Guyana Times Daily

Guyana

MonDAY, noVEMBER 17,

Guyanese businessman making strides in US

– Jonathan Brassington connects health-care, financial services firms to their customers

BY ROGER VOZAR

When

Chief Executive Officer

(CEO) Jonathan Brassington started LiquidHub with Co-founders Robert Kelley and Leighton Yohannan in 2001, they envisioned it as a scalable alternative to Accenture or IBM.

Coming to Internet professional services, they were able to self-fund the venture and generate sales immediately.

“We already had a stellar reputation as a rising star at the Philadelphia technology community and we were able to get out of the gate very quickly and get our first few clients, then use tradition bank financing,” Brassington said.

There were bigger opportunities out there, and investment capital has helped LiquidHub become a global player with a footprint reaching New York, Boston, San Francisco, Charlotte and Amsterdam and development centres in India.

By adjusting strategy to address market demand, LiquidHub has doubled annual sales in the last three years to reach US$125 million and was named one of America’s most promising companies by Forbes in 2014.

Set the stage for growth Companies commonly face a choice between steady, sustainable growth with internal capital or seeking outside funds to accelerate the process. Brassington said that it was key to LiquidHub’s founders to first build a business that was financially sustainable in and of itself.

“Fundamentally, we thought that we could continue growing our core business with the operating Cash flow of the existing business, but to accelerate growth and scale having some investment power on the balance sheet would be advantageous. So that drove a shift in strategy,” he said.

Brassington said LiquidHub recognised it could go from being a niche player to competing with the top tier companies in the industry.

Investment capital has helped LiquidHub attract a client list that includes Vanguard Group, Novartis and Comcast.

Earlier this year, LiquidHub was infused with another round of cash, a US$53 million investment led by Chrys Capital. Brassington said the US$2.5 billion equity firm has alignment with LiquidHub and adding capital has not resulted in any loss of control.

“We’re still a majority

employee owned company,” Brassington said. Investment capital has been used to fund key acquisitions to expand LiquidHub’s services and footprint.

“There are complementary capabilities areas and intellectual property strategies we wanted to pursue, and we felt that having a robust balance sheet made a lot of sense,” he said.

While LiquidHub has the ability to broaden its focus and build on the other 10 per cent of its business that services retail, media, telecommunications and other industries, Brassington said the shortterm strategy is to continue to concentrate on health-care and financial services.

“We are starting to enjoy so much digital transformation activity in financial services and health-care. We are trying to maintain that core focus, recognising where we are relative to our size and where we can best manage out channel investments,” Brassington said.

“But I certainly think we need to look at our M&A strategy to launch or accelerate a retail vertical, as an example. On the other hand, we could certainly build a business 10 times our size by focusing just on financial services and healthcare. Those two sectors account for probably 40 per cent of global IT services spent.”

Listen to your clients

In order to be successful, companies need to adopt business plans to address client needs. Brassington said the business world is transitioning from the information age to the age of the customer, which has become the major driver in dictating LiquidHubs’ go to market strategy.

When LiquidHub started, it was an advisory services firm with an emphasis on architecture. Over time, the focus shifted to digital integration.

“We are a client-driven or-

ganisation. Many of our clients who represent global 1,000 firms in the health-care and financial services industries, really helped shape and drive the demand for IT service or digital integration services,” Brassington said.

Digital customer engagement in particular was a sub-specialisation that made sense for the rapidly growing firm.

“The focus on digital customer engagement encompasses many of the highgrowth areas, including mobile computing adoption, big data and analytics, and social interaction. We look at ways in which we could bring all of those technology trends from a convergence point of view and apply them to serve customer engagement challenges that our clients in financial services and health-care had or were experiencing,” Brassington said.

Although LiquidHub services clients in a broad spectrum of industries, 90 per cent are in health-care and financial services. Originally, “Industry agnostic”, Brassington said LiquidHub recognised that specialisation to provide deep expertise in certain industries that could provide advantages in the market place and give value to customers.

“We found that bring industry domain knowledge

into the conversation of technology and everything around customer engagement, the intersection of those three things: industry competency, technology capabilities and business capabilities around customer engagement and marketing were ultimately differentiating,” Brassington said.

For example, understand the dynamics of health-care reform is critical when addressing digital integration needs of health-care insurer.

“It is important to understand the impact of healthcare reform on health information exchanges and how consumerism is changing the way individuals buy insurance,” Brassington said.

“Those types of market or industry concepts change the whole technology strategy of the leading players in that sector. So having that context was important, rather than just being generic at a technology level.”

Invest in human capital

Rapid growth presents challenges to manage scale and take care of associates. Brassington said that has been one of the more difficult areas liquid pub has had to address.

“We are in a human capital business. Market demand is given a lot of credit for driving our growth. But as we

look at scaling the business, we are making sure that we have the right human capital infrastructure where we can engage our associates, retain our associates, cultivate them with the right thinking and on-board them into our approach around visual customer engagement,” Brassington said.

From its start in Philadelphia, LiquidHub has expanded into a highly distributed workforce.

“Many of our clement engagements span multiple competencies, so leveraging technology to build highly integrated, physically distributed teams is something we spend a lot of energy on and we recognise it as both a challenge and opportunity,” Brassington said.

As associates are added, LiquidHub works to utilise its experience while knitting everyone together in a common culture, vision and set of operating principles.

“It’s important to have a set of discipline and management principles and a cultural identity that links everyone and not be a pickup team if you will,” Brassington said.

LiquidHub has established a meritocracy culture where ideas from an entrylevel associate have equal opportunity to rise to the top.

“Our creativity processes are driven on getting that in-

clusive idea, where people feel they can participate and approach me as CEO of the firm. Meritocracy is a core principle of the business,” Brassington said.

An internal “next big thing” contest resulted in Panorama, a mobile portal for information on the go.

“Out of this contest came one of the coolest apps we’ve built, a mobile framework for content delivery that we use in every engagement,” Brassington said.

Another way LiquidHub fosters its culture is in bringing staff together around charitable endeavours. Team members in various business divisions work in a very distributed way with clients, but a charitable bike ride for multiple sclerosis, for example, can bring 40 employees across practise areas together for training.

“That really brings the interconnectivity. The social mission part of philanthropic drive is something we fostered from the get go and has been extremely important in creative linkage among associates to each other, as well as a bigger purpose as serving a specific philanthropic cause,” Brassington said.

“These types of things are the underpinnings of a strong and vibrant framework to presents LiquidHub.” (Smart Business Philadelphia)

Rhyaan Shah to launch books here in December ... highlights Female Indo-Caribbean experience

Local author Ryhaan Shah will be launching two of her most recent books Weaving Water and A Death in the Family on Friday, December 5, at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown.

Shah’s novels feature leading female characters, highlighting the strength and independence of Indo-Caribbean women and the important roles they play in family and community life.

A Death in the Family follows the life of its main female character, Maryam, who undergoes a transformative process whereby she moves from being fearful and weak-willed, to taking on the ownership and management of a city business.

“It is fiction but, of course, I draw from my own experience and from what I see around me for my plots and my characters,” Shah told Guyana Times while adding: “Like most writers, I write about what I know.”

The novelist is very passionate about the development of Indo-Caribbean people, particularly women. Asked about what she sees as her role in the development of Caribbean literature, Shah explained that the Indian community as a whole and Indian women, in particular are still not very visible as characters in plays, novels or in poetry.

“Indians in the Caribbean did become visible when VS Naipaul’s novels gained

international recognition and I hope that my work can build on that to add current themes in the region’s politics and cultural life,” the author said.

politics; whether it is the politics of family, the community or the world. It is the relationships of people and what drives them that interest me,” she said.

Weaving Water has received reviews from retired University of Guyana (UG) lecturer Pat Dial, and Professor Frank Birbalsingh, who reviewed the book for Indo Caribbean World published in Toronto.

In the review which was reprinted in Guyana Times in July, Professor Birbalsingh said Weaving Water is distinct from Shah’s previous work as she discovered a unique narrative style whose fluency, confidence, grace and charm set it apart from most Guyanese or West Indian literature.

“Never before, in Guyanese or West Indian literature, has the second novel of an author fulfilled the promise of their first like Weaving Water. It is not only Shah’s expertise in magic realism which, after all, enjoys an inherent advantage through a subject consisting of endless legendary exploits of gods, goddesses and sages, not to mention infinite resources of Hindu lore, mysterious ancient and deep” but also her philosophical mastery of Hindu metaphysics like her compatriot Sharon Maas in three novels, and her superb technical skill in fluent sentence structure, graceful balance and soothing rhythms,” Professor Birbalsingh wrote.

“It’s always about

Shah is currently working on her fourth novel in which she returns to the local political arena.

LiquidHub CEO Jonathan Brassington

One of Ryhaan Shah’s books Weaving Water

monday, november 17, 2014 |

Valerie Lowe a repetition of Gomattie Singh?

Valerie Garrido-Lowe continues to achieve notoriety for the role she played in the collapse of The United Force (TUF) and her decision to abandon the party that nurtured her in politics and join the Alliance For Change (AFC).

Garrido-Lowe wanted to be the TUF’s Presidential Candidate and Leader at the last elections but when she lost a battle with then party member Manzoor Nadir, she saw opportunities in the AFC camp.

But apart from becoming one of the AFC’s parliamentarians, Garrido-Lowe has been continuously overlooked for key appointments, assignments, and positions within the country’s smallest parliamentary party.

When Guyana Times inquired from one of the party’s top Executives as to whether Garrido-Lowe was nominated to serve in any major capacity at the AFC’s Convention built for December 6, he responded in the negative.

In fact, the AFC Executive who asked not to be quoted stated, “Lowe is practically invisible within our party. No one really pays her any mind”.

This newpaper tried several numbers to get in contact with Lowe to clarify what role she saw herself playing within the ever-changing AFC, but to no avail.

“I think that she is just an MP for show and the party will take actions to ensure that she is removed from its leadership the next time round. We need people that are effective and that will play an integral role in reshaping the

political landscape here. She does not fit the cap,” the source explained.

Garrido-Lowe, a usually vocal politician and activists, appeared to have lost her voice and independence since joining the AFC. She is not given any major roles in Parliament except to ask a few questions here and there while her fellow parliamentarians are actively engaged in the debates in the House.

“I am not aware that she has been nominated for any position that empowers her within the party,” the Executive said.

Many feel that GarridoLowe is being sidelined in the same manner as

Gomattie Singh was for then AFC Member Chantelle Smith, who eventually resigned.

Singh, who had helped the party pulled a number of votes in Berbice during the 2006 General Elections, had told the media that she was promised a seat in Parliament and several other positions which she never got from the AFC. She contended that she was sidelined by party leader Raphael Trotman so that his “friend” could get the seat in the House.

Garrido-Lowe, who helped the AFC won a significant number of Amerindian votes in the 2011 General Elections, appears to be another woman being sidelined by small party.

The AFC on Thursday announced that its longawaited Biennial Congress will be held during the first week of December.

The party’s General Secretary David Patterson made the announcement at a recent press conference.

Patterson told the media that the party had reasons to defer the conference, which was originally scheduled for October 20 last, because of the NoConfidence Motion.

Patterson had told Guyana Times that the failure of the President to

announce a date for the reconvening of the National Assembly was the reason for the postponement. According to him, several of items on the agenda were linked to the successful passage of the No-Confidence Vote.

AFC General Secretary David Patterson

AFC Executive member Valerie Garrido-Lowe

Editor: Nigel Williams

Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Guest Editorial

A chance for Guyana

It would appear that the Opposition and its allies have lost the plot on the function of our political system. We remind them that it has to do with the development of our country in the most expansive usage of the term "development". The Opposition APNU and its partner the AFC have embarked on a series of "rallies" to denounce the President for using his Constitutional power to prorogue Parliament.

While some, in a fit of what they consider to be sweeping benevolence, admit that while the President's act is "legal", they contend that it is not "democratic". In this way, they also allude to the ultimate goals of the political system - with "democracy" being their touchstone.

But they are being quite disingenuous since they are once again waffling on the issue of the distinction between "procedural" and "substantive" democracy. Procedural democracy is a means to the ultimate end of substantive democracy in terms of what it means for the positive development of the citizenry.

The Opposition, however, seem to be saying that the President's prorogation is not "democratic, because he alone has trumped the National Assembly. And brought the latter institution, which now has an Opposition majority, to a halt. This is a procedural perspective which ignores the President's explanation when he made his proclamation, of his substantive goals, which has the best interest of the populace at their core.

The Opposition had made it clear that when Parliament was reconvened on November 10, they were going to ignore the substantive matters that were in front of this 10th Parliament - both on the floor and in Committees. They were determined to "punish" the Government by moving their "No-Confidence" Motion that would have made the latter collapse and push the country into elections within three months.

This move was totally fixated on the procedural aspect of democracy that pertains to censuring a Government. The President, on the other hand, wanted to achieve the substantive goals of bringing the Opposition on board on a limited work-programme centred on matters before the National Assembly.

Ironically, the opponents of the President, in and out of the National Assembly, have been extolling the virtues of a "National Unity Government" (NUG), that could similarly focus on development and not political one-upmanship. One can only conclude, sadly, that unfortunately, they can only conceive of a NUG with a structure that gives some of them, as they say in the vernacular, "minister wuk".

But part of their problem is that the procedures of Parliament, ironically designed to further democratic values such as debate and checks and balances, can become a Procrustean bed that inhibits cooperation. By definition, one is compelled to oppose whatever emanates from "the other side".

But social psychology demonstrates that once "sides" or "teams" are formed by such structured rules, the competition inevitably develops an extreme dimension. On the other hand, in the same National Assembly, in rooms away from the floor of the invariably raucous Assembly debates, Committees composed of both Government and Opposition members get on with the business of the people in a much more collegial and productive manner. Substantive democracy is furthered more effectively.

This is what President Ramotar has offered the Opposition by his Prorogation Proclamation. Let the leaders of both sides sit down and agree on what needs to be done in the short term and insist that their respective branches of Government - the Executive and the Legislature - work together to achieve the common objectives.

There has been the objection raised to the President's proposal that all Bills before the Assembly and Committees automatically "die" on a prorogation of a parliamentary session. This procedure was intended to fulfil the substantive concern that one Parliament should not bind its successor.

However the English Parliament and many others have evolved procedures for "carrying over" business. Form must not trump substance.

Evidence of ethnic discrimination during PNC era

Dear Editor, Frederick W A Collins queried for evidence of ethnic discrimination in another media during the PNC era of governance; a response to that media was not published.

Information about ethnic persecution and bullyism during that era was obtained from interviews. It was found that the food Police harassed incoming passengers after they left Timehri Airport customs with banned goods – demanding bribes.

The gold Police shook down travellers for ‘a lil thing’ to grant a clearance to leave the country with their gold. The tax Police collected their bribe to grant clearance to leave the country.

The currency Police robbed endless numbers of people at Timehri when they declared how much money they brought into the country: I was also a victim.

The currency Police were also partners in crime against visitors notifying criminal friends of people who came in with large amounts of money; their partners would rob people on the East Bank Demerara Highway of their hard-earned money and their foreign foods.

Also, it is well known that if you were not a party person, you could not get to buy food at the Government-run so-called Knowledge Sharing Institute (KSI). Indians complained they had to pay a bribe to get their tax clearance to migrate.

PNC supporters were given special privileges for everything. Non-supporters also suffered to get public transport after Burnham terminated the licences of

Indian bus operators.

Let me share one of my personal experiences: After crossing the ferry from New Amsterdam, I waited in line to take the Tata bus (donated by the Government of India presumably to benefit Indians and other groups) from Rosignol to Georgetown and continuation of my journey to Timehri for a flight to Trinidad.

I and dozens of Indians on queue (only four non-Indians in the line) filled the bus. Then the conductor announced the bus was out of service and we got off hustling to find other means of transport.

Lo and behold, minutes later the bus was put in service and was packed with non-Indians, including the four who had initially boarded and gotten off. Others related similar experiences in other parts of the country – a tactic used to deny service to Indians on buses provided by the Indian Government and from which Indians were not beneficiaries.

My experience had a positive ending: It was an African minibus driver who saw what happened and gave me a squeeze on his overloaded vehicle. “Give the man a squeeze,” he ordered those in the bus evoking much grumbling, with one commenting, “Why he put an Indian in the bus?”

And in town, the driver was kind enough to put me on to another minibus (also driven by his African buddy) for the safe ride to Timehri. That is not an experience I can forget and there were many more like it that I encountered personally, and that were also told to me.

Here are some examples: Teacher Swasi Deola (Berbician), a dedicated PPP

activist and trained teacher, was transferred from his job at Tain to the interior. When he refused, he was fired.

Annandale Secondary School headmaster Ganga Persaud was transferred to teach on the West Coast Demerara, because Viola Burnham felt he was motivating students to get involved in extracurricular activities, such as public speaking, etc, that posed a threat to the PNC.

Central High School Headmaster Abdool Sattaur Subhan came on vacation to the USA and sent in his resignation because he was fed up with the PNC.

UG Professor Ken Danns’s book has gory details on racial imbalance and discrimination in the civil service, Police Force and Armed Forces.

UG Professor of Political Science Kenneth Persaud, initially a strong PPP activist and later associated with the WPA, fled Guyana in the middle of the night when one of his Afro Guyanese students came in the pouring rain to warn him that forces had planned to kill him.

Rickey Singh fled Guyana when his life was threatened by Burnham. A Portuguese Manager of Graphic Newspaper fled for his life in the middle of the night through Suriname’s porous border and found his way to Canada when he was told that the secret Police had been ordered to eliminate him.

Minister Supriya Singh travelled to the US on business and tendered her resignation because of sexual molestation by a Minister, the same one who shot Vincent Teekah.

continued on page 5

An appeal for media PSAs

Dear Editor,

By now the media is aware of the ongoing suicide prevention and related issues campaign launched in September by The Caribbean Voice and its many strategic partners.

Since then we have been heartened by the focus given to these social ills by all the media in Guyana and we hope that combined efforts of the NGO sector and the media will push the government into more ex-

tensive and intensive action, while catalyzing the critical change we all desire relating to all forms of abuse and violence, suicide and other mental health issues, rape, incest and other sex-related issues, alcoholism, drugs and other forms of substance abuse, relationships issues and so on.

While we await those outcomes, however, we are pledged to continue with our own activism and to foster the

activism of our partners.

At the same time we are appealing to the media to step up its own contributions by publishing/broadcasting daily/regular public service announcements/ads that can impact public consciousness.

To this end we offer two suggestions for suicide prevention: suicide is not the answer and suicide prevention is everybody’s business!

Also we offer another couple

of suggestions for abuse: Abuse is not live and abuse prevention starts with me….and you! Of course we are fully aware that media may have alternatives so it does not matter whether you use our suggestions; what matters is that you do publish/broadcast slogans and other messages/ads that can create positive impact.

Bibi Ahamad The Caribbean Voice

All eyes on the sky: These young children were quite taken with the spectacle of parachute jumping put on by Guyana Defence Force (GDF) paratroopers at the GDF Playfield, Camp Ayanganna on Sunday during the Joint Services Gala Concert

PNC, AFC are in profound embarrassment

Dear Editor,

The constitutional and justified prorogation of Parliament was indeed impacting. It caused an explosion, which devastated the partisan political agenda of the combined parliamentary Opposition of calling a NoConfidence Motion against the Government, which was definitely not a matter of urgent public importance.

Even a secondary school student knows this. So the No-Confidence Motion was only important to 33 MPs that comprise the one-seat majority of the parliamentary Opposition based merely on partisan reasons.

Shame on the PNC/AFC!

But what is abundantly clear to the Guyanese people is that the PNC is hurt over the quick destruction of their No-Confidence Motion on November 10, hence their empty public shouting about “dictatorship” and the “restoration of democracy”.

Like wayward children, they are now roaming the streets claiming that they are homeless. But like the prodigal son mentioned in the Good Book, the PNC and the AFC can return home (Parliament) providing that they are now prepared to engage in constructive talks with the democratically elected Government of Guyana.

I learnt through a section of the media that the Opposition will be forming

an “anti-dictatorial coalition” to fight for the “restoration of democracy” similar to the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD) in 1986.

The question here is, how can you fight for the “restoration of democracy”, which has been deeply implanted in the Guyanese society since October 1992? Further is the leader of the AFC saying that the “anti-dictatorial coalition” will have a consensus Presidential Candidate for the next general elections, which the PCD failed miserably to achieve despite its efforts for such a candidate for the October 1992 General Elections?

The problem with Guyana’s political Opposition is that basically they are power-hungry demons only engaged in wild and unfounded accusations against the Government of Guyana. Their dirty political machinations are, however, leading them to self-destruction which the people of Guyana have knowingly recognised based on their poor parliamentary performance.

The Catholic Standard’s Editorial of November 14 stated as follows: “Guyana is without doubt facing its worst constitutional and Governmental crisis in decades. Last Monday when our Parliament was prorogued indefinitely but for a maximum of six months, was indeed a black day in our coun-

Evidence of ethnic...

Maitland Singh was abused by the dictatorship because of molestation of his wife. Teekah’s wife was abused by the same culprit who shot the man.

UG Sociology Professor Mohamed Insanally tore up his IG certificate in the middle of a UG graduation ceremony. He lost his job at UG.

Biology Professor Dr Joshua Ramsammy, a WPA Executive and Ratoon member, was shot and maimed for life.

Moses Bhagwan was repeatedly harassed by the dictatorship.

UK Sandhurst trained Army Major Abdul Sattaur, who headed the racially balanced Special Service Unit (SSU) formed by the PPP Government in 1964, was immediately fired after Burnham took power and replaced by the PNC supporter.

A high-ranking Indian officer from Enterprise who joined the GDF when it was founded was put in charge of a road block by the “Z” turn at Enterprise. When a motorcade with PPP security guarding Dr Jagan approached the checkpoint, he got radio orders to shoot at the car.

The soldier hesitated, as the motorcade was not speeding or violating any rules. By the time the cars pulled up to the checkpoint, they realised Dr Jagan was inside. The GDF officer realised he was

being set up to kill the PPP leader.

Obviously he as an Indian would have been blamed, court-martialled and would have faced the death penalty or life imprisonment. The GDF officer promptly left the army and migrated.

The late James Morgan, a PPP supporter, was called to serve as a Policeman after he passed all the exams and did well at GCE. When he showed up for duty, the commanding officer said to him: “You are Indian? I thought you were Blackman. That is why we call you up for duty.”

Dr Somdat Mohabir applied to join the GDF. He wrote the exam and never heard from the army again. The same was told by journalist Annan Boodram, Editor of the Carib Voice who served in the US National Guard with distinction, coaching even some of his superiors in their education.

Nonpareil sugar workers were tear gassed routinely when they attempted to join the GAWU May Day rally at Lusignan.

Vigilance Station Policemen would visit nearby Indian villages and routinely arrest Indians for congregating on the streets, a normal pastime, and demanded bribes or sexual favours from females to set them free.

Enterprise PPP supporter Hardat Ramdass was tor-

try’s history.”

Politically, this is a totally unfair statement, not knowing the basis for the prorogation of Parliament under Article 70 (1) of our national Constitution. Simply put, it was for the purpose of giving dialogue a chance to address critical national issues not in a spirit of confrontation which the No-Confidence Motion would have brought, but one of accommodation.

Let me say, therefore, that there is no “constitutional and governmental crisis” and no “black day” in Guyana as a result of the prorogation of Parliament. Let me make it quite clear that any “black day” in Guyana would be the responsibility of Guyana’s Opposition, all because their No-Confidence Motion backfired against them.

But the ball is now in the court of the political Opposition and I do appeal to them to have constructive talks with our Government on the important business of the state.

If not, the President would be forced to call snap elections. And should this happen the people of Guyana would certainly say that the PNC and the AFC are not qualified, but moreso incompetent to manage the affairs of Guyana.

Yours sincerely, Peter Persaud

tured and killed by Police just before the 1992 elections. No inquiry was carried out and no one was brought to justice by Police Commissioner Laurie Lewis, who was retained by the PPP Government in spite of endless allegations against him for torture and murder.

The PNC split the Maha Sabha when Sase Narain was President. Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud was expelled as General Secretary and went on to form the Dharmic Sabha, leaving Maha Sabha as a shell organisation with virtually no followers. Burnham made Narain Speaker of Parliament.

The PNC tried to split the United Sadr Islamic Anjum (USIA) headed by PPP MP Yaccob Ally, who was a trusted confidante of Dr Jagan. The PNC used Mohamed Nissar to replace him as President, but the USIA was able to thwart the takeover attempt. Nissar was appointed a PNC MP.

The PNC lured away prominent PPP Afro leaders and then turned around and accused the PPP of racism. Such black leaders included Leonard Durant, Lawrence Mann, George Bowman and Harold Snagg (Jagan’s bodyguard), among others.

Much more data had been obtained from interviews.

Yours truly, Vishnu

Bisram

Ruel Johnson seems to be genealogically related to Rip Van Winkle

Dear Editor,

I wish to refer to a letter in another section of the media on November 6, under the headline, “Ramotar, Nandlall and silence from certain quarters”, by Ruel Johnson and to say that I fully agree with him that all organisations and civil society should speak out on the issue under that headline.

However, it was not necessary for Mr Johnson to awaken the Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Women’s Lawyers Association, the Guyana Human Rights Association, Red Thread, GTUC, Transparency International and the like, to join with the Opposition parties to eyeball the issue as a sumptuous meal to try and devour Mr Nandlall. He knew that all of them are innately connected.

So now in his letter, Mr Johnson is jabbing the other section of society to come on board to sit at the table with him and those of his character on the issue. For one moment or the other, they do not have to factor in the genesis of Nandlall’s private Guyanese colloquial gaff.

Some people conveniently ignore the fact that the reaction to bullying and maliciousness of all sorts leads to unbearable behaviour.

The atrocities of World Wars One and Two where over 87 million persons were killed were driven by such unreasonableness and aggression.

Even to a lesser extent of that sort, the great poet Alexander Pope exclaimed in his “Rape of the Lock”, “what mighty conquests rise from trivial things”!!!

The likes of Mr Johnson seem to be genealogically related to “Rip Van Winkle”, but trained in computer technology to enable them to click their mouse to choose sleep or wake to view prevailing issues.

They certainly clicked their mouse to tightly shut their eyes for many years now on the issue of the clandestine involvement of Attorneys-at-Law Sheila Chapman, Avril Trotman, and Raphael Trotman in the fraudulent purported sale of over 750 acres of land, sawmilling equipment and buildings, etc in my possession.

All my umpteen prods at the Legal Practitioners’ Committee, the Guyana Bar Association, our newspapers, the Internet and elsewhere to wrench their eyes open in order to comment or take appropriate action on this matter have so far shamelessly failed.

I am hereby reiterating

my request for Mr Johnson and his apparent coterie to access a story on the internet legal irregularities frustrating a land issue and other items on this matter. In anticipation of any questions as to the reason why this matter is not in the High Court, please be informed that I had secured the services of Attorney-atLaw (name given), whom I had trusted and loved, but now I understand the reason why I feel betrayed by him to let my case suffer for want of the necessary legal procedures.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph of this letter, I do support Mr Johnson’s call for all organisations and civil society to speak out on the Nandlall issue. But at the same time I am also fervently asking them to broadcast their opinions on the malfeasances of all the other perpetrators who I have mentioned.

As for me, after juxtaposing all the above matters, I can only conclude that the Nandlall issue pales into insignificance. The credits that are due to Nandlall far outweigh the sins of many of us.

Yours truly, Prakash Persaud

Page Foundation

Every morning, I began the day with reading and meditating on Psalm 91. The sanitary condition in the ward left much to be desired. The whole Ebola thing had caught everyone by surprise. Lagos State Ministry of Health was doing its best to contain the situation, but competent hands were few. The sheets were not changed for days. The floor was stained with greenish vomitus and excrement.

The matrons would leave our food outside the door. They hardly entered in the initial days

Dr David would come in once or twice a day and help clean up the ward after chatting with us. He was the only doctor who attended to us. There was no one else at that time. The matrons would leave our food outside the door. They hardly entered in the initial days. Everyone was being careful. This was all so new. I could understand, was this not how we ourselves had contracted the disease? Mosquitoes were in our room until they brought us mosquito nets.

Later that evening, Dr David brought another lady into the ward. I recognised her immediately as Justina Ejelonu, a nurse who had started working at First Consultants on July 21, the day after Patrick Sawyer was admitted. She was on duty the day he reported that he was stooling. While she was attending to him that night, he had yanked off his drip, letting his blood flow almost like a tap onto her

hands.

Justina was devastated and wept profusely – she had contracted Ebola on her first day at work

Ejelonu was pregnant and was brought into our ward bleeding from a suspected miscarriage. She had been told she was there only on observation. The news that she had contacted Ebola was broken to her the following day after results of her

blood test came out positive. Justina was devastated and wept profusely – she had contracted Ebola on her first day at work.

My husband started visiting, but was not allowed to come close to me. He could only see me from a window at a distance. He visited so many

times. It was he who brought me a change of clothes and toiletries and other things I needed, because I had not even packed a bag. I was grateful I was not with him at home when I fell ill or he would most certainly have contracted the disease. My retreat at my parents’ home turned out to be the instrumentality God used to shield and save him.

I drank the ORS [Oral Rehydrating Salts] fluid like my life depended on it. Then I got a call from my pastor. He had been informed about my predicament. He called me every single day, morning and night, and he would pray with me over the phone. He later sent me a CD player, CDs of messages on faith and healing, and Holy Communion packs through my husband.

From the moment you heard the diagnosis, you knew life would be more challenging for your child than for most. So when you ask him to do something and it’s not done, you let it go. Does he really need you to point out his limitations? Or maybe you fear that what you’d like him to do, or not do, is impossible for him to achieve?

If the person is strong enough, and that strength is sustained long enough for the immune system to kill off the viruses, the patient is likely to survive. If the virus replicates faster than the antibodies can handle, however, further damage is done to the organs. Ebola can be likened to multi-level, multi-organ attack, but I had no intention of letting the deadly virus destroy my system. I drank more ORS. I remember saying to myself repeatedly, “I am a survivor, I am a survivor”. (Excerpt from the Guardian)

My pastor, who also happens to be a medical doctor, encouraged me to monitor how many times I had stooled and vomited each day and how many bottles of ORS I had consumed. We would then discuss the disease and pray together. He asked me to do my research on Ebola since I had my iPad with me, and told me that he was also doing his study. He wanted us to use all relevant information on Ebola to our advantage. So I researched and found out all I could about the strange disease that had been in existence for 38 years. My research, my faith, and my positive view of life, the extended times of prayer, study and listening to encouraging messages boosted my belief that I would survive the Ebola scourge. There are five strains of the virus, and the deadliest of them is the Zaire strain, which was what I had. But that did not matter. I believed I would overcome even the deadliest of strains. Infected patients who succumb to the disease usually die between six to 16 days after the onset of the disease from multiple organ failure and shock caused by dehydration. I was counting the days and keeping myself well-hydrated. I didn’t intend to die in that ward. My research gave me ammunition. I read that as soon as the virus gets into the body, it begins to replicate really fast. It enters the blood cells, destroys them, and uses those same blood cells to aggressively invade other organs where they further multiply. Ideally, the body’s immune system should immediately mount up a response by producing antibodies to fight the virus.

But here’s the truth: If you feel that your son or daughter doesn’t deserve discipline, it’s like telling your child, “I don’t believe you can learn.” And if you don’t believe it, how will your child?

What experts call “behaviour management” is not about punishing or demoralising your child. Instead, it’s a way to set boundaries and communicate expectations in a nurturing, loving way. Correcting children’s actions, showing them what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s acceptable and what’s not, is one of the most important ways that all parents can show their children that they are loved and cared for.

Here are some strategies to help parents discipline a child who has special needs.

Be consistent

The benefits of discipline are the same whether children have special needs or not. In fact, children who have trouble learning respond very well to discipline and structure. But for this to work, parents have to make discipline a priority and be consistent.

Correcting children is about establishing standards — whether that’s setting a morning routine or dinnertime manners — and then teaching them how to meet those expectations. All children, regardless of their needs and abilities, crave this consistency. When they can predict what will happen next in their day, they feel confident and safe. Yes, they will test these boundaries — all children do. But it’s up to you to affirm that these standards are important and let your child know that you believe he or she can meet them.

(Excerpt from kidshealth)

Granger denies business boycott is APNU's policy ...dismisses call from coalition member

Opposition Leader

David Granger has disassociated A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) from calls made by coalition member Lurlene Nestor for supporters to boycott businesses not compliant with the coalition’s “mandate”.

On Saturday, Nestor called on supporters to boycott businesses if they fail to take an anti-Government stance on the move by President Donald Ramotar to prorogue Parliament.

Granger, in a response on Sunday, told Guyana Times that APNU has taken no such decision. “It is not a policy of the APNU,” he said.

erect the slogan in a prominent place would result in an immediate boycott orchestrated by APNU.

“We give them by

Questioned about the likely impact such a call may have on the coalition, Granger said he cannot respond to every statement made on social media, main-

taining that Nestor’s call was inconsistent with the position of the coalition.

Nestor, a former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Member of Parliament (MP), had announced that APNU had begun an operation under the slogan “Operation Sus-Out and Boycott”.

On her Facebook page, she explained that the coalition will be asking businesses across Guyana to place banners or placards on their premises that would read “We say no to PPP/C Dictatorship”.

She noted that failure to

Monday to get this notice up, failure to have this visible notice will result in us not buying from them, we did it before and we can do it again... we talking to the big ones from Courts, Bounty, Banks, DDL, Fish Shop, all market stallholders and vendors, all businesses on Regent Street, Water Street. We talking to every business from the largest to the smallest,’’ she explained.

Speaking for herself APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon also distanced the coalition from Nestor’s statement, contending that the APNU member was speaking for herself.

“That is not the official position of the party,” he told Guyana Times Though attempts are made,

he said, the party cannot, at all times, curb some of the enthusiasm expressed by members and supporters.

The matter surrounding Nestor’s calls to boycott the commercial sector will be discussed in full during the coalition’s shadow Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Harmon said.

Local businesses have strongly condemned calls by the APNU politician for its supporters to boycott their businesses.

In a strong response, Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman Ramesh Persaud expressed disgust at the call, saying that it would be an attack on businesses.

He said the Commission will not stand idly by while sections of the business community are victimised or punished because of their political affiliations and choices.

“We will not stand idle and allow our businesses to be victimised by the political process; we will take all legal action necessary to protect our businesses,” he said.

Meanwhile, Head of the Mahaica Chamber of Commerce, Chaum Basdeo, in an invited comment, said: “Businesses have to remain neutral and not be caught in politics. We have to be careful of the line we thread on.”

A representative of Georgetown Chamber of Commerce said the Executive will discuss any possible threat to businesses and private investment.

New British High Commissioner appointed

Several business owners who spoke with this publication under anonymity expressed outrage at the comments made by the APNU politician.

“Something is wrong with these politicians in the APNU and AFC. I would like to see them try to victimise the businesses that refuse to put that crap on their premises. They cannot threaten people with boycott,” a prominent Regent Street businessman said.

On Friday, another APNU member had made a boycott call. APNU’s Vice Chairman, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine had called on Guyanese to boycott Guyana Times Newspaper, the National Communications Network (NCN), and the Guyana Chronicle, as their coverage of events vastly differs from the views of the Opposition.

Anew British High Commissioner has been appointed to Guyana from the United Kingdom and will be assuming his post here soon.

This was announced by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon on Wednesday last at the post-Cabinet briefing.

Dr Luncheon said approval was given by Cabinet for the appointment of “His Excellency James Gregory Quinn (who) would now assume the post as High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Guyana”.

Commissioner Quinn will be replacing current British High Commissioner to Guyana, Andrew Ayre, who has been serving in Guyana since 2011.

High Commissioner Ayre had presented his Letters

of Credence to former President Bharrat Jagdeo in September that year and had outlined his immediate priorities in areas of social sector improvements, security strengthening, and tackling climate change.

High Commissioners from Britain have been serving in Guyana since the country’s Independence in 1966. The UK High Commission is tasked with developing and maintaining relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Guyana, along with the Republic of Suriname.

The Commission deals with a wide range of political and commercial issues of interest to the United Kingdom. Additionally, it provides consular assistance to British nationals in Suriname through the honorary consulate in Paramaribo.

Outgoing British High Commissioner to Guyana, Andrew Ayre

APNU Leader David Granger

APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon

APNU member Lurlene Nestor

PSC Chairman Ramesh Persaud

Labourer killed in Greenwich accident

The carnage continued on Guyana’s roadways with the death of David Dhanraj, 41, of Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), who was killed in an accident on Saturday evening.

Dhanraj, also called “Davo”, was tossed some 50 feet through the air and landed on the roadway after he was struck by a speeding Police vehicle while he was attempting to cross the Greenwich Public Road around 22:30h.

He sustained severe injuries about the body, including the head, and was taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The Police rank driving the car at the time was reportedly under close arrest at the Leonora Police Station.

When Guyana Times reporter Bhisham Mohamed visited the area on Sunday morning, he was told that moments prior to the accident, Dhanraj had assisted a businesswoman to lock up her premises.

A few men, who were near the scene of the accident, explained that the man was heading to his brother’s home.

“He nah got no regular place he does stay but he de going by his brother house,” one of the men said.

They related that when the car started, it was sheer speed and it only stopped after it hit Dhanraj.

Guyana Times understands that the now dead man used to drink a lot, but on the night he was fatally struck down, he was sober.

The aforementioned businesswoman woman confirmed that Dhanraj would assist her around the home and the shop, but more importantly, she stated that he had stopped drinking a few days ago.

Alan Hussein, a brother of the dead man, who resides at Leguan Island, said he was on his way to Parika, EBE, on Sunday morning when he received the dreadful news from a relative.

Instead of conducting his regular business, he immediately went to relatives in Greenwich Park.

“He was sober”

“When I get the news, I thought, ‘Oh Lord, Davo must de be drunk when he

get knock down… but it till when I reach the area, they tell me that he de sober,” the man stated.

While at the scene, he was given the details of the accident after which he visited the Parika Police Station to make further inquiries.

There, he was told that he had to give a statement, but cannot do so until he positively identified his brother’s body at the Ezekiel Funeral Home. After seeking advice, he was told to visit the mortuary this morning (Monday) and he will see his brother’s body.

Sharon Dhanraj, a cousin of the dead man, who was at the Parika Police Station, said based on reports received, Dhanraj’s body was badly damaged due to the impact.

She reiterated that he was flung into the air and landed on the roadway. The Police vehicle

that struck him, she disclosed, stopped some 70 feet from where the body landed.

“My cousin died on the spot … by the time they picked him up, he was dead … and I don’t know how the Police stated that my cousin was unidentified …. Everyone around there on the night knew my cousin and they gave the Police his name,” the woman stated.

The Police stated that they were investigating the accident, and the investigation thus far has revealed that a Police Constable was driving a Police vehicle along the Greenwich Roadway when the pedestrian allegedly attempted to cross the road and was struck down.

Dhanraj leaves to mourn five siblings. A postmortem examination will be performed on the man’s body today.

This was the second accident for Saturday. Earlier in the day, Ramdoolar “Eddy” Dhanraj, 60, of Lot 8 Public Road, Pearl Village, East Bank Demerara was killed by a drunken driver.

Investigations revealed that the driver of a motor lorry lost control of the vehicle and struck Dhanraj who was heading to meet his employees at Sarah Johanna.

The driver of the motor vehicle was tested and found to be over the legal alcohol limit.

He remains in Police custody and is assisting with the investigations.

Eyew tness Slow fyaah... mo' fyaah...

...bon-fire of APNU

Rupert Roopnarine's Vice-Chair of APNU. He's the second in command in PNC/APNU - the second largest political entity in Guyana. When he calls upon his troops in the largest gathering they've been able to muster in many moons, the rest of Guyana better take notice.

At APNU's rally last Friday, under the shadow of Cuffy, Roopnarine called for a "boycott" of the Guyana Times and the Chronicle.

But more ominously he promised: "We will have to arrange a ceremony at the Square of the Revolution where we can put an enormous BONFIRE of the Chronicle and the Guyana Times." Roopnarine's an educated man - educated at our expense at Cambridge University. When he invokes the imagery of "bonfires" to signal his rejection of the Guyana Times, he is perfectly aware he's following Hitler and his Nazi stormtroopers' path.

"Bonfires" have a long history in the western canon on which Roonarine was weaned. There were the "Bonfires of the Vanities" the medieval Church demanded - to burn all your possessions that might tempt you into sin. Now Roopnarine isn't known for his religiosity - and we're sure as heck positive the Guyana Times isn't among his prized possessions that'll drive him into temptation!!

What's more familiar to a fellow of Roopnarine's generation is the the Hitlerite fascist hatred of all ideas that didn't match theirs. Not only did they round up Jews, homosexuals and Gypsies and gas them into oblivion. They seized written materials containing thoughts that didn't conform to the Nazi totalitarian tenets and burn then in "enormous bonfires" at public squares. Like our Square of the Revolution. We wonder if Roopnarine and his APNU stormtroopers will also give a salute over his "bonfire"???

In his novel "1984", Orwell alluded to this compulsion to erase the memory of opposing ideas via the "memory hole", used to burn written materials the regime didn't approve of. Now that Roopnarine's in bed with the PNC that tried to create a "memory hole" by banning newsprint in the '70s, he's obviously emboldened to go the whole hog and demand the burning of Guyana Times. What's next??

The burning of the GTimes press??

We hope Roopnarine and his bedfellows in APNU realise that he's just creating a "bonfire of the inanities" that'll consume them in the end. If they don't like the ideas the Guyana Times's printing, they know the only way to stop them is by coming up with better ideas.

But like all 97-pounds weaklings, Roopnarine's all "big and bad" now that he's hanging out with the school bullies. Pitiful.

...and selective denunciations on rights

This Eyewitness is waiting for the gaggle of civil society watchdogs over our liberties to denounce Roopnarine and APNU for their threat to the freedom of the press. If calling for a boycott of newspapers that doesn't see eye-to-eye with them and creating bonfires with the newspapers aren't threats to press freedom, what is?? Threats about setting fires to settle scores aren't just idle bravado in Guyana.

He's looking particularly at those groups that's funded or connected with the western institutions and Governments that pay so much lip service to Liberal "civil liberties". But we're not holding our breaths. Over the years, we've noted the studious silence that accompanies violations of the rights of those deemed "friendly" to the Government.

When it comes "rights" all newspapers are equal but some are damned well more equal than others. And it's clear that GTimes sure as heck ain't equal to the Stabber, which received a US$100,000 grant from the US National Democratic Institute, or the Muckraker, whose publisher's visa was "un-cancelled" when he became their snitch.

The US went on a limb and chastised the government for not holding local Government elections! and can't muster the energy to denounce this clear attack of the freedom of press??

Dead: David “Davo” Dhanraj

Dead: Ramdoolar

“Eddy” Dhanraj

Caneville residents complain of neglect –

NDC says collective effort needed for improvement

By Devina Samaroo

Caneville residents are complaining of being neglected, saying that their community is in a poor state, particularly the roads and drains.

Speaking with Guyana Times on a recent visit to the community, residents say the problems can be fixed if the local Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) has more hands-on members.

Several taxi drivers told this publication that the roads are “damaging up” their vehicles as they are filled with potholes.

Only recently, the NDC repaired three roads in the community, but residents say this is not enough.

“It’s annoying! Frequently I got to buy

NDC Chairman Deochand Boodhoo is hoping that in the near future, the mindset of the residents will change. NDC members

Full armoury

They maintained that they have a “full armoury of weapons” to handle the gar-

new tyres. They come and fix three roads, one in First Street, one in Alley Road and the Last Road. I don’t know why they didn’t fix all,” one taxi driver said.

Ramesh Ramdas, who has been residing in the community for the past 10 years, said much has not changed since.

“We paying we rates and tax: I don’t see why we roads can’t fix. The lantern posts all gonna fall down soon. We calling GPL and nobody ain’t coming,” Ramdas lamented.

Another resident, Terry Hirman claimed at one time he utilised his money to fill some of the potholes in his street after complaints to the NDC appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.

Aside from the roads, the drains are covered with thick vegetation and littered with garbage.

“We get nasty people living here that does throw their garbage anyhow. When it rain lil bit, the place does flood out nuff,” another resident said.

say that they can only do so much, noting that it is up to the residents to maintain some level of cleanliness.

Members of the Council explained that land trans-

bage situation, but it is up to the residents to do the right thing.

Overseer Parmanand Babulall said since the NDC came into effect in 2012, it

quired the lands in Caneville during the indentureship period and the houses were built without any proper planning.

Describing the community as a “squatting area”, Babulall said moves were made to issue transports to the residents and work is being done to develop the community, despite a number of constrains. These, he said, include limited financial resources and the negligent attitude of some residents.

He said the NDC does not fix roads, but played a key role in pushing to get the three roads repaired.

The Overseer stated that the Ministry is responsible for fixing the roads because the NDC’s budget cannot cover that expenditure.

“The NDC cannot do roads. To do one kilometre of road, it would take the entire budget of the NDC,” Babulall explained, noting that it would take the total sum of five NDC budgets to repair all the roads in Caneville.

ports clearly state that residents are responsible for cleaning the drains and parapets in front of their houses.

has done some amount of work in developing the community.

He explained that the residents’ ancestors ac-

Eshuana Wilson

This journey back home was triggered by two things: the departure of Navin Chandarpal, and the impending arrival of a child.

The first was an exercise in grief; the second began as an exercise in worry.

The father, who is very much as a son to me, called me on November 1 to say that his wife was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital. I was in St Lucia. I immediately called two of our fine medical doctors, both of whom I knew were stationed at NA Hospital, to alert them that my family was there in the maternity ward.

It was not crude or rude, nor was it loud. It was a polite request for service, and it was delivered.

Driven to the hospital on Wednesday, we met with the doctor in charge. There was such grace and kindness from Dr Sharma! And I thought that if any of the 20 medical doctors that I had graduated just a few days before in the “White Coat” ceremony could emulate this, then the future is assured.

The White Coat ceremony was the first that I had attended, although I have attended and participated in hundreds of convocation ceremonies on five continents. It was strange that I was the person who put white coats on doctors who would now make people healthy and save lives.

I was taken with respect and without fanfare to the maternity ward. I saw the two attending doctors, their young faces wrinkled with worry. There were deaths, tragedies. The night before, there were 41 admissions into the maternity ward alone. So it was worry and sheer exhaustion that lined the young faces of these doctors.

It was the same for the nurses, this overwrought look, this sense of being

Scheme.

But Babulall contended that the NDC was fully prepared to take DiamondGrove to the next level, that is, township status.

overwhelmed. There were mothers suckling newborns, and mothers-to-be wincing in pain. There were dishevelled beds, and visitors within and without the maternity ward were on cellphones using the filthiest language to friends.

As usual in the general population, there is no sense of protocol, no order, no structure. We follow our leaders well indeed. In the maternity ward itself, there were only two fathers or would-be fathers around.

We discussed matters of natural dilation, induction, even C-Section. The mother had told me clearly: “This baby will not come until you come to see the Mom!” It was a joke, of course. But it happened that way. The next morning saw the birth of Eshuana Wilson, daughter of Sergeant Marx Wilson and Samanta Wilson of Rose Hall Town. The baby is doing well, as is the mother. Great blessings indeed. It is a measure of the doctors, especially Dr Sharma, who called on several occasions to enquire. I am at a loss as to how I can even begin to repay these good people for their service. “Thanks” seems so feeble.

But thanks is what we have, and thanks is what we give. And we give thanks to the heavenly powers that bless us with life and love, pure, new and continuing.

He said it was hoped that one day Caneville will become like its developed neighbouring community, the Diamond-Grove Housing

Chairman Boodhoo pointed out that during his tenure, former President Bharrat Jagdeo had envisioned transforming the Diamond-Grove area into a town.

He said the NDC was working on beautification projects to enhance the image of the community.

The projects include levelling the parapets throughout the scheme, planting trees and transforming the walkways into graceful avenues. When these initiatives come on stream, the NDC is hoping that residents play a role in maintaining them.

Boodhoo noted that the community has everything that comprises a town, and all it needed now was for the legislation to make that declaration for it to become official.

Professor Daizal Samad

A drain covered by thick vegetation at Caneville

A road with many potholes in Caneville

One of the three roads that were recently repaired in Caneville

Unassented-to Local Government Bill will not hinder LGE – President

President Donald Ramotar has reiterated that his refusal to sign into law the Oppositionapproved amendment to one of the Local Government Bills will not cause a setback to the hosting of Local Government Elections (LGE).

The President gave this reassurance on Friday in response to questions from reporters during a press briefing, at the Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

Ramotar reiterated that he was advised that one of the three Bills was unconstitutional, and as such, he did not sign it.

“There is no Bill that is unassented to that can stop the Local Government Elections from being held…. All the Bills that have been signed are adequate enough to have a Local Government Election held,” he stated.

Using their one-seat majority, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) earlier this year approved an amendment to the Local Authorities (Amendment) (Elections) Bill 2014 for the holding of LGE on or before August 1.

Back in June, the President, in justifying

his action, outlined that the Bill would have allowed LGE to be held in two months. However, President Ramotar on May 30 wrote House Speaker Raphael Trotman, indicating that he was withholding his assent, because the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) had publicly declared that it was impractical to hold LGE by that date.

Local Government polls have not been held since 1994. At the time the Bill was being debated, Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker had told

the House that December 1, 2014 appeared to be a more acceptable deadline to hold the long overdue polls.

A GECOM source in March had ruled out the holding of the polls in August because that elections management body needed at least 180 days to conduct and complete verifying the eligibility of candidates in each of the 71 local authorities and printing separate ballots for each local authority because the candidates would be different.

Usually, the Commission needs at least 21 days before

E-Day to print the ballots overseas. Although a number of activities can run concurrently, the source had explained that GECOM would need sufficient time to train trainers who will in turn train from presiding officers to polling clerks.

The President on Friday maintained that GECOM said it needed at least six months to prepare for LGE.

He noted that this time will be used to organise and educate the public on the new voting system.

“I suspect that it has to do with the boundaries and so forth, because it’s going to be a new form of Local Government, a new form of voters’ education … so they said they need six months for them to be able to organise a successful Local Government Elections,” Ramotar stated.

The President went on to explain that prior to the prorogation of Parliament on Monday last, he had no issue with setting a date for LGE; however, the combined parliamentary Opposition decided to move a NoConfidence Motion against his Administration.

That move, he said, ‘threw a spoke in the wheel’ where the hosting of the long-overdue elections are concerned.

Pay back is a bitch

De famous Stanford was a man who come to de Caribbean and show de Waste Indies Cricket Board how to run cricket. That is because de Waste Indian fellas, wid some of dem right here in Guyana, had only know how to run down cricket. A good example is how dem Guyanese fellas run down cricket in Guyana.

Right now de Waste Indies Board need some of that same Stanford money to pay back India. But it was not too long ago that Stanford he self couldn’ta pay back dem people who he tek money from. So he end up in a nice place fuh a long time, and that time ain’t even done yet.

Now de Waste Indies Board also can’t pay back who dem borrow from. So is likely that dem fellas on de Board gon also end up in a nice place like Stanford, fuh a long time too. After all whah goes fuh one should go fuh all. Imrun might have to run fuh he life wid all dem lies whah he tellin pun de Waste Indies website.

And talkin bout pay back, de paper man and he headitor like talk bout other people money, even though dem still can’t seh wheh paper man money come from, even though de whole of Guyana know. Well, dem gon soon run to some of dem same people on dem knees when dem ain’t able pay fuh all dem lawsuits. Soon dem gon be wearing jumpsuits.

And that gon be a different kinda payback. So it gon be fitting when dem end up in a nice place fuh a long time just like Stanford and dem fellas from de Waste Indies Board. Old people right when dem seh birds of a feather does flock together.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! Well, de Opposition still to ketch dem right level wid this whole ting bout payback. Is only now dem learning that payback is a bitch. And Rum Jhaat and Poopert surely behavin like two bitches!

Kaieteur News jubilant over release of alleged fraudster – Sattaur

… in light of Glenn Lall being charged for tax fraud

Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur said he was shocked by an article carried in the Kaieteur News entitled "US Judge finds GRA clerk committed no crime, gives green card".

Sattaur, in a statement, said former GRA cashier Gregory Barnes, who by his very suspicious behaviour of fleeing the jurisdiction and applying for refugee status in the US, has left no room for suspicion concerning his involvement in the more than $300 million theft which occurred more than five years ago, has been freed by the US Federal Court.

Barnes earlier this year was arrested for a traffic violation in the US and having been placed before the US Court, it was discovered that he was on Interpol’s wanted list as a fugitive from the law.

“What is equally shocking is the general content of the story which unlike what was reported in the original breaking story months ago and carried in the initial scoop as a very upbeat story suggesting a somewhat close return home to face his accusers of an igno-

minious crime, today's article regrettably is very much in contrast as it represents bitter disappointment for the thousands of taxpayers whose hard-earned tax payments were embezzled and fraudulently converted for his own use by the alleged perpetrator Mr Barnes,” Sattaur said.

Most uncharacteristically, he said, is the general tenor of the article that would appear to be equally jubilant, stopping short of applauding Barnes for being acquitted and suggesting he was rewarded with a US Green Card.

The article went on to refer to the head of the GRA as being embattled and towards the end, speculated whether the GRA officials would have been willing to give evidence in a US court had Barnes's petition for refugee status gone to trial.

This story comes in the wake of the President refuting any suggestion that he had made a secret deal with the alleged tax cheats who if convicted can face up to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of up to three times the taxes initially evaded of over $100 million for the fraudulent conversion to their own use of high-end luxury vehicles, which were subsequently impounded by the GRA some three months ago.

Charged for fraud

The Lalls, who are not remigrants, and as such, are not entitled to be in possession and use of duty-free vehicles, are being accused of tax frauds.

The newspaper report appears to be in sympathy with the GRA discredited cashier, whose alleged crime of fraudulently converting for his own use some $300 million of the State revenues is somewhat similar to the criminal acts perpetrated by

the Lalls, leaving no room for speculation why the story would appear to contain obtuse derogatory references to the Commissioner General and rather inappropriate comments on the fate of visas of officers had they been asked, but refused to give evidence in the US.

Senior staffers of the GRA who see this as a seriously alarming development, in invited comments, were understandably aghast by the newspaper's coverage of the news item and registered their absolute disgust at the appearance of triumph over the dastardly

acts. According to the release, they would even venture to liken such behaviour of Barnes to that “of the two remigrants, the Brijnanans, whom it would appear are deliberately being harboured in the USA to prevent them from facing their accusers in court as Barnes successfully did”.

The staffers hoped also that the alleged convict would not be spared prosecution in Guyana if and whenever he makes an appearance here.

Recently, in an attempt to intimidate the GRA into not launching an audit of the

entity after many confirmed reports surfaced of massive unaccounted-for wealth, particularly the ownership of very expensive real estate in the USA worth hundreds of millions of US dollars, and of the two high-end luxury vehicles, brought in under the remigrant scheme by the Brijnanans being utilised by the Lalls, the Kaieteur News has been carrying sensational stories in the newspaper, sharing allegedly leaked emails of taxpayer information and even suggesting that such information was shared with prominent members of society.

This, the Commissioner General has been repeatedly saying, has not deterred the GRA in executing its mandate, but he was nevertheless anxiously awaiting the response of the DPP in instituting criminal charges against the owner of the newspaper for threats, since there was a real fear that these threats can escalate into physical harm to the Commissioner General and his family, as two of his children who legitimately are employed by the agency have been the subject of unwarranted intensive negative targeting by the newspaper.

President Donald Ramotar

GRA Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur

Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall

Times Notebook

Wanted: Responsible politicians

More than anything else at this time, there is an urgent need for responsible politicians in our country. Some politicians over the last several months have been irresponsible, promoting mayhem in Guyana.

Guyana needs politicians who would support dialogue and negotiation, no matter how demanding and frustrating the process maybe. Guyana does not need politicians who reject dialogue and negotiation and promote disharmony and violence in the streets.

Our country has made significant strides in the last two decades, having fully recovered from the debacle of the 1970s and 1980s. Guyana has achieved a period of sustained, unbroken economic growth that is the longest period of growth for any country in the Region.

Guyana encourages robust and even boisterous debate, and disa-

greements between Government and Opposition are seen as part of the democratic process. But these disagreements should be resolved through intense dialogue and compromise.

Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, on behalf of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), and with the critical support of the Alliance For Change (AFC), called on people to boycott the Guyana Chronicle, NCN and the Guyana Times

There has been loud talk about the freedom of the press. Can anyone explain to us how the boycotting of any newspaper, radio station or television station promotes freedom of the media?

The Government and its officials have been targeted by Kaieteur News, a newspaper that scandalises people’s reputation, often without any justification, and often using innuendoes and lies, but we have never heard anyone calling for a boycott of the Kaieteur News.

Threats

Staff members of the state media and the Guyana Times, a private media operation and the most balanced of all the media houses in Guyana, have been subjected to the most glaring intimidation and threats in the continuing war being waged against any media house that will not tout the line of the Opposition. Dr Roopnaraine, APNU and the AFC have adopted a retrograde, repugnant and shameful position!

Opposition Leader David Granger openly demanded that President Donald Ramotar had better recall the Prorogation Proclamation or there would be ‘Armageddon’ in our country. The

“fire and brimstone” threat by Granger was also intoned by his senior party member and shadow cabinet member, Carl Greenidge, who reminded the President that King James was beheaded for proroguing Parliament in the UK more than 200 years ago. Is Mr Greenidge serious in his veiled threat to behead President Ramotar?

Mr Khemraj Ramjattan said that the President and the Government are inviting bloodshed in the streets of Guyana. The question that the majority of people in Guyana are asking is if the Opposition has proclaimed that intimidation and threats and the incitement to violence constitute its preferred strategy, choosing confrontation over conciliation. Has it definitively declared that dialogue is dead and confrontation is the way forward?

It was distressing and a repre-

hensible act for the Opposition to threaten foreign investors by proclaiming that all agreements will be reopened once it takes hold of the Government.

The President has been remarkably calm in the face of an Opposition that has been adamant in rebuffing him at every turn. Yet, confronted by the combative declaration by Granger and Ramjattan that the joint Opposition completely rejects dialogue, the President’s affable and firm response is that he believes that the Opposition’s declaration is merely its first position in an expected negotiation.

Wipe the slate clean

We fervently pray that the President is right and that the Opposition joins him in a negotiation to end the parliamentary impasse. We hope that the declared intention of no negotiation by the Opposition is just posturing and that it too will adopt a conciliatory attitude just because it is for Guyana.

The President has declared that the prorogation was meant to wipe the slate clean and for every side to restart dialogue with a renewed interest to serve the welfare of our people. The position of the President in not going along with the drop dead behaviour of the Opposition, which would have meant elections by February, ruining both Christmas and Mash, and curtailing the life of a Government that was elected, is a mature and responsible one.

The President has declared that should negotiation fail to bring about conciliation and agreements, he will dissolve Parliament and there would be

elections. The President has been frank and definitive – the prorogation was intended to give dialogue one more chance. The Opposition has been equally definitive – no dialogue, and mayhem.

There is a bunch of 33 powerhungry people who have assumed unto themselves the power of God to end Parliament and the life of a Government two years before the statutory end of its term of office.

The President has used the instrument of the Constitution, the supreme law of the country, to urge cooler heads and a mature process of dialogue, to salvage the programme of progress and prosperity, failing which he will dissolve Parliament and call for elections.

This is the way forward and Guyana should stand with the President.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email or Facebook to times.notebook@ gmail.com

APNU Vice Chairman, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

APNU Chairman and Opposition Leader David Granger

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

monDAY, november 17, 2014 | guYAnAtimesgY.com

AFC sees “constitutional change” as panacea

... but refuses to give specifics

Alliance For Change

(AFC) Chairman Nigel Hughes said constitutional reform was a priority on his party’s agenda, as he addressed the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) organised rally at the Square of the Revolution, Georgetown on Friday evening.

Speaking to the large, mainly APNU crowd, Hughes warned that the Constitution in its present form was troubling, contending that the lacunae in it must be addressed in a proper manner.

However, even though this has been the major plank of the AFC for over a year, it has resolutely refused to give specifics of what change might create a better Government system.

Hughes was at the time supposedly addressing the move by President Donald Ramotar to prorogue the National Assembly for six months.

New cry

However, in the past year as it went around the country preaching “constitutional change” as a panacea, the AFC never once mentioned the need to change Article 70, which gives the President the prerogative to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament.

The President’s prorogation of Parliament came on the day the combined Opposition, the

AFC and APNU, had intended to pass a NoConfidence Motion against the Ramotar-led People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.

Though the move took the wind out of the Opposition parties’ sails, President Ramotar insisted that the proclamation was made so that the Opposition would not stall development.

In an address to the nation on Monday afternoon, Ramotar said: “Consistent with my earlier position and in accordance with powers conferred on me by Article 70 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Guyana, I earlier today issued a Proclamation proroguing the 10th Parliament.”

The President also said that though the decision to prorogue the National Assembly was taken, it was

not the original plan. He had hoped that his earlier warnings to the Opposition would be heeded, but it went ahead with its antidevelopmental stratagem that revolved around the No-Confidence Motion.

“Real enemy”

However, Hughes said: “Our real enemy is the Constitution in its present form. It legitimises the fangs of dictatorship ... we will have no other choice but to reform. This has got to be the end game. It has to be the last straw. Something has to give ... constitutional change is the only way to stop this vicious cycle.” But, he offered no details of what alternative constitutional arrangements the AFC would make.

He explained to the crowd that it was part of

the fundamental pillars of AFC’s approach to deal with Guyana’s current “quagmire”, contending that the masses were now recognising the lacunae present in the Constitution.

“The current constitutional arrangement is one of the biggest blights to our unity, good governance and our prosperity... how has Guyana sunk so low? Each day, it is a cycle of new lows, compliments of the Constitution... history, our children and our future screaming deafening decibels for courageous souls to confront and destroy the albatross around our necks. It is time to get this monkey off our back,” the AFC Chairman declared.

Hughes also called on the international community to intervene and ensure that there is consensus between the political parties in Guyana, so that Guyana returns to the path of development.

Hughes might be alluding to the Caricom intervention in 2000, when the PNC led violent protests in Georgetown, claiming that the 1997 elections were “rigged”.

Though the subsequent “Forensic Audit”, conducted by Caricom, found no problems with the elections, the PPP’s term of office was truncated by two years and massive constitutional changes – agreed to by the PNC –- were accepted by the new PPP regime.

Reverend Clarke emphasises importance of rehabilitating prisoners

It is widely believed that when a person commits a crime, he or she most definitely must pay the price for the illegality committed.

However, in the end, it is society’s obligation to ensure that such individuals are justly punished and learn, while in prison, that their action was not acceptable and thus, is not to be repeated.

Superintendent of Prisons, Reverend Fay Clark does not believe so.

She believes that retribution punishes wrongdoing, but does not ensure that the message of the act being wrong is received as the prisoners already know that what they did and perhaps still continue to do is wrong.

Clark said prisoners do not think highly of themselves. They know they are generally loathed by society and have come to expect the lack of empathy or un-

derstanding so their actions mean nothing to them anymore and neither do their sojourns in prison.

Clark said rehabilitation aims to change this. Not only should prisoners be punished for their crimes, but they should also be rehabilitated to see their worth as individuals of society and as contributors as well.

The Superintendent of

Prisons told Guyana Times that there are a number of persons who do not seem to see the nexus with jails and the continued degeneration of society. Thus, they question the value of putting resources into the rehabilitation of prisoners.

Clark said she responds to such assertions with the fact that prisons are maintained by tax payers’ money and the number of prisoners grows every day, so she questions: which seems more sound: to put resources into the rehabilitation of the prisoners so they do not add to the deterioration of society or to put resources into building and maintaining prisons for prisoners to go in and out of?

Reverend Clark said that rehabilitation in Guyana entails touching a list of topics that prisoners are ignorant of such as reading, writing, the channeling of one’s anger positively and the recog-

Couple land in prison after being busted with cocaine

A38-year-old man who admitted to selling cocaine will spend the next three years in prison and will be some $30, 000 poorer thanks to the fine Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry also levied upon him. His reputed wife, who he said had no knowledge of his illegal activities, was remanded.

Shawn Charles, 38, and Alexis Welcom, 45, were brought before the Chief Magistrate at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday to answer to the charge of posses-

sion of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

It was alleged that on Wednesday, November 12 at Leopold and Cross Streets, Georgetown, they were in possession of two grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. According to the facts of the case, on the day

in question, around 17:20h, acting on information received, ranks of the Police Narcotics Branch went to the home of the defendants, told them of the tip-off, and asked to conduct a search, to which they agreed.

Upon conducting the search, the Police found the drug on a plate in the bedroom. The duo were told of the findings, arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) where the drug was weighed.

Charles pleaded guilty and told the court that the drug was his and Welcom had no knowledge of it. However, the Chief Magistrate determined that a plea should be entered by Welcom, who denied the charge.

The matter was transferred to Magistrate Judy Latchman who set November 21 as the date for Welcom’s trial.

nition that they have some true worth in society.

This, the Reverend said, is where the psychological breakdown usually results as criminals do not believe that they have any value to society or anyone so they go out there with the aim to break anything that is stable or organised. Consequently, Clark said that the reform programme encourages prisoners to understand who they are and what is needed to help them help themselves. This is a form of empowerment. When this has been done, the prisoner is set up in an area in the programme that will facilitate his or her growth.

As a result of this programme, Reverend Clark said many young men have been reformed from a life of crime, gotten married, gained gainful employment and became productive contributors to society.

Shot Parika taxi driver in stable condition

Ramesh Persaud, 20, of Parika Backdam, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), who was shot during a robbery on Saturday evening has been listed in stable condition.

This is according to a hospital official who stated that the young man was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital from the West Demerara Regional Hospital about 23:00h.

The official confirmed that the young man was shot to the back of the head, but luckily, the bullet only grazed the scalp.

Nonetheless, the official said, doctors were taking no chances and Persaud would be monitored over the next 24 hours.

According to information received, Persaud operates his taxi at the Parika Junction and on the night in question, a man report-

edly hired him for a trip to Zeelugt, EBE, but asked to pick up another person on his way. On their way, one of the men reportedly pulled out a gun and ordered Persaud to hand over his valuables, but the young man put up a fight which led to the other man pulling out a handgun and discharging a round, hitting Persaud to the back of the head.

The two men then made good their escape. Persaud managed to phone his brother who rushed to the scene where he found his sibling in the driver’s seat of the car in a pool of blood.

Persaud was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital and was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted.

The Police are continuing their investigation. No arrests have been made.

AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes addressing the gathering at the Square of the Revolution on Friday

Reverend Fay Clark

Convicted: Shawn Charles

Remanded: Alexis Welcom

Multimillion-dollar Davis Memorial Hospital clinic opens

The Davis Memorial Hospital (DMH) on Sunday commissioned a dental clinic at its Durban Backlands, Georgetown location, with the aim of broadening the service it provides to the public.

The new clinic was commissioned by President Donald Ramotar. It will be managed by two dentists. The facility has three rooms, two of which were specifically designed for treatment and the other for hygiene services.

Additionally, the hospital was the recipient of approximately 200 dental kits from two overseas universities.

Delivering the feature address, President Donald Ramotar recalled memories he had of the medical institution, particularly when it was first opened.

people developed later on and from that point of view, I would love to see us doing more to lift the consciousness of people on the importance of health,” he stated.

One dead in Pomeroon River mishap

On behalf of his Government, he thanked the staff and management of DMH for the excellent service they provide to the Guyanese people and for now introducing a new service at the facility.

President Ramotar went on to say that his Administration has been in sync with the development of people since the bulk of its annual budget goes to the social sector, so that they can

Exceptional service

Meanwhile, DMH Chief Executive Officer Beverly Braithwaite-Chan said that with the addition of the dental clinic, patients of the hospital can look forward to “exceptional service from our highly-trained dental staff”.

Following the ceremony, President Ramotar along

“We will continue to work very closely with you, so we can continue to enhance the quality of health services for all the people in our country,” President assured.

The Head of State pointed out that while health was seen as important, dental health has not been given the due recognition it deserves.

“In my view, it has possibilities of preventing many of the other sickness that

touch the lives of as many people as possible. He added that the clinic is a wise investment as Government believes that the most important factor for development of any country is the quality of its people.

“There is no better way in enhancing the quality of people than by investing in education, health, housing and water… and that is where we are going,” the President explained.

with hospital officials and the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church members were given a tour of the facility.

The commissioning of the dental facility comes as the institution celebrates 60 years of offering health services to Guyanese. As part of the celebration, DMH has planned several activities throughout the month of November.

These include dental outreaches in schools and the special communities to help children become more dental hygiene conscious.

Adults will also benefit from free blood pressure and sugar testing.

In addition, the Dr Pogue Memorial Charity Fund was launched by the children of the founder of DMH. The charity will be using its funds to support the hospital community outreach work and the less fortunate members of the local Seventh-day Adventist community as well as other communities.

To start the charity off, the family of the late Dr Pogue donated $1 million. Pamela, one of Dr Pogue’s daughters, said that her father would have been very excited to see all the arrangements to celebrate his work.

“His dream was to have a place where healing and God can walk hand in hand and he was so proud to be a part of Davis Memorial Hospital. He would have been so humbled and honoured by this celebration and by the page he takes in you history books,” she noted.

Pamela added that Guyana will always be a cherished place in the memories of their family.

Donations were also given throughout the day by President Ramotar and other persons who gathered for DMH anniversary, as they celebrate with the Guyana Conference of Seventhday Adventists, 60 years of medical missionary work in Guyana.

Plaisance murder accused to stand before High Court

Orin Jerrick, an Anns Grove, East Coast Demerara resident, was committed to stand trial at the High Court for the murder of minibus driver Gavin Fifee at the Plaisance Bus Park.

By IndrawattIe natram

Aboat fully-loaded with groceries on Saturday sank on its way to Charity, leaving one dead and millions of dollars in losses.

Two passengers survived the incident, which claimed the life of Boat Captain Victor Waziram, also known as “Son”, 44, of Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast.

According to information received, he rented the boat to conduct his daily business.

Waziram sustained injuries to the head, back and chin and was pronounced dead by doctors at Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital.

The tragedy reportedly occurred around 21:00h on Saturday, close to the Pomeroon River mouth/ Moucra District.

It is believed that the Captain hit a log, causing the fully-laden boat to capsize.

the Pomeroon River, where they found his lifeless body. The two survivors were discovered by Police in a small boat not far from where the incident occurred.

According to one of the survivors, Irma Burnette, 67, the incident was a “horrible” experience, one that she wishes to erase from her mind.

Speaking from Charity, Burnette said the Captain collected her and an Amerindian man to transport to Charity. They left on Saturday evening.

She said that the Captain had the boat fullyloaded with groceries and another small boat that was being towed. The survivor, who is thanking God for being alive, said on their journey, the rope that was attached to the small boat give way and the Captain was trying to fix it when the incident occurred.

Magistrate Judy Latchman on Thursday ruled that there was sufficient evidence and a prima facie case had been established against Jerrick, who is accused of killing Fifee on July 31. The accused was represented by Attorneysat-Law Peter Hugh and Pamela DeSantos, while the Preliminary Inquiry was led by Police Sergeant Vishnu Hunt.

on the wheel of the vehicle. When Fifee confronted the man, an argument ensued, at which point in time, it is alleged that Jerrick pulled out a knife and stabbed him to the upper right chest.

According to reports, about 05:45h on the day of the incident, Fifee was loading his minibus at the Plaisance Bus Park when the accused began urinating

Fifee was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital by a public spirited citizen. He was bleeding profusely and despite a valiant battle by doctors to save his life, he succumbed on the operating

table.

The Magistrate asked the accused whether he wished to say anything as it related to his matter. After seeking advice from one of his lawyers, he simply said, “Your Worship, I am innocent” and indicated that he wished to reserve his witnesses for the High Court.

With that, the PI into this murder case came to an end.

The daughter of the deceased, Allison Waziram, said she received a call early Sunday morning, informing her that her father was involved in a boat mishap. The daughter related she was shocked because her father had called her Saturday morning, saying that he was coming home.

Waziram’s daughter said at first she did not believe the news, but made a report to the Police Station. She and several family members eventually went in search of her father on

Burnette said she was asleep at the time of the incident; and, when she woke up, she found herself in the small boat with the Amerindian man. She said she lost her money and Bible, and sustained injuries to the back and side.

Though Police have recovered an undisclosed amount of money on the body of the deceased, they are still searching for the boat.

The body of Waziram is at the Suddie Funeral Home and is awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Dead: Captain Victor Waziram

President Donald Ramotar addressing the gathering at the celebrations on Sunday

The dental clinic at the Davis Memorial Hospital in Durban Backlands

TT: Marooned residents swim through floods for help

Desperate residents of Mafeking Village Mayaro have had to become their own first responders, as there is no one to bring food and other supplies through floodwaters into the most-heavily-hit areas, as the flood crisis in Trinidad worsens.

The Sunday Guardian visited the small fishing village Saturday and spoke to several residents who say even though help has been forthcoming, they have had to carry in supplies to their marooned families and neighbours themselves.

“The corporation bring hampers and water but is we self carrying it to everybody,” said Dale Mohammed, a 37-year-old resident of Chrysostom Trace, Mafeking. “Nothing can’t go in there. Last night (Friday) it had six feet of water by my house. we swim to come out and we had a small raft we carry in the stuff with.” “Is four of we doing everything, because it have plenty sick people and little children inside there who can’t come out,” said Shameeka Joseph, one of Mohammed’s neighbours.

For the past two days Mohammed and his neighbours have been sur-

rounded by floodwaters that came from the Ortoire River, which broke its banks on Thursday after overnight rainfall. But they are just the tip of the iceberg, as on every street corner there are about 10 people waiting for assistance. They are the ones strong

New York Mayor signs bills that

“drastically limit” deportation of Caribbean

immigrants

ith United States

WPresident Barack Obama vowing to proceed on immigration reform by executive order, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday signed two bills that would drastically limit the federal Government’s ability to deport undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants from New York City.

Under one of the new laws, the city will, in many cases, refuse to hand over immigrants in the criminal justice system to federal agents, according to the New York Daily News.

In the past, the city sometimes had to turn over people whose cases had been dismissed or who had been arrested on minor charges, the paper said.

Now, it said the city will only cooperate with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if the

agency has a federal warrant, or if the person has been convicted of a serious crime or is on a terror watch list.

Another bill gets rid of ICE from its offices on Rikers Island jail in Queens, New York.

“We’re signing legislation that will have a really meaningful effect on the lives of immigrants,” said de Blasio, as he signed the bill, flanked by City Legislators and Carlos Rodriguez, who was mistakenly arrested for trespassing and detained by federal law enforcement authorities for eight months even though the charges were dropped.

Rodriquez is still fighting deportation to the Dominican Republic, the Daily News said.

“Even though it doesn’t help me right now, I know it helps somebody else out there,” Rodriquez said. (Excerpt from CMC)

and brave enough to carry supplies back to the others. Hundred others remain marooned in their homes and even though the water was receding in some areas, villagers say rainfall in Rio Claro or even Poole, will prolong their suffering. (Excerpt from

Petrobras scandal may change Brazil forever, Rousseff says

Awidening corrup-

tion scandal at staterun oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA may change the country forever, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Sunday in her first public remarks since a sweeping Police operation last week.

Police on Friday arrested top executives of some of the country’s largest construction and engineering firms as part of a probe into money-laundering and bribery allegations at Petrobras, as the oil company is commonly known.

A former senior Petrobras executive responsible for some of the company’s biggest contracts was also arrested.

“This may change the country forever,” she told

reporters in Brisbane, Australia during a summit of the G20 Group of Nations.

“How? By ending impunity.”

The scandal puts new pressure on the recentlyre-elected Rousseff as weak growth and high inflation pose serious challenges to her effort to boost the economy.

She may also have difficulty distancing herself from the problems at Petrobras. She was chairwoman of the board of directors, the company’s highest official, from 2003 to 2010.

Several thousand Rousseff opponents gathered in Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro on Saturday to protest her management of the company, according to state Police. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Colombian President says peace talks at risk unless deal reached in 2015

Colombia’s peace process with Marxist rebels risks sliding backwards unless an agreement can be reached next year to end 50 years of war,

President Juan Manuel Santos said in an interview published on Sunday.

The Government has been negotiating with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for the past two years to resolve the conflict, which has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions.

“The coming year should be the year of peace because, if it’s not, it seems to me that from there it would be difficult to continue this process indefinitely,” Santos, who is just over 100 days into his second term, told El Tiempo newspaper.

“I don’t want to give a deadline,” the President added. “We are in a crucial moment and if we don’t go for-

ward, we will start to go back.” When the talks began in 2012, Santos said the process would be a matter of months, not years. Later the President said that peace would be signed this year.

Negotiators have so far reached partial agreements on three of the five agenda points: political participation for the FARC, an end to the illegal drugs trade, and land reform.

Agreements on justice and reparations for victims and the demobilisation of the FARC, which analysts say will be the most difficult points, are still being negotiated.

The talks, held in Havana, Cuba, are derided by Colombia’s political Opposition as a chance for rebels to be granted impunity for murders, kidnappings, child recruitment and forced displacement, a charge Santos denies. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Brazil ‘cannibal trio’ sentenced

Ajudge in north-eastern Brazil has sentenced three people to 20-23 years in jail after they were convicted of killing a woman and eating her.

Jorge Beltrao Negromonte da Silveira received 23 years while his wife, Isabel Cristina Pires, and his mistress, Bruna Cristina Oliveira da Silva, were sentenced to 20 years.

The trio allegedly sold pastries made from the woman’s flesh to neighbours.

They also confessed to killing two more women and will be sentenced later.

The defendants’ lawyers said they would appeal against Friday’s sentences.

The three, arrested in the city of Garanhuns in April 2012, were convicted of murder, desecration and concealment of a body.

Local media named the victim as Jessica Camila da Silva, who was homeless and

was no relation to Bruna Cristina Oliveira da Silva. The group allegedly lured their victims to their house by saying they were looking for a nanny.

The trio admitted in court to killing and eating their victim as part of a purification ritual. But they denied allegations that they consumed and sold the flesh in “empada” pastries.

Human remains were found in the back garden of the house the three shared.

Police also found a 50-page book written by Negromonte called Revelations of a Schizophrenic. In the document he claimed he heard voices and was fixated by killing women.

At the time of their arrest, the trio claimed to be part of a group that supported “the purification of the world and the reduction of its population”.

(BBC News)

Ebola-trained Cuban health workers arrive in Jamaica

Thirty Cuban health workers trained in Ebola management are expected to arrive in Jamaica on today.

The contingent, which will be deployed across the Regional Health Authorities, is part of an existing human resource agreement between the Governments of Jamaica and Cuba.

Minister of Health, Dr Fenton Ferguson is scheduled to welcome the health workers at 15:30h at the offices of the Health Ministry on King Street, downtown Kingston.

The BBC reported that amid the worst Ebola outbreak of our time, it has been

the small island nation of Cuba that has provided arguably the most impressive policy response.

Instead of offering financial assistance to those West African nations most in need, the Cuban Government has focused on providing skilled health-care workers passionate about helping Ebola victims.

The Cuban response is based on a combination of preexisting Government commitments to the provision of universal healthcare, the establishment of a medical education system emphasising service to others, and Cuba’s efforts to bolster its interna-

Health Minister, Dr

tional reputation. Cuba’s Government has a

long history of providing universal healthcare as a human right, a belief that was enshrined in the 1976 constitution. Consequently, it has always been committed to helping other nations in need, extending the Government’s policy beliefs beyond its borders.

These efforts were partly inspired by Ernesto Ché Guevara, the Argentine-born doctor who fought alongside Fidel Castro during the Cuban revolution.

Che Guevara repeatedly encouraged doctors to use their medical skills in the service of others. (Excerpts from Jamaica Observer and BBC News)

Dale Mohammed ventured into waist-high floodwaters to demonstrate the severity of the situation facing residents at Chrysostom Trace in Mafeking, Mayaro, Saturday (Kristian De Silva photo)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (Caribbean360/Bigstock)

Fenton Ferguson

Around the world

G20 commits to higher growth, fight climate change; Putin leaves early

Leaders from the G20 group of nations agreed on Sunday to boost flagging global growth, tackle climate change and crack down on tax avoidance, but ties between the West and Russia plummeted to a new low over the crisis in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin left the G20 summit in Brisbane early as US President Barack Obama accused Russia of invading Ukraine and Britain warned of a possible “frozen conflict” in Europe.

Several Western nations warned Russia of further sanctions if it did not withdraw troops and weapons from Ukraine.

“I think President Putin can see he is at a crossroads,” said British Prime Minister David Cameron. “If he continues to destabilise Ukraine, there will be further sanctions, further measures.

“There is a cost to sanc-

tions, but there would be a far greater cost in allowing a frozen conflict on the continent of Europe to be created and maintained.”

Obama said Russia’s isolation was unavoidable.

“We would prefer a Russia that is fully integrated with the global economy,” he told a news conference.

“But we are also very

firm on the need to uphold core international principles.... you don’t invade other countries or finance proxies and support them in ways that break up a country that has mechanisms for democratic elections.”

Before leaving the G20 Summit, Putin said a solution to the Ukraine cri-

Nigeria army says back in control of Chibok

The Nigerian army said it has recaptured and secured the northeastern town of Chibok, where Boko Haram rebels kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in April.

Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Abuja, said a local official and local vigilantes who participated in the operation confirmed that the town was re-taken on Saturday evening.

“They said that at the moment Boko Haram fighters are out of the town, but they don’t think it is very safe to have people back there immediately, because they don’t know what exactly is going to happen there next.

“I spoke to one of the residents and he told me that hunters are in town patrolling.

“He is also particularly talking about the condition of thousands of refugees who fled Chibok and

China

moved to the garrison town of Damboa, and how people are so traumatised after the events of April,” Idris said. Boko Haram had captured the town on Thursday after a battle lasting several hours. Several inhabitants said the army had fled the assault on Thursday, leaving the vigilantes to fight on their own.

Control of Chibok is crucial to the reputation of the

army and the Government, both of which have come under harsh criticism for their failure to rescue the schoolgirls.

The rebels stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on the evening of April 14 and forced 276 students onto trucks in a mass abduction that caused global outrage. Fifty-seven managed to escape. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

to energise world economy with growth,

The world economy received a fresh dose of confidence and vigour on Saturday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying his country will maintain sustainable and balanced growth and make greater contribution to global growth.

In a speech at the ongoing ninth Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in Australia, he also urged the world’s leading economies to boost cooperation and turn the bloc into a

cooperation

stabiliser of the world economy, an incubator of global growth and a propeller of global economic governance.

The G20 summit took place just days after the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting concluded in Beijing.

Observers say that the back-to-back gatherings of world leaders offer a chance to boost win-win interaction between China and the rest

of the world.

The APEC meetings highlighted China’s important role as a regional and global heavyweight, Shada Islam, policy director at the Brussels-based Friends of Europe think tank, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The biggest contribution that China can make to the world economy is to keep its own growth on track, even if there is a slight slowdown, and to keep its markets open.

(Excerpt from Xinhua)

ISIL “beheads Syria troops and US aid worker”

Avideo has been circulated online purporting to show members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group beheading several Syrian soldiers and a US aid worker.

The footage, released on Sunday, showed the beheading of at least 12 people whom ISIL said were pilots and officers in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s military.

of Rome, today we are slaughtering the soldiers of Bashar and tomorrow we are slaughtering your soldiers. And with God’s permission we will break this final and last crusade,” a masked man said before he was shown beheading one of the men.

The video also showed a bloodied head on the ground, whom ISIL said was that of US aid worker Peter Kassing.

sis was possible, but did not elaborate.

“Today the situation (in Ukraine) in my view has good chances for resolution, no matter how strange it may sound,” Putin said. He skipped a working lunch at the summit to leave early, citing the long flight home and need for sleep. (Excerpt from

The clip was circulated through credible social media accounts that have previously shared similar videos that were later verified, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said.

But it is not yet possible to verify the authenticity of the footage, Khan said.

“To Obama, the dog

“This is Peter Edward Kassig, a US citizen of your country. Peter, who fought against Muslims in Iraq, was serving as a soldier in the American army, does not have much to say,” a masked person standing near the head said.

“His previous cellmates have already spoken on his behalf.” (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

India steps up diabetes awareness campaign

With more than 65 million cases, diabetes costs the Government billions of dollars in medical expenses and lost income.

In addition, the country’s Diabetes Foundation warns that an estimated 50 per cent of the urban population do not know how to prevent the illness.

The Government has stepped up its awareness campaigns in order to prevent it.

“India is facing an epidemic of diabetes. At present, confirmed diabetes patients in India are 67 million, with another 30 million in prediabetes group. By 2030, India will have the largest number of patients in the world. Diabetes is not only a blood sugar problem, but brings along other complications as well,” warns Dr Arun Bal, diabetic foot surgeon.

It’s not just your vision, diabetes takes a severe toll

on the heart too. “The incidence of heart disease is increasing at a rapid rate. It was 1.09 per cent in the 1950s, increased to 9.7 per cent in 1990, and 11 per cent by 2000. This rising trend will make India the heart disease capital of the world,” warns interventional cardiologist, Dr Suresh Vijan.

“Indians face a dual risk of heart disease and diabetes. The risk of death due to myocardial infarction is

three times higher in diabetics as compared with non-diabetics. Life expectancy too is reduced by 30 per cent in diabetics as compared to non diabetics; this translates into a loss of eight years of life.”

The culprit? “Increased consumption of dense-rich foods along with increasing sedentary lifestyle has increased the incidence of diabetes and heart disease.” (Excerpts from Al Jazeera and Times of India)

Female Afghan MP survives suicide attack

Asuicide bomber tried to assassinate a prominent female member of Afghanistan’s Parliament, killing three people and wounding the lawmaker, a senior official said.

Shukria Barakzai was slightly wounded in Sunday’s attack on her vehicle as she was heading to Parliament, Interior Ministry Spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.

Another three people, including a young girl, were killed, while at least 17 others

were injured, he said.

The attacker was in a car that attempted to ram Barakzai’s vehicle. The assailant then detonated explosives, causing a massive blast that was heard across the capital, Sediqqi said.

Interior Minister Mohammad Umar Daudzai visited Barakzai at the hospital, Sediqqi said, adding that her driver was also wounded and hospitalised.

Barakzai, 42, is a highprofile advocate of women’s

rights and media freedom. She has been a Member of Parliament for 10 years and her work has been recognised internationally with a number of awards.

She has spoken about receiving regular death threats.

Shinkay Karokhil, another female MP, told the AFP news agency: “The target was a convoy of MPs who were driving toward the Parliament. Shukria Barekzai was affected by the attack but she is fine.”

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

US President Barack Obama meets with European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine, at the G20 in Brisbane on November 16. Pictured are: (L-R) Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, French President Francois Hollande, Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker

Boko Haram had captured the town on Thursday after a battle lasting several hours (AP file photo)

The diabetes epidemic on the rise in India

monDAY, november 17, 2014 | guYAnAtimesgY.com

Preparations being made for implementation of five-year AML plan – Nandlall

In keeping with the sevenpoint action plan established by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to address the strategic antimoney laundering deficiencies within Guyana’s legal framework, the Government has accelerated the implementation of non-legislative measures.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall said continuous training was being facilitated as part of the menu of measures.

“Continuous training of the relevant agencies that have a role to play in discharging obligations under the AML/CFT [Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism] re-

gime; this includes the supervisory authorities; the reporting entities; the Police Force; CANU [Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit]; the FIU [Financial Intelligence Unit]; the SOCU [Special Organised Crime Unit]; the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions]; the Judiciary, and the Magistracy,” he explained.

Additionally, preparations are well underway for the implementation of a National AML/CFT five-year plan. Preparations are also being made for the provision of periodic reports showing typologies and trends.

These mechanisms will be used to analyse the reports and guide the investigation process. It is

anticipated that the non-legislative measures, hopefully, will be successfully imple-

BBCI assists in renovation of Shieldstown Mandir

The Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) last month donated one truck load white sand and 50 cement hollowed blocks to aid in the renovation of the Shieldstown Sanatan Mandir.

The company in a re-

lease said it was privileged to have the opportunity to make the donation towards the worthy cause.

“The company decided to come on board mainly due to the fact that other than worshipping, the mandir will be used for other religious func-

tions, cultural activities and learning to support the development of youth activities within the community.”

In photo, BBCI Administrative Supervisor Amarnauth Singh hands over a package to a representative of the mandir.

Gold Miner granted bail for assaulting woman

A30-year-old gold miner who allegedly ‘chucked’ a woman who refused his sexual proposition was Friday placed on $100,000 bail by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry one day after Magistrate Judy Latchman granted him his pretrial liberty for $150,000.

Brian Rodrigues, of Alexander Village, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which alleged that on August 31, 2014, at Noigedacht Backdam, Mahdia in the Essequibo Magisterial District, he ‘chucked’ a woman (name withheld) causing her towel to drop from her body.

Guyana Times was informed by a reliable source

that on the day in question, the Virtual Complainant (VC), who worked at the same place as the defendant did, was having a shower in the nude at the creek when the defendant approached and requested sexual intercourse with her for three pennyweights of gold. The VC refused in annoyance, telling the defendant that she does not “sell her body to men for sex” and was not a prostitute, and with that, she left the creek.

As she walked off, the defendant followed and hugged her from behind, which, according to sources, might have caused the VC’s towel to drop.

Defence counsel Adrian Thompson told the court on Thursday that his client

mented early next year.

“As regards the Bill to be enacted, obviously Parliament will have to resume sitting before it can be enacted. Whenever Parliament resumes, Government will accord the enactment of this legislation its highest of priority,” Minister Nandlall said in response to a question posed on the status of the Bill in light of the prorogation of Parliament.

According to him, if the Bill is not passed by October 2015, then blacklisting of Guyana and the catastrophic consequences which flow from there is a virtual certainty.

“My appeal has always been that this is a matter

of national importance that is simply too vital to be the subject of political gamesmanship. If this Bill is not enacted within the stipulated time, history and the people of Guyana will judge harshly those who are responsible for its non-enactment.”

In October, FATF indicated that Guyana made a high-level political commitment to address the loopholes within its anti-money laundering regime by working with both the international financial watchdog and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).

As part of the sevenpoint action plan, Guyana is required to adequately criminalise money launder-

ing and terrorist financing. Additionally, the country is mandated to establish and implement adequate procedures for the confiscation of assets related to money laundering, establish and implement an adequate legal framework for identifying, tracing and freezing terrorist assets and establish a fully-operational and effectively functioning FIU. Effective measures for customer due diligence and enhanced financial transparency would also need to be established, in addition to strengthened suspicious transaction reporting requirements. Finally, Guyana is required to implement an adequate supervisory framework.

Boyle County teen delivers Christmas gifts to locals

It is not the shoe, but the shoebox that can change a life for children around the world.

“It was amazing,” said Kelsey Kendrick, a smile spreading across her face as she shared about the week she spent in Guyana distributing the shoebox gifts to children here.

The shoebox gifts are part of Operation Christmas Child, a Ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, and Kelsey was able to go to the South American country as part of the youth team.

Calling herself a “shoebox kid”, Kelsey has been packing the gifts for much of her life through Junction City First Baptist Church, which she and her family attend. However, for the first time she truly understands the faces behind the boxes.

“Now, I’m packing a box for each individual kid. I know that it’s going to go and really change their lives,” she said.

The process starts with a shoebox-sized box, which churches, families, businesses and individuals around the world are packing right now. Today starts collection week and boxes will be accepted through November 24.

“You start with the essentials, you know, hygiene items, soap, toothpaste, wash cloths, toothbrush. No liquids — no liquid shampoos, soaps, nothing like that,” Kelsey said.

was a father of two and was not a flight risk. He added that since the incident, the VC no longer worked at the same place of employment, so there was no likelihood of the defendant tampering with the VC.

Bail was granted on the condition that the defendant reports every Friday to the Mahdia Police Station.

On Friday in the courtroom of the Chief Magistrate in the second calling of the case, Police Prosecutor Bharrat Mangru successfully requested that bail be reduced. However, the defendant believed that $100, 000 was still a large sum and pleaded for more leniency to no avail, as the Chief Magistrate reminded him that he stood accused of a serious offence.

War-related items, used or damaged items, lotions, medications or vitamins, chocolate or other foods, out-of-date or meltable candy, breakable items and aerosol cans are also forbidden.

“Then, school supplies, pencils, crayons, colouring books, papers — anything like that is always great to have,” she said. “Some of these kids aren’t able to go to school unless they provide these items themselves.”

“Candy – kids love candy, that’s always a favourite. It has to be hard candy, not chocolate. It can’t melt. No Jolly Ranchers, because those get really sticky. Candy canes are a good one. Kids love gum –there were times I saw kids put an entire pack of gum in their mouth,” she said and laughed. Toys, including stuffed animals, Barbies, dolls and bouncy balls, like those found in kids’ meals are good. Shoes,

baseball hats and clothes are welcome,” Kelsey said.

Will be worked out

She added: “Don’t be worried about the size — it will all get worked out. That’s also why it’s important to pray as you pack, to make sure the right kid gets the right stuff for them,” she said. “One of the most important things to do is pray while you pack.”

“Another thing that’s good to put in your box is a picture and a letter that you wrote to them.”

“It lets them know they do have someone in Kentucky that loves them.”

It is important to decide early-on whether the gift will be for a girl or a boy and what age — Operation Christmas Child distributes based on age groups of 2-4, 5-9, and 1014. Labels for the boxes can be obtained at www.samaritanspurse.org/occ. It costs US$7 to ship each box.

After the box is packed, it can be dropped off at a collection centre. Many churches participate in the packing of shoeboxes; however, not all are equipped as collection centres. Junction City First Baptist Church is the only collection centre in Boyle County. It collected over 6000 boxes last year.

Those who want to can go online and print a special label that allows them to follow the box to its destination. To do that, the shipping must be paid online. Also, individuals can virtually pack a box for US$25 to be physically packed by volunteers. They will be able to follow the box to its destination, too.

Boxes from Boyle County

will be going to 11 different countries in Africa and South America and the Caribbean including Rwanda, Nigeria, Georgia, Colombia, Grenada, Seychelles, South Africa, and Suriname.

They might even wind up in Guyana, where Kelsey visited. It was the first time for Kelsey – now a senior at Boyle County High School – to ever leave the United States.

“I didn’t know anybody and they were all from different parts of the United States. I think that’s what made it so great, we were learning so much about each other, but we were also learning so much about the culture.”

Part of that included visiting Kaieteur Falls, going canoeing and spending time in the wilderness of Guyana.

“It was the best bonding experience for my teammates. We were canoeing down this river — it was me and my friend Lauren — and we were the two preppiest girls on the trip. Not the most athletic; we ran into the sides of the bank so many times — it was terrible. The guide was behind us and he had tears rolling down his face from laughing so hard at us,” she said grinning.

“As we were going, I hear her paddle come down hard on something — she thought it was a rock — and she turned around and this alligator came up out of the water snapping at us. We started screaming.” However, they did not neglect the point of their visit — to distribute boxes and love on children. They had about 10 distributions while in Guyana, many of those impromptu. (The Advocate Messenger)

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall

Kelsey Kendrick (left) with Brian, a little boy she met while distributing shoeboxes in Guyana through Operation Christmas Child

IMAG condemns Dr Roopnaraine’s boycott call

The Independent Media Workers Association of Guyana (IMAG) has condemned public statements by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Co-Chair, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine for a boycott of Guyana Times and the state-owned Guyana Chronicle and National Communications Network (NCN).

IMAG, in a release, said Roopnaraine’s call is a direct attack on press freedom and should not be condoned.

“Over the years, we have fought extremely hard for a free press and should not allow anyone, including politicians like Rupert Roopnaraine to reverse our gains.

“IMAG, therefore, calls on Mr Roopnaraine to withdraw his comments and issue an apology forthwith.

“Should he fail to do this, we urge the media to boycott APNU activities until such time an apology is issued.”

President Donald Ramotar on Saturday chastised Dr Roopnaraine for making the narrow-minded political appeal.

According to reports, Dr Roopnaraine urged the hundreds of Guyanese assembled at the Square of the Revolution, for an APNU rally on Friday evening to squeeze those media entities financially through a boycott so they would be destroyed.

Dr Roopnaraine is quoted as saying, “We understand the manipulation and the nastiness of their threats and we will act on it... do not buy the Chronicle or theGuyana Timesand when you see Channel 11 comes on, change it.”

President Ramotar, in an invited comment, told Guyana Times that he thinks “it is a pity” that the remarks came from Dr Roopnaraine when he represents a party that claims to champion the cause for press freedom.

The President, who is also the Information Minister, explained that it is very sad that Dr Roopnaraine has taken that stance with respect to the coverage of issues by Guyana Times

Meanwhile, Attorney General Anil Nandlall said Dr Roopnaraine’s remarks with respect to the free media were unwarranted and quite “unfortunate”, noting that it can only be considered an attack on the freedom of the press.

“It is quite regrettable that a senior politician like Dr Roopnaraine and the ma-

tutional, guaranteed fundamental right and an integral pillar of our democracy, this call can only be construed as an attack on freedom of the press,” Nandlall told

jor Opposition in the country continue to make such unfortunate statements regarding press freedom. Press freedom is a consti-

Guyana Times

Nandlall, who has been an avid supporter of press freedom in the past months, noted that the press has a

guaranteed right to publish articles that are accurate and go hand-in-hand with established journalistic ethics.

“The attack is not only against a State media, but a private media as well. The State is entitled to disseminate information about public business and the public is reciprocally entitled to receive that information. That is the essence of freedom of expression.”

The Minister called on those persons who would have freely called for freedom of the press to be respected in the past to sound their voices at this present time, since it was only right for them to do so.

“Is it that the Opposition construe freedom of expression to embrace media outfits that report in favour of them as the only media outfit entitled to free expression? Are they saying that only one set of political views must permeate this land?” questioned the Attorney General.

Man who reportedly owed drug dealers shot dead

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of a New Amsterdam man on Saturday evening.

Dead is Richard Dey, 40, of Mount Sinai, commonly referred to as Angoy’s Avenue, a squatting community located in the eastern environs of New Amsterdam.

According to a Police report, Dey’s body was found with a suspected bullet wound to his head and a laceration to his throat about 22:30h on Saturday.

While family members remain tight-lipped, Guyana Times understands that the discovery was made by a 19-year-old student of the New Amsterdam Technical Institute, who lives in the same community and was on his way home.

Reports are that after seeing a strange object on the trail, the teenager used the light from his cellular phone and was able to identify Dey. His body was found in a track about 60 metres from his home.

The teenager reported what he saw to Dey’s wife who immediately went to the scene and later alerted Police.

Reports are that earlier in the evening, someone went to the now dead man’s home calling for him. At the time, he was not at home.

Dey’s wife, a nursery school teacher reported to Police that she heard an explosion sometime after 09:00h, but did not investigate. Meanwhile, sources close to Dey alleged that he was involved in some illegal busi-

ness. This publication understands that Dey owned a boat which frequented the Berbice River. Reports are that he used to transport an illegal substance to New Amsterdam and distributed it. It is also alleged that he was responsible for collecting money from those he made deliveries to.

According to a source close to the family, the mechanic owed several persons large sums of money.

The body of Dey is at the New Amsterdam Hospital Mortuary awaiting a postmortem examination, which is expected to be performed on Tuesday by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh at Anthony’s Funeral Home at Fort Wellington.

Dey leaves to morn his wife and two children, ages one and six.

Friendship

Friendship can be a good thing, but let’s not confuse ourselves in any way as to what a friendship really is. For example, love and friendship are two different things.

It is not uncommon that friendship is the first step to an intimate relationship.

Not always do we have some people in our lives that we consider as very good friends. They are always there for us whenever we need them. Friends are people with whom we can share our secrets.

Narine Dat Sookram

They help us out, not take advantage of us. Friends help us out with our social issues and personal issues. If we were to live our lives without having friends, then our lives would be lonely and there would be nobody to turn to when we have a problem.

Therefore, we’ll have no one to talk to and no one to help us. Everyone needs friendship or at least someone to talk to. These are the basic things in life that make us human.

Some people may argue though that friendship is only important to people who are weak and that strong individuals rely on themselves. Though there can be some truth in this, I’ll let the readers decide for themselves.

Friendship may influence our lives as teenagers. For example, when teenagers have a good friendship, it can help them feel a sense of acceptance and confidence, which can also help to pave the way for the development of other social ties.

Last week, I wrote an article about bullying. The way I see it, when a teenager feels part of a group, he/she would probably not be affected by negativity and bullying or for that matter, any other forms of rejection.

But most importantly, when teens feel accepted in a group, there is that less chance of them engaging in the bullying of others. Depending how we look at it, friends can have a positive influence on both social and personal aspects of a teenager’s life.

The reason being friends often share common goals which can encourage a teen to make good choices. A teen can also get back on track with his/her plan for the future when things are not going so well for them.

There is no doubt that the teenage years are usually stressful. That is why having a person to trust, is important to help teenagers deal with the uncertainty that is a ‘normal’ part of growing up.

Having friends can also be an outlet for excitement and in some cases, help teenagers find healthy ways to have fun outside of the home setting. There are both positive and negative outcomes with friends.

For example, healthy friendships can encourage pastimes that do not involve risk of crime or harm, but on the other hand, with unhealthy peer influences, a teenager may easily engage in negative behaviour.

For questions, comments and feedback, email them to mcnarine@rogers.com.

A19-year-old excavator operator was granted $100,000 bail after entering a plea of not guilty to a break and enter and larceny charge at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Carl Goodman, of Lot 35 Stevedore Housing Scheme, Georgetown, appeared in court on Thursday morning to answer the charge. It is alleged that on November 9 at Stevedore Housing Scheme, Georgetown, he broke and

entered the house of Lionel McKenzie and stole one television valued $110,000; a Surround Sound System valued $100,000; an Apple iPod valued $50,000; a generator valued $30,000; a quantity of gents clothing valued $160,000; a silver band valued $60,000; a gold band valued $200,000; some electrical tools valued $95,000; RCA headphones valued $10,000; and a haversack valued $15,000 – a total value of $833,000.

The unrepresented defendant told the court that

there were others who conspired with him to commit the offence. He also noted that he was never questioned by the Police, “they just came and pick me up in my yard”, he said.

Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant stated that the facts were as charged and had no objections to bail, although he highlighted that none of the articles were recovered. The matter will be heard again on November 28 before Magistrate Faith McGusty.

APNU Co-Chair, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

President Donald Ramotar

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

(May 21June 20)

You need to stay on top and concentrate on your career. You will fall behind if you don’t pay close attention to your work and to what your peers are doing.

You can make a difference both personally and professionally. Stop second-guessing yourself. Take the lead and put your plans in motion before someone beats you at your own game.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

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

PISCES

(Feb. 20March 20)

Don’t wait for someone to give you the green light. You have to outmanoeuvre your opponents in order to get your way. Fast thinking and quick action will bring the best results.

Procrastination will be your downfall. Make a strategic move. Rumours will circulate if you are too free with your personal secrets or information. Don’t be afraid of change.

Get moving. Waiting for the perfect time and place to act will cause you to miss opportunities and benefits. It’s time to make things happen.

You will be fooled if you let your heart rule your head. Someone you think is on your side has ulterior motives. Keep your emotions in check and avoid getting involved in joint ventures. SATURDAY'S WORD

Love is on the rise, and social events should be attended. Money and travel feature prominently in your near future. You will gain the upper hand if you take aggressive action now. Make your home your sanctuary. Avoid heated discussions and emotional upheavals. A calm approach will help you keep matters in perspective. Make the most of the information you gather. If you look hard enough, you will find the answer to an unhappy financial or personal situation. Check into interesting proposals or real estate possibilities. Long-term investments will prove lucrative.

Clear your mind. Personal issues will hinder your ability to think straight. Make a conscious decision to focus on your career and follow through with professional plans.

Money is heading your way. Gather the information and strategies necessary to improve your professional position. Be prepared to make an unexpected change.

You may wonder which way to head next. Follow your instincts, not what someone else does. Don’t be swayed by anyone trying to discourage your plans. Your love life will take an interesting turn.

AQUARIUS

CANCER

GEMINI

PeanutS

Calvin and HobbeS

dilbert

arCHie

BCCI boss suspended for match fixing

Suspended Board of Control for Cricket in India president Narainswamy Srinivasan and three other officials are guilty of “misdemeanours” according to a panel investigating spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League, India’s Supreme Court revealed last Friday.

IPL chief executive Sundar Raman, Srinivasan’s son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official, Gurunath Meiyappan, and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra were the others named by the court.

They were indicted in a report submitted by the Supreme Court-appointed committee led by Justice Mukul Mudgal.

“The report did suggest some misdemeanours,” the court said. “The report is in relation to players and to other actors in the drama.”

But the court refrained from revealing the players named by the committee.

The court said it was sharing the report with lawyers

from both sides, and the four officials should submit their objections within four days.

The court said it will hear arguments on November 24, meaning the BCCI annual general meeting on November 20 will likely be postponed. Srinivasan was up for re-election. He’s also the chairman of the International Cricket Council.

“There’s no question of Srinivasan contesting unless the issue is resolved,” the court said. (Jamaica Gleaner)

NBA Roundup…

Badree cleared of match fixing

West Indies and T&T leg-spinner

Samuel Badree has been cleared of any wrongdoing after his named was called in the Indian Supreme Court on Friday, in the ongoing spot-fixing saga. Badree’s name was called by Justice TS Thakur in the 2013 IPL corruption case in the Supreme Court on Friday. When contacted immediately after the player said that he was in total shock because he did not received any official correspondence as to why his name was being called.

Badree had played a single game for Rajastan Royals during the period under question. Yesterday Cricinfo reported that a reliable source confirmed that Badree and the other two cricketers, the Englishman Owais Shah and the India fast bowler Stuart Binny had been emphatically cleared by the Mudgal committee report. The names

of three current cricketers were taken by Justice Thakur along with those of “non playing” individuals whom the court went on to issue notice to in regard to findings in the report.

There was no context or reference made regarding the reasons for naming the cricketers. It is un -

derstood that the names of the three had cropped up during an incident pertaining to Rajasthan Royals, and upon investigation, the names of the three were cleared without any doubt. When contacted yesterday Badree could not speak of any specific incident and remained as puzzled as he

normally has batsmen when he is bowling his clever leg-spin.

The man from South Trinidad told T&T Guardian that all the info he is getting is from reading online and he knows nothing about these claims. “I have always been one to totally condemn match fixing and I would never be involved in that kind of thing. I remain puzzled about all this stuff. I did not even play in the game in question, which is the clash between CSK and Rajasthan Royals.

I have always played cricket in the true spirit of the game and will continue doing so.”

Badree, a school teacher has been a role model to his students and many young people in Trinidad. He has visited schools in his capacity as a West Indian cricketer, motivating young people and speaking about proper upbringing and education.

(Trinidad Guardian)

Cavaliers hit 19 3-pointers to rout Hawks

LeBron James scored 32 points, and the Cavaliers made their first 11 3-point attempts, including nine in the first quarter, to rout the Atlanta Hawks, 127-94, on Saturday night in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers became the first N.B.A. team to go 9 for 9 or better from behind the arc in a quarter, according to information provided to the team by the Elias Sports Bureau.

James hit three 3-pointers in the period, and Kevin Love and Joe Harris each had two. The Cavaliers set a team record by going 19 for 31 on 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers, who have won four straight, scored 41 points in the first quarter, including 11 by James in the opening 3 minutes 34 seconds.

Paul Millsap scored 16 points for the Hawks, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Tristan Thompson add-

ed 15 points for Cleveland, and Shawn Marion had 11.

Mike Muscala scored 13 points for Atlanta. Al Horford and John Jenkins each added 12.

GRIZZLIES 95, PISTONS 88 Marc Gasol scored 23 points, and Zach Randolph added 17 points and 22 rebounds for host Memphis.

Mike Conley scored 18 points and Courtney Lee had 12 for the Grizzlies, who maintained the best record in the N.B.A. (9-1).

Kyle Singler scored 21 points, going 5 of 7 from 3-point range to keep the Pistons close.

Greg Monroe had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit, while Brandon Jennings scored 14 points and Josh Smith finished with 11.

Detroit’s starting backcourt struggled, as Jennings and Kentavious CaldwellPope were a combined 7 of 27, with Caldwell-Pope

missing 10 of his 11 shots.

RAPTORS 111, JAZZ 93

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points, Jonas Valanciunas set season highs with 17 points and 14 rebounds, and

its sixth win in seven games.

Kyle Lowry had 19 points, Patrick Patterson added 16 and Lou Williams scored 10 of his 13 in the fourth quarter as the

Raptors won their third

straight over the Jazz and scored 100 or more for the ninth time in 10 games this season.

Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors each had 18 points, and Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke both scored 12 for the Jazz, who dropped to 0-3 on the second night of back-to-backs as they wrapped up a five-game Eastern Conference trip.

WIZARDS 98 MAGIC 93

Nene and Kris Humphries each scored 16 points, John Wall had 15 points and 10 assists, and host Washington improved its impressive start with a victory over Orlando.

Otto Porter added 13 points as the Wizards won their third straight and moved to 7-2, their best start since opening 7-1 during the 1974-75 season.

Washington’s bench outscored Orlando’s reserves, 48-13.

All five Orlando starters scored in double figures,

with 18.

and Victor

MAVERICKS 131, T’WOLVES 117 Monta Ellis scored a season-high 30 points and host Dallas handed road-weary Minnesota its fifth straight loss to finish a six-game trek that included a stop in Mexico City. The Timberwolves finished a two-week trip covering more than 5,600 air miles on a back-to-back that started with a 48-point loss in New Orleans.

PACERS 99, BULLS 90 A. J. Price, Luis Scola and Solomon Hill each scored 21 points, and injury-plagued Indiana, playing on the road, beat Chicago.

Chris Copeland added 13 points for the Pacers, who were without six injured players.

Jimmy Butler had 32 points for the Bulls, who played without the injured Derrick Rose.

Narainswamy Srinivasan

Samuel Badree

host Toronto beat Utah for

led by Tobias Harris with 19 points

Oladipo

Lebron James

Bad day for TT in WICB Regional first class tournament

The dark clouds looked ominous at Queen’s Park Oval yesterday, but it was the Barbados Pride that first made good on their threats, condemning the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to 89 for seven, still 271 runs behind on first innings at the end of Day Two of their WICB Professional Cricket League four-day encounter.

The few fans on hand at the Tragarete Road, Port of Spain venue could only watch on in horror as yet another embarrassing top order collapse effectively put the home side out of the contest, barring a miraculous fightback today. First, captain Kraigg Brathwaite returned to defy T&T with a towering 182, leading the Bajans to a healthy total of 360, then pacers Carlos Brathwaite and Kemar Roach put the Red Force batting to the sword, the first five wickets falling in the space of 20 runs.

The rain finally showed

up briefly, and only a gritty top score of 26 (81 balls) from Yannic Cariah allowed T&T to resume their first innings today.

T&T began their reply confidently, with the experience of Lendl Simmons and

the good form of Evin Lewis leading them off. Yet the hosts went from 22 without loss to 42 for five on either side of tea. Simmons in particular, survived a dropped catch by Omar Phillips at square leg, as well as a confi-

dent shout for lbw off Jason Holder. His streaky edges also failed to go to hand.

Instead, Lewis was first out after a couple of fours, both he and Yannick Ottley edging Carlos Brathwaite to wicketkeeper Shane

Jamaica take command over Windward Islands

ON a day when 16 wickets fell, it was Jamaica’s Franchise who held a slight advantage with an overall lead of 246 against the Windward Islands Volcanoes when bad light forced a stop to play on day two of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Professional Cricket League (PCL) Four-Day Tournament at Sabina Park yesterday.

An impressive fivewicket haul by debutant Marquino Mindley had earlier handed the Jamaicans first-innings honours as the Windward Islands Volcanoes were knocked over for a paltry 110.

Mindley grabbed five for 34 from 16.2 overs which included six maidens. The Jamaicans in their second innings were reeling at 148 for nine going into today’s

third day.

Mindley (three) and fellow debutant Keno Wallace (zero) will resume batting.

Nkrumah Bonner has so far topscored with 41, followed by Carlton Baugh Jr, who raced to 31 from 26 balls. Left-arm spinner Alston Bobb has so far bagged five wickets for 46 runs for overall match figures of 11 for 91, while Mervin Matthew has three for 19 and Liam Sebastian, one for 26. Captain Tamar Lambert expressed disappointment with their dismal batting performance, but is backing his bowlers to get the job done.

“It was a bit disappointing the way we batted in the second innings and I think we could apply ourselves better. There is a possibility that the game could end tomorrow (today), we have a sizeable

lead and, with the last pair at the wicket, hopefully we can get a few more.

“I back my bowlers to get 10 wickets, but it is not going to happen like that. We have to bowl the ball in the right areas and maintain our discipline.

I know the Windwards are going to come a lot more positive, so we have to go out there and fight for it,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Meanwhile, Liam Sebastian said that they will be aiming to correct their mistakes in the first innings. “We are looking to get the wicket as quickly as possible and then go out and bat as long as possible.

Because most likely the game is going to finish tomorrow and I am hoping that when it finishes we will be a smiling bunch at the end,” he said.

The Volcanoes resuming from their overnight score of 16 for three, were aided by a 34-run fourthwicket partnership between Tyrone Theophille and Romel Currency, which turned out to be the only highlight of their substandard innings.

Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller got the breakthrough when he had Theophille stumped by wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr for 24.

That sparked a mini collapse for the Volcanoes, as David Bernard Jr had captain Liam Sebastian caught behind for three, before Miller had Lindon James caught by John Campbell in the slip cordon for six.

Currency, in his attempt to push things along, was stumped off the bowling of Miller for 19 with the score at 75 for seven, before Mervin Matthew became Mindley’s fourth victim when he was caught by Bonner for a duck.

Bobb and Kenroy Peters then took them to lunch without further loss when the rains came. The Jamaicans then wrapped things up after the break when Mindley trapped Nalon Pascal in front to claim his a five-wicket haul.

Miller had the next best bowling figures with four for 25, as Bobb was left unbeaten on 36. (Jamaica Observer)

Dowrich off back-to-back deliveries.

Jason Mohammed’s departure for three hurt too, as that short period all but put T&T out of the game.

Simmons rode his luck to be 25 not out (five fours) off 47 balls, but slapped the first one after tea from Roach to Dwayne Smith at slip. Roach also accounted for Denesh Ramdin second ball.

Cariah was the second of two wickets in the final session to go down, falling to Jomel Warrican late on after hitting the spinner for the innings’ first six. Yesterday’s morning session was a very handy one for Barbados despite four wickets in that period, considering how slowly they progressed on Day One on Friday. One Kraigg Brathwaite, overnight on 115, kept the Barbados innings together, refusing to give a chance while adding a further 67 runs before throwing his hand away.

He lost his overnight partner, wicketkeeper/batsman Shane Dowrich, for 76, and Brathwaite (zero) in the space of three balls, both offering catches off Khan with the score on 261.

Holder (17) also had a useful knock, and Ashley Nurse helped the visitors comfortably past 300, smashing two hefty sixes off T&T skipper Rayad Emrit and Akeal Hosein and roughing up leggie Cariah before Hosein got revenge.

Once Kraigg Brathwaite perished shortly after lunch, lobbing Hosein to Khan at mid-on in bleak conditions, T&T were soon ready to take their first knock of the tournament.

Further rain is forecast for today in Port of Spain, and based on yesterday’s display, Gus Logie’s Red Force might just need some of that bad weather to help them bring the match into a fourth day. (Trinidad Express)

SCOREBOARD

Barbados 1st Inns

K Brathwaite c Khan b Hosein 182

O Phillips c wkpr Ramdin b Richards 9

D Smith c wkpr Ramdin b Richards 10

J Carter c wkpr Ramdin b Richards 0

R Chase lbw Gabriel 24

S Dowrich c Lewis b Khan 76

C Brathwaite c Simmons b Khan 0

J Holder c&b Emrit 17

A Nurse c Simmons b Hosein 29

K Roach not out 1

J Warrican stpd wkpr Ramdin b Khan 9 Extras (LB1, B1, W1) 3

TOTAL (all out; 126.2 overs) 360

Wkts at: 22 (Phillips), 36 (Smith), 40 (Carter), 85 (Chase), 261 (Dowrich), 261 (C Brathwaite), 294 (Holder), 342 (Nurse), 349 (K Brathwaite), 360 (Warrican).

Bowling: Gabriel 19-3-61-1; Richards 21-8-51-3 (1w); Emrit

16-3-49-1; Hosein 25-7-56-2; Khan 24.2-3-75-3; Mohammed 7-2-22-0; Ottley 4-0-7-0; Cariah 6-0-23-0; Simmons 4-0-14-0 T&T 1st Inns

L Simmons c Smith b Roach 25

E Lewis lbw C Brathwaite 10 Y Ottley c wkpr Dowrich b C Brathwaite 0 J Mohammed b C Brathwaite 3

Y Cariah c Phillips b Warrican 26

D Ramdin b Roach 0

A Hosein c Holder b Nurse 9 I Khan not out 13

R Emrit not out 2

Extras (NB1) 1

TOTAL (for 7 wkts; 40 overs) 89 Did not bat: Marlon Richards, Shannon Gabriel. Wickets at: 22 (Lewis), 22 (Ottley), 34 (Mohammed), 42 (Simmons), 42 (Ramdin), 62 (Hosein), 84 (Cariah).

Bowling: Roach 9-4-25-2 (1nb), Holder 9-5-17-0, C Brathwaite 9-4-8-3, Nurse 8-0-22-1, Smith 3-0-7-0, Warrican 2-0-10-1.

c Ambris b Matthew 1 J Campbell c Ambris b Matthew 15 N Bonner c&b Bobb 41 J Blackwood c Theophille b Matthew 0 T Lambert c Smith b Bobb 11 D Bernard Jr c&b Bobb 0 C Baugh Jr c Ambris b Bobb 31 N

Some of the action during the game

Some of the action during the game

Dentures provided in 72 hours from as low as $4500. Contact Dr B Stuart, 209B Charlotte St, Lacytown. Tel: 225-5034

Available: Fresh long-stemmed roses, fresh dried and silk floral arrangements, gift items, bridal boutiques and wreaths. Nesha’s Flowerland. 78 Church Street (opposite St George’s Cathedral). Tel: 227-3553/225-3315

Machine lathes and a quantity of hand dryers for sale. CONTACT 333-2544 OR 648-6135

Used imported from USA office furniture in excellent condition, secretary executive and office chairs, 2, 3&4 draws metal filing cabinets, Panasonic copier-fax, scanner and printer in one. Call 623-3183, 6255353, 227-1135.

One Toyota Allion, Series PSS 800.

2.1 Million Negotiable or

fer, low Mileage Call 669-7975. Caskets for sale, can also be done through orders. Call: 609-8964

Healthworld Holistic Centre offers clinical psychotherapy for suicidal thoughts, attempted suicides, depression, stress, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, homicidal thoughts, hallucinations, loneliness, conflicts, anger management, relationship & sexual problems, paranoia and much more. Call +592-6210552 and make that appointment now before it’s too late. 12:006:00PM. Mondays-Fridays. Email: healthworldhc@gmail.com

Immigration & Visa Services We handle all Canadian, USA and UK immigration and visa matters. Self sponsorships, holiday/visitor’s visas, work permits, students visas, family, class, immigration forms, embassy enquiries, appeals for refused cases, US green card lottery, business class waivers, pardons, etc. Get your visa approved. High success rate. Balwant Persaud & Associates. Certified Immigration Consultants, 68 Sixth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown (Between Cummings & Lights Sts) Tel: 225-1540, 622-8308, 655-3105. Email: balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca

Professional Key Shop, 125 Carmichael Street, Georgetown. Phone: 225-3923, mobile: 6213249. We cut any type of key, service and repair all types of locks. Get your

32 Acres of transported land located at Lot 5 Plantation Content, Mahaicony, ECD; from the public road to sea shore. This property is ideal for residence, business, aquaculture, agriculture, etc. Price: $175,000 (USD) or best offer. For more information or to make an offer please call Pooran at 813-319-4219 (Florida, USA) or email rpooran@tampabay.rr.com

Parfaite Harmonie( 100ft x 50ft) $2.6M, Eccles(100ft x 50ft) $4.5M, Providence $4M & Herstelling $4M. Call 675-7292, 218-5591.

november 17, 2014

Shannon L

Silva OD, Natalie

Silva OD. 248 South Road, Bourda. Phone: 227-3529, Linden: 444-6376, Corriverton: 339-3536, Meten-Meer-Zorg: 275-0322, Grand Cayman Islands: (345) 943-1515 for the perfect trendy touch.

Dutch spiritual healing in removing evil spirit; bad luck; evil sickness; spells; re- uniting lovers and prosperity to busi- ness etc, Call 612-6417, 220-0708, 687-5633.

Cleansing of spiritual problems of all kinds. Powerful Ifá protection against evil. Get help to overcome problems with love, relationships, legal, sexual, pregnancy, business, sickness, jobs, enemies, work, money. Call 592-6901824 from 10:00-16:00h Email:anewlife@live.com

HEPHZIBAH MINISTRIES. 24hrs miracle line 322-5081/337-4510/3374259/337-4021/337-3070/337-5103

For healing, deliverance, financial difficulties, marriage issues. Call now. Jesus cares.

Suriname’s Astrology, Palmist and Hindustani Spiritual Healer, solve all purpose problems, 100% confidential guaranteed. Phone: 679-4672

Ramdin a lucky man

It is written somewhere in the Good Book that you reap what you sow. That, however, and obviously does not mean anything to the West Indies cricketers who recently embarrassed the West Indies in India.

Surprisingly, eight of them, eight of the players who recently and unceremoniously pulled out of the tour to India, including Test match captain Denesh Ramdin, have been selected by the West Indies to tour South Africa, a tour that takes place even before the dust of shame has settled over the West Indies.

even thought of it. The great players of long ago had problems, in the days of no money they had money problems, and some of them threatened all sorts of things. None of them, however, not in the days of Kerry Packer in the 1970s, went as far as Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, captains all, and their colleagues in India.

hero of Antigua.

Still, he became the West Indies captain, and without an apology for his indiscretions.

And then, as a member of the team in India, and as the Test match captain, he foolishly, or otherwise, followed Dwayne Bravo and abandoned the tour.

One house with 5 bedrooms, (2 large, 1 small, 1 master and 1 guest), Laundry room with half bath, kitchen with island, living room, dining area, gym, storage/freezer room, generator room with exhaust, two storage rooms, one small front office, 3 car-parking area. House is sold with a running document center with all equipment and supplies. Property (2900+sq) is located on a corner lot close to the public road. Contact Hans/Andrew: 645-5596/638-8599

Eccles: two flat executive concrete house; three bedrooms upper, two bedrooms lower (separate flats). Price negotiable. Tel: 602-2135

Windsor Forest 2 storey, concrete building $27M. Phoenix Park (90ft x 47ft) land $3.5M. Call: 675-7292, 2185591

Eccles: Build your own home in a modernized, gated community. Lot size 60’x100’ $7.5M. Call: 227-2913, Cell: 689-3033.

Eccles: Commercial lots $14M. Call: 227-2913, Cell: 689-3033

One flat, 3-bedroom house with toilet and bathroom, kitchen, sitting and dining room. Located at lot 408 Kayman Dam, Hampton Court, Essequibo Coast. Contact: 670-8911.

H&R Construction Service & Electrical Contractor, specialized in general construction and electrical installation, domestic and commercial. Call 661-8802. Free Inspection and quotation for the festive season.

JUST ARRIVED: TOP QUALITY RECONDITIONED VEHICLES; TOYOTA NOAH; TOYOTA VOXY; TOYOTA IST (NEW SHAPE); SUZUKI SWIFT; DAIHATSU MOVE (660CC); MERCEDES BENZ C200 KOMPRESSOR; COROLLA AE100 WAGON; TOYOTA HIACE MINIBUS RZ; PITBULL-STYLE FREEZER VAN; LAND CRUISER (FULLY LOADED); MAZDA PROCEED 4WD EXTRACAB PICK-UP; TOYOTA HILUX 4WD EXTRA CAB PICKUPS - 3RZ, 5L, 3L SOLID DEFFERNTIAL; MITSUBISHI CANTER TRUCKS 4 TONS FREEZER; 3 TONS OPEN TRAY; 2 TONS 4WD; NISSAN ATLAS 2 TONS OPEN TRAY TRUCK. PRE-ORDER YOUR UNITS EARLY AND GET THE BEST PRICES. FULL AFTER SALES SERVICES AND FINANCING AVAILABLE. DEO MARAJ AUTO SALES, 2 CHIMNEY ROAD, CHATEAU MARGOT, ECD. 624-0762, 220-5177. A NAME AND SERVICE YOU CAN TRUST

4x4 Nissan Titan fully powered Immaculate condition $3.5M. No reasonable offer refused. 622-7740

One PPP series Mazda Axela in excellent condition and one white 2007 unregistered BMW, Price negotiable. Call 679-5842.

616-5697, 690-6608

What is surprising, however, based on the West Indies history, is that all of the players who were in India were not selected, including the ring leader, ODI skipper Dwayne Bravo.

Maybe the plan was to pick some and omit some while hoping to get away with it.

Brave people

The South Africans, however, must be a brave people, brave enough to agree to host the West Indies, this set of West Indians, who may well wake up one day, any day, and to a man, say, “Come on, it’s time to leave this place.”

The South Africans may spend many sleepless nights wondering when, when will the West Indies strike, not with bat or ball, but when will they go on strike, abort the tour, and walk away leaving behind mayhem, and a big, almost unmanageable debt.

But who cares, especially when the players will not pay for their folly.

None of the players who were in India, young or old, regardless of their dispute with the Players’ Association, should have been selected for the tour to South Africa.

Chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd has said that the selectors’ job is to select the best squad to represent the region, and that is true, in most cases. This time, however, it should not have been business as usual. The board should have acted.

If it is that the West Indies Board is awaiting the findings of the Task Force, or the result of its own disciplinary committee, both of which, most times, are a waste of time, then the players should have been suspended until such time.

The players’ behaviour in India justified such action.

The West Indies Board has blundered once again, as it has on so many, many occasions; or maybe it is its general weakness that has come to the fore, once again; or it is its basic incompetence which has been evident for sometime now.

Had the board been firm but fair in the past, many times in the past, maybe the catastrophe of India would never have happened. Dwayne Bravo and his friends may never have

Would they have had the guts to do what they did had president Peter Short not gone to talk Brian Lara into rejoining his teammates after Lara had walked out on them and changed hotel on the tour of England in 1995, or had president Pat Rousseau not gone to London to talk to Lara and company when the players left South Africa in 1998 and went to London with a threat not to go back to South

Back home in Trinidad and Tobago, he went to a meeting with the Trinidad and Tobago Board over one hour late, wearing shorts and slippers, the dress code of a number of West Indies cricketers of recent times, and despite being the captain of Trinidad and Tobago, he told the people, those who selected him as such, that he could not speak to them.

Captaincy is more than flipping the coin in the middle, setting out batting order, make bowling changes, and shifting fielders around.

Africa, Nelson Mandela or no Nelson Mandela, or had the board acted firmly but fairly when the players went on the strikes they did in the past, as they did for the start of the series against South Africa in 2005?

Misguided actions

No one knows, but at every turn the board tried to patch up things and the players, including the captains, were allowed to return to action when it pleased them. The board, misguidedly, tried to put West Indies cricket first by playing the best players regardless, sometimes even sweeping other indiscretions under the rug.

Ramdin and company are lucky, very lucky, and of those selected to tour South Africa, Ramdin is probably the luckiest off all.

Looked on as a possible West Indies captain from his days as a youth player, Ramdin, before he became captain of the West Indies, once claimed, in a Test match, a catch which he did not take, and once in a Test match also used the television to try and embarrass Viv Richards, a former West Indies captain, a West Indian legend, a national

Captaincy, especially of the West Indies, the many territories of the West Indies, calls for carrying out policy, including dress code and general discipline, honesty and integrity, and it calls for standing up to principles.

West Indies cricketers are, or should be, ambassadors of the West Indies, and they should behave as the West Indians of 1967 did after the crowd had invaded the field in a Test match and the West Indians decided to go home before Frank Worrell, who was in India, asked to say something to the players.

Worrell told them about their responsibility as cricketers, about their duty as West Indies ambassadors, and about the importance of country-to-country relations.

The West Indies Board is obviously weak to allow Ramdin and friends to go to South Africa, and with all that has happened in West Indies cricket in recent years, and with all that is happening now, the board must go, in the best interest of West Indies cricket, and it must go quickly, or share the fate of Humpty Dumpty.

(Jamaica Gleaner)

Da Silva’s Optical. For Your Eyes Only, Look Better See Better. Phillip A Da Silva OD,

Da

Da

Denesh Ramdin

Stella Maris crowned Pee Wee champs

Commissioner Persaud’s 53 leads team to victory

Tense drama was the nature of the Petra organised Courts Pee Wee school football final on Sunday with Stella Maris Primary School strutting to their first title at the Banks DIH Thirst Park ground.

Stella Maris who was viewed as the underdogs of the match played with tremendous heart as well as stiff defence against the highly favoured St Pius Primary School.

However, number of near

misses as both teams showcased their ability to attack, resulted in the final ending nil all, forcing the game to the deciding penalty kicks round.

Stella Maris, no stranger to winning games by this mode, capitalized with the use of their experience and won the game 2-0 from the penalty spot to lift the 2014 trophy.

Meanwhile South Ruimveldt primary School won the third place playoff 2-0 against Tucville Primary

School.

Keion Marques scored in the ninth and 17th minutes to win the game for South Ruimveldt.

Organisers of the event were pleased with the overall success of the tournament, noting that football is a game of changing fate, an attribute of the final that saw St Pius losing to Stella Maris.

The organisers will also aim to make next year’s tournament even better than the just concluded final.

Crawford shines at Berbice ‘track attack’

Romello Crawford was the most outstanding athlete at the Flying Ace Cycling Club’s ‘Track Attack’ held Sunday at Area ‘H’ Ground in Port Mourant.

Crawford won the 10,000 meters event and the ‘devil takes the hind most’ novelty cycle races.

The event which was deemed a success saw athletes from Districts six (Corentyne) and 15 (New Amsterdam/Canje) participating in track events ahead of the National Schools Athletic Championships which is slated to start on Tuesday.

Crawford went wheel to wheel with Jamal Jarvis for the final two laps of the 10,000 meters cycle race to

take the first prize of one cellular phone. Andrew Green placed third.

Meanwhile Chester Lewis of Districts six won the boys 200 meters ahead of Jamal Evans while Jason Hope also of District six won the 100 meters event. Second was Nevor Steel ahead of Damien Beancal.

Evans gained sweet revenge when he won the boys 400 meters.

On the distaff side Merica Dick dominated, winning the female open cycle race with Destine Lewis second and Whitney Poyer third. Lewis, however, triumphed in the six-lap school girl race. The beginner’s five-lap male cycle race was taken by Curtis Dey with Kelmon

Logan placing second ahead of Kerron Griffith. Several persons who witnessed the event called for a repeat.

Organiser and Coach of the Flying Ace Cycling Club, Randolph Roberts said he was pleased that the athletes had an opportunity to compete a few days before they take on the best school athletes in the country, wishing all the Berbice athletes well at the championships.

The event was sponsored by GT&T, Ming’s Optical, Berbice Bridge Company Inc, ART Sawmilling Enterprise, Amerally Sawmills, Kings Jewellery World, Hand-inHand, Courts Guyana and GEB Security. (Andrew Carmichael)

The Guyana Police Force held its inaugural Officers’ family fun day on Sunday at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary.

The highlight of the day was a five-over softball cricket match between Senior and Junior Officers.

The senior team scored a total of 84 runs off their allotted overs with Commissioner (acting) Mr

Seelall Persaud contributing a blistering 53 not out.

In reply, the Junior Officers could only muster 48 runs.

A large number of Senior and Junior Police Officers as well as their families enjoyed a relaxing and stress-free day where they were treated to good cuisine, sports, gymnastics, music and games inclusive of softball cricket, football and dominoes.

Trampoline and merrygo-around was present for the children.

The immediate relatives of police ranks who had recently lost their lives in the line of duty were in attendance and also had an exciting time while interacting with the police officers and their families.

It is intended to have the event on an annual basis.

Guyana fall to Dominican Republic in opening game at CAC

Guyana had a tough time stringing together passes that resulted in a 1-4 loss to the Dominican Republic at the Central American Caribbean (CAC) Championships being held in Mexico on Sunday.

With the Dominicans holding the slight advantage in possession, their first goal came through the most unusual of circumstances as an overhead pass into Guyana’s scoring circle found striker Agustina Birocho unmarked.

Guyanese goalkeeper Alysa Xavier advanced to

meet the ball but appeared surprised by the height of its bounce while Birocho reached high into the air and with the gentlest of taps put her team ahead.

Finding themselves in a competitive match but down by two goals at the half, Guyana seemed a bit more settled in the second half and strung together some constructive build-ups to threaten the Dominican defence.

The final pass however always seemed to elude the Guyanese strikers as they failed to make an impact on

the score sheet. However, with the Dominican Republic adding to their tally with three more goals, Guyana would score a consolation goal in the dying moments of the game. Team Guyana next face defending champions Trinidad today whom they have never beaten in recent times. Guyana would need a pair of wins in their next two matches to remain in contention for their first ever semi-final spot in the games.

The Dominican Republic scores the first goal of the match

Seelall Persaud swings for the fences during his match winning innings

All the winners pose with the prizes

The winning Stella Maris team receive their trophy and prizes

Jeffrey is new Caribbean motor racing champ on debut

Jeffrey’s final race was drama filled in the first three laps, trailing Maloney in an intense duel before, Maloney lost control on turn one and came off the track allowing Jeffrey to power away easily.

Earlier in the day, Jeffrey had his luck as well as his car was fortunate to miss a pile up crash that took his father Kevin Jeffrey out of action for the day.

“It’s phenomenal, I didn’t really expect it, I got to give all the praises to my team, the guys have been working everyday 24/7, I also need to

thank Stag for coming onboard with me, the support they gave me for this race meet was unreal,” Jeffrey told this publication after his final race that he won comfortably.

Injury forces Federer out of final at ATP World Tour

Roger Federer

Roger Federer has withdrawn from the ATP World Tour final against Novak Djokovic because of a back injury.

The 33-year-old Swiss announced he was “not matchfit” as he apologised in person to the crowd at the O2 Arena.

Federer beat Stan Wawrinka 4-6 7-5 7-6 (8-6) on Saturday in a thrilling semi-final lasting two hours and 48 minutes.

It is Djokovic’s fourth victory at the season-ending event and he also becomes the first man to win three titles on the trot since Ivan Lendl in the 1980s.

Federer - who has won the tournament six timesconfirmed his withdrawal following the doubles final

on Sunday afternoon, won by American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

“I’m sorry I’m not fit to play,” he said. “I hope you understand. I wanted to come out personally and explain.

“I did everything I could. I took pain-killers, had rest until the very end, but I just cannot compete at this level with Novak.

“At my age it would’ve been a risk.

“It’s not that much of a surprise. This back spasm, whatever it might be, it’s just not a fun thing to have during the day. It’s just uncomfortable. But I’m positive and I’m hopeful that it’s going to go away soon.”

Tournament organisers arranged two exhibition

matches to take the place of the final.

Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 8-5 in a pro set in the first match and the British number one then paired up with John McEnroe to beat Tim Henman and Pat Cash 8-6 in a doubles contest.

Djokovic, 27, who finished the year with only eight defeats from 66 matches, collected the ATP World Tour Finals trophy before his exhibition with the Briton.

“It’s clearly not the way I wanted,” he said. “It’s an incredible achievement, but at this moment it’s hard to talk about it. I’m not one of the players that celebrate this particular type of win.

“I have to reflect on the whole season and this trophy is the crowning moment for the efforts this year. I’m very happy to be able to stand here and finish off with a trophy.”

Federer is scheduled to join Switzerland team-mate Wawrinka for the Davis Cup final against France next week and said his immediate plan was for “recovery” and then “travelling to France and getting ready for the clay”.

He suffered with a back problem in 2013, and there were signs in the closing moments against Wawrinka that he was struggling again.

Federer did not complete his post-match media duties until after 01:00 GMT on Sunday, and missed his scheduled practice session at O2 Arena in the afternoon.

(BBC Sport)

Meanwhile Kevin Jeffrey was proud of his son, “I’m really proud of him, I was chasing the championship for a while but now I can live it through him and hopefully this starts a new era,” the elder Jeffrey stated.

Jeffrey along with Mark Vieira will now have a chance to put Guyana’s motor racing on the map when they participate in the champion of champions in December.

In Super Bike action Nikhil Seereeram and Matthew Vieira had even success with both winning on the day. Seereeram was more successful however, grabbing the important victories in the CMRC category.

Italy, Croatia game interrupted

by flares

The players were led off the ground

The Euro 2016 qualifier between Italy and Croatia was interrupted on two occasions when flares were thrown on to the pitch and riot police intervened to control disturbances in the crowd.

The Group H match, which ended 1-1, was stopped in both halves, with players taken off for 10 minutes after the break by referee Bjorn Kuipers.

Italy’s Antonio Candreva and Croatia’s Ivan Perisic scored the goals.

Croatia and Italy are on

10 points, but the Croats lead on goal difference.

In the other game in the group, Malta, who had failed to score in their previous six matches, recorded a 1-1 draw in Bulgaria.

Clayton Failla equalised from the spot in the second half to earn the Maltese their first point of the campaign.

Czech Republic are in pole position in Group A following a 2-1 victory over Iceland.

A 61st-minute own goal by winger Jon Dadi

Bodvarsson helped the Czechs maintain their record.

Turkey recorded their first three points in the group with 3-1 win over Kazakhstan. Burak Y?lmaz scored twice in the victory in Istanbul.

In Group B, Israel strode to top spot with a 3-0 win over Bosnia-Hercegovina. They are now a point clear of second-placed Wales, with World Cup 2014 side Bosnia-Hercegovina with only two points from four games. (BBC Sport)

Nikhil Seereeram celebrates after his win

Kristian Jeffrey and his team as well as father Kevin Jeffrey pose after his final race

Some of the action during the super bike racing

Jeffrey is new Caribbean motor racing champ on debut

By tReiston joseph

Kristian Jeffrey is the new individual champion in the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships (CMRC) group four category after picking up two wins on Sunday during the final leg of the championships at the South Dakota Cirucit.

Jeffrey, who came into the event with the lead, maintained the top pole position with, skilled and expert driving to win the title.

The Stag Beer sponsored driver, won two out of his three races while finishing third in one. Barbadian Stuart Maloney won the other CMRC group four event.

Guyana Jaguars demolish Leeward Islands with a day to spare

By Rajiv Bisnauth

The Guyana Jaguars wrapped up their first round game in the 2014/2015 West Indies Cricket Board Professional Cricket League (WICB PCL) Franchise Four-Day Tournament inside three days by crushing the Leeward Islands by an innings and 10 runs on Sunday at the Guyana National Stadium.

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who ended with match figures of 7-78, was the star again picking up four second innings wickets.

Trailing the hosts first innings by 249 runs, Leeward Islands were bowled out for 239 in 79.4 overs just minutes before close on the penultimate day.

Bishoo (4-67) along with leftarm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (2-38), Raymond Reifer (2-48), Barnwell (1-22) and Man-of-thematch Deonarine (1-29) were the other successful bowlers.

The hosts began chipping away at Leeward Islands batting right from the third morning session. Resuming at four without loss batting a second time, Leeward Islands once again had started badly.

Leeward Islands Vice-captain Jamar Hamilton toiled for his demanding top-score of 74 which featured 11 fours. He received support from fast-bowler Gavin Tonge (49) who cracked five fours and two sixes while Orlando Peters (36),

Austin Richards Jr (24) and skipper Devon Thomas (23) all failed to carry on.

Medium-pacer Raymond Reifer, bowling with rigid controlled created the setback for the visitors in his opening spell.

The Barbadian trapped both overnight batsmen Lyndell Richardson (0) and Richards Jr leg before wicket with an incisive newball spell.

Akeem Saunders and Peters both survived poor drop chances at gully and second slip respectively. However, the duo battle through a testing period and in the process was gathering some momentum, but the Islanders problem was again compounded. Saunders was smartly stumped by Anthony Bramble off Bishoo just before the lunch break for 16.

At the break, Leeward Islands were tottering on 74-3, still 171

runs adrift of hosts’ first innings total of 343.

The pitch was offering enough turn to keep the batsmen circumspect with Peters on 20 and skipper Thomas on four. The pair stretched their partnership to 25 before Permaul claimed the next two wickets to nip whatever resistance Leeward Islands could have come up with.

Both Peters and Thomas were trapped leg before with arm balls, breaking what was the visitors’ last recognised batting stand.

The constant pressure got the better of Jacques Taylor (0) after he was bowled by off-spinner Narsingh Deonarine.

Tonge joined Hamilton and they absorbed the pressure until tea with an unbroken stand of 53.

Soon after Hamilton reached his fifty off 73 balls, with nine boundaries at that point. The pair added 101 before Tonge and Yannick Leonard was removed by Bishoo for 49 and one respectively. Hamilton 74 lasted for 115 balls, before he was bowled by Barnwell.

Bishoo then wrapped up the innings with the last wicket of Anthony Martin. The Guyana Jaguars will face the Windward Islands Volcanoes in round two from November 21-24 at the Guyana National Stadium.

Devendra Bishoo

Jamar Hamilton

Kristian Jeffrey waves the chequered flag after one of his victories