GuyanaTimes

tuesday, june 16, 2015

Prominent accounting firms

left out

Despite Government’s mantra of wanting to provide transparency and accountability and get rid of nepotism, it appeared as if the new A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration fell short by leaving out several prominent accounting firms in Guyana from the comprehensive forensic audits into some 30 state agencies.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan had announced that the Ministry has contracted private independent firms such as Ram and McRae, Hinds and Associates, former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, among others, to begin the audits into the operations and transactions of the agencies.

However, government did not disclose the process taken to select these individuals. A certified accountant, speaking to Guyana Times under the condition of anonymity, pointed out that there was no tender advertised for the auditing services as it should have been. When contacted by this publication, several of the prominent accounting firms including Nizam Ali and Company; PKF Barcellos, Narine and Company and LA Ahterly and Company indicated that they were not even contacted by the Government to be part of the process.

Also, it is reported to be standard practice for the Office of the Auditor General to subcontract local firms to carry out periodic audits of various state enti-

…as controversy surrounding state audit grows

ties on its behalf. But the Government contended that it does not want to overburden the Auditor General with work and thus, opted to contract independent firms to conduct the audits.

Questioned as to why tenders were not advertised, Junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma, who is the coordinator of the audits, said the Government did not have time to go through that process as these audits were a matter of urgency. He explained that the process of advertising for tender is too time-consuming, and maintained that the Government is in the right as there is no law stating that tenders must be advertised to contract firms for forensic audits.

Concerns Meanwhile, the anonymous accredited accountant had raised concerns over the individuals selected to conduct the audits, positing that the decision may create some form of conflict of interest or bias in their

work.

Both Christopher Ram and Goolsarran were staunch critics of the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration and had publicly commented on the financial statuses of a number of the agencies being audited.

The audit for the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) is being undertaken by Goolsarran, while the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) are currently being audited by Ram and his team at Ram and McRae.

Sections of society had warned against using these individuals for the audits as it could destroy the credibility of the work considering their open criticism of the former Government and the financial operations of the agencies being audited.

Goolsarran was quoted in the Stabroek News on October 2, 2012, claim-

ing that there is a raft of breaches of the law by the PPP/C Government through NICIL. On October 4, 2012, in the same newspaper, he claimed that NICIL is not a public corporation as government purports and therefore moveable and immoveable property cannot be vested in it. As for Ram, he was the lawyer representing Desmond Trotman who had moved to the courts to blocking a $3 billion loan agreement between the GGMC and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

Necessary

But, despite this, Government is maintaining that the audits would be credible and that the individuals would be professional. When contacted for a comment, political commentator Ramon Gaskin also defended the selection of these individuals for the job. Gaskin opined that there is no evidence that the individuals will act unprofessionally.

PPP/C salutes Enmore Martyrs

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has saluted the memory of the five sugar workers who were shot to death by Colonial Police on June 16, 1948, some 67 years ago.

These five sugar workersLalabagee, Pooran, Kisson, Harri and Surujballi- referred to as the Enmore Martyrs, remain until this day a lasting monument to the cruel and inhuman nature of the planter-class who, in collaboration with the colonial office, did everything in their power to protect the interests of the rich and powerful, even at the cost of the lives of struggling sugar workers.

In a statement the PPP/C said that the slaying of the sugar workers left an indelible imprint on the psyche of Dr Cheddi Jagan, his wife Janet and other leaders who participated in a mass protest action against the brutal slaying of the five sugar workers. “Indeed, it

was at the graveside of the slain sugar workers that Dr Jagan made that silent pledge to dedicate his entire life to the cause of the working people against the bonds of oppression and servitude. The shooting to death of the sugar workers can be seen as the catalyst to the formation of the PPP/C which, from its very inception, committed itself to improving the lot of the sugar workers and the working people as a whole.”

According to the PPP/C, the records will show that one of the first actions taken by the Party, when it won power in 1953, was to take legislative action to have the Labour Relations Bill passed. This would have led to the recognition of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), which had enjoyed the confidence of the overwhelming majority of the sugar workers. It was the attempted passage of the Labour Relations Bill that,

in the words of Dr Jagan, “brought down the clouds” and resulted in the suspension of the Constitution and the overthrow of the PPP/C from office after a mere 133 days in office even though the PPP had won a landslide victory having won 18 out of the 24 seats in the Legislative Assembly.

“Regrettably, once again dark clouds are hovering over this land following the removal of the PPP/C from office in the elections of May 11, which saw the PPP/C being removed from political office through undemocratic means...The new APNU/AFC (A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change) Granger-led regime has already started on a vendetta to decapitate the sugar industry by the summary dismissals of the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and the entire membership of the GuySuCo (Guyana Sugar Corporation) Board of Directors. Moreover, it has publicly announced its

intention to limit financial support to the ailing industry with the threat of privatisation looming large on the horizon. It blocked funding to the industry when in opposition, and now seems hell bent to close the industry down.”

The PPP/C said it is clear that the APNU/AFC Government “is merely paying lip service to the plight of the industry and could hardly care less if the industry collapses and with it the lives and livelihoods of the thousands of sugar workers and their families”. “The PPP/C wishes to restate its earlier commitment to do everything within its power to defend the interests of sugar workers which historically has been a strong bastion of support to the PPP/C. The PPP/C also takes the opportunity to extend its sympathy to the relatives and friends of the slain sugar workers and pledges to ensure that their martyrdom will not go in vain.”

He believes that if given the opportunity, the aforementioned men would separate their personal sentiments and focus on the task at hand.

Gaskin asserted that these individuals cannot deliberately distort any information even if they wanted to because the agency being audited would have a voice of objection should this course be taken.

Further, he agreed with the decision to leave the Office of the Auditor General out of the audits on the basis that the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma is not qualified to conduct these in-depth audits because he is not a chartered accountant.

Gaskin maintained that he believes these audits are necessary to clarify some of the information being peddled in society.

Former President Donald Ramotar had pledged his support of the forensic audits.

In fact, Ramotar pointed out that both the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), when in Opposition, constantly accused the PPP/C Government of being involved in all sorts of misconduct, but yet, since occupying office, they cannot find any evidence of such; now they have to resort to using a “microscope” with the hopes of discovering something amiss. “The way they spoke about corruption in our country when they were in the Opposition, I think it should not be difficult to find corruption.

The fact that they are

not finding anything tells you that what they are saying is not true. I think they should bring in experts from abroad, if they want to bring in, and let them audit the big projects,” he said. Contrary to the information coming out of the APNU+AFC Government, Ramotar maintains that the PPP/C has nothing to hide. “I am very convinced that these projects had no corruption in them.

The Marriott, we had public open bid tender…the Amaila Falls, we had partnership with Blackstone, a reputable company. It is surprising the distortion and lies peddled in the press before elections; and up to now they are saying they want to set up some body to look for this or that. If they have to get a microscope to look … I would have thought they would have just walked in and find these things with the way they were behaving,” he insisted.

Charges against alleged thief, assaulter withdrawn

Aman who was charged for beating and stealing from the mother of his child was allowed to walk out of Court Five of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after she called for the case to be withdrawn.

Renato Greenville, a 22-year-old Construction Worker, is alleged to have gotten into an argument with the Virtual Complainant (VC) Andrea La Fleur and accumulated three charges against himself.

The Police reports detailed that he allegedly assaulted La Fleur on June 11 while at Amelia’s Ward, Linden. The second charge detailed that on the same day, he also stole her BlackBerry Torch cellphone and charger valued $45,000. The accused was also charged with making use of threatening language against the accused.

However, the VC told the court that she does not wish to proceed with the matter against the defendant, telling the court that this was the first time such an incident occurred between them, adding that the defendant is the father of her oneyear-old child.

Magistrate Fabayo Azore, hearing the parties, allowed the dismissal.

22-year-old Construction Worker Renato Greenville

Anand Goolsarran

Christopher Ram Ramon Gaskin

tuesday, june 16, 2015 |

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Tuesday, June 16 – 05:00h-06:30h and Wednesday, June 17 – 05:00h-06:30h

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

Tuesday, June 16 – 16:40h-18:10h and Wednesday, June 17 – 17:10h-18:40h

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily.

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers can be expected in the morning and in the mid-afternoon, while heavy rainfall is expected late in the afternoon. Thundery showers are expected to return in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East to East North-easterly between 4.02 metres and 5.81 metres per second.

High Tide: 03:59h and 16:27h reaching maximum heights of 2.70 metres and 2.56 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:01h and 23:13h reaching minimum heights of 0.51 metre and 0.66 metre respectively.

Sugar workers draw out credit union savings …

as GAWU, GuySuCo sort out $154M debt

By Jillicia Pinder

Sugar workers turned up in their numbers on Monday to withdraw their savings from the Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) Credit Union, weeks after the union had suspended operations due to a hundreds of millions owed to it by the cash-strapped Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

The sugar workers said that they were not leaving anything to chance and opted to quit the credit union scheme and withdraw their funds. Earlier this month, GAWU was forced to suspend its Cooperative Credit Union Society Limited due to GuySuCo’s failure to remit over $154 million of workers’ contributions. GuySuCo had said that the amount is not accurate.

Due to the suspension of the credit union, it is now unable to continue to facilitate savers’ withdrawals in light of the non-payment of the workers’ savings by the Corporation.

The Credit Union is also now unable to secure further loans to satisfy savers’ withdrawals. Komal Chand, President of GAWU, told Guyana Times on Monday that the overflow of persons to hastily withdraw their money is very understandable, given the current situation. Concurrently, with its suspension, the Credit Union had also advised GuySuCo to cease deductions from workers’ earnings, Credit Union savings, with effect from May 30, 2015. The suspension is said to remain intact until the money is returned or a payment system is arranged and agreed to by both parties.

Chand stated that though the workers had never showed up in such large numbers before, he understands their frustration and apprehension, and is trying to accommodate them all to put their minds at ease.

The GAWU President stated that in anticipation of such a situation arising,

they had borrowed money from several commercial banks to maintain a great relationship with the work-

get what is rightfully theirs and that the matter can be placed behind them to resume credit union services as is depended on by many. With respect to the outstanding sum, Chand stated that an agreement must be met to sort out how the debt will be repaid in the near future. He noted that the Corporation has found itself in a deep financial crisis and they need to do better and prioritise.

He also mentioned that GAWU is planning to meet with members of GuySuCo this coming week and hopes all goes well so as to resume their Credit Union services. He also advised workers in other fields that the credit union suspension has only been limited to the sugar in-

ly manner. The Corporation has since been remitting the dues, although there are still some outstanding amounts.

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder mentioned that a management team has met with GAWU to sort out differences and find a way forward.

However, some are still skeptical about the matter as GuySuCo was recently identified to be facing threats of closure due to lacking of funding. Recent reports have indicated that GuySuCo will be benefiting from $400 million via a line of credit from the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica.

Workers present in the GAWU compound told this publication that they just

ers while other matters were being sorted out otherwise. He also mentioned that he did not want the workers to be disappointed after having assured them that the union is sound and under control.

With respect to the credit union savings, Chand mentioned that he is looking forward to dialogue with the new administration of GuySuCo to have assurance in keeping with their agreement that the workers

dustry and that other workers need not worry.

A GuySuCo official had recently told Guyana Times that the account on the outstanding credit union dues is inaccurate.

The official stated that in 2013, GuySuCo begun collecting union dues but it was not remitted in a time-

don’t want to have their earnings vanish without a trace.

If the safety of their wages can be guaranteed, they will cease their worry and let the union handle the services as always, but as the system is somewhat sketchy, they refuse to take that chance.

GAWU’s President Komal Chand

MONdaY, jUNE 15, 2015

Sugar workers are concerned about their savings in the GAWU-run Credit Union

Editor: Nigel Williams

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

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

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

Editorial

The Enmore Martyrs

Today is the anniversary of a seminal event in the history of modern Guyana - Enmore Martyrs’ Day.

On June 16, 1948, a British Guiana Police contingent was ordered to fire into a crowd of protesting sugar workers at Plantation Enmore. Five of them were killed and 15 injured.

While there had been at least a dozen previous instances where sugar workers were shot and killed by the Police on behalf of the sugar interests, this atrocity sparked the formation of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and the struggle that was to end with the independence of Guyana 18 years later - on May 26, 1966.

The history of our country can be viewed as one long struggle of its peoples to be recognised and treated as human beings - with all the rights and obligations that such recognition demands.

The “national hero” of Guyana has been designated as Cuffy (or Kofi) for the role he played back in 1763 to lead a rebellion for this right in Berbice against the Dutch planters and the state that protected them and their interests.

While Cuffy and his fellow fighters, which included other leaders such as Accrabe and Atta, were ultimately defeated in the field of battle because the resources at their disposal could never match those of their adversaries, their example in standing up for their rights have resonated through the years.

After the abolition of slavery, rather than allowing the ex-slaves to bargain fairly for their wages in a supposedly “free market”, the planters, with the support of the state brought in “indentured labourers” from Maderia, India and China to undercut them.

Be as it may, the sugar industry remained the most powerful economic entity in the colony to such an extent that the initials “BG”, which was the common name of the colony, was said to stand for “Bookers’ Guiana”.

The struggle against the sugar interests, then, was coterminous with the struggle against the colonial government. Since the indentured workers had signed contracts for their terms of employment, they naturally became agitated when these were routinely violated by an industry used to dealing for centuries with slave labour.

Starting in 1872, sugar workers were killed at regular intervals for protesting these violations.

It was the protests of sugar workers in the Caribbean that forced the British Government to send out “The Moyne Commission” in 1838. They were actually taking evidence in Guyana in 1939 when four sugar workers were shot and killed at Leonora by the Police on behalf of the sugar barons.

The Moyne Commission went on to recommend a number of changes in social and economic relations but also an increase in the number of persons securing the franchise. This last achievement, of course, benefitted the entire society.

By 1948, however, not much had changed in labour relations when the planters arbitrarily decided to change the method of “cane cutting” with the clear intent to increase labour demands on the workers - for less pay proportionally.

At this time the workers were represented by the Guyana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU) which objected to the imposition and called a strike. The workers had been demonstrating to express their opposition to the new rule when they were mowed down.

At the massive funeral for the killed workers, Dr Cheddi Jagan, who was one of the leaders of the Political Action Committee (PAC) that had supported the action, made a vow that he would dedicate the rest of his life to the ending of colonial oppression.

He went on to take a lead in the formation of the PPP in 1950 and it is from this grouping that another leader of the PPP, Forbes Burnham would emerge to launch the People’s National Congress (PNC).

It is our hope that the seminal event that launched the two major parties of Guyana will be commemorated by all.

To celebrate the 450th anniversary of Antwerp city hall, artist

170,000 potted plants (BBC

NACTA poll sees dead heat in TT elections

Dear Editor,

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago has announced the dissolution of Parliament and announced September 7 as election date.

Opinion polls conducted by NACTA and other pollsters – Express (Nigel Henry), Guardian (Louis Bertrand), UWI Psychological Center (Derek Chadee) – reveal a very close contest, similar to what took place in Guyana in May.

While one poll has one party or the other ahead, NACTA has the outcome as a dead heat. A month ago, NACTA had the PNM ahead, while the other polls had the PP ahead.

Last week, NACTA had PP ahead (in seats), but PNM ahead in popular support (as also found in Henry’s poll published days later). All four polls have a higher approval rating of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar over Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley.

Jack Warner, of Fifa fame, leader of ILP, is polling four per cent nationally, but varied amounts in key seats that could upset the election re-

sults.

Although Kamla leads Rowley in popularity and likability ratings, her coalition trails the PNM in key battleground constituencies that will determine which party wins the next elections.

The poll shows the PNM leading in nine critical seats in Trinidad that it lost to the PP in 2010 (in a 29-12 victory). This placed the party one seat behind the PNM.

However, all of the marginal seats are closely contested within the poll’s margin of error of four per cent, and in none of them where the PNM or PP leads, is either party over the 50 per cent mark to seal the deal.

In addition, 27 per cent of the voters remain undecided (in NACTA poll but 32 per cent in other polls) and many don’t plan to vote expressing dissatisfaction with the choices before them.

In the bellwether Tunapuna constituency, PNM leads 35 per cent to 31 per cent, with the other parties nine per cent and 25 per cent undecided (four per cent margin of error).

The latter voters wish

for an alternative that is nowhere on the horizon. In a poll last week, in Talparo, the PP is slightly ahead of PNM giving it the edge but too close to call.

The latest findings show Persad-Bissessar remaining enormously popular among PP supporters, and she is also attracting racial cross over voters, though not as wide a margin as obtained in 2010 when she won a landslide 2912 victory.

The PNM base is also somewhat solidified behind Dr Rowley, but he is not getting cross over support to win, thereby making it an indeterminate election at this time.

The mini parties are attracting nearly eight percent of the votes and they could very well influence the outcome of the next election either in an alliance with one of the major parties, or splitting the base of the two larger parties.

Although PP supporters like Kamla and are behind her for a second term, they are dissatisfied with most of her Cabinet and the performance of most of her MPs.

Her supporters want an almost new slate of candi-

dates with only a handful of the incumbents gaining their nod. Voters say replacing most of the incumbents will enhance her chance at reelection.

The poll’s findings reveal Kamla’s job approval rating as Prime Minister as 51 per cent with a disapproval rating of 37 percent and 12 percent not offering an opinion. Dr Rowley’s job approval rating as Opposition Leader is 47 per cent with 40 percent disapproving and 13 per cent not offering a rating.

Other polls have similar numbers for both. The PM’s approval rating just after she began her term in office was 82 per cent. The government’s approval rating five years ago was 69 per cent. The PM’s popularity has been on the mend in recent months.

With regards to national support, the two parties are at a statistical dead heat: PNM 33 per cent, PP 32 per cent, ILP (Jack Warner) four per cent, other parties four per cent, and 27 per cent undecided.

Vishnu Bisram NACTA

Is the WICB serious about cricket development?

Dear Editor,

World Cup 2015 has been over for some time now and we are in another phase of West Indies cricket.

WI cricket fans seem to have already forgotten the embarrassment that was foisted on our beloved game during that unforgettable period, and the WICB President has quickly engaged the “distract mode” by making the following announcements:

1. A promise to attend to the pitch - an area of concern that has been constantly talked about for years with no

positive action taken.

2. Enlistment of a head coach (in the person of Mr Phil Simmons) after the World Cup when it would have been more useful to have had him or someone else for some time before that important tournament.

3. Engaging Caricom to discuss matters that include Government’s role in WI cricket.

It is indeed shocking to find that Mr Cameron only now recognizes that Governments have a role to play after he and his Directors

devastated cricket in Guyana over the past four years, citing Government’s intervention, when in fact Government only became involved as a result of major cricket administrators’ request for assistance and resolution from an illegal group that has hijacked cricket in Guyana.

The WICB never met with Guyana’s cricket stakeholders to try and resolve the issues. This seems to be just talk, the usual bluff game designed to keep the WI populace in check, while the incompetent WICB continues to waste

away the human and financial resources of Caribbean cricket.

For regardless of the quality of the head coaches appointed at the Test level and the complete rehabilitation of all the pitches in the Caribbean, WI cricket will not improve significantly until and unless there are serious pragmatic and structural changes in both the administration and technical aspects of our cricket from the school (grassroots) level upwards to the WICB.

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven created a flower carpet from more than

News)

A clear case of witch-hunting and political victimisation

Dear Editor, Former Toshao and Chairman of the National Toshao Council (NTC) Yvonne Pearson has been fired from her job by the Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Sydney Allicock.

At the time of her job termination, Pearson was an advisor on indigenous people’s issues at the Ministry of Indigenous People Affairs (MOIPA), formerly the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs (MOAA).

But this is a clear case of witch hunting and political victimization by the current Government, which is glibly and in hypocrisy speaking about social cohesion and national unity in Guyana.

Worshipping

Dear Editor,

In this connection, it is fitting that “political victimization and witch-hunting” should have been Number One on the first 100 days plan by the APNU+AFC Government.

Yvonne Pearson is an expert on indigenous people’s issues and her service at the Ministry was of exceptionally high standard, which contributed significantly to the social and economic development of Guyana’s indigenous communities.

The Amerindian communities that heard of Pearson’s job termination are highly disturbed and want to know if this is the “change” the APNU+AFC coalition was preaching about on its campaign trail.

Further they asked, “Is this the way the APNU+AFC coalition Government is respecting the rights of Amerindians, which is a violation of our Constitution and the United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)?”

Jean La Rose of the APA and a candidate for the APNU+AFC coalition on its top-up list (Number 47) at the May elections and is very busy at the Ministry. Is she now the advisor to Minister Allicock? And could as well be pushing the APA’s “land agenda”, which cannot work in Guyana’s multi-ethnic society.

Peter Persaud

Bhagwan Hanumanji

Bhagwan Hanuman is the brother of Lord Rama.

It is said that the Holy Ramayana is written in the Mastya Purana in one billion verses, and later Sage Valrico was told by the Deity Naradamuni to write the story of Sri Rama so that the people in that age can understand.

Valmiki then wrote the Ramayana in 24,000 verses, which was then re-written by Tulsidas to suite the people of this age.

I had mentioned previously that our religion is very scientific with the creation of the first human beings, Svayambhu Manu and Satarupa, in the Satya Yuga through cosmic energy.

The great King ruled over this Earth for thousands of years, as people do not die in the Satya Yuga, which is a duration of 1,728,000 years. On his fourth stage of life he, having handed over the kingdom to his eldest son Uttanapada, decided to go into Tapasya, with his wife Satarupa in order to worship God by leading a solitary life.

Their objective was to reach the Supreme Being, so they performed severe penance for 23,000 years, merely by drinking water, only breathing air and by standing only on one leg.

Lord Vishnu, Brahma and Lord Shiva were pleased with their sacrifice and Lord Vishnu and his Consort appeared before them. Lord Vishnu asked what he could do for them, as he was pleased with their austerity.

Manu told Lord Vishnu, “O Lord if you are pleased with me, I want a son like you.” Lord Vishnu told them that He was very pleased with them and that in the Treta Age they will be born as Dasaratha (King of Ayodhya) and Kausalya and he will manifest himself with the fragments in four forms as your son.

In the latter part of the Treta Yuga, King Dasaratha was the ruler of the three worlds in the kingdom of Ayodhya. Manu and Satarupa were reborn in the Treta Yuga as King Dasaratha and Queen Kausalya, as promised by Lord Vishnu.

King Dasaratha wanted a son to carry on his dynasty. He consulted his foremost sages, Vasistha Muni and Vamanadeva, who were also his family priests.

They suggested to King Dasaratha that the sage Rishyasringa could obtain sons for him by petitioning the Supreme Personality of Godhead during the Asvamedha sacrifice. Moreover, these four sons would not be ordinary mortals, but expansions of Lord Vishnu.

King Dasaratha agreed and decided to invite all sages, priests and Sadus to the function. Rishyashringa summoned Lord Brahma and other deities to give their blessings to King Dasaratha.

As Lord Brahma was speaking, the demigods, the sages, priest and Sadus took the op-

portunity to lodge a complaint to Lord Brahma of the various attacks and destructions from the demon Ravana.

As Brahma was speaking, Lord Vishnu suddenly appeared in the sky, riding the great bird, Garuda. Lord Brahma asked the Lord to be incarnated as the son of Dasaratha for the sake of humanit. Lord Vishnu agreed as He had promised Manu and Satarupa in the Tratayug to be their son.

As the Yagna was coming to a close, Dasaratha requested that sage Rishyashringa perform the Putrakama Yagna to get a son.

The Rishi said, “There are certain rites which are described in the Atharva Veda, I will perform for you. The Puktrama Yagna will bless Dasaratha with four sons, all parts of Lord Vishnu in human form, the eldest, Lord Rama from Kausalya, Bharatta from Kaikeyi, Lakshman and Satruhan from Sumintra.”

Bhagwan Hanuman took birth when King Dasaratha handed Sumintra her part of Prasadam. Sumintra ate some and left the remaining portion on the widow sill. A bird picked at it, flew away and dropped it whilst flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Anjana then consumed this Prasadam.

As a result, Bhagwan Hanuman was born, which made Hanumanji the brother of Bhagwan Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatta and Satruhan. All of them being the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. (Very few are aware of this.)

He is an important part of the Hindu religion .In the mediation verse (Dhyan Sloka) of the Ramayana, assurance was given with the saying: “If one worships Bhagwan Hanuman , one will be blessed with intelligence, strength, fame, courage, absence of fear, good health, alertness and power of eloquence.”

S N Singh

Deliberate

attempt by Venezuela to retard Guyana’s economic development

Dear Editor, Guyanese must stand firm behind President David Granger against Venezuela’s false claims of Guyana’s Essequibo territory. It takes us back in the years from 1835 to 1841 when the demarcation of the boundary between Venezuela and British Guiana was done by Sir Robert Schombrugk.

1895 saw the genesis of the boundary dispute between Venezuela and Guyana (then British Guiana). It must be noted that this controversy goes back to over hundreds of years. It was intertwined with abstract dealings of the metropolitan countries with their colonies – on the one hand it was Guyana under the British, and on the other hand, Venezuela under Spain.

The dispute arose about the boundary and President Cleveland of the USA intervened in the matter. Britain was accused of violating the Monroe Doctrine and was persuaded to determine the issue in favour of the independent Republic of Venezuela.

To meet USA demands, Britain decided to arbitrate with the great American republic on the position of the disputed boundary.

After prolonged diplomatic exchanges between the government of Venezuela and Britain between the years 1880 to 1885, the border dispute concerning the western boundary of Guiana with Venezuela could not be resolved.

As a result, the Venezuelan government found itself in great diplomatic bitterness and frus-

tration with Britain around 1887.

According to the Venezuelan version of the matter, 50,000 square miles of territory are involved in the dispute. Venezuela claimed this territory by virtue of being the successors to the territory once occupied by Spain.

On the other hand, Britain claimed the territory by reason of being the conquerors of the Dutch, who in turn had the rights to the land through their occupation of territories, Guyana included.

The arbitration tribunal settled the border dispute between the republic of Venezuela and Britian on October 3, 1899 and it was signed by the arbitrators in Paris on that date when they made the award.

The arbitration award was subsequently ratified by the Venezuelan congress and executive, as well as by the British government, and was accepted as bringing to finality the border dispute between the two countries.

All seemed settled until the year 1949. Later a tremendous amount of pressure was brought by the people of Venezuela and their leaders upon the Venezuelan government, demanding that action be taken to reclaim the Essequibo territory under dispute.

And on the announcement that Guiana was to gain its independence in 1966, a joint communiqué was issued dated December 9 and 10 of 1965 on ministerial discussions held in London between Britian and Venezuela.

Subsequently the agree-

ment signed on the February 17, 1966 by Britain, in consultation with the government of British Guiana and Venezuela to resolve the controversy over the border dispute.

In 1970, the two countries signed a treaty by which the dispute would rest in cold storage for a period of 12 years until 1982.

This treaty is known as the Port-of-Spain protocol, having being signed in the Trinidad and Tobago capital by representatives of Great Britain, Guyana and Venezuela. The treaty which seemed to infer acknowledgement on both sides of the existence of a dispute was not ratified by the Venezuelan congress, and so the dispute remains unresolved.

On June 15, 1968, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs placed an advertisement in the Times of London stating that the Essequibo region of Guyana belonged to Venezuela, and that the Venezuelan government would not in consequence recognize concessions granted over Essequibo by the Guyana government. We, the Guyanese, people view this as a deliberate attempt by the government of Venezuela though intimidation to retard the economic development which Guyana is exploring oil in her territorial.

The people and government of Guyana consider this intimidation to be repugnant to our territorial sovereignty and a violation of international law.

Mohamed Khan

Is the WICB serious about...

It follows therefore that this umpteenth governance review would be a futile exercise unless it is meaningfully established as, given its past record, the WICB will not implement any recommendation that doesn’t suit its selfserving purpose.

Public acceptance of the decisions could be guaranteed by ensuring the following:

1. That the Governance Committee includes five members who are above reproach and are appropriately qualified in the areas of governance, law and finance with a working knowledge of WI cricket administration being a key feature.

2. That no member of the current WICB should be on the Governance Committee, particularly since the terms of reference must include the need to investigate each territory of the WICB for compliance on the issues of free and fair elections, financial accountability and technical competence in their cricket administrative operations.

Members of that cabal

shamelessly band together on issues, even though their decisions would adversely affect the very objective of their responsibility – the development of cricket in the region.

3. That the WICB must make available its books for forensic scrutiny, thereby paving the way for progress in the anticipated turnaround of WICB cricket with specific reference to its accountability, financial and otherwise, and how this relates with member territories and funding sources.

Should the current WICB agree to this, then there is hope. I am however of the belief that they will not, for they are merely bluffing in order to acquire the forgiveness and acceptance of the cricketing public.

So let us Test their sincerity one more time. Maybe Caricom could influence Governments to fund the Governance Committee exercise only if the shifty WICB directorate agrees to the terms suggested above. We have been down the road of

WICB deception many times before.

Let’s hope and pray that this time they would agree in the best interest of WI cricket.

In reviewing what transpired throughout the South Africa tour and the 2015 World Cup debacle, it is evident that maximum preparation is required to present the best combination of participants to compete at the international level and moreso in the premier cricketing spectacle - the World Cup.

Players must be carefully selected and fully prepared for such engagements well in advance, since the image and quality of the West Indies cricket would be on show to the entire world.

In my view, the WICB irresponsibly sent a group of players (not a team) to represent us on the world stage. That group was not a cohesive unit and seemed totally unaware of what was expected of them. from page 4 turn to page 17

How would a rest day sound to you?

Sounds Fantastic.

Let’s take a break from the physical aspect of yoga and let us look at something that also bares the same importance. What should one do before they start doing yoga? What should they do during and after? The

International Day for Yoga, June 21...

Yoga sensation for the nation

Submitted by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh-Guyana (Hindus for Selfless Service)

liness - an important prerequisite for Yogic practice. It includes cleanliness of surroundings, body and mind.

2. Yogic practice should be performed in a calm and quiet atmosphere with a relaxed body and mind.

or folded blanket should be used for the practice.

6. Light and comfortable cotton clothes are preferred to facilitate easy movement of the body.

7. Yoga should not be performed in state of exhaustion, illness, in a hurry or in acute stress conditions.

8. In case of chronic disease/ pain/ cardiac problems, a physician or a Yoga

answers to these questions are as follows:

Before the practice

1. Śauca means clean-

3. Yogic practice should be done on an empty stomach or light stomach. Consume small amount of honey in lukewarm water if you feel weak.

4. Bladder and bowels should be empty before starting Yogic practices.

5. A mattress, Yoga mat

therapist should be consulted prior to performing Yogic practices.

9. Yoga experts should be consulted before doing

Yogic practices during pregnancy and menstruation.

During the practice

1. Practice sessions should start with a prayer or invocation as it creates a conducive environment to relax the mind.

2.Yogic practices shall be performed slowly, in a relaxed manner, with awareness of the body and breath.

3. Do not hold the breath unless it is specially mentioned to do so during the practice.

4. Breathing should be always through the nostrils unless instructed otherwise.

5. Do not hold body tightly, or jerk the body at any point of time.

6. Perform the practices according to your own capacity.

7. It takes some time to get good results, so persistent and regular practice is very essential.

8. There are contra-indications/ limitations for each Yoga practice and such contra-indications should always be kept in mind.

9. Yoga session should end with meditation/ deep silence

After the practice

1. Bath may be taken only after 20-30 minutes of practice.

2. Food may be consumed only after 20-30 minutes of practice.

Food for thought

1. A few dietary guidelines can ensure that the body and mind are flexible and well-prepared for practice.

2. A vegetarian diet is usually recommended, and for a person over 30 years, two meals a day should suffice, except in cases of illness or very high physical activity or labour

Around $1.2B owed to Essequibo rice farmers

... 7 millers cited for delinquency

By IndrawattIe natram

Some $1.2 billion is owed to Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) rice famers by millers; seven of whom have been cited for payment delinquency. The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) also said several other farmers across the country are owed huge sums and that Region Two represented just a fraction of what is collectively owed.

Last week, Minister of State Joseph Harmon announced that Government has been faced with the task of sourcing some US$15 million to pay rice farmers, contending that the Petrocaribe Fund was empty.

The PetroCaribe Fund was set up as part of Guyana’s arrangement with Venezuela to pay local famers supplying rice to the neighbouring country under a concessionary fuel supply agreement. Thus far, the Fund should have contained sums amounting to hundreds of millions of US dollars.

Chairman of the Essequibo Paddy Farmer’s Association, Naithram, during an interview with Guyana Times on Monday said that he has no statistics on hand, however, based on information the Association received, millions are still owed to famers.

When asked to single out those millers, the rice farmer and Alliance for Change activist listed Ramesh Ramlakhan Rice Mill and Wazeer Hussain as millers who owed farmers. Naithram said that millers continue to rip off rice farmers, pushing the rice industry at a “crossroad”.

The Paddy Association Chairman continues to argue for the restructuring of the Guyana Rice Development Board and the removal of its head, Jagnarine Singh. “I am appealing to the Minister and the new Government that the GRDB Board must go,” the frustrated Chariman said. Naithram contended that the GRDB was working

for millers and short-changing the farmers on a number of issues including paddy prices, in terms of fertilisers and the grading of the paddy.

“You have transactions going on between members of the Board with some individual millers, whereby those on the Board are having drawbacks from the millers,” he alleged. The farmer noted that millers purchase the paddy and then sell it to overseas markets and give the farmers a pittance.

The grading system law is broken by all the millers without penalties being administered, the farmers also said. Shewcharran noted that “all the millers break the law but nobody telling them anything. When you cut your paddy and carry it to the mill, you cannot talk for your rights, you get victimised… the grading system they are not implementing the law, even in the weight, even in the moisture and they are taking advantage over farmers and all GRDB telling us is that they gon look into it.”

An official who asked not to be named said indeed millions are owed to farmers but the problem is not confined to Region Two alone, saying “in fact, countrywide millions are owed in all the rice producing regions, when we examine, Region Two farmers are owed less compared to Regions Four and Six”, the official disclosed.

According to the Board’s statistics, seven millers including, Golden Rice Investment, Vincent Persaud, Rameshlakhan, La Resource, Deonarine, Old Mac and Caricom Rice Mills owe Region Two farmers. It was noted that millers such as Imam Bacchus and Sons and Roopan Ramator, are millers who do not owe farmers in the Region.

Guyana Times was unable to contact some of the millers who are allegedly indebted to the farmers. However, according to an official from Golden Fleece Rice Investment, farmers were paid but the mill continues to have large stocks

of paddy due to delayed shipments.

The official noted that the mill will be trying to move in accordance with the Rice Factory Act to pay farmers within 42 days. The official said that sometimes it is difficult when the stock is on hand and the market is slow which is very burdensome and creates delay. “It’s all about a process, when we ship we pay, we don’t only ship to Venezuela we have other markets,” the official related.

The official from the mill said they can only supply what is required on a monthly or weekly basis. Meanwhile, another miller said that the delay in payment is based on the money released by Government to the millers.

During the last rice crop, it was noted that over $1.9 billion was owed to millers but the money was released late. “If they release late, we will eventually pay late”. When asked if millers were paid for paddy/rice shipped to Venezuela, one miller from Vilvoorden, Essequibo Coast, replied in the affirmative, saying Government released money on May 10. Millers have reportedly paid for the shipment of paddy sent to Venezuela during March-April.

Current crop

Meanwhile, commenting on the present rice crop, Naithram said sowing is presently in full swing but even as this is taking place, rice farmers are faced with flooded fields. He commented that fields are flooded due to poor drainage and irrigation systems being offered by the Region Two Administration.

Naithram said most of the sluices are out of operation and the rice crop is in “jeopardy”. Interviews with farmers in various villages revealed that the excessive water on their lands poses a threat.

One farmer from Reliance said he is not owed and was paid all his money; however, the flood waters remain a challenge for him.

$75,000 bail for suspect who attempted to steal truck battery

Aman was granted $75,000 bail at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday when he scaled a wall in an attempt to steal a truck battery valued at $70,000.

MOH, Canadian High Commission pledge to strengthen health sector

The Canadian High Commissioner, Dr Nicole Giles, paid a visit to the Public Health Ministry on Monday to discuss plans for the health sector and ways to strengthen the sector, with the recently appointed Health Minister, George Norton.

The two spoke at length about the Minister’s plans and actions he soon wishes to implement, with help from organisations such as the Pan American Health Organisation and the World Health Organisation.

On recent visits to several health facilities around Guyana, Norton noted the biggest problem in many of these facilities is its administration and a total neglect for the infrastructure. He stated that this can be solved easily with repairs, and dedication to keep the facilities and equipment in order and in great care. Norton said he

was convinced that there was some lack of interests in these facilities before, but it is now his mission to get the health system working.

Minister Norton also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the High Commissioner for her country’s support to Guyana’s Health Ministry. He declared a “win-win situation” in Guyana as he acknowledged that Guyana’s health sector would not be able to provide as much help to the Guyanese citizens without Canada’s assistance.

Norton also urged the community to become involved in what is going on around them as it relates to the health sector. Junior Health Minister Dr Karen Cummings agreed with her senior in developing stronger community involvement, as the Canadian High Commissioner pledged her commitment to work with the new officials to further devel-

op the local health sector. Giles thanked the Health Ministry for their support in the Canada-Guyana Medical Partnerships Coalition, an informal grouping of the numerous Canadian-Guyanese medical outreach groups, working to identify and address health care needs in Guyana. The coalition was established in 2014, by the Canadian High Commission with the support of the Health Ministry. It has developed into 12 CanadianGuyanese non-profit organisations that deliver medical outreach programmes and many medical professionals, with more joining every month.

The High Commissioner expressed hope for the continuation of this strong partnership and mentioned that Canada will continue to support the Health Ministry on their mission for good health care throughout Guyana.

No electricity, resident Medex at Kabakaburi – Minister Norton hears

Residents of the Amerindian community of Kabakaburi in Upper Pomeroon River, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), have complained about not having a resident Medex to deliver health services to their community.

ed that the centre did not have access to water. Norton vented his dissatisfaction at the state of the health centre and called on the Regional Health Officer to show keen interest and attention to the centre.

“I am upset that a tap in a birthing room does not have running water despite the Regional Administration has a plumber employed on a full-time basis... nothing is done,” Minister Norton added.

there is high tide. He said the issue is a very prevalent one. A Suggestion was made for the centre to be re-located to higher ground. When asked why the facility does not have a resident Medex, Regional Health Officer, Allison Brown said the Medex left due to lack of security and poor infrastructure.

The accused is 32-yearsold Randolph Thompson of Albouystown, Georgetown. He stands accused of attempting to commit a felony after he climbed over a wall along Mandela Avenue, Georgetown to steal the truck battery on June 12.

matter was reported to the Police.

Police Prosecutor, Simone Payne told the court that the defendant was seen by a security guard climbing the wall of the premises he trespassed upon around 09:30h. An alarm was raised when he tried stealing the battery from the truck, licensed plate GLL 1985. He was apprehended and the

The prosecutor objected to bail, stating that the offense committed by the accused is quite serious, reiterating that he was caught in the act of committing the offence.

Nevertheless, Magistrate Fabayo Azore overruled this and granted him bail. He is expected back in court on June 17.

Speaking on behalf of the community was midwife Yolindra Roberts, who told Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton during his visit to the community on Saturday last, that the health centre does not have the service of a resident Medex. Topping it too, Roberts said the building is also without electricity. It was further explained that the batteries for 10 solar panels that were gifted to the centre by the previous People’s Progressive Party/ Civic Government were damaged some two years ago and were never replaced despite several reports made to the Region Two Administration. Roberts added that no effort was made by the Administration to get the solar system back into operation.

During Dr Norton’s inspection, it was also not-

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Health Committee for the Kabakaburi Health Centre, Nicolos Baharally, told Minister Norton that the committee usually raises funds to assist in the health care delivery process. He said only recently, eight mosquitoes nets were donated to the centre and repainting was done to the beds. Baharally said the objective of the committee is to make the centre operational so that the community can benefit. The bridge leading to the Medex quarters was also repaired by the committee.

The Chairman also complained of flooding in the centre’s compound when

In assuring that the community gets a resident Medex, Minister Norton said that he is thinking of relocating young doctors to the hinterland areas. He said their skills need to be utilised, making reference to the health professionals who were recently trained in Cuba. The Public Health Minister also used the opportunity to congratulate the committee for the job it has been doing at the centre, which was built some 43 years. Minister Norton during his visit to the Upper Pomeroon River inspected health centres at Kabakaburi and was accompanied by Inter-Ministerial Advisor Seewchan; Deputy Permanent Secretary Trevor Thomas; and Regional Health Officer, Dr Allision Brown.

Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton inspecting the Kabakaburi Health Centre

Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry to prioritise technical, vocational training

Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock, in outlining some of his Ministry’s plans for the hinterland regions, said that technical and vocational studies are to be prioritised.

Minister Allicock said while equipment is there, maintenance remains a big issue. In this vein, the Minister said training in technical areas is needed. He was referring to the equipment and machinery given to Amerindian villages to aid their development. “We have a number of wonderful equipment, like tractors; we have solar systems, solar panel; we have buses; but then when they are broken we go back to ask for new ones and here is where education comes in, here is where training comes in.”

Minister Allicock said that technical training centres are needed in the regions and districts where there is a very high youth population. Areas to be explored would include agriculture and home economic institutes, the Minister highlighted. These areas will be upgraded since a major focus will be on ecotourism and tourism in general.

“…All these other areas are related in tourism, we see everything relating to transportation; to get people food, so you need agriculture; people to know

what plants to grow. And here is where you need persons with the ability to cater, having balanced diets or understanding customers’ needs.”

These too, the Minister said, would add to the social and economic upliftment of communities. In addition, emphasis will be placed on women and children issues as these also play a critical role in society. Minister Allicock said women and children play a very critical role in keeping their culture alive, which is something his Ministry will work hard to achieve. “We believe that more than ever, women can make us survive; have our identity out there, but they have to be given the opportunity.”

The cultural aspect of any society is also necessary, the Minster said, as it aids in producing more rounded individuals. Going forward, Mr Allicock said that more opportunities will be made available to youths in the hinterland, so as to equip them with more skills to meet the needs of their communities.

Man walks free due to lack of evidence

Brandon Rahaman, 22 of Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown walked a free man out of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday, after Magistrate Judy Latchman dismissed his matter due to lack of evidence.

Rahaman was accused of causing the death of Wazir Mohamed Hassan on March 17, 2014 (Phagwah Day) on the Houston

Public Road, East Bank Demerara.

He was first charged on October 27, 2014, but after months of trial the Magistrate dismissed the case stating that the prosecution had failed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Rahaman had caused Hassan’s death due to his dangerous driving.

On March 17, 2014, the freed man was driving a vehicle bearing registration

number GRR 4883 with several persons in the tray, including the deceased.

He was reportedly proceeding south of the East Bank Highway when he navigated a left turn.

He lost control of the vehicle, which flipped over several times, causing injuries to Hassan. Hassan was subsequently rushed to the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Phones stolen from New YorkGeorgetown flight in-transit in T&T

Five people have been arrested for stealing cellphones from the cargo of a Caribbean Airlines flight that stopped off in Trinidad on its way to Guyana, the Trinidad Express reported. The flight in transit from New York arrived at Piarco International Airport last Wednesday to offload cargo.

On Thursday, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service officers received a report from authorities in Guyana that nine cellphones were missing, however.

Among the missing

phones were the high-end Samsung Galaxy S6 and Apple iPhones. Sergeant Joseph of the Arouca Criminal Investigation Department led a team of detectives to the airport.

Four male employees of Swissport, aged 23 to 26, and a 44-year-old female, who is said to be a lec -

turer at the Trinidad and Tobago Training Academy, were arrested as a result of those investigations, the paper reported.

Seven of the stolen cellphones were recovered. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a sixth suspect. Investigations are continuing.

Eyew tness

One love...

...in Brooklyn

African Guyanese ended up in Brooklyn because of historical reasons: that’s where the other West Indians who preceded them settled.

For reasons no one’s been able to explain up to now, when the Indian Guyanese tidal wave of immigration landed on American shores, they all washed up in Queens.

And if these house-proud, Johnnies-come-lately to the American Dream think they’re the first ones who cleaned up neighborhoods and brought them back from the precipice, they ought to read the story of Prospect Park and other Brooklyn “hoods”. Black West Indians’ been there, done that!

But while the two Boroughs actually abut each other - they’re literally worlds apart in the American popular imagination. And from what we saw at the APNU/AFC victory rally, looks like the two sets of Guyanese in New York are studiously following in that tradition, where “the twain shall never meet”.

One can blame the political centrifugal forces that’re unleashed at election time for keeping the groups apart at the local celebrations - like at the stadium.

But what’s the excuse in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Wasn’t even winter when snow can be an excuse. When your Eyewitness looked at the parade, he was challenged (and defeated) to find any evidence of the “unity” that’s being trumpeted at home.

The Minister of the Presidency was obviously so struck with the same dissonant vision that he felt compelled to say he’ll have to mosey down over to Queens to check out the brothers in that neck of the woods.

There’s been all sorts of speculation why the President didn’t show up at the parade even though he’d been slated to. Some say he didn’t like the folks who bought his ticket. Others claim he actually went for a medical check-up since all the carryings on at his age might’ve worn him down.

But he didn’t looked bushed when he handed over the baton to Nagamootoo at the airport, so this Eyewitness will nix that theory.

Then there’s the claim that he actually went down to Washington to be briefed as to what’s actually going down with the Venezuelans and the oil and decree and all that. After Wikileaks you just can’t have too much traffic over the internet, can you?

But your Eyewitness will scratch that speculation also. He prefers to always go with the simpler explanation.

When the President realized that all those contributors to the coalition war chest from Queens hadn’t shown up in Brooklyn, he had to meet them. That’s all.

While love’s OK...it doesn’t make the world go around. Especially the political world.

...(temporarily) in Enmore

Did you realize the PNC built the Enmore Martyrs’ Monument? Yes!! During a temporary lull in the long running feud with its arch rival - the PPP. In 1976, the PPP had supported the PNC’s nationalization of the sugar industry and there was probably a warm glow still in the air.

The PNC, for its part, had finally recognized GAWU as the bargaining agent for sugar workers. All was swell and bonhomie reigned on June 16, 1977 when the Monument, designed by Dennis Williams, was unveiled.

However all hell broke loose a couple of months later when GAWU called what became the longest strike in the history of the country - 135 days.

What happened? Well the union said the government reneged on profit sharing they’d won after great struggle - just because profits had jumped sky high. The government said the strike was political because they’d rejected a National Front Government with the PPP.

And soldiers, including a young David Granger, had to cut cane! One love gone!

...not in Aussie cricket

So the Aussies rolled over the West Indies like a groundsman doing his job on the grass at Lords. Could Chanderpaul’ve passed Brian Charles?

We’ll never know, will we?

Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock

Freed of all charges, Brandon Rahaman

Digicel wins Avaya’s Best Project Award

Digicel, the region’s leading Business Solutions provider, recently won the highly coveted, Avaya Caribbeanwide Project of the Year award thanks to its ICT and Unified Communication platform deployed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Barbados.

Digicel Business’ winning project involved upgrading the entire network at the hospital, utilising Avaya’s solution which ensured a faultless migration from the hospital’s legacy network to the stateof-the-art Avaya platform. According to a release from Digicel the product has greatly improved communications at the hospital, provided a high level of redundancy and reducing the hospital’s costs. In addition, the new system provides doctors with the ability to access the hospital’s PACS (Patient Archiving and Communication System) for patient information so that

they can make critical decisions in a timelier manner.

Dr Dexter James, CEO of the QEH, said, “We want to thank Digicel Business and

less with zero downtime. We expect to see a continuous and marked improvement in our communications across the hospital among medical

Avaya for providing us with a high quality product that will ultimately meet all of our needs.” He further stated that the switch from our old system to the new Digicel Business solution was seam-

and administrative staff as a result. The solution delivers reliability and peace of mind, ensuring that we can continue to focus on providing the best medical care for our patients.

IDB ups climate finance facility ...loans start at US$ 500,000 to US$10M

The IDB has doubled the size of its Climate and Clean Energy Facility for innovative climate change projects to US$100 million, due to client demand and interest from international climate funds. Through the Facility, the IDB offers loans from US$500,000 to US$10 million to private companies for energy efficiency and selfsupply renewable energy, as well as water and other adaptation investments. The Facility provides comprehensive support for clean energy and adaptation, by identifying potential projects through investmentgrade feasibility studies and then providing the capital needed for their implementation.

The Facility is supported by US$30 million from a combination of international climate funds --the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), the Nordic Development Fund

(NDF), and the Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP). These resources are utilized to extend concessional terms to the borrowers and mitigate risk by providing partial guarantees, which can increase credit ratings, extend tenors and lower collateral requirements.

In addition, the NDF, CTF, and SREP have contributed over US$8 million to offer technical assistance grants for project identification, feasibility studies, engineering and capacity building. The funds can also be employed to reduce transaction costs that can make small loans unviable.

“This Facility is playing an important role in mainstreaming climate investments by developing innovative and scalable pilot projects. The IDB has a specialized team dedicated to financing energy efficiency and distributed generation

PPP/C will not contest LGE with Surujbally as head of GECOM

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has said it will not participate in the long overdue Local Government Elections now scheduled for later this year, if Guyana Elections Commission Chairman (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally remains at its helm.

Since the announcement of the results of the 2015 General and Regional Elections, the Party has been calling for the immediate resignation of Surujbally. The call was mounted particularly because of his failure to acquiesce to the Party’s request for a total recount of the ballots, as it contended that the elections were rigged.

At his weekly press conference on Monday at the Party’s Freedom House headquarters, Rohee made it clear that the PPP/C’s position remains that Dr Surujbally must give up his position, telling journalists “Not with Mr Surujbally” when asked about participating in the elections.

“We have been calling for his resignation. We want Mr Surujbally’s resignation al-

most immediately.”

He said any other changes the Party will be seeking regarding the operations of the election body will be relayed in the petition that will be filed in the High Court.

Local Government polls were due in Guyana since 1997.

Dr Surujbally had maintained that he will resign his post when he feels it is necessary.

Election petition

Meanwhile, at its press conference last week, the Party had indicated that it was one step closer to filing the election petition. Rohee had said that the PPP/C had already gathered significant

data for the petition.

PPP/C Executive, former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall had stated earlier that the petition is a special type of litigation which has its own peculiar rules and therefore a lot of care has to be taken in preparing the elections petition. The Party has said that due to the “many discrepancies and irregularities that occurred on Election Day”, there are reasons enough to doubt the results declared by the Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield.

Further, the PPP/C has been contending that if GECOM is maintaining that the results are credible, a recount of the entire results would not be a big deal.

GECOM last week adopted the official position that it was not in a position to grant requests made by political parties for a recount or final count of ballots cast at the 2015 General and Regional Elections. Dr Surujbally added that the Commission has not granted the Party’s request for certain materials, so the PPP/C legal representatives were looking into the matter.

under energy service companies, rooftop solar power purchase agreements and other emerging business models,” said Kelle Bevine, Strategy Management Unit Chief in the Bank’s Structured and Corporate Finance Department.

The Facility has financed two of the largest rooftop solar projects in Latin America in Honduras, and has several other innovative solar, biomass, and lighting projects in due diligence. The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source oflongterm financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean.The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.

GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally

Digicel Business Solutions Director, Martin Keogh, explains to Acting QEH CEO, Louise Bobb, and QEH IT Manager, Cameron Connolly, how the Avaya-powered Unified Communication platform will benefit the medical and administrative staff while Digicel Barbados Strategic Business Development Director, Oliver Haynes, looks on

Digicel Business Solutions Director Martin Keogh, acting QEH CEO Louise Bobb and QEH IT Manager Cameron Connolly in discussions while Digicel Barbados Strategic Business Development Director Oliver Haynes looks on

tuesday, june 16, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Security sector to benefit from capacity building through Canadian partnership

Outgoing Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Dr Nicole Giles, along with a team on Monday, paid a courtesy call on the newly appointed Second Vice President and Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, at the Ministry of Public Security in Brickdam, Georgetown.

During this meeting, the two officials discussed a number of areas of mutual interest that could see possible collaboration between the two countries. According to the Minister, among several issues discussed were training and capacity building for Guyana Police Force Officers. “Better training from the Royal Mounted Branch, also the Police College out of Canada, it has to do with mentoring our Police

men and women,” said the Minister.

This, he added, will be done in five areas: gender violence, women in police leadership, human rights, crime scene management and public corruption. Dr Giles pointed out that funds will be available through a grant of CAN$750,000 (close to G$126 million) to help develop the justice system in Guyana. This money is a part of a project with the Justice Education Society of British Columbia, a Canadian Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), which aims at strengthening the justice system.

It is expected to be spent on legislative drafting, improving the administrative department of the courts, and the training of lawyers and judges, along with ca-

pacity building for police officers. The Security Minister also noted that crime scene management will be a major focus under this training programme because “here in Guyana, it is believed that almost anybody can go on the scene. It is not done properly, and then evidence and a whole lot of other things are tampered with negligently, and sometimes deliberately.”

He also reiterated that “we feel, with this type of training that we are going to implement in the Police Force, we will get better results and far more deterring effects… we feel that it can have direct influence in impunity rates.” Minister Ramjattan stated, “I believe we are on a good road here in bringing more success in the security sector.”

Soldier in 2005 New River Triangle arson faces imprisonment

... to know fate next week

Ten years after setting an Army camp on fire and destroying the Officer’s quarters, the Mess Hall, and the fuel bond, Lance Corporal of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Cleyon Douglas is to know his fate next week.

Douglas who was a Private on June 25, 2005, is before the court for causing grievous bodily harm, with intent to main, disfigure, or disable against Welton Hazel. He pleaded guilty before Justice Franklyn Holder at the Berbice Assizes but Defence Attorney Charrandass Persaud asked for an adjournment for the defendant to adapt a source of action.

Douglas was to be sentenced on Thursday last after a probation report was presented but the defence asked for the adjournment. It had been reported in the media that Douglas, then 19; and Hazel, then 21; were both soldiers attached to Camp Jaguar, New River, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) when the incident occurred. Douglas of Apartment 18 Cocorite Street, East La Penitence, Georgetown, had an altercation with Hazel prior to the incident. Douglas had reported to his superiors, acts of alleged inappropriate conduct, coupled with physical assault on the part of Hazel.

It had also been reported that during the evening, Douglas could not sleep and went to the fuel bay where he accessed the flammable substance which was poured on Hazel as he slept. Hazel was awakened by the smell

of gasoline and experiencing a burning sensation on his skin. The fire destroyed sections on the camp along with 10 AK-47 riffles, one M70 riffle and two general purpose machine guns. The attacker went into hiding but returned to the ruined camp the following day and was airlifted along with Hazel to the city. He was treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital for burns and other injuries while Hazel was admitted at the same institution where he remained a patient for several weeks being treated for third degree burns.

The case was called in the Berbice Assizes two weeks ago when the accused made his plea. Senior Probation Officer Egla October, in her report on the accused said he does not drink or smoke but prefers to watch a movie rather than go out or socialise.

Family members described him as a recluse – one who likes to keep to himself.

Describing the location where the incident occurred

as related by a retiree, the report said Camp Jaguar was desolate with none other than the soldiers in sight. A television set was present but in order for it to be used it had to be hooked up to DVD player. There were only four movies available which the ranks repeatedly watched. They also passed their time by playing the same games repeatedly. Communication to other parts of the country was not possible via telephone.

October said Douglas has expressed remorse for his actions and had since communicated same to Hazel. However, the victim reported that he was 21 years old and a Private in the GDF, based at Camp Jaguar. He said since the 2005 incident, he has moved on with his life, and is now a divorced father of three. In addition of attaining the rank of a Lance Corporal, a lot of time has elapsed and he still has the scars to live with. He added that despite this, he has grown to forgive Douglas and now feels sympathy for him. According to Hazel, there was a misunderstanding between himself and Douglas earlier that day and he now wishes to plead for mercy on behalf of his attacker.

Meanwhile, after the guilty plea was entered, Justice Holder instructed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty on the second offence for which the accused was before the court. Douglas was also indicted for caused grievous bodily harm to Hazel, with intent to murder him on June 25, 2005.

Essequibo Lions Club installs new Board

The Lions Club of Essequibo Coast on Saturday installed its new Board of Directors for the fiscal year 20152016, capping a record year of service for the Club. The new Board is headed by Lion Devendra Persaud, who was re-elected to serve a second term.

The other members of the Board are Lions Tianna Ramlakhan, Sareva Rampersaud and Verna Young as First, Second and Third Vice Presidents respectively; Joel Naraine as Secretary, Toolsiram Benny, MJF, as Treasurer; Mohamed Ally as Membership Director; Emawattie Singh as Tamer;

Lion Reynold Jones as TwoYear Director and Ameer Baksh, MJF ,as One-Year Director.

In his report for the year 2014-2015, Lion Persaud noted that all expectations were surpassed and the Club was able to grow its service in 2014-2015. He reported that approximately 1904 individuals benefited from 18 service projects which accounted for 3567 Lions Hours and had an approximate combined value of $18,675,697(US$93,378).

Persaud indicated that his theme for the new year is “In Unity, We Serve” and urged all Lions to continue to work in unity to strengthen

the Club and the Lions organisation as a whole. The event also saw the induction of two new Lion members Paul Persaud and Allan Richmond. They will help strengthen the Club and will aid in upholding its “We Serve” motto. The installation and induction ceremonies were conducted by GMT Specialist Lion, Dr Sarah Gordon, MJF, while the charge to the new Board was done by Past District Governor Lion Surujpaul Singh, MJF.

The new Board will take effect from July 1, 2015 serving for one year until June 30, 2016.

Second Vice President and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan (right) in discussion with the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles (second left), and her team

The new Board of the Essequibo Coast Lions Club will serve for one year from July 1, 2015

Accused: Cleyon Douglas

No shared governance talks – Rohee

...while Govt on “witch-hunting” spree

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) said it was a travesty that the governing A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition has been calling for discussions on inclusive or shared governance while it has been on a “witch-hunting” spree, firing its supporters and members from public office.

The Party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee made the comments while in discussion with journalists at the PPP/C headquarters on Robb Street on Monday.

He related that since taking office, the new Government has been on a spree of sacking officers, particularly the Permanent Secretaries of ministries. Others include officials within other governmental organisations.

Rohee said the new Government could not be serious about those calls for discussions.

“How do you expect the PPP/C to respond to this invitation for talks on inclusive or shared governance in the Parliament, when you are witch hunting our members and supporters? How does the APNU+AFC coalition expect this to happen. Our supporters

and our members are being treated in a manner that is totally unbecoming of a modern state where good governance is practiced,” Rohee told journalists.

The General Secretary said there was absolutely nothing on the table for talks, except, perhaps, an explanation for the sackings.

“That is a different matter. You cannot be behaving like that towards the PPP and expect that we will go like sheep into talks or into Parliament. We are not going to be duped into those situations,”

Rohee said

According to him, there is a danger to the actions taken by Government to dismiss the officials, as they are aligned to, according to him, “political headhunting and sleuthing”.

“All these highly publicised actions are taken without any just cause, any Police investigations, any involvement of the Auditor General or the relevant constitutional bodies, nor the production of any incontrovertible evidence.

“These actions are in essence arbitrary, vindictive, malicious and politically motivated aimed at bringing the persons and the agencies

PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee

they represent into disrepute and by extension to cast them as corrupt wrongdoers,” Rohee lamented.

The General Secretary said while in Opposition the new Government had made “all sorts” of wrongdoing and corruption allegations against the PPP/C Government, without the production of any evidence to support its claims. He said it has, however, failed miserably now that it was in office, as it has also now put

No wrong in boycotting Parliament – PPP/C

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary Clement Rohee, on Monday said that there is no wrong in any political party boycotting Parliament, as it is something that was done by the Desmond Hoyte-led People’s National Congress (PNC) back in 1992.

Rohee made the statement when questioned about his party’s plans for the eleventh Parliament. The former ruling party was absent when the sitting of the 11th Parliament was convened last Wednesday. It was instead picketing the office of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), calling for the immediate resignation of the GECOM’s Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally.

Rohee said his party’s action is nothing strange in Guyana’s political history. “It should be recalled that in 1997, Mr Hoyte and his team boycotted the Parliament for almost two years. They did not go there until a final settlement was reached in the context of the Herdmanston Accord. There have been many times in the previous years when the PPP/C boycotted Parliament. A historical review of the PPP/C participating or not participating in the past, the PNC had such experience like the PPP/C,” Rohee said He related that the party is currently approaching the issue at its own pace

and not by what any “diplomat might have said”. Currently, the party’s executive body has been meeting for discussions on the selection of Regional Councillors. Upon completion, it will move into the selection of Members of Parliament (MPs).

The PPP/C has come under criticism from persons within and outside the party for failing to represent the more than 200,000 electorate who voted in its favour on May 11. “These are our seats to which we were granted as a result of the votes we got in these elections. They will be taken up at the appropriate time when the party considers it necessary to do so,” Rohee said.

He noted that anybody could talk about the “PPP/C going into Parliament like Ramkarran (Ralph) and the High Commissioner,” but according to him, “that’s an internal matter for the PPP/C”. He said the 49.3 per cent of the persons who voted for the party has told officials their views, their very strong views.

Although convened with pump and splendour, President David Granger gave a stirring presentation to MPs from the Government’s side as the PPP/C made a no show. The Head of State had also used the forum to again invite the Opposition for talks toward inclusivity in governance. But neither the par-

ty nor its leader, former President Donald Ramotar, was present.

The party has seen many criticisms in this regard, as well as calls mounted for it to take its rightful post in the legislative chamber to represent the interests of the people.

The results of the 2015 General and Regional Elections show that the ruling A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition acquired a total of 207,200 votes, with the PPP/C running close behind with 202,694 votes. On the other hand, the coalition also led the way in the Regional Elections with a total of 205,001 votes, 2733 more votes than the PPP/C. Based on the figures, the winning party secured some 33 seats in the National Assembly, while the PPP/C acquired a total of 32 seats. This placed the former ruling party on the opposite side of the House after more than 20 years.

Following a NoConfidence Motion filed in the National Assembly last year by the AFC, former President Donald Ramotar prorogued Parliament and called a snap election. The APNU and the AFC in February, then signed the Cummingsburg Accord to form a Government of National Unity in order to end the PPP/C’s 23-year streak as the ruling party.

on the charade that it is investigating “so-called” wrongdoings, through the State Assets Recovery Project”.

“More recently, there was an announcement to the effect that forensic audits had to be carried out at several agencies. Now in Government, the coalition is like a dog chasing its tail.

Having started the talks, while in the Opposition of corruption and wrongdoing, they are now, for all the wrong reasons, carrying out forensic sleuthing and witch-hunting to prove themselves right.”

Propaganda victim

He said the coalition has become a victim of its own propaganda and condemned the “state-sponsored campaign characterised by brazen and outright lies and vilification of the PPP/C Government”.

“The PPP rejects the blatant discriminatory policy practised by the coalition and contradicts the call by the coalition for the PPP to entering into talks with it on issues of national unity and shared governance. The PPP will not be duped into entering into such engagement at a time when its members are under attack by the politi-

cal hierarchy and its underlings.”

Earlier this month, concerns began mounting over what has been described as the indiscriminate dismissal of several officials who had served under the PPP/C Administration.

The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) had condemned the move by the Minister of Social Cohesion, Volda Lawrence to send on leave the head of the Child Care and Protection Agency Ann Greene for confronting the Junior Minister within that ministry, Simona Broomes.

Longstanding adviser on local government Clinton Collymore was dismissed from his post by the Ministry of Communities for not turning to work since May 12. Collymore had said there was no Minister to advise, in his defence. Regional Executive Officer of Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), Claire Singh is also among those who were dismissed, as well as Yvonne Pearson as adviser to the Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Former Amerindian Affairs Ministers Pauline Sukhai and Caroline Rodrigues-Birkett condemned the move.

New Govt to rotate ambassadors in keeping with int’l practices – Minister Greenidge

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge said that his decision to recall the previously appointed diplomatic Heads of Guyana Missions is in keeping with international best practices.

The Minister said that it is the view of the new Government that various Heads of Missions should not be in-situ for 20 years or more. The normal practice is a two to four-year rotation, and this, the Minister said, will be restored.

The intention is also for politicians who are not career diplomats and were given posts by the President, to bring their term of em-

ployment to an end when the President leaves office.

He stressed that this has to be the case with Guyana.

“There is nothing special about the PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/Civic) politicians who are wearing the hat of diplomats today. They have to recognise that they served the President that appointed them, then they have to step down; there is nothing peculiar about it,” Minister Greenidge told the Government Information Agency.

It was pointed out that the rules of the Foreign Office allow those serving overseas to spend an extra two months

to “wind up” their operations, Minister Greenidge highlighted. The established protocol is that when a new Government takes office, the various Heads of Mission report to the new President. He said that it is obvious that a President has to appoint those persons that he trusts, that he has faith in, and who know and understand his initiatives. It is nothing to do with a person having a right to a position as a diplomat. There is no such right, he stressed. The Foreign Ministry expects all of the Heads of Mission, to return to Guyana, unless otherwise instructed by the President.

Mohan Singhal to grace local International Day of Yoga event

As the world celebrates the first-ever International Day of Yoga on Sunday, June 21, the High Commission of India, in collaboration with the Brahma Kumaris, will be observing the occasion locally.

The Brahma Kumaris will be hosting a special guest from its spiritual headquarters in India, Mohan Singhal, who will be here on two missions. The first is to address the International Day of Yoga event.

The second will be to address the launch of a countrywide initiative called “Awakening Inner Peace”, promoting the benefits of the ancient art of Raja Yoga

meditation, and the fact that anyone, young or old, rich or poor, of any race, religion or culture can learn it. This initiative is in observance of the 40th anniversary of the Brahma Kumaris in Guyana, which began here in December of 1975.

Singhal has been an active member of the Brahma Kumaris since 1961. When he retired in 1996 from the Public Sector in India, he was a Superintending Geophysicist for a prominent organisation engaged in exploration and production of oil and gas. Since 1988, he has been the National Coordinator of the Scientists & Engineers Wing of the Rajyoga

Education & Research Foundation of India. He participates in international conferences and delivers lectures and conducts workshops on human resource development, management, environment, science, and spirituality. In recognition of his service in the field of Human Resource Development, he was honoured by an International Award from the International Association of Education for World Peace and the Commonwealth Association for the Education and Training of Adults in the year 2004. Mohan is also the author of five books.

Let us reflect and learn from the Enmore Martyrs – PPP/C tells rally

“Sixty-sevenyears after, the PPP leadership and members continue to observe this important hallmark that is engraved in the history and struggle of this party. The wounds and the pains are fresh in our minds and it shall remain so for all time for as Martin Carter said in his poem, ‘too soon too soon’ our banners draped for our comrades.”

Those were the sentiments expressed by key speakers including Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) President Komal Chand and People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Executives Donald Ramotar and Clement Rohee as they addressed the

The GAWU President who has always been a part of the struggle for sugar workers, was insistent that Guyanese never forget their history. At the rally, he elaborated extensively, leaving no stones unturned, as he related the struggles and the victory of the people, its leaders and the ordinary sugar workers, who effected change in Guyana in more ways than they would have ever imagined.

The five sugar workers –Lallabagee Kissoon, Pooran, Rambarran, Dookhie and Harry – were killed coldbloodedly on June 16 while they were standing up for their rights for better working conditions.

The colonial plutocracy imposed the ‘cut and load’

test and picketing exercise. By 10:00h, the crowd had grown to between 500 and 600 persons. Several persons managed to enter the compound at the rear of the factory.

The colonial Policemen tried to push back the crowd, but after this effort failed, they opened fire; five workers were killed and 14 others were injured.

The five workers, thereon, became known as the Enmore Martyrs and a monument was subsequently established in their honour and unveiled by past President Forbes Burnham on June 16, 1977.

As all of Guyana reflects and observes Enmore Martyr’s Day, the PPP/C,

sizeable crowd that gathered in the vicinity of the Enmore Martyrs’ Monument to commemorate the struggles of Guyana’s heroic sugar workers. In a bittersweet environment, friends and families joined in harmony to pay tribute to those fallen heroes whose pain and tears paved the way for a better life for all today.

Chand, whose union was the helm of the struggle at the time, reflected on the painful experiences Guyana and its people endured.

“Persons like Dr Jagan, like Janet Jagan and other leaders of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) supported the strike… Cheddi would come and address workers, his wife would assist in the soup kitchen. They played a leading role in ensuring that the ordinary people would understand what is going on in the sugar industry,” Chand urged Guyanese to always remember.

system on the sugar workers across the country. Prior to that, workers used the ‘cut and drop’ system where they were required to simply cut the canes and leave them in bundles for another group of workers to load. But in the imposition of the ‘cut and load’ system, the sugar workers were forced to do additional work without extra pay. The struggle against this system began in April of 1948.

“It was the sugar workers that took up the struggle and that, we must recognise them for their militancy, for their initiative… these comrades did not accept and then they went and strike…,” Chand reminisced.

The strike went on for months under the guidance of Dr Cheddi Jagan and his wife Janet Jagan, who played a pivotal role in the struggle for a better life for Guyanese.

On June 16, early in the morning, a crowd of some 400 workers gathered outside the factory at Enmore for a pro-

Minister Gaskin helps push small businesses

...says levelling playing field key to business development

New Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, has promised to push small business development even as he emphasised that to attract more investors, there needs to be a more transparent business sector and a level playing field.

“Transparency, fairness, the whole idea of levelling the playing field is needed so that the competition is fair, so that you don’t have players in the same areas that are favoured and not disadvantaged because of perhaps concessions that are offered to their competitors.

Those are the things that we need, because of course investors are attracted by safeguards and security for their investments.”

He added that, “like the prospective profits also, we have to make Guyana a venue for investors and, to that extent, we need to understand the various sectors that we want to attract investors in and try to understand the constraints in those sectors.” The Minister pointed out that a lot of the investments in the country, primarily in the local category, go towards the retail sector.

Investors tend to stay away from the extractive and manufacturing sectors because there is a need for more competitiveness.

This, the Minister explained, can be reversed “by the creation of an environment that is more competitive based on efficiency and quality…rather than on connections and securing an unfair advantage.”

This, however, is only one of the areas that can be improved to change the cli-

mate of business in Guyana, Minister Gaskin added.

GO-Invest

The Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) was established under the Public Corporations Act in 1994 as a semi-autonomous body whose Head answers to a Board of Directors, which is composed of representatives of the private and public sectors.

On Minister Gaskin’s request, Cabinet approved the establishment of a Board of Directors to manage the affairs of the investment agency as the Government works towards making it an independent body, which will function without political interference and hopefully maximise its potential.

This board will be tasked with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the entity and dealing with all agreements that require approval.

The Minister pointed out that the fact that GO-Invest was housed under Office of the President (now Ministry of the Presidency), and from indications seems to have

had a lot of political interference in its operations, this new administration will have to relook at the Acts that govern the entity and ensure that it is operating within its mandate.

He said, “we want GOInvest to function in the way it was designed to … if there are flaws in its design, then those will have to be corrected... but the biggest problem was political interference.”

Another area that requires focus in the business sector is that of entrepreneurship and small business development. The Business Minister said that more must be done to encourage entrepreneurship and support such businesses.

He explained that to support small businesses is not only about money, but about being strategic as well. “What I mean by support is not subsidy, but to ensure that there is a mechanism by which they can access financing,” said the Minister.

He added that there is a programme in place to allow financing for such initiatives, which is the Small and Micro Enterprises Business Fund which is a component of the Low Carbon Development Strategy.

He pointed out that this programme “is a US$5 million fund and which has great potential,” but because of some “hiccups” less than $1 million has been disbursed.

Minister Gaskin alluded to the fact that there is great potential behind this programme if it is taken in the right approach and, as such, his Ministry will be seeking to provide more aid for these types of businesses in the future.

Ruling on presidential term limit case deferred

whose support base is embedded in the sugar workers, used the opportunity on stage before a generous crowd to reiterate that democracy is under threat and that the gains earned by the struggle of these sugar works are slowly slipping away.

Ramotar, under whose stewardship the party contested the General and Regional Election, declared that election was rigged and rolled out the familiar series of events that took place before, on and after May 11 which lead to the PPP/C’s conclusion that the election was massively rigged.

He found similarity of the two incidents on the basis of the defence of one’s rights and as such, justified the right to continue in this path.

“On June 16, 1948, our comrades fought to defend their rights and so today we have to use that example to go forward with our struggles,” Ramotar said.

Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang has deferred his much-anticipated ruling on the motion filed to challenge the presidential two-term limit.

A civilian, Cedric Richardson had filed the motion in February, challenging the constitutionality of the two-term limit which was imposed on Guyanese Presidents since 2001. Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall and former Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman were named defendants in the matter.

Following responses filed by attorneys representing the plaintiff and the defendants, the parties had to lay over written submissions. Attorney Shaun Allicock, who is representing Richardson; Deputy Solicitor General from the AG Office, Prithima Kissoon and Attorney Roysdale Forde for Trotman, have

submitted written arguments on the matter.

Following the last session in the Chief Justice’s Chamber, Kissoon told reporters that the matter was adjourned for May 12, when Justice Chang was expected to make a ruling. However, given the post-election tension, the matter was not heard. It was then called up on Friday last, when Justice Chang further deferred ruling.

He is expected to issue a notice to the parties on the next hearing of the matter, when he is expected to hand down a ruling.

In the writ filed on February 2, by 50-year-old Richardson, of Lot 4 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, it is contended that Act No 17 of 2001, passed by a twothird majority of members of the National Assembly that altered Article 90 of the Constitution “curtails and restricts the sovereign and

democratic rights and freedom as a qualified elector to elect the person of former President (Bharrat) Jagdeo as the Executive President of Guyana”.

Richardson further contends that the Act diminishes and reduces the level of democracy enjoyed by the electorate prior to the alteration and, therefore, required for its legal validity, the holding of a referendum of the people for such alteration. Guyana’s Constitution, upon passing of the Act, states that a person elected as President after the year 2000 is eligible for re-election only once. The Constitution further states that a person who acceded to the presidency after 2000 and served therein for a single occasion for not less than such a period as may be determined by the National Assembly is eligible for election as President only once.

Minister of Business and Investment Dominic Gaskin

Former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds greets this little fan at the Enmore Martyrs’ rally

Former President Donald Ramotar interacts with Enmore residents ahead of the rally

Glenn Lall on radar and panics

...as new Govt goes after secret US assets

With numerous properties in the United States (US), Kaieteur New Publisher Glenn Lall, who settled a multi-million dollar tax evasion case earlier this year, could be targeted when the David Granger-led administration goes after Guyanese who have secretly stashed assets in that country and other jurisdictions.

Lall has been accused over the years of financial crimes with the United States linking him to backtracking activities here in Guyana. He was described in a US Embassy cable, a message sent between a diplomatic mission and the Foreign Ministry of its parent company, some years ago as a person with a “sketchy past” and allegedly involved in “alien smuggling”.

The cable said, “He translated a shoe trading business and rumoured involvement with alien smuggling into a muckraking independent newspaper. He has also been accused of having his finger on the pulse of Guyana’s underworld, which serves his media enterprise well.”

The then Political Officer in the US Embassy in Georgetown, Benjamin Canavan, had spoken with Lall, whose correct name is Mohan Lall, prior to the

writing of the cable. Lall has never publicly denied the allegations, however declined to comment on the matter when once approached by this publication.

Besides, former President Donald Ramotar, during the elections campaign, had told a Bartica rally that Kaieteur News will always hate the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) “because… when we talk about what happened in the 1970s and 1980s when food was banned, those people who got rich then were doing the smuggling and bringing in the goods. And today they have plenty of money”. Ramotar told the rally that while Lall still had the money today, he no longer had political influence and, therefore, would try whatever he can to regain that power.

Addressing a large gath-

ering at the rally in New York on Sunday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon told A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) supporters that the administration will go after stolen assets that are stashed in the US. In Guyana, the Kaieteur News, owned by Lall, has been insisting that the new Government will only go after assets stolen from the state, but in New York, Harmon’s declared a broader investigation.

Under the new laws to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism, the Government will have the legal wherewithal to go after Lall’s ill gotten gains, which had to have been smuggled out of the country without being taxed. The investigation would then be coordinated with the US Justice Department because of their interest in several underhanded transactions identified by the US Customs Department in cases involving the smuggling of a Lexus SUV from the US to Guyana. Harmon said that Guyana has the people and the resources to develop the country and that his Government intends to go after assets in the US which may have been stashed by Government Officials. “We are going to

find them and apply it for the right purposes. We are a rich country, we are a powerful country, and we have to make sure that powerful and richness is reflected in the quality of life of Guyanese.”

In an invited comment, Ramotar said he welcomes the comments by Harmon, adding that he hopes the current administration will cease speaking in general terms and begin getting down to the specifics of those whom they can point to in regards of all the accusations they have been making. “One suspects that the APNU/AFC Government has come to the realisation that they made empty promises during the elections campaign, and now that they realise the people who voted for them will find out they were fooled; they are looking for excuses to blame

the PPP/C Government,” said Ramotar. The former President noted that it is almost one month since the coalition has been in office and, with the numerous accusations about corruption they were making when they were in Opposition, they ought to be able to produce something concrete by now instead of making generalisations as they have been doing.

US assets

Guyana Times was reliably told that any state investigation over in the United States could lead to the source of the funds that were used to pay for the two Lexus SUVs, which Lall had conspired with a US remigrant couple to smuggle here on the disguise of the Government-run remigrant duty-free scheme.

Legal experts have told this newspaper that despite the case being dropped in Guyana, Lall as well as the US couple could face jail time in the United States.

According to sources in the US, Lall operates numerous other questionable businesses as a front to shield alleged shady money, as well as ownership of several properties in Guyana and the United States. Reports are that Lall and his wife ,or in some cases both, reportedly

owned, or used to own, four properties in Liberty Avenue, Lefferts Boulevard, Hollis and Sutter Avenue in New York.

Lall also only recently sold the property on Lefferts Boulevard for close to US$500,000 in August, in what appears to be an effort to get rid of some of the assets in his or his wife’s name before an audit that was commissioned by the previous administration was conducted. According to information received, Lall is also desperately trying to sell the property on Sutter Avenue. Guyana Times has a picture of the property with the ‘for sale’ sign bearing his wife’s name. The newspaper owner also reportedly has a commercial building in Coral Gables, Florida, where he runs a business operation which is currently not making a profit. Three other businesses are believed to exist under the names Bhena and Glenn Investments, Bhena Lall Inc and Bhena’s Footwear Inc in the United States.

Neither seems to be generating a profit. A Guyana Times source also stated that Lall paid US$1 million in cash for a property on Regent Street, Georgetown, making it a pattern of paying for the properties he owns in cash US dollars.

EDWC level drops

– discharge continues via Northern Relief Channel, three other relief sluices

Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth on Monday evening reported that the level of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) has dropped to 58.1 Georgetown Datum (GD) from the 58.25 GD experienced on Saturday.

He said that water was released from the Northern Relief Channel of the Hope/Dochfour outlet on Monday via the eightdoor sluice into the Atlantic Ocean from 06:00h until 21:00h, and that the process went smoothly.

Wordsworth said because the water level in the Northern Relief Channel was higher than the level of the high tide, the decision was taken to release water via the eight-door sluice all day.

The water level was raised in the Northern Relief Channel to 56.75 GD Monday, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. On Saturday when the discharge via the channel began, the level operated at was 56 GD. This level was raised to 56.5 on Sunday.

The Northern Relief Channel became the first option over the use of the Maduni and Lama sluices because those could have exacerbated flood conditions in the upper reaches of the Mahaica and Mahaicony Rivers,

Wordsworth stated.

Since the level of the Conservancy is still considered high, the NDIA Head said there is constant monitoring, and discharge will continue until the desired level of 57.5 GD in the EDWC is met.

el of 58.25GD in the Conservancy which has a height of 59 GD. Water is also being discharged from the EDWC through the Kofi, Cunha and Land of Canaan relief sluices into the Demerara River.

Meanwhile, Agriculture

The operation became necessary to preserve the structural integrity of the Conservancy’s earthen embankments due to the high water level within. Water had reached the threatening lev-

Minister Noel Holder was also pleased with the successful functioning of the Northern Relief Channel. “So far the experiment is working. It appears to be relieving the pressure and the

eight-gate sluice structure seems to be holding up,” the Minister commented briefly while explaining that because the structure is still on trial, it will be opened periodically during the day.

Additionally, Chairman of the NDIA Board Dharamkumar Seeraj remarked that, with the trial run, they were able to test the strength and capacity of the canal, which is seven miles long and has the maximum width of 180 feet at the top and 60 feet at the bottom. Furthermore, Seeraj highlighted that the facility can also be used to drain water from the Mahaica Creek into the conservancy and release it through the canal, thus preventing floods especially in farming communities in Mahaica and Mahaicony.

“This was also being considered as part of the design,” he added.

According to the NDIA Chairman, most aspects of the project are near completion with a few minor civil works to be done. However, he noted that as time goes by the canal and the dams will have to be maintained.

“The dams were constructed on varying soil types going towards the conservancy side. There are some parts where the dam was constructed on pegasse type soil, so you will expect some amount of settling as the years go by because you are putting a lot of weight on foundation that

varies in terms of solidness and density… We will have varying level of settling as the years go by so we will have continuous maintenance programmes on the dam itself to bring up the areas that are settling,” he outlined.

On the other hand, while residents in nearby villages were happy that the facility is finally operational they expressed concerns about the strength of the canal dam. They also met the Agriculture Minister with whom the shared these concerns. One man remarked, “We are concerned that where we have the pegasse and the sand – those areas we are not sure would have formed up enough to prevent, during the long rain showers, breakage and seepage.”

Additionally, he pointed out that the canal has bypassed two residential communities, which are in the Southern part of Douchfour and Hope as well as northern Hope. He underscored too the need for bridges across the canal, where the embankment used to be.

The Northern Relief Channel of the Hope/Douchfour outfall was constructed to the tune of $3.6 billion. It will be used to relief water from the East Demerara Water Conservancy into the Atlantic Ocean, thus prevent floods in villages along the coast.

Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

The cut made in the vicinity of the Head Regulator of the Hope Canal Project to release water from the EDWC into the Northern Relief Channel to be discharged into the Atlantic Ocean

Vatican envoy faces child abuse charges

The Vatican is to put its former envoy to the Dominican Republic, Jozef Wesolowski, on trial on child sex abuse and child pornography charges. Wesolowski, 66, is also charged with possession of child pornography, dating from his return to Rome in 2013.

Pope Francis has also accepted the resignations of a United States (US) Archbishop and his Deputy,

accused in Minnesota of having ignored a Priest’s child abuse.

Jozef Wesolowski is accused of sexually abusing children in the Dominican Republic from 2008 to 2013. He is under house arrest in the Vatican. The trial is to begin on 11 July.

The moves are seen as part of a crackdown by Pope Francis on clerics and employees of the Church who exploit minors. Last year,

the Pope compared the actions of those who commit such crimes to a “satanic mass”. He also strengthened the Vatican’s laws against child abuse.

Wesolowski, who is originally from Poland, was recalled from the Dominican Republic in 2013, after allegations surfaced accusing him of abusing Dominican boys. He had spent five years in the Caribbean country as the papal envoy.

He was defrocked in June last year after he was found guilty by a Church tribunal - he is the highestranking church official to be defrocked for such abuse. He will now be tried by a Vatican criminal court.

The Vatican said at the time of his arrest that he had not been placed in a Police cell because of his poor health. If found guilty, he could face between six and 10 years in prison. (Excerpt from BBC News)

TMexico braces for Tropical Storm Carlos

Residents of southwest Mexico are preparing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Carlos. Schools were ordered to stay closed and shelters have been set up in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan.

Weather forecasters were monitoring a tropical disturbance last week that has big potential to become a tropical storm and even a potential hurricane. Carlos was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday, but meteorologists said it could again reach hurricane-level strength by Tuesday.

Guerrero was badly hit by Tropical Storm Manuel in September 2013, with thousands of people left stranded. Guerrero state officials said more than 500 shelters were ready to receive residents. Acapulco, the largest city in the state, closed its port.

The Miami-based United States (US) National

Hurricane Centre said that Carlos was 205 kilometres off the coast of Acapulco at 09:00h on Monday, moving west-northwest at a speed of 9 kilometres/hour. The Centre warned that heavy rainfall could cause lifethreatening flash floods and mudslides.

There has already been one named tropical system this year – Tropical Storm Ana – which formed off the US East Coast in the first

week in May, three weeks before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. Ana made landfall in South Carolina on May 10, with maximum sustained winds of 72 kilometers per hour. It dumped heavy rains on the coast and also brought with it storm surges, but there was no major damage. (Excerpt from BBC News and Caribbean 360)

6 Caribbean countries to benefit from sustainable energy funds US, Russia competing for space partnership with Brazil

Six Caribbean countries are set to benefit from a €4.45 million contribution from the European Union (EU) to promote the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The money has come with the signing of a Contribution Agreement between the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the European Union-Caribbean Investment Facility (EUCIF), to support the new Sustainable Energy for the Eastern Caribbean (SEEC) Programme. The signing took place in Brussels on the sidelines of the second EU-CELAC/8th EU-LAC Summit held June 9-11.

The SEEC Programme is a multi-partner loan and grant facility with a budget of approximately €21.4 million. The EU-CIF grant contribution to the SEEC Programme will provide

Fboth technical assistance and investment grants to Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

CDB President Dr Warren Smith said the SEEC Programme would allow the Bank, in collaboration with its development partners, to use innovative financing methods to advance sustainable energy solutions for those six member countries.

“The programme has the potential to initiate a radical change in the energy landscape for the beneficiaries. It could become a model for the rest of the Caribbean; and the lessons learned from this Programme can inform the creation of expanded facilities for the benefit of all of the borrowing member countries of CDB,” he said.

(Excerpt from Caribbean 360)

he United States (US) and Russia are competing for a strategic role in Brazil’s plan to launch commercial satellites from its base near the equator, opening up a new theatre in their rivalry for allies and influence.

Brazil’s Government expects to choose a partner to help provide technology in the coming months, three sources with knowledge of the deliberations told Reuters.

Brazil partnered with

Ukraine over the past decade to develop a launch vehicle at the Alcantara base on its northern Atlantic coast. But Brazil ended the programme in February, saying that Ukraine’s financial problems left it unable to provide rockets as promised.

President Dilma Rousseff will select the new partner based on a range of factors including Brazil’s diplomatic relations and the quality of technology on offer, the sources said.

A satellite partnership will not be on the agenda when Rousseff visits the White House on June 30, officials from both countries said.

But the tenor of the visit, which marks a rapprochement between Brazil and the US after two years of strained ties over National Security Agency (NSA) spying programmes, could influence her decision. “If it goes well, the Americans will be well-positioned to win this,” said the source, a

former Brazilian official who participated in meetings on the satellite issue. Brazilian officials, frustrated with decades of delays and setbacks, said they could completely rethink the terms of its next partnership. “The programme with Ukraine did not work out,” Defense Minister Jaques Wagner said. He stated that Brazil would “talk with any country,” including the United States, to get a Brazilian satellite into space. (Excerpt

Colombian Army kills Marxist rebel commander

The Colombian army has killed a Marxist rebel commander from the country’s secondlargest guerrilla group, the Government has said, as part of a five-decade military offensive against the National Liberation Army (ELN).

Jose Amin Hernandez, known by his nom de guerre Marquitos, was killed during combat in rural Segovia mu-

nicipality in the north western province of Antioquia.

“The narco-terrorist Jose Amin Hernandez Manrique, alias Marcos or Marquitos, Head of the Dario de Jesus Ramirez Castro front of the ELN and member of the national management was shot down,” said the Colombian Army Commander, General Jaime Lasprilla. President Juan Manuel Santos ac-

knowledged the killing on Twitter and wrote, “Congratulations to the armed forces.” Hernandez commanded 13 National Liberation Army units in Antioquia and Bolivar provinces, key regions for drug and arms trafficking and illegal mining, the Government said.

The ELN, founded by radical Priests and inspired by the

Cuban revolution, has been battling the Government for 51 years.

Though the group has held exploratory talks with authorities, it has yet to enter formal peace negotiations, unlike fellow rebels the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, who have been hammering out an accord with the Government for 30 months. (BBC News)

ake electrical goods in Trinidad and Tobago, fake brand-name cigars in Cuba, and t-shirts and jeans in Curaçao were among US$60 million in counterfeit items seized in a two-week operation across the Americas and the Caribbean.

Those goods, and much more in a total of 19 countries, were seized in the operation coordinated by the Trafficking in Illicit Goods and Counterfeiting unit of the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and supported by the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council late last month.

In a statement issued earlier

this month, INTERPOL said car parts, fuel, food, detergent, cigars, shampoo and steel were among the other fake goods confiscated during Operation Maya II, which involved more than 2000 interventions by Police, customs, investigators and Intellectual Property units. They carried out operations at key locations, including markets, border control points and shops.

INTERPOL said that investigations carried out by national authorities led to the identification and dismantling of several organised crime networks as well as entire businesses selling counterfeit goods.

Costa Rican Police took down

an entire network selling fake work safety products including masks and air filters. Taking part in their first operation targeting counterfeit goods, Police in Cuba seized hundreds of fake boxes ready to be filled with fake brandname cigars.

Countries and territories which took part in Operation Maya II were Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, United States and Venezuela. (Excerpt from Caribbean 360)

from Yahoo News)

Jozef Wesolowski

The storm has already brought heavy rain

9 arrested over HK bomb plot

Police in Hong Kong (HK) say they have arrested nine people on suspicion of conspiracy to manufacture explosives.

The arrests come in the same week that lawmakers are due to vote on a controversial political reform plan.

Police spokesman Ng Wai-hon did not make a direct connection between the arrests and the vote, but said at least one of the suspects belonged to a “radical group”. Hong Kong has seen largescale protests for greater democracy in recent months.

In April Hong Kong’s Government unveiled a high-

ly controversial proposal for selecting the city’s next Chief Executive in 2017, which would involve candidates being vetted by a committee made up largely of pro-Beijing members.

Democracy activists have said they are opposed to the proposals and pro-democracy legislators have vowed to vote them down. Thousands of people barricaded parts of Hong Kong for more than two months in protest when the proposals were first announced last year.

Police said items seized in the raids included air rifles, a formula for making

smoke grenades, face masks and maps of locations in central Hong Kong. Some of the substances were seized at an abandoned television studio with other raids taking place at suspects’ houses.

Pro-democracy activists, some of whom are known as “localists” because of their anti-Beijing stance, have distanced themselves from the alleged plot. “Police said localist activists are making bombs, but I am not sure if it’s real or not.

We have nothing to do with that,” Jon Ho of the Hong Kong Localism Power group stated. (BBC News)

France, Italy argue over who should take in migrants

With a hundred Africans sleeping on rocks overlooking the Italian coast after being turned back at the French border, Rome and Paris argued on Monday over who should handle the waves of migrants landing on Italy’s shores.

Italy has long argued that it and Greece cannot be expected to cope alone with the influx, just because they are the closest landing points for political and economic migrants from all over Africa and the Middle East streaming toward the European Union (EU) in rickety boats.

Italian Interior Minister

Angelino Alfano told reporters in Milan that scenes in Ventimiglia, where a Reuters photographer saw about 100 mostly African migrants asleep just 30 minutes from the French Riviera, were “a punch in the face to all the European countries that want to close their eyes”.

But French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said France would continue to turn back the migrants, and that Italy must follow the EU’s Dublin regulations, which assign most asylum seekers to the first EU country they enter until their application has been processed.

“They do not have the right to pass (into France) and must be handled by Italy.”

Cazeneuve said about 15,000 migrants had been turned back at France’s borders in 2014 and that he had ordered even tougher controls this year. “This needs to be done to ensure a welcome for those who are (political) refugees,” he said.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that he will discuss the issue with French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron when they visit Italy this week. (Excerpt for Reuters)

Wanted Sudan leader flies out of South Africa

Sudan’s President Omar alBashir, who is wanted for war crimes, has left South Africa, pre-empting a court ruling over an international warrant for his arrest.

The Pretoria High Court was due to decide whether he should be handed over to the International Criminal Court, which has charged him with the crimes.

Bashir was in Johannesburg for an African Union (AU) summit. A news conference will be held in Sudan’s capital upon his arrival.

A South African judge, Dunstan Mlambo, said the failure to arrest President Bashir had violated the country’s Constitution. Bashir had been barred by a court order from leaving the country until the arrest application had been considered.

The Sudanese leader is accused

of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide during the Darfur conflict.

The United Nations says that about 300,000 people in Sudan have died since fighting began in 2003. More than 1.4 million people are thought to have fled their homes.

At the hearing at the Pretoria High Court, the lawyer representing the South African Government said Bashir’s name was not on the list of passengers who took off earlier.

But the Sudanese State Minister for Information has stated that Bashir’s plane was expected to land in Khartoum at about 18:30h.

It is unlikely that South Africa will face sanctions for allowing Bashir to leave the country even after a court order barred him from doing so, says the BBC’s Nomsa Maseko in Pretoria. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Around the World

India’s Opposition demands resignation of Foreign Minister

The Congress party led calls on Monday for the resignation of Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj over allegations that she tried to help Lalit Modi, the former Chief of India’s richest sports league, obtain British travel documents.

Indian media reported on Sunday that Swaraj had last year asked British authorities to examine a request to provide travel documents to Lalit, at a time when his passport had been revoked by Indian authorities in a graft case.

Swaraj has denied the allegations and said, on social media, that she was helping Lalit, who is based in London, on “humanitarian” grounds as he needed to visit his ailing wife in Portugal. Lalit was suspended as the Head of India’s cash-rich Indian Premier League cricket competition in 2010 following allegations of corruption that also ensnared politicians.

Rahul Gandhi, Vice

President of the opposition Congress party, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should sack Swaraj for trying to help a private individual accused of wrongdoing. Congress party members added to pressure on Swaraj by marching in the streets of the capital New Delhi, waving posters and shouting slogans against her.

Swaraj did not answer phone calls to her home. A

Foreign Ministry spokesman said he had no comment to make at this stage. Lalit could not immediately be reached for a comment. Modi stormed to power last year with promises of running a graft-free and transparent Government. “It is an act of great impropriety,” Congress’ national spokesman Sanjay Jha told Reuters. “(Swaraj’s) resignation ought to be a fait accompli.” (Reuters)

Greece bailout talks end without breakthrough

The crunch negotiations between Greece and its European UnionInternational Monetary Fund (EU-IMF) creditors have collapsed and left a wide rift that needs to be closed within two weeks to avoid a possible Greek default, the European Commission has said.

An EU Commission official, who refused to be identified because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, said that “the talks did not succeed as there remains a significant gap between the plans of the Greek authorities” and the demands of the international creditors.

The last-ditch talks failed in their second day, heaping worry that the cash-starved Greek government was heading irreversibly into a financial abyss with a huge IMF debt payment due at the end of the month.

“They came with their hands in their pockets,” a furious EU source close to the negotiations told this publication, while Greek officials said the failure was the fault of the International Monetary Fund, the country’s most hard-line creditor.

The deadlock drove the euro down in Tokyo morning trade on Monday, with the single currency dropping to

$1.1222 and 138.50 yen from $1.1260 and 138.92 yen in New York late Friday.

All sides had agreed that the talks were the last chance for Athens to unlock vital bailout cash in return for tough reforms that Greece’s 40-year-old leftist Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, still doggedly refuses. The IMF delegation quit negotiations on Greece’s stalled debt talks in Brussels on Thursday. The small Mediterranean nation is now buried under a mountain of debt equivalent to 180 percent of gross domestic product, or almost twice the country’s annual economic output. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Thousand flee Indonesia volcano

Thousands of people living close to a volcano in Indonesia have been forced to flee their homes after it began erupting violently on Monday afternoon.

Mount Sinabung, on the island of Sumatra, became active again in 2010, but there has been more activity since June 2. Before 2010, the volcano had been dormant for more than 400 years.

At least 3000 people living near its slopes have had to leave, including 1200 on Monday alone after its most recent eruption.

Scientists worry the volcano could pose more dangers in the coming weeks.

On Monday, there were at least 28 pyroclastic flows - surges of hot ash and gas that rush down the side of the mountain at high speed.

Gede Suantika, an Indonesian Government volcanologist, said there were signs a lava dome was growing on Mount Sinabung. Lava domes are pile-ups of magma near the vent at the top of a volcano,

which has been known to collapse and flow down mountain sides at high speed.

The danger alert for Mount Sinabung was raised to its highest level this June. Thousands more people are likely to have to evac-

uate

At

the area in the coming days, a military commander in Sumatra told BBC News.

least 14 people died when pyroclastic flows from Mount Sinabung struck villages in February last year. (BBC News)

Mount Sinabung

India’s Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj

tuesday, june 16, 2015| guyanatimesgy.com

Int’l context imposes new challenges on EU, Caribbean relations

The dynamic international scenario—characterized by the technological revolution, the globalization of consumption patterns, the global economy’s organization into major blocs and growing pressure on the environment—presents new challenges and opportunities for the structural relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, according to ECLAC.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations prepared a special publication to be presented as a contribution to the next Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU), which will be held in Brussels on June 10-11, 2015. The document was unveiled today to ambassadors from the Commission’s member countries during a gathering in Santiago, Chile.

In the report entitled The European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean

in a New Economic and Social Context, ECLAC analyzes the economic and social realities of both blocs with the aim of deepening dialogue between the regions and seeking common goals that enable them to work for prosperous, cohesive and sustainable societies for their citizens, as the theme of the summit indicates.

“We are certain that this political dialogue (between the EU and CELAC) will spur initiatives oriented towards citizens and aimed at fomenting innovation for sustainable growth, ensuring quality education for all, guaranteeing safety and combating climate change,” Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, states in the prologue of the document.

According to the publication, the changes in the international context are clearly reflected in the pace of economic growth. For example, between 2003 and 2014, Latin American and Caribbean countries grew at higher rates than European Union countries, thanks to the cycle of high prices for numerous commodities ex-

ports. However, prospects for reduced dynamism in international trade portend lower growth between 2015 and 2017, which means that progress is less likely to be made on narrowing the gap with EU countries in terms of per capita income.

In addition, the reduction of poverty in Latin America—which affected 28% of the region’s inhabitants in 2014 versus nearly 44% in 2002—enabled the growth of new middle classes, with their consequent economic and social impacts. Today this sector represents 34% of the population, after having incorporated 82 million people into its ranks between 2000 and 2014.

In environmental matters Latin America and the Caribbean has reached similar levels to those of the EU in terms of annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, despite its lower level of development. In fact, the GHG emissions of the EU have declined on average 0.9% annually since 1990, while in Latin America and the Caribbean a sustained increase of 0.6% annually was seen.

I have confidence in our President to act in the best interest of the country

Dear Editor,

With regards to James Bond’s attack on me, my comments are as follows.

While I had much preferred to keep the matter with his smuggling out-of the response, I really don’t see any harm for the public to know these things that would have been offences committed by Bond, ‎as only then the public can make a judgement for themselves about his true intentions of being so severely critical about me.

Since he came out publicly against me, why should he be complaining about public disclosure of his tax affairs for which he agreed to a proposed settlement rather than face legal action?

I do feel scared because there are thousands of Bonds who are just waiting to get back at me in one form or the other.

Mr Bond is entitled to his views, in as much as I am entitled to say that I

do not wish to dignify his criticisms and pronouncements on me with any comments as to whether they have merits.

I can only say that I indeed feel very sorry for him and hope that his bitterness and disdain for fellow Guyanese, which is not an uncommon feature, and characteristics of many persons I happen to encounter everyday at the GRA, a few, very few among my staff, but more among members of the public, who seem disgruntled over not witnessing a massive “exchange” occurring at certain state and government agencies, and not having their expectations realized.

I have the greatest confidence in our President to act in the best interest of the state, and he recently assured the nation that he is the President of all the people of this country.

Khurshid Sattaur Commissioner General Guyana Revenue Authority

Dear Editor,

GT&T took note of a recent case of the other network not allowing the roll-over of its customers’ unused data even though they re-subscribed prior to the plan ending.

GT&T is pleased to highlight the fact that the roll-over of our customers’ unused data comes standard on all of our pre-paid plans if renewal is done within one day of expiration.

Other persons with similar experiences are invited to come to the

“Best value in Guyana” network, where they will not only have access to their unused data but also pay cheaper rates for increased data speeds. And now is the perfect time to come on over and grab a new Smartphone during our Father’s Day Sale going on now!

Allison Parker Public Relation Officer GT&T

Potential of Guyanese Diaspora largely untapped – Foreign Affairs Minister

There is a vast untapped potential in the Guyanese Diaspora, and the Foreign Affairs Ministry will be moving to take advantage of this fact, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge.

During a recent interview, the minister pointed out that if one views each set of Guyanese living overseas as a “basket of resources”, then the role that the Diaspora can play can be recognised and how local foreign policy might be fashioned to take advantage of it.

Minister Greenidge said that the legal and institutional framework can be put in place to assist in this regard, as has been done in other countries such as Jamaica, India and Bangladesh where large communities of workers send remittances back to their native countries. Guyana’s remittances are very high, Minister Greenidge acknowledged, but noted that it simply for the most part “goes into consumption”.

He added that elsewhere that very income, serves to

Foreign Affairs Minister

Carl Greenidge

create more income for those who invest, and is incentive for them to return.

He mentioned investment in housing which is a major need here, not merely in Georgetown, but other parts of the country.

With infrastructure absent in some places, he said that if a framework is provided to safely utilise this, more persons in the Diaspora would adopt it.

In speaking about the framework, he said it is one “where people can safely put their money into Guyana, get the money here without the exorbitant cost associated with money trans-

fers, get the money here and say invest in apartments for middle or low and middle income groups, flats, apartments, condominiums, and not find themselves once they are separated from Guyana by some space, losing their property to some con-man who sells it illegally, or a state agent who isn’t bound by any properly enforced laws.”

Once the negative possibilities can be negated and “They can operate in such a space, we will have taken advantage of our Diaspora.”

Minister Greenidge said that while some may ask, how come that’s foreign policy, it should be noted that some parts such as the framework, and the vision are ones for foreign policy.

“In terms of putting together the legislation that stops estate agents from doing nonsense with other people’s property, that stops tenants from abusing a market, being in rented property and not paying for it and so forth, destroying it without any sanctions, we will have provided an opportunity for Guyana to take advantage of its massive Diaspora outside”. (GINA)

Who determines what is necessary from what is not?

Dear Editor,

Today, I ask an important question: could what took place in Guyana be allowed in the one of the developed countries?

I again ask: could there have been an election in the USA, Canada or Britain with all the known irregularities and in the end no verification of the results? Could that party of persons be declared winners?

We all know the answer: it cannot happen because they stand for democracy in their countries; they have a zero tolerance policy for undemocratic forms and practices.

They would not in the least entertain the thought that at any time an election could suddenly become a selection. That the people’s wishes could be overturned in such shameless fashion and that process deemed democratic. What is going on!

To think that we are in the 21st century and an election was held with no verification of the results. Unbelievable! When a simple, legitimate request is made, let us have a recount we get answers from the very same fraudsters that this is not necessary.

Who determines what is necessary from what is not? Yes it is necessary, yes it is important, because we have a party which has a historical record of rigging, and that same party has been declared winners in a false electoral process.

When the aggrieved party in all of this mess calls for a recount,

they turn out to be bad losers. And to add insult to injury, the major internationals in my country are ordering us to accept the result. Accept what result?

There were no results to accept, because we do not know what election results they are talking about. The election results we know to be true are the ones we have, which shows a clear winner of the May 2011 elections.

There is no question about that. We can only accept results when the evidence can be ascertained and those results have been denied us all this time.

It is not a situation where we are so dogmatic that we would not accept the results, but all we are asking is for the tangible proof, or show us the evidence to support your claim of a win, and in our case proof that we have lost.

So, continuing in the same vein, why can’t we practise those same high standards here in Guyana?

Why can’t we have those same principles instituted here in our country? It is an insult to our intelligence for those nations to in theory preach democracy to us and in practice do something else. It is a sin to say one thing when in practice you are demonstrating quite the opposite. As developed countries we look up to you as exemplars in matters of democracy and good governance. We look up to you for guidance on issues of fairness, equity and accountability.

The May 11 election was neither free nor fair, nor was it free from fear. You know it, everyone knows it, so why are you pretending that it did not happen? Why are you looking the other way? Why are you people supporting an illegitimate government?

The integrity of your respective countries is at stake here and if those high principles are to be redeemed then do the honest thing and join with the PPP/C in the call for a recount. If the good images of your countries are to be maintained, then help us get back into the democratic trend. It is that serious an issue.

I have dispatched a copy of this letter to the embassies of the various countries I cited earlier, as well as to President Obama himself at the White House.

In a related matter, I was told that in the mass dismissals held at the Office of the President, one of the so called “ghost writers” was yours truly.

I am happy to announce I am not a «ghost», nor was I at any time was employed or paid by the PPP/C to write. I give clear, factual above board discussions on matters pertaining to my country.

Most of all I must say that I have a conscience, something that is so lacking in my country these days. I remain a living breathing person who will continue to write, and I challenge anyone out there to prove me wrong.

Neil Adams

Hoping for change in policies toward suicide, related issues

Dear Editor,

Change is an inevitable and more often than not welcome characteristic of reality, not only because it ushers in a new dispensation with the possibility of advancement and progress, but also because without change there would be no renewal.

Within this context, The Caribbean Voice welcomes the new government with tremendous hope that new policies and approaches towards suicide and related issues would soon be in place.

We are on record as advocating for quite a number of measures to be implemented and in fact, have met with various ministers in the last government, as well as stakeholders, such as the Rights of the Child Commission and the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabbha, in attempts to have all stakeholders on similar pages and to build concerted efforts to tackle suicide, abuse, sex crimes and other social pathologies.

Towards this end we have also been in touch with the top brass of the AFC and the PNC and, in fact, were supposed to have had a meeting with PNC a couple months prior to the elections.

It is now our hope that The Caribbean Voice and the many other NGOs working to tackle suicide and related issues would be accommodated by Cabinet members of the new government so that we can explore possibilities and get an action plan going. Such a plan should include:

1. Re-launching the Gatekeepers’ Programme.

2. Empowering that the Pesticide Board to implement the Sri Lankan Model of Hazard Reduction, which reduced suicide by 50 per cent in less than a decade in Sri Lanka. The Pesticide Board already has taken similar methods but more is needed.

3. Decriminalizing attempted suicide.

4. Having at least one social worker in each administrative district and ensuring that public is fully aware of and capitalizes on their services.

5. Establishing a registry of sex offenders and sensitizing the public to its existence.

6. Facilitating the launching of national entity to tackle alcoholism and drug abuse.

7. Implementing nationwide training for all Police officers with respect to handling suicide, abuse and related issues, as well as familiarity with provisions of all related laws.

8. Setting up suicide and abuse hotlines manned by trained personnel and compiling a list of phone numbers/personnel nationwide that can be prevailed upon to take action/provide help once calls are made to hotlines.

We are aware that other NGOs/religious organizations, including CADVA, GRPA, Dharmic Sabbha, CIOG and Monique’s Helping Hands, have a slew of great ideas that need to be given consideration.

Thus we believe that an accommodation with all NGOs and activists on the social landscape should be facilitated and a concerted programme initiated so mapping can be done and no area would thus be neglected.

Towards this end,The Caribbean Voice is holding a National Stakeholders’ Conference on August 21, at Cara Hotel, in collaboration with Cara Hotel, Save Abee Foundation, Office Resources Inc and a number of other entities.

We hope to soon be able to discuss this conference with the Minister of Social Protection and hopefully have the Ministry come on board.

And because we strongly believe that change is more effective when it starts with the young. Thus we hope that the series of proposals that were endorsed previous Minister of Education would also be endorsed the current Minister and we are hoping for an audience with Honorable Minister to outline these proposals which include:

1. Having counselors in every school, even if, initially this means providing adequate training to one teacher in each school, as was done under the previous PNC government.

2. Facilitating a national schools essay contest on suicide and suicide prevention, sponsored by The Caribbean Voice.

3. Allowing students nationwide to come out once a year into the community and along with parents and the community, walk, rally and placard against suicide, abuse and related issues.

We also hope that long awaited Mental Health Programme would be reworked to include wide consultations with all stakeholders, including related activists and NGOs, and then formalized and rolled out ASAP.

Obviously one component of this strategy should include provision of psychologists at all hospitals nationwide as well as periodic visits by psychologists to all clinics within Guyana.

Another component should be ongoing education to bring mental health illnesses and related issues out of the state of taboo and to address the associated myths and misinformation.

Education, after all, is the key first step towards redress.

Bibi Ahamad Managing Director The Caribbean

Voice

Attacks on PPP/C supporters evident around the country

Dear Editor,

The derogatory bashing a majority of PPP/C supporters are receiving around the country is downright appalling.

The vitriolic attacks on the PPP/C by both the APNU Government and APNU supporters are evident around the nation and most of it is directed one way.

Perhaps, they feel that by PPP/C supporters exercising their democratic right by voting for the PPP/C, they are deserving of such treatment?

It seems that the media bashing, that is, the letter columns, social media and other blogs aim their derogatory attacks against PPP/C supporters, suggesting that they have all benefited from a PPP/C government and that “APNU” people did not.

This is totally wrong and if it persists

2 matters engaging relevant authorities in Region 9

Dear Editor,

It was reported in sections of the press that a man was found dead near the Maruranay Village, South Rupununi, Region Nine and no one knew how he died. It was however later revealed that the man Nash John, a pensioner, was run over by a vehicle allegedly driven by the Toshao of Maruranay Village Daniel Aguguiler. The Toshao,

it was said, was returning to his home after a self-help activity.

Also it appears that some school teachers in the South of Rupununi are using marijuana. Dale Joseph, a teacher of Aishalton Secondary School, reportedly purchased marijuana and is believed to have given a portion to a male student who shared it to other male students of the school.

The student under investigation by the Aishalton village council admitted that it was the mentioned teacher who gave the drug to him. When the District Education Officer (DEO) questioned the teacher, he reportedly admitted that he gave the drug to the student. These matters are engaging the relevant authorities.

Peter Persaud

Is the WICB serious about...

This was not fair to the fans, the image of WI cricket, the WI people and the players themselves. It was obvious that the WI cricket administration was unsure of what they wished to achieve, except of course to punish certain players.

Key factors to note are:

1. The cricket group was selected amongst utter confusion after the Indian tour debacle, instead of being identified sometime between six months to one year before the tournament in order to facilitate acceptable preparation.

2. Some members of the group were not in agreement with the omission of certain top players.

3. The captain selected was utterly inexperienced and had an equally inexperienced vice-captain, whose record as captain of a regional team could not justify his appointment in preference to any of the other senior players in the squad.

4. The lack of an experienced Head Coach for the 2015 Cricket World Cup exposed the limitations of the coaching team that included Sir Richie Richardson, Sir Curtly Ambrose and Stuart Williams all from Antigua and Nevis, none of whom are known to have coached either Antigua or the Leeward Islands cricket teams.

Sir Curtly Ambrose tried his best to infuse energy and purpose into players, but they just could not respond positively or gel as a unit. Teamwork was absent and success is impossible under those conditions. In hindsight, this was a plethora of glaring mistakes.

In light of the forgoing, it is my opinion that the WICB erred miserably in appointing Jason Holder and Marlon Samuels as captain and vice-captain respectively of the world cup team.

will alienate large sections of the population.

Guyana seems to have reverted back to the 1960s where we heard so much about racism. The ABC countries appear to be silent on the matter, having apparently rejoiced that the PPP/C is no longer in power.

We will stand up to our beliefs that we are all equal citizens of Guyana. We will continue to be the economic building block for our nation, despite who is governing, and will robustly challenge any racism.

I am a proud Guyanese, I am proud of my Indian ancestry. I denounce racism from wherever it might come and firmly believe that Guyana is for all of us.

Dr Peter R Ramsaroop

Appointing managers, captains, coaches and other administrative staff is the function of the WICB directorate are not the selectors. The buck stops at the Board and they should know better particularly when there were three former captains in the squad.

The timing was wrong. Indeed, Jason Holder is a talented young player with great potential. But he must be handled properly lest he goes the way of the numerous other talented young players before him including Adrian Barath, Keiron Powell, Ryan Ramdass, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Dwayne Smith, Shane Shillingford, Ravi Rampaul, Brandon Bess, and even Darren Bravo among others.

The enormous talents of these players has been greatly stymied

in the discouraging environment created by the current WICB administrators.

West Indies cricket must be seen in the context of providing a sustained programme of development that ensures the production of a constant stream of players and officials defined, refined and satisfactorily equipped to at least compete with any of the current international teams.

In this regard the development programme in each of the six territories must include the following:

1. A school cricket progamme.

2. Strengthening of the club cricket system that addresses both infrastructure and administration.

3. Intensifying and upgrading the domestic cricket competitions within each territory.

4. Revisiting the regional system by allowing for the premier league T20 and 50-over tournaments to be played on the fully professional basis of the franchise system.

And also to allow for the six regional teams to play their T20 and 50-over tournaments amongst themselves in order to provide for and prepare the local players who do not make the franchise teams to gain valuable exposure.

The four-day cricket could be played amongst the territorial boards in the usual manner where the boards and not the directors privately (as in the case of Guyana) run the cricket.

5. The institution of the cricket academy must be fully implemented and functional as a development tool and not symbolic as the present one.

Each territory must have an academy feeding into the regional centre “the Academy of Excellence”. Each academy must provide for training of players and officials including scorers, umpires, etc.

It is indeed a shame that we presently do not have a single umpire on the international grid. But, who cares?

6. The coaching system needs to be urgently overhauled for more effectiveness.

While I have no problem with the appointment of Phil Simmons as Head Coach of the WI senior team, I respectfully submit that unless there is a properly-designed coaching programme to produce the quality of cricketers we desire at the Test level, Mr Simmons will, like his predecessors, fail due to players arriving at the Test level with a myriad of flaws, both technically and mentally.

I feel it would be better to establish a coaching committee comprising the Head Coach from

each territory and headed by the current WICB Head Coach.

This committee will ascertain from observations and from reports of former head coaches the deficiencies noted in players when they reach the Test level.

This committee will need to visit each territory and establish training methods to prepare the players from schools, clubs and national teams so that when they arrive at the Test level most if not all of the faults would have been ironed out.

This committee should be tasked with the responsibility of scouting for players (especially fast bowlers) and recommending coaches for West Indies teams generally. There must be a continuous process of evaluation within each of the six territories to ensure that the cricket production line is working optimally.

Finally, it is quite obvious that the current Cricket Director Mr Richard Pybus cannot contribute meaningfully to our cricketing needs and is incapable of solving the many cricket problems.

Despite the shambolic state of cricket in Guyana, Mr Pybus has never visited Guyana to discuss with all stakeholders the many contentious issues.

Guyana is an important cog in the wheel of West Indian cricket development but has been shabbily treated and deliberately ignored for the past four or five years.

As long as the WICB establishes a proper development programme within a structure and it is properly maintained we will have quality players coming through consistently.

Clive Lloyd could then relinquish his mediocre role as Chairman of the Selectors and take up a more appropriate and suitable role as Director of Cricket or President of the WICB to properly oversee the actual development process.

The WICB would then have the respect and admiration of the world at large with our players proudly operating in an atmosphere that is more conducive to their expected success with proper remuneration packages and mutually agreed contractual arrangements.

Frustrated but loyal fans, who regularly bash the unfortunate cricketers for poor performances on the field, often times not realizing that it is the incompetence of an inefficient and uncaring WICB administration that is the real culprit, could once again enjoy with pride the resurgence of their beloved WI cricket team.

Claude

Raphael Former WICB Director

SUDOKU

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

(May 21June 20)

CANCER

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LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

AQUARIUS

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

PISCES

(Feb. 20March 20)

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Vettori wants to go out with a bang!

New Zealand great Daniel Vettori will finish his magnificent cricketing career at the 2015 Caribbean Premier League when he represents the Jamaica Tallawahs.

The 36-year-old, who will go down as one of the greatest spin bowlers of all time, retires after the CPL, and he hopes to bow out of playing the sport he loves by getting his hands on the trophy.

We caught up with Daniel to find out how excited he is by his swansong at the Biggest Party In Sport...

“We’re a strong team and there are expectations to do well” - Daniel Vettori

Q How much are you looking forward to the CPL this year?

A I am looking forward to it a lot, I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the tournament last year. I thought it was done exceptionally well. I’ve said to a few people it’s one of the few T20 tournaments that bowlers have really thrived in. That’s what I really enjoyed last yearas a bowler you can actually contribute to the game and I think that’s because the wickets at times offered a bit of assistance. It was a lot of fun last year and I’m looking forward to contributing again for Jamaica.

Q Spinners have prospered in the CPL - is that different to other T20 tournaments?

A You saw a lot of spinners actually spin the ball quite a bit throughout the tournament. The nature of the wickets emboldened the spin bowlers to be a bit more adventurous and try to be

a it more aggressive and it seemed to work. Myself and Nikita Miller worked really well in tandem last and you saw Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine be near the top of the wickets and economy rates so that bodes well for this year hopefully.

Q How does the CPL differ to other tournaments?

A Jamaica is a unique team last year in that all our local players were actually from Jamaica. You’re actually playing for a country, the four foreign guys walked into a team that had real nationalistic pride about it and we fell into that really quickly and really enjoyed being part of that. You don’t often get that in T20 teams around the world because generally you are playing for domestic sides and they are made up from players from all over that country. For our team, personally, it felt like we were playing for Jamaica and trying to do really well for them. That’s one of the main attractions to come back this year and do well for them.

Q They call it the biggest sport - is that true?

A Like most tournaments round the world you come together with some guys you’ve never met before and sometimes the easiest way to get to know guys is to go out and have a bit of a good time with them. That’s certainly the way the tournament felt - the guys were desperate to do well but they were also wanted to enjoy themselves as well.

“Chris Gayle is desperate to perform and that rubs off on the other guys” -

Daniel Vettori

Q You got the semis last year - have you got the squad to go one better?

A We started so well last year and then we lost the last game - we could have been first but we ended up fourth and that really affected our chances of progress in the tournament so I

well. They have high expectations of their own performance and that’s led by Chris. It’s nice to walk into a team where he’s so determined to win and I think everyone follows that attitude.

Q He calls himself the World Boss - is that a justified title do you think?!

A I think he’s obviously got a pretty impressive

dangerous batsman around, particularly his bowling in the Caribbean can be a huge asset, coupled with the fact you can put him in the top three or four best fielders in the world as well. It’s a package that not many people can bring to that table and that’s why he’s one of the best players going around.

Q How big a deal is

don’t think we want to put ourselves in that situation again. The team is a really strong one and if anything it’s improved with the additions of Mahela Jayawardena, Chris Lynn and Krishmar Santokie. There’s some expectations on the side to do well.

Q What’s it like playing in a side led by Chris Gayle?

A I’ve played with Chris for a number of years in the IPL so I’ve been round him for a long time and probably people misinterpret him around his desire to do well - he’s desperate to perform and I think that rubs off on a lot of the guys as

social media campaign going on but he’s a pretty relaxed guy around us. He’s enjoyable company. All my dealings with Chris haven’t involved the World Boss they’ve just involved Chris.

Q Andre Russell is in there too - he had a brilliant IPL - how good is he?

A He had an amazing tournament for us last year as well. I think that was probably the start of this upward curve he’s had for this last 18-months when he’s been one of the best allrounders in world cricket and T20 cricket and one of the most reliable. You’d be hard pressed to find a more

CPL in New Zealand given there are a few Kiwis involved?

A I think people keep an eye on it but the time zones do make it difficult to follow. It’s growing in people’s popularity and people’s cricketing landscape. I think they put it all together with tournaments around the world and want to keep an interest in how guys are going. The more New Zealand guys that play will only advance that, we’ve got a few this year so and hopefully it will continue.

“I thought the CPL would be a great way to finish up” - The retiring Daniel Vettori

Q How has spin evolved since the introduction of T20?

A I think you quickly learnt that batsman are going to be as aggressive as possible and you had to find a way to counter that. I think that’s what the good spin bowlers have done - they’ve found ways to stop batsman and that’s why spin bowling has been so successful in T20. The spin bowlers have adapted so quickly and realised they’ve got a big part to play. While you may bowl defensively, normally most spinners are trying to be aggressive and take wickets during those middle stages.

Q How long can you play for? Brad Hogg?!

A This is my last playing commitment - it’ll be a really nice way to finish up to be back with the Jamaican team and hopefully be successful. I retired from everything after the World Cup and this was on the radar and I had a lot of fun last year so I thought it’d be a great way to finish up and get a chance to play in the CPL again.

Q Has T20 changed the game drasticallyeven England are playing a dynamic brand of cricket now?!

A I don’t think you’ve got a choice these days. Every team’s just going out there and, not necessarily whacking it, but trying to play an aggressive form of cricket and you can get left behind. Every team wants to play that way and you find the players that can fit into that. If you look round the world that’s what every good team is buying into. (CPL.com)

Ramdin bemoans woeful batting, but says positives exist

Beleaguered skipper Denesh Ramdin has once again lamented the fragile West Indies batting which led to a heavy 277-run defeat in the second Test on Sunday, and a 2-0 series loss to Australia.

Set a massive 392 for victory, West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 114, about 40 minutes after tea on the fourth day at Sabina Park. Resuming the day on 16 for two, they lost five wickets in the first session to plunge to 72 for seven at lunch.

“Everyone is disappointed. I believe we didn’t bat as well as we wanted to,” Ramdin said.“We had our plans of batting the first hour and taking it deep into that afternoon session and bat out the day and then come back … and see how many runs we needed. “But the Australians kept com-

ing at us all the time and didn’t give us anything easy and losing those wickets put us under pressure.”

The result came on the heels of a nine-wicket loss in the first Test at Windsor Park in Dominica where West Indies also batted poorly.

They were dismissed for 148 in their first innings and collapsed in their second innings from a comfortable 181 for three, to 216 all out.

Ramdin said looking back at the series, there were several things West Indies could have done better.

“There were a few bowling changes made when you look back at it, there were batters who got

starts and didn’t carry on, myself not standing up with the bat as well and not being able to contribute lower down the order and some of our senior batters didn’t get off as we wanted to,” he pointed out.

“Each series we look for centuries from one of our top five batters and we didn’t get that so we need to go back to the drawing boards. They (Australia) have a good attack and they kept coming at us, we didn’t bat the amount of balls we wanted to and they took all their chances.”

Despite the overwhelming series defeat, Ramdin said there were positives to be taken from the experience.

“The way the youngsters stood up on the field, this experience

against this top team will live with them for the rest of their lives and can only make them stronger,” he said.

“Jerome Taylor with six for 47 was fantastic, Devendra Bishoo’s [six for 80] in Dominica was great so we have some belief still in our team.”

He added: “We coped well at times, I wouldn’t say it was good throughout but we can improve as a team so hopefully we learn from this experience and go from strength to strength.

“We were up against one of the best all-round teams in the world and we didn’t do it as consistently as we wanted to so we would like to take this moving forward to the next series.” (CMC)

Daniel Vettori

Hero CPL 2015…

Denesh Ramdin

NBA finals…

Warriors move within 1 win of title

The Golden State Warriors won the battle of small-ball and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-91 on Sunday to move within a win of their first NBA title in 40 years.

Stephen Curry scored 37 points and the Warriors withstood a 40-point tripledouble from LeBron James to grab a 3-2 lead in the best-ofseven series.

With the Golden State fan base starving for a title, the Oracle Arena crowd chanted “one more to go” following the win. The Warriors can clinch their first championship since 1975 with a win in Game Six on Tuesday in Cleveland.

Their Game Five win was a battle of speed, with both teams benching their big men as a strategic move.

“It was a chess match and we both have a bunch of wings and guards that can fill a lineup,” Curry told reporters after connecting on seven three-pointers.

“They made an adjustment and tried to match our lineup. I’m sure there will be another adjustment.”

After the Warriors

benched center Andrew Bogut to return to their run-and-gun style in a 21-point Game Four victory, Cleveland responded by limiting starting center Timofey Mozgov to just nine minutes on Sunday.

The move kept Cleveland close deep into the fourth quarter until Andre Iguodala scored five straight points to put Golden State ahead 9184 with less than four minutes remaining.

Curry, who scored 17 points in the fourth, added two late three-pointers and free throws to help seal the win.

Iguodala finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. James tallied 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the series.

Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson had 19 points and 10 rebounds while James tallied 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double of a series he is dominating.

“I want to do whatever helps our team win and I haven’t been able to do that the last two (games),” James

said. “We weren’t good in Game Four (at home), we can’t repeat that or they will raise the trophy for sure.”

With the Cavs battling through limited depth and ever piling minutes for James, they kept the game close until the fourth where the night turned into a faceoff between James and Curry.

James silenced the crowd with a deep three-pointer that gave the Cavs an 80-79 edge, but Curry responded with a behind-the-back pullup three-pointer of his own on the next possession and Golden State never trailed again.

Much had been made about the defensive job that Cleveland guard Matthew Dellavedova had done against Curry during the Finals, but Golden State’s MVP broke out in a big way to silence that narrative.

“I’m taking (Curry) in any matchup,” team mate Green said. “(Dellavedova) was hounding -- physical, dirty, whatever you want to call it. I was going with Steph no matter what, and I’m still rolling with Steph no matter what.” (Reuters)

Federer beats Kohlschreiber in Gerry Weber Open

RPearson feared amputation after falling in Rome 100m hurdles

Olympic 100m hurdles champion Sally

Pearson feared her left hand would have to be amputated after she fell at the Rome Diamond League event on 4 June.

Pearson’s lower arm turned blue after her fall, which caused what doctors

described as a “bone explosion”.

The Australian, 28, had surgery on her left wrist in Italy but will miss August’s World Championships in Beijing as she requires another operation.

“I was terrified seeing my hand going in a different di-

rection,” she said.

“I thought they would have to amputate.”

Pearson, who won gold at London 2012 and added the Commonwealth title last year, fell after hitting the fifth hurdle of the race in Rome.

“I’ve never broken a bone, I’ve never had stitches or surgery before,” she said. “Doing all of that in one, in a different country, was very traumatic.

“But I do put things into perspective and think I am very lucky with what happened. If it had been the ankle, it would be a completely different story.”

Asked about missing the chance to regain the world title she first won in 2011, Pearson said: “It’s very disappointing but this will be a very good mental and physical break leading into the Olympics next year.” (BBC Sport)

FIFA dismisses talk of Blatter Presidency u-turn

Sepp Blatter is committed to his decision to stand down as FIFA president despite claims that he may stand for reelection.

FIFA has rejected suggestions that outgoing president Sepp Blatter is set to perform a u-turn and stand for re-election as the head of world football’s governing body.

Klaus Stoehlker, the former election advisor to Blatter, claimed the longserving 79-year-old could be convinced to contest the presidency if a convincing alternative does not emerge.

But a FIFA spokesperson responded by saying Stoehlker’s role as an advisor to Blatter ended on May 31, with the latter drawing attention once again to his resignation speech that came on June 2.

“Klaus Stoehlker’s mandate from the FIFA president ended on 31 May 2015,” the spokesperson said. “The FIFA president would like to point to his remarks from June 2.”

Earlier, Stoehlker told Sky News: “As long as there is not such a candidate it remains open for Sepp Blatter

to run again.”

Domenico Scala, the head of the auditing and compliance committee at Fifa, urged Blatter to stay true to his word and step down between December and February. Scala is overseeing the presidential election and said a change of leadership is vital if Fifa is to undertake far-reaching reforms in response to continued criminal investigations into corruption allegations.

“For me, the reforms are the central topic,” Scala said in a statement. “That is why I think it is clearly indispensable to follow through with the initiated process of leadership change as it has been announced.”

Fifa’s Executive Committee is set to choose an election date at a meeting on July 20. (Digicel Sportsmax)

Race-rusty Bolt could race at National Trials, hints coach Mills

WGermany.

World number two Federer, 33, required two tie-breaks to overcome the German 7-6 3-6 7-6 and make a successful start to his grass-court campaign.

The Swiss top seed has seven Halle titles and is preparing for an attempt to win a record eighth Wimbledon crown.

World number six Tomas Berdych faces Victor Estrella Burgos on Tuesday.

Czech Berdych plays his first-round match after French fourth seed Gael Monfils, who faces Czech Lukas Rosol. (BBC Sport)

orld’s fastest man Usain Bolt is likely to contest this month’s National Trials as he looks to get in as many races as possible ahead of the Beijing World Championships.

By virtue of being the defending champion in both the 100 and 200m at the previous World Championships, Bolt was not expected to take part as he is automatically entered for the event.

Following another poor showing from the world record holder on Saturday at the IAAF Diamond League meet in New York, however, his coach Glen Mills hinted the sprinter may need as many races as possible to regain his competitive edge.

“His training is coming along gradually… He’s going to be running a lot more

Usain Bolt

races in order to get him into competitive peak shape,” Mills told US publication NBCSports.

“He hasn’t been doing much in terms of competitive running. Over the next two months, you’ll see him doing quite a lot more races with a more aggressive approach in order to get the kind of competitive level we

would like.”

On Saturday, Bolt, who finished in a slow 20.29, had an uncharacteristically bad corner, typically the strongest part of his race. The coach has also put that down to competitive rustiness.

“He didn’t approach the turn with his usual aggression that he’s capable of.”

(Digicel Sportsmax)

Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes dunks the ball over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mike Miller and centre Timofey Mozgov during game five of the NBA Finals. (Reuters photo)

Sally Pearson

oger Federer recovered from 5-3 down in the final set to

beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle,

Roger Federer

Sepp Blatter

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Cavs’ James confident ahead of do-or-die game 6 tonight

The Cleveland Cavaliers are undermanned, exhausted and facing an elimination game in the NBA Finals but LeBron James still likes his team’s chances of winning the championship series.

Following Sunday’s 10491 loss in Oakland that put the top-seeded Golden State Warriors ahead 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, a selfassured James explained why he remains confident in his team’s chances.

“I feel confident because I’m the best player in the world,” James, who led all players with 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in the loss, told reporters. “It’s that simple.”

Few could dispute James’s self-assessment after another spectacular performance, where he posted his second triple-double of the series.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome a sensational performance by league MVP Stephen Curry, who scored 17 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach and the Warriors one win away from their first title in 40 years.

“I thought he was great,” James said after the game. “But that’s not why we lost. We gave up 18 fast break points. We gave up 15 second-chance points. Steph was special, obviously, but his hitting those step back threes is not why we lost the game.”

James said he would have

to play better for his team to win, but it is his supporting cast that needs to improve to keep the Warriors from hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy on the Cavaliers home floor on Tuesday.

Cleveland guard Matthew Dellavedova, who had a breakout performance in Game Three filling in for the injured Kyrie Irving, scored just five points in 41 minutes of play and was unable to contain Curry down the stretch.

And after a hot start shooting from beyond the arc, J.R. Smith faded later in the game, finishing with 14 points on 5 for 15 shooting.

A key question going

into Game Six is whether Cleveland coach David Blatt will stick with the smaller, speedier lineup he used on Sunday, which battled well against the Warriors own small lineup until Curry’s explosive fourth quarter.

James said the inability of his team to get back in transition and coral offensive rebounds on missed Warriors free throws hurt his team, not the smaller lineup.

“We’re going home with a Game Six and we’ve got enough to win it,” James said. “We protect home, we come here. We’ll worry about Tuesday first. But if we protect home like we’re capable of doing, we force a Game Seven.” (Reuters)

Blake must get over mental hurdle, says Mills

Email: balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca

Racers Track Club head coach Glen Mills believes that despite being in perfect physical shape, 2011 World Champion Yohan Blake must still overcome the mental hurdles if he is to get back to his best.

The 25-year-old Blake boasts two of the fastest times in history over the 100 and 200m, with his 9.69 and 19.26 respective clockings only bettered by world’s fastest man and his more celebrated partner Usain Bolt.

Blake will, however, be looking to forget the last two seasons where a severe injury has kept him from competing. The sprinter’s worries began in 2013, an injury first reported as a cramp, but was much more serious as the athlete’s muscle was torn from the bone. He recovered in 2014 but saw his season cut short with another injury in Glasgow, which again left him out of the sport for a while. Blake has been less than impressive since returning to the track this sea-

son, clocking 21.57 over 200m and 10.21 seconds in the 100m at this weekend’s All Comers meet. Mills believes it will take time for the sprinter to get over the severity of the injury.

“He has a problem to get over, the fear of getting hurt again,” coach Mills told NBCsports.

“We just have to take our time. … I think once his confidence comes back, he’ll do well, because he’s in good physical shape.”

The coach, however, insisted that the camp would be patient with the sprinter and as such was uncertain as to whether Blake will contest both the 100 and 200m.

“We’ll see how he does in the early rounds,” Mills said.

“If he’s not really competing, I think then we don’t want him to go any further. We don’t want to push him. If he does really well, if he makes the team at the 100m level, we may decide not to do the 200m. We’ll do enough to lay a foundation for the Olympic year. That’s our main objective.” (Digicel Sportsmax)

LeBron James

Yohan Blake

Global broadcasters announced for Hero CPL

– tournament to be beamed into 200 millionplus households around the world

With less than a week to go before the start of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the global broadcasters for the 2015 tournament have been announced, ensuring that the “Biggest Party in Sport” will be beamed into over 200 million households across the world.

Big-name broadcasters such as Sony Six (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives); BT Sport (UK); Guardian Group (Caribbean); ESPN (USA and Caribbean); Fox Sports (Australia); SuperSport (South Africa) and Sky (New Zealand) have all signed deals to carry live coverage of this year’s tournament, with a broadcaster in Pakistan and Bangladesh expected to be confirmed before the tournament starts.

Last year’s competition attracted a global audience in excess of 65 million, and

this year the audience is set to be even higher as fans across the world continue to be drawn to the high-quality action on the pitch and the unique party atmosphere off it.

Hero CPL Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Damien O’Donohoe said: “Our global viewing figures almost doubled last year, from 35 million to 65 million, as word spread about the “Biggest Party in Sport”. This year’s competition promises to be bigger and better than ever before, and we’re confident that we will continue to increase our global reach in partnership with some of the world’s

most prominent broadcasters.”

At the Hero CPL, global superstars including Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi will join the Caribbean’s finest cricketers, like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, as well as exciting up-and-coming local talent.

The competition will feature 33 matches, and kicks off with a repeat of last year’s final, with defending champions, Barbados Tridents, hosting Guyana Amazon Warriors, at Kensington Oval, on June 20. The final, at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, will take place on July 26.

BCB Caricom Championship 2015 Ivan to lead strong Port Mourant CC

Former powerhouse Port Mourant Cricket Club, the club that produced the most Test cricketers from Guyana, has named a young, but strong team for the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) fundraising competition, the Caricom Championship on July 5 at the Albion Sports Complex.

The team will be led by national all-rounder Rajiv Ivan and includes several young and talented cricketers who represented Berbice and Guyana at different youth levels. The batting will be in the safe hands of the Captain and he will get support from Troy Gonsalves, Parmanand Narine, Arif Chan, newcomer Avishkar Sewkarran, Samuel Kisnasammy, Joshua Ramsammy, and Chanderpaul Hemraj.

The bowling will be spearheaded by Demetri Cameron, Yudendra Harrinarine, Lloydel Lewis and Gonsalves.

The full team reads: Rajiv Ivan (Captain); Parmanand Narine; Arif Chan; Joshua Ramsammy; Chanderpaul Hemraj; Yudendra Harinarine; Omesh Mathura; Demetri

National programme must continue, says Shabazz

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

Although Guyana’s Golden Jaguars’ campaign in the qualification phase of the 2018 Russia World Cup has come to a premature end, Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz is adamant the national programme must continue to gain traction to ensure the development of local football does not stagnate.

The Jaguars were booted at the second round of qualification on Sunday evening, following a high-scoring 4-4 draw against St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The away game ended 2-2 on Wednesday last, and based on the calculations for points on home and away goals, the Vincentians had a superior record, thereby guaranteeing their spot in the next round.

Speaking at the post-

ing to the World Cup, but for sure we have a programme to build, and if you know me, I’m not weak in heart. We have a lot of youngsters on the fringe, we have FIFA dates coming up and I think it’s necessary for us to play on all those FIFA dates, and not let the football do what it did two and a half years and remain dormant. Football is to be played, and now we’ve got to build a product,” Shabazz asserted.

the opportunity and this is a good lesson for us because it’s good sometimes that the whole nation have this feeling, and for this 90 minutes we saw everybody with this one feeling. This is an aspect [of human life] that only sport can do, and we have now got to continue building the programme,” he explained.

Cameron; Andy Mohan; Samuel Kishnasammy; Lloydel Lewis; Troy Gonsalves; Avishkar Sewkarran; and Nicholas Cameron. The Manager is Patrick Lewis, while Chris DeSouza is the Coach.

Proceeds from the event will be used mainly to organise three-day cricket competitions in the Ancient County.

The Caricom Championship will feature the top eight T20 FirstDivision teams in Berbice in a 10-over knockout competition, with the final of 20 overs to be played un-

der lights for a top prize of $80,000 and a trophy. The runner-up will receive $40,000 and a trophy, with the losing semi-finalists collecting $15,000 each.

The teams are: Upper Corentyne/Skeldon, Port Mourant, Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, Albion, Young Warriors/Edinburgh/ Rose Hall Centre, Police/ Bermine, Blairmont/West Berbice and Bush Lot/ D’Edward. The Board said that the teams were selected in such a manner so that all the top players in Berbice will be on show. Action will bowl off at 10:00h.

Simmons to Chandrika: Failure can inspire success

Coach of the West Indies cricket team

Phillip Simmons has told young opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika that he has to understand that sometimes you fail, then to succeed.

Chandrika who made his debut in the Test against Australia which ended yesterday failed to score in both innings.

The right-hander got identical dismissals in both innings, driving at deliveries angled across him and getting caught at gully.

match press conference, a clearly disappointed Shabazz, who blamed the outcome of the home game on poor defence, said the development of football at the national level must continue.

“For sure, we’re not go-

Prior to the instalment of the Clinton Urling-led FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, the national senior men’s team had become dysfunctional, and it was only in February when Shabazz was re-appointed for a third stint that the players had re-assembled.

“I think this is critical because we didn’t lose the game [on Sunday], we lost

Shabazz called for support from all concerned to help move the Golden Jaguars forward, as well as expose younger players to high-level, competitive football. The Head Coach chose to dwell on the positives going forward.

“It’s a very, very difficult situation when you don’t achieve your objectives, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. And the blows that don’t break our backs will certainly strengthen us,” Shabazz reckoned.

Chandrika got into the Test side after hitting 75 against the Australians, playing for the WICB XI in the warm-up clash at the Sir Viv Richards ground in Antigua.

He became the second West Indian in the history of Test cricket to collect a pair of “ducks” on Test debut.

“The other thing he has to understand that is he can bat, or else he would not have been on the team. He has to keep that confidence in himself, correct his flaws and move forward in his career.”

Chandrika would take heart from the fact that Sri Lanka opener Marvan Atapattu who got one run from his first six innings, including two pairs and five ‘ducks’ and went on to play 90 Test matches, scoring 5,502 runs with 16 Test hundreds at an average of 39.02.

A total of 38 batsmen have been dismissed for a pair on their debut in Test cricket. (Windies Cricket)

The other was Jamaican off-spinner Alf Valentine who failed to score in both innings of the famous 1950 Test match against England at Old Trafford. Speaking on the fact Simmons said: There are two things that I said to him, he has to understand that many men made bad starts to their Test career and ended up being great players. In sports sometimes you have to fail to succeed. You look at Michael Jordan who was not good at the beginning of his career and ended up being great.

Chanderpaul Hemraj

Rajiv Ivan

The Golden Jaguars (yellow) campaign in the World Cup qualifiers ended on Sunday evening against St Vincent

Coach Jamaal Shabazz: “For sure, we’re not going to the World Cup, but for sure we have a programme to build…”

Rajendra Chandrika

Phillip Simmons

tuesday, june 16, 2015

Chanderpaul, Narine star for Amazon Warriors

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

hivnarine

SChanderpaul brought all his experience to bear and Sunil Narine was at his miserly best in the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ first practice game against the Guyana Select XI on Monday evening in preparation for this weekend’s start of the Hero Caribbean Premier League.

Despite their efforts, the Warriors lost by four wickets in an entertaining match, witnessed by a fair-size crowd at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. Batting first, Guyana Amazon Warriors posted 131-6, to which the Guyana Select XI responded with 134-6, winning off the final delivery.

The Warriors lost openers Lendl Simmons (03) and Trveon Griffith (01) early, before Chanderpaul and Australian Brad Hodge repaired the innings with a stand of 37 for the third wicket. Hodge’s contribution of 16 from 17 balls included a six and a four.

Test player Assad Fudadin joined Chanderpaul and the left-handed pair pro-

ceeded to add a brisk 66 for the fourth wicket to take the Amazon Warriors beyond the 100-run mark. Chanderpaul, who was run out attempting a second run, made a solid 48 from 54 balls with four boundaries.

Fudadin remained unbeaten on 37 from 26 balls (3x4s, 1x6) when the in-

nings ended with Shimron Hetmyer accompanying him on 10 not out. Bowling for the Guyana Select XI, fast bowlers Ronsford Beaton and Paul Wintz grabbed 2-18 and 2-28 respectively, while Raun Johnson had 1-10.

The Guyana Select XI were off to a brisk start with openers Robin Bacchus and

Jerome Taylor climbs 9 spots on ICC rankings

There is a little good news for the West Indies after their devastating 2-0 Test series loss to Australia in the Caribbean.

Jamaica and West Indies fastbowler Jerome Taylor is now 22nd in the Reliance ICC Players Rankings for Test bowlers. The positioning means Taylor moved up nine places and comes as a result of his six for 72 in the second Test of the series at Sabina Park.

Taylor lies one position place below Mitchell Starc, who also moved up the ranking courtesy of his four for 84 in the same Test.

While the news was good for the West Indies, there was even better news for Australia, who now have the second youngest player to ever hold down the numberone spot for Test batsmen.

Steve Smith, who scored a fantastic 199 in the first innings of the Jamaica Test, returned to score 54 not-out.

The performance saw the 26-year-old leapfrog the South African duo of AB de Villers and Hashim Amla and previous Test numberone, Kumar Sangakarra.

Sacchin Tendulkar is the youngest person to hold on to the number-one spot, doing so when he was 25 years old. (Digicel Sportsmax)

Anthony Bramble dominating the faster men, before Narine was called into action and he immediately stemmed the tide of runs.

He first removed Bramble for a 16-ball 17, and once Bacchus fell soon after for a stroke-filled 31 from 23 balls (6x4s), the Amazon Warriors managed to get on top proceedings in the middle overs.

Narine, at one point, had magical figures of 3-2-31, and he received admirable support from Under-19 left-arm spinner Akshaya Persaud, who picked up a wicket in his first over, much to the delight of his band of supporters.

However, Leon Johnson (35 runs, 28 balls, 4x4s, 1x6) and Steven Jacobs (17 runs, 26 balls) added some valuable runs in the latter half of the innings to revive the

Guyana Select XI, and when national player Renaldo Ali-Mohamed edged Narine in the penultimate over through slip for four with 14 required from 10 balls, the match swung completely in their favour.

With four to defend off the final over, seamer Keemo Paul produced a valiant effort, taking the game to the last delivery, which produced three runs off the bat of Royston Crandon. Narine finished with 2-13 from four overs, while Persaud (1-25), Paul (1-20) and Keon Joseph (1-13) were the other wicket-takers. A second practice match between the two teams is billed for today at the Guyana National Stadium starting at 16:00h. Admission to the venue is free.

Jerome Taylor

Shivnarine Chanderpaul goes aerial during his topscore for the Guyana Amazon Warriors

Sunil Narine had the lock and key on Anthony Bramble, as the two slips in his first over would confirm (Shantanand Anude photos)

A fair-sized crowd turned up to watch the game

El Dorado renews sponsorship of Guyana Amazon Warriors

emerara Distillers

DLimited (DDL) has once again thrown its support behind the Guyana Amazon Warriors and El Dorado as the official spirit partner for the second consecutive year.This year, the beverage giant has widened its support to include Gatorade being the official sports drink of the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

DDL is already is already a Major Partner of the CPL T20, with El Dorado Rum being the official spirit of the tournament.

At the formal signing ceremony CPL OPCO Team Operations Manager, Omar Khan, said that the Guyana Amazon Warriors were delighted to partner with DDL and more so El Dorado which is one of Guyana’s best known products, both regionally and internationally.

Sharda Veeren-Chand, Marketing Director of Demerara Distillers Limited, noted that El Dorado is already a major partner of the Hero CPL T20. “CPL T20 continues to grow as one of the largest cricketing events on our calendar. The CPL T20 captures the spirit of who we are as a Caribbean people. We get an opportuni-

ty to see some of the world’s greatest players competing in what is now the world’s Biggest Party in Sport. We could not miss this opportunity to join the celebration with the world’s best rum, El Dorado.”

The CPL T20 tournament opens in Barbados on June 20 with the Guyana Amazon Warriors going up against the Barbados Tridents. The Warriors then play against the St. Lucia Zouks in St Lucia. The games come to Guyana from July 15-21 and tickets are already on sale at the CPL Middle Street office in Georgetown.

This year El Dorado is giving fans an opportunity to join the celebration by winning tickets to all local matches by scratching the back label of any El Dorado 750ml product. Two lucky winners will also win a trip to Trinidad and Tobago to see the final on July 26. There are also hundreds of other El Dorado prizes to be won.

CPL Ticketing Centre opens on Middle Street

Tickets for the

grab their permit to the venue and avoid the last-minute rush.

The CPL OPCO office on Middle Street opened its door on Monday morning, allowing patrons the opportunity to purchase tickets for

the Guyana leg, exactly a month before the tournament hit reaches South America.

The office will be open from 08:00h to 16:00h Mondays to Saturdays, while tickets are also available at Courts outlets from 08:30h to 17:00h Mondays to Saturdays. Of point to note, persons will not be given physical tickets at the Courts locations, but vouchers, which will have to be redeemed at the Middle Street location.

When Guyana Times Sport visited the OPCO office on Monday, several persons had turned up to take advantage of copping their tickets early, and avoiding the anticipated long queues in the coming weeks.

Patrons wishing to purchase tickets will be allowed a maximum of 10 tickets per person for each game, and where possible they may be allowed to purchase tickets with the seats of their choice in their preferred Stand, depending on availability.

This year the organisers have put in place many security features to prevent counterfeiting and unlike the other venues, tickets for the Guyana National Stadium are numbered to match the seat number, which will eliminate the pos-

sibility of overcrowding.

Tickets for the Red and Green Stands are priced at G$4,000 or US$20 each, while entry to the Orange Stand is G$3,000 or US$15. Tickets for the Grass Mound cost G$2,000 or US$10.

The National Stadium at Providence will host four games in July with the Guyana Amazon Warriors involved in all the matches, against 2013 champions Jamaica Tallawahs on the 15th

at 18:00h, St Lucia Zouks on the 17th at 20:00h, defending champions Barbados Tridents on the 18th at 16:00h and Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel on the 21st at 18:00h.

The Hero CPL will run from June 20 to July 26 with six franchises battling for supremacy. Further information on tickets for the Guyana leg can be obtained by calling the CPL OPCO Guyana Inc. office on 223-1437.

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

Guyana leg of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have gone on sale, and fans are being urged to

CPL OPCO Team Operations Manager Omar Khan and Marketing Director of Demerara Distillers Limited Sharda Veeren-Chand confirm the partnership with a handshake

The Guyana Amazon Warriors will receive the support of these two cricket fanatics when the Guyana leg is hosted from July 15-21