 0.99 metre and 0.96 metre respectively.

Chinese businesses pay VAT when goods imported – Sattaur

...due to abuse, weakness in system, no need to collect

Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) says “unregistered” Chinese businesses here pay Value Added Tax on their goods at the time of clearing imports, dismissing claims that these entities are given a free pass by the authority. But he however acknowledged that there are “weaknesses” in the system, which the authority has been working to fix.

Local businesses have repeatedly complained about what they described as “unfair competition” from Chinese businesses who they say do not pay taxes to the State. Sattaur however, explained in an interview with the Guyana Times that this is not necessarily correct. According to the GRA head, Chinese firms generally acquire their goods at very low prices and because in addition their overhead costs are minimal, they are able to under price their competitors.

Sattaur emphasised as he has done repeatedly that many of the local businesses that have been registered to collect VAT in fact do not remit the monies collected from customers, disclosing around $3.2 billion is being withheld monthly from an estimated $4.4 billion. He acknowledged that the difficulties being faced by the business community from having to compete with some Chinese businesses in Guyana are a “rather complex” matter and, to the layman and some businessmen, the problem may appear simply one of not charging VAT. But the Commissioner General said this reasoning is too simplistic “as there is “much more at stake”, which requires careful analysis if the business community and Government are interested in finding real solutions.

Sattaur said in the first instance, some Chinese businesses which are not registered for VAT may be in fact be “under pricing” the other businesses they compete with as a result of trading in “substandard” goods that are relatively inexpensive as stock in trade. “That is, because the cheap, substandard goods they import, on which the GRA col-

lects VAT, coupled with the minimum number of overheads, make the retail selling price very competitive and other businesses are unable to match the selling price,” explained Sattaur. This can be addressed, for instance, by a consumer bureau of standards ensuring that minimum standards on all goods are maintained.

He said many may even argue that, since it is a known fact that many Chinese businesses do not issue receipts, they altogether escape the payment of income tax, as they do not maintain the kind of records that would easily allow for the taxes on their income to be ascertained, much less audited. “It is also to be borne in mind that income taxes are not a deductible expense and irrespective of whether or not the Chinese businesses pay income tax, this is not a fac-

funds, the GRA Head said. According to Sattaur, statistics show that on a monthly basis, well over $3.2 billion in input tax credit is off-set against approximately $4.5 billion in output tax collected from sales from all registered VAT businesses.

VAT later

Chinese unregistered businesses,” added Sattaur. Sattaur said that the main challenge the GRA continues to face with the VAT system is how to get consumers themselves to act more responsibly and demand a receipt every time they buy from a shop keeper. Sattaur said the difficulty lies in the poor record-keeping system that is prevalent among many mediumand small-sized businesses. “With little or no internal controls present, the magnitude of transactions to verify the refunds claims in excess of $3.5 billion annually, and the more than $38 billion in input tax credit that is used annually by businesses to offset VAT collected from sales, are all complex matters,” he said.

He also stated that that the GRA’s Enforcement Unit is “not averse” to pursuing complaints of non-

tor that needs to be taken into account when considering the pricing of goods,” Sattaur said.

It is hoped that since the Chinese businesses have declared the value of their imports if at the end of their year their declared revenues are not commensurate with those imports, this should trigger tax audits from the GRA. Normally VAT is added to the price of the goods as a straight 16 per cent and is visible on the receipt. The Chinese businesses that are not registered to charge VAT, however, pay VAT on all of their purchases, which include goods for re-sale, as well as countless other items used in the business, which other businesses would recover or set off or as re-

The GRA Head said a quick calculation shows that a mere $1.3 billion is declared to the GRA and paid over. “Considering that VAT on imports accounts for just over $21 billion in revenues, the remaining amount of approximately $17 billion in input tax credit is from value-added, which poses a significant challenge for the GRA to verify,” he said. “In any given transaction, the mark-up on goods acquired from a Chinese business includes the VAT that particular business pays on imports as well as the VAT that is paid on all other items of indirect cost incurred for the business.”

Sattaur said unlike the many VAT-registered businesses operating in Guyana, the Chinese businesses do not get the opportunity to withhold the VAT they collect on sales. “And they do not also get the opportunity to set off the VAT on imports (called input VAT) against the VAT they do not collect (called output VAT),” he said. “It is worth noting that on an annual basis, the GRA pays out in excess of $3.5 billion in VAT refunds, none of which is paid out to the

compliance “in any form or shape” that can lead to both civil and criminal prosecution, including the failure to honour obligations to register for VAT. Sattaur however assured this newspaper that the GRA’s Public Relations Unit is continuing to “vigorously” pursue various campaigns to sensitise both consumers and businesses of the positive benefits of a VAT system, while its Risk Management Unit is sparing no effort in identifying errant business for appropriate follow up action.

GRA disclosed that around $3.2 billion is being withheld monthly from an estimated $4.4 billion by local businesses that have been registered for VAT

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

Wildlife trading

There is much importance being placed on protecting the world’s wildlife by international development partners and Governments. The United Nations (UN) has set aside a special day – March 3 – as World Wildlife Day aimed at celebrating and raising awareness of the world’s wild flora and fauna.

The Day is now considered a perfect opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild flora and fauna and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people.

Based on findings from international researches conducted, there is a strong case for Governments and international partners to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.

The world is witnessing how persons are engaging in the trade of wildlife for their own financial gain to the detriment of present and future generations.

Countries such as Guyana must be commended for retaining much of their wild biological diversity in the face of climate change and other factors adversely affecting wildlife the world over.

Guyana, which is regarded as a model in terms of protection and preservation of biodiversity, has been very proactive in ensuring that careful attention is being placed on the way wildlife is managed and preserved.

While there is much to boast about, there is still a far way to go in terms of effective management and conservation of our wildlife. There are numerous reports being made about persons illegally hunting and trading wildlife resources.

On many occasions no one knows what really comes out of these complaints – including if any investigation was launched, or if there was any prosecution. The wildlife trade is very lucrative and persons are taking advantage of it.

There is still a high level of ignorance about how important wildlife is to our own survival. According to the World Bank, the loss of iconic species is a tragedy with broad and deep impact.

Animal, plant and marine biodiversity keep ecosystems functional. Healthy ecosystems allow us to survive, get enough food to eat and make a living. When species disappear or fall in number, ecosystems and people – especially the world’s poorest – suffer.

Biodiversity is especially important to the poor – 75 per cent of whom live in rural areas and depend on nature for their food and livelihoods. When we protect animals and plants, we also protect the ecosystems that underlie our economies and wellbeing.

Now that special regulations have been enacted to ensure proper and effective management of Guyana’s wildlife, and a Committee appointed to help Guyana advance in terms of the way we address wildlife management and conservation, it is hoped that we would see positive results.

The Wildlife Management Steering Committee represents the interest of all relevant public sector institutions and their stakeholders. It acts in an advisory capacity to provide general oversight and guidance in the development of strategies and programmes for wildlife management and conservation in Guyana as per the Wildlife Management and Conservation Regulations 2013.

There is much work ahead. One of the first major tasks it should tackle is carrying out a well thought out public awareness campaign as it relates to the importance of protecting and preserving our wild flora and fauna and to curb the illicit trade involving wild animals and their products.

Many are still unaware of what the regulations allow for. They must be educated in this regard. That said, we have taken note of the Ministry’s announcement that a communication strategy will be implemented to inform stakeholders and the general public on key issues related to wildlife management and conservation in Guyana.

In our view, it is necessary that the issue of wildlife management and conservation be tackled holistically; meaning, all stakeholders – communities, non-governmental organisations and various agencies of the State, etc must become involved in the process and work toward enhancing cooperation and collaboration in the effective management and conservation of the country’s wildlife.

Freddie, publish your research for everyone to see!

Dear Editor,

I was not surprised to see Kaieteur News (KN) publishing an apology for Freddie Kissoon to correct Freddie’s letter on Dr Prem Misir.

Kissoon loves to attack people and tarnish their reputations and almost all the time his information is inaccurate. He published information on Dr Misir which is far from being correct.

Instead of aknowledging that Dr Misir received his doctorate from Hull University, Kissoon comes up with a ridiculous fabrication – North Lancashire University.

Vishnu Bisram was right on this trait of Kissoon. While KN did the right thing in offering an apology, the damage to Dr Misir’s character is huge.

This unethical practice must stop.

KN needs to censure Kissoon. In a situation where Kissoon has erred with his data, he should be given a one-week suspension from publishing any article and when he resumes his writing, he must validate his information.

By the way, this task will be difficult for Kissoon because everyone knows that he does not like to research, but publishes anything that he thinks will srenghten the position he wants to take.

There is another dimension to this error by Kissoon. Why is it KN has to apologise and not Kissoon? Is Glenn Lall covering for Kissoon because Kissoon is doing dirty work for him?

Probably Lall does

not have the b**ls to ask Kissoon to apologise. And why is this correction published in the letter section? Kissoon seems to have a lot of power over the ‘Waterfalls Boss Man’!

Interesting!

In his letter, Kissoon is actually trying to influence the learned Ombudsman. This is what he is also doing in his libel case with former President Bharrat Jagdeo. This is unethical. He attacks a number of persons like Phulandar Kanhai, Gail Teixeira, Indra Chandrapaul and Dr Misir.

No one responds to Kissoon because they do not want to descend to a lower level. But people need to stand up to this foolishness that Kissoon has been getting away with for too long.

How many reputations and characters must be destroyed by Kissoon and KN before people speak up? In the letter, Kissoon mentions that “my research and teaching profile was millions of miles ahead of others”.

Seriously, Kissoon? Are you talking about research? You must be mistaken? Please publish your research papers for everyone to see. And what yardstick did you use to determine that you are miles ahead of others? It must the same one that you used to determine that Dr Misir went to North Lancashire University.

Kissoon, your slip is showing and it has no laces, but big holes near the rear end!

Rakesh Singh

Action taken to address case involving vigilante murder accused

Dear Editor, Pursuant to an article published in another section of the press under the headline, “Vigilante murder accused want new Prosecutor... as PI [Premilinary Inquiry] incomplete after almost two years”, wherein the four accused persons were asking the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to ap-

point a new Prosecutor, the DPP wishes to advise that action was taken.

ln the article, it was alleged that Special Prosecutor, Attorney at Law Nigel Hughes “hardly turns up whenever the matter is called” and that “he keeps asking for new dates”. This resulted in several adjournments being granted.

Police Inspector Vishnu Hunt from the Chambers

of the DPP appeared at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on the next adjourned date, which was January 7. As a measure of precaution to avoid any further delay in the Pl, the DPP assigned Inspector Hunt to the Pl in the event that Mr Hughes does not appear.

Two separate PIs are being conducted in this matter before Magistrate Dellon Bess for the accused

persons. The first PI involves the three accused Vishnu Babu, Mohamed Razack and Chetram Diaram. The second PI involves Shawn Caesar, because he was arrested after the first PI had already commenced.

The next court date is on January 23.

DPP Chambers

Devotees ride on the roof of a train as they return to the city after attending the final prayers on the first phase of the Islamic gathering

Bishwa Ijtema in Dhaka January 11 (REUTERS/Stringer)

Britain cannot interpret Guyana’s laws to ratify their nullification

Dear Editor, The British cannot legally interpret Guyana’s Constitution. The Constitutional prorogation is entrenched within the ambit of Guyana’s constitutional legalities. All Guyanese are subjected to the law, including the President.

When the combined Opposition commits contempt of court by violating the acting Chief Justice’ s court decision not to cut the budget, they were violating the highest law of the land.

The British pretended all was well that would end well. Not a word was heard.

With the non-collated Opposition, making that one illegal leap for themselves, they also made one giant leap into the threatening PNC dictatorship to repeat their 28year illegalities.

How ironic that the joint Opposition, which has been

responsible for Guyana’s economic, political and racial problems, only now seeks to revamp their imposed 1980 Constitution, which gave them the authority. The rule of law is not incompatible with compliance with the Guyana Constitution. Is the Opposition above the law by British approval, like their damaging historic shenanigans?

Should the British, true to their devilish screwing up of Guyana’s politics, wish to be seen as leading, endorsing, ratifying and/or rejecting law and order, they must come out and say so.

They have had no prior restraints in gunboat diplomacy to thwart Guyana’s democracy. The will of the Guyanese people is expressed in a democracy and they are expected to decide their own destiny.

Again, outsiders believe the will of the Guyanese peo-

ple does not matter.

Constitutionally, as when Guyana’s Parliament is prorogued, it is most legal and valid. There are also provisions to dissolve the National Assembly in which case elections become mandatory.

General elections are also mandatory after the Guyana Government is outvoted by a No-Confidence Motion. The PPP/C Government did nothing wrong.

All their prescribed operations were within full ambit of the law. Not so hunky-dory compliance by Opposition politicians engaged in the usual, all too familiar.

The combined Opposition dared to cut the budget despite the acting Chief Justice’s ruling that they had no authority to cut, except by concurrence of the Finance Minister. The Opposition was fully empowered to disapprove of the entire budget, in which case the

Government grinds to a halt. How does the PPP/C government earn blame in totality? In the 1970s the PPP gave “critical support” to the PNC Government in their most desperate hour of need. In the 21st century, the Opposition is still operating as if shackled within an enslaved mentality.

In Guyana’s democracy, the tainted PNC-led Opposition demands that the President call elections, but this is perfectly normal and most democratic. The Guyana Constitution, however, vests that authority in the elected President and no one else. Must he act in compliance within the highest law of the land or follow a colonial island? Where has the PPP/C Government in any way violated the laws of the land which eclipse that of the combined Opposition?

Sultan Mohamed

There was no freedom to speak under the PNC

Dear Editor,

We want the people of Guyana to ask Nagga this question: When he joined the protest at Linden, who got robbed and beaten up? The Indian people.

In 2006, he told the people in Berbice that he wants a young

President. He asked them if they want to go back in the days of the PNC to line up for bread, flour, peas, oil and other things.

Rammaya knows cow ‘pee’ is good for sickness and he knows about NIS and contribution. The people must ask him if he has ever paid NIS

for his staff at Chapel Street and King Streets in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Nagga hates the Indian people and Rammaya ‘cusses’ them from head to toe on TV. In Berbice, Nagga said under the PNC there was no freedom to speak, but now with

the PPP/C, people are free to speak more than a fool.

If the people want to know what is happening in Guyana, they must read the Chronicle and the Guyana Times to know the truth.

Ramjit Singh

Decision to transfer teacher is in keeping with Village Council’s mandate

Dear Editor,

The former Toshao of Aishalton Village Tony James, a PNC/APNU activist, described the move by the Aishalton Village Council (AVC) as “discrimination” in relation to the transfer of the controversial school teacher from the Aishalton village.

This is misleading and can best be described as “PNC/APNU and AFC political propaganda “which is being ignored by the great majority of Aishalton’s villagers”.

As pointed out before, the AVC’s decision to have the controversial school teacher transferred from the village’s Secondary School is in keeping with its mandate to act in the best interest of the village and to provide for the good governance of the village (Section13.3 [A][B] of the Amerindian Act 2006).

But the decision of the AVC brings into fo-

cus Article 9 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) which, while recognising that “the rights of indigenous peoples and individuals to belong to an indigenous community or nation, such right must be in accordance with the traditions and customs of the community or nation concerned and no discrimination of any kind may arise from the exercise of such a right”.

Unfortunately for the controversial School Teacher, being an indigenous individual from another community, his pattern of behaviour was not in accordance with the traditions and customs of the Aishalton village, an indigenous community.

Hence, the decision by the AVC to have him removed from the community is not at all discriminatory. If it was, the controversial

teacher would have been removed a long time ago.

Let me as well inform the former Toshao that even the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) will certainly agree with the decision taken by the AVC, should it come to their knowledge.

But poor Mr James, even though he in this field for ages, he has he allowed the dirty politics of the PNC/ APNU and AFC to over shadow him. What a disgrace!

The political Opposition’s comments, including their rags (SN and KN), on the Aishalton incident are therefore pure balderdash designed to bamboozle the public readership.

But the general public, and more so the Amerindians, will not be fooled by anti-Government propaganda by the political Opposition, which includes the SN and KN.

Peter Persaud

Speeding a major contributing factor to fatal accidents

Dear Editor,

At the end of December 2014, the Guyana Police Force recorded a 15 per cent drop in serious crimes when the period January 1 to December 31, 2014 is compared with the corresponding period in 2013.

Among the serious crimes policed by the Force are murder, robbery under arms, robbery with violence, robbery with aggravation, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape and kidnapping.

A total of 147 murders were recorded at the end of December 2014 in comparison to 155 murders for the same period in 2013, a decrease of five per cent.

At the end of December 2014, robbery under arms overall has increased by five per cent in comparison to the same period in 2013. The statistics indicate an increase of 11 per cent in the number of armed robberies involving the use of firearms; and a six per cent decrease in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators.

During 2014, a total of 84 firearms were recovered by the Police, comprising 46 pistols, 28 revolvers, nine shotguns and one rifle.

In relation to traffic, 146 road fatalities from 135 accidents have been recorded at the end of December 2014 in comparison to 112 fatalities from 103 accidents for the same period in 2013; a 30 per cent increase in fatalities.

Pedestrians have been the main road users affected with 60 such persons having lost their lives at the end of December 2014. In addition, 26 motor cyclists, 20 pedal cyclists, 16 drivers, 23 persons travelling in motor vehicles and one person being towed on a bicycle also lost their lives.

Speeding continues to be a major contributing factor to fatal accidents and was

the cause of 87 of the 135 fatal accidents recorded at the end of December 2014.

Traffic enforcement by the Police has resulted in a total of 65,475 cases being made against errant motorists unto the end of December 2014. Of this total, 19,075 cases were for speeding.

To date, three persons have lost their lives due to fatal accidents during this month January 2015.

The generally indiscriminate use of the roads by all categories of road users was a factor that contributed significantly to the spiraling number of fatal accidents last year and the Guyana Police Force is therefore urging that all persons use the roadways in a manner that is cognisant of the five Cs – Care, Consideration, Caution, Common Sense and Courtesy. During this year the Police Traffic Department will be intensifying its enforcement activities with special focus on speeding and driving under the influence, in addition to other offences such as using motor cycles without safety helmets and using cell phones while driving. At the same time the Traffic Department will enhance its traffic education programme through the Road Safety Talk and other media programmes as well as symposiums and visits to schools and bus/car parks for interactive sessions.

A number of initiatives that were adopted in 2014 will continue this year, inclusive of the “Name and Shame” campaign in relation to persons driving under the influence of alcohol, and the use of the tow truck in situations where motor vehicles are parked in contravention of the laws, as the Force strives to ensure road safety.

Ivelaw Whittaker

GPF Public Relations and Press Officer

Page Foundation

Trustworthiness is such an important character trait for your child to develop. Later in life, his ability to live up to the trust others place in him will affect every area of his life from marriage to work. So how do you train a child to be worthy of trust? Try the following suggestions to build this character trait one block at a time.

Explain the moral element of trustworthiness

Even young children can understand the difference between the truth and a lie. In so many ways, trustworthiness is essentially about honesty –saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Following through when you make a promise. Help your child to understand that being a person others can trust is very important.

Start small

With preschoolers, a trustworthiness exercise can be as simple as saying, “Will you help Mommy by picking up these toys while I finish dinner?”

If your child promises to complete the task, check back in a while. If she’s followed through, praise her for being faithful to do what she said she’d do. If not, remind her of the importance of following through.

Attach consequences if necessary

If your child struggles with being trustworthy, attach consequences to his failures. Doing this now (when both the failure – like failing to take out the trash – and the consequence are relatively small) will help your child develop the self-discipline necessary to be trustworthy with consistency. Remember, the cost attached to learn-

ing these lessons later in life is higher.

Set a good example

If you say you’ll be there to pick him up when baseball practice is over, be there. If you promise to make time to help with a school project, don’t let other responsibilities crowd that out. Show them what it means to be someone who can be counted on.

Praise trustworthiness in them and others

Children learn to value what we value. If you are impressed with trustworthiness when you see it displayed, your children will be encouraged to develop it! Praise your child when he or she proves trustworthy, and highlight trustworthiness in others when you see it, as well.

Allow opportunities

As scary as it may sound, you have to place your child in a few situations where they have a choice to be trustworthy or not to know if they possess this character trait. It can be controlled, age-appropriate, and low-stakes at first, but the opportunities for success or failure in this area will increase with age. If your child stumbles, pull them back down to a level of privilege with less risk until you feel they’ve learned and are ready to try handling responsibility again. (For instance, if your child can’t be trusted to follow your rules for going to the movies with friends without chaperones, that privilege would be lost until he has displayed evidence of having learned from that mistake.) If he proves himself trustworthy going forward, you can both enjoy the peace of his having certain freedoms without creating worry for you. (imom.com)

BY JANET LEHMAN, MSW

Remember, your child is not your friend

It’s not about your child liking you or even thanking you for what you do. It’s important to remember that your child is not your friend – he’s your child. Your job is to coach him to be able to function in the world. This means teaching him to behave respectfully to others, not just you. When you think your child might be crossing the line, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “Would I let the neighbour say these things to me? Would I let a stranger?” If the answer is no, don’t let your child do it, either. Some day when your child becomes an adult, your relationship may become more of a friendship, but for now, it’s your job to be his parent: his teacher, coach and limit setter – not the buddy who lets him get away with things.

Catch disrespect early and plan ahead if you can It’s good to catch disrespectful behaviour early if possible. If your child is rude or disrespectful, don’t turn a blind eye. Intervene and say, “We don’t talk to each other that way in this family.” Giving consequences when your children are younger is going to pay off

in the long run. It’s really important as a parent if you see your child being disrespectful to admit it and then try to nip it in the bud. Also, if your child is about to enter the teen years (or another potentially difficult phase) think about the future. Some parents I know are already planning how they will address behaviour as their ADD daughter (who is

now 11) becomes a teenager. They’re learning skills to prepare for their interactions with her at a later time. This can only help them as they move forward together as a family.

Get in alignment with your mate It’s so important for you and your mate to be on the same page when it comes to your child’s behaviour. Make sure one of you isn’t allowing the disrespectful behaviour while the other is trying to intercede. Sit down together and talk about what your bottom lines are, and then come up with a plan of action – and a list of consequences you might give –if your child breaks the rules.

Teach your child basic social interaction skills

It may sound old fashioned, but it’s very important to teach your child basic manners like saying “please” and “thank you.” When your child deals with her teachers in school or gets her first job and has these skills to fall back on, it will really go a long way. Understand that using manners – just a simple “excuse me” or “thank you” – is also a form of empathy. It teaches your children to respect others and acknowledge their impact on other people. When you think about it, disrespectful behaviour is the opposite, negative side of being empathetic and having good manners.

Be respectful when you correct your child

When your child is being disrespectful, you as a parent need to correct them in a respectful manner. Yelling and getting upset and having your own attitude in response to theirs is not helpful and often only escalates behaviour. The truth is, if you allow their disrespectful behaviour to affect you, it’s difficult to be an effective teacher in that moment. You can pull your child aside and give them a clear message, for example. You don’t need to shout at them or embarrass them. One of our friends was excellent at this particular parenting skill. He would pull his children aside, say something quietly (I usually had no idea what it was), and it usually changed their behaviour immediately. Use these incidents as teachable moments by pulling your children aside calmly, making your expectations firm and clear, and following through with consequences if necessary.

Try to set realistic expectations for your children around their behaviour

This may actually mean that you need to lower your expectations. Don’t plan a huge road trip with your children, for example, if they don’t like to ride in the car. If your child has trouble in large groups and you plan an event for 30 people, you’re likely to set everyone up for disappointment and probably an argument!

(Empowering Parents)

No Commonwealth sanctions in works for Guyana

...Ayre’s claim contradicted by Foreign Affairs Minister

By: Jomo Paul

Foreign Affairs Minister

Carolyn Rodrigues-

Birkett has dismissed concerns mounted by outing British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre that Guyana may be the subject of future sanctions by Commonwealth if a date is not named for General and Regional Elections.

pose its individual wishes on all others and speak as if the Commonwealth has made such a decision. It is dishonest to do that. Further I sit on the Commonwealth body (CMAG) that deals with such issues and Guyana is not on the agenda,” said RodriguesBirkett via her Facebook.

Superpower (ABC countries) is nothing new noting that similar threats were made for in an effort to force the administration to name a date for the hosting of local government polls sometime back.

ed that “President Ramotar did not commit an illegality. He acted in keeping with the Constitution and has already said a date for elections will be announced shortly. Guyana has already alerted the Commonwealth that we will be requesting an observer Mission. The HC cannot be so unaware.”

man rights and democracy, as the key priorities for the Commonwealth.

In a Facebook post the Foreign Affairs Minister explained that as far as she is aware Guyana is not the subject of any impending sanction by the commonwealth body. She explained that she is a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) under whose responsibility such an action would fall. CMAG is a group of representatives of members of the Commonwealth of Nations that is responsible for upholding the Harare Declaration. That Declaration dictates the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values, and sets the core membership criteria of the organisation.

Digital

“I am advised that the Commonwealth Secretariat has no knowledge of any sanctions being planned for Guyana. One Member of the Commonwealth cannot im-

She was directly contradicting the British High Commissioner who, when asked about the UK lobbying for sanctions to be imposed on Guyana among Commonwealth Member States, posited that at present there are “discussions” among Commonwealth countries with respect to the prevailing situation in Guyana. He pointed out that “Guyana is moving towards a category of concern for the Commonwealth that is quite clear from discussions that are taking place among them.”

Birkett went on to contend that the threat of sanction from the Western

licence plates coming soon ...move aimed at stamping out vehicle smuggling

In an effort to rake in the “significant” amount of taxes being lost through vehicle smuggling and other related practices, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur said steps have been taken to introduce digital number plates here.

However, the new move would require parliamentary approval as the law currently stipulated how the licence plate should look and digital plates were not catered for. He said that a decision has already been made for this technology to be utilised as the relevant amendment to the legislation has been drafted. He said once this was done, tenders would be advertised for persons to design and supply the plates.

In Guyana, vehicle owners purchase their own number plates and over the years, criminals have used the lax system to print false number plates to be used on vehicles in the commission of crimes.

Besides, the GRA has found that Surinamese and Brazilians who have been allowed to cross the borders with their vehicles would eventually sell these to locals. In order to use the vehicles, the new owners would either bribe Customs officials to get them registered or in most cases fit them with false licence plates.

Sattaur had previously issued a stern warning to persons smuggling vehicles from Suriname and Brazil into Guyana, saying it was only a matter of time before they were caught and placed before the courts.

Speaking with the Guyana Times in an interview, Sattaur said the GRA had been working with the Brazilian and Surinamese authorities to arrest the il-

legal trade. In light of the thriving vehicle smuggling trade at their porous borders, Guyana and Suriname met several years ago to strengthen collaboration to put an end to the lucrative business. Routinely, there are reports of motorbikes being smuggled into the country through Lethem.

Deterrent

Frequently, vehicles allowed across the border are later sold to Guyanese, who evade paying duty. According to reports, at least $1 million in duty is charged per vehicle. In some instances, Guyanese themselves would purchase the vehicles in the neighbouring countries, fit them with false licence plates, and bring them to Guyana.

Sattaur had said continued emphasis was being placed on vehicles smuggled into the country through the Suriname and Lethem routes, noting that there has been a significant reduction in vehicles smuggled from Suriname. He credited the reduction to a system adopted by the two countries, which requires persons

to report all vehicles leaving Suriname to that country’s authorities and upon arrival in Guyana, report to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).

“The mere fact that we have a system that can identify that these vehicles have not returned is an adequate deterrent to those who bring them,” he emphasised.

He explained that since every vehicle entering Guyana had a licence plate number, a driver and owner, which were all documented, this information was often used to trace and track the owners who committed the fraudulent act. Sattaur was cognisant of the fact that persons often engaged in nefarious activities to keep the vehicles here.

“If a vehicle is to remain here, it will not have the same number plate it came with, the person would have fixed a Guyanese number plate on the vehicle, which is very difficult to detect at times,” he said.

The GRA Commissioner General noted that vehicle owners were usually given a certificate granting their vehicles a three-week stay in the country, adding that in some cases, persons who wish to stay longer request an additional week or two to have their vehicles in the country, and the GRA would facilitate this. He disclosed that the GRA has been able to catch a few persons who engage in these illegal activities, warning others involved in the trade that they will be caught sooner or later. If a person is caught with an illegal vehicle, the vehicle will be confiscated and put up for public auction. Additionally, the culprit may have to pay a fine triple the worth of the vehicle.

“The threat of sanctions from the High Commissioner is not new. That very threat was made regarding Local Government Elections. Yet when a date by which the elections was slated to be held was announced by President Ramotar, it appeared no longer important enough to encourage the other parties to work together to see it materialize. That threat was also not that veiled when Guyana voted a particular way on an issue at the UN. Of course we were vindicated on the latter with recent developments” she declared.

It was also pointed out that twice in the past Canada has seen its parliament being prorogued however Canada did not suffer a similar fate as is seen in the case of Guyana with the threat of sanctions being imposed on ABC country.

She questioned “did you hear any Commonwealth country upbraiding them? Guyana has diplomatic relations with most countries of the world and we work hard on developing good relations. However, mutual respect must be the order of the day.”

According to RodriguesBirkett the comparison made by Ayre of Guyana to Fiji would be completely “off the mark” and “unkind” given that similar situations do not persist. She contend-

Ayre on Monday said that the continued prorogation of Parliament was against the

commonwealth charter warning of possible sanctions for Guyana. The Commonwealth Charter, which was agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting [CHOGM] in Perth in 2011, is a single document which sets out the Commonwealth’s 16 core values and reflects the aspiration of Commonwealth members. It identifies development for poorer countries and improving hu-

He pointed to several key fundamentals outlined in this Charter and called on the President to honour the obligations and either resume Parliament or announce a date for General and Regional Elections. None of the “fundamentals” explicitly touch on the issue of prorogation which is a power allocated to the Head of State in most Commonwealth countries, including Britain. According to Ayre, UK’s representatives have held meetings with the Government on the issue of prorogation, but have not received any positive response. “We made our views quite clear both in private meeting with the Government and in public statements … the reality is we have a Guyanese problem and we need a Guyanese solution … let’s be clear the President is the one that can end this impasse,” the British High Commissioner said. When asked about funding for several projects underway in which the UK played the critical role of donor, it was noted that these projects may be in jeopardy, with some “reluctance” to provide developmental funds to Guyana from the UK. “Without the Parliament, there is no parliamentary oversight … clearly the appetite to send money to a country that has no parliamentary oversight is much reduced … there’s a reluctance to send development funds, how can we justify that to our own taxpayers?” Ayre questioned.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre

GRA Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur

Trio remanded for robbery under arms

Atrio was remanded to prison after being arraigned on a robbery under arms charge, on Tuesday afternoon.

Nineteen-year-old Keyon Simon; Akeem Marshal, 19; and 22-year-old Lionel Khudu appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

The charge alleged that on Januay 12, at La Penitence, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, they robbed the Virtual Complainant (VC) Anthony Rowel of a number of items which totalled a value of $97,500.

The three represented men pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Their attorney, Adrian Thompson began making his bail application by first stating the defendants’ place of abode. Simon resides in Charlestown, Georgetown;

Marshal lives at Chappel Street, Lodge, Georgetown while Khudu has a fixed place if abode at Lot 360 Independence Boulevard, La Penitence, Georgetown.

The facts of the case were read by Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant who narrated that at around 03:15h, Rowel was alone in his apartment when he heard

a strange sound. He went outside to check and was confronted by the three defendants.

One of them placed a gun to his head and hauled him into the apartment. A passerby saw the incident unfold and summoned the nearby patrol.

The Police knocked at the door and Khudu opened it.

The Police entered and Rowel began to narrate the incident. The men were told of the offence, arrested taken to the La Penitence Police Station.

The articles were recovered and the men were charged.

As it related to the case, defence council stated that the Police patrol picked the trio early in the morning. He noted that his clients were heading toward the wharf when they decided to pick coconuts. Thompson further added that a gun was not used but rather a cutlass and the articles mentioned above where not found in their possession.

The lawyer continued to argue that at the station, Rowel stated that he did not want to proceed with the court matter.

Thompson added that the defendant who opened the door did not have any of the abovementioned articles in his hands nor were the articles taken out of the house. He stated that for an offence to be considered robbery, the items must be taken from the possession of the owner and into (in this case) the defendant’s.

The Attorney questioned the prosecution’s facts as it related to his clients possessing the items and whether a gun was recovered from the scene or a cutlass.

However, the Magistrate

informed defence council that the VC is a coconut vendor and the cutlass belonged to him according to Police files.

Grant then objected to bail being granted citing the nature, gravity and prevalence of the offence, the fact that an alleged firearm was used in the commissioning of the crime, the penalty attached to the offence and the seriousness of the offence.

The Prosecutor also said there was a likelihood that the defendants would not return for trial.

The trio was remanded until January 20.

Duo on bail for $1M GPL robbery

Twenty-seven-yearold Simon Primo of Alliance Road,

Timehri, East Bank Demerara and 19-yearold Devon Brown of North Sophia, Greater Georgetown, were placed on bail after being arraigned on a break and enter and larceny charge.

The duo made their second court appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan.

The allegation read that on December 29, 2014, at Georgetown, they broke and entered the supervisory room of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and stole one desktop computer and a printer valued $1,000,000; property of GPL.

The men pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.

Police Prosecutor Denero Jones did not object to bail but requested that it be granted in a substantial amount.

The duo was granted bail in a sum of $75,000 each. They are slated to make their next court appearance on January 16 before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry.

The two defendants made their first appearance on December 30, 2014 before the Chief Magistrate, where they denied the allegation and were remanded to prison.

On their first occasion, Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant objected to bail stating that the Police gave chase for the men and that they were wanted for a robbery under arms offence. He further stated that the items were recovered and the defendants may be possible flight risks, adding that they may not return for trial.

Eyew tness

Mean streets...

...of Paris

Paris has long been celebrated as the “city of ...and for, lovers”. Folks who’d never set foot in France get all choked up when the Eiffel Tower the sidewalk cafés and the River Seine are mentioned... or perchance whispered!!

But the “love” that resonates in so many of us was certainly not of the type that motivated the masked gunmen who mowed down a dozen cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo.

The gunmen claimed to be defending Islam and its prophet that they “love”. But what kind of “love” is it that drives one to kill?? Defenders of the gunmen would point out that the murdered cartoonists had offended the deep religious sensitivities of Muslims - including the gunmen - who decided to take matters into their own hands. The cartoonists would answer, if they could, that they were simply exercising a fundamental right of their society - free speech.

Which gave them the right to say what was on their mind about any subject under the sun - and then some. And they could also say it in whatever which way they wantedincluding their forte - satire.

In their scheme of things, they felt just as strongly in their right to skewer as the Muslim gunmen believed in the sanctity of their religion and the right to defend it against mockery. On each side of that tragic Paris affair, “love” would’ve undergirded the very strong beliefs.

Now in the multicultural, multiracial, multi-religious world we now all live in, the deeper question that must therefore be answered is where do we draw the line when our innermost beliefs are being challenged - and indeed even mocked.

In modern free speech discourse, it’s conceded by its defenders that “one cannot yell ‘fire’!! in a crowded theatre”. Meaning, of course that one must be aware of the possible dangerous consequences of one’s speech - and use prudence in one’s utterances.

For instance, in many European countries, including France, it’s a crime to deny the holocaust - a restriction on free speech, but justified because it’s felt such denials might precipitate violence against Jews.

Now while this Eyewitness under no way, shape or form, would ever condone killing anyone because they satirised one’s beliefs, if the Muslim position about mocking their prophet is so strong - shouldn’t there be some insistence on prudence in this area??

This Eyewitness concedes these are tough questions. But avoiding answering them won’t make the underlying problem disappear. And stands every chance of exacerbating fault lines in the civilisational war that Huntington predicted more than two decades ago.

An eye for an eye will definitely leave all of us blind - for we all have faults.

...of London

Well, can you believe it?? Here it is, we thoughtfollowing our own Caribbean Man, Eric Williams - that “massa day done”. But up comes the British Ambassador threatening to take out his “wild cane”, bend us over and give us six strokes. Why?? Well, Prezzie dared to exercise his powers under the Constitution to prorogue Parliament!!!

And he’d followed good, solid precedent by the “Mother of all Parliaments” at Westminster, England - and other Commonwealth Parliaments. As this paper pointed out in a well reasoned editorial yesterday, even the Queen’s personal representative in Canada, the Governor-General (which we abolished back in 1970) blithely went along and passed the Prorogation Order. Why?? As he said, it was goddammed legal. “His was not to reason why....”

But what’s more insulting is that back in the mean streets of London, the British Foreign Secretary - forgetting he wasn’t “Secretary for the Colonies” any longer - had earlier demanded that prorogation be ended “as soon as possible”. Well, Jeez!!! Isn’t this what Prezzie’s already promised??

...of Georgetown

With all the talk about prorogation and elections, MayorFor-Life Hamilton Green’s gotten a free pass. In which other City would a Mayor get away with such filth in the City streets??

Keyon Simon

Akeem Marshal

Lionel Khudu

213 up for trial as Demerara January assizes opens

KN article riddled with false accusations –

says Head, Guyana Forestry Commission

Head of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), James Singh, has accused Kaieteur News of publishing an article that contained false accusations and misinformation on Chinese timber company Baishanlin.

The article headlined “Chinese logging company takes over Guyana’s forests”, which was published on Tuesday, sought to convey that a “timber harvesting empire has been built in Guyana with few benefits to the average Guyanese”.

The Demerara January

2015 Criminal Assizes commenced on Tuesday with some 213 cases listed to be heard at the High Court.

The session began with its usual pomp and grandeur as the Police Force’s band marched from the Brickdam Police Station to Croal Street then into South Road outside the High Court for a march past. Amid light showers, Justice James Bovell-Drakes took the salute and inspected the guard of honour.

He, along with Justice Navindra Singh and Justice Franklin Holder, will be presiding over this criminal session.

The Demerara October 2014 Criminal Assizes ended on December 19t.

During that session, Justice Brassington Reynolds, Justice Dawn Gregory and Justice Singh shared the list of 226 cases that were listed.

A total of 25 matters engaged the court’s attention during the Demerara October 2014 Assizes. Of this, 16 matters were presented in the High Court; seven of which were completed by Justice Reynolds, three by Justice Gregory and six by Justice Singh. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) declined to continue prosecution of nine matters during this time also.

Of the seven trials that were presented before Justice Reynolds, six of them were for the offence of murder and one for the offence of manslaughter. One of the murder accused who had two separate court appearances before Justice Reynolds was committed to the National Psychiatric Hospital for treatment until such time that he was fit to stand trial.

Another murder accused was sentenced to death by Justice Reynolds after he was found guilty by the jury, while a third murder accused was acquitted by the jury 11-1 for both the offence of murder and for the lesser offence of manslaughter.

The jury in another mur-

der trial failed to reach a verdict and the accused was sent back to prison to await a new trial. Meanwhile, in two other separate trials –one for the offence of murder and the other for the lesser offence of manslaughter –both accused were acquitted after the trial Judge upheld no-case submissions and directed the jury to return formal verdicts of not guilty.

The three matters heard by Justice Gregory were for the offence of murder. In two of these cases, the accused were acquitted after the jury returned unanimous verdicts of not guilty. The accused in the other matter was also acquitted after the presiding judge upheld a nocase submission and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

Six cases for the offence of murder were presented before Justice Singh. Of these, five ended with guilty verdicts and one in acquittal. In three of the five cases, the accused were sentenced altogether to 83 years imprisonment.

In the fourth matter, there were two accused persons. The number one accused was sentenced to 66 years’ imprisonment, while the number two accused was sentenced to 50 years. The fifth case saw the accused being sentenced to 66 years in prison by Justice Singh after the jury returned a guilty verdict. In the remaining murder trial, four murder accused were acquitted after the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty.

The nine matters for which prosecution was discontinued by the DPP during this period were eight cases of Carnal Knowledge and one of murder. One Virtual Complainant (VC) in one of the former cases indicated in writing that she no longer wished to proceed with the matter. The whereabouts of four other VCs were unknown, while three VCs failed to attend Court. The accused in the murder matter died while in prison awaiting his trial.

“GFC, as the Government of Guyana agency responsible for the sustainable management of the state forest informs you and the general public that this article is riddled with false accusations and misinformation; to ensure that stakeholders are provided with the undisputable facts, GFC is compelled to respond to this unprofessional article.”

The writer of the article sought to accuse the GFC of defending the logging company. It was stated that the logging company was believed to be exporting entire round logs to China, which, the writer said, was at odds with the initial plan of the company to establish a log processing mill in Guyana.

However, it was stated that works will re-commence shortly on the plant by Baishanlin.

Commissioner Singh

stressed that there was no circumventing of Guyana’s laws by any logging company or any other forestry sector based company.

In a statement to the media, addressed to the author of the article, Mongabay. com correspondent John C Cannon, Singh stated that the Commission had very robust and functional systems, procedures and guidelines which all forest sector companies were audited against.

“If there are any breaches to these, appropriate action is taken based on the findings of a thorough investigation and in accordance with the forest law,” the GFC added.

Ridiculous

The Commissioner called the author’s claim that “foreign corporations and Government officials are paying lip service to the accords” ridiculous and fabricated.

Key Government officials were also accused of receiving bribes from large companies such as Baishanlin in order to turn a blind eye to violations of Guyana’s laws.

This allegation outraged the GFC, which said it was alarmed by such a malicious statement. The Commission further said the wild accusation was unsurprisingly not supported by a single shred of evidence.

The KN article further claimed that Baishanlin pres-

ently controlled 1.4 million hectares of Guyana’s forest as referenced by John Palmer, a senior associate at the Forest Management Trust based in Gainesville, Florida, US; however, the GFC reported that the company had access to only 627,072 hectares of land.

The Commission explained that 344,849 ha were accessed under State Forest Exploratory Permits (SFEPs), 274,053 ha under Timber Sales Agreement-Joint Venture Agreements and 8170 ha under State Forest Permissions.

Singh further shot down all claims in the article that appeared to be intended at creating the impression of a dubious collaboration between Government officials and Baishanlin.

The lack of merit in the allegation that Joint Venture Agreements were proposed by the logging company to other companies in an attempt to avoid GFC’s requirements was also pointed out.

Further, the GFC said it fulfilled the requests of mainly local stakeholders to allow joint venture arrangements after the requisite due diligence was done and to allow companies that lacked adequate and/or appropriate machinery to rent same from third parties in a structured and properly monitored/regulated manner.

It was under these provisions that Baishanlin was able to enter into joint ventures, Singh explained.

It was also stated that “the Government of Guyana and the GFC have always emphasised the need to reduce log exports and maximise the in-country manufacture of value added forest products. However, when the National Log Export Policy (NLEP) was being formulated, stakeholders stoutly resisted the GFC’s position to ban the export of logs.”

Persons in some quarters have accused the GFC and Government of exporting and harvesting more lumber than permitted under the Norway-Guyana agreement, which is a component of Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

The Commission said that stakeholders opted for a graduated increase in the export commission on log exports which are legitimately done in accordance with NLEP’s policy.

The GFC approved the requests after being assured that its monitoring systems would ensure that the allowable harvest levels were not exceeded, in light of the need to improve lumber and related value added products production, and generate additional employment opportunities. These requests have been fulfilled in accordance with the legislation and a very transparent and organised procedure.

Not guilty verdict for business owner charged for possession of illegal drugs

Thirty-one-year-old

Jason Cummings of Lot 337 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown was found not guilty of possessing illegal drugs by Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, on Tuesday afternoon.

The owner of the popular DVD store was allegedly caught by Police with ecstasy in his pocket. During his first court appearance, the defen-

dant denied the offence of possessing the narcotic.

According to the facts, on the night of Sunday, May 25, 2014, a taxi transporting the defendant, along with others, was stopped at a road block, and a search was carried out on his person when a zip lock bag was found with the tablets. When he was taken to the station, the tablets were weighted and it amounted to one gram. He was then arrest-

ed and charged.

The Magistrate told the court that she was unsatisfied with the prosecutions evident against the accused. She explained her reason as to why she was unconvinced. She noted that the three Policemen who testified in court as witnesses in the matter had given various colour variations for the pills that were found.

One officer said that the pills were white in colour,

while another said it was white and mauve. The third officer gave the colour of the pills as grey. She noted that it is impossible for these men to see the same tablets but in different colours.

The Magistrate told the defendant that it is a new year and he should take it as a fresh start. She also said that she does not wish to see him back in court and to stay out and away from trouble.

Justice James Bovell-Drakes took the salute as the Police braved light showers during the march past

Granger vs Linden showdown looms

…'rigged' Congress on agenda

By Svetlana MarShall

Lindeners are gearing themselves up for a major showdown with People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader David Granger after the latter agreed to a meeting with a large number of disgruntled members over a range of issues.

High on the agenda of the meeting which could happen this week are the suspension of Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon; the alleged rigging of last year’s Congress, which returned Granger as leader of the party; and a range of other issues, including the imposition of Sandra Adams as the party’s Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Coordinator and the sidelining of key figures such as Aubrey Norton, Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon and Kissoon, all of whom helped the party sweep the two seats in the region at the 2011 elections.

While Solomon has declined to disclose the agenda of the meeting with the Leader, Trade Unionist Leslie Gonsalves confirmed that issues surrounding Kissoon and Adams would definitely be placed on top of the agenda.

Another key party official said that they would bring up the Congress fiasco as well at the meeting. Granger has so far managed to dodge from confronting the issues that have angered Lindeners since August last year.

However, observers believe that he has finally realised the importance of

meeting the key constituency with General Elections on the horizon.

Over the weekend, Solomon dispatched a letter to the PNCR Leader inviting him to meet with supporters in the mining town.

nalled his intention to meet with supporters in Linden, a date has not been set.

Burning issues

When contacted by the Guyana Times on Tuesday, Solomon said he would only pronounce on the meeting after it was held, but Gonsalves said supporters would be calling on the Opposition Leader to address burning issues that have been placed on the table for more than a year.

The imposition of Adams has been a burning issue, since her appointment early last year was greeted with major objection. Having served as the last Chairperson of the PNCR Linden arm in 2003, Adams was appointed by the Central Executive Committee (CEC) as the Regional Coordinator.

who will lead the regional arm of the party downhill. “No one is prepared to work with her because of her arrogance…she is bullish, always giving instructions and want to talk up to peo-

Although Granger has sig-

According to Gonsalves, Adams is an opportunist

ple. We will not allow that,” he said during a recent interview with this newspaper.

Gonsalves pointed out that the PNCR, which was the major partner in A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) won the region in the 2011 Elections in her absence. “Nothing she could say would make a difference. She returned after seven years and wants to rule people, let her return to the US. She cannot command a place in Linden, because nobody is in support of her,” he emphasised.

On Thursday last, ranks of the Mackenzie Police Station were called in after Adams alleged that sections of the PNCR Linden Office were vandalised. It is alleged that Gonsalves and other disgruntled members broke into the office after removing a padlock from the door. But this allegation was shot down by Gonsalves who said Adams was attempting to create further strife in the region.

In addition to the imposition of Adams, Gonsalves said the issues surrounding APNU Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon remained unsolved. Kissoon’s relationship with

Rumble in the jungle

Satiricus felt sleepy. In his lap was his newspaper, turned to the page describing how Pee-an-See leader GrainJa was gonna go down to the mining town to settle things "once for all".

Strange things were happening in that jungle-locked town. Like a scene out of Exorcist, doors were flung open without anyone being nearby. Even more strange, the next day, the door was ripped off and - without as much as a "lo and behold" - was miraculously replaced by a steel door. Now Lendin was a Pee-an-See "stronghold". Meaning the Pee-an-See had taken out "transport" over the folks of the town. Like the soldiers GrainJa used to command, the Lendiners were supposed to only ask "how high?" when GrainJa barked "jump!!!"

Everything was going fine until this pesky upstart named Salaman Gundy came along. Salaman started telling everybody that GrainJa was wearing no clothes!! He told people they didn't have to even jump!

"Now Salaman Gundy gon see who is boss," thought Satiricus, idly as he drifted off to sleep, in his hammock. And suddenly there was GrainJa riding across the Demerara Bridge into the good town of Lendin. Satiricus thought he was riding an ass...but on closer inspection, GrainJa's trusty steed turned out to be RumJhaat. "He IS an ass!!" chuckled Satiricus in his dream.

GrainJa had on his old Purple Beret that Burnt Ham himself had given him. It fell below his ears now, because his head wasn't as swollen as back in the day. That pesky Green Brigde made sure of that! He dismounted in front of a saloon that for some reason was named "Rum Shop", and told his trusty steed RumJhaat to go inside and tell Salaman Gundy to come out and face the music.

GrainJa had slitted his eyes and with his hand poised stiffly over the Dagger at his waist, waited for Salaman Gundy. "Just because he was born on a Monday - with a caul - how dare he tell everybody that I have on no clothes??" Half an hour elapsed, but no Salaman was to be seen. His slitted eyes were running water copiously and his clenched fist was getting cramps.

GrainJa peered inside "Rum Shop". There, his notso-trusty steed RumJhaat just finishing up a "large" with Salaman!! Enraged, GrainJa stepped through the door. Only to have Salaman's sidekick Kiss-Soon bop him over the head. She'd been lying in ambush.

GrainJa had forgotten that Salaman Gundy had started out KFC!!! It was a set up with RumJhaat!

the PNCR deteriorated following an altercation with General Secretary Oscar Clarke at the party’s Sophia Headquarters early last year. She was immediately suspended – a decision which was rejected not only by Kissoon but many of her Linden supporters.

Subsequent to the PNCR’S 18th Biennial Congress in July 2014, Kissoon was instructed to apologise for misconduct; however, this order, which was given by the party’s Disciplinary Committee, was ignored.

In September 2014, another letter was dispatched to Kissoon by the Opposition Leader regarding her membership in the party. It is unclear whether Kissoon has responded to Granger’s letter, but the Guyana Times confirmed on Tuesday that her suspension was never lifted.

Another longstanding PNCR member Maurice Butters confirmed that is-

sues surrounding Kissoon and Adams would be addressed during the meeting with the Opposition Leader.

“We need the matter involving Miss Kissoon to be addressed, in addition to that, you cannot make a decision that will affect the region without our input, so he (Granger) must address the imposition of Sandra Adams on the people of Linden,” Butters said.

He said too that the region wrote the PNCR Secretariat requesting a date for the holding of its long overdue regional conference, but to date the response was still pending. He said the conference would allow for new regional representatives to be elected for the party.

While outlining those three main issues, Butters said meetings would be held with the various groups within the region before the agenda for the meeting was finalised (svetlanam@guyanatimesgy.com).

PNCR member Leslie Gonsalves addressing media operatives in July 2014, in the presence of Latoya Williams and Maurice Butters on the Vanessa Kissoon saga

PNCR Region 10 Coordinator Sandra Adams

PNCR Region 10 Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon

EBD-ECD Road Project not a “fly by night idea” – Ali

The US$50 million East Bank-East Coast Road project is not a “fly by night idea,” Housing and Water Minister Irfaan

Ali said in response to anti-developmental comments made by Alliance for Change (AFC) Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo.

In Government’s defence, Minister Ali said the project was extensively planned but Opposition elements are bent on stymieing the nation’s development. According to him, Nagamootoo seems to be divorced from realities and national priorities.

“Is it that he is so caught up in political negativism that he ignores facts, available information and truth in a spineless effort to denigrate the invaluable contributions public officials make in pushing forward the developmental agenda of our country?”

In a series of bilateral meetings held on the

sidelines of 13th Pravasi Bharativa Divas at Gandhinagar, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Thursday agreed to provide US$50 million to fund the road project which will link East Bank Demerara with the East Coast Demerara.

However, since the announcement was made, Nagamootoo has been condemning the financial agreement, contending that Guyana will be plunged into further liabilities.

But Minister Ali explained that extensive consultations and feasibility studies were conducted before the agreement was reached. He pointed out that the project received the support of the National Assembly when it was presented in the 2014 National Budget.

“As was outlined in debate presentations in the National Assembly and answering questions of the Opposition and also the countless articles in the national media on this subject, it was made clear that a de-

Culture Ministry, GT&T launch first of National Collection catalogues

The Culture Ministry, in collaboration with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company, has launched the first of a three-part series of coffee table books cataloguing the country’s National Collection of paintings.

“Panorama: A Portrait of Guyana” features paintings and craft done by local artists. These artworks were taken from the National Collection of Art housed at the National Gallery in Castellani House.

In May last year, Culture Minister, Dr Frank Anthony and GT&T Chief Executive Officer RK Sharma signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to digitalise the National Collection, and publish the resultant catalogue as a series of books, which will foster wider appreciation for local arts.

GT&T had plugged some $10 million into the project which covers a threeyear period. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Sharma said that the company prided itself on being a national institution and took advantage of every opportunity to do more in the areas of culture, sports, art,

and education.

He pointed out that digitising the collection would preserve and showcase, to a wider audience, Guyana’s diversity in terms of artists, content and significance.

Popularising art ciation and understanding of local works as well as preserve hundreds of pieces.

“The visual arts, I believe, can have a strong influence on the development of our society. Whilst all of us can agree that these arts provide us pleasure, the truth is that they also foster creative inspirations, they promote cross-culture dialogue and understanding, (and) they bring important social issues to the floor and foster goodwill and collaboration among the various sections of society,” Sharma stated.

He added that educators and young people, in particular, needed to recognise that art help to nurture and strengthen problem solving and creative thinking skills; foster academic success and prepare the youths for the working world.

Meanwhile, Minister Anthony pointed out that many Guyanese had not had

the opportunity to see the huge National Collection at the Castellani House. The Minister noted that because the collection has about 1200 pieces, there was not enough space to put the entire collection on exhibition at once. Furthermore, he said whenever exhibitions were organised many persons would not attend; as such, through the books, they were giving Guyanese the opportunity to view the work of local artists.

The Culture Minister explained that the breath of work in the first book is actually telling a story about the evolution of art in Guyana; about when and how it first began but mostly it reflected the beginning of Guyana.

“What we are bringing to people is helping people to see Guyana, see what we have here from a different perspective so for that reason alone, I think this book project is a fantastic one,” he proudly mentioned.

Anthony further stated that the art works featured in the book also shows how one generation of artists laid the foundation for the next generation to grow and develop their work.

This first book of the se-

ries was compiled by a team of local experts, headed by Alim Hosein, the Chairman of Castellani House. According to Hosein, each piece of art works has an essay explaining either about the artist or the context of the art work.

“We hope that the book will spark more interest in the National Collection itself and in Castellani House; in Guyana and things Guyanese… The kind of things we see reflected in the book will serve as some guide to us as to who we are and what we are as Guyanese… The kind of message we try to put in the book, we hope will resonate with the Guyanese public,” he remarked.

The book features 55 pieces of artworks including paintings and sculptures. The next two books will are expected to be published within the next two years and will feature more amazing artworks done by Guyanese artists.

tailed feasibility study was completed and submitted to the Indian Government for approval. It is very naïve for Mr Nagamootoo to believe that a project of this nature can just be approved without a detailed feasibility study.”

On that note, Ali concluded that Nagamootoo’s comments are baseless and are only aimed at discrediting the contributions of President Donald Ramotar in finalising the line of credit from the Government of India.

“What bothers me is that the details of this project through constant updates in the National Assembly and the media seem to have avoided the notice of Mr Nagamootoo.”

Nevertheless, Housing and Water Minister acknowledged the hard work of the employees in the public sector who assisted with the finalisation of the project document and feasibility study that led to approval being granted.

According to him, the project will not only allow for the linkage of the two roadways, but it will also create many opportunities.

“There is an exciting future ahead for Guyana, but it requires maturity, vision and commitment to be realised. It is these characteristics that saw this major accomplishment between the Government of India and the Government of Guyana,” he emphasised.

Search continues for missing plane

Twenty-one Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Special Forces are currently combing through dense jungle and treacherous terrain in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) in an ongoing effort to locate the Britten Norman Islander plane, which disappeared on December 28, 2014 shortly after takeoff from Mahdia.

The ranks – in three-man

teams – have been deployed to Muruwa and Siparuni River, two high interest areas, in search of the twin-engine aircraft carrying pilot Nicky Persaud and loader David Bisnauth. After four days of aerial searches, ground searches commenced. Apart from the Special Forces, eight Line Cutters from St Cuthbert’s Mission, 10 Guyana Forestry Commission officers, six villagers from Chenapau and five villagers from Karisparu have joined the search. Extensive searches were carried out in a large area between North Fork and Black Water rivers.

In the meantime, two helicopters continue to execute aerial searches. The aircraft, with registration 8R-GHE, was operating a routine flight between Mahdia and Karisparu on December 28. It took off from Mahdia at 11:42h and the last known position via “Spot Tracker” was 11:44h. The aircraft was estimated to reach Karisparu at 12:00 noon.

Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali

AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo

Missing Pilot Nicky Persaud

GT&T CEO RK Sharma handing over a copy of “Panorama: A Portrait of Guyana” to Culture Minister, Dr Frank Anthony in the presence of the compliers Alim Hosein and Ohene Koama

wednesday, JanUaRy 14, 2015 | gUyanatimesgy.com

Teenage pregnancy: terrifying for boys

BY DEVINA SAMAROO

Teenage pregnancy is all too common in Guyana. When one thinks of teenage pregnancy, images of young girls with growing bellies usually come to mind.

The way society is structured to think, hardly ever does it immediately register that teenage pregnancy includes boys too.

According to Pastor Diego Alphonso, Administrator of the Men’s Affairs Bureau, one of the challenges boys usually face is the fact that they are viewed as villains while the girl is treated as the victim.

Entering fatherhood during the teenage years is just as terrifying for young boys as it is for teenage girls. “The boys are not mentally or in any way prepared to effectively take on the enormous responsibility of being a parent,” Alphonso said.

Of course, consequences of early parenthood depend on the circumstances in which they occur. In most cases, the pregnancy is unexpected or unwanted. When such is the situation, most of the trouble appears to fall on the one bearing the child, the one who has to face the public stereotyping but there is the teenager in the sideline who also has to face the music and accept responsibility for the child he too contributed in bringing into this world.

Uncertainty about his future arises; the male teen may feel he does not have enough knowledge to be a father. He may feel pressured to leave school, which in turn can result in financial difficulties during the future. Additionally, the teenager’s education and career goals may be put on hold as most of their time and attention will be focused on raising the infant child. “Providing for the material needs of the child may be-

Pastor Diego Alphonso

come priority to the young father rather than pursing his education, because both are important and so this becomes a dilemma as the young man tries to balance both or forced to choose one over the other,” Alphonso pointed out.

Another challenge, as highlighted by Alphonso, is that very often, the family of the girl would seek to prevent the young father from getting close to the girl or baby, or even seeing the child.

The Men’s Affairs Bureau is actively involved in outreach programmes throughout the country where teenage pregnancy is one of the major topics addressed when visiting both primary and secondary schools to interact with the children and young adults.

Like most global issues, the first and most effective method in reducing or resolving them, is through extensive and effective education.

Success in preventing teenage pregnancies and births requires a sustained commitment to meet the complex challenges facing the nation’s youth. In Guyana, the wide range of cultural tendency contributes to teenage pregnancy.

In some cultures, it can be observed that young females are pressured or expected to enter married and bear children at a young age.

The males, especially if they are unproductive in school, are forced to drop out, resulting in them often loitering, or in some cases they feel manly and empowered, and this sometimes leads them to sexual relationships where a young lady becomes pregnant. In these cases, education is a major preventative factor for early pregnancy, meaning the more years of schooling, the fewer early pregnancies. According to the Administrator of the Bureau, they have partnerships with other organisations as they seek to address the roles of males in family planning. The Bureau also offers individual counselling to young males who find themselves in the inevitably confusing situation when they realise they have impregnated a young lady. “We seek to equip them with the coping skills that would be required.”

Abstinence

While, in this modern generation, abstinence until marriage seems impracticable, the Bureau works closely with faith-based organisations in reaching out to youths, both males and females, in promoting abstinence. Sex is a powerful drive, and for most of human history, it has been firmly linked to marriage and childbearing. In modern history, sexual revolution accelerated the separation of sex from marriage and procreation. The development of contraceptives and the legalisation of abortion also make it more acceptable and people are more prompted to have sex outside the marriage boundary.

According to Alphonso, to nationally deal with the problem of teenage pregnancy, all stakeholders need to continuously and aggressively educate youths.

“Everyone must get involved and do their part.”

In 2013, the State of the World Population Report, which puts the spotlight on girls who become mothers before their 18th birthday, listed Guyana at second in the Region.

More than seven million girls in poor countries give birth before the age of 18 every year, with two million of them being 14 years old or younger. Every day in developing countries, 20,000 girls below age 18 give birth. Girls under the age of 15 account for two million of the annual total of 7.3 million new adolescent mothers. If current trends continue, the number of births to girls under 15 could rise to three million a year in 2030.

About 70,000 adolescents in developing countries die annually of causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The report also places particular emphasis on girls 14 years and younger who are at double the risk of maternal death and obstetric fistula – a medical condition in which a hole develops between either the rectum and the vagina or between the bladder and the vagina after severe failed childbirth when adequate medical care is not provided.

In many cases, especially in girls under the age of 15, such pregnancies are not the result of a deliberate choice but rather an absence of choices, and of circumstances beyond a girl’s control. The report reminds us that early pregnancies reflect powerlessness, poverty and pressures – from partners, peers, families and communities.

PPP/C, GECOM hold fruitful consultation

Commissioner of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Vincent Alexander said the election body has had a fruitful consultation with executives of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Describing the meet as “cordial”, Alexander told Guyana Times on Tuesday that the political body had raised several pressing issues and as far as possible, the commission sought to provide answers.

On Monday, a PPP/C delegation led by its General Secretary Clement Rohee paid a visit to GECOM’s Headquarter, Kingston, Georgetown. Executive Secretary Zulficar Mustapha, PPP/C Member of Parliament Manzoor Nadir and Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill were also part of the team.

Alexander said among the issues raised during the close to two hour long session; were the selection of polling places and personnel to work on election’s day. While some of PPP/C’s concerns have been addressed, Alexander said the more intricate matters will be discussed among commissioners.

Since last year, the party has been calling on GECOM to address a number of issues. Some of these issues were again raised at the party’s press conference on Monday.

Rohee said GECOM should do everything possible to ensure a clean list. The party also called on the commission to ensure that competent and qualified persons are recruited to work on polling day, emphasising that adequate training must be conducted in advance.

He said the party had already raised the issue of the information clerks, noting that it has serious reservations on the use of these persons in future elections since they were ineffective in their roles and served to create much confusion among voters on election’s day.

“The party calls on all Guyanese in and out Guyana to call on GECOM to deliver on its mandate and conduct a fair and transparent election, and ensure that the proper mechanisms are put in place to deliver accurate and speedy results to the nation so as to reduce anxiety and speculations”.

PPP/C insists on background checks for polling day staff

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has urged the Guyana Elections Commission to conduct thorough background checks on persons it hires to work on Election Day.

On Monday, a high level team from the party, led by General Secretary Clement Rohee, Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha and other senior members met with GECOM’s Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and Commissioners of the electoral body at their Head Office in Kingston, Georgetown. The meeting was in direct response to the request made by the PPP/C to discuss issues of concern to the party and the opportunity to question GECOM on their plans to deal with issues that had impacted negatively on the 2011 elections and systems in place to prevent a recurrence in the anticipated 2015 elections in order to ensure a fair and transparent process. In a statement, the PPP/C said the meeting was very cordial and fruitful with a number of issues

discussed and possible solutions brought to the table. Importantly, GECOM has agreed to engage in wider consultations with major political stakeholders and other interest groups in dealing with concerns that pose possible threats to the electoral process and in taking key decisions that will affect the electorate. The party’s General Secretary noted this as a high point of the meeting since the PPP/C has always been the front runner in calling for more inclusiveness and collaboration in the work of GECOM.

Among the issues raised and discussed were selection of polling places and public awareness. On the selection of polling stations; GECOM indicated that steps will be taken to avoid as far as practicable the use of private residences as polling stations and to avoid last minute changes to polling places. Unavoidable changes must be done in consultation with political parties, the PPP/C statement said. It added that unlike 2011, polling stations will be checked, approved and made public so

as to afford voters the early knowledge of such places and the location in their respective communities. In this regard, GECOM plans to have more awareness and sensitisation programmes provided for the electorate. Further, the PPP/C delegation was informed that GECOM’s permanent staff will serve as Information Clerks as against the inexperienced and lesser qualified staff which created confusion and frustration for voters.

Recruitment

Recruitment of GECOM’s polling day staff was also discussed with the PPP/C delegation insisting that proper background checks of applicants must be done by GECOM in order to recruit suitable persons who are deemed fit to execute their duties in a professional and neutral manner on “E-Day”. The PPP/C delegation called for a public vetting process and committed to provide GECOM with justifications in respect of persons not suitable for employment by GECOM. The party delegation advised that for GECOM

to gain public trust and allow for further vetting, GECOM must make public the names of all persons to be employed earliest, added to this the party requested GECOM to inform all political parties about training schedules and to make accessible to political parties the training manuals. The PPP/C recommended that Presiding Officers found guilty of intentional and biased acts in pre-

vious elections be blacklisted from playing any role in future elections. GECOM’s CEO reported that this matter is currently engaging the attention of the Commission.

Additionally, folio for polling agents was also discussed. This was introduced (list of electors with photo identification) in the 2011 General Elections and was lauded as a significant stride in the right direction, affording party polling agents the opportunity to properly identify and verify voters. However, as was previously reported, polling stations were given one sole Folio for all party polling agents rather than one per agent. At some stations, no folio was available, and in some instances, the pictures of electors were very poor in quality. The PPP/C delegation expressed its satisfaction with GECOM’s decision to make Folios available to each party polling agent and hailed this decision as necessary in the conduct of free and fair elections.

Further, the statement said that the PPP/C delegation reminded GECOM of the

2011 “horrors” experienced by PPP/C candidates and insisted that they should have never been allowed. More so, the party delegation recommended that such lapses must be corrected in future elections. During “E Day” 2011, PPP/C candidates including the party’s current General Secretary were denied their rights and prevented from entering polling stations, especially in Region Four. This issue was ventilated, citing the party’s General Secretary’s personal experiences, and GECOM assured that all candidates representing political parties will be properly accredited and GECOM Staff will be made aware of the rights and privileges of candidates.

The PPP/C General Secretary reminded GECOM too that the PPP/C fought long and hard for the implementation of electoral reforms and for the people of Guyana to enjoy free and fair elections. “These gains, he said, should be upheld and not be frittered away,” the party stated.

PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee

Bosai workers go on strike

... after colleague detained over missing bauxite mixer bowl

In the early morning rain, workers at the Bosai Minerals Group (Guyana), Inc downed tools on Tuesday and remained outside the compound because they said that they did not feel safe working at the company.

“We have a situation whereby an employee is in the lockups right now, because the company lost a “bowl”, which is quite costly that mixes the bauxite. The employees are feeling unsafe, because there is no security at the department where this equipment is located,” a workers’ representative said.

He added that the workers have complained several times about the lack of lights and proper security.

He stated that the worker was in custody at the Mackenzie Police Station as a result of what a review of surveillance tapes revealed.

Workers said they saw when the individual responsible for the theft entered the compound and they recognised that he was not an em-

ployee.

They added that the Bosai worker being accused was not responsible for the missing equipment. “The workers are annoyed, because this is not the first time a worker has been put in the lockups. Last Saturday, an employee from the bauxite mining company was locked up and then subsequently released.”

The Guyana Times was told that initially a number of employees were taken into Police custody for questioning, following the disappearance of the bowl from the company’s laboratory.

This newspaper understands that ‘sluicable substances’ valued at over a million dollars, four of which were reportedly stolen on Saturday.

According to a senior official attached to the company, the employees alleged that an armed individual entered the company and stole the items, and, as such, expressed dissatisfaction over employees being questioned by Police.

The incident resulted in a number of employees resorting to strike action at the north gate of the company on Monday evening.

A statement released by the company on Tuesday, however, stated that, “On Saturday, January 10, 2014 one person illegally entered the premises of Bosai, stealing items that are critical to the Company’s Operations”.

The stolen instruments are essential to the bauxite operations, since they are used to analyse the bauxite ore; without them the whole operation’s analytical chain would be forced to shut down.

Presently, the matter is being investigated by the Guyana Police Force and Bosai security.

The senior official related that the items were made of platinum, and referred to them as “small but expensive”.

They added that the articles can also be used by goldsmiths. Investigations are ongoing.

Oil prices continue plunging, approach 6-year low

Oil prices fell by up three per cent to near six-year lows on Tuesday, with Brent briefly trading at par to US crude for the first time in three months as some traders moved to take advantage of ample storage space in the United States.

Traders were searching to store the glut of oil, which has knocked down prices 60 per cent in the last six months. So far this week, Brent has lost eight percent and US crude about six per cent. Brent LCOc1 was down US$1.48 at US$45.95 a barrel by 1850 GMT, after falling to US$45.19, its lowest since March 2009.

US crude CLc1 was down 65 cents at US$45.42 a barrel, after hitting an April 2009 low of US$44.20.

Oil tumbled earlier in the session after big OPEC producer United Arab Emirates defended the group’s decision not to cut output to boost

prices. The arbitrage between Brent and US crude traded at parity for the first time since October, with both markets touching $46 a barrel at one point. Traders said the benchmarks converged as limited storage for Brent forced traders to look for storage in the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery point for US crude. US onshore storage tanks for crude are barely a third full, showing the highest vacancy rate since the Government’s Energy Information Administration began its bi-annual survey of tank farm capacity in 2010.

Some said the convergence was not sustainable because the narrowed arbitrage attracted foreign imports.

Traders have also booked at least 12 tankers to store 25 million barrels of crude at sea in a further sign of a build-up in global stocks, according to shipping sources and fixture data. (link.reuters.com/ rux73w)

At least 11 very large crude carriers (VLCCs) have been reported as booked with storage options, shipping sources and fixture lists show, rising from around five vessels at the end of last week. Each VLCC can hold a maximum of two million barrels of oil. Price differentials for UK North Sea Forties crude weakened on Tuesday, pressured by an abundant supply in the Atlantic basin. The US Government said domestic oil production will rise by 200,000 barrels per day in 2016, the slowest rate of growth since 2011, reflecting the long-term impact of plunging prices on drilling. Traders continued to wonder when price rout would end. “Despite the magnitude of the selloff, there are no indications anyone knows what the bottom is,” said Gene McGillian, senior analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. (Reuters)

Woman who allegedly threatened to poison partner gets self-bail

Tilith Lynch appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to face a threatening language charge, on Tuesday morning.

The charge alleged that on January 9, at Lot 165 Lane Avenue, Georgetown, she made use of threatening lan-

guage to Mark Thomas where a breach of peace was occasioned.

The court heard that the Lynch is the mother of Thomas’s nine-year-old child and that she had threatened to poison Thomas.

The tearful woman told the court that she never said anything of the sort to

Thomas and was willing to let Police officers carry out an investigation as to whether she did or did not say such.

However, Thomas begged to differ. The Magistrate released Lynch on self bail. The case will be heard again on January 26, before Magistrate Annette Singh.

Women, youths hungry for voice in policymaking – LEAD chief

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Leadership and Democracy Programme (LEAD) is progressing smoothly, its Chief of Party Glen Bradbury has said.

The multimillion-dollar programme, which is being executed by the International Republic Institute (IRI), is designed to boost the capacity of Guyana’s Parliament and si-

through the LEAD initiative.

Based on consultations done thus far, he said the young population of Guyana wanted to be more involved in the decision-making process.

“From what we have heard, youths wish to be more involved. They would like their voices to be heard both by the Government and Opposition, and by the society as a whole,” the Chief of Party explained.

He emphasised that their

ment and underemployment rates among youths.

Similarly, women aspire to be more involved, particularly in areas that directly or indirectly affect their lives.

Consultations with women groups have sought to have them more empowered in the political realm. “We are empowering them to be more active in political processes. We are encouraging them to run for office, to be more ac-

multaneously create greater involvement among youths and women in the political sphere. Another component, seeks to increase the public’s knowledge on the importance of the Local Government System and its electoral process.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Times, Bradbury said the IRI was working closely with the National Youth Council (NYC)

concerns, opinions, and recommendations should not be taken for granted, pointing out that based on the statistical data, over 60 per cent of the country’s population was under the age of 35.

Bradbury said too that “brain drain” remained a genuine concern, positing that a “country cannot afford to lose its best and brightest”. But this, he said, could be linked to the country’s high unemploy-

tive in their communities and to bring the issues that affect them to the forefront.”

Turning his attention to sessions held at Parliament, the Chief of Party disclosed that since Parliament was prorogued by President Donald Ramotar in November 2014, the IRI team had been unable to consult with the 65 Members of Parliament.

However, before prorogation, many parliamentarians

complained about the lack of resources. “Members do not have offices, they do not have individual staff, they meet on a part-time basis, usually on a Thursday, and the various committees have a whole lot to do,” he explained.

However, despite the prorogation of Parliament, consultations are being held with staff in an effort to deduce ways in which they can better serve parliamentarians and, by extension, the rest of Guyana. The next meeting at the Parliament Building will focus on improving the work of parliamentary committees.

Thirst for knowledge

Additionally, the IRI team has been hosting a series of town-hall meetings on the Local Government System and its electoral process. Meetings were held in Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika, and Georgetown, with the last held on December 6 in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). It is estimated that over 600 persons attended these meetings.

“We have been educating the public on the importance of Local Government Elections and the actual voting process. So when Local Government Elections are held, people will have a greater sense, in terms of the rules, regulations, and responsibilities for that,”

Bradbury explained.

According to him, citizens have expressed great enthusiasm for the elections, which were last held in 1994 under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). They were scheduled to be called in 1997, but were never held. As a result, many young people have never participated in a Local Government Election.

“There was a thirst for knowledge and there was an understanding that local government is indeed important and that people would

Some of the youths that participated in the consultation

like to see Local Government Elections held.

Obviously, it is the most important level of Government to anyone.”

The LEAD programme was halted in late 2013 after Government signalled its objection. According to the Donald Ramotar

Administration, it was not adequately consulted by the US before the programme was implemented here. The US had explained that both Governments had drafted a framework during their 2009 meeting for assistance in governance and democracy, and as such, USAID was under the impression that the programmes being developed were in accordance with the drafted 2009 framework that was agreed upon. The disagreement had resulted in Bradbury’s work permit being revoked.

However, by August 2014, Guyana and the US arrived at a consensus, agreeing on the design and implementation mechanisms of the LEAD programme. But although being modified, the project’s fundamental objectives remained intact.

LEAD Chief of Party Glen Bradbury engaging staff of Parliament during one of their consultations

Striking Bosai workers outside the company’s compound

US Vice President to host Caribbean Energy Summit

Jamaica leads the world in women advancement

Vice President Joe Biden plans to convene heads of state from Caribbean nations in Washington to discuss energy issues, Associated Press reported. The first Caribbean Energy Security Summit will be held on January 26.

Biden’s office says Prime Ministers or Cabinet Ministers from The Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Grenada, and TT are expected to attend. Biden and political leaders from across the Caribbean met in Port of Spain on May 28, 2013 to sign a trade agreement and discuss a range of security, investment and energy issues, Fox News reported.

The White House says the summit will focus on promoting sustainable energy in the region, including access to financing. Representatives from business and international groups are planning to attend. (Trinidad Guardian)

Mexico missing: Protesters try to enter army base

Relatives and supporters of 43 Mexican students who disappeared in September in the Southwestern state of Guerrero tried to gain access to an Army base in the town of Iguala on Monday.

The protesters demanded to be let in to search for the missing students. They accuse the security forces of colluding in their disappearance.

Local Police

Officers have confessed to

handing the students over to a drugs gang, but they have not been seen since and their families are still searching.

Prosecutors say members of the Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors) drugs gang told them they had mistaken the students for members of a rival gang.

They said they killed them and burned their remains, which they tossed into a river.

A bone found in the stream has been matched to one of

the 43 students, Alexander Mora. More remains are still being tested at a specialised laboratory at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, but they are so badly burned it is not clear they can ever be identified.

The relatives of the missing students have refused to give up their search until they are presented with evidence which proves their loved ones are dead. (Excerpt from BBC News)

FARC says will stick to Colombia truce

Atop FARC negotiator Tuesday reaffirmed the Colombian rebel group’s intention to observe a unilateral ceasefire so long as its forces do not come under attack.

In comments published in the newspaper El Espectator, Pastor Alape said the indefinite ceasefire that the FARC declared on December 20, 2014, was “a serious step toward the agreement of an armistice.”

“The unilateral and indefinite ceasefire will re-

main in place as long as the military does not attack the FARC’s units,” said Alape, whose real name is Felix Antonio Munoz.

The FARC charged in a statement at the end of last week that the military was stepping up its pressure on the guerrilla units. Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos has acknowledged that the FARC has abided by the ceasefire. But he has refused to agree to a ceasefire on the part of the Government

until a comprehensive peace agreement has been reached. The Government and the FARC have been negotiating for more than two years in Havana to bring an end to the group’s 50-yearold insurgency, but key issues remain unresolved, including disarmament and how any agreement should be ratified.

More than 220,000 people have died in the conflict, Latin America’s longest. (Excerpt from Yahoo! News)

Anew study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found that Jamaica has the highest proportion of women managers, globally, ahead of countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.

The study also found that while women are still under-represented in top management, the number of women in senior and middle management positions has increased over the last 20 years.

The study entitled “Women in Business and Management, Gaining Momentum”, found that the

proportion of women managers in Jamaica stood at 59.3 per cent, while Yemen has the least with 2.1 per cent.

The US is ranked 15th in the list of 108 countries with 42.7 per cent women managers, while the United Kingdom is at 41st with 34.2 per cent and the Russian Federation holds the 25th place (39.1 per cent).

Colombia holds the second place at the global level and ranks first in Latin America, followed by Panama in fifth place.

The report presents the findings of a 2013 ILO survey of over 1200 companies

in Africa, Asia and Pacific, Eastern and Central Europe and Latin American and the Caribbean, focusing on measures and initiatives to advance women in management. The survey was carried out with the assistance of national employers’ organisations in 39 countries.

“Our research is showing that women’s ever increasing participation in the labour market has been the biggest engine of global growth and competitiveness,” says Deborah FranceMassin, Director of the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Caribbean must “move expeditiously” to prepare for massive earthquake – UWI

The Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of the University of the West Indies (UWI) is warning the region to “move expeditiously” towards building resilience amid predictions the Caribbean could be hit with an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater.

“We must develop, legislate and enforce Building Codes using up-to-date seismic hazard maps based on the latest available science. Preparedness measures at the individual levels are insufficient and greater efforts are needed to facilitate selfresilience,” the SRC said in

a statement as it marked the fifth anniversary of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rocked Haiti in 2010, killing an estimated 300,000 people.

The SRC said that the earthquake in Haiti “should have been the wakeup call for a fundamental shift in regional mechanisms for coping with seismic hazards”.

It said major earthquake disasters around the world have stimulated similar shifts and resulted in greater resilience to seismic hazards in these regions.

“This has not happened

in the Caribbean and the region continues to be extremely vulnerable to seismic events,” the SRC said, adding “research suggests that the region is capable of generating an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or larger every three to five years.

“Of more concerns, we are long overdue for a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, which has 32 times more energy than the Haiti event. In light of these sobering facts, it is imperative for the region to move expeditiously towards building resilience to such events,” it added.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

CLICO has US$2.68B in cash to pay claims, says policyholders’ lawyer

CLICO policyholders’ legal adviser Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj said CLICO has TT$17 billion (US$2.68 billion) in cash and it should use the sum to pay the 350 policyholders their TT$500 million claim.

He also said the matter is expected to be heard before the Privy Council in London, England, by July or August. Maharaj made the comments when presenting a report on the status of the United Policyholders Group Appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

CL Financial collapsed in January 2009, as the global financial crisis in the latter half of 2008 exposed the group’s inability to meet its commitments to pay maturing investments at CLICO and CLICO Investment Bank (CIB).

The Trinidad and Tobago Government signed a memorandum of understanding with former CL Financial chairman Lawrence Duprey on January 30, 2009, that was meant to correct the financial situation at the conglomerate.

To date, the government has spent millions on the bailout. “My information is CLICO has TT$17 billion in cash (due to sales of its methanol plant),” said Maharaj. “The total liability claim is about TT$500 million. I want to know why it is in not in the Statutory Fund to pay the policyholders. Everything that happens in Trinidad and Tobago that is good, the PM (Kamla Persad-Bissessar) takes credit and should take credit for everything that is bad like LifeSport, Emailgate, Reshmi Ramnarine, Clico policyholders being robbed and Section 34.” (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

US Vice President Joe Biden, left, bids farewell to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Haitian President Michel Martelly, Caricom Chairman, after meetings at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, on Monday

The earthquake in Haiti “should have been the wakeup call for a fundamental shift in regional mechanisms for coping with seismic hazards”

Four protesters were injured in the clashes with military Police at the entrance of the army base

Around the world

Victims of France attacks laid to rest Civilians killed in Ukraine shelling

French President Francois Hollande has pledged that his country will “never yield” to “terror” while honouring three Police officers killed during the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper.

He pinned France’s highest decoration, the Legion of Honour, on coffins draped in the flag of France in Paris on Tuesday as the Marseillaise anthem rang out.

“Our great and beautiful France will never break, will never yield, never bend” in the face of the threat that is “still there, inside and outside” the country, Hollande said.

Seventeen people, including journalists and Police officers, died in the assault on Charlie Hebdo staff on Wednesday and in a bloody hostage situation at a Jewish supermarket two days later.

Franck Brinsolaro, 49, and Ahmed Merabet, 40, were killed during the attack on Charlie Hebdo.

The third Police Officer,

Clarissa Jean-Philippe, 26, originally from the French Caribbean island of Martinique, was shot the next day when she arrived on the scene of a car accident in the southern suburb of Montrouge.

Four Jewish victims of the kosher supermarket siege were buried in Israel on Tuesday.

Thousands of mourners gathered at a cemetery in Jerusalem for the funeral of Yoav Hattab, 22; Philippe Braham, 45;Yohan Cohen, 23; and Francois-Michel Saada, 64, who were killed on Friday.

Charlie Hebdo is due to publish a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad on the cover of its first issue in response to the attacks that were claimed to be “avenging the prophet”.

The newspaper Liberation hosted Charlie Hebdo’s staff as they prepared the new issue. Up to three million copies of its latest edition will be printed, which is 50 times more than usual. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Facebook restricts violent video clips, photos

Facebook has begun placing warnings over videos posted to its site, stating their contents might “shock, offend and upset” if viewed.

The alerts prevent the videos from automatically playing in feeds unless they are clicked, unlike other clips.

The site is also preventing graphic videos and photos from being shown to users who have identified themselves as being under 18 years old.

It follows pressure for the move from its own safety advisers.

But one psychologist said the measure still did not do enough to protect young, vulnerable members of the social network.

Among the first posts to be affected are uploaded files containing video footage of Policeman Ahmed Merabet being shot dead in Paris by a terrorist involved in last week’s Charlie Hebdo attacks.

Facebook has faced repeated criticism over recent years for allowing violent and graphic images that it deems to be of public interest or concern to remain on its pages. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Ukrainian officials say 10 civilians have been killed and a further 13 wounded in rebel shelling of a military checkpoint in the country’s east.

The Donetsk regional administration, answering to the Central Government in Kiev, said in a statement that the rebels shelled the checkpoint on Tuesday near the town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region while a passenger bus was passing through it.

The claim about the source of the fatal shelling could not be independently verified.

Al Jazeera’s Paul Brennan, reporting from Kiev, said though Police in the area where the attack happened said 10 people were killed and some 13 injured, the military press office in Kiev said six people had been killed. Some 20 were wounded, it said.

“There has been a spike in the unrest ... over the past couple of days but what we’re hearing from Donetsk ... is certainly an escalation and a tragic one at that,” said our correspondent.

“A civilian bus travelling between Donetsk and Mariupol has been hit apparently by stray munition.

“I am not quite sure whether it is a shell or a rocket launched by a grad rocket launcher, but it has certainly taken a direct hit.

“Photographs of the bus show the windows have been smashed in [and] there are large pools of blood by the entrance-exit door.”

Donetsk Regional Interior Ministry Department Chief Vyacheslav Abroskin said the rocket appeared to have gone astray after being fired at a road block set up near the town of Volnovakha.

(Excerpt from Jazeera)

Divers retrieve crashed AirAsia jet’s cockpit voice recorder

Indonesian divers pulled out the cockpit voice recorder from the sunken wreckage of an AirAsia passenger jet on Tuesday, a key step towards determining the cause of the crash that killed all 162 people aboard.

Indonesia AirAsia’s Flight QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic control in bad weather on December 28, less than halfway into a twohour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore.

The cockpit voice re-

corder, which retains the last two hours of conversation between the pilots and with air traffic controllers, was found close to where the flight data recorder was recovered from the bottom of the Java Sea on Monday.

“Today we have completed searching for the main things that we have been looking for,” Rear Admiral Widodo, the commander of the navy’s western fleet, told reporters after handing over the cockpit voice recorder to investigators. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Illegally brewed liquor

kills dozens in India

Abad batch of unlicensed bootleg liquor has killed at least 31 people out of more than 100 who had been admitted to a trauma centre in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the local Government said.

The victims were taken to the King George’s Medical University Trauma Centre on Monday after being poisoned by the illegally brewed liquor.

Doctors said some patients were relying on artificial ventilation and some had lost their eyesight.

Most of the victims were among more than 200 people who had gathered to watch a cricket match on Sunday evening in a village on the outskirts of the state capital, Lucknow, Government official Anil Garg said.

Police arrested the shop owner who sold the 200-millilitre pouches of the homemade alcohol for about 30 cents each. A raid of the shop

Zimbabwe court halts evictions blamed on Grace Mugabe

Zimbabwe’s High Court has ordered a halt to the eviction of farmers who claim they have been targeted to make way for a game park proposed by First Lady Grace Mugabe.

Police have been demolishing homes of more than 200 families who had occupied land seized under the Government’s controversial land reform programme.

The Government has denied that Mrs Mugabe is linked to the evictions. She entered politics last year, and holds a top post in the ruling party.

The court ruled that the evictions were illegal and the farmers could not be forced out without being provided with alternative land.

Lawyers for six of the farmers brought the case against the Police and the Ministry of Land and Home Affairs –not Mrs Mugabe, reports the

BBC’s Brian Hungwe from the capital, Harare. However, the farmers say that the Police told them that Mrs Mugabe was behind the evictions wanting to use the prime agricultural land in Mashonaland Central province for a game park.

The farmers occupy Arnold Farm – also known an Manzou Farm – near a dairy farm owned by Mrs Mugabe and an orphanage that she set up.

“The police compared us to ants saying, ‘There’s no way an ant can fight an elephant because Amai (Mrs) Mugabe is a high-profile person and you’re ordinary citizens,’” one of farm residents, Aspinias Makufa, told the BBC. Last week, Government Minister Martin Dinha said Mrs Mugabe was being unfairly blamed for the evictions. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Chinese President to pay state visit to UK amid Hong Kong tensions

uncovered large containers of chemicals, which have been sent to a laboratory for testing, district official R K Pandey said.

“The symptoms gave a clear indication that these patients were served methyl alcohol,” which despite being toxic is sometimes mixed with ethyl alcohol to make a brew cheaper, Dr Kausar Usman, head of the trauma centre at Lucknow’s King George’s Medical College, told the Associated Press.

Deaths from drinking illegally brewed alcohol are common in India where the poor cannot afford licensed liquor.

Villager Rajesh Kumar, whose two older brothers became ill after drinking the unlicensed liquor on Monday, said the shop in Datli village was well known for selling inexpensive liquor, and that many men came from surrounding villages just to buy the brew.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Britain on a state visit later this year, a Foreign Office Minister said on Tuesday, while fending off lawmakers’ accusations that London was reluctant to confront Beijing over Hong Kong.

A state visit usually includes a meeting with the Queen, a visit to Parliament, and a meeting with the Prime Minister. It would reflect warming economic relations between China and Britain even though political tensions persist.

Hugo Swire, a junior Foreign Office Minister, disclosed Xi’s planned visit in Parliament after being criticised by lawmakers for choosing not to summon the Chinese Ambassador over China’s refusal to allow them to visit Hong Kong.

Swire said he’d spoken to the Ambassador about the issue as well as broader aspects of Sino-British rela-

tions in 2015 including Prince William’s planned China visit “and a state visit from President Xi later on in the year”.

Protests demanding greater democracy in Hong Kong, a former British colony, have strained bilateral ties, and China last year prevented Members of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee from visiting Hong Kong as part of an inquiry into Britain’s relations with the island.

On Tuesday, members of the committee criticised the British Government for not doing more to protest against what they said was an insult to Parliament and Britain as a whole.

“How much more offensive does the Chinese Government need to be before we say I think we need to summon them,” Richard Ottaway, the committee’s chairman, asked Swire. (Excerpt from Reuters)

French Police Officers pay respects to the three officers killed during last week’s attacks by Islamist militants, as they attend a national tribute at Paris Prefecture, January 13 (Reuters)

Police have been burning down the makeshift shelters of the families farming near Grace Mugabe’s farm

China’s President Xi Jinping speaks at the opening ceremony of the first Ministerial Meeting of China-CELAC Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing January 8

PUBLIC OPINION

What are your views on the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project?

Carol Webster – Consultant

“We depend on imports for energy, so anything that can reduce the energy cost can be a good thing. But I don’t know enough about the circumstances, the project plan, the budget, the execution, to understand essentially what the issue is to form my own opinion about whether or not things are going the way they should, or if there are circumstances that justify the current situation. But generally, gosh, if we can draw on our natural resources for energy, that would be a tremendous thing.”

Cassie Williams

“Oh wow, I don’t know the technicalities behind the project and what’s the holdup but from what I’m hearing, I don’t understand why there is a holdup in the first place. But the project would definitely benefit Guyanese, if it is executed correctly. Because, why wouldn’t anyone want cheaper electricity?”

Cindy Solomon –Businesswoman

“Yea, for the pensioners who does get $13,000, it gonna benefit them mostly and the single parents and the poor population. So it’s good, especially for the poorer population.”

Vigailatchmie Misir – Housewife

“You will have to pay less for the electricity, I like it. Hopefully it happens this year. It’s the opposition who has to agree to everything.”

Rafiyah Husain –Businesswoman

“Yes, I would like to see this project come through, at least we’ll get our electricity much cheaper. I don’t really follow up on this issue because I’m working but I hope it can happen because it would be good for all of us.”

Jenny Baksh

“It would cut cost, especially on the coast, I have family living there. And in town here, is more expensive than the coast, and plus the business people here. So I think the hydro-project would be good because the economy is developing and changing and its time we cut cost.”

Ravi Harichand – Businessman

“It will benefit the country eventually as the electricity price will go down. At least the busiest part would benefit, like Georgetown, maybe Linden, the crowded areas would benefit. I think it’s possible this project pull through if the politicians put themselves together. I’ve read and I’ve seen stories of different parts of the world and there is hydropower and its very, very effective. It’s just our politicians; they need to put themselves together.”

Avinash Singh

“This should come into place, it’s very beneficial for the country and in every area it will benefit the country. I’m not sure it will happen this year, but I would like it to happen soon, because the entire nation will benefit.”

“I think we would benefit from the Amaila Falls Project because the electricity bill is high already and a lot of people can’t really afford the electricity bill. So I think it would be good to reduce the electricity cost in our country.”

Rajesh Singh – Businessman

“All of us are looking for cheap electricity, gasoline; of course it will cut down the cost of living and its betterment for us. I would really appreciate that. Things that does take really long to be done, we don’t see it as citizens, we want things snappy. So we don’t understand.”

Robert Jaikaran – Driver

“I don’t know why everybody objecting to it. It will have plenty benefits, it will stop the constant blackouts, better consumption with current and everything, better payments, it depends on what they do. I really can’t say how soon I think this project will pull through, it depends on the government and opposition.”

Danny Williams

“It could benefit everybody, I mean. It’s a lot of decision, right now with the country and how thing is going on, I’m not sure if it will happen. There’s a possibility it will happen, there’s a possibility it won’t. But it’s one set of confusion. I would like to see it happen cause it would benefit everybody, it’s not just one set of people.”

Surinamese Trade Mission heading to Guyana

The Government of Guyana, the Private Sector Commission and the Chambers of Commerce will be hosting a Surinamese Trade Mission/Delegation from the January 15-17. It is expected that the Ministers of Trade and Tourism will be in attendance, along with other distinguished delegates, including representatives from the Surinamese Private Sector and Manufacturers Association.

In a statement, the Tourism Ministry said that the overall objective is to

explore the opportunities for increased trade and investment between Guyana and Suriname, and the development of a strategy and plan of action to take advantage of the opportunities identified. The opening ceremony will be held on Thursday, January 15 at the Princess Hotel at 19:00h; a mini exhibition will also be held between the hours of 18:00h-22:00h.

During their stay, members of the visiting delegation will participate in a series of meetings, workshops and site visits –Suriname has chosen to act

on recommendations coming from a study conducted on the Opportunities for Enhancing Export Trade between Guyana/ Suriname and Brazil and have planned the visit to assist in developing a strategy for enhancing trade between the two countries.

Guyana, Suriname and Brazil are independent states, who along with French Guiana collectively occupy the central and North-eastern portion of South America. Each state shares similar borders, with Suriname to

the East of Guyana, and Brazil to the South of both Suriname and Guyana.

There are many roads and bridges that link each state, where informal trade takes place. Guyana’s most recent link to Brazil came with the completion of the Takutu River Bridge in 2009, and the Surinamese Government signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese firms for the construction of a road and rail to Brazil.

Brazil, Guyana and Suriname possess low population densities; with 60,

10, and eight persons per square mile, with the estimated average for South America being 22 persons.

These three states (including French Guiana) are also non Spanish speaking. There is also a significant population of Brazilians living in both Suriname (40,000) and Guyana (10,000), mostly involved in the mining industry. The economies of Brazil, Guyana and Suriname also concentrate significantly on the agriculture and extractive industries. Brazil has signed partial scope agree-

ments with both Suriname (2005) and Guyana (2001) that give preferential access to a wide range of goods into the Brazilian market. In his New Year’s address, President Donald Ramotar promised to deliver a bridge across the Corentyne River and a road linking Guyana and Brazil, saying “During the next term of office, my Government will work with our partners to bridge the Corentyne River and to complete the road from Brazil along with the accompanying deep water harbor.”

Shenel McPherson – Typist

GT&T has bandwidth for more customers – RK Sharma

In the wake of speculation that bouts of Internet disruption may have been caused by overselling of Guyana’s limited bandwidth, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has categorically dismissed this.

Following concerns about Internet disruption along parts of coastal areas and Georgetown, the concern was raised about the bandwidth being possibly overcrowded.

But GT&T Chief Executive Officer (CEO) RK Sharma exlplained that there is much more bandwidth available to offer services to even more customers throughout the country.

He told Guyana Times that while there is a limit to the amount of bandwidth available, GT&T has not outsold its capacity. “There is enough for everyone,” he stated.

Asked what might then be causing thedisruptions, the CEO said many issues could cause such problems. He noted that all cases could not be dealt with at the same time, since some persons may have problems with their modems, while others have problems with their connection set-up.

For almost 20 years, GT&T has been the main presence in the local telecommunications sector, but with the arrival of Digicel in 2007 and an increase in Internet Service Providers, there are more options available to consumers.

Although there are mul-

tiple companies providing cellular and Internet services, GT&T is currently the only provider of landlines. Also, Digicel is required to pay GT&T for its mobile services bandwidth, which is provided through the local company.

Bill on August 9, 2013.

The Telecommunications Bill seeks to provide the establishment of a telecommunications agency and a regular, coordinated, open and competitive telecommunications sector and other related matters. The oth-

Digicel Guyana CEO Gregory Dean has reiterated, over the years, his company’s intentions of expanding the local telecommunications sector and providing more services.

During an interview with this newspaper in

authorities with regard to the purchase of a submarine fibre network across the Caribbean from the Guadeloupe-based Loret Group and Caribbean Fibre Holdings. According to Dean, Guyana continues to lag behind even as the rest of the

Chart showing the Internet speed (megabytes per second) and Internet penetration (percent) of selected countries (Source: internetsociety.org)

Digicel is currently advocating for the full liberalisation of the sector. At present, there is a Telecommunications Bill before the National Assembly that seeks to regulate and liberalise the telecommunications sector. The Bill was tabled along with the Public Utilities Commission (Amendment)

er piece of legislation seeks to amend the PUC Act to facilitate the provisions of the Telecommunications Bill.

Since the first reading of the two Bills, the second reading has been deferred several times as the Government continues to hold discussions with the two telecommunications companies.

October, Dean disclosed that he was still in discussions with Government on the installation of another fibre-optic cable to improve the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Sector.

Early last year, Digicel announced that it received the required approvals from Government and regulatory

Caribbean and the world at large advance in the world of technology and telecommunications.

“Guyana is the only country in the Englishspeaking Caribbean that does not have a 3G or faster mobile phone service,” Dean said.

3G (the 3rd Generation) refers to a networking stand

in cellphone technology that is capable of providing highspeed data service to mobile devices. While Guyana has stuck with 2G technology, other nations have advanced to 4G networks.

Liberalising the telecommunications sector in Guyana would allow Digicel to bring Guyanese up to speed with the rest of the world, Dean said.

“In terms of Internet penetration rates, you know we are hovering somewhere way below the 10 per cent mark. When you look at surveys and benchmarks showing Guyana against the Caribbean and even Latin American countries, you can see that in terms of access to broadband services, we have very low penetration and we come very low in those benchmarks. In terms of speed of service, we are very low,” he said.

According to the Digicel CEO, broadband should no longer be seen as a luxury but a necessity. As the international company eyes the possibility of liberalisation in the near future, Digicel has plans to expand its services to meet the needs of the Guyanese people, he said.

“Definitely, we would want to run our own fibre optic cable in Guyana. We are looking to expand into the landline and Internet zone, and business solution services. We want to be a full communications player; we are not interested in just being a mobile phone provider,” Dean added.

Police view surveillance footage…find nothing ‘useful’

Investigators attached to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) are currently analysing surveillance footage secured from the Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara (ECD) crime scene where businesswoman, Patricia Sanasie called “Pasty” was gunned down.

Sanasie, 45, of Lot 129130 Atlantic Gardens, was fatally shot outside of her residence sometime around 19:10h on Monday. According to reports, the businesswoman had jumped out of her vehicle to open her gate, when she was approached by a gunman. The lone shooter, who fired a shot in the air before killing Sanasie, exited a silver car which was parked in the area.

The shooter, neighbours said, walked up to the woman and hugged her before pumping four bullets into her head. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Crime Chief Leslie James told Guyana Times that investigators have managed to obtained footage from various locations; however, he did not indicate whether any of the footage was obtained from the dead woman’s premises. According to James, investigators have found have “nothing useful” from the footage obtained. As a result, they are combing the area for additional footage that may be useful in the investigation. Additionally, the Crime Chief disclosed that a suspect has not been identified. Asked whether they might be looking at the husband given the history of the relationship he had with his wife shared, James said the investigation is still “open.” He reiterated that the Police have not identified anyone who may have had a hand in the shooting.

Meanwhile, plain clothes investigators were

back in the village on Tuesday afternoon taking statements from neighbours. This newspaper was told that persons in the area witnessed the events of Monday evening but were reluctant to speak, claiming that it’s “a family matter.”

A resident told this publication under anonymity that it appears as though a hit was put out on the busi-

nesswoman since the car was parked, awaiting her arrival. The resident said as soon as the woman came out of the car the shooter confronted her.

This newspaper was also told that Sanasie and her three daughters were in the United States (US) for a while but she only returned recently with her eldest daughter.

Villagers are of the

opinion that the woman’s husband is behind the killing. They explained that Sanasie and her husband had an ongoing misunderstanding over the property.

The husband, auto spares dealer Deokaran “Ram” Sanasie called “MonkeyRam” was shot on February 15 last year while outside of his business place at Fourth and Light streets, Alberttown, Georgetown. The man survived the shooting but blamed his wife and her younger brother for the failed attempt.

The businessman reportedly told the police from his hospital bed, he is suspicious that his wife might have contracted persons at the cost of $6 million to kill him. However, the wife and the brother held a press conference four days later denying the allegations and stated that they had nothing to do with the shooting.

The woman also alleged that her husband constantly abused her, their children, the maid and even neighbours. “I think he needs to go to the doctor and check himself out,” she had said. The woman’s younger brother, Vishnu Persaud, had also proclaimed his innocence.

The couple was married for some 29-years but separated after the incident last year. Guyana Times was made to understand that Ram Sanasie had since moved to the United States.

The businessman had accused his wife of trying to kill him for US$100,000, which he got from selling a property. He further alleged that his jewellery and other properties have been disappearing from his home. But, the woman said her husband went out of the country for a few months and did not leave any money, so she sold a generator to get finance to manage the house.

Dead Patricia Sanasie called “Pasty”

Atlantic Gardens’ shooting...

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

(May 21June 20)

CANCER

Focus on love, romance and relationships. Business events or seminars will be the perfect place to meet someone who shares your interests and concerns. Let things unfold naturally.

Make an effort to get along with your peers. Sharing information will help you form an alliance with someone who can help you advance, as long as you don’t reveal personal secrets.

Emotions will run high, causing problems with overly sensitive people. A hobby or solitary pastime will keep you out of trouble. Stay calm and avoid senseless disputes that could lead to irreconcilable differences.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

PISCES

(Feb. 20March 20)

A friend will ask for your advice. Compromise and common sense will come in handy when interacting with business associates. You will be inspired to start a new project.

Remain alert in order to protect your possessions and property. Change up your routine so that your schedule or habits don’t become too boring or predictable.

Differences of opinion can quickly escalate into an argument. Stick to basics as well as to the truth, and resist the urge to blame or find fault in others.

Don’t let someone act on your behalf. Once you have decided what needs to be done, get on with the job. Constructive use of your time will leave room for recreation later.

Let your accomplishments pave the way for new beginnings. Your actions will impress onlookers and help position you for bigger and better opportunities. Listen, learn and forge ahead. Pay greater attention to the ones you love. By making someone feel special, you will gain respect and personal stability. Your thoughtful and caring disposition will be appreciated and reciprocated. Don’t let a lack of confidence stop you from considering a new vocation or promising opportunity. Be proud of your accomplishments, but acknowledge what others do as well if you want to advance.

Don’t become overwhelmed by unfinished chores. If you organize and strategize, you will slowly but surely accomplish whatever you set out to do.

Be more assertive if you want to dictate the way situations unfold. You have all the qualities necessary to ably present and promote what you have to offer.

GEMINI

PeanuTs

Calvin and Hobbes

dilberT

arCHie

Spartons capture August Beverage dominoes title

Spartons registered 51 games to capture the August Beverage Enterprise/Lyall Gittens four-game dominoes title on Monday night at Norton and Creen Streets, Newburg.

Legends who drew a bye to the final placed second with 41 games followed by Killers on 40.

Shawn Mc Kenzie and Akini Solomon chalked up 11 games apiece for the winners, while Lorna Mayers contributed nine. Shafeek Abdool and Iube Khan made eight each for the runner-up team.

Killers’ leading players were Amanda Singh and Byram (only name) with nine and eight games in that order.

Killers won the semi-final encounter after amassing 39 games ahead of Spartons’ 37 and Mix-Up’s 30.

August Beverage Enterprise Managing Director Shellon August (right) presents the wining trophy and cash prize to Captain of the victorious Spartons team Navin Singh in the presence of his teammates and other representatives of the sponsor

TMcKenzie received the most valuable player prize while Spartons pocketed a trophy and $160,000.

Legends for their second-place effort received

Clifford Sardianha marked nine for Killers while John Chance and Kanhai Samaroo made 10 and eight respectively for Spartons. Mark Wiltshire chalked nine for Mix-Up.

a trophy and $100,000 while Killers were awarded a trophy and $60,000. Mix Up collected a trophy and $10,000 for finishing fourth.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony Managing Director of August Beverage Enterprise, Shellon August

congratulated the winners and thanked the other participating teams, adding that the company was pleased to be associated with the sport.

Gittens informed that the Platinum tournament will commence in Bartica in April.

he East Coast Cricket Committee (ECCC) and the Lusignan Cricket Club (LCC) with support from the Ministry of Sport, the Guyana Cricket Board, and the Demerara Cricket Board, are organising a Cheddi Jagan Memorial Over-40, 20over round-robin competition, which is slated to commence on January 31. This competition will be held in observance of the 18th death anniversary of Guyana’s former President, Dr Cheddi Jagan. It is expected to be completed on March 7, one day after the late President’s date of death.

There will be eight teams from Demerara in this contest; two from each association. The registered teams are East Coast Bulls, East Coast Tigers, Georgetown

Buffaloes, Georgetown Bears, East Bank Colts, East Bank Lions, West Demerara Mavericks, and West Coast Seals. Trophies will be awarded to the winner, the runner-up, and the Man-ofthe-Match of each game. Interested persons can contact the following persons in the respective teams: Nazimul Drepaul on 615-8683 for Georgetown Bears and Garvin Nedd on 617-9381 for Georgetown Buffaloes; Johnny Azeez on 6490243 for East Bank Lions and Rohan Sarjoo on 6681565 for East Bank Colts; Sudesh Persaud on 6587943 for West Demerara Mavericks and Dhanpaul on 668-8865 for West Coast Seals; and Anil Persaud on 624-6098 for East Coast Tigers and Seeraj Bhimsain on 6472480 for the East Coast Bulls.

Grove Hi-Tech’s Garnett to try out with Caledonia AIA

There is an old saying that dedicated work always brings reward.

Twenty-year-old Grove

Hi-Tech forward Domini Garnett is a perfect example of this adage in action: he leaves Guyana today for a tryout for Trinidad Pro League side Caledonia AIA.

Garnett, who has represented Guyana at the Under-17 and 19 levels, has also been named as part of the Golden Jaguars 26-man local-based side that will be encamped from January 22 ahead of the friendly international against Barbados on February 1 on that island.

At a simple but significant ceremony on Tuesday in the Boardroom of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Normalisation Committee member Stuart May congratulated Garnett, and James Herbert and family who have sponsored the air ticket for Garnett to travel to TT.

May told the gathering, which also included East Bank FA President and Secretary Wayne Francois and Franklin Wilson, Grove Hi-Tech Coach Jermaine

Matthews and Directors of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation (K&S), Kashif Muhammad and Aubrey “Shanghai” Major, who, along with Herbert, initiated the arrangement with Caledonia’s Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz, that it was always the dream of any young player growing up to play professionally.

“Mr Domini Garnett has already been selected for the Barbados squad as a Golden Jaguar has achieved that status and now he has taken that further step in his football career.”

May noted that these happenings did not occur by the click of a finger, so he took the opportunity to sin-

gle out the Herbert family for their investment in Garnett and the K&S Organisation for their continued commitment to the development of the game.

Outstanding

K&S Director Muhammad, in remarks, expressed pleasure at being part of the entire arrangement, which facilitated Garnett’s opportunity to secure an international career He said they saw the talent of Garnett during the Stag Super XVI December/ January tournament among the East Bank, East Demerara and Berbice associations which they followed.

“He was extremely out-

standing and remarkable during the tournament; we were at the final and saw him scoring all five goals in his team’s win over Ann’s Grove. Right there and then we had our good friend Mr James Herbert, who is a long-time sponsor of our organisation who also hails from Grove on the East Bank, and we felt that this talented player should be given an opportunity to further his skills,” Muhammad said.

He stated that discussions were initiated immediately among members of his organisation, Herbert and Shabazz with a view of giving Garnett the opportunity to play at a higher level.

“We had discussions with

Mr Franklin Wilson of the East Bank Association and we also were introduced to Garnett’s father, Mark, and we promised that we were going to assist him in furthering his career. Shabazz acquiesced immediately, stating that he was committed to assisting in the development of Guyana’s football.”

Muhammad said it was the wish of his organisation that this be the rebirth of what they would have initiated many years ago when a number of players, the likes of Collie Hercules, Randolph Jerome, Kayode McKinnon, and others made their entry into semi-pro ball, eventually turning pro.

“Out of those players and others going abroad to play professionally in Trinidad and other places, we saw the Guyana brand, Golden Jaguars, coming to the fore and doing well. So, we are extremely happy to be associated with giving this youngster his chance and we are happy that the East Bank Association gave us the go-ahead to look out for him and we’re really elat-

ed that the Herbert family has supported and the GFF Normalisation Committee has blessed this entire initiative to make it reality,” Muhammad related. May said he was very gratified that K&S Organisation, whose tournament was not approved last year-end, still displayed a high level of maturity and commitment to the sport.

“I think the K&S Organisation still went out and scouted talent and got involved in developing football and that shows that they are not small-minded and I think this is the way football is going to go forward,” he said.

In his remarks, Garnett thanked all, including the GFF Normalisation Committee and his club, Grove Hi-Tech, for affording him the opportunity of taking his career to another level.

“I will take this opportunity as a step forward in life and I will do my best, work hard and prove to others that Guyana has more talent while making a way for other youths to get opportunities,” Garnett said.

Tiffany Herbert hands over the ticket to Domini Garnett in the presence of (from right) Wayne Francois, Stuart May, Kashif Muhammad, James Herbert and Mark Garnett (Dominic’s father)

World Cup 2015… The youngest, the most capped, and the most prolific World Cup 2015 squads: average ages

Only two squads’ average age at World Cup 2015 is over 30: UAE and Sri Lanka. UAE have the two oldest players in the tournament, former captain Khurram Khan and newly-appointed leader Mohammad Tauqir, who, incidentally, are born on the same day: June 21, 1971. That means they’ll start the tournament at 43+. The only other player over 40 in the tournament is Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq. The youngest player in the tournament is 18-year-old Afghanistan batsman Usman Ghani, who was born on November 20, 1996. Bangladesh beat Afghanistan to the title of youngest team in the tournament by the narrowest of margins,

Messi unsure of future

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi admits

“I don’t know where I’ll be next year” although says he wants to stay at the Catalan club.

The Argentina captain had dismissed speculation linking him with a move as “lies” at the weekend.

But the 27-year-old said “nobody knows what the future holds” at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich.

He lost out to Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo as world footballer of the year for the second year in a row.

Messi was asked if he envisaged ending his career at Barcelona, his only senior club, or at Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys in his hometown of Rosario.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen, whether I’d

World Cup 2015 squads: most ODIs

Sri Lanka are by far the most experienced squad at World Cup 2015. In Mahela Jayawardene,

Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, they have three of the four players in the tournament who have played more

than 300 ODIs; Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi is the fourth. Jayawardene is the only one with more than 400 (he had played 434 ODIs by the squad deadline day). That all adds up to Sri Lanka having played a whopping 757 ODIs more than the second most capped side, Pakistan. New Zealand, bolstered by Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum, come in at No. 3. Bangladesh, South Africa and England are the only Full Members to aggregate fewer than 1000 ODIs. Only three players were picked for the World Cup without having debuted in ODI cricket: Ireland pacer Peter Chase, and West Indies batsman Jonathan Carter and fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell.

World Cup 2015 squads: most ODI centuries

Unsurprisingly, Sri Lanka is the squad with the most ODI hundreds going into the World Cup. India come in second, but the surprise is at No. 3: as of squad deadline day, South Africa are placed third with an aggregate of 47 hundreds - just one shy of India - despite the fact that they are the second leastexperienced Full Member at the tournament. Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle have the most ODI hundreds, with 21 apiece. Only six other players picked for the tournament have an ODIcenturies tally in double digits: Kumar Sangakkara, AB de

Amla,

Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor.

go to Newell’s,” he said.

“I don’t know where I’ll be next year although I’ve always said I want to end my career at Barcelona.”

It had been suggested La Liga’s record goalscorer might leave the club following reports of a trainingground row with manager Luis Enrique, who took over

last summer. He has spent his entire career at the Nou Camp, winning three Champions Leagues and six La Liga titles as well as four world footballer of the year awards, since making his debut in 2004. He is contracted until 2019.

After scoring in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid, Messi said: “I have no intentions of leaving for any team, not Chelsea nor Manchester City.

“I’m tired of all the things that people have been saying. I didn’t ask the club to fire anyone.”

Finance expert Rob Wilson of Sheffield Hallam University told BBC Sport that Manchester United and Real Madrid are the only clubs that could afford to buy Messi outright and satisfy Financial Fair Play. (BBC Sport)

Ajmal’s official reassessment set for January 24

Suspended Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal will undergo official ICC testing in Chennai on January 24, to assess his remodelled bowling action.

If Ajmal’s action is found to be legal, his ban from bowling in international cricket will be lifted. If he fails the test again, though, the ICC’s Bowling Review Group (BRG) will specify a period during which Ajmal will not be entitled to approach the ICC for reassessment.

Ajmal was suspended from bowling in September after his action was deemed to be illegal for all deliveries, and he was not ready with his reworked action in time to make it to Pakistan’s squad for the World Cup - the deadline for submitting squads to the ICC was January 7.

But he is important to the side beyond the World Cup, NCA head coach Mohammad Akram said, and so he was not rushed back. This is the second time the PCB has applied to the ICC for a date; earli-

er the PCB withdrew their request, despite being given the date of December 7, on the advice of the experts working with Ajmal.

“We feel he is ready for re-assessment,” Akram told ESPNcricinfo.

“We took time and didn’t push hard for his return because the idea was to make sure that he is bowling within the limit. His career though doesn’t end with the World Cup, what important is that he continue to play cricket even after the World Cup as cricket is his bread

and butter and he has serviced Pakistan in very difficult time.”

If Ajmal passes the test and returns to bowling but is reported again in international cricket before September 2016, he will be banned straightaway for a year. Before he was banned, tests revealed his elbow extension was going up to 42 degrees on average, leading to his suspension. Over the last four months he had been undergoing extensive remedial work on his action with former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq.

The first phase of the rehabilitation was carried out at the PCB’s National Cricket Academy in Lahore and Ajmal was then sent to the facility of biomechanics laboratory at Loughborough. During his remedial work he went through three unofficial Tests that showed his stock delivery, the offspinner, and faster ball were within the legitimate 15-degree limit, though his doosra was still beyond the limit. (Cricinfo)

World Cup 2015 squads: most ODI four-fors

Sri Lanka edge out stiff competition from England, New Zealand, West Indies and Australia as the team with the most four+ wicket hauls, as on squad deadline day.

Bangladesh, with 22, are ahead of Pakistan and India, and just one shy of South Africa. Lasith Malinga (16) has almost half of Sri Lanka’s 34 four-fors, while Shahid Afridi (13) has twothirds of Pakistan’s 19.

The only other bowlers at the tournament with 10 or more four-fors in

Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Hashim

Which is the Oldest Squad?

Which is the most experience squad?

Which team has the most four-fors?

ODI cricket are England’s James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and Australia’s Mitchell Johnson.

Which team has scored the most centuries?

Lionel Messi

Saeed Ajmal

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Omission of Bravo, Pollard...

Making no sense at all

Dave Cameron clearly takes the knowledgeable, if long-suffering, cricket public of the West Indies to be gullible simpletons.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president somehow expects his explanation for the confirmed omission of Dwayne Bravo, as well as Kieron Pollard, from the squad for the forthcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to be swallowed, without even a pinch of salt.

In reality, it lacks cricketing credibility.

Chris Gayle’s angry response after his whirlwind, Man-of-the-Match 90 in West Indies’ astonishing victory in the second Twenty20 against South Africa on Sunday was heartfelt and predictable. As typically forthright in his opinions as he is with his bat, he described the dismissals of Bravo and Pollard as “ridiculous” and “sad”.

He saw it as “victimisation”, obviously referring to Bravo’s role as captain and vocal players’ spokesman in the team’s withdrawal from the tour of India last October that followed their acrimonious disagreement with the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) over a new contract, presented to them after arrival in Delhi.

If Gayle’s sympathies might have been clouded towards his long-time teammates, the neutral reaction on television of Kepler Wessels and Shaun Pollock, both former South African captains, were equally strong.

Both spoke from a purely cricketing perspective. “Shock” and “disbelief” were words used. Wessels said their absence robbed the game’s major global tournament of two of its most identifiable individuals, both highly regarded in Australia.

For all that, Cameron asserted that the selection was made solely on merit by “some of the biggest leg-

ends we have in West Indies cricket” whose judgment was unanimously supported by his board.

It is impossible to fathom how chairman of selectors, Clive Lloyd, and a fellow member of his panel, Courtney Walsh, with the knowledge of 242 Tests and 292 ODIs between them and each with a lifetime in the game, could come to such a conclusion without other considerations.

Bravo’s all-round performances earned him selection as the only West Indian in the ICC’s composite ODI XI for 2014. His cv includes 164 such matches. He was appointed ODI captain in 2013, a post he held on the tour of India last October. He has extensive experience in Australia as well as a tour of New Zealand.

The West Indies had no matches for his form to be judged before he and Pollard were dropped from the ODI squad presently in South Africa, an early hint that they wouldn’t be at the World Cup either.

Rather than his cricketing record, simple common sense indicates that the India fiasco figured in Bravo’s dismissal and replacement as captain by Jason Holder, the highly regarded, 23-year-old emerging all-rounder.

Cameron would have been more sincere had he

acknowledged as much. Two deterrents prevented it.

It would have been an admission that the WICB went back on its word following the temporary agreement, brokered between the three involved

of the problem apportioned blame equally to the WICB, the WIPA and the players. If Bravo and Pollard were to be penalised so too Cameron and WIPA president Wavell Hinds would have to be. That was simply not going to happen for the WICB needs answer to no one but itself. Two side issues were puzzling.

Cameron said the selectors had decided to inject some youth in the team and build for the future. Holder’s promotion is the only evidence of that. Eight of the 15 chosen will be over 30 by the time the World Cup starts (Denesh Ramdin is 30 before it ends), the one newcomer, Jonathan Carter, is 27 and almost seven years in the regional game.

The average age of 28.66 makes it among the oldest

parties, by St Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister Ralph Gonsalves, that the new contracts would be renegotiated at a future date and that there would be no victimisation or discrimination of the players from India.

This is not to say that Bravo and, indeed, all those in India, did not deserve censure; they certainly did.

Yet the Task Force set up to investigate all aspects

in the tournament.

Having effectively eliminated Bravo from ODIs, the WICB immediately presented him with a retainer contract for the coming year. It presumably ensures that he is available for the Twenty20 internationals of which there are precisely none by September 30, when the contract expires. You really couldn’t make the whole thing up. (Trinidad Express)

ronaldo urges fans to go easy on Bale

World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo has urged Real Madrid fans to go easy on “key player” Gareth Bale.

Welshman Bale, 25, scored in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Espanyol, but was jeered for shooting wide instead of passing to Ronaldo for an easy tap-in.

The Portugal forward looked angry at the time, but later said: “The people will be nice with him and they should be nice. Things with Gaz are normal.

“They [fans] know that Gaz is a very important player for us, a key player.”

Ronaldo, who won the Ballon d’Or for the second successive time on Monday,

added: “What happened on Saturday is in the past, sometimes I make mistakes too so it’s part of the business, part of football.

“Madrid fans are always the same, they are very in-

tense, they show what they feel, they aren’t liars.” Bale became the world’s most expensive footballer when Real paid Tottenham Hotspur £85m for his transfer in September 2013.

scored a goal in

Dave Cameron

He

their Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid, and their Spanish cup final victory over Barcelona in his first season in Spain. (BBC Sport)

Gareth Bale celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo

Chris Gayle signs autographs for fans after he led West Indies to a record breaking win over South Africa in the 2nd T20 on Sunday

Golden Jaguars game against Barbados... Nurse among overseas trio to join squad

By AvenAsh rAmzAn

Golden Jaguars skip-

per at the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers, Christopher Nurse, is among a group of three overseas-based players who are being considered for selection for the Jaguars game against hosts Barbados on February 1.

Head Coach for the game, Jamaal Shabazz announced at a press conference on Monday that the trio have been invited to join the squad and have all indicated their availability. They are

expected to join with the 26 locally- based players for the one-week encampment, set to commence on January 22.

The other two players are centre back Jamaal Smith, who played for the Golden Jaguars during the latter part of the World Cup campaign, and newcomer Emery Welshman, whose parents are Guyanese.

“Because we want to put the best foot forward for this game, we’ve asked and invited Chris Nurse, who captained the team when we [Shabazz and Wayne Dover] were in charge, and he’s available. As you know, he got the big humanitarian award in the North American Soccer League and he is very enthusiastic about coming [to play for Guyana],” Shabazz announced.

He added, “We’ve also invited Jamaal Smith; he’s another centre back, who played with the Golden Jaguars at the last two matches of the campaign for the World Cup, and also a player from Canada, who

has shown interest. Both his parents are Guyanese and his name is Emery Welshman.”

Welshman, according to Shabazz, will be here on trial as he seeks to make the final cut to travel with the team to Barbados.

“He is actually coming on a trial; he is paying his way to come on a trial to see if he can make the squad and he’s been playing with the Toronto team in the MLS

[Major League Soccer] for two seasons,” Shabazz divulged.

While pointing out that other overseas players based in different territories were also available, Shabazz outlined that those players who have been selected as part of the preliminary squad will be given priority in terms of selection.

“Of course, there are a couple of other boys in Trinidad, but what we’ve decided as a staff is based on how we see this group operate; as we’ve done on the occasions before, we give the first bit of the cherry to the players that are before us,”

he explained.

Shabazz continued, “It makes more sense because they’re available and we see them every day and we know what they’re doing. But we cannot discount what the players bring who play at a higher level, because we know a lot of football is not going on in Guyana right now.”

Meanwhile, the squad for the Barbados game will be encamped from January 22 under Shabazz, Technical Director Claude Bolton and Assistant Coach Wayne Dover.

Other members of the Technical Team include Trevor Burnett (Manager – Equipment); Faizal Khan

(Manager – Commercial and Administrative); Mark Xavier (Manager – Operations); Anson Ambrose (Trainer); Andrew Hazel (Goalkeeping Coach); and Debita Harriprashad (Physiotherapist).

The 26-member preliminary squad reads: O’Neil Carter, Oswald Cornett, Omallo Williams, Travis Henry, Solomon Austin, Kris Camacho, Quincy Madramootoo, Trevon Lithcott, Dwain Jacobs, Amos Ramsey, Daniel Wilson, Keron Solomon, Sheldon Holder, Clive DeNobrega, Colin Nelson, Dwight Peters, Tishard Joseph, Dwayne Lawrence, Domini Garnett, Travis Hillman, Rawle Gittins, Denver Dennis, Calvin Sheppard, Joshua Brown, Eusi Phillips and Vurlon Mills.

A return game will be played later in the year.

Coach Johnny lauds AAG, Sport Ministry for 2014 successes

By TreisTon Joseph

Running

Brave Athletics Club Coach

Sham Johnny has called 2014 a successful year for the Sport Ministry and the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG).

“I think it was a great year for athletics and for sports generally, we must say kudos to the AAG and to the Ministry of Sport.

“They should strive to move forward and not backward, to work hand in hand with the GOA [Guyana Olympic Association] and the Private Sector … I think the time is now with the success we have had last year; this is the time for us especially with the facilities being built,” Johnny highlighted.

He went on to define the role he believed that the Private Sector should play in sport, especially with the recent successes in athletics and rugby.

“The role I think the Private Sector [should play] is one where our athletes can become professionals; these athletes have needs and sponsorship is a major part of that and professionally, the Private Sector needs to come onboard with sponsorship,” Johnny stressed.

Meanwhile, the former quarter-miler turned coach

congratulated the likes of Jason Yaw, Cassey George, Natricia Hooper and Tevin Garraway on the year they had.

“The girls at Carifta did well. They were invited to participate at the relay festival and that says a lot; also I think Jason (Yaw) and Tevin Garraway had a superb year with record-breaking performances, and there is no doubt that we have a lot of depth in talent at the youth and junior levels,” Johnny noted.

Johnny also congratulated senior athletes such as Winston George, Cleveland Forde, Cleveland Thomas, and even Stephan James for their successful year.

However, the coach was critical of the administration of the National School Championships, “I think they need to work along with the Ministry of Sport and the AAG. If scouts come here, they won’t go to the GTU [Guyana Teachers Union] or the Ministry of Education for records of athletes, they will go to the AAG.

“I also believe that alternatives need to be put in place in instance of bad weather, because those athletes work hard to get to that stage and they deserve to compete at the event, but I really think that the event should be sanctioned by the AAG,” Johnny pointed out.

Johnny also expressed his displeasure with the fact that coaches were asked to pay to enter the championship and stressed that nowhere else in the region coaches are asked to pay to enter a championship.

Meanwhile, Johnny’s biggest hope for the 2015 year is to see the Sport Ministry working along with all stakeholders to improve not just athletics but sports in general.

“I think it was really good for athletics and for the Ministry and we need to use all our resources to ensure that we move forward,” Johnny stated.

Cameron backs Holder to “lead well”

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President Dave Cameron has given his full backing to new oneday skipper Jason Holder.

The 23-year-old pacer was surprisingly named last month to replace Dwayne Bravo for the five-match series in South Africa, starting Friday.

He was also announced last weekend to lead the Caribbean side to the World Cup, which bowls off next month in Australia and New Zealand.

“He’s somebody we have a lot of time for, a lot of respect for. He’s somebody who is very mature for his age, and I expect him to lead very well in

the World Cup,” Cameron said in a radio interview here.

Holder’s performance

Holder has taken 29 wickets at 28 runs apiece in 21 ODIs, and has hit a half-century on Test debut against New Zealand last June in his home-town Barbados.

“I expect that we will give a good performance as a team. If you look at our new captain, he has done very well in the last couple of matches,” the Jamaican executive said.

“As a matter of fact, he has been one of our better bowlers in the Test (matches) and the first T20 that was played. So I expect him to lead from

Windies consider resting ‘big guns’

Captain Darren

Sammy is hoping to rest several players for the third and final Twenty20 International today with the series already wrapped up, but has impressed upon his unit the importance of making a clean sweep.

West Indies arrived here yesterday fresh from taking a winning 2-0 lead in the series, following an his-

toric run chase which saw the Caribbean successfully overhaul a mammoth 231 for seven by South Africa, to win at Wanderers with four balls to spare.

Sammy said he would discuss with tour selectors and coach Stuart Williams the possibility of using a revamped team, especially considering the upcoming workload of a few players.

“I said to the guys af-

ter (Sunday’s) match, 3-0 in South Africa against South Africa sounds way better than 2-1,” Sammy said.

“Obviously, Chris (Gayle) is our main T20 batsman and we have the one-dayers coming up and we know how crucial, (but) how prone he is to injury. I think I had a conversation with him and Stuart and he wanted to play (on Sunday). So once we won the series,

he could get some time to manage his body.”

Gayle was pivotal in the series win, hammering 77 off 31 balls in the opening game in Cape Town to steer West Indies to an uncomplicated four-wicket win. He returned at the Wanderers to blast 90 from 41 deliveries to set up another thrilling four-wicket verdict.

Strong players Sammy said he be -

lieved, however, there were strong players who could be called upon for the final game to ensure Windies sustained their winning momentum.

“We have guys like Carlos Brathwaite. To be fair, Jason (Holder), after the Test series, looked a bit tired and we know he has the one-day captaincy to think about. So Carlos Brathwaite could get his

opportunity,” Sammy explained.

“And (André) Fletcher could also come in and keep after (Denesh) Ramdin had the Test series and have the one-dayers and the World Cup coming up.

“We will talk to the selectors and see if we can give the other guys a chance to play with the same mentality of going out and winning in Durban.” (Jamaica Gleaner)

Sham Johnny

Jamaal Shabazz

Christopher Nurse

Emery Welshman

Jamaal Smith

the front.” West Indies face the Proteas in the first ODI in Durban on Friday.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

Jason Holder

WICB/NAGICO Super50 tournament... GCB President expresses confidence in Guyana Jaguars

Bubbling with confidence after topping the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Professional Cricket League (PCL) Four-day tournament at the holiday break, the Guyana Jaguars will look to continue with the same momentum and win the WICB/ NAGICO Super50 competition after departing these shores on Tuesday morning.

Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President Drubahadur wished the team well, noting that he

has high hopes for the group of players assembled to represent the country.

Under the leadership of all-rounder Christopher Barnwell, the Jaguars were greeted by Drubahadur during a simple send-off in front of the Windjammer Hotel in Kitty, Georgetown. The GCB boss said he was confident in the players’ ability and was banking on them to walk away with championship honours.

“The Guyana Cricket Board has every confidence in this team and that’s the reason you’re here. Looking around at some of the faces, I can see some [level of] confidence and that is a good thing going into this

tournament,” Drubahadur told the players. He, however, warned the players not to rest on their laurels, especially coming off of such success in the Four-day competition.

“Do not allow complacency to step in,” Drubahadur advised. “I just want to wish you guys an injuryfree tour. I know we have some senior guys missing; however, that gives the younger guys an opportunity to step up. We have a nice mixture; we have Shiv back in the squad and he would lead from the front. Again, all the best and may God be with you.”

During the January 1525 tournament, Guyana Jaguars will be without the services of batsmen Narsingh Deonarine and Leon Johnson, on duty with the West Indies ODI team in South Africa, and Assad Fudadin, out with a thumb injury.

Drubahadur also reminded the players that Guyana started off this format strongly last year, but faded away and lost at the semi-final level. He stressed that if they started on top again, it was essential that they did not become over confident and get carried away.

Fight hard

According to the GCB release, Drubahadur told the players if they were not victorious in the opening match, they had to believe in themselves, regroup, correct what they did wrong and continue to fight. The President further welcomed the hard-hitting Jonathan Foo back to the national squad and wished him a successful tournament.

He also congratulated

Four-day captain Vishaul Singh on his maiden callup to the limited-over squad for Guyana, noting that the left-handed middle-order batsman has been one of the success stories of cricket in Guyana lately. He challenged Singh to stay focused and mark his place in this format of the game as well.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars have been placed in Group A alongside defending champions Barbados Pride, Windward Islands Volcanoes and the Combined Campuses and Colleges.

The Jaguars will play

the Windward Islands Volcanoes on January 15, Barbados Pride on January 17 and CCC on January 19 in their three preliminary round games. All three games are day-night matches, which will commence at 13:30h at the Queen’s Park Oval.

The 14-member squad reads: Rajendra Chandrika; Trevon Griffith; Shivnarine Chanderpaul; Vishaul Singh; Christopher Barnwell (Captain); Raymon Reifer; Anthony Bramble; Veerasammy Permaul (Vice Captain); Devendra Bishoo; Ronsford Beaton; Paul Wintz; Steven Jacobs; Royston Crandon; and Jonathan Foo.

Mullings wants “Six Heads” in Guyana –

title fight set for February 21 at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

Sakima Mullings is determined to defeat former world champion and Guyanese pugilist Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis as he seeks to successfully defend his WBC CABOFE Welterweight title next month, and the Jamaican is leaving no stone unturned in his effort to do so.

This publication was able to confirm from a reliable source on Tuesday that Mullings has asked for a switch in the venue for the contest.

Initially, the fight was billed for Kingston, Jamaica, on February 28, but so confident is Mullings about his chances that he requested the fight be held in Guyana, as according to him, he wants to beat Lewis in his own backyard.

This newspaper was also able to authenticate that authorities here have acceded to Mullings’ request and the bout will be held on February 21 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Both fighters have been intensifying their preparations for the marquee fight, which is expected to attract a large crowd, given Lewis’ profile as a former world champion and Mullings’ tag as a potential world title holder.

The other fights to make up the undercard will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the source.

Lewis, who turned 44 on December 14 last, has a record of 30 fights, 23 wins, 20 by way of knockout, with four losses and two drawn encounters. He de-

GRFU setting plans for successful 2015

By TReisTon Joseph

The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) will be hoping for another successful year in 2015 after their stellar 2014 showcase. While all plans are not entirely set in stone, GRFU President Peter Green related to Guyana Times Sport that the national seven’s programme will kick off next week following a meeting with the Union’s executive on Monday evening.

The seven’s programme will also jumpstart training for the national side expected to participate in Hong Kong from March 27-29 in an effort to get the

team in top form for the Pan American Games in July. The overseas-based players will be expected to arrive two weeks before the Hong Kong trip. Players failing to arrive

two weeks before the team depart will be considered ineligible for selection to the national squad. Green also highlighted that a Technical Director and a Head Coach will be named at a press conference to be announced in due time.

Meanwhile, the Olympic qualifiers are set for June as Guyana will be fielding both a male and female team to the event set for the USA.

When asked about funds to help the team during their busy schedule for a 2015 year that can see the team creating even more history, once they qualify for the Olympics, Green was rather optimistic.

“The Union has prepared budgets and is approaching the Government, Private and Corporate sectors along with support from the GOA to make this a national success story with unity as the watchword.

“Fundraisers have already been planned as the Union goes all out to fulfil its mandate by both male and female ruggers to the nation,” Green noted.

With all the international competitions set for the national ruggers, local competition will begin in February with 15’s action in an effort to select a national side for the NACRA 15’s tournament slated for March.

feated James Page in 2001 to capture the vacant WBA Welterweight Title. Due to his exciting style and power in both hands, Lewis quickly became a popular fighter on HBO.

After successfully defending the title against Larry Marks, he took on Ricardo Mayorga and the bout ended in the second round and was ruled a No-Contest due to a nasty cut on Lewis, caused by an accidental headbutt. Lewis lost the title in a rematch to Mayorga in 2002 via fifth round TKO.

In 2003, “Six Heads” challenged WBO Welterweight champion, Mexican Antonio Margarito, but was knocked out in round two.

From 2005 to 2007, Lewis battled Denny Dalton in a series of three fights for Guyana’s Light Middleweight title. These fights are most notable due to the controversial and bizarre nature of the ending of the second fight.

Ahead on points in the

seventh round, Lewis retired from the fight due to an extreme need to defecate blamed on consumption of a pre-fight milkshake.

Lewis returned to the ring almost 12 months after to defeat Dalton and claim Guyana’s Light Middleweight title. This would prove to be the final victory of his career, which ended in October 2008 when he dropped a split decision to Howard Eastman.

On the flip side, Mullings is an up and coming fighter, enjoying tremendous success that culminated in victory in the Contender Series in Jamaica last year. After 18 fights, the 32-year-old Mullings has an enviable record of 17 wins with 12 knockouts and one defeat.

A point to note, Mullings has never lost to a Guyanese fighter, defeating Winston Pompey, Howard Eastman, Revlon Lake and Dereck Richmond within the last three years.

Crawford retained as DCUSA President

Shannon Crawford was re-elected unopposed as President of the Demerara Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (DCUSA) when the body held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday at Wales Community Centre, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

Nigel Duguid retained his post of Vice President while Nolan Hawke returned as Secretary.

Edward Nicholls will continue to serve as the Treasurer; Chatnarine Persaud replaced Arleigh Rutherford who did not seek re-election as the Assistant Secretary-Treasurer.

The Public Relations Officer is Zaheer Mohamed while the committee members are Javed Persaud, Gyananand Sukhdeo, Tishana Douglas, and Andrew Singh.

Speaking after the elections Crawford thanked the members for their confidence and urged his fellow executives to work diligently for the growth of the association.

He thanked the West Demerara body for hosting the meeting. A minute of silence was observed in memory of the late umpire Roshan Moakan before the meeting began.

Sakima Mullings

GRFU President Peter Green

Vishaul Singh

Jonathon Foo

GCB President expresses confidence in Guyana Jaguars

Lloyd explains Bravo, Pollard omissions

Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain and current chairman of selectors, has said that the absence of “exceptional performances” from the pair of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, coupled with the selection panel’s vision to move forward and look for young talent, were the chief reasons for omitting the two senior allrounders for the ODIs against South Africa and the World Cup.

Lloyd said the decision had been a difficult one and was debated heavily. He insisted that it was not the end of the road for the discarded pair and it was up to the players to regain their spots on the back of performances.

“It was a very difficult decision. I can tell you it went on for two days. We suspended it to give a chance to think about things and so on. There were a lot of discussions,” Lloyd told ESPNcricinfo in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “But then you get to a point where you say, right, this is where we want to go. It is very difficult for people to understand or to accept. But we want to move on.

“I don’t think they have had any exceptional perfor-

mances. Nobody (of the pair) has got exceptional performances as far as (playing for) West Indies is concerned. They have been there and thereabouts. We really and truly want to pick people on what they have done for our cricket and not for anyone else.”

Despite being part of the 30 probables for the World Cup, Bravo and Pollard had already been left out of the five-match ODI series against South Africa. Considering their popularity in domestic global Twenty20 competitions, the news created furore

not just in the Caribbean, but also outside.

Former West Indies fast bowler and Lloyd’s former team-mate Michael Holding raised the question of why Bravo had been dropped when he was part of the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2014. Pollard and Bravo are fourth and fifth on the list of highest run-scorers for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup.

Lloyd said there were already too many allrounders in the squad and that the selectors had to take a call. He also hinted that the performances of Bravo and Pollard that have registered in the fans’ minds had mostly come in the domestic T20 leagues like the IPL.

Lloyd revealed that he had spoken with both players in person last week in Cape Town: “Yes, I spoke to them in Cape Town. They understand what the situation is. Don’t forget, these guys have been playing for West Indies for a while. And they will be disappointed. But they have a chance of redeeming themselves and getting back into our cricket in the future. One is 31 (Bravo) and the other is 27 or 28 (Pollard).”

Lloyd also said he did

not need to respond to Chris Gayle who called the selectors’ move “ridiculous”. Gayle had said that he was stunned to hear from Bravo that one reason for the pair being dropped was that the selectors wanted to rebuild the team.

“He (Gayle) might think so, but the point is that he is not a selector. He is a player,” Lloyd said. “I have the greatest respect for him. But he will have to read what we are trying to do. He is part of that team that is going forward. Once he has been told what the situation is he will understand what we are doing.”

Immediately after Bravo

and Pollard were dropped from the South Africa ODI series but included for the T20 leg, the players’ lawyer Ralph Thorne said that “a gentle form of ruthlessness” by the WICB led to their exclusion from the World Cup squad.

Thorne accused the WICB of victimisation and not honouring the word of the board president Dave Cameron who had said that the players who abandoned the tour of India last October would be treated fairly.

Lloyd said he had explained the reasons, in writing, to all concerned parties, including the WICB, the West

Indies Players Association, as well as the players’ lawyers. He insisted there was no discrimination by the selection panel.

“No, no. That is not the way I live. I don’t believe in things in that nature at all. There is no axe to grind with these guys. There are other people that could have… You know we could have said, “What about X, what about Y?

“This is the combination we came up with. And I am not one of those people who are going to direct to me what to do. I take orders from me, and nobody else. I am not into that situation where I will be worrying about what happened in India. That is past. That is gone. We are moving on.”

Lloyd backed his statement by pointing out that the WICB had shortlisted Bravo as one of 12 players to be given a central contract for the 2014-15 season.

“Doesn’t that tell you about something? He has been given a central contract. So that means he is not thrown out. That is what we should be talking about. We want people to feel they are still part of our cricket,” Lloyd said. (Cricinfo)

Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard (right) share a gleeful moment Clive Lloyd

GCB President Drubahadur with members of the Guyana Jaguars line-up moments before they left Georgetown on Tuesday morning (Paul Vanvield photo)

Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis