Guyana Times Daily

Weather: Thundery showers can be expected in the morning with heavy rain showers in the afternoon and late afternoon. Thundery showers can be expected in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly between zero and 2.68 metres per second.

High Tide: 09:46h and 22:11h reaching maximum heights of 2.22 metres and 2.20 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 03:12h and 15:42h reaching minimum heights of 0.95 metre and 1.04 metres respectively. metre respectively.

Granger’s court action frivolous, vexatious – AG

says Government “not too worried”

By Michael younge

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister

Anil Nandlall said Government is “not too worried” over the court action brought by Opposition Leader David Granger to challenge the Administration's alleged "unauthorised" spending in recent months.

Granger, via several lawyers, moved to the High Court recently with the aim of preventing the Government in the future from spending any monies that were not authorised by the National Assembly or in accordance with the Constitution.

He is also seeking to secure several injunctions and orders that would deem the Government’s past expenditure on projects and line items axed from the 2014 National Budget as unconstitutional and unlawful.

Spending

Granger is also arguing in court documents seen by this newspaper that the Government has been spending billions of dollars on projects and campaigns not approved by the National Assembly, which are geared towards vote buying and elections campaigning.

He named the Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall as respondents.

But Nandlall, speaking with Guyana Times on Saturday dismissed the court action brought by Granger who is also the Leader of the main Opposition party, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

“The case filed is frivolous, vexatious, and without merit... I am (therefore) not too worried about the proceedings,” Nandlall declared.

He said that he has al-

ready put in entry of appearance for himself and Dr Singh and is waiting for the plaintiff to file and serve upon his statement of claim as is required by the Rules of Court.

“I am unclear and unsure why the action was filed in the first place and why now. It’s completely without merit but I suppose it is something that the APNU is doing to demonstrate to their supporters that they are doing something,” he opined.

Abuse of process

He argued that the High Court has already ruled conclusively on the issues brought by the Opposition Leader in his court action, in terms of whether the Opposition had the power to reduce the estimates of expenditure presented by the Finance Minister in the form of a National Budget and whether the Finance Minister can properly restore the amounts excised from the national estimates by the Opposition.

“The Chief Justice has delivered two judgements addressing those issues. In short, the Chief Justice has ruled firstly that the Opposition and the National Assembly have no power under the Constitution to reduce the estimates of the Minister of Finance, and if

they purport to do so, they would be acting ultra vires the Constitution,” the Minister noted.

He reminded that too that the acting Chief Justice ruled that the Constitution authorises the Finance Minister to expend monies from the Consolidated Fund whenever the Minister is of the opinion, that insufficient provisions have been made or no provisions have been made and a need has arisen for monies to be expended.

“If the Minister of Finance takes monies in these circumstances from the Consolidated Fund and expends it, he is required to lay in the National Assembly a Statement of Excess showing for what purpose these monies have been expended. The Minister has scrupulously complied with these constitutional requirements,” the AG reported.

He also expressed the view that the first budget cut case brought by Government has been appealed to the Court of Appeal by the Speaker.

The AG argued further that “therefore it may very well be an abuse of process to re-litigate in the High Court those issues that have already been determined by the High Court and more importantly that are the subject of review by an Appellate Tribunal”.

Prorogation

Asked to respond to arguments that the Government is engaging in unathourised spending deliberately to avoid the scrutiny of Parliament while it is prorogued, the AG said this is “nonsense”.

He explained that the Constitution permits the President to prorogue Parliament and when its framers inserted that prorogation power their minds

obviously addressed how monies will be accessed to manage the country during this period.

“The Constitution makes adequate provisions for monies to be spent during this eventuality. This prorogation as I have said is nothing new.

"The Prime Minister of Canada did it twice over the last 10 years. The Australian Parliament was prorogued last year. These countries did not shut down during the prorogued period.

"I must emphasise that a budget has been approved for the year 2014 and monies are being spent from that budget. We are still in the year 2014,” he insisted.

Nandlall also advised that the Constitution further allows for monies to be spent in any given year before a budget is passed.

“So as of January as is the norm, monies will be spent for 2015 until a budget is passed for 2015,” he declared during the interview.

He rejected the notion that Government was engaged in electioneering with the use of State resources and finances while insisting that “the Government is carrying out plans and programmes which it presented in a National Budget for the year 2014”. (micyounge@yahoo. com)

Opposition Leader David Granger

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

Sunday Editor: Michael Younge

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

US human rights violations

It was more than ironic that on the even of the UN Day for Human Rights, observed worldwide on December 10, the nation that annually flagellates other nations for their “violations” was instead indicted by a report of widespread and egregious violations by one of its own governmental institutions.

The Senate Intelligence Committee, under the Chairmanship of Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) told a nauseating tale of US hypocrisy on the fundamental human right not to be tortured, that was violated by the CIA.

Confirming what had been an open secret for years, the report detailed numerous acts of torture by the CIA the wake of “9/11” in a host of countries that housed secret torture prisons. Authorised at the highest level of the Bush regime, other governmental organisations participated in a massive coverup by the CIA to mislead most politicians and the public.

What made the human rights abuse even more chilling was the US censure of countries, such as Guyana, for acts that were not even in the same universe of those of the CIA.

For instance, as apposed to the burning of the genitals of a youth by a Policeman using methylated spirits, the CIA used sleep deprivation extending for over one entire week, while the victims were forced to stand.

Waterboarding, which simulates in the mind of the victim the sensation of drowning, was common, as also was “rectal hydration”, in which individuals were fed through their rectum. These latter techniques induced convulsions and in several cases produced physical and mental damages.

Even after the release of the report, however, the CIA refused to accept that they used torture, only conceding that they “utilised enhanced interrogation techniques”.

What was very troubling to analysts and human rights activists was that one quarter of those tortured in the CIA reprogramme had been held wrongfully and not a single one of the claimed “success” in gaining intelligence during the torture programme actually led to new information.

At the UN, Ben Emmerson, its Special Rapporteur on Counter-terrorism and Human Rights, called for “the individuals responsible for the criminal conspiracy revealed in today’s report must be brought to justice, and must face criminal penalties commensurate with the gravity of their crimes”.

Even David Cameron of Britain, the US closest ally and one which supported Bush’s actions sycophantically, had to concede, “Let’s be clear: torture is wrong; torture is always wrong.”

Those nations that have been at the receiving end of the US sanctimonious censure reacted predictably. One Chinese official said, “US officials seek to present themselves as ‘the big boys on human rights affairs in the international community’, publishing evaluations of other countries’ behaviour, while clandestinely engaging in ‘notorious’ actions of their own.”

Human rights groups also echoed the same sentiments. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth, asserted, “The report shows the repeated claims that harsh measures were needed to protect Americans are utter fiction.” As with the UN Rapporteur, he demanded that those responsible, whatever may be their high positions, be held accountable.

In Guyana, of recent there has been a host of groups and individuals complaining of “human rights violations” here by the Police. In addition to the incident cited above, there were two other cases that were raised against the Police. Representations had been made to the US Embassy here, and the Charge d’affaires demanded the torture claims be investigated.

But after the revelations by Feinstein, there has been a deafening silence in this country from the same individuals who were such champions of human rights previously.

It would appear that they are willing to go along with the evident US premise on this issue: there is one standard of human rights and torture for the US and another one for the rest of the world – especially those with which the US may want to pick a bone.

A review of Gaiutra Bahadur's "Coolie Woman: Odyssey of Indenture" (USA: University of Chicago Press, 2014)

Dear Editor

In a riposte to an academic’s critique on the quality of scholarship in her book Coolie Woman, author Gaiutra Bahadur – a Guyanese-born US-based journalist-writer –stated that it is “very much a subaltern history, a history from below that strives to recover the voices of people who didn’t have the power to write themselves into history”; and, she emphasized: “I analyzed the reports on 77 indenture voyages from Calcutta to the Caribbean, mining them for the stories of the indentured but also grounding this qualitative data in quantitative analysis, generating statistics on the percentage of pregnant women, married couples and returnees aboard ship.”

Let me say, immediately, that I admire Bahadur’s work; it is a book that reflects her prodigious research skills and energy to recreate and reconstruct the past, narratively, and indeed, with intellectual acumen.

At best, Coolie Woman straddles memoir in the literary non-fiction genre exploring the origin and legacy of the life of her great grandmother, Sujaria, a “coolie” woman, who was brought to British Guiana around 1903 in almost mysterious circumstances to work in the sugar plantation; she was sub-

sequently moved to the Rose Hall sugar plantation (Canje district) where I was born and lived up to my early manhood; and therein lies the immediacy for this reader because it’s also where I taught school for almost a decade, at Rose Hall–the behemoth sugar cane factory located obliquely across the school; I also interacted with sugar plantation workers on a daily basis; and, my own writing draws from this heritage.

Ms Bahadur grew up in the Cumberland village, in Canje, but emigrated as a young girl with her family to New York. I’d met Ms Bahadur in Trinidad at the Bocas Literary Festival, where she introduced herself to me.

Her search for ancestral links drives much of what we read in this retrospective volume; and Coolie Woman has garnered much praise (it was short listed for key literary awards). But odyssey: going back into one’s beginnings, or provenance, is not entirely new.

US-based Denise Grollmus’s personal journey of Jewish discovery in Poland where three million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and discovering that her grandmother – a Jew – a fact kept hidden for almost 70 years, also came to mind.

But perhaps the coolie indentured system is more compelling, for one like myself, a capitalist-cum-colonial nexus, as it was, that brought to the Caribbean three million African slaves and one million Indians as indentured servants–most of the latter to Guyana and Trinidad.

Over the years I have interacted with key scholars who have written insightfully on this subject: like Professors Brinsley Samaroo, Clem Seecharran, Frank Birbalsingh, and briefly, with the late UK scholar Hugh Tinker (in 1988 at a York University Conference on indentureship), who famously labelled the coolie indenture system as “another form of slavery.”

My own imaginative work focusses on this nefarious system, as has David Dabydeen’s (poems, stories, and novels, essays): about the tribulation our forbears experienced after coming through the dreadful kala pani (“dark water”) of the Indian Ocean, and enduring sugar plantation travail.

Bahadur’s book takes a special place due to her subaltern woman’s point of view; as she relates: “I relied on official archives but also sought to fill in the many gaps and silences in the archives – they can lead us to the texture of

indentured women’s lives, but not to the texture of their thoughts--with alternative and personal sources...rather than from the perspectives of British colonial officials” (Letter, SN).

Indeed, she journeyed back to the Caribbean, India, the UK and elsewhere more than to vicariously relive her great grandmother’s journey, and through painstaking research and serious reflection resulted her achievement in Coolie Woman.

Yet, I bore in mind Sigmund Freud’s caveat about the biographer’s art’s “false colouring”– and of an author perhaps reading too much into events, like the Ramayana (Ram and Sita) trope and allegory and seeing the British plantocracy as Ravan.

But this is a minor carp –for beyond anything else this book is soul-searching: about a great grandmother’s ordeal (Sujaria was four months pregnant on the ship when she crossed the kala pani); a woman with “eyes like cat’s eyes...and skin white like white people,” perhaps pointing to her Brahminic caste, added to her coming from the Indian state of Bihar before reaching Calcutta to begin her horrific near four-month sea journey on The Clyde.

Volunteers at the Ruimveldt Children's Aid Centre held their annual Christmas party on December 12, in photo are some of the children and volunteers. A donation of toys was also made to the Centre

Dear Editor, Cognisant of comments attributed to Alliance For Change (AFC) Councillor Harry Narine Deokinanan to the effect that there is “rampant criminal activity” in the communities of Tuschen Housing Scheme and Zeelugt Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, of the Police ‘D’ Division, the Guyana Police Force wishes to state that the available statistics do not support such an assertion.

The comments by Mr Deokinanan were pub -

A review of Gaiutra Bahadur's "Coolie... Police records contradict AFC Councillor’s comments

Women chosen for indenture might have derived from a “complex mix of victimization and Vaishnavite devotion” (31), Bahadur tells us, and that those like Sujaria were initially ostracized; the recruiters often went to holy sites and found such women, as “family members took widows to pilgrimage sites and abandoned them there.

At other times, widows found their own way there, as they fled mistreatment and sexual advances in their in-laws’ homes,” writes Bahadur (31).

Sujaria’s sugar plantation experiences encapsulate the indentured people’s struggles (particularly women’s), as angst that the author internalizes, calling it her “transformative journey” and her “narrative history” characterizing the egregious labour experience when “one shilling was the value of a human life,” as well as the psychic and social trauma that ensued in the British Guiana sugar plantations where there were 64 women to 100 men (the figure varied over the indenture period).

The gender imbalance was fraught with sexual exploitation and oppression which Bahadur describes in poignant detail.

This is no Rushdiean “imaginary homeland” retelling as Bahadur interweaves Vedas mythology juxtaposed with stereotypes that underpin the rela-

lished in an article in the Kaieteur News of December 9, under the headline, “Crime forces family to flee home”.

The Police records indicate that unto December 9, there has been an overall 30 per cent decrease in serious crime in this Policing Division.

Specifically, there has been a 33 per cent decrease in serious crime in the communities of Zeelugt Housing Scheme and Tuschen Housing Scheme, along with Zeelugt North and Tuschen North.

tions between Guyanese of African and Indian backgrounds during a large part of the Gladstone-coolie indenture (lasting from 1838 to 1917); slaver Sir John Gladstone was the father of British prime minster Sir William Gladstone. Compelling situations associated with time and place are unearthed and reflected throughout this book, including angularities tied to rivalries and jealousies between former African slaves and Indian coolies: the dynamics are often worked out in the prevailing gender relationships and the sexual shenanigans and animosities – Bahadur argues –which are tied to violence between men and women (seen, for instance, in the evocative chapter, “Beautiful Woman without a Nose”); and, not surprisingly, sexual goings-on and power relationships between coolie women and white planters and their overseers in the context of the European stereotype of Indians’ “possessiveness and promiscuity” juxtaposed with the notion of the “chastity of Indian women” – demonstrate that women were kept in more than a symbolic bondage.

In this context Bahadur narratively triangulates Sujaria’s story of survival: testament to an extraordinary spirit and will to live, as well as the great-grandmother’s practical intel-

In terms of policing the area, in addition to routine mobile Police patrols in the communities, the members of active Community Policing Groups in the Tuschen Housing Scheme and Zeelugt North assist the Police in their crimefighting efforts.

The ‘D’ Division Administration has reopened the Community Policing Patrol Base in the Tuschen Housing Scheme area during August of this year, following the launching of the Safe

ligence and faith (largely Hinduism). The author herself is a devotee of Saraswati (deity of “knowledge and purity”), seen in her feminist drive.

Overall, Bahadur writes insightfully about the legacy of violence and murders that occurred–still a haunting legacy--in her analysis of the indenture system; as she states: “More murders occurred in Guyana than elsewhere, but Trinidad’s statistics were only slightly less grim” (109); and “Indenture threw men into the arms of their gods. They were displaced, and Hinduism rooted them... Indenture drove some to religion and others to madness”(125).

Other chapters such as “Gone but not Forgotten”, “The Dream of Return”, and “Every Ancestor” make for compelling reading; and, for me, what especially resonates in the book are references to Inverness and the Scottish Highlands in the chapter “Surviving History”, which combines the anecdotal mixed with fact-based revelations about the linkage between Guyana’s Rose Hall sugar plantation and the Highlands’ Rose Hall (in a Scotland I myself once visited).

Not surprisingly, in the end Bahadur went back to the district in Bihar to meet up with her forebears: relations of her indentured great grandmother, who is

Neighbourhood Project C-PETS (Creating Positive Environments Through Safer Communities and Partnerships) - in the community of Tuschen on July 10.

The Patrol Base is operationalised through Police ranks and members of the community Policing Group who are available on a 24-hour basis and do patrols in the community.

In addition to its law enforcement activities in the Tuschen/Zeeburg communities, through its social intervention project

still remembered, which I find touching (I have read of other “return” narrations); I had also travelled to India, but not as a “returnee”.

Importantly, Coolie Woman is very much about the colonized and colonizer and the “dark dramas” that ensued; it is not a polemical work, nor necessarily a shift from Eurocentric to Indo-centric scholarship, but is work “plumbing the depths of origins” (Wilson Harris).

It also builds upon precursor texts such as Verene Shepherd’s Maharani’s Misery: Narratives of a Passage from India to the Caribbean, which Gaiutra Bahadur acknowledges. In context, I was intrigued by scholar Lisa Outar’s emphasis on Bahadur’s take: that “Coolie women weren’t exactly like Jane Austen heroines, practising love as a form of social mobility, but they seem to have used their scarcity to survive...in an exploitative environment” (Review, SN) in forming sexual and

C-PETS, the Division has managed to build community partnership and improve Police community relations.

C-PETS has seen the building of partnerships with stakeholders, community involvement and significant collaboration with the faith based organisations, which have the overall objective of reducing crime, the fear of crime in the communities and the enhancing of community safety and security, while empowering youths and reducing in -

from page 4

familial partnerships.

This book’s style eschews jargon and pretentiousness seen in much academic discourse, but has a natural rhythm in sentence structure and the cadence of colloquial speech mixed in with the formal and measured; it also has near exquisite descriptions of imagined experiences: all in view of the criss-crossing of genres, from literary non-fiction to scholarship.

The black-and-white photographs are also evocative. Significantly, Coolie Woman strives to recover the voices of people who didn’t have the power to write themselves into his-

cidents of domestic violence.

The Guyana Police Force reiterates that there is no upsurge of crime in the communities of Tuschen and Zeeburg. On the contrary, the occurrence of serious crime has been significantly minimised through the policing strategies employed together with social intervention projects that have been established.

Ivelaw Whittaker Public Relations and Press Officer

tory, as has been said; and, to invoke V S Naipaul: “as a people you have to know the past.” I believe this book should be read by all in the Caribbean – and elsewhere – and be a central text in post-colonial studies aimed at fostering awareness of Indian women’s historical struggles in Guyana, Trinidad, and the rest of the Caribbean, as well as in places like Fiji – where the invidious indentureship system still has echoic repercussions on people’s lives.

Cyril Dabydeen University of Ottawa

Page Foundation

Anu Dev

I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned before that I use Skype a lot - and by a lot, I mean all day, every day. I could search through my old articles to confirm, but I’m in the midst of studying for finals and I am also too lazy to check.

But I’m 248 per cent certain that I have before because Skype pays me a lot of money to promote their product by mentioning them at least once a month in my articles. No that’s not true –that’s just my wishful thinking.

But seriously, this little app on my phone has been a godsend ever since I started Med School here in the land of Carnival. I’d like to point out that there is nothing Carnival-like about Med School – there’s a lot of frustration, anger, tears and the occasional excitement over holding a brain or a lung.

Those are the things

The power of

"I just think we're living in a time of massive, amazing change, like the Industrial Revolution on acid " – Kelly Lynch.

they happen to conveniently leave out of their “Visit Trinidad” brochures, I’ve noticed.

But am I homesick?

Yeah, I am – we're a pretty close-knit family and while I was looking forward to finally getting out of the nest, there were lots of butterflies about how exactly I'd be able to fly on my own.

But Skype really pulled through for me and I could see and hear the rest of my family – it was kind of like I was back home – kind of.

But yeah, we could trade "What did you do today" stories, my Mom could see I was keeping myself well-fed and I could feel that I hadn't been banished to Siberia.

My Dad tells stories about him going over to New York to study in the early 70s – about how he would rush to the mailbox every afternoon when he came home to his apart-

ment, praying for a letter from "home".

It might take a month for a letter to be sent and the answer to be received. Skype has made those kinds of letters obsolete. My Mom can take me over to the living room and show me her latest obje d'art while I can show her how I’ve evolved into a domestic goddess – my room is now always spic and span (except during Finals Week). As you may know by now, I enjoy cooking (when I don't have exams looming that is) and improvising new dishes. But what do I do when I want a reasonable facsimile of Mom's home cooking? I just Skype her – and Mom can show me what she means by "a little of this and a handful of that"!

As a young person growing up in this age of the information and communications technology revolution,

we take much of the change engendered for granted. And I'm sure we're not appreciating the effect the gradual cumulative change all of this will have on our lives.

It's like I read of the unnamed young man in "Miguel Street" going away by ship to London. Today, it's just a hop, skip and jump away. Has London gotten nearer?

And with innovations like Skype, if you don't want to hop, skip or jump... then with a touch of a button on Skype you're in any other country where you know someone. Last week, returning from India, my Dad walked me around the lounge at New Delhi Airport!

All hail Skype*!

*Although come to think of it, I mostly use FaceTime now. What can I say? I’m fickle.

Ebola’s ability to survive in the environment poorly understood

BY CATHARINE PADDOCK, PHD

The means by which Ebola virus transmits through direct contact with body fluids of infected individuals is well covered in scientific literature. But little is known about the life the virus has – if any – outside the body. For example, does Ebola remain active on glass surfaces and countertops? Does it persist in sewage and wastewater systems?

Such questions are rarely addressed in currently published literature, say engineers from the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and Drexel University, Philadelphia.

They report their findings – or lack of them – and why it is important to find some answers, in a paper published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters.

The current Ebola epidemic in West Africa, cases for which were first notified to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2014, is the largest and most complex outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976. So far, there have been more than 11,000 lab-confirmed cases and over 6300 deaths.

The size and scale of the epidemic have raised significant unanswered questions for the scientific and engineering communities, as well as the general public – questions about “Ebola virus persistence in the environment and the potential for an environmental route of Ebola virus exposure,” note the authors.

Ebola disinfection practices are not consistent

Knowing how long Ebola virus can live outside the body – on surfaces, in water or in liquid droplets – is important for setting out disinfection guidelines and practices to prevent spread of the disease, the team explains.

Currently, there are inconsistencies in Ebola disinfection practices, depending on the setting. For example, the current WHO guidelines say it is safe for hospitals and clinics to flush liquid waste from Ebola patients down the toilet or dispose of them in a latrine. But in research laboratories, the liquid waste from Ebola patients must be disinfected before it can enter the sewage system, note the authors.

To try and resolve some of these contradictions, the au-

thors searched the scientific literature to find out how long Ebola can survive in the environment. But despite an extensive search, they could not find any evidence to back up the WHO assertions.

Lead author Kyle Bibby, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, says “The World Health Organisation has been saying you can put (human waste) in pit latrines or ordinary sanitary sewers and that the virus then dies. They may be right, but the evidence isn’t there.”

It would be ‘imprudent to dismiss potential for environmental transmission’ In their paper, the authors note there are suggestions that Ebola virus is inactivated at “a rate more rapid than or comparable to those of typically monitored enteric viruses.”

However, nobody has published studies that show whether Ebola virus can cause

infection from a contaminated surface or that measure how long it remains active in sewage, water, wastewater or sludge.

The authors argue that while the prevailing thinking is that the environment is not the main exposure route for Ebola virus disease, it would be “imprudent to dismiss the potential of environmental transmission without further evidence.”

They conclude that Ebola’s persistence outside the body needs more careful investigation, through environmental persistence studies and microbial risk assessments. Only then can we “properly inform the safe handling and disposal of Ebola virus-contaminated waste,” they note.

To this end, Professor Bibby has secured a $110,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to identify surrogate viruses that are similar to Ebola and study their survival rates in water and wastewater. (medicalnewstoday.com)

President working to set elections date

– promises to make announcement “when time is right”

President Donald Ramotar on Saturday revealed that steps are being taken to set a date for the holding of the 2015 General and Regional Elections following his announcement earlier this month.

He said while he is continuing his consultations and engagements, steps are also being taken to properly dissolve Parliament to pave the way for these elections.

When contacted, he declined to divulge any details about the scope of his engagements over the next few weeks before he decides to make the announcement of the elections date.

President Ramotar nonetheless maintained that he is aware of what he will be doing next year, but said that the announcement will be made soon.

“It (announcement) definitely will be made in the first quarter of next year,” he told this newspaper.

He stressed that there are a lot of speculations being made about his decision and noted that while persons may have an approximate idea of when he will be calling elections in accordance with the Constitution, the specific date will remain with him.

After three years of political gridlock, President Ramotar on December 8 announced that following a series of consultations, he decided “we will go to elections”, alluding to the possibility of elections being held

viting him to dialogue; however, Granger responded in a brief letter dated December 2, 2014, refusing to have any discussions.

US$10M Math Project to come on stream next year

before the 2015 budget presentation, which is usually done in April.

The President had suspended Parliament on November 10, after the combined Opposition threatened to proceed with a No Confidence Motion against his Government at the first post-recess sitting of the National Assembly.

The President pointed out that his actions were aimed at the preservation of the life of the 10th Parliament while at the same time giving the parties the opportunity to engage in talks on matters that failed to gain adequate parliamentary consideration.

From the onset, the Alliance For Change (AFC) stated its unwillingness to engage in any talks. Nevertheless, President Ramotar wrote Opposition Leader David Granger in-

President Ramotar had said: “My administration more than justified its resort to prorogation…. During this time, the Guyanese people were exposed to an Opposition that rejected dialogue…. I had to conceive that my objective for prorogation were unlikely to be achieved. It logically followed that other options to prorogation be considered,” the President had outlined.

He explained that he had two options: either return to Parliament or go to elections. The President noted that the former choice would allow the business of the House to reconvene, which includes the debate of the No Confidence Motion, as such, he resolved to call elections.

In the meanwhile, the President disclosed that he will be consulting with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) in the interim to ensure that it is ready for the hosting of General and Regional Elections next year.

He stressed that proroguing Parliament provided the opportunity to improve the enfranchisement of those Guyanese who yet to be registered even after the completion of the six round of continuous registration by GECOM.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand has announced that the US$10 million project which is aimed at boosting students’ performance in Mathematics will be rolled out in the New Year.

Manickchand on Friday gave reporters a detailed overview of the initiative which is part of the Guyana Secondary Education Improvement Project (GSEIP).

The GSEIP is a World Bank funded project that primarily targets the method of teaching Mathematics in secondary schools across the country.

According to Manickchand, to enable the success of the project, US$ 1.8 million from the total sum has been set aside to boost the capacities of Mathematics teach -

ers, which need to be enhanced.

This would see teachers being trained in Mathematics content and also how that content is to be effectively taught or portrayed to students to secure better feedback in the classrooms.

A second area that will be addressed in the project is the general facilities available at secondary schools to enable the effective transmission of lectures and Math modules to students.

According to the Education Ministry’s website, 75,000 secondary school students nationwide are to benefit from the project, along with approximately 800 secondary level Mathematics teachers.

The failure rate for Mathematics remains over 50 per cent, but this

year saw an encouraging nine per cent increase compared to the 28.9 per cent pass rate achieved in 2013.

Minister Manickchand has made Mathematics a special study over the last few years in a bid to improve the pass rate of students writing the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations. She had expressed frustration at one time over the static state or slow pace the pass rate was moving every year, particularly last year when the pass rate had decreased to 29.92 per cent from 30 per cent in 2012.

Nevertheless, the Minister had initiated a series of programmes and plans to “get back to the drawing board” to address the problem.

President Donald Ramotar announced on Saturday that General and Regional Elections will be held early next year

The US$10 million project aimed at boosting students’ performance in Mathematics will be rolled out in the New Year, Education Minister Priya Manickchand says

PM urges new engineers to advance aviation sector

By Royden James

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds has urged 120 new engineers to work tirelessly over the next few years to build Guyana’s developing aviation sector as he delivered the feature address at the 16th Convocation Ceremony of the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School.

The event was held on Friday evening at the Wings Aviation hanger, Ogle International Airport, East Coast Demerara.

Hinds also urged the new engineers to serve Guyana despite the many temptations that exist for them to go overseas and join the sector there.

“A country’s greatest asset is its people; a country is built by its people. You have the challenge now to decide. I know some of you would

have your eyes set on working overseas now that you are certified but I urge to go give back to your country, to serve your country and let’s raise the bar and advance our country,” the Prime Minister said.

He said passionately that Guyanese must unlock their capabilities and expand their perspectives in order for the goal of nation-building to be achieved.

“You are now qualified and this means you can now get a job, but it does not stop right there. To be successful you first need a good attitude, so if there is no good attitude behind the certificate, then there is no certificate,” Hinds noted.

He opined that there are many new challenges facing the industry including climate change, but expressed optimism that if the sector is well developed, it will overcome them sooner rather

than later.

Prime Minister Hinds also warned the graduates about engaging in illicit or illegal activity after becoming qualified, as he urged them to respect the “noble profession” that they are entering.

Meanwhile, the Director of Wings Aviation and Fly Jamaica, Captain Ronald Reece praised the graduates for their hard work, noting that none of the courses were easy and the fact that many persons did not make it to the graduation stage is testimony to this.

He pointed out that many of the students had limited access to financial resources, but still managed to “pull through”.

“If we are really serious about higher education, especially in high technological fields like aviation, we need to help our students. I call upon our Ministry of Education to assist those stu-

dents by trying to find ways to subsidise their tuition,” he implored.

The graduates were from programmes such as Computer Science Engineer, Aeronautical Engineer, Civil Engineering, Electronic and Communication Engineer and Mechanical Engineering.

Topping the graduating class with six distinctions was Mirza Wahid, who noted that hard work and dedication contributed to his success.

He also urged his colleagues to remain focused and not to be fooled by the many material gains of the profession.

“My fellow engineers, I urged you to stay focus, we work hard to get here, forget about bribery, let us work hard and honestly now that our dreams have finally come through,” The valedictorian charged his fellow graduates.

Eyew tness The law is not a ass...

...on the budget

Being informed that the law assumed a wife acts under the direction of her husband, the henpecked Mr Bumble muttered, “If the law supposes that, the law is a ass - a idiot.”

Hearing of the latest move by Opposition Leader David Granger to take the Government to the Courts for “unauthorised spending” made this Eyewitness mutter, “If Granger supposes that, then he is a ass - a idiot!!”

We won’t even speculate whether the Courts’ll go along with Granger. That body, having already shown it’s not “a ass”, will not allow the Opposition to make the highest law of the land, the Constitution, into one? All Guyanese know what’s going on here - so maybe Granger also thinks we’re all collectively “one big ass”.

Back in 2012, the Opposition slashed the Budget. The Government took the matter to the courts - WHICH IS THE FINAL ARBITER OF THE CONSTITUTION. The Courts said in no uncertain terms, “No can do!!”

The Government went back and spent the slashed funds they’d requested. In 2013, the same rigmarole was repeated with the same result. And here in 2014, the Opposition thinks if they do the identical thing they’ll have a different outcome?

A very smart fella named Einstein said that this kind of thinking indicated “insanity”.

But in 2014, there’s a twist to the Opposition’s action that moves it from sublime idiocy to the ridiculous. In this case the Government was returning to the Assembly with a “Statement of Excess” on what they’d spent. The Opposition - however, made it pellucid that they were going to immediately move their No-Confidence Motion to bring the Government down. They were not going to pass on the spent excess.

Now if the Opposition’s motion had passed, would they’ve been penalised for “allowing” the money to be spent?? They didn’t give a damn. But now that the President prorogued Parliament after learning no Bills - including the Statement of Excess - would be considered, the Opposition’s going to the Courts!!

What makes this even more idiotic is that even after prorogation, the President pleaded for the Opposition to return to the Assembly to dialogue and consider the Bills the Opposition absolutely refused.

And are now going to the Courts to seek what?? A judgement by the Courts reversing its two previous decisions?? On what grounds?? That the Opposition’s an ass??

The Courts don’t need to do anything. The populace is totally conversant with the asininity content of the Opposition!

...on education

The Minister of Education’s being pilloried by sections of the media for choosing to send her daughter to a private nursery school rather than the public one that’s under her charge. Now let this Eyewitness say right up front that the Minister is a citizen of this country who has all the rights of any other citizen. Including the right to decide where her child can be educated.

With that said, we think the Minister erred in trying to justify her decision on some other grounds. Like the one where she claims her daughter was one month below the minimum age and she’d be accused of abusing the system if the child was admitted. Really??? And that now that the child had reached the minimum age, if the child’s transferred, she’ll have to be “put back” a year.

She should know that there’s a system of review by the Education Department of the child can show she’s above grade achievement, she can be admitted then be given “accelerated promotion”.

And please Ms Minister. Don’t blame the husband. Doesn’t cut any ice with the voters.

...on elections

Granger wants election results to be declared the morning after elections. Is he willing to amend the law to have some form of electronic transmission of the Statement of Polls from from places like the Pakaraimas??

Or is he setting the stage for protests when the AFC/PNC/ APNU coalition loses ignominiously??

The graduating class at the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School’s 16th Convocation Ceremony on Friday, at the Ogle International Airport

Choosing PNCR Presidential Candidate...

Granger reneges on primaries

... says mechanism not in party’s Constitution

By Alexis Rodney

Despite it had promised to retain the primaries model to elect its Presidential Candidate after a successful first attempt back in 2011, Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) David Granger now says that the mechanism is not a requirement of the party’s Constitution and it is unlikely to be used to determine their selection for the upcoming polls.

Since being catapulted into leadership of the PNCR, Granger has had to fight many battles with former Finance Minister Carl Greenidge, and other party members, notably Dr Faith Harding and recently Aubrey Norton.

Sources said the retired Brigadier might be “battle weary” and would do all in his powers to avoid having to compete again to lead his party into the next elections.

As Leader of both the PNCR and the fledging A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), Granger wields tremendous power and observers say it would be difficult to dislodge him from being the candidate of choice for APNU in the next elections.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Friday, Granger said the system of primaries which was used for selecting a Presidential Candidate for the party was never used by the party again since former Leader Robert Corbin demitted office in 2010.

He said the party will not

be utilising it for General and Regional Elections expected before the end of the first quarter of 2015.

In 2010, then PNCR Leader Robert Corbin, while indicating that he did not want to be considered a candidate for the upcoming elections in 2011, had established a system where party primaries were held across the country in the selection of a new Presidential Candidate.

“There is no provision under the Constitution which calls for the system of primaries, it was only because of the demitting of office by Mr Corbin that that process of selection for the Presidential Candidate was instituted… it is not constitutional. It has not happened before and it is not in the Constitution,” Granger told this publication

Unwilling

But Observers believe that Granger is not willing to entertain any further challenge to his leadership of the PNCR given the state of affairs and activities that played out at the party’s last Biennial Congress.

“He is unwilling to head on again with a possible challenge from Greenidge, Norton or even Solomon. Granger knows that utilising the primaries will again lead to a history of factionalism within the PNCR. Also it is not in his interest to open the old wounds of his party comrades ahead of a highly priced election next year,” the observer remarked.

Sources close to the PNCR

say that many of its Executive Members are supportive of the use of the primaries system to elect the PNCR’s Presidential Candidate, whether it is deemed constitutional or not.

“The leader does not necessarily or automatically have to be the Presidential Candidate of our party. Our members should decide who we want especially if we have reservations or concerns about the manner in which our party is being led,” an Executive told Guyana Times on Saturday.

Following the primaries in 2011 when Granger competed against Greenidge, James Bond, Dr Harding and Basil Williams, Corbin had hailed the “historic nature and significance” of the special congress which was held to elect the Presidential Candidate.

Corbin said back then that the congress ought to be appreciated, even as he point-

ed out that the party has in fact been able to break new ground in Guyana through its efforts to lead the way in the transformation of the political culture in Guyana.

He said then that for the first time in the 56-year history of the party, its membership was given the opportunity to determine who should be its Presidential Candidate.

He noted that traditionally, even though it was not a constitutional requirement, the elected party leader automatically became either the Prime Ministerial Candidate or, after the New 1980 Constitution, the Presidential Candidate.

“For reasons which I have not elaborated and will probably only do so in my memoirs, I advised the party nearly a year ago that it was not my intention to be the Presidential Candidate of the party at the forthcoming General and Regional Elections,” Corbin said then.

“The early notice provided an opportunity for the party to begin the implementation of a system of primaries that was the subject of internal party discussion for more than 30 years,” Corbin noted. This process, he added, has also provided an opportunity to strengthen internal democracy in the party.

Corbin had also assured that “irrespective of who emerges as the successful Presidential Candidate, all of us in the PNCR should feel proud of our party and proud at having participated in the process”.

Labourer fined for assaulting 89-year-old Lindener

Alabourer who had no brushes with the law until Thursday morning was placed on a $50,000 fine or a default nine months imprisonment after being found guilty of assault with intent to rob.

Dwayne Gills, 52, of Lot 170 Half Mile, Wismar, Linden, appeared before Magistrate Annette Singh at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after it was alleged that on December 8 at Lot 99 Republic Avenue, McKenzie, Linden in the West Demerara Magisterial District, he assaulted Norman Chapman with the intent to rob him.

After the Administration of Justice Act (AJA) was applied as per request of the prosecution, the unrepresented defendant without hesitation pleaded guilty to the offence.

The Court heard that on the day in question around

12:30h, Chapman, 89, was at home when he heard a noise in the lower flat of his home and decided to investigate.

During the check, Chapman saw Gills who started to demand money from him, but he did not have any and the alleged robber became annoyed. And in his annoyance, he kicked and punched Chapman about the body and also tried to strangle him. Chapman somehow managed to escape and raised an alarm. Some public-spirited citizens came and assisted Chapman and took Gills to the station where he was arrested and charged for the offence after an investigation was carried out.

When asked by the Magistrate whether he had anything to say, Gills replied, “Mistress, I wrong, I accept I wrong, I have a medical problem”.

Man charged for throwing garbage in neighbour’s yard

Mark Fordyce, 48, of Tucville Squatting Area, Georgetown was granted self-bail after being charged with breach of the peace.

Fordyce, a seaman by profession, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Ann McLennan after it was alleged that on December 3 at the Tucville Squatting Area, he allegedly threw garbage onto the premises of his neighbour, Christine Hinekson, obstructing the peace.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and told the Court that Hinekson would usually take her garbage and throw it

at the back of his house. He noted that she does not burn the garbage and the stray dogs usually enter the yard and “make a mess of the trash”.

Fordyce said after he became disgusted with the practice, he decided to sweep the garbage over in her yard. He confessed that he does not like his house in a nasty state and found the woman’s habit disrespectful.

Being pleased with his defense, Magistrate McLennan told him that he cannot take the law and matters into his own hands and should have made a complaint to the City Councillors.

Opposition Leader David Granger

Little Emannie Melvin battling to survive

– medical report, referral not forthcoming

By Devina Samaroo

Over two months have elapsed since efforts to help baby Emannie Melvin, who was born with a portion of brain tissue protruding from her forehead, remain in limbo.

Felica Melvin gave birth to the bouncing baby boy on October 8. He was born with a brain defect, one that will need urgent medical intervention in order for him to be a normal child or even survive for a year.

Despite numerous requests from mother of the child for assistance, help from civil society and health organisations has been little and slow.

Melvin said she has visited several hospitals in the city, but none is giving her the information she needs, such as the probable cost of the surgery, how soon it must be done, and a detailed medical report.

However, the Caribbean Children Foundation (TCCF) has since stepped forward to render assistance, but progress cannot be made unless the baby’s mother provides a medical report and a referral.

Melvin spoke with a representative from the Canadian non-governmental organisation (NGO), who guid-

ed her on the process to the impending surgery.

The TCCF will then refer her son’s case to Sick Kids, Toronto where there is a possibility of surgery being done.

According to Melvin, the representative told her they will assist monetarily or perform the surgery on the child. This information gave the mother hope as she often feels she is bat-

tling the problem alone.

Subsequent to the birth of the child, the baby’s father reportedly abandoned them because of his son’s condition.“He said he ain’t able with stress, and I have to keep me stress with me, by meself,” she said.

Moreover, the mother is keeping close contact with the Health Ministry for assistance, but to date, no commitment is forthcoming.

Melvin told Guyana Times that she has practically exhausted all the possible avenues and intends to cherish every moment she has left with her child.

She explained how her baby would normally play with the exposed brain which often gives her the fright of her life.

“Eventually, I does have to put socks on his hands so when he trouble it, it won’t burst.”

She also noted that the baby often sleeps facedown, which she believes “irritates” the brain. “I’m just hoping we can get surgery done fast and just get it over with so my son can be okay,” she said.

With Christmas in just a few days, those who wish to help Little Emannie can contact his mother on telephone number 660-9692.

Charlestown neighbours charged for abusive language, damage to property

Tu Shen Ye, 66, of Lot 228 Lynch Street, Charlestown, Georgetown was granted bail after he appeared before City Magistrate Ann McLennan charged with damage to property.

The father of one denied that on December 2, at Lyng Street, Charlestown, he unlawfully and maliciously damaged one car bumper worth $15,000, property of Dawn Moore.

Tu Shen Ye was represented by Attorney Basil Williams, who made an application for bail for his client. Police Prosecutor Dinero Jones did not object to bail and he was placed on $5000 bail.

Meanwhile, 44-year-old Office Manager Dawn Moore also denied that on the same day at Lyng Street, Georgetown, she made use of abusive language to him, whereby a breach of the peace may have been occasioned.

Each defendant was eventually placed on $5000 bail and bonded to keep the peace until their case has been tried in court. Their next court appearance is on December 22.

The fallen warlord

Satiricus remembered what his sainted mother used to tell him: “After one time, is a next time.”

“So true, Ma, so true,” thought Satiricus as he put down the Stabber News. It seemed to Satiricus like it was only yesterday that Solomonus was making waves down in the town of Lindon.

As Satiricus remembered those heady days, when the young Solomonus Grundius had stood like Horatius on the Bridge across the Demerara, he horipillated. What a hero!! The troops of the tyrant Donaldus had been advancing on the town of Lindon under the direction of his Commander Hickenus.

Solomonus had pleaded with his townsmen to help him prevent the troops of Hickenus from crossing the Bridge.

At his side had come the fair maiden Kissoonus who rallied the townsmen to burn the bridge down while Solomonus stood and singlehandedly fought and cut down the troops of Commander Hickenus.

Hickenus knew he was no match for the brave and bold Solomonus, so he used his horn to communicate with his Chief Roheeus, who was well versed in hand-tohand combat. When he was a mere boy, Roheeus had fought off dozens of warriors when they tried to attack the Temple of Metropolis.

But even though Hickenus was advised by Roheeus, Solomonus held off Hickenus until the Bridge across the mighty Demerara was burnt and the troops of Donaldus couldn’t cross. Solomonus fell into the raging black waters of the Demerara but the Gods interceded and gave him the strength to swim to safety. The Lindoners were saved; Hickenus had to retreat with his tail between his legs to face the wrath of Chief Roheeus.

Solomonus became a great hero of the Lindoners and was made a Warlord. And after some time had passed, he thought he could challenge the King of the Lindoners, General Grangerus. But Grangerus did not fight fair. He kicked Solomonus in the spot where he kept his balls. And Solomonus was grievously injured. He lost his manhood. And so it was that Solomonus had come to what the story in the paper described. Solomonus was now reduced to to settling squabbles between the vendors of Lindon as to how money much they had stolen from the fund to rebuild the Academy destroyed during the battle of the Bridge.

Satiricus felt that this must be a living death to the once great Solomonus, who was now a eunuch. Then and there, as his horripilation receded, Satiricus composed a poem of the life of the once heroic Solomonus.

Solomonus Grundius, Born on a Monday, Christened on Tuesday, Married on Wednesday, Took ill on Thursday, Grew worse on Friday, Died on Saturday, Buried on Sunday.

That was the end, of Solomonus Grundius.

RIP.

Baby Emannie Melvin in the caring arms of his mother Felica Melvin

Granger to hold on to power at all costs

- as APNU, AFC intensify coalition talks

By Jomo Paul

Leader

of

A

Partnership

For National Unity (APNU) David Granger has said that the leadership of any coalition between the APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC) is not the most pressing matter to be dealt with at the moment.

This statement comes in the wake of the AFC’s indication of its readiness to lead any coalition formed between the two political factions.

From all indications, it would seem as though Granger is unwilling to relinquish his interest in leading any future coalition with the party and is therefore downplaying any talks about leadership in this respect.

Granger in a telephone interview with Guyana Times on Saturday afternoon pointed out that other fundamental values have to be worked out as a matter of importance when the two parties begin discussions.

According to Granger, who also serves as Leader of the Opposition, said given the fact that the APNU and AFC are two very different parties with different values, the direction and values have to be worked out.

He also noted that other issues such as party finances, among others, also have to be high priority on the discussion agenda when the two parties meet for discussions next week.

He explained to this publication that thereafter, discussions relevant to the leadership of the coalition could take center stage.

According to Granger, it would be inappropriate to “prejudice the talks with discussions.”

The Opposition Leader maintained that at this point, the APNU is looking forward to “what the AFC has to say” when the discussions ensue.

When asked whether he believes that coalescing with the AFC would be able to bring in more IndoGuyanese votes for the coalition, Granger said “I cannot say what the AFC will bring.”

He however made reference to one of APNU’s existing partners – the Guyana Action Party (GAP).

According to the Opposition Leader, GAP has a formidable support base in Guyana’s Indigenous community; however there has been no question of GAP bringing in Indigenous votes.

It was made clear that should the AFC be able to attract Indo-Guyanese voters then that would be part of the AFC’s contribution to any formed coalition between the two Opposition factions.

He noted that since its formation, APNU was meant to be a multiethnic party and to date, it has not strayed from that fundamental value.

He noted too that at this point it would not be difficult going into discussions with the AFC, since the two parties already have an established working relationship in the National Assembly.

Granger has already confirmed that talks between the two parties are set to commence next week.

The union as proposed by AFC could see the two Opposition parties joining forces to challenge the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) at next year’s General Elections.

One hospitalised following King Street accident

One man remains hospitalised following a collision involving two cars on King Street, Georgetown on Friday evening.

The injured man was identified as 30-year-old Sherwyn Kato of Albouystown, Georgetown.

The first motor vehicle involved in the accident was driven by

Anand Singh of Enmore, East Coast Demerara and the second was a driven by a female, whose name was given only as Tishaun.

At the time of the accident, Kato was walking along South Road, when the drivers, who were speeding, collided. Information reaching Guyana Times suggests that the vehicle driv -

en by Tishaun veered out of control as a result of the impact and hit Kato before finally coming to a stop in the South Road canal.

According to the now injured man’s sister, Shondell Kato, her brother is nursing serious injuries to the head and face. She is concerned as to who will take care of his medical expenses and medication since there is no word yet from the persons who caused the accident.

“My brother is unemployed, and I want to know who will take care of his hospital bills. These drivers need to be more careful on the roads; despite if a person is riding or walking. These people need to take their time on the roads”, she said.

Based on an eyewitness account, Tishaun reportedly failed to stop at the intersection of King Street and South Road and Singh, who was turning from Croal Street into King Street, did so at a fast rate. The vehicles collided and hit the now injured man.

The Police have since launched an investigation into the matter.

The scene after the accident at the intersection of Croal and King Streets on Friday evening

AFC’s airwaves auctioning ploy nixes competition

- favours the wealthy and encourages collusion

The recent call for the auctioning of the country’s airwaves is by any measure an alluring statement, but on closer examination, given the situation in Guyana; it is more rooted in political expediency.

One of the popular cries by critics since 2011 when then President Bharrat Jagdeo broke the state’s monopoly on radio, was that the distribution of licences to applicants was unfair.

Fairness then became the watchword. But if one is to presume that the claim by the critics is true, the latest proposal by Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan to put the airwaves on auction would not really help the cause.

Quite certainly, it will rake in more revenue for the Government, which is always vital for social and infrastructural development.

But coming back to the claim of fairness, it will not stand, as auctioning is a system that favours the rich.

In a situation where some of the wealthiest businessmen gather at a public bidding for airwaves spectrum, a person, who has a vision but is not rich, will never get a chance to realise his dream.

But there is more to it, since the possibility exists that auctions can allow for collusion.

And here is where the proponents of an auction system have to be careful. The assertion has been made ad nauseam that former President Jagdeo had given out radio

licences to persons who are friendly to his Government.

Reverse

Assuming this to be true, a public auction can cause other situations to arise, with wealthy businessmen collaborating to squeeze others out and to control the distribution of the pie.

This control is dangerous as it can allow for unethical business practices as the persons with money can decide who would be granted radio licences.

Further to this, is the fact that the wealthy can cut deals with those who are interested in acquiring radio licences but do not have the monetary means of competing against them at auctions.

It was recently reported in one section of the media that according to the New York Times online news, a Government auction of airwaves for use in mobile broadband has become the biggest auction in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) history.

The FCC collected bids of more than US$34 billion for six blocks of airwaves, totalling 65 megahertz of the electromagnetic spectrum. That total was more than three times the US$10.5 billion reserve price that the FCC, as the US regulators, set.

As stated earlier, an auction locally can bring in huge revenues for the Government, but the example used might not be relevant to Guyana, a Third World country.

It is not that more

The recent call for the auctioning of the country’s airwaves is by any measure an alluring statement, but on closer examination, given the situation in Guyana; it is more rooted in political expediency

money is not good for the Government, but one has to look at the trickledown effect on consumers.

Not the same Companies winning bids at very high prices would naturally have to recoup the money invested through the prices they charged on services provided.

In the US, where the standard of living is much higher than that of Guyana, high prices for services can still attract a regular, broadbased clientele.

In Guyana, the situation is not the same, and high prices would most likely only attract a small market with affordability of services be-

tal investments and coupled with the fee for radio licences and meeting operational expenses, it can be difficult for these companies to survive without support.

In Guyana, perhaps if the Government decides to put the airwaves on auction, the process can be a two-tier process: one auction for nonprofit operations and another for business.

Those not-for-profit entities can acquire airwave spectrum perhaps at a ceiling price, while businesses with a profit motive compete with the highest bidders.

Non-profit operations can include community radio stations, but the ability to survive in an environment with a limited advertising market would remain an ever-present challenge.

ing a key determining factor.

Notwithstanding, a situation where there are several competing companies, it might not necessarily result in a significant drop in prices for services as they will have to charge a price that ensures their operations are economically viable.

For some companies, the money spent to win an auction can bring a halt to capi-

These entities would require support to survive, so too those which are in for a profit, largely because of the competition that would come from non-profit radio stations and as mentioned earlier, a limited advertising market.

The US, the UK and other countries in Europe have all auctioned their airwaves, and raised more than the estimated worth in revenue, but for the practice to work in

Guyana, issues such as fairness, cost to consumers and possible collusion would have to be addressed.

As it stands, the application process seems ideal for now, and like any other system, there is room for improvement. But it is also important that media houses avoid generalisations in their reporting.

One noted example is the claim that former President Jagdeo gifted radio licences to the owner of the TVG/ Guyana Times /Radio Guyana Inc (RGI) Media Group, Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop.

As had been repeated numerous times before, this is not so. Express approval for radio licences for RGI was given in compliance with an order of the court in a matter that had been filed by Anthony Vieira, owner of the former Vieira Communications Television (VCT) prior to his selling his communications empire to Dr Ramroop.

Uninformed assertions like these do not contribute to healthy public debate, a vital tool for building trust, confidence and contributing to an enlightened public.

Motorcyclist killed in collision with horse

A23-year-old employee of A Gafoor and Sons

Limited met his demise on Friday evening after he collided with a horse along the Mocha Arcadia Public Road, East Bank Demerara.

Stefan Henry of Lot 2 Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara was reportedly returning home on his motorcycle when he came into contact with the animal.

According to reports received, Henry went to drop off a friend in Sophia, Greater Georgetown and was returning home when the accident occurred.

After the collision, he was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre in an unconscious state, but died moments after reaching there.

Guyana Times understands that the horse also died after the accident.

Pamela Henry, an aunt of the dead man told this publication that she was at work, and upon returning home,

Dead:

Stefan Henry

her telephone rang and her brother answered.

During the telephone conversation with the person on the other end of the line, she knew something terrible had happened.

Pamela said after the caller disconnected the call, he informed her that Stefan was involved in an accident and was in an unconscious state.

They immediately rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where they saw his mother and other relatives.

Upon enquiring, they were told that he did not make it. She confirmed that Stefan suffered severe head injuries.

The aunt explained that from reports gathered, her nephew was returning home when the light of his motorcycle reflected into the eyes of the horse, causing it to react.

The horse reported kicked Henry off his motorcycle, causing him to fall on the roadway.

He was picked up by public-spirited citizens, who rushed him to the medical facility.

The distressed woman said her now dead nephew visited her at work about a week ago and described him as a very loving and kind person.

The young man leaves to mourn his parents and one sister. His body is at the Lyken’s Funeral Home and is awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Amerindians need more information on business registration process

By Devina Samaroo

The Amerindian communities in Guyana have seen immense development over the years, but a lot still needs to be done as there are numerous issues that still need to be addressed.

National Toshaos Council (NTC) Chairman Derrick John, in a telephone interview with Guyana Times, noted that Amerindians need to be educated on the process of registering a business.

Amid severe frustration over the complexity of Amerindians getting involved in their own businesses within the interior regions, John said the process is not exactly complex, but Amerindians just need to be informed.

The first step in the process is to apply to the Village Council for confirmation. Afterwards, John stated, approval or non-approval follows depending on the nature

of the business. For example, if they want to sell alcohol, they need to secure a licence from the relevant authorities.

Furthermore, John said persons can communicate with the Community Development Officers (CDOs) who can assist and guide them along the right path.

John highlighted that it is unwise to disregard the current system, noting that the Amerindian community needs to learn to work through the existing system.

High cost

Besides the complexity, the Small Business Bureau (SBB) noted that the cost of registering a business for those in outlying regions is very high.

However, they have proposed two methods which can ultimately reduce the cost of starting up.

“We have communicated to the Deeds Registry about the high cost for persons to register living outside the

city and the possibilities to have an officer in each region to conduct registration.”

The alternative recommendation was to conduct monthly registration exercises. Moreover, the SBB recognises that even persons in the city are unaware of the process of registering a business.

For that reason, small businesses can benefit from the services of the Bureau in the form of advice for starting up a new business, administrative services, marketing of products at local, regional and international trade fairs and business registration guidance.

The main objective of the SBB is to create an enabling environment for the expansion and development of the small business sector by providing services that enhance the capacity of business owners to succeed in their pursuits.

It was also recognised that many persons lack the business management skills which prevents them from having a sustainable business.

As a result, general business management training was provided to more than 1000 small businesses since the Bureau began its operation in June 2010.

The Bureau continues to provide this service free of cost to anyone who registers with the agency.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) also offers training in various areas so as to further streamline business operations with the aim of getting them into the formal business sector.

Winners in the “Best of the Best” lotto promotion receive prizes … $38 million in prizes awarded

After months of playing and thousands of entries, finally, 86 names were pulled from a rotisserie in the Guyana Lottery Company’s “Best of the Best” Promotion.

Some of the prizes that were up for grabs in the promotion included Apple iPhone 6, iPads, Curve television sets, Apple Mac Book Computers, Play Station 4s, food hampers and the grand prize of two brand new 2014 model Kia Sudan motor cars.

At a simple prize giving ceremony on Saturday held at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown, the winners were awarded their prizes.

Anthony Gajadar, who hailed from Crabwood Creek, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) told Guyana Times that it was the first time he has won in a promotion.

“First I want to thank the Almighty for letting me win this car, I am very happy that I have won something finally. I have been playing lotto since 1995 and this is my first time winning and I

want to thank the Guyana Lottery Company for giving us the opportunity to win something for the holidays,” the man said.

An excited Nandranie Singh, a winner of one of the Apple Mac Book Computer, also expressed gratitude to the company.

“When the children heard we won something from lotto, they were all screaming, we did not know what it was, now that I come, I see it is a computer. I am excited because I know this will help the children a whole lot with their schooling and so, so yes, I am indeed happy and thankful and I want to encourage persons to continue playing lotto,” she noted.

Speaking too was the star of the show, one of the winners of the two cars, Zaitoo Hussain of 11 mile, Mahdia, Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni).

“I don’t have words to express my feelings right now, this is such a moment for me, me and my family have been playing lotto for years, we never expected to win the car, but I am so thankful. I will make the best of it, I will also encourage everyone to continue playing lotto so you could be a winner like me,” she said.

Meanwhile, Guyana Lottery Company General Manager Tracy Lewis said the promotion is about giving back to customers, especially those who have been loyal to the company for years.

Zaitoon Hussain, the winner of one of the cars, speaking with the media

The winners of the Samsung Curve television sets

Some Guyanese viewing traditional arts and craft pieces done by Guyanaese busineses

Peacemaker stabbed to death at mother’s wake

By Andrew CArmiChAel

Police are looking for a man in his mid twenties who they believe can assist with their investigations into the stabbing to death of a pacemaker.

The peacemaker, who has been identified as 51-yearold Surujpaul Ramnarine of Blairmont, West Bank Berbice (WBB), was fatally stabbed in the vicinity of his chest on Saturday morning.

The incident took place at Rosignol, WBB, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

Reports suggest that the now dead man was at a wake for his mother who died last Tuesday when the incident occurred.

According to the now dead man’s brother, Seenarine Ramnarine, who witnessed the stabbing, the suspect who is his sister’s son-in-law had earlier shown him a knife in his waist saying that he was going to stab Surujpaul “if he only wrong talk.”

According to Seenarine, the alleged killer who is now on the run had been verbally abusing Surijpaul’s nephew and the now dead man ap-

Civil

proached him saying that he should not make such statements in public, since the yard was filled with persons who had come to mourn with the family.

“He jus mek so, straight in he lungs. So me say “Patto” yuh bore mi brodda an “Patto” start fo run. All bady try fo hole he but he run goway”, the man stated.

The eye witness said he then went to tend to his brother who had walked into the yard before collapsing. The injured man was placed in a bus in an attempt to rush him to hospital but it was soon discovered that there was no one licensed to

drive a bus. A neighbour’s car was subsequently used to take Surijpaul to the Fort Wellington Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Ramnarine explained that his brother had been imbibing at the wake and had given him $1000 to purchase rum but he refused.

“So ah give he back the thousand dollar because me na wan he drink mo… Ah mean, he got lil bad behaviour but he na knock nobody, he does talk words,” Ramnarine related.

The Saturday morning incident occurred as the Ramnarine family was in preparation for their mother’s burial today.

Surujpaul lived at Blairmount and worked as a labourer in the rice industry. His wife died in July and since then, the now dead man had been living with one of his daughters and her two children.

According to his daughter Vannie Ramnarine, her father would return home fortnightly but was out on this occasion for his mother’s funeral.

organisations “derelict”

She said he had promised to be home again in time for the Christmas holidays and wanted to enjoy the season with his eight grandchildren.

In describing her late father, she said he was simple and friendly to all. “He don’t drink at rum shop. Most times he would drink at home and he don’t trouble nobody,” she said.

Meanwhile, family members say that the alleged killer was living with his mother-in-law at the Ramnarine residence and had not been taking care of the property.

The family added that the now deceased man had been reporting to his brother who was overseas about the manner in which the yard was being kept. Surujpaul was reportedly threatened in the past for making the reports.

Guyana Times understands that the alleged killer has five children, with his youngest being just 10 days old. Reports are that his wife also disappeared following the Saturday morning incident.

Relatives are calling on the Police to bring the perpetrator to justice.

– Dr Thomas

… summit set to formalise representative body

By Jomo PAul

President of the Guyana National Council on Public Policy (GNCPP), Dr Phillip Thomas has criticised defunct and standing civil society organisations for being too docile in a time when their voices need to be heard.

Dr Thomas said that out of the over 4000 registered civil society organisations, only 20 per cent of those are active, noting that while this 20 per cent is active, their voices are minimally heard addressing public concerns in Guyana.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times on Saturday afternoon at his High Street Office, Thomas explained that the GNCPP has recognised the deficiency in Guyana’s society and has since been taking steps to rectify the issue.

One of those steps is the formation of a standard representing body for civil society organisations which is to be discussed and finalised at a three-day summit planned for this week, beginning Wednesday December 17-19 at the Liliendaal

International Conference Centre, Greater Georgetwon.

Thomas explained that at present, there are some 4000 active civil society organisations, most of which will be involved in the three-day summit that is set to bring about monumental change to civil society.

He articulated that unscrupulous persons have been taking advantage of the system and perks offered to non-profit organisations, reaping the benefits without actually doing any work.

Some of these benefits include, and are not limited to, duty-free concessions from the Guyana Revenue Authority.

“We found up to 4000 plus organisations, but 80 plus per cent... they were non-existent. The addresses that were listed are no longer there, the telephones numbers are no longer existing or assigned to folks,” said Thomas during the interview.

He explained that “many persons took the opportunity to abuse a process that was put in place” to make things easier and less expensive

for non-profit organisations (NGO’s) and community service organisations (CSO’s).

According to Thomas, this is a “very serious endemic problem… it is over 3000 plus groups that got away with the abuse of process.”

With respect to the summit, Thomas indicated that the civil society organisations will be having in-house conversations and looking to form a structured representing body for the sector. He added that this summit is primarily designed to forge a paradigm shift in the way Guyana’s civil society works today.

“We are going to have a conversation among ourselves and we are going to come to an agreement and we are going to put in place a civil society council.”

According to Thomas, Guyana’s civil society over the years has been very passive about certain issues and it is now time for that to change.

He said “we never stood up the way we should have stood up… when we stand up and we raise our flag and we let it known that we have now

come to do what is required of us” people will listen.

GNCPP is a platform for members, who include all of Guyana’s civil society, including educators, students, journalists, businesses, professionals, ordinary citizens, religious organisations and public officials, believing in a democratic, free and peaceful Guyana that does not end at its sovereign borders.

The organisation, among other things, proclaims that human rights, social justice, the rule of law, pluralistic democracy, accountable government and environmentally sustainable development are common values, to which all Guyanese subscribe.

It believes that matters of Guyanese relations, sustainable growth and development should not be left for politicians and diplomats to decide upon – and that the positions of civil society must be better articulated and heard.

The GNCPP also recognises the key role of civil society and people-to-people cooperation in the peaceful and harmonious development of Guyana.

Charlestown neighbours charged for abusive language, damage to property

Tu Shen Ye, 66, of Lot 228 Lynch Street, Charlestown, Georgetown was granted bail after he appeared before City Magistrate Ann McLennan charged with damage to property.

The father of one denied that on December 2, at Lyng Street, Charlestown, he unlawfully and maliciously damaged one car bumper worth $15,000, property of Dawn Moore.

Tu Shen Ye was represented by Attorney Basil Williams, who made an application for bail for his client. Police Prosecutor Dinero Jones did not object to bail and he was placed on $5000 bail. Meanwhile, 44-yearold Office Manager Dawn Moore also denied that on the same day at Lyng Street, Georgetown, she made use

of abusive language to him, whereby a breach of the peace may have been occasioned. Each defendant was eventually placed on $5000 bail and bonded to keep the peace until their case has been tried in court. Their next court appearance is on December 22.

Younge’s Take

Elections 2015 and beyond

Those

who are bent on

believing that early General and Regional Elections will singly solve the endemic political problems that are facing our country are dead wrong. Those who are also bent on believing that somehow constitutional reform will also singly solve the problems and woes that bedevil our democratic resolve as a nation are also wrong.

Early elections as wisely announced by President Donald Ramotar will only serve as a temporary solution to the apparently perennial problems that have beset Guyana’s political system since the new dispensation commenced back in November 2011.

These elections will only offer the Guyanese citizenry the right to elect or re-elect a political party to act in its interest as the Executive. They will afford the public an opportunity of determining the configuration of the National Assembly as the last elections did.

Sadly, early elections cannot and will not change the mind-set of the key political actors in this country, some of whom are bent on pursuing a vengeful and personal political agenda, regardless of the damage caused by their actions. The elections cannot and will not reduce the growing distrust among the political forces, their parties, the social classes and ethnic groups in Guyana.

The early elections cannot and will not remove the damage already done to international, regional and domestic image of the country by media houses bent on pursuing specific antidevelopmental agendas that are in the partisan interest of some key opposition political parties.

Forget those who are touting the formation of a Government of national unity and forget those who are still dreaming about creating a Government where shared sovernance is possible. The truth is, none of those political figures who are articulating such ‘ideal’ positions have genuinely done enough to create the platform for either of the above mentioned forms of Governments to materialize in modern Guyana.

In fact, over the past three decades, they have done more than enough to separate and divide Guyanese. They have done enough to promote clandestine versions of neo-classism and neo-racism.

They have done enough to retard and cripple development by chasing away legitimate foreign and domestic direct investment because it would make a specific political party or Government look good. They have done enough to widen the divide politically to the point where reasonable and rationale dialogue is no longer possible.

After Guyana votes in 2015, our country must quickly turn its attention to changing the political culture here. The core problem facing our society is the inability of the current crop of Opposition politicians to see past their own careers and ambitions.

For the most part, they appear to be misusing their parliamentary seats and political parties to spew hate against state officials not inclined to their agendas and not in tune with their flawed take on modern philosophy.

These Opposition parties also appear bent on manufacturing controversies where they do not exist to benefit from sensational headlines, soundbytes and political mileage even if this means creating political instability in the country.

They appear unwilling to take the routes of compromise, consensus and healing even though they are always present at every single political crossroad, deadlock and roadblock.

The current Government is not without its shortcomings too and must find new and innovative ways of developing mechanisms to track and root-out all and any forms of corruption.

It must work even harder to undo the political mischief of its opponents and their continued public relations campaign aimed at panting everything that occurs as negative, questionable and lacking transparency.

This means the Government must exercise caution as to who it engages and the terms of that engagement. It must work harder to ensure that the leaders within its political fore are elected on the basis of meritocracy and leadership ability as opposed to loyalty and militancy.

In short, it is Guyana’s current political culture that must seek to change if we are to develop a new breed of politicians whose sole agenda is to serve the Guyanese public and to build this great country on the foundation of equality, unity and democracy.

The necessary attention must be placed on fighting of the debilitating impact of the newer forms of neo-racism and neoclassism which is slowing gaining momentum. Guyana must embark once more on a mission of healing and reconciliation after these elections solely aimed at re-uniting our people politically, emotionally, socially and ethnically.

No country or people can survive divided.

Dead: Surujpaul Ramnarine

USC graduate teachers say certificate not recognised by MoE

… Education Officials to look into matter

BY ERICA WILLIAMS

Teachers who have graduated from the University of Southern Caribbean (USC) say their certificates are not recognised by the Education Ministry (MoE).

These teachers claim to be in limbo with the situation for the past year, while others claim longer.

When Guyana Times asked education officials for a comment, they were not able to give an answer on spot.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand said, “Some people got it. Some people got recognised by us

and they are teaching with the upgrades and so on and some people we did not.”

It was further stated that the teachers who got their degrees recognised are believed to have graduated from the USC head branch in Trinidad.

“There is course training in Guyana but I think the equivalency of what is happening in Guyana and in Trinidad is where the issue is,” an education official said.

Yonette Blair, a teacher who graduated from USC after studying English Language said, “They assured us that the degree is accredited and recog-

nised by the Ministry Of Education in Guyana. Only to find out after graduation that the Ministry will not increase our salaries or status.”

She further explained that she has made numerous attempts along with her colleague, school teacher Deon Saul to get the President of the USC, Dr Clinton Valley to look into the matter, but to no avail.

She further accused the Principal of USC Guyana, Erika Maynard Sancho of not being honest about the USC’s accreditation in Guyana.

Sancho however assured that the USC is an accred-

ited institution. She explained that they have registered with the National Accreditation Council (NAC) and added that the NAC is expected to transfer some information to the Education Ministry.

She added that Chief Education Officer (CEO), Olato Sam was working on the matter at the time he became hospitalised. When asked if she was aware of the status of the university to commence classes, Sancho said she assumed all papers were sent through because the NAC and the MoE are part of the same body.

Blair is of the opinion that with this ongoing situation, the USC should not register more teachers, “knowing they are not going to be paid for the degree when they are finished.”

“The sad thing is that people within the Ministry have USC degrees. The Director in charge of National Accreditation Council has a USC degree. A teacher at St Roses High School is being paid for her USC degree. So I don’t understand what the problem is now,” a frustrated Blair said.

She further added that she spoke with Minister Manickchand personally on several occasions. Her most recent was last week, when the Minister told her that teachers are supposed to be paid and that she will look into the matter.

But to date, the disgruntled teacher says nothing has happened. “She told me to write her a letter stating the issue. I did that and she has not done anything as yet.”

According to Blair, the Vice Principal for the USC student body in Trinidad, Onissi La Fleur, came to Guyana in July of this year and held a meeting with Minister Manickchand and it was reported that an agreement was made to pay the teachers.

Efforts to contact Minister Manickchand on her cellphone were unsuccessful.

USC is a private university owned and operated by the Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The main campus is located in Trinidad and Tobago and additional branches are in Guyana, Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda.

The University offers courses to foster valuesbased education; the curriculum not only focuses on the academic aspect of teaching, but also has a holistic approach.

E-Networks refutes unauthorised pole-use allegations

–

says company paid GPL millions for usage

E-Networks has refuted allegations reportedly made by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc that it has been using electricity poles without authorisation.

The company was at the time responding to an article published in the Kaieteur News on December 11 headlined “GPL loses $$millions annually through cable operators GT&T”.

The article stated that the power company losses “millions of dollars each year as a result of cable operators… utilising its poles countrywide without paying a dime”.

It further mentioned that there is “currently no agreement in place with those using the company’s utility poles”, naming E-Networks as one of the companies engaging in the unauthorised practice.

The claims were made by GPL Chief Executive Officer Bharat Dindyal, who was reported to have said that the power company is now looking to implement a formal agreement applied across the board to secure revenues from these companies.

In a statement on

Saturday, E-Networks dispelled the allegation and referred to four licence agreements currently in place and enforceable between E-Networks and GPL.

“These licence agreements, dating from January 2012, grant the use of utility poles by E-Networks Inc in Georgetown and East Coast Demerara, in exchange for a rental fee – a sum to the tune of millions of dollars paid by E-Networks to date – for the period until May 2016. Such agreements have been honoured and upheld by both parties, and further negotiations are even underway for the extension of the coverage area.

E-Networks pointed out that these legally-binding agreements are the evidence to challenge the “untrue and baseless” allegations published in Kaieteur News.

The company said the allegations would have undoubtedly caused some damage to its image and reputation.

And on that note, E-Networks is calling on GPL to correct the “erroneous” statements published.

Scouts spread Christmas cheer

Every year the Scout Association of Guyana (SAG) as part of its Christmas outreach programme, visits several communities and institutions to share hot meals to the less fortunate.

This year, Scout groups around Guyana were again given the opportunity to participate in the Sharea-Meal Initiative by visiting various communities to share meals and/or gifts.

This saw groups visiting the Dharm Shala in Georgetown and in Berbice, the New Nazareth Home in Carmichael Street, Georgetown and several depressed areas.

Persons received hot meals, drinks, sweet treats

and gifts. This year SAG welcomed onboard new groups; the Tain Clifton and John Community Scout Group and Sacred Heart RC Scout Group. They were more than happy to join in the Association’s Annual Share-a-Meal Initiative. A Food Can Drive by the National Venturer Council, where they are collecting cans of food from the various scout groups and other individuals, is also currently ongoing.

These will be sorted and distributed to the St Thomas Moore Home.

Distribution to other homes will also be done providing enough cans are collected.

GDF commissions new base at New Amsterdam BIT graduates over 300 persons in Georgetown

By Andrew CArmiChAel

The Coastal Battalion of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) has a new base.

The base situated on Strand New Amsterdam, was commissioned on Saturday by Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips, who declared that the facility is at an important location.

The dome-structured base has all the required facilities and its design is similar to those in Brazil and Jamaica.

Commanding Officer

Major Colin Henry said the role of the battalion is to conduct costal and civil defence operations in Regions One to Six.

Brigadier Phillips ex-

plained that the New Amsterdam Base has a mandate to work with the Guyana Police Force, including in anti-crime operations while assisting in times of disaster.

“It means that we must work with the regional authority beyond the normal Regional Intelligence Committee meetings, so I will ask Major Henry to sit with our Regional Chairman and iron out a number of activities that we can participate in because we are the people’s Army.”

The Chief-of-Staff said the Army is not just about manning the borders and providing personnel for internal security.

“We want to do more than that. We want to be involved in the development of youth and the economic development of the region.”

Brigadier Phillips said the new facility will be going green in keeping with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) while improvements will soon be done to the base at Number 63 Village, Corentyne.

The top Army official has given February 1 as the deadline for the base to become fully operational and all operations at the LFS Burnham Street Base in New Amsterdam ceased.

Meanwhile, Saturday was declared Soldiers Day in New Amsterdam where senior ranks recognise the hard work of their junior comrades.

The day started with ‘gun shots’ which is a term used by the military, where the officers and senior ranks serve the soldiers rum and coffee in the morning before they come out of bed.

Over three hundred young men and women on Thursday graduated from The Board of Industrial Training (BIT) in several areas and are ready to enter the world of work.

The graduation ceremony which was held at the Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown saw 16 officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) graduating in the category of heavy-duty equipment operators along with three other batches in this skill area, while 31 persons graduated in block making, catering and cosmetology through collaboration with the GPF.

Through continuous operation of the Eccles Skills Training Centre, 71 persons gained qualification in the areas of catering and information technology and 42 in welding and fabrication through the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC), along with 77 women in the areas of information technology, sewing, catering and cosmetology through collaboration with the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute.

Thirteen persons from the Deaf Association of Guyana were also trained and placed in employment at the Grand Coastal and Pegasus hotels, along with Jailall’s Workshop and 10 in Region Three (West Demerara-Essequibo Islands).

A total of 633 persons were trained in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) – 194 in Engineering, 188 in Home Economics and 251 in information technology/clerical

during this year.

Speaking at the ceremony, BIT’s Chairman Clinton Williams noted that Thursday’s graduation was the ninth under the National Training Programme for Youth Empowerment (NTPYE) and Single Parents Programme for Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

This programme was launched in 2005 by Former President Bharrat Jagdeo with the objective of providing competency based technical vocational education and training to fill the shortage of entry level skills for both the Public and Private Sectors.

Williams noted that this programme targets vulnerable groups such as school dropouts, youths from depressed communities and other disadvantaged young people.

In 2009, another programme which targeted single parents was launched to build capacity for them. Williams added that in 2006, the programme began with 254 graduates and to date, over 16,000 individuals graduated inclusive of the 1000 under the Apprenticeship Scheme.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul noted that this year has seen the largest number of graduates under this programme throughout Guyana.

“For Guyana to develop, all of its people must play their role.” He also noted that many of the persons who have been trained by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) are now managers in various departments in the company.

“We are providing the opportunities for thousands of people… and the last five years have seen Guyana moving forward,” Dr Gopaul noted. Also congratulating the graduates was Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall who said “this can’t be the end of the road, it is only a stepping stone”, as he urged the graduates to aim higher. He pointed out that another example of the efforts made by the party to ensure this opportunity is given to all Guyanese is the construction of several dormitories to house students who are travelling from far distances to elevate themselves.

Due to these efforts, urban schools are no longer the only top schools in the country, but students from various parts of the country are now excelling at examinations and dominating the top spots.

“This graduating exercise and your accomplishment today and the fact that you will be certified and handling a certificate in a particular endeavour, must never be the end of the road for you.

"This is only a stepping stone. This programme when it was conceived and when it was designed by the Government, it was never intended to leave you at this point in time and at this stage in your technical and vocational education. This is but a foundation and it is expected that you are going to build upon this foundation,” said Nandlall.

Inside the Coastal Battalion of the Guyana Defence Force in New Amsterdam

Neurosurgeon to be stationed at GPHC from next month

Guyana’s newest neurosurgeon is Dr Amarnauth Dukhi. This talented young man said neurology was something that always fascinated him.

“It’s something that I have always wanted to do,” he told the Government Information Agency, in an exclusive interview. Dr Dukhi will be stationed at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), from January 2015.

Guyana’s situation is one that it evolving; its incipient ground work augurs well too, as “Because of the patients’ needs (distance of abode and unique medical condition), the neurological department at the GPHC will be ever ready to receive the patients, after stabilising is first effected. So the hope is that something will be worked out, to facilitate ease and speed of movement, from that point of encountering the ailment to the GPHC,” he said.

The youthful and rearing to go doctor opined that this kind of rapid response culture must now be a priority for the regional health system, so that the entire process becomes even more effective, that is, from learning about a situation, stabilising a far-off patient (no matter where), and then actually having that patient at the best place possible – the neurology department at the GPHC.

Dr Dukhi’s journey began in Skeldon, Corriverton, where he was born.

Attending the Skeldon Line Path Secondary School, he wrote the Caribbean Examinations Council exams in 1995 and was adjudged the third best graduating student. He immediately entered the University of Guyana, and soon after complet-

ed a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology and Bio Chemistry in 1999. After this, he worked for a short while, before qualifying for his scholarship through the Government of Guyana’s “Cuban Scholarship Programme.”

This he gladly took up, and thus acquired a Bachelor’s of Medicine in 2006; being quite a prodigy, he copped the Best Graduating Student award. He then returned to Guyana, fulfilling necessary contract commitments in serving fellow Guyanese and the Government for three years. His major stints were at the GPHC and the New Amsterdam Hospital.

What should be known too is that Dr Dukhi is really multifarious.

He was actually quite set in the surgical field of orthopaedics; and most would have comfortably remained there. However, he was not sated scholastically nor professionally, and so felt the need to expand and diversify.

The end result of this

burning passion in him is that Guyana’s own Dr Dukhi, grabbing the proffered field of neurology and made it his own. He is now a bonafide neurosurgeon, a sub-facet in the Health Sector that constantly suffers from a noticeable paucity of specialists.

Further zeal

“In that area (orthopaedics), I was already in the surgical field… now having a surgical background already, and this being something that I always love doing, (I thought to myself that when I went back to study (with the fresh opportunity I got), I knew that I had to do neurosurgery, because we were in a severe shortage, and then our country was always looking for ways to send our people overseas to get these done.

I asked myself (at the time) why can’t a Guyanese become a neurosurgeon? It was a big sacrifice of five years of residency, but then I decided that I had the opportunity and there was no way that I would leave it.

So I picked it up and here I am five years later,” Dr Dukhi related.

Before completing the neurosurgical programme, Dr Dukhi actually further fortified himself in the medical arena, completing a double master’s programme, specialising in comprehensive general and family medicine. The neurosurgical programme was then conducted by Havana’s principal neurosurgeons.

Health sector

Dr Dukhi’s accomplishment, which moves Guyana forward in the Health Sector, has evoked pride in Public Service Minister, Dr Jennifer Westford. “It was hard studying for a specialty and there are very few persons who can do it in the Caribbean formally.”

With Dr Dukhi’s achievement, the Health Ministry now has a neurosurgeon, thanks to the partial scholarship from the Government of Cuba. “Thanks to Dr Dukhi, who studied conscientiously… we now have our own neurologist, so Guyanese patients can feel a little more comfortable when they suffer from these injuries,” Minister Westford said.

The Minister added that there is the expectation that next year another person would be sent, along with another specialist to be trained in neurology. Minister Westford pointed out ruefully that Dr Dukhi cannot work 24/7 even though he is a workaholic.

He will be heading the Neurology Department and Guyanese patients will receive the best possible treatment. “We are one foot higher in the medical field and I am proud of our achievement,” Minister Westford proudly said.

APNU files complaint with GECOM against PPP/C

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Saturday said that it has filed an official complaint with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) against the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for allegedly misusing state funds.

The coalition in a release said that the PPP/C government has continues its “blantant” misuse and spending of monies from the consolidated fund for election campaign purposes.

In a release APNU reiterated its call for “calm, clean, and efficient elections and for the PPP/C to stop it wanton abuse of state resources for electioneering purposes.”

Giving examples of the alleged misuse of funds the party referred to “allegations of the rampant misuse of government funds by the Regional

When will SWAT swot criminals???

BY VAHNU MANICKCHAND

Since the introduction of the 27-member Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT) earlier this year, the team is yet to get into action.

Of recent, persons have been commenting on the inaction of the high-profile unit that many thought was much needed for the country, given its fluctuating crime situation.

Only recently, following the robbery/murder carried out at Sterling Products Limited, Providence, East Bank Demerara, there were concerns raised about the absence of the team at the scene.

A senior officer within the Guyana Police Force explained that there was no need for the SWAT Unit to be present at the scene since the team is specialised in high-risk operations that are beyond the control or capabilities of the regular, uniformed Police.

“People need to understand that the SWAT team is not just a regular unit in the Police Force, it’s a high-profile specialised team that was established to tackle specialised occurrences and not go to a crime scene after the fact,” the official explained.

He noted that in the Sterling Products incident, the bandits had already hit and left, so there was really no need for the unit to be deployed there.

“In such situations, what happens is that the Police will patrol the area and conduct ‘stop and search’ exercises of vehicles. That is not the responsibility of the SWAT team, if the perpetrators were still in the building when the report was made, or if they had held the employees in hostage, then the unit would have been deployed,” he further stated.

Meanwhile, Crime Chief Leslie James in an interview with Guyana Times had pointed out that sending in the SWAT Unit was a decision that would have to be made internally.

the teams will have to operate within their respective territories.

Earlier this year, the country’s first batch of SWAT officers was introduced to Guyana when the training programme was launched at the Police Training Centre. The establishment of the SWAT Unit was done through collaboration between the Government of Guyana and the US-based security and justice reform consultancy firm, The Emergency Group (TEG).

In October 2013, a US$796,987 contract was signed between the Home Affairs Ministry and USbased high-level team to train the 27- member elite unit.

The members of the local SWAT Unit were chosen based on their age, health, mindset, years of service, experience and their overall conduct.

The objective behind establishing a SWAT team was to create additional crime-fighting strategies to deal with serious crimes in the country, which the Police would not be able to handle competently.

At the contract signing, TEG’s Director, Ambassador Dennis Hays said that the country “… will know that (it) officers who have training, temperament and expertise to apply critical judgment in a difficult situation to ensure that there is a resolution that is obtained at the lowest possible level of violence”.

The Director said there were many misconceptions about the SWAT team, but officers are specially trained to work together to minimise violence and public unrest.

“There are misconceptions out there about SWAT teams like how they break down doors etc… and certainly, there is a capability to do so if required to do that, but the team is trained to work together,” he stressed.

Administration- Barima- Waini Region (Region No. 1).”

The coalition said it has been informed that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) which meets bi-monthly held its last statutory meeting at Moruca, from October 7th -9th 2014.

The next statutory meeting of the Council for 2014 was scheduled to be held at Mabaruma from December 9th11th. That meeting was cancelled.

The release noted that “monies budgeted for the holding of the RDC statutory meeting at Mabaruma (December 9-11), was used to transport Toshaos, Community Support Officers (CSO) and PPP/C activists to a PPP/C sponsored event in the Moruca Sub Region.”

Efforts by this newspaper to solicit a comment from the PPP/C’s General Secretary and Executive Secretary proved futile on Saturday.

On this note, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Administration) David Ramnarine explained that the decision to deploy the unit lies in the hands of the Commissioner of Police.

He outlined that there are certain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that needs to be followed before such a decision is taken.

However, Ramnarine did not elaborate on those SOPs that the Commissioner is expected to follow before deploying the SWAT Unit.

Efforts to contact the acting Police Commissioner for further details into the operations of the high-profile unit proved futile.

There are no standard international protocols that such highly-trained, highskilled units abide by since

The training of the SWAT team begun in December last year and was suppose to be concluded in August last. The members of the elite team are Assistant Superintendents Lonsdale Withrite and Motie Dookie; Cadet Officers James Tappin, Amit Kumar Das and Rovin Das; Sergeants Marx Wilson, Joseph Grant and Relando Sandy; and Corporals Kwesi Lawrence, Emswhi Gordon and Ryan Leacock.

Additionally, Constables Dennis Ragnauth , Alec Ally, Ronell Chapman, Aiden Dennan, Anthio Wallace, Andel Smith, Trevor Edmonds, Erwin Scott, Guy Williams, Kevin Thompson, Delon Sheckle, Asapha Easton, Yuri Bourne, Navindra Jodhan, O’ Neil Walcott and Special Constable Trevor Grenville, all make up the SWAT Unit.

Dr Amarnauth Dukhi receives his certificate from Head of Neurosurgery in Cuba, Professor Esteban Roig

PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee

Ross continues crusade on fitness and good health

Hugh Ross, the world renowned Bodybuilder and Malta Supreme Brand Ambassador, has continued his campaign to promote healthy living among children following visits to three schools in Berbice and Georgetown.

Ross, a former Mr. Universe and NABBA Masters Champion, visited Berbice High and New Amsterdam Multilateral schools in New Amsterdam and Marian Academy in Georgetown where he interacted with students and teachers and encouraged them to adopt healthy lifestyles.

The United States-based Ross, Guyana’s most accomplished bodybuilder and fitness expert, said he was extremely excited to be home and will take this opportunity to engage his compatriots as he continues his crusade to promote fitness and good health.

Ross, who was born at Eversham Village on the Corentyne, also attended the Berbice High School.

The students were excited to see Ross and some engaged the bodybuilding icon in a pose off at the schools.

Hugh Ross has been a phenomenal performer on the international stage

Ross was accompanied by Malta Supreme Brand Manager, Clayton Mc Kenzie, who said the sessions at the schools were well

received. Malta Supreme, produced by Banks DIH Limited, is a non-alcoholic drink, ideal for children and athletes.

U.S. boxer Floyd Mayweather says he is willing to fight Manny Pacquiao next May in a blockbuster world title fight, but only if he receives a much bigger share of the purse.

Speaking to Showtime Sports on Friday night, Mayweather said he wants his next fight to be against Filipino star Pacquiao, who is coming off an impressive win over Chris Algieri last month in Macau, China.

The 37-year-old Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) said his is ready to reach out to Pacquiao’s people with the hope that the expected richest fight in boxing history can be held on May 2.

“We want the fight, we are ready,” Mayweather said. “Let’s make it happen on May 2. Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. Let’s do it. I am not ducking or dodging any opponent. Bob Arum is stopping the fight.

I wanted that fight a long time ago and I am just waiting on them.”

The two were long-time rivals as the “best pound-forpound” boxers of their generation, but the dream fight has never materialised to the disappointment of the boxing world.

Mayweather did not go into financial details, but he has insisted in the past that he receive the majority of the purse, especially the lucrative pay-per-view revenues.

In 2012 there was speculation that a fight between the two could lead to the first $200 million purse in boxing history with much of that

money coming from pay-perview sales.

At one point Pacquiao said Mayweather offered him a $40 million purse on the condition Mayweather would keep the pay-per-view money, which would have amounted to more than double what Pacquiao received.

Previous talks were also scuttled because Mayweather said Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) refused to submit to random blood testing.

Critics of Mayweather have accused him of ducking the 35-year-old Pacquiao

Guinness Greatest in the Streets football, Georgetown leg… Festival City Warriors, North Ruimveldt clash in final this evening

All doubts about which is the best team in the Georgetown leg of the Guinness Greatest in the Streets football tournament will be put to rest this evening when the final is staged at the National Park Tarmac.

Like last year, another massive crowd is expected to cram into the venue to witness the best street footballers of the Capital City throw down the gauntlet to each other with a view of sealing a place in the national

playoff next year.

North Ruimveldt and Festival City Warriors have outdone their other counterparts from the various wards to be the only two teams now in the hunt for the top prize in the Georgetown zone.

The highly anticipated final will get cracking at 22:30 hours and will bring the curtains down on several nights of intense street football rivalry among the best exponents of the format in the Garden City.

Prior to the final, Sparta Boss, who was a hot favourite to go all the way and lift the championship but stuttered at the semi-final, will take on Leopold Street in the third place playoff, set to kick off at 22:00 hours.

The organisers, in an effort to whet the appetite of patrons before the final and third place playoff, have put together four exhibition games, the first of which will commence at 20:00 hours.

(Avenash Ramzan)

Mayweather wants Pacquiao on May 2

for years, saying that his lopsided money demands were just a way to scuttle talks.

The undefeated Mayweather even admitted before one of his recent Las Vegas fights that he “hand picks” his opponents.

But on Friday he was singing a different tune, calling out his rival and insisting it was Pacquiao who is ducking him not the other way around.

“Let’s make this fight happen. Bob Arum and Manny Pacquiao you guys have been ducking us for years.

“We are tired of you guys fooling the public, fooling the critics.

“We tried to make the fight happen before and you guys didn’t want to take random blood and urine testing so that’s why the fight didn’t happen. Then I offered you $40 million and then you didn’t want to make the fight happen.

“You lost twice now and you are coming back begging for the same money. That is not going to happen.”

in the United States. Mayweather also hinted Friday that this could be his

May 2 is the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend when Mayweather normally fights

last fight, though he has said that before each of his last few title fights in Las Vegas as a way to boost ticket sales. “I want to go out with a bang,” he said. (Yahoo! Sports)

Manny Pacquiao

Floyd Mayweather

Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste is expected to be among several Banks DIH officials who will witness the final tonight (Avenash Ramzan file photo)

England v Sri Lanka, 6th ODI, Pallekele…

Sangakkara ton seals series win

AKumar Sangakkara century led Sri Lanka to a 90-run victory over England in the sixth one-day international, a win that sealed the series 4-2 on a miserable day for Alastair Cook.

Cook dropped a simple catch when Sangakkara was on 41, the left-hander going on to 112 in Sri Lanka’s 292-7.

The captain was then lbw for one in the first over of England’s reply.

The tourists slumped to 84-5 and, despite 55 from Joe Root, were bowled out for 202 with 8.3 overs unused.

For all the promise of the win in the fifth ODI, England were ragged in the field, saw their bowlers struggle late in the Sri Lanka innings and their batsmen fail when faced with a big chase on a Pallekele pitch offering turn and some uneven

bounce.

In the context of their World Cup preparations, they can take comfort from the fact that conditions in Australia and New Zealand will be vastly different to those in Sri Lanka and their bowling will be boosted by the returns of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

However, the form of Cook remains a concern.

If dropping Sangakkara – a knee-high chance at mid-off – was an aberration, his meek surrender with the bat was familiar. Missing a straight ball from off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake, Cook was leg before for the third time in the series. The skipper has now scored 499 runs at an average of 24.95 in his last 21 ODIs, during which time England have won only eight matches and suffered four series defeats.

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka innings

M Jayawardene c Taylor b Woakes 5

Dilshan c Bopara b Tredwell 68 Sangakkara c Moeen b Jordan 112

Prasanna c Morgan b Finn 20

Mathews c Buttler b Finn 1

Chandimal b Jordan 35

T Perera c Cook b Woakes 16

J Mendis not out 12

Extras (1-nb, 8-w, 10-b, 4-lb) 23

Total (for 7 wickets; 50 overs) 292 Bowling: Finn 9-0-53-2, Woakes 10-1-51-2, Moeen

8-0-46-0, Tredwell 10-0-371, Jordan 9-0-68-2, Bopara

3-0-19-0, Root 1-0-4-0

Fall of wickets: 8 (M Jayawardene), 161 (Dilshan), 186 (Prasanna), 191 (Mathews), 243 (Sangakkara), 262 (T Perera), 292 (Chandimal) England innings

Cook lbw b Senanayake 1

Moeen c Sangakkara b Dilshan 34

Taylor b Senanayake 10

Root b Lakmal 55

Bopara c Sangakkara b Lakmal 13 Morgan c Sangakkara b Lakmal 0

Buttler run out (Thirimanne) 22 Woakes c and b Dilshan 41 Jordan c Sangakkara b Lakmal 4 Tredwell c Dilshan b Senanayake 19 Finn not out 1 Extras (1-w, 1-lb) 2

Total (all out; 41.3 overs) 202

Bowling: Senanayake 8.30-33-3, Dilshan 10-0-55-2, Prasanna 8-0-40-0, Lakmal 8-0-30-4, J Mendis 4-022-0, T Perera 3-0-21-0

Fall of wickets: 2 (Cook), 36 (Taylor), 50 (Moeen), 84 (Bopara), 84 (Morgan), 123 (Buttler), 169 (Root), 175 (Jordan), 193 (Woakes), 202 (Tredwell)

Australia v India, 1st Test, Adelaide, 5th day… Clarke admits he may never play again

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has admitted he may never play again after chronic back and hamstring problems overtook him during the first Test against India in Adelaide.

Clarke ruled himself out of the remainder of the series following the dramatic and emotional victory on Saturday afternoon, a conclusion he watched from the sidelines after going to hospital where scans confirmed a tear to his right hamstring.

This added to the recurrence of back trouble he suffered on day one, and the left hamstring strains that had upset his preparations for this series. All together they are enough to mean Clarke will not be seen again at least until the preliminaries of Australia’s World Cup campaign in January.

His dismissal set the tone for the early part England chase as James Taylor ran past one to be bowled by Senanayake and Moeen Ali feathered a beautiful Tillakaratne Dilshan off-break.

And when Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan fell to successive Suranga Lakmal deliveries, England were in danger of imploding.

The busy Root at least provided a glimmer of hope, but when the Yorkshire batsman was bowled attempting to scoop Lakmal the game was up.

That Sri Lanka had posted a total so far beyond the reach of England was down to the imperious Sangakkara, who made a 20th century in the last ODI appearance on his home ground.

The wicketkeeper accumulated singles down the ground, showed deft footwork to loft over midwicket and power to take a six each over long leg and long-on.

His fifth successive score of 50 or more is made all the more impressive by the fact he broke a rib in practice before the series began.

He was supported by Dilshan, who compiled a watchful 68, a secondwicket stand of 153 providing the platform from which Sri Lanka added 130 in the final 15 overs.

James Tredwell gave England control with 1-37 from 10 overs, but their pace trio came in for late punishment.

Too often dropping short, Chris Woakes and Steven Finn could not replicate an impressive opening burst, while Chris Jordan conceded 68 runs in nine overs. (BBC

But having grappled with his back problem in particular since it emerged during his teenage years, Clarke has pondered often the length of his career. He was genuinely frank in conceding that at 33 the protests of his body were only getting louder with age.

“The experts are looking at scans now, I don’t know exactly how long I’m going to be out for,” Clarke said. “I think the World Cup, our first practice game is eight weeks away, I’d love to take part in the tri-series, I’d love to take part in the World Cup but I just have to wait and see.

“There’s no doubt there’s certainly a chance [I will miss the World Cup], well there’s a chance I may never play again. I hope that’s not the case and I’ll be doing everything in my power to get back out on the park but I have to be realistic as well.

“I think my body in general there’s always that risk. This is a different hamstring, I did my left hamstring, I’ve done my right side of my back, I’ve just done my right hammy. I’ve got injury concerns at the moment, now I’ve got to go back and do what the experts tell me to give myself my best chance of being fully fit. But I think I have to be

honest with myself and have a good hard think about things, definitely.”

Despite these words, Clarke said he did not for one moment regret either pushing to play in the match without having played any cricket since he suffered a left hamstring strain against South Africa in Perth in November, nor returning to the wicket to bat on day two after retiring hurt when his back flared up on the first afternoon. Given his closeness to Phillip Hughes and the emotional weight of returning to play after his death, Clarke called it “the most important Test match of my career.”

“I have no regrets about playing this Test match, I have no regrets about going back on the field after I retired hurt,” he said. “I am extremely thankful that Alex Kountouris and Doctor Peter Brukner did everything they could to give me a chance to get on the park in this Test match firstly, but then to walk out and score some runs. The rest will take care of itself. I will be guided by the experts and hopefully I’ll get another opportunity to play again this summer.”

Once Clarke had been passed fit to play in Adelaide, he was duty-bound to make

every effort to return to the field despite his back condition, this he did through a combination of injections, painkillers and constant work from Australia’s physio Alex Kountouris.

“My back was quite sore,” Clarke said. “I needed some injections and some medication to get me back out onto the park, but I’ve said before that’s part of playing international sport, people do it on a daily basis. Once you walk into the game you have to do whatever it takes to finish that game and it was really important for me to walk back out the next morning.

“India had just taken the second new ball, India had taken three wickets at the end of that day with the new ball so I thought it was important for the team that I got out there and even if I couldn’t make runs just see the new ball off to give our tail every opportunity.”

Shaun Marsh has been added to the squad for the Brisbane Test as a replacement for Clarke, having also been part of the squad for the Adelaide Test before being released to play in the Sheffield Shield. Mitchell Starc has also been added to the squad ahead of the Brisbane Test as an extra bowling option. (Cricinfo)

Chelsea win amid diving claims

Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a scrappy 2-0 victory over 10-man Hull which was marred by diving controversy.

Eden Hazard scored a header early on, but the hosts only made sure of victory after Tom Huddlestone’s 60th-minute red card for a challenge on Filipe Luis.

It was Diego Costa who eased Chelsea nerves, sweeping home from close range.

But Chelsea were far from perfect, with Willian and Costa booked for diving and Gary Cahill lucky not

to be sent off. The England defender had already been shown a yellow card for a late challenge in the first half – a tackle on Sone Aluko that Hull manager Steve Bruce thought was deserving of a straight red – and after the break the centre-back went to ground too easily inside the Hull box.

Hull’s incensed players surrounded referee Chris Foy, arguing Cahill should have been shown a second yellow for diving, but the Chelsea player escaped punishment and less than 10 minutes later a frustrated Hull were reduced to 10 men. (BBC Sport)

Kumar Sangakkara notches up his 20th ODI hundred

Michael Clarke tore his right hamstring on the final day in Adelaide

Willian Borges

sunday, december 14, 2014

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Australia v India, 1st Test, Adelaide, 5th day…

Lyon scripts incredible Australian win

Agladiatorial battle between bat and ball took place on the final day at Adelaide Oval, where a Test that had begun in sorrow a week after the death of Phillip Hughes was given a dazzling finish that highlighted the greatness of this game. India’s champion was Virat Kohli, a debutant captain with his sight fixed on a formidable target while all but one of his team-mates failed to show similar steel. For Australia, it was the spindly Nathan Lyon, suffering unsympathetic umpiring to single-handedly drag his team back into the contest, making up for the bluntness of his faster colleagues. The Test was decided when Kohli pulled Lyon and was caught at deep midwicket, leaving Australia with 60 to defend and three wickets to take. They won by 48 runs.

Collapse

Having dismissed only two batsmen while conceding 205 runs in the first two sessions, and left with only 158 to protect in at least 37 overs after tea, Australia claimed the last eight Indian wickets for 73. Lyon took six of them to finish the Test with careerbest match figures of 12 for 286, preventing India from stealing a match they had been behind in for four days. Kohli graciously acknowledged as much after the game, but had left nothing in reserve while trying to pull off what would have been the seventh highest successful chase in Test cricket. He become the second batsman - after Greg Chappell - to make two hundreds in a Test on captaincy debut.

er, Rahane was sawn off. There was no increment in the total.

Kohli v Lyon Kohli now faced an entirely different reality, one driven home by Rohit Sharma’s struggles to cope with the conditions. It firmed his aggression. Kohli caressed Harris through extra cover, whipped Lyon through mid-on, and steered and pulled Johnson for consecutive boundaries, bringing India within less than 100 runs of victory. He also passed his previous best Test score of 119.

Lyon would not be cowed. He delivered a craftily flighted offbreak that dipped as Rohit lunged outside off stump to defend. It spun sharply, smacked the glove and lobbed towards the alert David Warner at leg slip. India still needed 85; Australia were a wicket away from the tail.

ond shot took Vijay to 99, and Lyon, despite so many decisions going against him, had the grace to applaud the skill exhibited. In the next over, from Ryan Harris, Kohli pushed towards mid-off and sprinted the single to bring up his second hundred of the Test, from 135 balls. His celebrations were not angry this time.

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The cricket, however, was affected by poor umpiring. While there were some sharp decisions made over the first four days, the standards slipped drastically on the fifth, but perhaps unwittingly facilitated such an extraordinary contest. Ian Gould adjudged Shikhar Dhawan caught behind for 9, though the Mitchell Johnson bouncer had deflected off the batsman’s shoulder. Marais Erasmus was Lyon’s bane, failing to give Vijay lbw when he did not offer a shot on 24 and 64, and Kohli on 85. Erasmus then deemed Ajinkya Rahane caught at short leg, though Lyon’s offbreak had bounced off the top of the front pad. The sight of Lyon imploring theatrically, often on his knees, was a recurring one.

How did it come to such a finish? Clarke had declared before play began, setting India a target of 364

and giving his bowlers 98 overs to take ten wickets. Johnson and Lyon reduced India to 2 for 57, but the visitors recovered to 105 without further damage at lunch. Kohli and Vijay then batted through the entire second session and scored 100 runs, and Australia’s wicketless plight was exacerbated by the loss of Clarke to a hamstring injury that forced him off the field for the rest of the day, and perhaps the rest of the series. Brad Haddin took over the leadership. So while the day had begun with an Australian win the most likely result, followed by a draw, and then an Indian victory, the final session started with that order reversed.

Lyon was put under pressure immediately after tea. His first four overs cost 25 runs as Vijay punctuated the steady drip-drip of ones and twos with a charge-and-smash over the long-on boundary and an artistic flick from outside off stump into the gap at deep midwicket. The sec-

By the time Lyon had Vijay on strike again, the batsman had played six nervous balls on 99. Lyon bowled an offbreak - the sort he had been delivering all day for scant rewardthat pitched in the rough outside off and spat sharply back at the right-hander. Vijay went deep into his crease, right in front of his stumps, and missed the flick. Erasmus was finally convinced and an lbw appeal was upheld for the first time in the match. India’s second-wicket partnership was broken on 185 scored at 3.71 to the over; they were 122 from victory and had seven wickets in hand. Five balls lat-

Having watched Kohli slap Lyon against the turn to the cover boundary, Wriddhiman Saha also attacked the offspinner, following a six over long-off with a sweep to the squareleg boundary. Lyon was undeterred and continued to toss it up, and a ball later Saha was beaten on the charge and bowled. The game had now decisively swung in Australia’s favour. Only Kohli remained. He had swept Lyon authoritatively all day - not conventional sweeps but hard, flat-batted ones - and he did so again to keep India’s hope flickering. Lyon’s next ball was short - it was one of his worse deliveries - and Kohli went back to pull. The aim was to reduce the 60 runs required by four or six, but he dragged the shot towards Mitchell Marsh at deep midwicket. Marsh ran in, sank to his knees, and smiled in relief after taking the catch. Kohli stood for an age in his crease, crestfallen over his bat, as the Australians rejoiced at the match-winning wicket. They knew surviving 16.2 overs was a task beyond India’s tail.

Kohli walked off to a rousing ovation. Not long after, the Adelaide Oval crowd rose again after India’s last wicket had fallen to applaud Lyon and his team-mates as they left the field. The Test had been given a memorable finish, but Kohli’s feat on the fifth day had disguised the mismatch it had been over the first four. India’s bowlers had managed to take only 12 wickets. Lyon had matched that on his

Virat Kohli celebrates his second century of the game

competition…

Lusignan, Golden Grove clash in final today

Lusignan Sports Club will have the advantage of familiar home conditions, but the unbeaten Golden Grove Cricket Club would still be a tough nut to crack when they clash in the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB)/H. Nauth and Sons Contracting Engineers and Petrol Station’s T20 final at the Lusignan Community Centre from 13:00 hours to-

day.

the final. The winner will be taking home the championship trophy and $150,000 cash.

The umpires for today’s contest are Ava Baker and Charles Gibbons with the Match Referee being Judister Rampersaud.

Rutherford, Terry Gardener and Orin Gardene. Alatyne Haywood is the coach, while Akeem Bowen is the manag-

Stag Super XVI Football Tournament… Double-header to kick-off today at Number 5 ground

The highly anticipated inaugural threeway competition dubbed the Stag Super XVI Football tournament is set to kick off today at the Number 5 ground, West Coast Berbice, with two exciting games.

A colorful march past of the participating clubs is billed 17:00 hours where the feature address will be delivered by Public Relations Officer of Ansa McAl, Darshanie Yussuf.

Twenty-eight (28) teams participated in the tournament with the two finalists playing undefeated to reach

er. The Lusignan Sports Club squad reads: Vishnu Ramjeet, Brian Sattaur, Somnauth Bharrat, Krishna Deosaran, Narvan Singh, Ferron Kadir, Kumar Bishundyal, Rajendra Naikbarran, Leon Morgan, Stephen Ramdass, Steve Alick, Imran Khan, Shazam Ali and Chetram Gangadin. The manager is Chatterpaul Balkishan and the coach is Gewan Persaud. ECCB/H Nauth & Sons T20

The Golden Grove Cricket Club squad reads: Richard Woolford, Owin Blair, John McDonald, Delon Skeete, Kishawnt DaSilva, Shawn Thomas, Terrence King, Cordell Mars, Sherfin Rutherford, Inshan Gardener, Dexter George, Karamo Holder, Shavis

Petra Girls U-11 schools football…

Stella Maris, West Ruimveldt, St Stephen’s, Enterprise in SF

Stella Maris, West Ruimveldt, St Stephen’s and Enterprise Primary Schools have booked their places in the semi-finals of the inaugural Petra Organisation’s Girls Under-11 football competition, sponsored by Health 2000, the Health Ministry and Ansa McAl Trading, under its Smalta brand.

Three of the four quarterfinal games were decided by sudden death penalty kicks when the competition continued on Saturday at the Education Ministry ground on Carifesta Avenue.

On a day blessed with glorious sunshine, Stella

Maris defeated North Georgetown 5-4 on penalties after a nil-all draw, while West Ruimveldt edged F.E. Pollard 4-3 on the spot kicks after both teams ended regulation time on a goal each.

Nikita Prince had put West Ruimveldt in the lead in the 19th minute, before Omefia Langellier equalised five minutes later. St Stephen’s and South Ruimveldt also played to a nil-all stalemate, before the former won 2-1 during the penalty shootout.

The only quarter-final game that did not require penalties was the final one, which saw Enterprise beating Tucville comprehensively 3-0. An own goal as

early as the 3rd minute set Enterprise on the way, before Allianna George doubled the advantage two minutes later. Aliyah Elaine rounded off the victory with goal number three in the 20th minute.

Earlier in the day, in the 9-12 place playoff, St Pius, on the back of a double from Britney Sampson, defeated East La Penitence 2-0, while St Margaret’s won by walkover from Smith’s Memorial.

The competition will continue today at the same venue with the first semi-final between Stella Maris and West Ruimveldt set to kick off at 13:00 hours.

Forty-five (45) minutes later, St Stephen’s and

Enterprise will go head-tohead in semi-final two.

Prior to that, the action will commence at 10:00 hours with the playoff games for the various other positions.

East La Penitence and Smith’s Memorial will get the ball rolling with the battle for positions 11 and 12, followed by St Pius versus St Margaret’s for positions 9 and 10. The playoff for spots 7 and 8 is between North Georgetown and F.E. Pollard, while the tussle for 5th and 6th will be a clash between South Ruimveldt and Tucville.

The final and third place playoff are billed for sometime this week at the Education Ministry ground.

Ansa McAl Trading is the distributor of Stag Beer, which has partnered with the Berbice Football Association (BFA), East Bank Football Association (EBFA) and East Demerara Football Association (EDFA) to stage the year-end tournament.

Based on reports emanating from the Ancient County, the fans in the area are eager to welcome the teams and other fans to their picturesque venue.

Giving the task of setting the tone for the remainder of the competition is Cougars Football Club of Berbice, who will throw down the gauntlet to Soesdyke Falcons of the East Bank Association in what is anticipated to be a keen tussle.

Neither team knows much about each other, but one thing’s for sure, only one will earn the right to the first quarter-final berth.

The day’s feature game will be a Berbice/ East Coast clash. These

two associations recently competed against each other so it will be the renewing of rivalry when one-time knockout giants Monedderlust comes up against Golden Stars.

Sixteen of the top teams drawn from the three associations will be battling for supremacy and bragging rights in a knockout setting over the final two weeks of 2014.

Apart from the $1.5 million top prize, which will be awarded to the lone team left standing when the dust is settled on January 1, 2015 at the Blairmont Community Centre ground, each team will start off with a plus in their bank account as they will receive a $50,000 cheque that will go towards their preparation for the competition.

Rampant Alpha United crush...

Daniel Wilson, who scored four goals against Black Water, led the demolition with five goals this time around, scoring in the 10th, 14th, 61st, 74th and 77th minutes.

Aldair Paredas was on target thrice, netting in the 33rd, 49th and 56th minutes, while Dwain Jacobs, who netted six times in the first game, chalked up a double in the 5th and 63rd minutes.

Manasseh Primo also scored a double in the 75th and 84th minutes, while there was one apiece for Chris Camacho (7th), Travis Grant (8th), Jacob Stephenson (23rd) and Jahaal Greaves (27th).

In the other game of

the night, Police defeated Black Water 3-0 with Abdy Gillis (40th), Anthio Wallace (68th) and Rawle Haynes (80th) the men on target. The competition was slated to continue last evening with Group B action where Houston Stars were set to clash with Fruta Conquerors and Georgetown Football Club were down to play Western Tigers at the Tucville ground. Meanwhile, two Group C matches are scheduled for Monday at Camp Ayaganna featuring Riddim Squad against Beacon FC at 18:30 hours and Santos will do battle with Sunburst Camptown from 20:30 hours.

Darshanie Yussuf

Vishnu Ramjeet

Brian Sattaur

Somnauth Bharrat

Sherfin Rutherford

Terrence King

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

The competition has produced some exciting plays over the last few weekends

Deadline extended for entries to Guyana Cup rematch

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Registration for the Guyana Cup rematch will close on Tuesday after organisers on Saturday decided to extend that process by three more days.

Spokesperson for the Organising Committee, Chattergoon Ramnauth, told Guyana Times Sport on Saturday that the decision was made in order to facilitate those horse owners who are still interested in having their animals registered.

“Entries were supposed to close today [Saturday], but with the number of horse owners still interested in having their animals registered, we have decided to extend the registration process to Tuesday,” Ramnauth said. The meet is scheduled for next Sunday at the Port Mourant Turf Club.

It is being conducted under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) and, according to Ramnauth, those rules would be rigidly enforced.

The organisers have put together an impressive ninerace programme for the meet with most of the big names set to be on show for what is expected to be a competitive day of racing.

They have also added a substantial amount of cash and other attractions to the day’s activities with over $10 million in cash and trophies at stake.

The feature race is for horses in the D1 category over 1600 metres, with the winner set to race away with a $1.5 million and a trophy.

The other events on the day’s card are the co-feature for Three-year-old horses, bred and born in Guyana and the West Indies, for a winning purse of $1 million

and a trophy over 1600 metres.

Then there is an event for Two-year-old West Indies bred animals for a top prize of $600,000 and trophy over 1200 metres.

The E Class race will be a 1500 metres affair with the animals running for a winning purse of $600,000 and trophy. The G1 and Lower event is a 1200 metres contest for a winning purse of $500,000 and a trophy.

The Two-year-old race for Guyana bred horses will see the winner pocketing $300,000 and a trophy over a distance of 1200 metres, while the H1 and Lower animals will run for winning purse of $250,000 and trophy over 1200 metres.

The I3 and Lower race will be a 1200 meters affair with a first prize of $200,000, while the J3 event will fetch a winning prize of $150,000 over 1200 meters.

Interested persons can contact Chandu Ramkissoon (624-9063 or 232-0633), Kris Jagdeo (624-6123; 3220369), Rajendra or Jim-Jo (618-7278), Ramnauth 3375311, Romel Jagroop (6241798) or Sancho (690-0569) for more information on the race.

Universal T20 Festival at Albion today

Several leading cricketers from Berbice will converge on the Albion Community Centre ground today to compete in the ninth annual Universal Solutions and Universal DVD Club T20 Festival.

The four teamsUniversal Warriors, Berbice Titans, Universal President’s XI and Universal Solutions Tigers- will do battle when the action gets underway with the first semifinal at 10:00 hours.

The first game will see Universal Solutions Tigers opposing the President’s XI, followed by Berbice Titans against Universal Warriors in the second game from 13:00 hours.

The winners will clash in the final, which is set for next Saturday at the Albion Community Centre ground under lights, following a female exhibition encounter between Berbice and Demerara and the third place encounter between the losing sides from today’s semi-finals.

National middle-order

batsman Royston Crandon, Devindra Thakurdeen, Lloydel Lewis and Anthony D’Andrade have been tasked with the responsibility of leading the Universal Warriors, Berbice Titans, Universal President’s XI and Universal Solutions Tigers respectively.

Julian Moore, Kwesi Maltay, Michael Franco and Winston Smith are the

coaches of the four teams.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of Universal DVD Club and Universal Solutions, Vicram Seubarran, urged the players to play the game in the true spirit and exercise a high degree of discipline.

“As you are aware, the Universal DVD Club and Universal Solutions will be celebrating its ninth anniver-

sary this year with the T20 Festival being a part of our proceedings. Last year we did the same programme, but it was organised by the Berbice Cricket Board and this year, we wrote the BCB and with the help of head coach Julian Moore and the scorebooks available, we called up the players and placed them in four teams, evenly matched,” Seubarran said.

Alpha United crush Northern Rangers 16-0

As if their 17-0 decimation of Black Water was not enough, Alpha United completely annihilated Northern Rangers 16-0 on Friday evening when action in the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks Beer Cup continued at the Guyana Defence Force ground, Camp Ayanganna. With a haul of 33 goals without conceding a single one, Alpha United have established themselves as more than firm

1, 2015. GFA Banks Beer Cup…

From left: Anthony D’Andrade, Lloydel Lewis, Devendra Thakurdeen and Shawn Pereira proudly display the four uniforms that will be used by the players in the T20 Festival

Chattergoon Ramnauth

WI Head Coach post not on Harper’s slate

By Rajiv Bisnauth

While the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) continues its global search for a new Head Coach for the West Indies cricket team, former Head Coach of the Caribbean side, Roger Harper, says he is not practically looking at the position at this time.

“I haven’t applied for that position, and at this time I am not practically looking at that,” Harper told Guyana Times Sport on Saturday, when asked if he is interested in the post.

Harper, the 2014 Head Coach of the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, has gone into coaching since his retirement from the game.

The Guyanese was in charge of the West Indies team between 2000 and 2003, during a period of transition. He was appointed as the Under-19 coach in December 2005, but quit after a month to take charge of Kenya’s national side where he rebuilt a squad that was close to shambles when he arrived.

Harper, arguably the best fielder of his era, stood down from that role in September 2007.

The West Indies Head Coach position became vacant following the resignation of Ottis Gibson in August this year with more than a year remaining on his contract.

It is understood that Gibson and WICB’s Cricket Operations Director, Richard Pybus, did not see eye to eye during a meeting which discussed a string of poor performances from the regional side, and based on the outcome of that meeting, Gibson and WICB

“mutually agreed” to terminate their association with immediate effect.

Gibson took up the post in January 2010 after a spell as England’s bowling coach and his finest moment with the regional side came when he led them to victory in the ICC World Twenty20 two years ago.

However, the West Indies only won nine of 36 Tests under the 45-year-old, with only four se-

ries victories, three of which came against lower ranked nations. They beat Bangladesh twice and Zimbabwe and lie eighth in the Reliance ICC Test rankings. They won 36 out of 90 ODIs under Gibson.

Meanwhile, West Indians are being encouraged to apply for the vacant position, but media reports have suggested that former Australia and South Africa coach

Mickey Arthur, who finished his duties with the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League this year, has emerged as the favourite to fill the post.

Assistant Coach Stuart Williams will take charge of the team on an interim basis for the series against South Africa, which starts on Wednesday. No timeline was given for the appointment of the new West Indies Head Coach.

Ross continues crusade on fitness and good health Mayweather wants Pacquiao on May 2

Roger Harper

Ottis Gibson

Richard Pybus

Mickey Arthur

internationally acclaimed Hugh Ross during one of his motivational