8 NEWS
tuesDAY, september 16, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com
Massive improvements at Le Repentir Cemetery – as “Clean up My Country” campaign progresses
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ith blocks one and seven of the Georgetown burial ground, Le Repentir nearly completed as part of Government’s initiative to promote and ensure a cleaner and healthier environment, massive improvements are now visible. A visit to the cemetery today showed massive debushing operations done in Block One by Jeffery Jones Construction, which was contracted to de-bush Blocks Three, Four and Five. Further, Block Seven, which is being cleared by persons attached to the Georgetown Prison Service, is expected to be completed shortly. Cleaning of Le Repentir is part of the “Clean-up my Country” initiative, brought forth by the Government of Guyana, for which $1 billion
A
Tombs now clearly visible at Le Repentir
was allocated in the 2014 national budget. Of this sum, $500 million is being spent on the cleaning up of Georgetown, which includes the cleaning and de-silting of the seven main drainage
canals, which is currently in progress. It also includes the rehabilitation of the Mayor and City Council’s machinery to ensure the maintenance of a clean city after the ex-
ercise is completed, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. The sum of $500M is earmarked for other areas across the country, where clean-up is also underway.
2, allegedly fraudulently and maliciously diverted electricity to his own house which was provided by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). The unrepresented pensioner pleaded not guilty to
the charge. As he stood in the docks of Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry’s court at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, he said that he had been in trouble with the law before for a child support matter.
There were no objections to bail by the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant. Campbell’s case is to be recalled on September 29 in Magistrate Faith McGusty’s courtroom.
Plum Park resident charged with threatening language
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ark Stephen, of Lot 58 Plum Park, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was placed on his own recognisance and a bond to keep the peace for a charge of threatening language on Monday afternoon.
Stephen is accused of using threatening language to the mother of his child, Shewalea Thomas. Stephen, who was unrepresented, told the court that he and Thomas live together at the said address, and plead-
Alleged thieves blame each other for stolen cellphone
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wo men who were allegedly caught on camera stealing a cellphone were placed on $40,000 bail each when they appeared before Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus on Monday in a New Amsterdam court. Keno Thomas, 23, of Angoy’s Avenue and Joel Gittings, also 23, are accused of stealing one BlackBerry Torch cellular phone on September 8 at Evil Eyes Audio and Video Store of New Amsterdam. The court was told that the $65,000 phone, which belongs to Tonya Semple, was left on the store counter by the sales clerk. On the day in question, the two accused walked into the store and upon realising that the phone was left on the counter, one of them engaged the sales clerk in conversation while the other picked up the phone. They were seen on camera at the time. Both accused blamed each other for the theft. Gittings, a construction worker, told the court he
Building castles in the air... ...in politics
Pensioner granted self-bail on electricity theft charge
pensioner was on Monday granted selfbail after he pleaded not guilty to a charge of diversion of electricity. Allan Campbell, of Lot 23 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, on September
Eyew tness
was picked up on Sunday by a certain police officer and taken to the Reliance Police Station. “He put me in front ah Keno an because me ent say nothing… he hit me wid a baton,” the defendant alleged. The accused said he fell to the floor and refused to get up. The officer then kicked him in his privates, he further claimed. “An when Ah ask he why he doing it, he say ‘Is police force he using because I refuse fo tek de charge’.” The accused also claimed that he was assaulted at the station in New Amsterdam, where he was also interrogated prior to that. “They had me at Central Police Station boring me with a ‘jukka’ fo Ah talk pon Keno.” Thomas, who told the court that he was a construction worker too, said he was detained for more than 72 hours and was also beaten by the Police. The two defendants will return to court on October 14 when the Police are expected to produce statements.
ed not guilty to the charge. When asked his occupation, Stephen told the court that he does construction work for Magistrate Judy Latchman every Sunday. Police Prosecutor Michael Grant had no objec-
tions to bail, but requested that the defendant move to another address. The defendant is expected to make his second court appearance on October 14 before Magistrate Geeta Chandan- Edmond.
Taxi driver remanded for robbery under arms
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wenty-nine-year-old Jesse Knight was on Monday morning remanded to prison after his bail application was refused by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry for a robbery under arms charge. The defendant is accused of stealing $10,000 from the Virtual Complainant (VC) Desiree Fredericks on September 12 at Robb Street, Georgetown. Knight’s defence counsel, Attorney Kayreen Stephenson told the Court that her client has a permanent residence at Lot 311 Independence Boulevard, Albouystown and is a taxi driver employed at Gem’s Taxi Service. He has no previous convictions and is not a flight risk, she said in the bail application, and requested reasonable bail. Police Prosecutor Michael Grant, however, objected to bail on the grounds of the prevalence, nature and gravity of the offence, and the fact that a firearm was used.
According to the facts of the case, Fredericks was in her apartment around 02:00h when the defendant, in the company of another person, entered through an open door and demanded cash and jewellery from her. She pleaded with them, saying that she only had $10,000, so the defendant and his accomplice collected the money and escaped. The VC then called the Alberttown Police Station. When the Police arrived, they caught the defendant in a taxi and took him to the station. Fredericks identified the defendant since she saw his face and knew him as a taxi driver. The defendant’s lawyer took issue with the method of identification, claiming that there was no Identification (ID) Parade, but was told by the Chief Magistrate that the Court determines the ID process. Knight is to report to Magistrate Judy Latchman on September 30, his next court date.
One of the staples of Guyanese politics since the PPP/C came into office, has been an explosion in the number of individuals who’ve made a profession of “building castles in the air.” You know? Wool gathering... having their heads in the clouds... just wasting their time making speculations on things they know for sure, will never happen. At least in this lifetime! Much of this castle-building takes place in the letter pages of the newspapers – which has flourished along with the “free press” because the PPP/C’s Government absolute refusal to follow the PNC’s victimisation of critics during their dictatorial rule. Take this fella David Hinds. Like most political wool-gatherers, he has the solution to whatever ails Guyana. And he’s not bashful about letting us know – in the aforementioned letters’ pages, of course. Take his latest bag of wool. The no-confidence motion that the AFC and the APNU say they’re committed to, he asserts, can be used to compel the PPP/C to commit Hara-Kiri. Fall on its sword. Or in the word that’s in the air, commit suicide - political suicide. Meaning that if they go ahead with their threat to move and pass the no-confidence motion – precipitating elections in three months – the PPP/C would cave in and agree to the Interim Government (IG) he proposes. This IG would include the APNU/PNC and the AFC. This is the CASTLE! And this, of course, would solve Guyana’s problems. Well, not ALL of them, since, Hinds opines for that happy circumstance to come into existence, the PPP/C Government has to be removed from office totally. And with an Interim Government, the dastardly PPP/C would unfortunately be there. Albeit in a diminished capacity. But Dr Hinds probably feels half a loaf is better than none. Or maybe a diminished PPP/C is obviously and literally, the lesser of two evils? So why is all of this just building castles in air??? Well, a castle on the ground would have to rest on a foundation, no? And so too Hinds’ Interim Government Castle. But Hinds builds on a premise that is completely erroneous or non-existent. He claims the PPP/C would buckle under because it doesn’t want snap elections!!! Can you believe this?? The President had literally begged the Opposition to “make his day” by precipitating snap elections. How much clearer can he get?? Hinds is reading too much into PPP/C’s calls for a clean list. He’s been hanging out too much with PNC types – who abused the list for avoiding elections. Remember Hoyte in 1990??
...on PNC’s “action”
From the above you, Dear Readers, would’ve gathered that David Hinds – part of that diminishing species , a member of the WPA – wasn’t enamoured of Granger’s ultimatum to President Ramotar. You remember that, don’t you??? The one where if the President didn’t announce a date for Local Government Elections, he, Granger would huff and puff till he blew the entire Office of the President away!! Well the President immediately pointed out that Granger ought to make up his mind. Vacillating on such an important question wasn’t good for his image – which wasn’t exactly in the ascendancy after he so blatantly and flagrantly rigged his party elections. First he’s demanded fresh General Elections that was to come out of the no-confidence motion that he kept insisting he supported. If he weren’t lying through his teeth on that one, when the heck would the Local Government Elections he’s now demanding, take place. The questions, one guesses, is first, “How many elections can be held in the next three months?” And second, is Granger ready for either?
...in Ukraine
If the British would go to war at the other end of the earth because of their ties to the people of Falklands, why would they expect any less nationalism from Russia for Russians in the Ukraine??