By Svetlana MarShall
Foreign Affairs Minister
Carolyn RodriguesBirkett on Wednesday informed the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council that, while the Government has been advancing the lives of the indigenous population, the combined political Opposition remains a key stumbling block.
In delivering a comprehensive report to the Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, Minister RodriguesBirkett pointed out that the Parliamentary Opposition “slashed” the 2014 Capital Budget for the Amerindian Affairs Ministry to zero. She explained that the act had resulted in key projects and programmes being thrown out.
It was during the consideration of the 2014 National and Regional Budget in the National Assembly, that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) used their collec-
tive one-seat majority to disapprove $1.1 billion for Capital Expenditure for the Amerindian Affairs Ministry.
Nevertheless, the Foreign Affairs Minister told the UPR Working Group that amid the prevailing challenges, the Government will continue to implement measures with the aim of improving the lives of the indigenous people.
“Recognising the historical injustices perpetrated against the indigenous people, the revised Guyana Constitution and the Amerindian Act of 2006 provide for and guarantee Amerindian Land Rights, governance and culture for the Amerindian population,” the Minister said, as she set the platform for unfolding major developments since
the 2010 UPR.
In reminding the URP Working Group that Amerindians are the second largest land owners in
Guyana, with the state being the first, the Foreign Affairs Minister said they now own communal land titles totalling 14 per cent of Guyana’s
cio-economic development of Amerindian communities, while another US$10.8 million is allocated to fund the Amerindian Land Titling
land mass.
She said Government has not shifted its focus on Amerindian Land Rights, pointing out that 103 Amerindian Villages have been awarded absolute grants, while another 83 have been demarcated thus far.
“The Amerindian Titling and Demarcation Project, is expected to complete the remaining communities. This will strengthen land tenure, security and the expansion of the asset base of Amerindians,” she said.
Under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), the Foreign Affairs Minister said Guyana is poised to earn up to US$250 million for its forest climate services from Norway.
Thus far, the country has earned approximately US$150 million. It was explained that these funds are being used for the implementation of projects and initiatives identified in Guyana’s LCDS, with Amerindians standing to reap the benefits.
Rodrigues-Birkett pointed out that US$8.2 million has been allocated to the Amerindian Development Front Project, which provides funding to enhance so-
Project.
Turning her attention to the education sector, the Minister said to date, 116 nursery schools, 139 primary schools and 13 secondary schools with dormitories have been erected in the far interior of Guyana.
The increasing presence of educational institutions in Amerindian communities has thus far allowed approximately 6000 indigenous children to attend secondary school within their districts.
“Over G$1 billion was expended on the National School Feeding Programme, which benefited over 65,000 poor children across the country. More than 16,000 school children in the three interior regions benefited,” the Minister pointed out.
Reference was also made to the Hinterland Education Improvement Project (HEIP), which Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said will lay the foundation for a special five-year Action Plan.
She maintained that the Government will continue to channel its resources toward the development of Amerindian communities through expanded budgetary allocation to the Amerindian Affairs Ministry and other key ministries.
Residents of the Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara are complaining about the devastating state of the First Dam Road within the area. One resident brought this to the attention of Guyana Times, noting that the road has been in a deplorable state for more than a year.
It was explained that the road is riddled with potholes that “carry the size of a two piece chair set”. Due to the state of the
road, the woman said that she would often have to execute repairs to her vehicle after transporting her goods. It was explained that the road is the main route used by farmers to take their produce to the market.
According to the Garden of Eden resident, the “steady repairs” for vehicles cause unnecessary expense on the part of farmers in the area.
Winds:
By Michael younge
The Alliance for Change (AFC) is expected to make a definitive pronouncement soon as to whether it will continue to engage its opposition ally, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) in coalition talks aimed at securing what it calls a new “pro-democracy alliance” to compete in this year’s General and Regional elections which are slated for May 11.
Last Thursday, AFC General Secretary David Patterson confirmed that his party was sticking to the deadline it had initially set to secure a workable arrangement with the APNU on the way forward.
“We have already given ourselves till the end of this month (January)”, told the journalists gathered at the party’s weekly press encounter at the Georgetown Club.
He declined then to divulge any further information on secret talks which are being held despite there is a growing public sentiment that talks are merely pro forma and not being done sincerely.
That deadline expired today and when contacted by the Guyana Times on Saturday, Patterson said “talks are ongoing”, but again refusing to state whether any mutual agreements have been struck or what is the AFC’s position now that the deadline has passed.
Patterson continued to decline to respond to any queries about the talks even as his own supporters and Guyanese by extension are extremely sceptical about the discussions which are
taking place behind closed doors and away from the watchful and critical eye of the public.
But when contacted, General Secretary of APNU Joseph Harmon would only confirm that the two sides are still meeting and that
“progress” was taking place. He told this newspaper that another high-level meeting was built for Saturday afternoon where more discussions would materialise.
Harmon said that while he understood the anxiety building up in the minds of Guyanese, the talks were “complex” and the two sides had to be extremely careful about the messages that they are transmitting to the public until they are ready to make an official announcement about the way forward.
“These are complex talks and we have be very careful about every step we take”, he reiterated.
The General Secretary said that a lot is as stake while again admitting that the negotiators were con-
scious of the expectations of the public and their own supporters.
Asked to explain whether the AFC had discussed the deadline it had said for the completion of talks with the APNU with his party’s leadership, Harmon responded in the positive but pointed out that the APNU understood that deadline to be related to them sealing the deal on the non-disclosure MOU and the basic thrust of the talks.
Questioned further as to when the talks would wrapup and an announcement made on the successes or lack thereof, Harmon said that this could take place by the end of February.
However, APNU leader David Granger announced at their party ‘so press conference on Friday that they will be launching their elections on February 20. This is the birthday of the Founder-
Leader of the PNC, Forbes Burnham, and is considered an auspicious day for that party which is the overwhelming majority of APNU.
Observers say that the hardest part of the coalition discussions between the AFC and the APNU discussion is deciding who will lead the alliance and the role that key political figures on both sides would play if it is successful given their own ambitions and party policies.
“It appears that the two sides are more concerned about who gets what and in what amount. It appears that the discussions are taking long because there is no arrangement on a gamut of policies and issues relating to economic philosophies”, the observer said. He noted that the AFC appears to be the aggressor in the talks and is focused on having its way or no way at all.
Just last week, the party made it absolutely clear that they would abandon any proposal to coalesce with APNU if they did not emerge from ongoing talks as the leader of the pre-electoral alliance.
AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan when questioned by this newspaper last Thursday insisted that the alliance “must” be led by his party.
Ramjattan made this point again despite comments by the APNU Chairman which have strongly rejected such an eventuality or possibility being agreed upon during the party’s first round of talks ahead of the May 11, 2015 elections.
In fact, Granger insisted that his party was deserved to be at the core and helm of any alliance arrangement with the AFC because it commanded more political support when compared to the minority party.
Sunday Editor: Michael Younge
Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134
Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown
Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com
Few, if any, Guyanese would doubt the impact of race in our political behaviour and as such would appreciate a discussion on it. But in our estimation, we believe that even fewer would vouch that this political racial imbrication has been to our advantage as a country and a nation.
As such, it behooves those in charge of the media to remember the distinction between freedom and licence: the right of free speech must be exercised with prudence. And on the subject of race in Guyanese politics, we should all be concerned of the harm that could be precipitated when certain invidious comparisons are allowed to be made in public, especially at the commencement of an elections campaign.
In a letter to the press, David Hinds, a member of the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA), which is a key member of the larger parliamentary party A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) asserted: “After 23 years of an Indian Guyanese presidency, African Guyanese are being asked to vote for another.”
He was referring to the ongoing coalition talks between APNU and its smaller partner on the Opposition benches, the Alliance For Change (AFC). Hinds objects to the latter party demanding that it lead and presumably provides the Presidential Candidate for any joint venture that might emerge. The leader of the AFC has already declared that their Presidential Candidate would be Moses Nagamootoo, who is an Indian Guyanese.
The problem surfaces when Hinds asserts that for the past 23 years, there has been an “Indian Guyanese Presidency”. Now we may overlook the literal inaccuracy of Hinds’ statement when he elides the fact that Janet Jagan was not “Indian” in origin. In fact that misstatement highlights Hinds dangerous twisting of the existential reality of the office by his formulation. What Hinds is asserting is that for the past 23 years, the “PRESIDENCY” ― the office has been “Indian Guyanese”.
And by this disingenuous sleight of hand, Hinds tells his readers that the office has only served Indian Guyanese and certainly not African Guyanese, who he explicitly identifies as being excluded from power in the said “23 years”.
We will also pass over Hinds’ dismissal, within his formulation of ethnic entitlement, of the “exclusion” of Amerindians and other ethnic groups. We will focus on the danger of the invidious comparison between Indian and African Guyanese, based on the history of our country.
This comparison was initially initiated in 1960 when the PNC dubbed the the PPP Government a “Coolie Rice Government”. It claimed then PPP favoured Indian Guyanese even though the expansion of rice cultivation was identified by a British technical team that visited Guyana and was supported by the British Colonial Government because of our comparative advantage in that area.
Every study of ethnically/racially diverse societies has shown that such comparisons exacerbate the divisions through their alleged claims of groups not having equal access to the national patrimony.
Even though Hinds defines himself as a “Rodneyite”, he explicitly abandons Rodney’s frame of analysis when it comes to the racial origin of leaders and the use of their office. Rodney rejected the simplistic equation between “race in itself” and “race for itself”.
In fact Rodney’s expulsion from Jamaica was precipitated largely by his claims that Prime Minister Hugh Lawson Shearer, even though African Jamaican, was not using his office for the betterment of African Jamaicans. Walter Rodney would have absolutely rejected the racial reductionism being pushed by Hinds.
Closer to home, back in Guyana, did the WPA, sans Rodney (courtesy of “the African” Burnham) agitate in 1992 for an “Indian President” after 28 years of an “African-Guyanese Presidency”? In fact Cheddi Jagan was rejected as being “too Indian” to be the combined Opposition’s Presidential Nominee. And when he proffered Roger Luncheon, the latter was nixed as “too red”.
David Hinds invidious comparison between the races must be condemned.
No fears of being rear ended!
Dear Editor,
Make no mistake about it. The big difference between the 2011 and the 2015 election is that the AFC and APNU/PNC will end the deception of being separate with distinct options for the people of Guyana.
They were one before the 2011 elections, but decided to go to the 2011 polls as separate but together. In the 2015 election they will end the deception and become one and the same.
AFC will end up as Granger’s poodle, a role they were very comfortable with in the 10th Parliament. I challenge them to tell the people, particularly those in Regions Five (MahaicaBerbice and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and also in Regions Two (PomeroonSupenaam) and Three (West Demerara-Essequibo Islands), that this is not so.
Let them come out clearly and say that they will not form a coalition with the PNC, as the junior partner. The partnership in 2011 election was for AFC to campaign in areas that are known PPP/C support based and not to do so in the PNC/ APNU support based areas.
The truth is that both APNU and AFC know that they cannot win an election by themselves. They have conceded that the PPP/C can win and will win the 2015 elections, by majority or by plurality.
The AFC knows that it is a small political party and all it can do is huff and puff and beat its chest. APNU knows that it is a political party that has over its entire history placed its fortune on ethnic politics and that it will never win any free and fair election as an ethnic political party. This is the starting point for the
2015 elections.
Having conceded and accept these facts, these two political parties are scrambling for a new kind of dispensation that can change their destiny. They decided a long time ago that they needed to form a pre-election coalition.
They have met and decided that a pre-election coalition is a must for them. There is nothing wrong with this kind of analysis. Every political party must consider what is best for them in any election. It is a prudent thing always for political parties and politicians to consider.
But the emergence of a pre-election coalition between APNU and AFC is taking place amid deceit and lies, wicked games and mixed messages. AFC was aggressive through most of 2014, particularly after November 2014, in trying to persuade the people in Regions Five and Six, and also in Regions Two and Three that they will not form a coalition with APNU/ PNC.
In African-Guyanese communities, they elevated the possibility of AFC and APNU in a coalition and gave the impression that this is under active consideration.
Why the different messages? Clearly, they recognised that in these Regions, and in parts of Regions One (Barima-Waini), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo), the possibility of the AFC becoming part of APNU would turn away those who supported them in 2011.
They know that the possibility of the AFC being a
part of the PNC/APNU platform would spell doom for them. Yet throughout all of their public uttering in certain parts of Guyana that they will not form a coalition with the PNC or APNU, whichever form that group takes, they were having secret meetings with APNU to conclude on just that coalition.
This is wicked deception and can only come from the minds of people like Nagamoottoo, Ramjattan and Hughes, etc.
The secret meetings, however, were not so secret and they got caught lying to people. They changed the tune – they then proclaimed that they would embrace a coalition with the PNC if the PNC would allow the AFC to be the senior partner with the top of the ticket.
In a public meeting in Berbice and in other public forums, the AFC now takes the position that they are not forming a coalition with the PNC, but that the PNC is seeking to join the AFC. What crap are they trying to foist on innocent people?
The truth is the coalition is a non-starter unless Granger is at the top of the ticket and that is why the secret talks because the AFC knows that the only possibility of an APNU/AFC coalition is the AFC playing a junior partner role, jumping to the tune of APNU.
The truth is that having decided that their only hope might be a coalition between the AFC and the PNC, the AFC is now trying to ensure that they will not be marginalised by the PNC in a coalition with that party.
Their bold pronouncement that they must be given the top spot and must be the senior partner in any coalition is merely a bargain-
ing posture to ensure that they are not marginalized from the very beginning.
They want to ensure that they share the top positions and they are guaranteed enough places in Parliament. They are well aware of what happened in the 1960s with the United Force when the PNC used the coalition to destroy the United Force.
These are people who speak eloquently on transparency. Both APNU and AFC have accused the PPP/C Government of not being transparent. They have argued that they will conduct Government business in a transparent manner.
Yet they have a history that is a hefty albatross around their necks. The PNC/APNU illegally controlled the Government for almost three decades, a period in which dictatorship dominated and transparency was never an option that the PNC Government even contemplated.
It was during that period when secret wars were waged against innocent people. People were hounded through the Income Tax Department. People were arrested without any probable causes. People were killed in conspiracies that were the purview of only a few.
The Headquarters of the PNC, Congress Place, was the seat of Government. Party paramountcy prevailed. The present Commission of Inquiry into the Walter Rodney assassination is a good insight into the secrets and non-transparency of the PNC Government. That is what APNU brings to Government and the people of Guyana have not forgotten that.
Dear Editor,
The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) would like to clarify media reports which misrepresented the value derived from the exports of logs and other forest produce.
In this regard, the Commission wishes to advise the general public that this misinformation is based on a flawed assessment of the export value of timber products, which is dramatically used as a basis for concluding that “a national tragedy” has taken place.
Logs export for 2014 represents only a third of total log production leaving the majority (or two-thirds) for added value manufacturing and local consumption. This can in no way be translated to “a national tragedy”, since 267,931 m3 or a 66 per cent of total log production volume remains in country, for local manufacturing or utilization.
Further, the table below shows that for each of the three main forest products, exports are only a fraction of total production. In the case of Logs is it 34 per cent, Roundwood, 28 per cent, and Plywood 28 per cent.
Additionally, an impartial analysis would have shown that although log exports increased over the 2013 value, there still has been a main-
tained high level of export value from processed wood products in 2014 (compared to 2013).
In other words, there was no decrease or trade-off in Sawn timber value owing to increasing log exports in 2014. There is an increase in export value for every product including Sawn Timber.
Also, the GFC would like to highlight that there cannot be a generalized comparison of unit value for Logs, Lumber and Other Value Added Products since these products do not have a standard unit cost of production.
In this regard, stakeholders - especially those directly involved in the sector would appreciate the following clarifying points.
It takes approximately twice the volume of Logs (or more) to generate one cubic meter of lumber, given the current level of recovery of the forest industry.
There is a significant additional investment that is required to be in place, for certain types of added value operations.
The large majority of logs exported are not of the Prime species, but are from the lesser used and lesser known species, such as Wamara.
2014 Log production values show an increase of 42
per cent over the 2013 total for Classes One to Three (categories which include Wamara and the other lesser utilized species), and a mere 11 per cent increase for those species in the Prime Category (also called Special Category).
Further, the forest sector continues to grapple with inherent challenges such as the high cost of energy, challenging physical environments, forest areas with limited accessibility, and fluctuations in local and overseas markets where emphasis is shifting from tropical timber to less expensive competing products.
Notwithstanding these uncertainties, in 2014, the forest sector in Guyana saw significant improvement compared to 2013 (21 per cent increase in total production; 38 per cent in export value).
Meanwhile, the forest sector has a bright future, especially in increasing productivity, promoting the use of a wider range of species, and manufacturing of much more quality added value forest products. This is based on factual evidence and stakeholders can rest assured that there is no “national tragedy”.
Guyana Forestry Commission
Of no avail the candle’s light
In the splendor of the sun’s delight, The frog in the well Contemplating the ocean’s swell.
Of no avail the force of winds severe
Striking the Himalayas, mighty and revered, Our efforts to tarnish and smear
The worth and virtues of a soul sincere.
Of no avail having a bird in a golden cage
Not a drop of water its thirst to assuage, The inordinate desire to gratify the body
Unmindful of the soul’s thirst for eternity
Of no avail our schemes to harm and deceive
The spider ensnared in the web it weaves, Even mere thought of suffering another Enough to darken our ensuing karma.
Of no avail sermons lofty and sweet
With hearts steeped in pride and deceit, Our show of mere outward sanctity
Failing to walk in true humility.
Of no avail mere worldly learning, When the Atma’s glories have no meaning.
No hope resides in the candle fly’s light
To dispel dense darkness of a moonless night.
Of no avail mantras and sacred invocations, If they have not entered the heart‘s recesses
When love has truly awakened, Matters not if the beloved is near or afar, When we behold Govinda in all and all in Him, Like Mirabai of royal lineage
Then of no avail what the world may insinuate, Peace ineffable and sublime to celebrate.
Cecil Ramkirath
This is what the AFC is joining and this is what they are offering to the people of Guyana. In playing hide and seek with the Guyanese public as to whether they will join in a coalition with the PNC, they are well aware of the albatross APNU/PNC carries.
They know that the people will not forgive them for betraying the trust they placed in them when in 2011 the AFC was privileged to have seven seats in Parliament. Yet their effort to demonstrate to people that they will not be playing second fiddle to the PNC is a futile effort.
The people have seen them in the 10th Parliament for the last three years. Since the 2011 elections, the coalition between the AFC and APNU has been revealed with all of its ugly and heinous stripes.
In spite of all of their pronouncements, these two parties have worked together before the last elections. In the last elections, they agreed that the AFC will work almost exclusively in the PPP/C strongholds. They were separate but together. It was purely a racist approach. AFC concentrated in the Indo-Guyanese area and APNU focused their efforts in the Afro-Guyanese areas. That was how the AFC decided on their Presidential Candidate. They wanted an
East Indian as their candidate because they want to be able to lead the opposition campaign in these communities. This is what they will do in the coming election, but the separate but together will morph finally to one and the same – the AFC playing Granger’s poodle.
All Guyana knew that Rodney and several other Guyanese who opposed the PNC were assassinated. Yet we are all in awe and shock with the revelations from the Rodney COI. Has anyone noticed that the AFC has said not a word about this sordid part of Guyana’s history?
It is the past, yes, but it beckons our future too. Many of the people in charge of APNU today were the young ‘Turks’ then and come out of the belly of dictatorship and repression. But the AFC cannot say anything, including Nagamoottoo, who wrote extensively about the crimes of the PNC then. Now ‘cat has cut his tongue’ because Granger wants him to be quiet.
When the PNC at a press conference claimed that the sugar industry should be closed, Ramjattan and the AFC supported the proposal made by Tony Vieira. They did not even know what the proposal was but APNU wanted them to blindly support replacing the sugar industry with aquaculture.
Nagamoottoo has said
plainly that the Chinese are not welcome as investors in Guyana because APNU expects them to say so. When Nagamoottoo wanted to be Speaker APNU told the AFC to put forward Trotman. Really, the AFC has been a loyal and malleable poodle to Granger and the AFC.
Since 2011, we have seen the truth – every time Granger and APNU call on the AFC to jump, they have done so. They opposed the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Fanancing of Terrorism Bill when they admitted that they have no amendment to make and they have no problem with the bill itself.
But they voted against it because that is what APNU wanted. They voted against Amaila Falls because that is what APNU wanted. AFC joined APNU and voted against the One Lap Top Per Family Programme.
They voted against more than $90 billion in the national budgets for 2012, 2013 and 2014 because that is what Granger wanted. They voted against programmes to help the Amerindian people because APNU said so.
They voted against salaries for the staff of the President because that is what APNU wanted. The history is long and the truth is AFC is very comfortable playing the poodle of APNU. The poodle status of the AFC is unchanged wheth-
er they go to the 2015 elections as separate but one, or as one and the
ast week, in one of our classes, a couple of patients were invited to talk to us about the experiences they had in hospitals. One of the speakers was one of our very own classmates and the other two speakers were parents whose baby had to be admitted to a hospital.
And all I could think as they recounted their experiences was that the way they were treated was utterly appalling.
It was disappointing to hear about how they'd been treated at the hospitals, but unfortunately, in retrospect, it wasn’t altogether very surprising. Talk to anyone and chances are that they’ve got a bad hospital experience to tell you about.
They’ve been treated badly by the nurses, the doctors, the receptionists, or even security guards.
Most people admitted to
“The
greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul – although the two cannot be separated” – Plato
the hospital are usually at their lowest point. They’re feeling sick, miserable and many times, confused about what’s going on with their body. Why would anyone go ahead and rub salt into their wounds when they’re already in agony?
We’re doing a course called “Professionalism, Ethics and Communication in Health” (PECH). It’s supposed to make us more aware about things like the importance of being empathetic towards our patient’s needs, of treating patients as people rather than their specific ailment and about being respectful towards the patient.
The protagonist from the TV series "House" obviously never took this class.
UWI has obviously been listening to patients and I think that it’s great that they’re trying to instil these values in us. Initially, I must confess that in the beginning, I used to fret a little about us not focusing on "the real medical stuff". But as old Plato said, there's more to healing than the body.
He would have been referring to the psychosomatic conundrums but the patients' state of mind and
their psychological equanimity are all important things to be aware of. The experiences many patients have in hospitals really highlight the need for such courses.
Having to go into a hospital is already usually an unpleasant experience for most people having to be poked, prodded and given horrible tasting medicine can’t be enjoyable. It wasn't for me last year when I had some health issues.
So if you throw in unpleasant doctors and hospital staff into the mix, the whole process can become fairly traumatic.
But listening to the experiences of the patients in class, really made most of us think about what kind of doctors we wanted to be in the future. We were hor-
rified by the things we were hearing.
One of the parents was a doctor herself, and she gave us some solid advice. She said that every six months, she took the time to checkin with herself and reflect whether she was giving her patients the type of care they deserved.
I think more doctors should reflect and do some sort of introspection. They need to put themselves into their patients’ shoes and think about how they would want to be treated if they were in that position. Bit of good advice.
I hope our batch of doctors don't become so jaded that we forget all the things we’ve been learning in PECH when our time to interact with patients arrive.
Opposites ( For two and a half years and older)
Collect pictures of things or draw pictures of things that are opposites such as big and small, hard and soft, up and down, inside and outside and so on. Paste the pictures in cards. Talk to your toddler about the concept of opposites. Mix up the cards on the table. Pick up a card and describe what it shows “This is something big, where’s something that’s small?”
What’s next? (Two years and up)
Reread a story book that you read before to your toddler. Before turning the page, ask your toddler what she thinks, is going to happen next. If she needs help, give her a hint as to what happens next. If your child still cannot remember, just tell her “Let’s find out” and turn the page, then talk about what happens next.
You can also read a new book and make your child guess what happens next in the story.
Concentration skills
Learning to pay attention and focusing attention to completing a task is a skill that is essential to other forms of learning. Being able to concentrate is also necessary for problem solving.
Remove the tape
Stick long strips of paper tape on any flat surface like a table or a fridge door. Make the tape overlap each other. Show your toddler how to remove the tapes one at a time with the use of the fingernail, and then let her do it herself.
***Stacking game***
Play with blocks or any toy that stacks. Challenge your toddler by stacking the toys as high as he can.
Coin pattern game (Two years old and up)
Gather a combination of coins – pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Show your toddler a combination of four coins in a sequence, for example, two pennies and two dimes. Make your toddler look at the coins. Cover the coins and ask your toddler to make the same combination from memory, using the other coins from your collection. Give your toddler a happy response when he gets the combination right, and gently cor-
rect him when he does not get it right until he masters his concentration skill.
Language and communication
For optimum brain development, young children need a rich and responsive language environment. The plasticity of the brain, its ability to rewire itself, is what makes it so easy for children to learn language. The more words young children hear, the more connections their brains make. Children learn a language by hearing words over and over. That’s why the more you talk to your child, the better. Talking to a young child increases the number of words that he will recognise and eventually understand.
Read picture books
For your toddler, choose books with clear picture of familiar objects. The most effective way for your toddler to acquire language skills is for you to read books to her. Toddlers learn the rules of grammar by hearing you and others speak.
Mirror game
With your toddler, watch your reflections in a large mirror. Make faces on the mirror. Point out her body parts such as nose, mouth, neck, etc. Point out your body parts, calling them, for example, “mommy’s nose”, “mommy’s mouth” etc. Ask her to point at her body parts, and mommy’s body parts.
This game teaches your toddler body awareness, see herself as separate from others, and be able to explore her identity with the use of language.
Talking with your toddler
Pick up one of your toddler’s toy and talk to him about it. Use words repeatedly. Add other cues to make your conversation interesting, such as doing actions (For example, “Oh look, a playful teddy bear. Look at him jump… jump… jump” and while saying “jump”, you make the teddy bear move as if it is jumping, and so on), changing the tone and pitch of your voice, or making your toddler do something with the toy (“Hug the teddy bear.” Show him how to hug the teddy bear, and take turns hugging the teddy bear).
(www.raisesmartkid.com)
By Svetlana MarShall
Guyana is moving closer to achieving its targets for the Millennium Development Goal Four (MDG4), which seeks to reduce child mortality, Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran has disclosed.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said Guyana has already met the target of reducing the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds, noting that both infant and child mortality have shown decreasing trends over the years.
The under-five mortality rate in Guyana has dropped from 120 per 1000 live births in 1991 to 17 per 1000 live births in 2008, resulting in early achievement of the MDG target. MDG4 also includes the reduction of the infant mortality rate and the proportion one year old children immunised against measles.
In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, Dr Ramsaran said the Health Ministry with support of the Guyana Help The Kids (GHTK) Foundation is making a greater impact by reducing the number of neonatal deaths.
In Guyana, neonatal deaths account for approximately 50 per cent of the under-five mortality, but the Health Minister said the figures are reducing with the installation of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).
This is so because NICUs provide specialise care for prematurely born babies (neonates) who are not fully developed and are unable to survive on their own without the assistance of monitoring equipment, incubators and breathing apparatus. The neonatal period is considered to be the first 28 days of life.
Minister Ramsaran explained that since the recommissioning of the 24-bed NICU at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) in
2012, tremendous progress has been made in the area of neonatology.
“We had significant decrease in the deaths of neonates since then, thus allowing us to achieve our MDG goals,” he posited.
Based on the successes of that NICU, a decision was taken by the Health Ministry to establish units at the Linden Hospital Complex, the West Demerara Regional Hospital and the Suddie Regional Hospital. The units at West Demerara and Suddie were installed in 2014.
“The Linden Hospital, in this regard, has a small unit of two incubators, but they are getting the best kudos from all who visit in relation to NICU. Hats off to Dr Farouk Riyasat and his team who are doing a great job, they are carrying the flag for neonatal services in Guyana,” the Minister pointed out.
He also applauded the GHTK organisation, noting that its President Dr Narendra Singh, a Canadianbased Guyanese, and his team have been working closely with the Health, Ministry.
With the support of the Health Ministry, GHTK has been placing major emphasis on training. In addition to the operationalisation of NICUs, a Paediatric Residency Programme and a Neonatal Nurses Programme have been established. Already
the Paediatric Residency Programme has produced two paediatricians and 10 others are being trained. Meanwhile, 28 nurses have graduated from the Neonatal Nurses Programme.
By 2017, GHTK is hoping to have a well-developed neonatal network that would be handed over to the Health Ministry. These goals will be achieved with the support of the Kissoon Family of Canada who are key financial supporters. GHTK has been making significant strides in the local health sector, as it seeks to reduce neonatal and infant mortality rates in Guyana by 50 per cent.
Already, the organisation has assisted in a 50 per cent
gramme in 2011.
Reflecting on the achievements made thus far, the Health Minister said more families are becoming happier because of the simple reality that their babies are being given a “fighting” chance to survive.
“In the past it was just a matter of time until they die, some time hours, even minutes, but now you find babies who are just 500 grams being saved. That’s half of kilogram, you are finding now that most of those babies are being saved,” he pointed out.
Despite the efforts being made, the Health Minister acknowledged that saving the lives of neonates remains a challenge. “It presents chal-
reduction in the neonatal death rate at GPHC – some 83 babies were saved.
The GHTK collaborated with the GPHC’s Institute of Health Science Education, the University of Guyana, the McMasters University and the Humber River Regional Hospital in Toronto, Canada to introduce a paediatric post-graduate residency pro-
lenges, because these babies are not mature, they are not developed, their systems are below what is expected for survivability in the external environment, that is the environment in which we live in,” he explained.
Nevertheless, he said the Health Ministry and its supporting partners are up for the challenge.
“Night
In a tribute to the late Dr Faith Harding, a Night of Reflection will be held at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown on Monday at 18:00h, a release from The Caribbean Voice (TCV) said.
The event is being coordinated by three non-governmental organisations (NGOs), CPIC Monique’s Caring Hands, TVC and the Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness (CADVA).
The release said the event is aimed at reflecting on Dr Harding from an NGO perspective and to talk about continuing her work and legacy. There will be tributes from NGOs and local entities with which Dr Harding was associated, as well as individuals whose lives she impacted.
Dr Harding was a board member of TVC and the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), among other organisations, and was also associated with many other NGOs, including CADVA and Monique’s Caring Hands.
Her work on the social
landscape included a private, free clinic that provided counselling services for children and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, runaway youths, male and female victims of domestic violence, as well as young victims of sexual abuse.
The release stated that while much has been written about Dr Harding’s work with the communities of Tiger Bay, Georgetown and Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara, what is less known was her overall campaign to bring social and economic empowerment to impoverished communities in the interior and rural areas of Guyana.
“In some cases she not only helped to set up agriculture projects, but to access markets, as well as to necessities such as potable water,” the release added.
“Youth and women loomed large in Dr Harding’s empowerment and advocacy campaigns, thus her association with organisations such as the Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation.
“In fact, when the women’s cricket team was almost defunct in Guyana, Faith joined the Executive as its President, gave it the boost needed to raise its standards, and today, the group is a viable sports organisation competing nationally and regionally in cricket competitions.”
The Night of Reflection is open to the public and members of the audience would be provided with an open mic to share their thoughts of and experiences with Dr Harding.
The four children found abandoned in Guyhoc Park, Greater Georgetown have been given better lives with the assistance of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA). However, such neglect and abandonment cannot be experienced without mental scars.
For this reason, the CCPA Director Ann Greene said the children are undergoing counselling.
Greene said it is important that children understand that their parents’ inability to take care of them is “not their fault”. It was explained that in many
cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment, children blame themselves for the manner in which they are treated by their parents.
As a result, they often become rebellious. Greene said counselling thus becomes quite necessary to build a child’s confidence, making him or her realise that it is “okay” to trust and not to be afraid of all adults.
It is said that a child’s development is negatively affected when he or she is ill treated during infancy and early childhood.
...with Burnham the dictator
When we heard that APNU was gonna launch its campaign on Burnham’s birthday, this Eyewitness immediately thought of President Obama’s observation on Sarah Palin, the right wing fundamentalist: you can put lipstick on a pig...but it’s still a pig!!
The PNC presided over an out and out dictatorship after 1968 when it cast out the UF and started rigging elections. For the next 17 years it institutionalised its dictatorial practices so deeply it’s now evidently impossible to shake off.
Party and state?? Burnham in his ostentatious “Declaration of Sophia” nonchalantly announced that the PNC was PARAMOUNT over the state. Not “steering” the ship of state or “governing” it or any of that: the PNC was “paramount” supreme!!
Disciplined Forces officers?? Army and Police had to swear personal loyalty to Burnham. Civil Society?? The TUC was subverted by paper unions of Burnham’s creation. The religious bodies, with a few notable exceptions, were all bought out. The Constitution was unilaterally changed (forget the bogus “referendum”) to “legalise” Burnham’s supreme powers.
Rodney had this to say about Burnham the dictator: “Burnham as a dictator is petty because ours is a nation of less than a million people. Hitler had a mad wish to rule the world. For this reason, he is generally described as a megalomaniac. Hitler’s megalomania was backed by the powerful German economy and the might of the German Army.
“Burnham’s megalomania is closer to comedy and farce. It takes the form of wearing a General’s uniform and hoping that the Army will conquer his own people. In the long run, however, every dictator is like any other dictator. Burnham certainly has the capacity to make life miserable for the entire population of our small nation.”
And it was because of this legacy of making this entire nation miserable and wretched that the PNC has been putting on dollops of “lipstick” ever since it lost the elections of 1992. And don’t for one minute buy the nonsense that “Hoyte brought back democracy” - if it weren’t for US pressure, we’d still be living under the jackboots of Burnham’s Army and goons.
And it’s this legacy that David Granger and his band of army officers who all swore personal loyalty to Burnham want to pay homage to him by launching their 2015 campaign on the dictator’s birthday.
Folks talk about abused children becoming abusive parents...but Granger, Felix, Harmon, Archer, Collins, et al weren’t “abused” by Burnham.
They fought to serve the dictator and have counted the days when they would fill his shoes. But they’re in for a rude awakening on May 11!!!
Burnham had also played the race card...when of course, he HAD to play the “democracy” game. This was early in the day. When he broke away from Jagan, he made common cause with two older Indians who resented Jagan eclipsing them Jai Narine Singh and JP Latchmansingh. The first soon denounced Burnham and departed to form his own party while the second died.
While rigging elections for decades, Burnham could do as he pleased. Hoyte touted Murray as his sidekick but who just became a perennial bridesmaid for the top spot. And we arrive at Burnham’s lipstick-smeared successor, David Granger. He’s desperate for an “Indian” second-incommand, since Roopnarine didn’t pull anything ethnic. He knows Ramjattan and Nagamootoo are just yanking his chain.
Now that Granger’s announced he looking for “youth” in the second spot for APNU, look for him to hit two birds with one bullet: maybe the ex-AFC Donkey Cart Economist Tarron Khemraj, who’s so smitten with him.
...with the judiciary
The more than tripling of the fine originally imposed on the Muckraker Mook for libelling Dr Ramsahoye gives this Eyewitness hope. After the GRA Chief had backed off, many felt the Mook would run amok with his bullyism.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Bharrat said she is disheartened by the fact that the Minister said she cannot intervene in the affairs of the tertiary institution, although it is struggling to keep its head above rough waters.
TBy AnAsAtciA clementson
The students of the University of Guyana (UG) on Thursday expressed disappointment with a number of their political leaders who have silently watched them endure “substandard classes in a substandard institution.”
Youth activist and former student of the University, Sarah Bharrat said the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) are failing to effectively address the issues plaguing the institution and by extension the students.
Singling out
According to Bharrat, she recently told the outgoing Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman that “his party, the AFC, has disappointed the youths of Guyana.” The youth activist said while many young people are afraid to speak out against the wrongs of society, she would not stand idly by.
At the time, Bharrat was speaking at a rally held by the University’s Student Society (UGSS). A roll call was done to determine which political party had taken the time to consider the invitations that were sent to them. However, after the call was made, it was evident that only representatives from Youth Movement Guyana (YGM) and APNU were present.
YGM Leader Trevon Chichester told the gathering that the movement will continue to champion the cause of the nation’s youths. He said YGM will stand by the students of the
University, noting that their concerns are genuine. “They have stripped us of the very thing that can free us”.
However, APNU’s Shadow Youth, Culture and Sport Minister Christopher Jones, told the students that he did not come to campaign or to tell that APNU is working to solve their problems.
Jones said he was there to listen and observe. “We want to see what you can do for your selves,” he said.
“You (students) should not ask what the political parties can do for you but what you can do for yourselves.”
he Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) on Saturday slammed the opportunistic criticisms made by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Chairman David Granger following its decision to
lend the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) $3 billion.
The Commission maintained from the onset that the agreement and loan were both legal and constitutional explaining that it was provided for n the GGMC Act No. 9 of 1979 in Sections 10-19.
Granger had told media on Friday that, “It is outrageous that State funds which
do not go into the consolidated funds could be used improperly for this speculative matter in the housing sector,”.
However, GGMC pointed out that Section 10 of the Act clearly provides the legal framework for the granting of loans to other entities.
“Subject to such conditions as it may deem fit to impose in particular cases the Commission may, out of its funds and resources, make loans in accordance with the provisions of this Act in that behalf, in the performance of its functions,” Section 10 reads.
The Commission argued further that Section 4 (1) (f) of the Act provides the Commission with the latitude to undertake activities that would further the business of the Commission and the promotion of its functions,
GGMC further noted that the loan to the CH&PA was done purely as an investment opportunity, given that the rate offered was 3.2 per cent greater than the rate enjoyed at the commercial banks.
In addition, it was seen as another opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the nation.
The Commission also pointed out that throughout the years, they have provided financial assistance to
Citizens have expressed deepest concerns as vehicles traverse along the sidewalks of Third Street Albertown in efforts to avoid the potholes on the roadway, putting the lives of pedestrians at risk.
Jonathan Fagundes noted with worry that since the St Ambrose Primary school is close by, the “justifiable actions” of the drivers can imperil the some school children.
“They are driving close to the kids on the pedestrian, they are endangering the kids,” Fagundes said.
Fagundes said that while the situation existed for only a little over a month, he noted that the roads should be fixed before anything serious happens.
“I don’t know, they drive so close to the kids and you know how children are, they will be playing and running…”
Aside from endangering the school children, Fangundes said the actions of the drivers cause much annoyance to regular pedestrians who have to halt their journey to allow the passage of the vehicles.
other entities and this incident should not be treated as an isolated case.
From the period 20122015, GGMC has granted millions of dollars in loans towards the development of the people of Guyana and the country at large.
Some of those projects include the rehabilitation works to the Bartica Pavilion; the improvement of electricity supply at Mahdia, Port Kaituma, Matthews Ridge and Moruca; the reconstructing of the Environmental Protection Agency; among others.
Meanwhile, the loan to the CH&PA will go towards the development of the housing sector in Guyana.
The Loan Agreement was signed following the submission of an investment proposal by the CH&PA for the investment of the sum of $3 million to be loaned for a period of one year.
In the event of CH&PA fails to repay the entire amount by the deadline, the Commission has the right to increase the interest rate to seven per cent.
The CH&PA project is pivotal to the realisation of the Government of Guyana’s strategic target of allocating 30,000 lots under the Adequate and Affordable Housing Programme in order to maintain momentum in the provision of service land in several areas on the East and West Demerara.
The touted alliance between the two Parliamentary political opposition parties may yet turn out to be a marriage of convenience for one more than the other. Giving an analysis of the current talks which are said to be underway between the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Presidential Adviser on Governance Gail Teixeira, said that it remains to be seen what the reported discussions between the two parties will actually realise.
“… I know from my own experience that an attempt to do that (form a coalition) in the Patriotic Coalition for
Democracy, in the best of times where we worked five years on this, wasn’t able to be achieved!”
She said that when she listens to the soundings from the media on the issue which indicate that the AFC leaders – Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo would like to lead a potential coalition, it would be “interesting to see what comes out of the whole mix”.
The Presidential Adviser made these observations during an interview on the National Communications Network’s ‘Political Scope’ programme on Thursday.
She explained that the AFC at present is not the same party it was some five years ago and lacks the same support. “AFC members have left them to go to APNU and we know who they are. They’ve formed APNU branches, some of them. AFC has lost support in the Diaspora. It has lost support of some of the PPP members who voted for them, our supporters who voted for them have crossed back or are crossing back. The AFC doesn’t have the rigour or support that they came into the 2011 elections with. They are a shell of what they are”.
The elections contest, Teixeira said confidently, will
be between the APNU and the PPP/C. AFC, she opined needs the coalition because they want to try to strengthen their hand. Whether the APNU needs the AFC is another issue. She added that
statements made, purportedly by the AFC executives about exacting “retribution” on Government figures and supporters is “not an indication of a party that wants to have national unity or wants to be a party of peace and development”. She noted that the PPP/C has been the longest serving political opposition party which has managed to return to power.
Describing the language emanating from the AFC leadership as “loaded and
vitriolic”, she said that in contrast, one cannot find any statement made by any PPP/C leader about retribution of any kind, whether at a rally or in any media report in the pre 1992 elections. This, she added, is in spite of being in opposition for 28 years against a Government that had rigged elections. “We never threatened retribution and all these things, and we know about the corruption that took place in the PNC, we know very well”. The worst of the afore-mentioned corruption practiced by the PNC now APNU, was the stealing of votes, Teixeira said. “They took away the right of our people of choice to choose their leaders, to choose their parties, and that is the biggest crime of the PNC. It has never apologised to the people that…this happened in a certain era and it won’t happen again, ever”.
The bullying by the AFC, she said is an attempt to show that “they are tough and strong and can do what they want”. These proposed actions by the AFC are not how a political party can build a nation and move it forward, she stated. Within the ruling party, the Presidential Adviser said, there were those who called on the leadership to “take care of things and deal with some of these people who were utter criminals” when they returned to office, but this line was never taken.
“It was about trying to restore Guyana, to reconstruct Guyana and to recognise that one had to create a situation where people who had been supporters of the PNC felt there was a place for them. They were told ‘here is this Indian party and they are going to take over and black people are not going to have jobs, the public service and the police’. This is what they were told and we never allowed that to happen”.
The PPP/C is a party of all ethnic groups and persons from all sections of society, the Presidential Adviser emphasised. “It is true that a large base of the PPP/C is Indo Guyanese, but we could never have won an election, even under free and fair elections with only IndoGuyanese voting for us because Indo Guyanese is about 43 per cent”. She noted that Afro-Guyanese amount to around 30 per cent of the population and the Amerindians are 10 per cent.
“The PPP/C could never win an election on the basis of Indo-Guyanese and APNU cannot win an election if it is only to do with AfroGuyanese”.
She observed that the APNU has what she described as a serious problem with diversity, both at the leadership level and at Parliament, unlike the PPP/C which is more diverse at the leadership and at the grassroots levels. She added that the AFC is trying to promote itself as a multiethnic group, but it is not.
Satiricus felt sorry for GrainJa. But the General’s problem was an old one faced by all the old Sultans who had harems. Lots of folks thought it was easy having a harem...in fact they thought it was so much fun for the Sultans!!
“Little did THEY know!!” snorted Satiricus. Can you imagine having to “visit at nights” dozenssometimes hundreds!! of women?? There’s only so much that “steel drops” could help. Remember there was no Viagra or Cialis back in the day.
And the nagging!! Satiricus took his hat off to the couple of his buddies who’d ended up with two wives their religion allowed that. That they spent most of their time at the back street bar spoke volumes!!
And here was GrainJa, who’d been trying to juggle the union between his Pee-an-See and four partners in APANU for three years now, trying to take on a fifth!! “God bless the man!!” thought Satiricus fervently.
From the first set of partners, one had already cussed out poor GrainJa and bolted the Big Building. Shoorma of the Just Ice party complained as to how GrainJa hadn’t rushed to his defence when he was being cussed out by that big, bad Feral Lady of the PPCEE in the Big Building.
Why did he need GrainJa if he couldn’t defend his partners??. Even Pimps protect their girls when they were abused by Johns, no?
The Action Partner was the least trouble. They were from the Bush and they always seemed to be missing in action. No one, including GrainJa had heard a word from them for years. The problem was, of close, they could turn up anytime and demand their share of attention.
The WAPA were the worse of the bunch. All past 70, they were more crotchety and cantankerous than anything. Taking their age into consideration, GrainJa had promised a rendezvous once a month. But here was the one named Doubting Thomas, bitching and moaning that he wanted it more than once a month!
So Satiricus’s respect rose sky high when he heard GrainJa was courting the KFC fellas. How the heck was GrainJa going to satisfy that bunch? For them it wasn’t the nightly visits that WAPA was demanding. Their “thing” was to drink morning, noon, and night.
“But then if you want to become a Sultan,” thought Satiricus, “you gotta do what a Sultan’s gotta do!!”
from page 8
Such treatment affects “child development, including brain and cognitive development, attachment, and academic achievement”.
As a result, child abuse has long-lasting physical, intellectual and psychological repercussions.
It was also explained that counselling is quite healthy for children who have been in any form of neglect or abuse that may totally affect a number of areas in their lives.
However, trust remains a troubling issue for many victims of abuse and as
such, it often takes a number of counselling sessions before healing occurs. In addition to counselling, three of the children that were found abandoned in their rat infested home in Guyhoc Park are attending school. The children, aged 12, eight, four and one, were rescued by the agency on January 6. Even as the children remain in protective care, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is continuing its quest to locate their parents. once found, charges will be laid against them for abandonment.
HMinister Clement Rohee, has stated that the name change from the Guyana Fire Service to the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service is anything but cosmetic.
The Minister was at the time speaking at the presentation and discussion forum, where the Guyana Fire Service Strategic Plan 2015-2019 was introduced on Saturday morning at the Grand Coastal Hotel, Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara.
Rohee said that the “Recue Service” addition would see the acquisition of a fleet of ambulances, which would enhance the capacity of the service on a humanitarian basis. He noted that this would cause ranks of the Fire Service to undergo the necessary training needed to provide such a service.
“That name change recommendation was taken to the Cabinet and Cabinet agreed with it. Cabinet further agreed that ambulances will be procured for the Guyana Fire Service it was never a question of cosmetic nature because we don’t believe in that. It had substance and the name change in terms of substance had to do with the procurement of a fleet of ambulances for the Guyana Fire Service, enhancing training of the ranks of the Guyana Fire Service to deliver that service.
The Minister went onto say that the Plan will put the Fire Service into context since it was formulated
by drawing from the experiences of the force over the years. He added that the plan was complied with a joint effort of the other disciplinary services as such there such be nothing that separate integration among the agencies.
Rohee further stated that the Guyana Fire Service Strategic Plan 2015-2019 is another cog in the wheel of modernisation, which his Administration has been and will continue to turn. He said that modernisation cannot be merely infrastructural but has to do with the process of change and willingness to accept that change. “There needs to be a moral attachment,” he noted.
The Minister also recognised the work of the current Fire Chief in his efforts to constantly improve the
institution and the service it provides. On this note, he urged the Fire Chief to be more open about the fails of the service and talk to the media so that the public will get the side of the Fire Service rather and reading about ridiculing comments that put the agency in a bad light. He was referring to the constant statements about the Fire Service turning up to scene without.
Meanwhile Fire Chief Marlon Gentle said that the Plan is a vehicle that will take the Fire Service along the road of modernization. He noted that the ranks of the Fire Service cannot merely be passengers but will have to be the drivers towards modernisation.
“This Plan will need commitment and team work from all of us…We as practitioners in Guyana in the field of fire fighting knows what it is to face challenges therefore this is just another good challenge for us,” he said.
The Fire Chief added that the presentation and discussion will provide over sight on how to move forward with the plan and in doing so, the Fire Service will be re-inventing itself to better serve the Guyanese Public.
Gentle further mentioned that he forwarded a copy of the Plan to his colleague Fire Chiefs both internationally and regionally, and has gotten positive reviews.
This is the Guyana Fire Service’s second strategic plan. The first was introduced in the year 2007 and lasted until 2011.
By Bhisham mohamed
The Captain of a boat is now dead while two other occupants are missing following a mishap on Friday evening in the vicinity of the Hydro Plant on the Potaro River, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).
at the Mahdia Hospital receiving medical attention.
They are Silvia Pio, Craford Pio, Clemson Andrew of Micobe and Carl Joseph of Lethem, Region Nine.
They sustained severe injuries to their bodies including broken bones.
ers were swept away by the waters strong current.
The captain and the male occupants of the boat were reportedly seen consuming alcohol prior to the incident. They were on their way to their mining camp when the incident occurred.
The regional administra-
The accident occurred at about 23:00h.
The dead Captain has been identified as Dennis Mark Ramacindo while the two missing are Jaeden Pereira, 7, and Levi (only name given), 20, of Monkey Mountain.
Four others were in injured in the incident and are
According to information received, the seven people were travelling in a boat in the Tumatumari area when the engine encountered difficulties resulting in the boat capsising.
From reports received it went down the Tumatumari fall. Four of them managed to swim to shore but the oth-
tion and the village council have launched a search and rescue mission in an effort to find the two missing people.
The region is reportedly assisting with boats and fuel in the search and rescue mission while the villagers are conducting searches along the river banks.
SunDAY, februArY 1, 2015 | guYAnAtimeSgY.com
By Gomatie GanGadin
The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has not yet implemented a significant portion of comprehensive recommendations made by the two main observer missions that participated in the 2011 November General and Regional Elections.
The recommendations made sought to strengthen both the efficiency and transparency of the electoral body with the aim of also improving alevel of independence.
But years later it would appear that there has been little or no movement to implement the recommendations made by the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Commonwealth observer groups at the Commission.
Political nominees
Topping the list of recommendations was the need to end the practice of having political parties appoint individuals to serve as GECOM Commissioners.
This practice remains a key feature at the Commission even to this day with the ruling People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) appointing three Commissioners to oversee the operations of the professionals at GECOM.
Dr Mangal has recently tendered his resignation and the PPP/C is now looking to nominate a new candidate.
The observer groups had emphatically stated in their
tions.
This means that the voters would know exactly which candidates are most likely to take up the seats in the Assembly should they win.
The observers argued
reports that GECOM should desist from this practice, since it affects the credibility and uprightness of the Commission and the election results.
They had noted in their reports that adequate mechanisms should have been incorporated to ensure that the confidence of the political parties and accountability, including effective liaison committees, are preserved and maintained.
Electoral reform
The OAS and Commonwealth observer groups had also called for electoral reform through amendments which would require political parties participating in the General and Regional Elections to submit their ordinal lists soon after the announcement of elec-
The current Commissioners which represent the Opposition at GECOM are Vincent Alexander, Sandra Jones and Charles Corbin. The ruling party nominated Dr Keshav Mangal, Mohamood Shaw and Athmaram Mangar.
that such a move would increase the accountability and transparency.
This too, is yet to be implemented by the Commission, since none of the parties have yet announced their full list of candidates.
Campaign financing
Meanwhile, the observer groups also explicitly urged that there should be laws, rules and regulations for the declaration and public disclosure of campaign funding. This would ensure transparency and accountability.
The political parties have in recent days, refused to disclose their sources of funding for their political campaigns.
Additionally, GECOM is maintaining that there is nothing that it can do to compel the parties to disclose their sources of financing.
The groups sought to detail that steps should be taken by the Commission to strengthen and enforce rules on the use of public resources, especially during election campaigns to facilitate a more level playing field for all parties.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) have recently accused the ruling party, the PPP/C of abusing the state resources for their elections campaigns, an allegation the ruling party vehemently denied.
Media monitoring
Meanwhile, the OAS and the Commonwealth Observers indicated in their documents that the Commission’s Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) should be institutionalised both legally and financially.
This could be done through the incorporation of mechanisms that ensure its impartial composition and accountability to further provide guarantees to all political actors and for the determination of legal mechanisms that include oversight and enforcement capabilities beyond the voluntary codes of conduct.
Even though the need was cited for the media monitoring, the Government disbanded it soon after the 2011 General elections, while the recommendations of the MMU were also never implemented.
However, GECOM is currently seeking funding to resuscitate the body for the upcoming General Election, slated to be held on May 11.
The Mashramani 2015 Steelband competitors are well ‘tuned’ with the vibes for the much awaited Steelband competition. This year’s competition comprises two categories; the school bands will add to the customary category; the large and regular ones.
At present, 11 school bands and five large bands have registered to participate in the competition, which will be held on February 8, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
These school bands include Panwave Steelpan Academy, Bishops’ High, Christiansburg Wismar Secondary, North Ruimveldt Secondary, Lodge Secondary, Dolphin Secondary, Buxton Youth Band, Bartica Youth Band, Queen’s College, West Demerara Secondary and St. Rose’s High.
Meanwhile, in the large band category, five bands have registered, including the Guyana Police Force Band, Park Side Steel Orchestra, Guyana Defence Force Band, Buxton Pride and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Band.
Additionally, the Republic Bank Mashramani Pan-o-rama Steelpan competition will be held at the Theatre Guild, on February 5, and will feature Pan Jazz, Pan Duets and Pan Solo competitions, comprising six bands and a number
of solo artistes. Administrator of the National School of Music, Andrew Tyndall, lauded Republic Bank for their good gesture in collaborating with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, for their annual support in developing this form of music.
He added that the increase of school bands for participation stems from the continuing output of the Republic RightStart Pan Minors Music Literacy programme, another annual initiative, under the “Power to Make a Difference” umbrella. This programme, which commenced in 2010, teaches the necessary skills for playing the steel pan and the rudiments of music.
This move also exposed a wider cross section of Guyana’s children to the steel band, thus enabling them to appreciate a style of music, that forms an important part of Guyana’s cultural heritage.
Over $3 million in prizes will be awarded to the winners of the competition, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. A minimal fee being is charged to enter the competitions, and the money garnered will be used to purchase equipment, and to establish another school band.
In 2011, when the Alliance For Change (AFC) first contested at the General and Regional Elections, the Party made it profoundly clear that any coalition with the People’s National Congress (PNC) would ruthlessly betray the very philosophical premise behind the formation of their party.
“It would constitute an abandonment of all the lofty principles that were proclaimed when the seeds of the AFC were sowed,” a statement from AFC members Khemraj Ramjattan and Sheila Holder had stated.
Even throughout the years, members of the minor political opposition were adamantly faithful to remain an independent party in order to “fill a void of leadership created by the divisive, destructive and racial politics…”
In September 2013, AFC reiterated its stance that they will not be swayed into a pre-election coalition with either the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) or the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
“The party (AFC) was founded on the basis of a need for greater political options than hitherto presented by the PPP/C and the PNC... it is in this context that we assert our independence…,” the party coherently pointed out.
Moving up the timeline, in November last, AFC vigorously made it clear to its persuasive political counterpart APNU that a coalition status with them will leave the AFC as “dead meat”.
Ignoring their chatter, APNU has been continuously pressing the AFC to join forces with them in efforts to rid the PPP/C Administration out of power.
Even when the coalition proposal was renewed in November, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan said there are no plans whatsoever to have the two parties merged.
Reports indicate that when APNU Leader David Granger had once again raised the idea of an APNU/AFC coalition, Ramjattan asserted that they were in no position to deal with it at that stage.
Ramjattan added that he is strongly against such coalition.
Despite AFC’s grand reluctance to crawl under the APNU’s umbrella, the party fell prey to the APNU’s persuasive tactics and bowed down to their wishes for coalition talks, blatantly betraying those “philosophical roots” it has “worked so hard to build.”
When they finally gave in and agreed to coalition talks with the APNU, AFC completely went against every word they said since they came into being in 2005, injecting mistrust and unworthiness into their supporters.
When they accepted APNU’s request for coalition talks, the AFC agreed to enter a possbile alliance with the same Party they had constantly accused of inflicting racial quandary and blocking developmental goals in Guyana.
Nonetheless, even while talks were ongoing, AFC consultant Daizal Samad said the coalition “will not happen”.
Samad had explained that he believed the AFC would form Guyana’s next Government without the critical support of APNU.
Regardless of this, AFC went on a journey to try to sell the AFC/APNU coalition to the Berbicians.
In taking those factors of the AFC’s history into consideration, one can conclude that the party was hypocritical in its stance to be independent and provide Guyanese with a greater political option.
Both the APNU and AFC had indicated their interest in moving forward with coalition talks despite criticism from sections of society and the ruling PPP/C.
Meanwhile, the deadline for the coalition talks expired today, but the AFC is yet to give word on the final decision.
Political observers note that since the AFC desperately craves power, a rejection of the opportunity to coalesce with the APNU could lead to oblivion.
But Ramjattan had said while the AFC remained open to discussions on a broad national alliance to govern the affairs of the country, it must be understood that the AFC would not be taking the back seat in any such alliance.
According to Ramjattan, the AFC has the capacity to deliver the leadership that is required to propel Guyana forward.
He noted that “hard decisions have to be made”, one of which is the possible coalition with other political forces in Guyana, in particular APNU.
Observers have said that the minority Opposition party’s proposal is presumptuous given that it trailed APNU by a distance in terms of electoral support.
By Erica Williams
Ateam from the Canadian Justice Education Society (JES) visited Guyana recently to conduct training sessions for officials in the justice sector.
The sessions were aimed at strengthening Guyana’s justice system to respond to the challenges that are emerging as a result of development, technology and judicial reform.
According to Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Nicole Giles, the JES’s aim for visiting Guyana is to improve Guyana’s justice system from the ground up.
This means that training was provided from the point of investigation of a crime to the point of the delivery of justice at the court system.
During a reception held at the residence of the Ambassador on Friday to mark the end of the visit, Giles explained that police officers were taught on how to effectively gather evidence to ensure the suc-
cessful prosecution of an offender.
The JES mission is to build stronger communities by promoting understanding of, access to, and confidence in justice systems, at
home and abroad.
The JES develops programmes based on Canadian best practices and in full collaboration with local partners, to understand recipient coun-
try’s contexts, from project inception to completion.
The JES team consisted of Executive Director Rick Craig and the honourable Judge Michael Hicks who arrived in Guyana on January 25, and launched into two full days of meetings with representatives from Guyana’s criminal justice system including law enforcement, the judiciary and the courts.
The three-day seminar was entitled “Strengthening the Guyana Criminal Justice System”.
over the years there have a numbers of cases where cases were thrown
out of court because evidence may have been tampered with or their many be insufficient evidence among other probable causes.
It is expected that the JES would be able to assist in this aspect to ensure justice is served.
Craig who served in the JES as the Director since its inception in 1989 was very excited to have ventured to Guyana to aid in the justice system and is adamant that Guyana’s justice system can be significantly improved by hard work.
Craig has over 35 years of experience in interna-
tional development and has worked on the justice sector development, human rights. Community/sector development (unions) and the international legal education projects in other countries in South America, philippines, Bangladesh among others.
Craig stressed that a “collective approach” was necessary. The seminar involved stakeholders from the criminal justice system and was jointly coordinated by the High Commission of Canada and the Embassy of the United States of America, under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
Scores of legal persons turned out to the reception along with members of the Guyana police Force, more specifically, police prosecutors.
Lawyers and judges present at the event expressed at the event expressed gratitude for the Canadian Embassy’s initiative. Among those present, Chief Magistrate at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, priya SewnarineBeharry, Magistrate Judy Latchman and Magistrate Ann McLennan. Also present was Speaker of the House Rapheal Trotman and Judge William Ramlall. Among the courses to be offered: strengthening Justice Systems Core Training, Special Investigative methods Training Courses, Specialised Training and others.
After one month of industrial action, workers attached to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) resumed duty on Thursday, allowing for another six weeks of negotiation.
GGMC’s management and Guyana public Service Union (GpSU) met on Tuesday and struck a deal which immediately brought the industrial action to an end.
GpSU has been pressing for workers to receive a 35 per cent increase in their wages and salaries but the Commission has been pro-
longing the negotiations.
Speaking with Guyana Times on Saturday, GGMC Senior Industrial Officer Dennis English disclosed that a six-week across the board pay to employees will be made for 2013. This move, he said is in keeping with demands made in 2013, noting that those negotiations have now come to an end.
English also noted that the 2014 SV Jones proposal is being discussed, however, he warned against the Commission dragging its feet on the 2014 proposal.
GpSU is pushing for the implementation of an as-
sessment performance plan for workers which will see the “de-bunching’’ of workers based on experience and qualification.
The protest initially started in November last but came to a halt after a proposal was put forward by the Commission for an interim payout of eight per cent across the board. The parties, however, had agreed to continue negotiations on the proposed 35 per cent increase. But after signing the terms of resumption, some three weeks after, the workers had once again downed their tools.
Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) Chairman Parmanand Persaud has announced the establishment of a new Health Committee which will work to address pertinent health issues within the region.
Persaud called on all the members who are part of the body to give their best and to function effectively.
The regional Health Committee will aid the work of the Cuban Medical Team and other professionals within the public health sector.
The body will also be assisted by the Administrator of the Suddie Public hos-
pital, representative of the Suddie Funeral Parlour, the Police, trade unions and the Environmental Departmen.
It will be chaired by former People's Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament and Regional Democratic Councillor Farouk Khan.
Khan said he is happy to serve on the board while explaining that he served several years on previous health committees. He will be working in the best interest of residents in an effort to boost health services within the region.
Other members who will serve on the committee include Chairman of Annandale-Riverstown Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Bash Narine, Regional Democratic Councillor Shanta Springer, former Mayor of Anna Regina Sammy Rampersaud and Nadia Seeram.
The Heath Committee will meet on a monthly basis.
The findings of opinion surveys conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) in October and December showed former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) stalwart Moses Nagamotoo leading other contenders as Presidential Candidate for the Alliance For Change (AFC) party in the upcoming general election.
However, nationally, as well as among party members and supporters, the poll found voters are largely divided by race in their Presidential preference with Indians and Amerindians backing Nagamootoo, while Africans and Mixed cheering for AFC members Nigel Hughes or his wife Cathy Hughes.
Other prospects had negligible support.
The poll randomly interviewed a total of 1020 voters to yield a demographically representative sample (44 per cent Indians, 30 per cent Africans, 16 per cent Mixed, nine per cent Amerindians, and one per cent other races) of the population.
The poll was conducted in face-to-face interviews and was coordinated by New York-based pollster, Dr Vishnu Bisram. The results
By Alexis Rodney
President of the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) Dr Melissa Ifill has promised that staff members will continue their industrial action if the institution’s Administration still remains settled on its resolve.
The University is still to decide on whether it would honour the demands made by the representative bodies, the UGSSA and the UG Worker’s Union (UGWU), which together are demanding a 60 percent hike in their salaries, among other things.
Speaking to Guyana Times on Friday, the Staff Association President said the University Council was expected to meet on that very afternoon to hold discussions on the way forward.
She said if nothing comes out of that meeting, the decision has already been made. “We have already voted that we will continue the industrial action,” Dr Ifill told this publication. She could not say, however, if the action will intensify or remain at the same level.
The UGSSA and UGWU have for years been in a prolonged struggle with the University Administration and the Council.
Dr Ifill had claimed that there has never been any true attempt by either side to address the issues affecting the University’s workforce.
Due to the continuous gridlock, Dr Ifill and the UGSSA are now calling for the realignment of the Council and the Administration. According to her, only then better management will prevail.
She said too that the bod-
ies must be 100 per cent autonomous and nonpartisan to ensure that challenges facing the University’s workforce and the student population are dealt with objectively.
Meanwhile, the UGSSA President related that the Union has also been receiving support from the University’s Tain, Berbice Campus. While there has not been a full commitment by all staff members, most have been in support of the call to action.
“There is some support from some sections. There have been attempts at intimidation and we have addressed that – there is a consequence for those who attempt to intimidate our staff.
“They should not instruct the staff to work. So we are hopeful that with that information, the intimidation will stop and members will participate. Of course we are not forcing anyone to participate,” she said.
The UGSSA and UGWU are calling for a 60 percent increase in salary, better working conditions and improved quality of service, among other things. They
threatened that if that was not finalised, strike action would take effect.
The Unions said they had met with the University’s Vice Chancellor, Dr Jacob Opadeyi and his Administration the following day. However, according to them, there has not been any success.
Apart from the 60 per cent salary increase, staff members have also been
UGSSA President, Dr Melissa Ifill
clamouring for a 200 per cent increase in their travelling allowance, a better medical scheme, increases in allowances for books and other materials, duty-free concessions and yearly research grants.
Although fuel prices have dropped significantly, locally and internationally, the fare structure in the transportation sector has remained unaltered.
of the poll were analysed at a 95 per cent significance level with a statistical sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Asked who should be the AFC Presidential Candidate, nationally, 47 per cent backed Nagamootoo, 23 per cent Nigel Hughes, 18 per cent Cathy Hughes, four per cent Ramjattan, one per cent others, and seven per cent expressed no preference.
Among party supporters, 62 per cent backed Nagamootoo, 16 per cent Nigel Hughes, and 14 per cent Cathy Hughes. Among AFC members, 61 per cent backed Nagamootoo, 15 per cent Nigel Hughes, and 13 per cent Cathy Hughes.
In terms of Prime Ministerial candidacy, voters overwhelmingly expressed their preference for Nigel Hughes should Nagamootoo be the Presidential Candidate of the AFC.
Voters did not show much enthusiasm for a People’s National Congress (PNC)/A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)-AFC alliance with many voters, Indians in particular, saying they will not vote, or they will vote PPP/C, or some other party, if the AFC were to contest the elections as part of the PNC alliance.
Though benefiting directly from a recent decision by the Government of Guyana to reduce fuel prices by 30 per cent, operators of speed boats, hire cars and minibuses in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are refusing to drop their fares, much to the disappointment of passengers.
According to some residents, operators within the transportation sector should let the domino effect of reduced fuel prices be felt by all.
In an interview with Guyana Times, Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud disclosed that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) had organised a meeting with the Hire Car Association but no one showed up.
He explained that he was trying to address the matter but clearly drivers are not interested in “any discussion on the matter.” Nevertheless, he is joining with residents in the call to have the fares reduced.
The price from Anna Regina to Supenaam is $700 while short drop trips cost $100. Meanwhile, the fare from Supenaam to Parika currently stands at $1300 while $2000 is charged to
traverse the Anna Regina to Charity route.
According to some speed boat operators, they are still paying the same price for gasoline, pointing out that some fuel stations in the region have not reduced their prices. Nevertheless, residents on the Essequibo Coast are calling on the relevant authorities to intervene.
In January, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh announced that that gasoline will be sold at cost of $695 per gallon at Guyoil pump stations from a high of $995. Further, he had declared that diesel would be retailed at $694 per gallon from a high of $985 per gallon.
The cost of cooking gas has also been reduced by 13 per cent, which would see consumers paying approximately $3500 per 20 pound cylinder of gas as opposed to $4000.
Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali has since urged all service providers and producers of consumer goods to apply conscionable measures so that all Guyanese could benefit from the domino effect of low fuel prices.
The Ministry, in a press statement, had called on the respective associations and unions to take note and act accordingly before it commences discussions with them to arrive at a formal position on the issue.
The Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) and the Science of Spirituality (SOS) are once again joining the United Nations (UN) to observe World Interfaith Harmony Week.
World Interfaith Harmony Week is based on the pioneering work of the Common Word initiative. This initiative, which started in 2007, called for Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in a dialogue based on two common fundamental religious commandments; Love of God, and Love of the Neighbour, without compromising any of their own religious tenets. The two commandments are at the heart of most religions and therefore provide the most solid theological ground possible.
IRO Co-chairman, Reverend Ronald McGarrell said a variety of faith-based personalities will be convening a meeting this week to have discussions on this year’s theme “Love of God, and Love of the Neighbour.”
He explained that annually, the Government spon-
sors the Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, noting that this year is no different. As usual, the event will be held on February 2 at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) from 9:00h.
He outlined that a number of religious leaders will be addressing those present; pointing out that several of schools and religious organisations have been invited.
Additionally, this year, SOS is expected to play a more active role, according to one of its representatives Kenneth Daniels. He explained that the organisation will be highlighting the principles that are common to all religions. He said such principles as non-violence, humility, selflessness and truth will be brought into focus to centralise how common the faiths are when analysed.
UN World Interfaith Harmony Week starts from the February 1. IRO and SOS will also be hosting a Human Unity Seminar at the National Library on February 6 at 17:00h.
The Guyana Police Force is investigating an incident on Friday night which saw a resident of Agricola, Greater Georgetown, being robbed and shot several times. The incident occurred sometime around 19:30h.
George, 30 years, survived his injuries and is currently admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
According to the police, the man was standing on the roadway in Middle Street, Mc
Doom, Greater Georgetown, when he was confronted by four men.
The men were armed and discharge several rounds of fire at George, hitting him about his body. The gunmen then took away the man’s jewellery and approximately $70,000 in cash before escaping. The injured man was picked up and rushed to the hospital.
The police are continuing their Investigations.
Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated (BMGGI) on Friday laid off approximately 30 of its apprentices, citing a decline in production and sales as the main reason.
Community Relations Officer Vanessa Davis Mitchell said the company, which has employed hundreds of Lindeners, saw a decline in sales which overlapped from 2014.
She explained that in an effort to cut back on expenses, the company was forced to release all of its apprentices. In a press release issued by BMGGI on Friday, it was explained that the company was forced to cut back on production due to “the steep decline in sales.”
“The sales for our major product RASC (Refractory A Grade Super Calcine Bauxite) for 2014 was 177,009mt (metric tonnes) which was 13.5 per cent less than 2013. The company was only able to run one kiln for most part of 2014, due to the low sales and the same situation is foreseen for 2015,” it stated.
The release further stated that the production plan in the company’s mines for 2015 will be 25 per cent less to that of the previous year while the plant will see a 14 per cent reduction.
Updated information is expected to be provided by the Bosai Public Relations Section as the situation progresses.
Iraq’s PM pledges hard line against alleged
Iraq’s Prime Minister blamed “criminals” on Saturday for alleged mass executions, following reports that dozens of civilians were killed by Shi’ite militias in Diyala province.
“It’s not permitted for people to take the law into their own hands and punish others whenever they want to settle scores,” Haider alAbadi told a gathering of Sunni and Shi’ite religious and political leaders in Baghdad.
Abadi, a moderate Shi’ite Islamist who has
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has announced plans to end a total ban on abortions in the predominantly Roman Catholic country. Bachelet has tabled a bill in Congress to legalise abortion in cases of rape or when there mother’s life to the mother’s or the baby’s life.
sought reconciliation between Sunnis and Shi’ites, had called on Wednesday for an investigation into accusations that Shi’ite militias systematically executed at least 72 people in the village of Barwanah.
Accusations of such mass atrocities by Shi’ite militias threaten to undermine Abadi’s efforts to win Sunni Muslim support to battle Islamic State, which grabbed large parts of northern and western Iraq last year.
“Those who commit killings and aggressions on sanctities, set fire to people’s homes and assault their souls and properties in areas liberated from Daesh - those (acts) are no less dangerous than terrorism,” Abadi said, using a derogatory acronym for IS.
Shi’ite militias took the lead in battling the radical jihadist movement and keeping it from overrunning Baghdad after the Iraqi army nearly collapsed last summer.
But their role has been controversial, with Sunni civilians complaining militia elements have been killing and displacing them in what they claim is a policy of collective punishment.
(Excerpt from Reuters)
Abortion is punishable in Chile by up to five years in jail. The absolute ban of abortion puts the lives of thousands of Chilean women at risk every year, said Bachelet.
She went on national television to announce the plans. “Facts have shown that the absolute criminalisation of abortion has not stopped the practice,” she said.
“This is a difficult situation and we must face it as a mature country.”
The BBC’s Gideon Long says the draft law faces opposition from Chile’s powerful Catholic Church, from conservatives in Congress and from some inside Ms Bachelet’s own coalition, led by the Socialist Party.
Bachelet’s proposal would allow abortion to be carried out up to the 12th week of pregnancy if the mother’s life is at risk, when the foetus is so badly deformed that the baby wouldn’t survive or in cases of rape.
For girls up to the age of 14, termination would be legal until the 18th week. (Excerpt from BBC News)
The ‘One Love One Step’ walk, a three-week walk across Jamaica from the Morant Point Lighthouse in St Thomas to the Negril Lighthouse in Westmoreland, is expected to begin today at 6:00h in St Thomas.
The walk, among other things, according to organisers, will “celebrate the neglected and under-invested centre of Jamaica – a place where the talent, ecology and wisdom of Jamaica lays”.
Its staging is expected to “identify sustainable good practice, build a network and raise awareness
of climate change, work with local people to identify their own great ideas, share knowledge about ecology, business and funding and connecting people to each other,” a release from organisers said.
“We will be identifying sustainable ecological renewable business opportunities and gathering folklore, traditional remedies and stories,” the release continued. The walk will be filmed in two parts in an effort to inform different local and international markets, of Jamaica, including the rarely travelled inner communities. (Jamaica Observer)
Tens of thousands of people have marched in Madrid in support for anti-austerity party Podemos, whose surging popularity and policies have drawn comparisons with Greece’s new Syriza rulers.
On Saturday, protesters chanted “Yes we can!” as they made their way from Madrid city hall to the central Puerta del Sol square. Podemos and its anti-austerity message have been surging in polls ahead of local, regional and national elections this year.
Podemos (“We Can”) was formed just a year ago, but produced a major shock by winning five seats in elections for the European Parliament in May.
“People are fed up with the
political class,” said Antonia Fernandez, a 69-year-old pensioner from Madrid who had come to the demonstration with her family.
One protester, Fernandez, who lives with her husband on a 700-euros-a-month combined pension cheque said she used to vote for the Socialist party but had lost faith in it because of its handling of the economic crisis and its austerity policies.
“If we want to have a future, we need jobs,” she said.
Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras promised that five years of austerity, “humiliation and suffering” imposed by international creditors were over after his Syriza party swept to victory in a snap election on January 25.
(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)
The Finance Ministry says it has noted a number of grossly misleading statements being made on the matter of the country’s foreign reserves, principally by the leadership of the Alliance For Change (AFC).
The Ministry, in a press release, said the statements are indicative of a worrying lack of basic knowledge of macroeconomic accounts, of the framework within which external reserves are generated and managed, and of recent developments in the global and domestic economy.
The Ministry said the apparent bewilderment amongst the AFC leadership on the reason for the decline in Guyana’s foreign reserves, and their reckless speculation that the external reserves can be “dipped into” for the purposes of financing Government expenditure, are without basis or merit, and are reflective of an alarming lack of familiarity with both basic operations of Government finance and recent developments in the economy.
“One does not need a single modicum of formal training to be aware that gold prices have been falling recently, that this would affect export receipts and in turn overall balance of payments, and ultimately that this would impact external reserves,” the release stated.
“To insinuate otherwise can only be indicative of either alarming ignorance or deliberate mischief,” it continued.
The Ministry highlighted that the Bank of Guyana (BoG), by law, holds and manages the country’s foreign exchange reserves which include foreign currency deposits, treasury bills, bonds, gold and Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary
The reserves are held to meet defined foreign payment obligations such as sovereign debts, financing imports, absorbing unforeseen external shocks, and intervening in the foreign currency market during times of volatility.
The Ministry maintained that BoG has never used its foreign reserves for purposes other than those listed above.
Moreover, they said the foreign reserves are not available at any time to finance Government expenditure, contrary to statements by others.
The quantity of foreign exchange reserves can change as and when there are changes in the value of imports, exports and capital flows which are reflected in the overall balance of payments position.
The Ministry explained that an increase in net exports and capital inflows usually has a positive effect on the balance of payments which increases the level of foreign exchange reserves while a decrease in net exports and capital inflows will have the opposite effect.
The maintenance of adequate foreign reserves even in the face of declining export commodity prices reflects continued prudent management of the economy by this Government.
The foreign exchange reserves held by the Bank were US$862.2 million, US$776.9 million and US$665.6 million at the end of 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively.
The decline in reserves in 2013 and 2014 is explained by its use to offset the balance of payments deficit of US$119.5 million and US$111.3 million caused by lower net exports and capital flows in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
The principal contributing factor underlying the expansion in the balance of payments deficit, and by extension the decline in the foreign reserves, is the reduction in gold export receipts.
Total gold exports declined from US$716.9 million in 2012, to US$648.5 million in 2013, to US$469.8 million 2014, principally reflecting the rapid decline in price observed over the period.
Put simply, while Guyana’s gold exports declined by US$247.1 million from the end of 2012 to the end of 2014, Guyana’s external reserves declined by only US$196.6 million during the same period.
There are many benchmarks for measuring the adequacy level of foreign reserves of a country.
The most common measure is the import cover which is the level of foreign reserves to cover a number of months of import of goods and services.
In 2014, the level of import cover was adequate with cover of 3.6 months, comfortably above standard benchmarks.
At the end of 2014, the commercial banks foreign assets increased by US$44.2 million from its 2012 level to US$357.6 million, additional evidence of adequacy of foreign currency assets in the financial system as a whole.
Miss Guyana Universe Niketa Barker, who competed in the 63rd annual Miss Universe Pageant in Doral, Miami, has returned home and said she is ready to complete her reign as queen “with a bang.”
Barker said she will be working with children in keeping with her promise, noting that she is a part of the “big brother, big sister initiative.”
Speaking at a press conference held at the Water Chris Hotel, the 24-yearold beauty ambassador said although she did not make it in the top 15, she has won the hearts of many in Guyana and abroad.
“Although I wasn’t given a place in the pageant, I know that I have won the hearts of many, because the support from Guyanese and persons from all across the world has been surprising, everybody has been tagging me on social media, mentioning my name on television and all of that, so although I didn’t win, I know I have won for many persons,” Barker said.
Asked how it felt when it was announced that she was not among the top 15 finalists, Barker said it was a major shock.
She explained that the other contestants had iden-
tified her as “a clear front runner.”
“When I didn’t hear my name call in the top 15, it was quite surprising, I was actually shocked, because leading up to the pageant," she pointed out.
"I had worked very hard, even Miss Australia who was in the finals said
she was surprise when she didn’t hear my name call in the top 15, but maybe, the politics of the pageant, made me not placed,” the beauty queen explained. Barker said if she is given a second chance, she will do it all over again but differently, stating that she has learnt a lot.
February 1, 2015
A13-man squad has been named to represent the Guyana Jaguars for the next three rounds in the inaugural West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Franchise Four-day First Class cricket tournament in Jamaica, St Kitts and Barbados.
The squad was release late on Friday evening by Cricket Guyana Incorporated.
Leon Johnson returns to lead the team and includes five players who have played Test cricket – Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo being the others.
Shemron Hetmyer, who represented the West Indies
Under-19 in the just concluded NAGICO Super50 tournament, reclaimed his spot in the team at the expense of out of form Trevon Griffith.
Fast bowler Keon Joseph is also back for the Four-Day format.
The team is scheduled to depart Guyana on Wednesday for Jamaica.
Guyana Jaguars squad: Leon Johnson (Captain), Vishaul Singh (Vice Captain),Rajendra Chandrika, Shemron Hetmyer, Narsingh Deonarine, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble(Wicket Keeper), Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Keon Joseph, Ronsford Beaton, Rayon Griffith (Manager/ Assistant Coach), Esuan Crandon (Coach) and Paul Gomes (Physiotherapist).
The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) will open their season today with a development meet at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ground, Camp Ayanganna.
Guyana’s top juniors and seniors are expected to compete at the event and will have odd events – 60 metre, 150 metre, 300 metre, and 600 metre – to open their season. Field event athletes will open the season with the javelin, discus and shot put events.
Some of Guyana’s top athletes are expected to be
a part of the event, namely Olympian Winston George, South American Youth record holder Jason Yaw, Carifta gold medalist Cassey
George as well as CAC youth
just to name a few.
The event is set for a 13:00h start.
Despite a limited turnout by the 32 schools involved, the Milo Under-20 school football tournament kicked off successfully with a grand march past and opening ceremony at the Ministry of Education ground on Saturday.
Only six schools turned out for the march past which was disappointing by the schools involved.
However, Milo Brand Manager Renita Sital at the opening was proud of the
schools involved and highlighted that all the students are champions.
“I just want to let you know that Milo is the food drink of champions and it does not matter the outcome you are all champions,” Sital said at the opening.
Director of the Petra Organization, Troy Mendonca who expressed his disappointment with the turnout of the march past urged the students to appreciate the opportunity to play
the game while declaring the tournament open.
“To the player put your best foot forward and play the game…it is difficult to put together such a tournament so I want to urge the players to appreciate it and may the best team win,” Mendonca stated.
The tournament then began with the first of four games slated for the day and will continue today at the same venue with another four games.
By TreisTon Joseph
With probably the fastest goal in the tournament to date, Charlestown Secondary School got off their campaign to a positive start with a 6-1 drubbing of Freeburg Secondary School.
The size disparity between the two teams was evident from the get go and Charlestown wasted no time in using their size and speed to score one of the tournament’s fastest goals if not the fastest 20s into the game from the boot of Dicquan Osbourne.
However, a prompt response from Freeburg kept their hopes alive as Paul Caine curled a free kick from approximately 25 yards out for a spectacular goal in the fourth minute of the game.
As the game went on, the size and strength of the Charlestown players grew even more evident as they bullied their opponents to take control of the game.
Omari James would score in the 33rd minute while Osbourne dropped his second of the game a minute leader to quickly increase Charlestown’s lead to a commanding 3-1.
The second half brought more success for Charlestown as a beat down Freeburg Secondary was simply too small to deal with their much bigger foes as
Joshua Persuad registered the second half first goal in the 42nd minute while Akeem Cusburt dropped in Charlestown fifth in the 49th.
Osbourne who scored the game’s first goal would end it fittingly with the game’s last goal in the 65th minute.
North Georgetown Secondary School and Mae’s Secondary played to a thrilling 3-3 in the day’s second game.
Mae’s struck early with a goal from Darshan Persaud in the eight minute while Hakiem Hutson made it 2-0 in the 17th minute.
Not long after Mae’s went three goals up in the 27th minute with a goal from Hilbert Lawrence as routing seemed on hand
However, a 28th minute goal from North Georgetown’s Joshua Ferreira gave the Woolford Avenue School some hope heading into the halftime break.
Ferreira would score again in the 39th minute to close the game to 3-2 while some drama in the penalty box followed by an own goal from Mae’s in the 59th minute put the teams on level pegging for the draw.
In the third game of the day, Queen’s College (QC) topped School of the Nations 3-2 for yet another thrilling game on the first day.
School of the Nations drew first blood with a goal in the 23rd minute only to see their lead quickly vanish as Nicolas Spooner replied with an equaliser in the 26th minute for QC. QC wasted little time in taking lead as Lloyd Anderson slotted one in right down the middle in the 27th minute to give QC the 2-1 edge heading into halftime.
Bess, like the first half opened the period with a goal in the 38th minute to level the score line.
However, a game winner from Shemar Britton who is also a table tennis junior champion sealed the deal in the 43rd minute.
Meanwhile in the last game of the day, Kingston Secondary topped St Roses High School 4-1 to ease their way to maximum points in the group fixture.
With a nil all first half, Nathan Saul who is also a nation junior basketball player scored the game’s first goal in the 38th minute.
However, a barrage of goals from Kingston killed any hope of St Roses winning the game as Levi Williams scored a double in the in the 54th and 65th minutes while Terrence John and Allister Holder had a goal each in the 57th and the 68th minutes respectively.
By AvenAsh RAmzAn
The Albion Cricket Club has registered its “profound disappointment” with the non-selection of left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul to the West Indies team. The club believes the 25-yearold should have been the replacement for Sunil Narine on the World Cup squad, instead of Jamaican left-armer Nikita Miller.
Following Narine’s withdrawal from this month’s mega event to do further remedial work on his bowling action, there was widespread speculation that
Permaul would be the logical replacement, given his outstanding form in the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League Regional Four-day competition and the NAGICO Super50.
The Albion cricketer has picked up a chart topping 32 wickets from four games in the four-day competition, and was also the second leading wicket-taker in the Super50 tournament, snaring 11 scalps.
Miller, on the other hand, has picked up 17 wickets in the four-day and six in the Super50.
It is against the backdrop of these performanc-
es that the Albion Cricket Club is basing its argument, noting that Permaul should have been an automatic replacement for Narine.
A release from the club stated, “Permaul has been in outstanding form in both the four-day and one-day regional competitions and has excelled in all departments of the game, be it batting, bowling and fielding, and he should have been an automatic choice to replace Narine. Now is the time to pick the man, when he is at the top of his game and his confidence is sky high.”
The club is of the firm opinion that the selection of Miller is not in accordance with the selection policy and stance taken by Chairman of Selectors, Clive Lloyd, during a widely publicised interview recently.
The release highlighted, “Lloyd and his fellow selectors stated when they selected Jason Holder as captain and the squad for the World Cup that they were looking to build a young team for the future and lo and behold they have chosen a 33-year-old Miller over a 25-year-old Permaul. Where is the consistency selectors? The Albion Cricket Club would therefore like to ask the selectors to publicly state their rational for reversing their previously stated selection policy.”
Permaul, who also scored a 50 in the four-day competition and made some crucial lower-order runs during the Super50, has played four Test matches and six ODIs for the West Indies.
The BCB and ECB had their elections last month but the ECB elections was riddled with controversy, as challenger Prince Holder deemed his battle against the incumbent Fizul Bacchus just a “formality” as the process was fixed in such a way to have Bacchus reinstated.
The Demerara Cricket Board (DCB), the other county board affiliated with the GCB is before the courts, and is yet to hold its election.
New GCB elections under the Act will bring an end to the longstanding impasse between the GCB and Government. It will also bring an end to allegations of misman-
ANSA McAL became the latest entity to offer sponsorship for the third edition of the Young Warriors Cricket Club Mashramani Cup.
The competition will be held on February 23 and targets second division cricket teams in the East Canje/East Coast Berbice area.
Mashramani Cup, which is organised by the Young Warriors Cricket Club, is being promoted to develop young cricketers and to raise funds for the club.
At the presentation ceremony, ANSA McAL Sales Supervisor Tajeram Khemraj said his company is delighted to be part of the
event for the third time.
He added that his company is fully aware of its role in community development and will support events that will keep young people away from drugs and other societal ills.
Khemraj further indicated that the company follows the work of the Cumberland-based cricket club and is impressed with their work and contribution to the community, and as such, the company is always willingly to come on board.
Speaking on behalf of the club, Coordinator Ishwar Singh thanked ANSA McAL for their continued support and assured the sponsor that proceeds from the
Mashramani Cup will go towards continued development of the club and its resources.
He said that the YWCC will continue to work to produce outstanding cricketers and pointed to the success of young Shimron Hetmyer. Singh added that while the club has not yet produced a West Indies senior cricketer, he is certain that Shimron will be the first. He called on parents to get their young children involved in the game. The tournament will be played five overs aside. Incentives worth over $150,000 will be up for grabs. Gate prizes will be at stake as well.
Manchester United scored three firsthalf goals to beat bottom side Leicester and move up to third place in the Premier League table.
After a slow start from United, Daley Blind set up Robin van Persie to break the deadlock with a precise finish.
Radamel Falcao followed up Angel Di Maria’s shot to make it 2-0 before Wes Morgan headed into his own net to cap a miserable first half for the Foxes.
Leicester belatedly replied through Marcin Wasilewski’s late header.
agement in cricket administration in Guyana.
Louis van Gaal’s side were not at their best but they did not have to be against a Foxes side who offered little in attack.
United let slip a 2-0 lead and were beaten 5-3 when these sides met at King Power Stadium in September, but there was never a hint of a similar fightback from the Foxes this time.
Leicester concentrated on frustrating their hosts in the early stages and that game-plan was working until Andrej Kramaric allowed Blind to steal possession after a United attack had broken down.
Blind looked up and released Van Persie, who was given the benefit of the doubt by the linesman and
adjudged to be onside before he expertly steered the bouncing ball past Mark Schwarzer.
Up until then, United had struggled to find any fluidity in their attacks and barely threatened Schwarzer’s goal.
But the Foxes’ 42-yearold goalkeeper was beaten again five minutes later after Van Persie sent Di Maria running clear.
Schwarzer did well to keep out the Argentina forward’s shot, but Falcao beat two defenders to slide in to turn home the loose ball from close range.
Leicester’s collapse was completed in the 44th minute when Blind met Wayne Rooney’s corner at the near post, and Morgan could only direct his attempted clearance past Schwarzer and into the net.
With the game won, United did not push forward for more goals after the break and they did not have much defending to do either.
The hosts were given a scare when a sloppy backpass from Phil Jones almost let substitute David Nugent in, but David De Gea was alert to the danger and cleared.
Even when Wasilewski headed home his first Foxes goal - in his 51st game for the club - with 10 minutes to go, there seemed little chance of any late drama.
Another Leicester substitute, Marc Albrighton flashed a shot over the bar from the edge of the area, but United held on comfortably.
The victory moves them above Southampton, at least until the Saints host Swansea on Sunday. (BBC Sport)
New Zealand’s persistence with the ball and excellence in the field took fine advantage of Pakistan’s indiscipline with the bat, as the hosts first trussed up the opposition for 210, then sauntered to the total inside 40 overs with seven wickets in hand.
Although they were untested as a team in this match, the hosts’ top order got valuable time in the middle - Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott collecting unbeaten fifties, after Martin Guptill struck 39. Pakistan had its star turns too, as Misbahul-Haq and Shahid Afridi struck wildly incongruous fifties, and Mohammad Irfan caused grief with his bounce, but those performances went unsupported by others.
Kyle Mills snaffled 2 for 29 from his ten overs, sneaking an indipper through Mohammad Hafeez’s defences and nailing Younis Khan as well, though he was largely bowling in the 125kph-range. His accuracy at the top of the innings
also helped ensure Pakistan were muzzled at the outset. They scored eight runs for one wicket in the first six overs of the innings, and did
Pakistan innings (50 overs maximum)
Mohammad Hafeez b Mills 0
Ahmed Shehzad c †Ronchi
b Boult 15
Younis Khan lbw b Mills 9
Misbah-ul-Haq* c Latham
b Elliott 58
Haris Sohail c Guptill
b Anderson 23
Umar Akmal b Elliott 13
Sarfraz Ahmed† c Latham
b Anderson 5
Shahid Afridi c Guptill b Milne 67
Bilawal Bhatti c Guptill b Boult 0
Ehsan Adil c BB McCullum
b Elliott 6
Mohammad Irfan not out 1
Extras (lb 3, w 9, nb 1) 13
Total (all out; 45.3 overs) 210
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-29, 3-32, 4-81, 5-113, 6-127, 7-198, 8-203, 9-203, 10-210. New Zealand Bowling: KD
Mills 10-2-29-2, TA Boult
9-0-25-2, AF Milne 10-043-1, NL McCullum 6-037-0, CJ Anderson 6-0-472, GD Elliott 4.3-0-26-3. New Zealand innings
MJ Guptill c Bilawal Bhatti
b Mohammad Irfan 39 BB McCullum* c Ahmed Shehzad b Bilawal Bhatti 17
TWM Latham c †Sarfraz Ahmed b Shahid Afridi 23 LRPL Taylor not out 59
GD Elliott not out 64
Extras:(lb 3, w 8) 11
Total: (3 wickets; 39.3 overs) 213 Did not batCJ Anderson, L Ronchi†, NL McCullum, KD Mills, AF Milne, TA Boult Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-75, 3-101. Pakistan Bowling: Mohammad Irfan 10-2-60-1, Bilawal Bhatti 8-0-51-1, Ehsan Adil 7.3-044-0, Shahid Afridi 10-0-391, Haris Sohail 4-0-16-0.
not advance quickly even after that.
Trent Boult and Corey Anderson also took two scalps apiece, while Adam Milne took Afridi’s wicket. The fielding, led by Guptill, who took three catches, ensured that even when the Pakistan batsmen found the middle of their bats, runs were still hard-earned.
The early losses set the stage for Misbah and Afridi’s strange double act; the former responsible and grim in his 87-ball 58, the latter haphazard and brilliant in his 29-ball 67.
Misbah came in at 29 for 2, lost Younis soon after, and endeavoured to do nothing more ambitious than find sensible runs into the outfield. Only occasionally did he indulge in his leg-side wallop, which brought him two sixes and a four.
His team-mates continued to abandon sense at the other end. Umar Akmal walked down the track and allowed an innocuous Elliott yorker underneath his bat, before Sarfraz Ahmed slogswept Anderson to deep
square leg in the batting Powerplay. It was then that Afridi strode to the crease, at 127 for 6, and launched his startling onslaught.
Afridi hacked the seamers all around the ground, lifting Anderson over the covers first ball, before whacking Milne over mid-on next over. He was dropped on 14 by Brendon McCullum - New Zealand’s only fielding indiscretion of the dayand punished the hosts by being brutal on anything short, particularly when the batting Powerplay was still in force. He sent Nathan McCullum into the stands in two successive deliveries to reach his fifty from 21 balls.
Misbah was dismissed in the 42nd over, attempting to launch Elliott into the deepmidwicket stand. He fell with the score on 198, and only 12 more runs would be mustered. Afridi continued to live dangerously, and was caught on the long-on boundary. Pakistan were all out in the 46th over.
McCullum succeeded in getting four boundaries away, but his 12-ball in-
nings came to an end on 17 when he charged and topedged Bilawal Bhatti. Irfan was slightly wayward to begin with, but eventually began to trouble both Guptill and Tom Latham, who were
both relatively secure otherwise. The pair made 44 brisk runs together before Afridi extracted an edge from Latham in the 12th over.
Chelsea maintained their five-point advantage over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table after a disappointing stalemate at Stamford Bridge.
Loic Remy - in for suspended leading goalscorer Diego Costa - gave Chelsea the lead just before the interval but David Silva replied almost instantly for City after a rare error from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Chelsea had the opportunity to open up the sort of gap that would leave the reigning champions with a mountainous task to retain their crown.
But a late substitution that saw manager Jose Mourinho replace scorer Remy with defender Gary Cahill illustrated that they were happier with the draw.
Even the introduction of Frank Lampard, given a largely warm reception as he returned to the club where he is the record goal-
was a decision that was eventually rewarded with that opening goal just before half-time.
In the early part of the half, however, it was City who looked more dangerous as Courtois was kept occupied by efforts from Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero, which he blocked. Aguero appears just short of the fitness and form that made him such a threat before he picked up the knee injury against Everton in December, and he still looked a little rusty as he missed the game’s best chance so far after 32 minutes.
John Terry was caught slightly out of position by Martin Demichelis’ long clearance, allowing Aguero in behind with a clear run at Courtois but he steered his finish wide.
scorer with 211 in 649 appearances, could not provide a dramatic late twist to a largely uneventful tale.
Chelsea missed the threat posed by Costa, banned for three games after his stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can in the Capital One Cup semi-final, as well as the midfield influence of injured Cesc Fabregas and this was a performance clearly designed to avoid defeat and maintain that crucial lead over City. It was unambitious and lacked spark but City could not force the win. Mourinho will be satisfied with a point and while City boss Manuel Pellegrini would have wanted victory, his side at least earned a point to ensure Chelsea remained in range with an advantage that is not insurmountable.
Mourinho’s decision to replace the menace and goal threat of Costa with Remy
As half-time approached Chelsea went ahead, when Eden Hazard stole in behind Bacary Sagna on to Branislav Ivanovic’s cross and Remy sidefooted in from five yards. Just as Chelsea and Mourinho contemplated an interval lead, City responded and equalised with a goal that was, in large part, the responsibility of the normally impeccable Courtois. He flapped badly at Jesus Navas’s cross and when Aguero fired his misplaced punched clearance towards goal, Silva made sure by applying the final touch.
In a second half devoid of goal threat, Lampard was finally introduced with 14 minutes left to a reception that was largely applause but also contained some dissenting voices.
He was barely involved and a draw was the almost inevitable outcome from a poor spectacle produced by the Premier League’s two top teams. (BBC Sport)
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All-Star forward Paul Millsap led six Atlanta Hawks players in double-figures, fueling Atlanta’s 18th straight win, a 105-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
The Hawks survived a 37-point performance from Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge to notch their ninth straight win at home and 12th straight over a Western Conference foe. Atlanta (39-8) is undefeated in January.
The Hawks tied the 196970 New York Knicks, 1981-82 Boston Celtics and 1995-96 Chicago Bulls with 18-game win streaks.
The Blazers took a 74-69 lead into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold off a closing surge by the Hawks. A 3-pointer by forward Mike Scott tied the game, 76-76, with 10 minutes to play. Scott followed it up with a breakaway dunk that caused Philips Arena to erupt.
Jazz 110, Warriors 100
Small forward Gordon Hayward had a huge game to help Utah snap a six-game losing streak to Golden State. Hayward racked up 24 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Golden State All-Star guard Steph Curry scored a game-high 32 points and had seven rebounds and six assists, but the Warriors (36-8) experienced a rare off night while losing for the second time in a row.
The Warriors entered the game having missed nine straight 3-pointers since halftime of their overtime loss to Chicago on Tuesday. They missed their first six from deep until Curry hit back-toback long-range shots late in the first half.
Korver and Millsap also hit 3-pointers in the fourth, helping Atlanta take control. Millsap’s three put the Hawks up 97-91 with 3:34 to play and caused Portland to call time-
Lance Armstrong should get back his seven Tour de France titles and be forgiven, according to former US Postal Service Pro Team rider Scott Mercier.
American Mercier, 47, quit the sport in 1997 when he refused to join the team’s doping programme.
Armstrong signed for the team a year later and won six of his seven Tours with them. He was stripped of all of them in 2012 and has admitted doping.
“It’s time to consider letting Lance out of ‘time-out’,” Mercier said.
Armstrong, 43, who joined US Postal after recovering from cancer, was banned from sport for life by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) in August 2012 and later confessed to systematic doping and lying about it for years.
“He is a polarising figure and always will be, but I believe he can be a catalyst for
out.
Hawks point guard Jeff Teague had a big all-around game, scoring 13 points with eight rebounds and seven assists to help Atlanta overcome Aldridge’s barrage.
Cavaliers 101, Kings 90
Kevin Love had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cavaliers recorded ninth consecutive victory, their longest winning streak in nearly five years.
Cavs forward LeBron James had 19 points and seven assists after he was announced as a surprise starter 45 minutes before the game. He had been doubtful with a sprained wrist.
Guard Kyrie Irving finished with 21 points and six assists one game after he scored 55 points Wednesday against the Blazers, the most any player has scored in the NBA this season.
Kings center DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 13 rebounds the same day he was named to his first All-Star team.
Rockets 93, Celtics 87
Despite scoring just nine points in the third quarter, the Rockets won their fourth game in a row. All but the first 8 1/2 minutes in the first win in the streak were achieved without injured Dwight Howard.
Forward Donatas
Motiejunas led Houston with 26 points and guard James Harden had 14 on 4-for-21 shooting.
Down by as many as 19 points at one point and by 18 at the end of the first half, the Celtics closed the deficit to three with 5:26 left and were still down by just three with 27 seconds remaining. They could get no closer, however.
Guard Marcus Thornton can off the Boston bench to score 17 points, and forward Brandon Bass led the starters with 17 points and eight boards.
76ers 103, Timberwolves 94
Forward Luc Mbah a Moute scored 18 points and guard Michael Carter-Williams had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the 76ers. It was the third triple-double of the season for CarterWilliams and the fifth of his career. He had fallen one rebound short in Wednesday night’s victory over Detroit. The victory ensured that the 2014-15 Sixers will not share a dubious place in the record book with the 1972-73 team, which went 9-73, the worst full-season record in NBA history.
Guard Kevin Martin had 19 points and center Nikola Pekovic added 18 to pace Minnesota (8-38), which has dropped six of its last seven. (KSPR ABC 33)
good; not just for cycling, but especially for those who suffer from cancer,” Mercier said.
Having competed at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona alongside Armstrong, Mercier enjoyed a solid career on the North American circuit before joining the new US Postal team in 1997.
That meant moving to Europe, where it soon became clear that in order to compete the team would have to do what many of their rivals were doing: dope.
Mercier said no, retired and moved to Hawaii to run a restaurant with his father. He then moved to Colorado, became a financial advisor and started a family.
His name did not resurface in cycling circles until Usada opened its investigation into Armstrong and US Postal.
Usada chief executive Travis Tygart met Mercier, and later praised him for be-
ing one of a small number of professional riders at the time strong enough to refuse to cheat.
But Mercier believes Armstrong, and American riders in general, have been disproportionately blamed for the sins of an entire generation of professional cyclists. He points out that compatriot Floyd Landis lost his 2006 Tour title for doping, but Denmark’s Bjarne Riis kept his 1996 win, despite his belated admission that he also cheated.
Another example Mercier highlights is that of Tyler Hamilton, who lost his 2004 Olympic time trial title when he was caught doping, only for US Postal team-mate Viatcheslav Ekimov to inherit it.
The Russian, a three-time Olympic champion, now runs Katusha, one of cycling’s richest teams, and has always refused to comment on doping allegations.
(Excerpt form BBC Sport)
Asks AvenAsh RAmzAn
“Rebuilding” has become one of the most used words in West Indies cricket parlance ever since it all came crashing down on the Australian tour to the Caribbean in 1995.
The terminal decline that followed; that forgettable/unforgettable series had warranted the utilisation of such a word, and though its use at the time was pertinent, two decades after it seems like a compact disc programmed on repeat.
Rebuilding has often been followed by “turning the corner”, only for a “dead end” to rewind the process countless times, bringing false hopes to those who pride themselves on being die-hard West Indies cricket fans.
Quite recently, talks of rebuilding surfaced again following the controversial omission of all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the South Africa ODIs and this month’s World Cup, and the appointment of rookie Jason Holder as captain of the ODI side, replacing Bravo.
“We have been in the same place with the same players,” Chairman of Selectors Clive Lloyd said of his panel’s vision as he explained the changes. “We have been given a job to try and change West Indies cricket and change all aspects of it and that is what we are trying to do.”
Lloyd added, “We want to move on with a new captain. And introducing younger players wherever possible, those who are doing well in our competitions because as I said, we want to reward people for the way they have played.”
Reward for performance would have definitely motivated the regional cricketers to put in that extra effort, as they all aspire to one day don the maroons. After all, representing the West Indies is the pinnacle for aspiring cricketers in this part of the globe.
It is against the milieu of performance that one expected the replacement of Sunil Narine in the World Cup squad would have been arrived at.
Narine’s abrupt, yet unsurprising withdrawal from the squad, days after ripping apart Guyana Jaguars’ batting line-up in the final of the NAGICO Super50, left a gaping hole in the squad and a huge dent on the Caribbean side’s already slim chances of lifting cricket’s elusive prize.
With a spot now vacant, one would anticipate that Lloyd and Company would refer to the performance of the current regional com-
petitions to decide on the most suitable replacement to join the squad in Australia and New Zealand for the February 14 start of cricket’s showpiece event.
They opted for Nikita Miller, the 32-year-old Jamaican left-armer, who has appeared in a solitary Test, 45 ODIs and nine T20Is since his international debut in 2008. Miller was given the nod, despite relatively ordinary returns in the Regional Four-day and NAGICO Super50, when compared to another leftarm spinner, Veerasammy Permaul.
In four four-day games, one of which was washed out, Miller claimed 17 wickets, including 7-63 versus Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, while in the Super50, he bagged six wickets in four matches with a best of 2-13 against Leeward Islands Hurricanes. Miller was also among the runs in the four-day with two half-
centuries.
In a similar number of four-day matches, Permaul has raced to 32 wickets, the most in the tournament. No other bowlers have passed 21 wickets. Successive eight-wicket hauls against Windward Islands Volcanoes and Barbados Pride have been the highlights, along with two four-wicket hauls.
In a show of adaptability, Permaul effortlessly switched tactics to snatch 11 wickets, second only to Narine’s 12, in five Super50 games, including a fourwicket haul and two threewicket hauls.
Add a 50 in the four-day and some crucial lower-order runs in the Super50, and Permaul was easily among the best players on show.
Given Lloyd’s utterances about rewarding younger players who are doing well in the regional competitions, one would easily gravitated to picking Permaul over Miller if the consensus was to replace Narine with a left-arm spinner.
Permaul is seven years younger than Miller, and is obviously a long-term prospect that could be groomed into a fine international bowler by the time he is Miller’s current age. Brimming with confidence after his success in the regional competitions, it is easy to understand how downtrodden Permaul might be feeling now.
The performance was there, but ultimately it’s up to the selectors. Was this a case of rebuilding or recycling?
Whatever it is, players should be rewarded for performance, as that is and should always be the sole means by which growth and development is measured.
Serena Williams said vomiting during the final helped her win a sixth Australian Open title in Melbourne.
The world number one was sick in a 12-minute break while the Rod Laver Arena roof was being closed because of rain.
“I’ve got a really bad cold,” the American said after her 6-3 7-6 (7-5) win over Russia’s Maria Sharapova.
“I ended up throwing up. I think that helped when I got everything out of me and cleared my chest out because I couldn’t breathe a little bit.”
Williams fired down an ace when play resumed with the score at 30-30 in the sixth game and won six successive points to take a commanding 5-2 lead in the opening set.
The 19-time Grand Slam champion also won the first
six points of the second set before Sharapova fought back and deservedly took the set to a tie-break.
But, after saving a championship point in the 10th game and repeating the feat in the tie-break, Sharapova eventually succumbed to Williams’s serving power as an 18th ace won the match.
However, the 33-year-old said her illness would lead to muted celebrations as she wanted to “go to bed, curl up under the covers and go to sleep”.
“I’ve got a bad cough,” she said. “Usually you stay in bed, you don’t play matches and
Sanasie
Dear Editor, I hesitantly decided to pen this letter, so please let me make it clear that I am speaking on my personal behalf and not for the WICB. They are capable of responding.
On January 29, an article was carried in another section of the press, headlined: “The will of Parliament cannot be frustrated and defeated by the whims and fancies of the WICB – AG.” (Guyana Times also carried the quote in another article.)
The article also quotes Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall as saying: “It is important to note that the WICB was consulted while the Bill was in the National Assembly, at the Select Committee, and they agreed in writing that they will play a role in the appointment of the Ombudsman. In those circumstances they were included in the Bill, in the manner outlined in section 17.”
The WICB never agreed to play any part or role in the appointment of the Ombudsman. In fact, on the two occasions that the WICB communicated with the Sport Minister and the Clerk of the National Assembly, they completely and categorically refused to accept the Bill in its current form.
Please refer to letter to Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony from then WICB President Julian Hunte, dated December 4, 2012, and letter to Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs from current President Dave Cameron, dated October 24, 2013. (Copies included.)
practise every day.”
Sharapova reflected on a 16th successive defeat by Williams by saying she was “happy” to be in the final because it meant she was “doing something well”.
The 27-year-old, who has won five Grand Slam titles, including the 2008 Australian Open, said: “If I’m getting to the finals of Grand Slams and setting myself up to play a match against Serena, I’m happy to be in that position.
“Yes, I haven’t won against her many times, but I’m not just going to go home without giving it another chance.
“That’s just not who I am and not who I was raised to be. I’m a competitor.
“It’s not easy to get to the final of a Grand Slam. That’s a good achievement. It’s a good start to the year. The year is very young at this point.” (BBC Sport)
These were the only correspondences sent by the WICB to the authorities in Guyana regarding the Cricket Administration Bill before its passage in the National Assembly. I challenge the Attorney General to produce the correspondence he is referring to and to make same public.
It is clear the Attorney General and the Sport Minister have belatedly realised that another of their plethora of mistakes in the drafting of the Cricket Administration Bill has been exposed.
The Minutes of the 10th meeting of the Select Committee of the Parliament, dated March 11, 2013, states the following:
“Members suggested
that before the regulations were drafted to include the WICB to act as the facilitator to initiate the first elections of the GCB, the committee should first inform the Board (WICB) to ensure that they are in agreement to participate in the process.
“The Chairman (Dr Anthony) then suggested that within the next two weeks the committee would communicate with the WICB on its decision of making the WICB the facilitator in the holding of the first election of the GCB. Thereafter the committee requested that the Chief Parliamentary Counsel re-draft Clause 6 to include that the WICB and/ or such other authority in the absence of the WICB act as the facilitator in conducting the first election process of the GCB.”
There is no record existing to show that the Sport Minister wrote the WICB to convey the decision of the Parliamentary Select Committee. Instead the Minister inserted himself in the process and added WICB as a party to be “consulted”, without their consent. Members of the Select Committee should revisit these minutes and ask questions.
We have had two attempts at resolution at this matter: the Caricombrokered agreement in 2012 and the WICB/GCB/GOG Memorandum of Agreement in 2014, both of which have been thrown aside.
Anyone reading the Cricket Administration Bill would realise the GCB has to pay the Ombudsman among other expenditure stipulated in the Bill.
The sole source of income for the GCB is the WICB Development Fund and revenue from WICB matches fixed for Guyana, yet the GCB is required by this Act to account for these funds to the Guyana Parliament, instead of the WICB.
It would be interesting to see if the WICB continues the funding if it is not used for specific purposes.
Since the Attorney General and the Government did not allocate any state funding to the GCB, even though they have to send their accounts to Parliament, it is even more interesting to see what would be the situation when the WICB stops the funding.
Anand
Sanasie, Secretary, GCB
Two teams on a similar journey will face off today in a highly anticipated international friendly at the Barbados National Stadium from 19:00h.
The Golden Jaguars, Guyana’s senior national men’s team, and hosts Barbados will meet in a game set to kick-start the Barbados Football Association’s (BFA) 2015 season.
But bigger than that is the two countries’ aim of using the clash to gauge their level of readiness for more intense competition later this year, key among them the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.
Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz said his camp will use the game as an indicator of Guyana’s current status as a football nation, while President
of the BFA, Randy Harris, echoed similar sentiments.
Shabazz said, “Because of the heights we want to take Guyana football, we need to keep it real as to where we are right now. The Barbados game will not lie, it will tell the truth in the results and the scoreline. The Guyana public is tired of deception and spinners of the truth. Before we can go anywhere, we first got to know where we are. This game on Sunday will tell us that.”
Harris said, “We decided to have a friendly to give our team, which had started training late last year, a practice game. Also, it would afford the BFA to really start the year on a high by playing an international. We have not had the opportunity to play many internationals over the past four years or so, so we’re using this opportunity really to give our team a practice game. It has come in well with the draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.”
Meanwhile, speaking at the pre-game press conference on Saturday at Dover Beach Hotel, Shabazz added more meaning to the game by throwing out a challenge to Barbados immigration authorities.
“I am throwing out a challenge to the immigration authorities in Barbados as it relates to the game and our Guyanese people. If we beat you in this game you would not make life difficult for our Guyanese people who travel through the Region not to cause problems, but to exercise their right for free movement to improve their condition,” Shabazz said.
Commercial and Administrative Manager of the Golden Jaguars team, Faizal Khan, also issued an appeal to Guyanese living in Barbados to come out and support the Jaguars.
“My Guyanese brothers and sisters, encourage your friends, families and associates in Barbados to come out and support the Golden Jaguars. We need your support. Wear the colours green and yellow; bring out your horns, your trumpets, your drums and make some noise for the Golden Jaguars,” Khan urged the Golden Jaguars’ supporters. The 18-man Golden
Jaguars squad reads: Goalkeepers Akel Clarke and Derrick Carter; Defenders Solomon Austin, Jamaal Smith, Colin Nelson, Kris Camacho, Joshua Brown and Dwain Jacobs; Midfielders Christopher Nurse, Eusi Phillips, Clive Nobrega, Calvin Sheperd, Vurlon Mills, Daniel Wilson and Trayon Bobb; and Forwards Sheldon Holder, Pernell Schultz and Emery Welshman.
By Rajiv Bisnauth
Two of the three county boards that form part of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) on Saturday said that they are ready to participate in the upcoming electoral process which will breathe new life into the existing leadership of the entity.
The Essequibo Board (ECB) and Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) have also made it absolutely clear that they have no difficulties with the date proposed by Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony for the election to be held but the ECB stated that they will be guided first by the advice of the GCB and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on the matter.
“While the Cricket Administration Act has numerous flaws we will comply with it, once a new
Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony
date is set for elections, the ECB will participate,” ECB President Fizul Bacchus said.
BCB President Anil Beharry reiterated that from the inception the BCB was willing and ready to participate in any GCB elections that is properly
conducted within the confines of the laws of the land.
Minister Anthony had proposed that the elections should be held on March 15 this year when he wrote the WICB on January 19 as stipulated in the new Cricket Administration Act.
In that correspondence,
the Minister had given the WICB 21 days in which to reply and then set a date for new GCB election. The WICB has since confirmed receipt of the correspondence.
However, should the regional body not respond within the stipulated time-
frame, new elections will be held on the date proposed by the Minister.
It is expected that prior to the Minister’s proposed date, newly appointed Cricket Ombudsman, Dr Winston McGowan, will iron out whatever problems exist at the county boards to ensure a smooth electoral process at the GCB level. Further it is expected that by that time the County Boards would have completed their respective elections, thereby enabling them to participate in the GCB election.
