Guyana Times Daily

Baby’s back!!!

The now 18-day-old “Avi” (Yuvesh Bistonauth) of Number 60 Village, who was abducted on May 24, was on Sunday found after Police acting on information, swooped down on a house located at 56 Chesney, Corentyne, Berbice.

Two persons were taken into custody as the baby was reunited with his mother. According to sources, approximately 09:30h, Police acting on an anonymous tip, went to the home, where they confronted the woman “Debbie”, who claimed that the child was hers as she had given birth on May 23.

The Police, not satisfied with her response, decided to detain her for questioning. But before going to the station, the Police took the woman to get a medical examination, which confirmed that the woman did not give birth recently.

13

after trying

Reunited! Ravikan Bistonauth and his wife, Sandra McLean were relieved after being reunited with their baby Yuvesh Bistonauth, who was abducted earlier this month (Nafeeza Yahya photo)

Relatives of dead DHB Tug Operator seek answers

Relatives of Tug Operator Seepersaud Roopchand, who died on Saturday while on duty at the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), are seeking answers from the authorities regarding his demise.

Mohan Roopchand, a brother of the dead man told Guyana Times that he attempted to contact the officials at the Harbour Bridge on Sunday, but was unable to reach anyone.

Initially, he said the officials promised to stay in contact with the family to provide them with updates about the investigation, but this seems to be a failed promise.

The man posited that he was not sure if the authorities have been in contact with the man’s wife. The dead man’s mother, Sumintra Khan was still in tears on Sunday morning, as she tried to come to grips with the death of her son.

The last time she said saw her son was on Mother’s Day when he visited her. She said that her son was alleg-

edly kept away from her, but wished not to comment further.

When Guyana Times contacted the dead man's wife, her sister said that they are still grieving and want the media to respect their decision to not speak at this time.

The woman on the other end of the phone said that as soon as the widow is in a better frame of mind, she will speak with the media.

When contacted, DHB General Manager Rawlston Adams confirmed that they are still investigating the incident, noting that once they have information, they will brief the media.

Roopchand, 58, of Lot 4056 Westminster, Parfaite Harmonie, met his demise after the vessel he was in capsized in the Demerara River around 11:45h on Saturday.

Roopchand died minutes after tragedy struck. His body was discovered some 200-300 metres away from the overturned vessel.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, despite

desperate attempts to revive him. As a result, a full and in-depth probe has been launched to ascertain the circumstances which may have led to the boat capsizing and the man’s subsequent death.

Roopchand reported for work at 06:00h to facilitate an early inspection at Span 8 of the Demerara Harbour Bridge by members of the board and the General Manager. That inspection, Guyana Times understands lasted for about two hours after which Roopchand was asked to “standoff”.

Officials are now wondering why the man disobeyed orders from the officials when he was asked to moor the vessel at Span 8 – the normal docking position.

The Police were contacted and have since launched an investigation into the matter. The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has also launched an investigation. Roopchand was employed with the Harbour Bridge since July 2013.

Youths for Guyana gets US$34,000 to clean up Georgetown

US Ambassador D Brent Hardt on Sunday launched its second edition of “Guyana Shines: Keep Guyana Beautiful”, with the announcement of a US$34,000 grant being awarded to Youths for Guyana.

The mantle has been given to Youths for Guyana to build on the extraordinary work that volunteers from across the country have done to create a cleaner Guyana. ExxonMobil, Republic Bank, Caribbean Containers Inc and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry are among contributors toward the grant.

Delivering the feature address at G Bent Street, Wortmanville, the US Ambassador said this new chapter represents a significant step toward maintaining a clean environment.

He said the US Embassy is pleased to support civic volunteerism in the country. “Sometimes where Government may fall short due to lack of resources, both financial and human, civic action can fill a gap. That is why today’s launch and gathering of volunteers to participate in this beautification project is so crucial to creating real, visible change for the betterment of Guyana.”

On Earth Day in April 2012, Ambassador Hardt along with his diplomatic colleagues launched "Guyana Shines", with ini-

tial clean-up campaigns in Lodge and Tucville communities.

“There were many who were skeptical of this step. Some said it was a cheap publicity stunt. Others said it would be short-lived and never make a difference,” the Ambassador recalled.

However, the US Embassy and its supporting arms did not allow the negativities to deter their spirits. For the past two years, the diplomatic community and Guyanese volunteers have been working earnestly to effect positive changes in Guyana’s environmental landscape.

“What some may have underestimated was our motivation and determination to encourage positive change. We have been committed to encouraging and mobilising citizens and communities throughout Guyana to maintain a clean environment, to address the serious littering problem, and to return Guyana to its former splendor as the Garden City of the Caribbean,” Hardt said.

Today, Guyana Shines is promoted in 70 schools throughout Guyana, where emphasis is placed on overcoming the harmful effects of littering. This initiative continues to be support by the US Embassy, the Canadian, British and European Union missions; Conservation International Guyana; and Youth Challenge

Guyana.

“We first focused on schools and young people because we firmly believe that education is the most critical step to shaping a future where all citizens of Guyana take responsibility for protecting their environment and preserving it for future generations,” the US Ambassador explained.

Ambassador Hardt said he was pleased to discover that several of the schools visited already had in place active environmental clubs, led by young people who are committed to raising awareness for the environment.

In addition to working with schools, support was given to the communities of Lodge, Tucville, East La Penitence and Festival City, where clean-up campaigns were executed by community volunteers. Rakes, hoes, wheelbarrows, brooms and gloves were donated by the Guyana Shines partners, making the initiative a success.

The Guyana Shines initiative has given birth to the “Berbice Shines Group”. The Berbice Shines Group has been actively involved in clean up campaigns, training sessions and tree planting exercises.

It is in the process of establishing environmental clubs in Regions Five and Six. Similarly, Linden Shines has been established to fulfill similar objective.

Some of the volunteers clearing a heavily vegetated drain

The vessel Rickford L 2 being retrieved from the Demerara River on Saturday (Guyana Times file photo)

Dead operator, Seepersaud Roopchand

Several remigrants’ status revoked

... after trying to “beat the system” –

Rodrigues-Birkett

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has been forced to revoke the re-migrant status of several persons under the Government-run Remigrant Programme as many were using the facility to bringing in all manner of luxury vehicles and other items under the scheme, but never really fully resettled here.

The remigrant scheme is administered by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in conjunction with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). The Ministry is responsible for determining and granting remigration status while the GRA administers the tax exemptions.

Under the remigrant scheme, a Guyanese who is 18 years and above, who has been residing legally overseas for a minimum of five consecutive years and is now returning to Guyana, can benefit. Also, Guyanese students/graduates who have attended or are attending a training institution and residing overseas for a minimum of four years and are now returning to Guyana, can also benefit.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett told Guyana Times in an interview that while she will not deem the programme a failure, she acknowledged that some persons had misused it and once this was detected, their re-migrant status was revoked. Currently, the Auditor General's Office is conducting an investigation into a scam involving senior GRA officials and some re-migrants regarding the misuse of the scheme.

Rodrigues-Birkett said

that initially, the probe was to look into that specific aspect of the fraud, but she asked that it be widened to incorporate whether persons who applied and were granted re-migrant status, actually live here. The remigrant Diaspora programme seeks to create a framework for overseas-based Guyanese to come back and make meaningful contributions to their birth land.

Room for fraud

Meanwhile, asked whether she thinks the criteria required for qualification leave room for fraud, Rodrigues-Birkett said there is an easy way to scrutinise the system.

“You would have noticed that a couple of re-migrants have taken us to court. We just check the departure and arrival at the airport with Immigration and Customs. What has been happening is the Guyana

Revenue Authority, they would normally run those checks and then they inform us that they have noticed John Jones who should be in Guyana has spent 29 months in the US and we are able to effect a revocation of the status. We have had several revocations... but we don’t publicise them,” the Minister said.

On the issue of persons trying to scam the system, the Minister said the majority of people are honest people “but we have found some cases where people submitted fraudulent documents. In fact, right now, the Auditor General is doing an audit. I have asked him to do an audit of the entire system because we want to make sure that we encourage people who are interested in re-migrating to Guyana to make use of the facility, but at the same time, we want to make sure

that we detect those persons who are trying to beat the system.”

She added: “We check to see if you were living legally abroad for five years or more and do first run on documents to see what you want duty-free concession on, but it is not our responsibility to grant that. We send what we discover to the GRA and they would make the final decision, but we have been working together, so if they pick up something, a vehicle document for example, we would use the embassy abroad and local commissioner to check it out. It is not to put a stigma on the remigrants; I would say it’s a minority of people who would try to beat the system.”

She however, acknowledged that a number of the remigrants might be citizens in the country they came from and have sufficient ties that would require them to travel.

However, when asked at which point does her Ministry raises an alarm if someone does not return to Guyana in a timely manner, the Minister said the law is silent on when you should exactly. She explained remigrants are required to live in Guyana for three years after being granted remigration status.

“We know some persons are permanent residents in the US and are required to go from time to time, so we are a little flexible with that but whether it is two to three years or you wait for the full year, this is something I have asked the Auditor General to advise on.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

Editor: Nigel Williams

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

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

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

Editorial

Past choosing

Adecade ago, the World Bank commissioned a comprehensive report of the Caribbean: “A Time to Choose: Caribbean Development in the 21st Century”. It pointed out that the Caribbean region was at “a development crossroads and its member nations had to take significant and concrete steps to improve productivity and competitiveness and face up to a more global competition if they were to accelerate or even maintain past growth”.

It reiterated that the region needed to move beyond decades of reliance on traditional markets and trade preferences to swiftly adapt to diversify into new sources of growth, exploiting its natural advantages of location, environment, political stability and democratic traditions. Citing the examples of Ireland and Singapore, the report argues that small economies, despite their size, could be competitive in many sectors, particularly in niche marketing.

One of the areas in which the report concentrated was Internet and Communications Technology. That section of the report was supported by a study: “Improving Competitiveness and Increasing Economic Diversification in the Caribbean: The Role of ICT [Information Communications Technoilogy]”. Its recommendations in this area are instructive – especially for Guyana.

The threshold area covered was for governments to facilitate access to ICT in the region. Access to technology, it asserted, was essential for firms and clusters to compete globally. With all the identified basic and specialised access, including a variety of metrics to determine how and whether a country has a competitive technology platform, they all boiled down to one thing: can a businessperson get on the Internet and talk on the telephone with reasonable reliability, and at a cost on par with his/her global competitors?

In the Caribbean, the report said, in 2005, “the situation is suboptimal in this regard, with some of the highest connectivity prices in the LA [Latin American] region, and in general, uncompetitive telecommunication markets.

For instance, outbound calls are more expensive than inbound calls, Internet density is still substantially lower than in the US, Singapore, and New Zealand and the cost of high-speed Internet is exorbitant.” Only a month ago, an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report confirmed that Guyana’s connectivity has lagged even within the region, with slow Internet speeds and high costs. The reasons are not hard to identify. As the report had observed, “Most countries continue to grapple with the problems of putting in place effective telecommunications regulations and moving forward with the liberalisation process – for example, Guyana.

Hence one of the main imperatives is to set clear deadlines for the completion of liberalisation in countries that are still pending, and set up statutory bodies to lead and instil continuity in the process of reform.”

For Guyana, the rearguard battle by GT&T to retain its monopoly over the landline connectivity has been the major reason for its lagging performance in the ICT area. As the report said a decade ago, “Providers of international connectivity for data and voice as well as fixed lines are in most of the Caribbean de facto monopolies, because there is no alternative submarine cable network.”

In Guyana, because of the contract given to ATN by the then PNC Government in 1990, the owners of GT&T were awarded a 20-year monopoly over landlines and the right to first refusal. While from a realpolitik standpoint, they cannot be blamed for their tough negotiating stance, they will have to budge so that the sector as a whole moves on. Recently, the company’s CEO said that GT&T had submitted a comprehensive Project Plan request to Government in 2010 for spectrum allocation to facilitate a phased 3G/4G roll-out.

Another request for spectrum allocation had been made in 2013, but the CEO emphasised that with the advances in 3G/4G, et,c “GT&T has not been afforded the appropriate spectrum allocation to make 3G/4G a reality for all Guyana. This is to the detriment of the sector and national ICT goals.” While blame has been traded for 10 years, Guyana’s ICT prospects lag as liberalisation remains bogged down.

Every time you talk bout cricket...

NCPE hosts Annual General Meeting

Dear Editor, The National Community Policing Executive (NCPE) hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Elections on May 17 at the Police Sports Club, Eve Leary, Georgetown under the theme “Safeguarding communities through strengthened community policing leadership”.

NCPE Chairman Omesh Satyanand reported during the agenda that he was indeed delighted to report that the year 2013/2014 was favourable and encouraging for community policing in Guyana. The organisation has moved to a higher level in the areas of administration, operations, human and material resources development, through the introduction of various human resource development programmes.

With the widening of the organisation’s administrative base to effectively manage the divisions, it has already impacted positively on effective operational activities He also stated that training in the various areas of management will continue to be

the primary focus of the organisation.

He stated that effective management will aid positively in reducing criminal activities in our society, along with the relevant strategies to positively deal with other social issues affecting so many.

Mr Satyanand then expressed sincere thanks to the Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee for his leadership role in fashioning community policing to an admirable level internationally. He reassured that his diligent work will continue to bear the desired fruits.

Secretary Krishna M Sewlall submitted during the agenda that his report which highlighted the developments for the period April 2013 to May 2014, where he stated that there was a lot of emphasis on domestic violence training seminars

He also stated that training seminars will continue to include the performance development of secretaries and treasurers in all divisions, community policing management and project

management.

The organisation will participate in a Disaster Management and Preparedness Education session that will be facilitated by the Civil Defence Commission. These notable community policing events come under the heels of the well-received leadership seminar for community policing executives sponsored by the Home Affairs Ministry that occurred in the month of July 2013, and also in September 2013, the Home Affairs Ministry did hosted a two- day seminar on interpersonal violence at the Convention Centre that was attended with full representation for all the Community Policing Divisions where the derived recommendations are being examined currently for implementation.

Mr Sewlall also highlighted that fundraising activities by Divisional Community Policing Executives and Community Policing Groups in total for the past administrative year totalled around $1.25 million .This

was to aid in maintenance of distributed Community Policing Assets that includes the numerous CPG vehicles, outboard engines, ATVs, motor cycles, and uniforms, and in the execution of CPG Activities.

Sewlall also declared that a total of 13,584 patrols were done in the period of April 2013 to May 2014 as compared to the 9875 patrols that was done in the previous administrative period of March 2012 to February 2013.

Mr Sewlall also stated that there is now a new focus on target patrols which will maximise on CPG resource and effort where relative information can be obtained from the MOHA on crime data etcetera. A Facebook page webpage on CPG was also set up where all the Divisions Public Relations Officers, will share information with their National PRO for the general public to be informed.

Edward A Persaud, Public  Relations  Officer NCPE

You do the crime, then you must do the time

Dear Editor, There is an old adage that runs like this “you do the crime you do the time”. A very true statement especially when it comes to the latter aspect “you do the time”. It is of tremendous importance that the second half of that statement be forcefully enforced on criminals and would-be criminals, because, most, if not all, of those persons who commit heinous crimes don’t want to do the time, far less to be punished, ever. Criminals of the worst kind want to be set scot-free. Well, let me not be so quick to give them the benefit of the doubt, because we now have a Judge who is willing

to put a halt to that perception.

I am referring to Justice Navindra Singh, a Judge who upholds the law, one who has shown the courage and determination where fairness and justice is concerned.

He is a no-nonsense Judge who in his judgments would see to it that the perpetrators of criminal acts get their just desserts.

This writer, who, over the years, has been a tireless campaigner for justice for those killed at the hands of cold-blooded murderers is finally seeing the fruits of his labours.

I have been at the forefront pleading for such per-

sons to get life imprisonment. Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel; finally, we are making some headway in the just sentencing for murderers.

You cannot tell me someone can willfully commit such horrific acts and want to live among us?

Precisely the point, because when you look what is played out time and time again is an unending patience when it comes to perpetrator and scant regard for the innocent victim.

Over the years, we’ve seen horrific crimes committed only to see the criminals getting little or no time at all, because justices upheld nonsensical arguments

like “he came from a broken home” or “he had no father figure in the home” and “he came from a poor home” – things that should give him a “legitimate” reason to kill. Outrageous to say the least. But, these arguments seem compelling enough to hold the criminal guiltless when viewed by some judges. However, thankfully we seem to have gone past that stage. We are now looking at heinous crimes under a new microscope with a new Judge. So let us cross reference with the USA. Our situation here is similar to that which confronts the American society, where criminals believe that they can “get away with murder”.

Nothing like a good game of cricket! As the weather held on Sunday, these youngsters in Meadow Brook Gardens took full advantage and bowled off a few balls, much to the delight of a few onlookers (Carl Croker photo)

Synthetic track will see Guyana hosting more international competitions

Dear Editor, The PPP/C extends congratulations for another landmark achievement, in the form of the state-ofthe-art Synthetic Athletic Track at Leonora, West Coast Demerara. This is a fulfilment of a promise by the PPP/Civic in its manifesto.

The PPP/C has always stated its firm commitment to the development and ex-

pansion of sport and the requisite facilities to help our sportsmen and women reach their full potential and continue to represent Guyana well internationally.

This state-of-the-art facility will see Guyana hosting more international athletics competitions, which fit into the PPP/Civic Government’s ongoing efforts to promote anoth-

er tourism product – sport tourism.

We are also heartened at the ongoing support of the Government to sporting organisations to establish more facilities for Guyana’s athletes, including the Guyana Karate College’s Dojo, The Athletics Association of Guyana Headquarters, hockey field, the Guyana Football Federation’s Goal project,

just to list a few.

We wish to state as a matter of public record that the successive PPP administrations have never shirked their responsibilities when it comes to the promotion of sports and support for our athletes. The evidence is in the public’s domain to show.

Under the PPP/C, the Guyana National Stadium at providence was con-

Actualising a multi-sectoral approach to suicide prevention

Dear Editor, Suicide – it seems to be fast becoming the ultimate answer for every kind of problem. Driven by a range of factors, suicide is often times linked with alcoholism, abusive and triangular relationships and teenage pregnancy.

In fact, Guyana has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the Caribbean. Also, the average Guyanese drinker consumes 13.7 litres of pure alcohol each year with 6.1 per cent of the population considered heavy drinkers (2010 figures).

With respect to domestic violence, of the more than 60 per cent of women who were involved in a relationship or union, 27.7 per cent reported physical abuse, 26.3 per cent had experienced verbal abuse and 12.7 per cent experienced sexual violence, according to a report in a local newspaper.

Additionally, while suicide happens everywhere, for a nation with about three quarters of a million people, Guyana has the fourth highest suicide rate in the world, with 26.4 suicides per 100,000 people (2006 figures).

Eight out of every 10 suicide deaths are males; three out of every four suicide deaths are East Indians; the suicide rates are higher in Region Two (Pomeroon/

Supenaam) and Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne); two of every three persons who commit suicide in Guyana are young persons below the age of 35; and young adults 15 to 24 years are over represented among those who commit suicide. (1991 figures that may be different today, especially with regard to ethnicity and gender.)

In fact, in the first 20 days of this year, 20 people committed suicide while several others attempted suicide.

Given this stark reality, it is commendable that Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran has declared suicide a mental health problem and a cultural issue. The reality, however, is that suicide is more a public health problem and a national social issue as pointed out since 1999 by clinical and forensic psychiatrist, Dr Frank Beckles.

The Minister’s recognition that a multi-sectoral approach is needed must now lead to an actual concerted action plan to make this approach a reality. As it is, what currently exists is piecemeal and intermittent, at best.

And because it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel or duplicate efforts, the Minister should seek to harness all entities and efforts, locally and in the Diaspora,

that are already involved in some form, in suicide prevention, as well as all those stakeholders that can have a role to play: religious institutions, NGOs, social and professional entities, sports bodies, schools, parents associations, et al.

This would also ensure the maximisation of efforts and resources, and hopefully provide an intensive and extensive campaign that would reach into every nook and cranny of the nation.

In this respect, a group of concerned Guyanese recently launched a Facebook page entitled, “The Suicide Epidemic” (www.facebook. com/groups/suicideepidemic/), which has catalysed an informative, comprehensive and insightful conversation about suicide.

The upshot is that a paper, synopsising all of this, is currently being prepared and this will be used as the basis for an action plan, which, hopefully will involve other like-minded organisations and individuals and garner the support of the Health and Education Ministers and other Government agencies and entities.

Additionally, we have launched a Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=WnoQ-7deUxU), which currently houses a set of videos with anti-suicide messages, as the first in a series of initiatives aimed at

from page 4

You do the crime, then you must...

We have a situation where persons have no boundaries, no regard for the sanctity of human life. They wilfully maim, disfigure and kill another human being and yet for all of this, want to live a normal free life like the rest of us lawabiding citizens.

No! This is not going to happen, you wantonly take someone’s life then ex-

pect that yours will be taken away from you also, that is for life. That freedom you now cherish should evaporate right before your very eyes. Heartless, abnormal, cold-blooded beasts should not be afforded the luxury of a normal life, this is my firm resolve.

If my memory is correct, this marks the third time such ruling is coming

from this Judge and strikingly so, for similar offences where men brutally kill women. I say a big thank you, Judge, your judgements have been fair and balanced. My only regret is that my impossible wish that all persons with capital offences be tried by you.

Sincerely, Neil Adams

sensitisation.

We encourage all to join the conversation on our Facebook group and to access and share the Youtube channel so we can embrace increasing numbers of persons and entities in helping to actualise the multi-sectoral approach to suicide prevention spelt out by Dr Ramsaran. Each one can become an activist at some level.

Sincerely, Norkah Carter Devv-Ramdas Daniel Judy Deveaux Annan Boodram

structed; the Albion Sports Complex was refurbished and fitted with flood lights, making it ideal for night cricket, football and other sporting events. It is under the PPP/Civic Government that hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in sport and sporting facilities.

One would recall that prior to 1992, there were no proper sporting facilities in Guyana, the few cricket and football grounds stayed alive because of private associations’ investments.

Since the PPP/Civic took office, the budgetary allocations for this sector, like every other, continuously increased every single year The PPP/C recommits itself to continuously improving the landscape to help our athletes reached their full potential.

Respectfully submitted, PPP/C, Freedom House

Encashment of Govt Old Age Pension Vouchers for June

Dear Editor, The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) hereby advises the general public and particularly Old Age Pensioners that, for the ease of comfort, the encashment of pension vouchers will commence at 08:30h today.

It is further advised that the encashment of the National Insurance Scheme’s vouchers will also commence at 08:30h today.

T Whyte, Public Relations Officer GPOC

You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Page Foundation

Behind the anger PARENTING FOR SUCCESS

Our vision is a Guyanese society where every child enjoys the right to a childhood in a safe and caring family, free from poverty, violence and exploitation.

Nine-year-old Alex lives in an urban community with his mother, father, grandmother and cousins. He attends a school two villages away from his home. At school, Alex is constantly involve in fights and has gotten out of control. The last incident, before the teacher reported the matter to the counsellor, was over a game of marble. Alex and a boy got into a heated argument during a game of marbles because the boy did not want to pay up his marble after Alex won. Alex bust into a rage and started punching and kicking the other boy. The teacher intervened and separated Alex from the boy but he still ran behind the boy and kept throwing punches. He was taken to the Head teacher’s office and there he further displayed outbursts of uncontrollable anger. The Head teacher sends him to the counselor at the school but he refused to visit the counsellor.

Two days later, Alex was involved in another fight in school and this time the Head teacher threatened to suspend him for two weeks if his parents didn't visit the school for a meeting. In the meeting with Alex’s parents, the Head teacher

shared her concerns about Alex’s constant fights; she claimed that the boy was becoming uncontrollable and hard to deal with. Teachers had expressed how much it takes away from their curriculum to deal with Alex’s behaviour. Once again, counselling was suggested in order to support behavior change. His parents agreed and explained to him the reason for him attending the sessions. An agreement was made for Alex to attend counselling sessions one day per week.

Assessment of Alex’s Behavior Alex's first session was met with much resistance; he refused to communicate and he just sat in a corner with an angry face. In the second session Alex was asked if he likes to draw and he responded yes. He was asked to draw a picture of himself; in the picture he had an angry face. He was then asked to draw a picture of what makes him angry. At this point Alex put the pencil down and refused to participate in the session. In the third session Alex was asked to draw a picture of an event that happened to him in the past that made him angry

or upset. Alex drew a picture of a house that had lots of people. There were men holding guns and what appeared to be bullets flying in the air and people running. There were persons lying on the ground with blood oozing from their bodies. Given the complexity of the drawing, Alex was asked to talk through the picture. Alex shared, “It was a Sunday

were watching TV in the living room. Me father was sitting outside on de steps smoking with some friends. Suddenly, ah heard a loud sound outside, and then me mother screaming at us to run and hide. Me brother and I did not know what was happening, but we ran anyway. I saw strange men with masks shooting at me parents. My sister hide un-

night and all ah we was at home (mommy, daddy, brother, sister, cousins and aunties), Mummy and auntie Cassy were in the kitchen preparing dinner. I was playing Nintendo with mah brother and cousins in the back bedroom, Lisa (sister) and mah other cousins

der the bed..., me, meh brother and cousins ran and hid behind the coconut trees in the yard. I saw my mother lying on the ground not moving with blood coming from she body. After everything, me brother was dead cause he tried to help mam but mam was pretending to

be dead; then they took her to the hospital”. Alex was very emotional when he spoke about his brother. He was given the opportunity to express his feelings in a safe environment. He shared how he misses his brother every day. He remembers when they used to do bush cook and go fishing on the weekends. Alex expressed his hatred towards the men who shot his brother that day. The counsellor reassured Alex that it was normal to feel angry, especially when losing someone who you love. During a session with his parents, it was discovered that the incident had left the entire family traumatised to the point that they did not speak about the incident together. Mother stated that she could not attend her son’s funeral because she was hospitalised. She expressly spoke about the close bond that Alex and his brother shared. It was suggested to the mother that the entire family seek support. They refused, stating that they are adults and can cope but agreed that Alex should continue receiving support from the counsellor.

Intervention

The purpose of Alex's session now focused on supporting him through the grieving process and managing his anger outbursts. He was supported to develop a memory book of his brother. With this, he was able to explore his feelings and focus on good times with his brother. In this book, designed and written by the child alone, Alex was able to write and draw about the memories he had of his brother. There were times when Alex’s was gazing. When approached, he would cry and talk about how much he misses his brother, how unfair it was that the bad guys got to live but his brother had to die. Recognising the importance of going through the grieving process, the child was allowed to cry without interruptions. For the first time since the incident, the boy was really able to let out his feelings. He was reminded that nobody can ever take away his memories of his brother, he will always have those. He was also given a chance to write a letter to his brother sharing some of the things that he did not get to tell his brother. Alex was introduced to the anger management workbook. This was used to help the child identify what triggers his anger and positive ways of expressing his anger. After identifying the things that made him angry (example, people not sticking to their word, etc) he was taught ways to calm himself down when he gets angry, like taking a walking in order to cool off, counting slowly, or deep breathing. During one of the sessions, Alex was asked about the fights with the children. He said “they think they can hurt me and get away with it, just like the bandits.

Alex’s mother decided to start attending parenting sessions in order to support her son. Here, she learned how to cope with her own grief, and how to support not only her son through it but her entire family. Alex is still an angry child, but with support from the people around him; his family, teachers and friends he is learning how to control it.

Please contact us on telephone number 231-7174 or programmes.childlink@ networksgy.com for any support you may need on parenting and any other challenges that you may be experiencing with your children.

Odeen Ishmael to retire due to fading health

Guyana’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Odeen Ishamel is to retire shortly, owing to fading health, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has said.

Ishmael has been credited with putting together what he described as a serialised edition of the history of Guyana, which contained some very damning documents of the Forbes Burnham-led People’s National Congress (PNC) Administration. The Guyana Story is available on the Internet.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, Rodrigues-Birkett said Ambassador Ishmael will be demitting office and he will be replaced by an appointment by the President.

“He is retiring because of health reasons. Ambassador has been unwell for some time, and no doubt that would have affected his ability to function 100 per cent, and of course, we wished that he had recovered sooner but these are some of the things we have to experience with health,” the Foreign Affairs Minister disclosed.

Appointed Ambassador to Kuwait in 2011, Ishmael’s work has helped raise Guyana’s profile in the Middle East, RodriguesBirkett said, noting: “We are now a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and prior to this membership, we were not present in that part of the world. I think the establishment of that mission has improved our profile in that area,” the Minister said in justifying

the Government opening of a mission in the oil-rich country.

Asked what tangible benefits has the country received so far as a result of the mission there, Rodrigues-Birkett said: “It is not just establishment of diplomatic missions and posting ambassadors, you don’t have an instant item that you can point to, but we have had in recent times increase visits. We have also received indication from the Saudi Arabian Government that they want to send a team of investors to Guyana and they have invited a team from our end so we are working with them on that.”

Distinguished service

Prior to his Kuwait appointment, Ambassador Ishmael also served as Ambassador to Venezuela (November 2003-January 2011) and to the US (June 1993-October 2003). While in the US, he was also Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the Organisation of American States (OAS).

Ambassador Ishmael previously worked as a teacher and achieved in the 1980s the status of Deputy Headmaster in the Guyana school system. He broke away from teaching in 1970-1971 and worked as an Information Officer in the Ministry of External Affairs (now the Foreign Affairs Ministry) of Guyana. Ambassador Ishmael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography, a post-graduate Diploma in Education and a PhD in Education. In his political life, Ambassador Ishmael

served in the Central Committee and the leadership of the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) from 1972 to 1982 and in the Central Committee of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) of Guyana from 1980 to 1988. He has written numerous articles on education, Guyanese history and international political issues, which have been published in newspapers and journals in Guyana, the Caribbean, North America and Latin America. His published books include Problems of the Transition of Education in the Third World; Towards Education Reform in Guyana; Amerindian Legends of Guyana; The Democracy Perspective in the Americas; The Magic

Several remigrants...

The Minister added that She in the cases that they have revoked, “we looked at about two years and if we see for two years you have spent just two months here, we know that you are not serious and we revoke you. As we go a long, we try to improve the system, not to make remigrants feel the minute they walk in the Ministry, we think they are criminals but at the same time for us to be able to detect the seriousness.”

businesses and so on. I think we have to ensure that there is a balance because Guyana is not the only country with a remigrant programme, they are several countries with this.”

The Caribbean, Guyana Legends and The Trail of Diplomacy: A Documentary History of the GuyanaVenezuela Border Issue –Volume One (Colonisation, Boundary Dispute and Arbitration). He is also the editor of the book, Cheddi Jagan: My Struggle for Guyana’s Freedom and has written the foreword to the book From Bondage to Deliverance – Indentured Labour in Mauritius and British Guiana, authored by the Indian historian, Dr Saroja Sundararajan and published in New Delhi in 2006. Ambassador Ishmael and his wife Evangeline have two children – a son, Safraz Waseem Ishmael, and a daughter, Nadeeza Ishmael.

The aim of the programme is to attract skilled nationals to return and develop the country and Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said so far, there have been a variety of people returning. She could not say definitely if the programme was accomplishing its objectives, but contends: “... if someone is remigrating, obviously they've got ties here, they’ve got family and relatives in Guyana and they are Guyanese, so if they want to come home, they are free to come anytime they want to. What we have to ensure, however, is there is a balance in this is because there would be some Guyanese who would say we have this programme for persons wanting to return, but look, they would have left Guyana and now they want to return, we are providing this. Some of them return and established small

Persons applying for remigrant status must do so within the first three months of resettlement. Regarding documentation, the applicant is required to submit his/her current passport which must be at least five years old. If the passport is less than five years old, then the previous passport must be submitted.

In the case of students, evidence from the university, college or educational institution confirming the duration of the course of study or time spent at the institution must be submitted. Besides, there must be documentary evidence of how the potential remigrant intends to earn a livelihood in Guyana, to re-establish permanent stay and a statutory declaration, which must be prepared by a Justice of Peace or Commissioner of Oats to Affidavits in Guyana, must also be presented. This must include the items for which exemptions are sought – for personal and domestic use – and are not for sale or exchange, and whether the remigrant has previously/never enjoyed tax exemptions.

Pot – Nansi Stories From

Ambassador Odeen Ishmael

Caribbean youths want greater say in decision-making

Youths from across Guyana are advocating for greater inclusion in the decision-making process.

On Thursday, during the closing ceremony of the 44th Meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Board of Governors, VYBZING Guyana 2014 Youth Voices for Climate Change presented a declaration to the CDB President, Dr Warren Smith; Chairman, Dr Ashni Singh; Chairman-elect, Dr Denzil Douglas; and the Governors, among others.

The declaration was presented after the youths had converged for three days at the Grand Coastal Hotel; days before the Board of Governors Meeting commenced at the Guyana International Convention Centre.

In a united voice, the youths championed the

cause for them to be included in all aspects of deliberation, consultations, negotiations and policy-making on matters of sustainable development in Guyana.

Acknowledging that Guyana has been swift in its actions to combat climate change, one of the four youths who presented the declaration, pointed out that the coun-

try has put into operation “The Office of Climate Change”, in addition to the establishment of the Low Carbon Development Strategy, the brainchild of former President Bharrat Jagdeo. They posited that the challenges posed by climate change can be supported by regional partnerships and guided by the regional framework.

In an effort to join the fight, the youths vowed to practise proper waste management by recycling and reusing their refuse. Additionally, they pledged to continuously promote energy and water conservation.

“We encourage Government to promote and incentivise the use of clean green and sustainable technology. Translate existing policies into communitybased actions, facilitate behavioural change through the implementation of stronger educational and awareness-based environmental activities and provide resources to vulnerable communities,” one of the four youths said.

In addition to the declaration presented by the youths, CDB President, Dr Smith presented a laptop computer each to the Scout Association of Guyana, the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, the Salvation Army and the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama.

The distribution of laptops forms part of the CDB’s annual programme when the Governors meet.

Eyew tness

TNo...

...hate in Rodney

he MuckrakerKN’s house slave can’t believe Rodney didn’t have hate in his heart for Burnham. Still pining for the dictator, who’d plucked him from obscurity and made him into a propaganda hack (he could get all the banned stuff, you see), the house slave doubted Kwayana’s testimony that Rodney’s actions against the dictator were simply political. Nothing personal.

House slaves can never understand a man like Rodney, who, to use the metaphor of Malcolm X, was a “field slave”. The house slave and the field slave occupy different universes – physically, but more importantly, psychologically. As Malcolm said, when the house slave saw the master with a fever in bed, he’d moan as he wrung his hands, “We massa sick. We sick.” The field slave, on the other hand, would be on his knees praying fervently, “Let the sonofabitch die, Lord! Let him go to hell!”

But this had nothing to do with hate. When you’re confronting injustice – like that of man enslaving his fellow man, and not even conceding they were “fellow men”, it’s not a question of hate – it’s a question of justice. When you’re fighting for justice, you’re actuated by love – love for the oppressed. That you have to get rid of the oppressors is merely your duty. You don’t need “hate” to be motivated.

And so it was for Rodney. In addition to the quest for justice, Rodney was also a serious Marxist. In every line of his writing and every sentence he uttered, this came out clearly. To a serious Marxist, one is moved by historical forces – not emotions like hate. The kind of mocking language he used against Burnham – like calling him “King Kong” – was just tactical. He knew Burnham was full of himself and that ridicule was a potent button to press against that stuffed shirt.

But the Muckraker’s house slave can’t understand a man like Rodney for another reason: his own personality. Like his master, he’s consumed and motivated by hate. His master hates Jagdeo (as he confesses) and the house slave moans as he wrings his hands, “I gon write nasty things against him, every day, Massa. Even if I have to make them up.” And his master throws him some crumbs from his table –where he can never sit. Nowadays his master throws him some sweetie.

Imagine Jagdeo was sick and had to be medevaced... and the house slave wrote for his master – “Jagdeo should die!” What they don’t realise is that hate like that consumes the hater – rather than the hated.

...reprieve for Opposition

APNU and AFC never thought President Ramotar would refuse to be blackmailed on the AML/CFT Bill. Knowing the Government had done so much to bring Guyana back on its feet, they figured their threat to not sign the Bill would force the President to cave on their demands. But good for him, the President understands the lesson of the Americans: never negotiate with blackmailers.

You’ll only end up encouraging them to up their demands – or blackmail again. Sure the President understands Guyana will be in some pain now that the Opposition’s recalcitrance has precipitated the promised blacklisting. But the President knows also that sometimes a mother has to lance the boil of her child – it hurts – but it’s necessary for the overall health of the child.

The financial squeeze by CFATF will hurt – but the Guyanese populace will have to accept that the boil full of rancid pus that caused it is the Opposition. It must be lanced.

Call snap elections, Prezzie! Lance them!!

...tests for Guyana

Imagine the WICB has pulled the New Zealand test from Guyana because the people of Guyana, through their representatives – both Government and APNU – insisted the Guyana Cricket Board become a legal entity that must comply with the laws of Guyana. It’s past “high time” that Caricom deals with this upstart WICB!

CDB President, Dr Warren Smith presenting a laptop to the a representative from the Scout Association of Guyana

Outgoing Chairman, Dr Ashni Singh and CDB President, Dr Warren Smith standing with some of VYBZING Guyana 2014 youths

Guyana most progressive country in implementing CSME – Foreign Affairs Minister

Foreign Affairs

Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said Guyana has been recognised by Caricom as the most progressive country in the implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economic (CSME).

Speaking with Guyana Times in a recent interview, Minister RodriguesBirkett said Guyana has managed to grow and develop its economy by creating a place for itself within Caricom.

She said despite setbacks, the country continues to move forward.

“Our country is moving, we still have a lot of challenges, but this is our country to build and we have to build it,” the Minister said.

During her budget presentation, the Minster disclosed that last year, Guyana’s overall export to the region was some $22.3 billion, which doubles the $10.3 billion recorded in 2012.

She credited this growth to increased exports of rice, sugar, molasses, seafoods, lumber and rum.

The Foreign Affairs Minister explained that a lot of Guyana’s trading is done under negotiation through the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

She noted that this makes the negotiation process easier since most of the countries share common positions, while adding that the trading and investment framework recently signed with the US was done on a regional basis.

Rodrigues-Birkett pointed out that when it

comes to finding markets for the country’s products, this responsibility is shared with the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry.

“We have a very good working relationship, both at the technical level and myself with Minister Irfaan Ali. For example, you will see Copa Airlines beginning to fly here soon, we made the link; I personally met with my colleague from Panama and then the Tourism Ministry ran with it after that,” she disclosed.

Good relations

“People looking inside of Guyana are seeing the potential, they are seeing what are the possibilities, unfortunately, they are some in Guyana who do not see that and I hope that with the interests that have been shown, by not only the airlines, but other investors, that we here in Guyana would work together to make this potential realised.”

Rodrigues-Birkett said Guyana enjoys a good relationship with member states and disclosed that a Barbadian investor is now operating a rice farm in the Rupununi and exporting to Brazil.

“I was very pleased when I went down there to see a Guyanese manager, with Brazilian and Japanese technicians and our local people down there…. I was so pleased when they told me it was our local people in the region who built the silos and so on and that’s a good example of a regional project,” she said.

The Foreign Affairs Minister continued that Guyana has lots of land space and there are a lot of people who are willing to invest here, so the country has to capitalise on these opportunities, using its resources in order to development the country.

Additionally, the Minister mentioned that the CSME has allowed for

not only Guyanese, but Caricom nationals to have free movement and travel without hassle within the community. She also noted that Caricom has resolved many social issues with countries in the region through dialogue.

Apart from the CSME, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett underscored that Guyana has also managed to engage several Latin American countries in various partnerships.

She added that Guyana has developed a good relationship with Chile over the recent years and has undertaken many tourism and agriculture initiatives with Argentina.

In addition, she referred to the Indian/Brazil/ South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) under which the Solid Waste Project between the Local Government Ministry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was recently signed.

Speaking on Caricom generally, the Minister said though Guyana has benefited from the regional body, it is not without fault, pointing out that slow implementation of initiatives is a problem.

However, she noted that there have been many improvements and step-bystep, the community is moving apace.

However, she pointed out that Caricom would never be without faults, and instead of lambasting the entity, the critics should provide solutions to make the regional body better.

First Lady calls for end of child abuse

First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar has called for an end to all forms of child abuse as Guyana joins countries the world over in celebrating International Day for the Protection of Children.

The First Lady, in a message, said all has a role to play in the process, stressing that no child must be denied a loving upbringing.

“By themselves, they are unable to defend against abuse. As such, they need special attention and protection,” she said. “The scars caused by abuse often leave an indelible mark on children and the effects of abuse sometimes endure through to adulthood. It is therefore important that every child is safeguarded from abuse.”

Ramotar also joined the many voices around the world, calling for the release of the kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria.

“How terrible it must be for these schoolgirls to be away from their families for so long. How agonis-

ing it must be for their parents who are worried about the safety of their children. I pray that these children are safely returned to their parents as soon as possible and that all measures taken to free the children will ensure that no harm comes to any of them.

“My thoughts and prayers remain always with all children wherever they may be, who are subject to abuse and other forms of suffering. I embrace them with my love and affection. We all should, because by letting our children know that we care, we can give them hope,” said the First Lady.

International Children’s Day is recognised on various days in many places around the world, to honour children. It was first proclaimed by the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in 1925 and then established universally in 1954. The occasion is observed in many countries as Children’s Day on June 1.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar

Tain Campus needs more qualified lecturers – Samad

BY SVETLANA MARSHALL

The delivery of education at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC) is on the decline due to the increasing number of under-qualified lecturers at the institution. This is the view shared by the UG Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) and former Director of UGBC, Professor Daizal Samad.

Speaking with Berbice Times, Professor Samad said the situation has deteriorated since he vacated the office in July 2013, explaining that “several qualified lecturers have packed their bags and left”. Dr Jerry Jailall, Dr Julie Jailall and Kemuel Gaffar were identified as some of the lecturers who have tendered their resignations since he demitted office. “In such a small place, if you have two doctors and one full professor leaving, the signs are not good at all. The loss is inestimable, but this seems to bother no one, except students and the UGSSA,” Dr Samad told this publication.

According to him, persons with mere first-degree qualifications have been thrust into classrooms with students left to pay the ultimate price. “UG generally has no way to measure teaching excellence – so people bully instead of teach. They do what they want,

when they want, how they want and there is no accountability,” the former Director said. Professor Samad confirmed reports that a high percentage of the lecturers simply read from books, failing to encourage intellectual discussions and equipping students with the requisite technique to think critically and analytically.

He lamented too that classes are often held off campus at the convenience of lecturers and outside of the legitimate timetable provided by the institution. The situation is further compounded when lecturers move to assign grades arbitrarily after failing to return assignments. “Examination questions are read out once and students have to scribble answers, then they exchange pieces of paper and mark each others’ work.

We did this in primary school a few decades ago,” Professor Samad said as he continued to paint a picture of the poor standards that prevail at the tertiary institution.

“UGSSA is on spot, this time around,” Dr Samad posited, noting that the situation is worse than one can imagine. “One wishes it were as simple as under-qualified people teaching outside of what they have for a first-degree.”

According to the former UGBC Director, the situation was ameliorated in 2009

but the institution has returned to the pre-2008 period. “It is shameful, but I sense no shame at all in those who make decisions.”

Unqualified

The under-qualification of lecturers at the Tain Campus and by extension, the Turkeyen Campus resurfaced during a recent press conference with UGSSA and UG Workers Union (UGWU).

UGSSA President, Dr Patsy Francis contended that lecturers at the Berbice Campus continue to teach outside of their areas of competence and have been teaching as many as seven courses. “It’s a disgrace! It is one university we have or are we giving the people in Berbice a lower quality of education? What is it we are doing?”

subscribed programmes will be cut and the services of lecturers terminated, if the institution experiences a major shortfall in enrolment due to students’ inability to access loans for the academic year 2014/2015.

According to the UGSSA President, the Berbice Campus and the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education will be severely affected due to their programmes being poorly subscribed. “We cannot have it cut away, the people in Berbice deserve the Berbice Campus, we cannot have other programmes on campus which may not have large numbers such as History and Art being cut away, we will not allow it and I say categorically, we will not allow it!”

On Friday, Leader of the

In the past, lecturers from Turkeyen Campus travelled to Berbice to offer their expertise but in an effort to cut cost, a decision was taken to discontinue this practice. The challenges facing the Berbice Campus will likely become mountainous, if the Government refuses to return to the National Assembly for Supplementary Funding for the University of Guyana to the tune of $450 million.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Dr Jacob Opadeyi has confirmed that poorly

Opposition, David Granger told media operatives that it was never the intention of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) to disapprove funds for the tertiary institution, but it was lumped with other projects and organisations the parties have issues with. Nevertheless, he said, the Opposition is ready to approve a disaggregated sum for UG, but it is up to the Government to return to the House.

Playin games wid sports got problems

Sports is good ting fuh old people and young people. But nowadays de old people who runnin sports mekkin it hard fuh de young people who wanna play sports. Old people seh yuh must never forsake de old fuh de new. But it look like that might be de best ting to do right now. At least wheh cricket and football concern in Guyana.

These days it look like de cricket and football people playin games wid de two sports in Guyana. And now de W-High-C-B join in wid de cricket people. One setta people at de W-High-C-B behavin like dem high, and de rest behavin like dem on a high horse.

At this stage dem shoulda let de cricket people start playin football and de football people shoulda start playin cricket. Right now de football people playin sheer hard ball wid one another in Guyana. And de cricket people at de W-High-C-B kickin around Guyana although dem ain’t scorin no goal.

But none of dem ain’t playin de real cricket or football. Instead of runnin de sports, dem runnin people outta sports. Dem even runnin de fans outta sports by cancellin de Test match in Guyana. All because de W-High-C-B wanna tell Guyana whah to do and de Prezzi would have none of that.

If de W-High-C-B coulda run dem own business properly, then most likely Guyana and other people woulda listen to dem. When Im Ran not khannin de people, is Py Bus bustin up every good ting in every country.

Py Bus deserve a medal fuh writin a report bout Waste Indies cricket and he didn’t visit every country whah mek up de W-High-C-B. He musbe get trainin from de house slave who does write tings in de mud paper based on whah he tink people shoulda seh, once de boss man seh he could seh so.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! Well, wid no W-High-C-B cricket in Guyana any time soon, de only good ting comin up is de LCPL. Thank God Im Ran and Py Bus ain’t runnin that too!

PAHO urges countries to raise tobacco taxes to save lives

The Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) on Saturday called on countries to raise taxes on tobacco to encourage users to stop and to prevent other people from becoming addicted to tobacco.

Saturday was designated “World No Tobacco Day.”

According to PAHO, based on 2012 data, if all countries increased tobacco taxes by 50 per cent, they could reduce the number of smokers by 49 million within the next three years and ultimately save 11 million lives.

Every six seconds, someone dies from using tobacco, which kills up to half its users. It also incurs considerable costs for families, businesses and governments. Treating tobacco related diseases like cancer and heart disease is

expensive. And as tobacco related disease and death often strike people in the prime of their working lives, productivity and incomes fall.

“Raising taxes on tobacco is the most effective way to reduce use and save lives,” says WHO Director General Margaret Chan. “Determined action on tobacco tax policy hits the industry where it hurts.”

Tobacco taxes in the Americas In the Americas, several countries have made progress in implementing tobacco price and tax measures. Two countries of the region are being recognised in conjunction with this year’s World No Tobacco Day campaign. Panama is the winner of the WHO Director General’s Special Recognition for its enactment in 2009 of comprehensive tobacco control legislation, that not only increased tobacco taxes, but also earmarked the resulting revenues for tobacco control and other health related initiatives. Costa Rica is the winner of a World No Tobacco Day Regional Award for its passage of a comprehensive tobacco control law that increased tobacco taxes to 71.5 per cent of the final price to the consumer (with additional automatic increases each year). It too requires that all new revenue be allocated to tobacco control programmes and other health initiatives.

Former Director of UGBC, Professor Daizal Samad

Dr Patsy Francis, UGSSA President

WHO Director/General Margaret Chan

A new energy paradigm for Guyana

Guyana is proud that we hosted the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and that Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh served as the Bank’s Chairman for the last year. President of the CDB, Dr Warren Smith alluded to the need for the Caribbean to frontally reject fossil fuel-based energy and to embrace a new energy paradigm. He insisted that energy cost and reliability represent one of the greatest barriers confronting development in Caricom.

More than 90 per cent of Caricom’s energy is fossil-fuel dependent. For two major reasons, Caricom countries must pursue a new dispensation and a new paradigm: one is purely economics and the other is environmental and climate change. Dependency on expensive fossil fuels is a foolish and unsustainable option. The worn-out generating plants now has placed an enormous burden on Caricom countries.

Economic suffocation

The high and volatile price of electricity is suffocating for our economies. Electricity prices in the Caribbean are among the highest in the world, and they fluctuate greatly with the global price of oil.

The primary cause of the high cost of electricity is that most Caribbean countries use diesel and heavy fuel oil for electricity generation. Trinidad and Suriname at about six US cents per kilowatt hour are among the lowest cost and similar to charges in the USA. But Antigua at 42 US cents and other countries that pay more than 30 US cents pay tariffs that are unsustainable. Guyana’s tariff rates are at about 32 US cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).

Oil has contributed much of the prosperity of the 20th Century, which can be labelled the “Age of Oil”. As much as oil has contributed to the prosperity of the world, it has also contributed to the agony of the world.

But while oil laid the foundation for unprecedented economic growth in the world, access to petroleum has factored into many of the modern era’s international conflicts, including the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 and the Persian Gulf War in 1991. It has shaped the geopolitics between and among Western economies, the Middle East and the rest of the developing world.

For Guyana and her

A practical and wise choice is being politicised by persons and organisations that are bent on destroying Guyana’s chance of better lives for all of our people

Caricom sister nations, except Trinidad and Suriname, while oil-based energy is important for our present development, its cost is prohibitive. Because of its prohibitive cost, oil-based energy is “sucking the blood” out of the economy and prosperity of our countries today.

Limitless alternative energy

Outside of this also is the fact that oil-based energy systems contribute to Caricom’s carbon footprint. It is true Caricom’s carbon emission rate is low, but a substantial portion of our carbon footprint is from fuel.

A new energy paradigm, forged by technological advances, resource and environmental constraints and socioeconomic demands, has emerged. This paradigm is based, not on a finite stock of fossil fuels, but on a virtually limitless flow of renewable energy – sun, wind, water, wood, the earth’s heat – and on the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen.

Times Notebook predicts that by 2030, Caricom’s energy would be based on alternative forms of energy, with fossil fuel-based energy accounting for less than 20 per cent of the region’s energy. In Guyana, for example, hydroelectricity and solar energy can displace more than 90 per cent of fossil fuel-based energy by 2020. The same can be said for countries like Dominica, St Kitts, Grenada and others, which can develop geothermal energy – energy from the heat of the earth’s core.

Guyana embraced the notion of a new energy paradigm within our LCDS model of development, articulated

since 2009. The investment to make the Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project is a concrete expression of our commitment to a new energy paradigm. More than anything else, Dr Smith’s call for a new energy paradigm in Caricom is an endorsement of Guyana’s energy strategy.

Guyana’s Opposition political parties and anti-government commentators have combined to slow Guyana’s progress towards a new energy paradigm. A practical and wise choice is being politicised by persons and organisations that are bent on destroying Guyana’s chance of better lives for all of our people.

Nations that anticipate and position themselves for the transition are likely to reap an array of social, economic and environmental benefits. Those who remain mired in the status quo will only prolong the fossil-fuel legacy of ecological instability and political insecurity, leaving them less prepared to face the challenges of the new millennium.

Guyana has taken a bold stance and should be rapidly moving towards attaining a new energy paradigm; we will reap the benefit of social and economic prosperity.

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

monday, june 2, 2014

Guyanese actor achieves Hollywood fame

BY TANGERINE CLARKE

Award winning television and screen actor, Sean Patrick Thomas said a disciplined Guyanese upbringing definitely moulded him into the person he is today.

“My family lived in Wilmington, Delaware where we were considered different in our neighbourhood because we were the only black people, who were Guyanese,” said Thomas, whose success brought him to the bright lights of Broadway in the role of Asagai in “A Raisin in the Sun”.

This is the same play that got Thomas noticed at the University of Virginia, his alma mater where he was encouraged to take up acting by his drama teacher.

“We have a great ensemble cast, and when I walk off the stage after the show, fans come up to me and say I enjoy your character, I relate to the role you play. That makes me feel good that I did my job well,” Thomas said of the role alongside Denzel Washington that ends June 15.

He added, “Fans also say I enjoyed seeing you in the movie – “The Last Dance”, or on TV, and I am glad to see you on the Broadway stage.”

“This is very nice to hear,” added the Americanborn thespian.

“Playing Asagai on Broadway is satisfying for me as an actor,” noted Thomas, who no doubt was born for this role in “A Raisin in the Sun”. He was nominated for an Image Award in 2009, for Outstanding Actor in a mini-series.

Thomas said he never had the desire to become an Engineer like his father.

“I was never a Math and Science guy. I did ok with B’s, but I was more enthusiastic about History and English.

In an exclusive telephone interview from his New York location recently, Thomas recalled that his parents made education a top priority in his Guyanese household.

His mother, Cheryl, a retired Financial Analyst, and father Carlton, an Engineer, who both worked for DuPont, celebrated with

loud applause when “you brought home a good report card, a diploma from a graduating class, or an award”, the actor added.

Disciplined upbringing

“My father was very disciplined, very focused, and he took his job of being a dad seriously.”

“There was never a day where I felt he wasn’t thinking about my siblings and me. He taught us how to improve our lives for adulthood,” said the actor, whose

dance steps alongside actress Julia Styles in “Save The Last Dance” won him an MTV award for the breakout role.

His dad, now deceased, would have said, “Way to go, I am proud of you,” he said.

An exceptionally-talented professional, Thomas is one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, clinching the role of Detective Temple in TV’s The District. He also had parts in “Barber Shop 2”, “Conspiracy Theory”, “Reaper”, “Halloween Resurrection”,

16 receive prizes in NMSL Mother’s Day promotion

Joan Campbell of Hopetown Village, West Berbice is among 16 lucky customers who won prizes in the recently held MoneyGram and SurePay Mother’s Day Promotion.

The winners collected their prizes during a presentation ceremony held on May 28 at Neal and Massy staff facility, Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Deo Persaud, Chairman of NM Services Limited (NMSL) offered congratulations to the winners and disclosed that two other major promotions

– “Back to School” and “Christmas” promotions are on the cards for this year.

He said mothers are special and NMSL was very pleased to honour its valuable customers in a generous way. Ms Debbie Baldeo, Senior Manager of MoneyGram said over 50,000 customers from across the country took part in the promotion and she congratulated the 16 winners and extended gratitude to the agents of MoneyGram and SurePay.

The prizes included gift certificates for Bounty

Supermarket, King’s Jewellery World, Lifestyles Boutique, Nayelli’s Beauty Salon, hampers of beauty products from Geddes Grant and bill certificates for utility services.

In addition to Campbell, the other winners are: Shawndell Edwards of Epsom Village, Corentyne; Roseann Kendall of Friendship, East Coast Demerara (ECD); Lynette Adams of Blueberry Hill, Linden; Petal Lashley of David Street, Kitty, Georgetown; Andre Kelly of Sophia, Georgetown; Sylvia

“Cruel Intentions” and “The Burrowers”.

The stage production of “Amen Corner” took him to Atlanta, under the direction of Kenny Leon, who directed him in “A Raisin in the Sun”.

Thomas’ triumphant acting career has no doubt satisfied his mom, who wanted him to become a lawyer.

“I am grateful that she didn't resist that I wanted to do something else. She allowed me to try acting to see how it would play out.”

Today, his mother could not be more proud of his success. But despite his enormous accomplishments, the illustrious actor says he stays close to his Guyanese relatives, even picking up his favourite Guyanese foods: roti and curry, tennis rolls and pepperpot, when he visits his aunt Lynn in Brooklyn.

The 43-year-old intensely focused actor said, “It would be nice to receive an award for my work. But I act because I love doing it. I am satisfied just working to support my family, and becoming a better actor than I am today.”

Evelyn Thomas, his

aunt, said: “When I saw my nephew on the Broadway stage, and heard his voice echo through the audience, I knew he had achieved greatness in entertainment. His performance was awesome,” she said, adding that Sean is a down-to-earth, loving dad. He is a phenomenal person.

With his gorgeous wife, New Orleans native and actress Aonika Laurent at his side, the Fine Arts Master’s Degree graduate, says he plans on sharing his culture with his family during his second visit to Guyana. While there, the father of two would like to share his acting skill at the Theatre Guild Playhouse in Georgetown.

But for now, Thomas, who no doubt will win the Tony Award, and an Academy Award in the future, is eager to play the role of black-super hero.

“I would like to be on a good cable-TV series like ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Madmen’ or ‘House of Cards’, added the superstar.

Playing the role of James Bond is also at the top of his list. (Caribbean Life)

PAHO urges countries...

Nevertheless, “much work needs to be done in the region, where few countries have met the recommended 75 per cent tax level on the final price of tobacco products recommended by PAHO and WHO”, said Adriana Blanco, PAHO/WHO advisor on tobacco control. “In many countries, tobacco prices remain low and affordable, especially for young people, which is of particular concern.”

The young, poor people

such as France and the Philippines have already seen the benefits of imposing high taxes on tobacco. Between the early 1990s and 2005, France tripled its inflation adjusted cigarette prices, and sales fell more than 50 per cent. A few years later, the number of young men dying from lung cancer in France began to decline. In the Philippines, one year after increasing taxes, the Government has collected more than the expected revenue and plans to spend 85 per cent of this on health services.

Luke of Golden Grove, ECD; Oral Greene of Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD); Doodnauth Singh of Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown; Assad Ali of Railway Line, La Bonne Intention, ECD; Surendra Persaud of Canal Number Two Polder, West Bank Demerara; Clifford Reid of Leonora, West Coast Demerara; Marlyn Hussein of Meadow Brook Gardens, Georgetown; Sheik Hassan of Eccles, EBD; M Shaheed of Providence, EBD and Norma Campbell of Ruimveldt, Georgeotwn.

High prices have proven particularly effective in discouraging young people (who often have more limited incomes than older adults) from taking up smoking. They also encourage existing young smokers to either reduce their use of tobacco or quit altogether. “Price increases are two to three times more effective in reducing tobacco use among young people than among older adults,” says Douglas Bettcher, Director of the Department for Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO. “Tax policy can be divisive, but this is the tax rise everyone can support. As tobacco taxes go up, death and disease go down.”

WHO calculates that if all countries increased tobacco taxes by 50 per cent per pack, governments would earn an extra US$101 billion in global revenue.

“These additional funds could – and should – be used to advance health and other social programmes,” adds Bettcher. Countries

Tobacco taxes

Tobacco use is the world’s leading preventable cause of death. Tobacco kills nearly six million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers who die from breathing second-hand smoke. If no action is taken, tobacco will kill over eight million people yearly by 2030, more than 80 per cent of them living in low- and middle-income countries. Raising taxes on tobacco to help reduce tobacco consumption is a core element of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international treaty that entered into force in 2005 and has been endorsed by 178 parties. Article Six of the WHO FCTC, Price and Tax Measures to Reduce the Demand for Tobacco, recognises that “price and tax measures are an effective and important means of reducing tobacco consumption by various segments of the population, in particular young persons”.

Sean Patrick Thomas

Mr Deo Persaud, Chairman of NMSL (seated second right) and Ms Debbie Baldeo, Senior Manager of MoneyGram (seated left) with the winners and other staff of NMSL at the presentation ceremony

Baby’s back!!!

– kidnapped baby found in Corentyne house

BY NAFEEZA YAHYA

The now 18-dayold “Avi” (Yuvesh Bistonauth) of Number 60 Village, who was abducted on May 24, was on Sunday found after Police acting on information, swooped down on a house located at 56 Chesney, Corentyne, Berbice.

Two persons were taken into custody as the baby was reunited with his mother. According to sources, at approximately 09:30h, Police acting on an anonymous tip, went to the home, where they confronted the woman “Debbie”, who claimed that the child was hers as she had given birth on May 23.

The Police, not satisfied

with her response, decided to detain her for questioning. But before going to the station, the Police took the woman to get a medical examination, which confirmed that the woman did not give birth recently.

They then took her to the Whim Police Station with the baby, where the parents subsequent went to uplift the child. There the kidnapper was positively identified was well as baby Avi.

When the mother of the infant Sandra Mclean arrived, as soon as she had a glimpse of the baby, she shouted “That’s him, that’s my baby!”

She ran towards the child and took him into her arms and the baby instantly cuddled and snuggled towards her bosom. There, the mother with tears flowing down her face, breastfed her baby whom she did not see for eight days. It was also the first time the baby’s biological father, Ravikan Bistonauth was seeing his son. According to Hindu rites, he was not allowed to see the child before the Ninth-Day.

The young mother was heartbroken to see that the kidnapper had shaved the baby’s head, but was nevertheless overjoyed to have her son in her arms.

According to reports, “Debbie” shaved the new-

to her home with the baby whom she claimed was hers. She is said to be from Madhia and called the family on Sunday last asking them to pick her up, claiming to have given birth at a private hospital in Georgetown.

At the time, her reputed husband Dewan Persaud Budhram, also called “Alvin”, was said to have been in the interior. According to the mother-inlaw, “Debbie” is a Hindu and not a Muslim.

born’s head to perform his Ninth-Day ceremony on Saturday, May 31.

The baby and mother were whisked away to the Port Mourant Hospital where a medical examination was performed before the baby was reunited fully with his parents. The woman, who was previously identified as “Bibi Khan” was now identified as “Debbie”.

According to the reputed mother-in-law of the woman, whose name was not given, she only knew of “Debbie” when she came

“The khemar and name "Bibi Khan" were used as a disguise when she approached McLean,” the woman said.

Reports are that Debbie had faked her pregnancy, then kidnapped the child because she was being pressured by her husband, who wanted a son. She and her reputed husband have been together for two years. He is said to have sent money from the interior to take care of her during the supposed delivery.

Stop pussyfooting on AML/CFT –Berbice Chamber

President of the Berbice Chamber of Commerce, Mark Roopnarine said the Opposition and Government should stop pussyfooting on the need for swift passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, days after the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) referred Guyana to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) where the country can face tough sanctions due to its failure to enact the legislation.

She later confessed to kidnapping the child and claimed that she paid the mother $800,000, to which McLean denied receiving the money from her.

The woman in her midforties, sporting a pony tail and short pants, with a tattoo on her upper chest, displayed no signs of remorse as she was being led away by Police. The mother of three used a water bottle in an attempt to shield her face.

According to her reputed mother-in-law, she was aware that a baby was kidnapped and told family members, including “Debbie”, that whoever did that should be punished. She said during those conversations, Debbie would sit and offer no comment.

As news spread of the recovery of the child, persons flocked the Whim Police Station to get a glimpse of the baby and the kidnapper. They were utterly disgusted over the situation and advised little Avi’s mother to be more careful.

Meanwhile, McLean said she is overjoyed to have her child back and was very thankful to all those who assisted.

She thanked the Guyana Police Force and Imran Hamid and family of Rose Hall Town, who were very helpful since the incident.

The child’s father Ravikan Bistonauth told Guyana Times that he is happy to be with his baby and will take good care of the child, noting that a special function will be held to celebrate the recovery.

On May 24, a woman who identified herself as Bibi Khan, befriended the mother of the infant under the guise that she had special interest in the child. She lured McLean to Rose Hall Town and later at the Port Mourant Market, where she disappeared with the infant.

“Everything intertwines, everything is dependent on something or the other… as a Chamber, we want to call on those that are heckling and pussyfooting about it, to really begin to see the bigger picture and begin to understand that everything is intertwined and it affects everyone, every business and systems that will be coming on stream regarding the development of our economy,” told Berbice Times in an invited comment.

“As a Chamber, we want to take this opportunity to call on those who are bent on maliciousness to really look at the bigger picture and understand the fact that everything is intertwined.” He said the nonpassage of the Anti-Money Laundering Bill seen in the Chamber’s view is like “political terrorism”.

Financial assistance

He said the local manufacturers are the ones that are being held hostage, noting too that the many families that depend on overseas financial assistance will also be affected. Roopnarine said “while we may say it’s too late and we have been blacklisted already, it is never too late to try and make an effort and reverse the damage done. The passage of the Anti Money Laundering Act must take place,” he stressed.

On its official website, CFATF last Thursday issued a public statement on this country at the end of its XXXIX Plenary Meeting held in Miami, Florida, USA. Government and the Opposition have been shilly-shallying over the amendments to the Bill for over two years. The Alliance For Change (AFC) in a statement said that the Bill could be passed within 72 hours if there is the political will to make it happen. The party proposed that the process be fast-tracked with the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission being implemented, and with the Public Accounts Committee selecting the five nominees at its next meeting. These five names

can then be submitted to the National Assembly for approval by a two-thirds majority, the AFC said.

“Once the House approves the nominees, they can be appointed by the President. Following this, the AFC would have no hesitation in giving its support for the passage of the AML/CFT Bill. The party believes that this can all be accomplished within 72 hours and would represent a significant victory for the Guyanese people. The AFC urges all political leaders to support this proposal.”

CFATF, which comprises 27 jurisdictions within the Caribbean Basin region, said Guyana remains a country with strategic AML/CFT deficiencies due to its non-compliance with the Action Plan developed with CFATF.

“As a result of not meeting the agreed timelines in its Action Plan, CFATF recognises Guyana as a jurisdiction with significant AML/CFT deficiencies and the CFATF considers Guyana to be a risk to the international financial system,” the statement read. The financial institution has since sounded an alarm, calling on member countries to safeguard themself against Guyana.

“Members are therefore called upon to implement further countermeasures to protect their financial systems from the ongoing money laundering and terrorist financing risks emanating from Guyana. Also, the CFATF has referred Guyana to the FATF,” the statement further read. CFATF members are being encouraged to enhance their due diligence measures, introduce enhanced reporting mechanisms or systematic reporting of financial transactions; refuse the establishment of subsidiaries or branches or representative offices in the country concerned.

Additionally, it was clearly stated that countries should minimise their business relationships or financial transactions with Guyana and even persons within the country.

Mark Roopnarine, President of the Berbice Chambers of Commerce and Development

Persons at the Whim Police Station after receiving news that the child was found

Ravikan Bistonauth with his son in the company of his wife Sandra McLean

The kidnapper at the Whim Police Station

New law in St Vincent exonerates corruption

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister attends UNWTO meeting in Spain

Acontroversial Bill to amend the exist-

ing Passport Act was tabled last week in the St Vincent and the Grenadines House of Assembly for debate today, prompting allegations that the Government is seeking to rush the legislation through Parliament in an attempt to exonerate corrupt or otherwise illegal acts.

The Bill appears to have its genesis in an audit carried out last year by the Office of Audit for SVG of the New York consulate accounts for the period of August 2011 to August 2013.

The audit was conducted to assess the extent of compliance with finance regulations and other rules governing public sector ex-

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves

penditure and came after a scandal that resulted in the recall of deputy consul general in New York, Edson Augustus, over alleged visa and/or passport related matters, and a side business that he was run-

ning that promised to obtain US permanent residency (“Green Card”) status for Vincentians, many of whom were believed to be living illegally in the US.

Earlier this year, the SVG Government revoked, with immediate effect, Augustus’s appointment as Deputy Consul General in New York. A statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry on February 5, acknowledged that Augustus was “involved in activities outside the scope of his duties and inimical to the interest of the consulate general and the Government and people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Augustus has not been charged with having committed any criminal act(s).

(Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Rambachan calls for ethnic tolerance in TT

Minister of Works and Transport, Dr Surujrattan Rambachan has called for tolerance among the various ethnic groups in TT. He was delivering the feature address at the 169th Indian Arrival Day celebrations at the Divali Nagar, which was organised by the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) on Friday night. Rambachan represented Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

“As we go forward, we must imagine a communi-

ty in which ethno-cultural groups are not merely tolerant of each other, since the notion of tolerance presupposes a power on the part of one group to allow the other to exist, but protective of the cultural freedoms of each other and actively seeking to understand each other,” Rambachan said. He said that distinctive cultural traditions in the Caribbean, Indian, African, Indigenous and European must not be made to feel that their rights to survival and growth are favours bestowed on them.

Eating curry may improve health and extend life – study

While the debate over the superiority of Guyana or Trinidad curry shows no sign of cooling down, a new study shows that merely eating curry – regardless of its culinary merit – may be a hot way to live longer.

The connection between spicing up your diet and promoting longevity was made by researchers who say that blocking the body’s ability to feel pain boosts lifespan – and that eating chilli peppers regularly is one way of switching off pain.

Experiments in mice showed that stopping pain signals from reaching the brain extended their lifespan, with animals that could not make a pain-sensing protein called TRPV1 “exceptionally long-lived.”

In addition to a 14 per cent longer lifespan, the animals were also healthier, developing cancer less often and experiencing less memory loss with age.

The mice also seemed to be able to burn off calories without extra exercise, and their metabolism, including their ability to process sugar, remained youthful late in life with the potential to cut the risk of diabetes, the journal Cell reports.

According to University of California researcher, Professor Andrew Dillin: “We think that blocking this pain receptor and pathway could be very, very useful not only for relieving pain, but for improving lifespan and metabolic health and in particular for treating diabetes and obesity in humans. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Indians in the Caribbean, he said, have never sought to create a Caribbean nation in which the traditions of India become the exclusive and dominant expressions.

“Indian culture has always been radically pluralist in character. From an ancient appreciation of the limitlessness of ultimate reality, the limits of human expression and the diversity of human nature, it has come to see and embrace plurality as a necessary and positive feature of the human condition,” Rambachan added.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Jamaica’s Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Dr Wykeham McNeill is to participate in the 98th Session of the Executive Council (EC) of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), to be held in Spain, from June 4-6. McNeill departed the island on Sunday.

Jamaica, represented by Minister McNeill, has been elected chair of the UNWTO Executive Council for the year 2014-2015. The election took place during the UNWTO’s 20th Session of the General Assembly in August 2013. Jamaica will assume its position as Chairman in September 2014 and will preside over several important meetings, including the next UNWTO General Assembly. It is the first time that an English-

speaking Caribbean country will hold the position of chair.

Delegates from all across the globe are slated to attend the June summit. Among the issues to be addressed at the high-level meeting are ef-

forts aimed at mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda, an assessment of international tourism in 2013 and the outlook for 2014, according to an advisory from the Tourism Ministry. (Jamaica Observer)

High profile Venezuelan prisoner ends hunger strike

An imprisoned former Caracas Police Commissioner at the centre of stalled political talks between Venezuela’s Government and Opposition ended a hunger strike on Sunday after demands for his release due to frail health were rejected.

Ivan Simonovis, 54, was sentenced to 30 years behind bars after being convicted of participating in the assassination of four protesters during a march that triggered a brief coup against the late President Hugo Chávez in 2002.

His hunger strike, launched on Tuesday last, failed to legally advance the cause of his liberation and went against the will of his family. “I don’t want a dead hero, I want a living husband,” his wife Bony Pertinez told local media. She confirmed to Reuters that Simonovis had started eating again.

“I will let honest Venezuelans continue to fight for my freedom,” Simonovis tweeted. Freedom for Simonovis has become a rallying cry for the Opposition, which has ex-

pressed outrage at his imprisonment in a small cell and says his osteoporosis requires urgent medical attention.

The Government has countered that a public prosecutor who recently visited Simonovis found him to be “in good health.” For Government supporters, Simonovis is a dangerous and violent saboteur who played a role in illegally unseating a democratically elected President. He was sentenced in 2009 after lengthy proceedings. Several other officers were convicted. (Excerpt from Reuters)

El Salvador: Salvador Sanchez sworn in as President

Former left-wing rebel leader Salvador Sanchez Ceren has been sworn in as President of El Salvador Sanchez, 69, of the FMLN party, becomes the first former guerrilla to lead the Central American country following his March victory. In his inauguration speech, he promised to fight corruption and violence, and to govern “for everybody”.

El Salvador remains violent and deeply divided despite the end of a civil war in which some 75,000 people died.

Sanchez narrowly defeated the conservative candidate Norman Quijano by 0.2 per cent in a run-off vote on March 9. Speaking at his inauguration ceremony in the capital,

Salvador Sanchez Ceren

San Salvador, he pledged “to serve as President of all Salvadoreans”. He added he would lead “with hon-

esty, austerity, efficacy and transparency” in a country with high levels of corruption.

Last month, a Salvadorean judge issued an arrest warrant for a former President, Francisco Flores, who is accused of using US$10 million (£6.5 million) of public money for personal use. He denies any wrongdoing.

Sanchez also promised that “security, employment and education” would be the priorities of his Government. El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world, a problem largely blamed on gang violence.

As a rebel leader, Sanchez fought US-backed Government forces during the civil conflict in which tens of thousands of people also disappeared. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Criminologist calls for empirical evidence on crime

As Antigua and Barbuda continues to battle crime, a criminologist said the fight against the scourge can be successful if the authorities employ professionals to find out the root cause of rising crime.

Speaking on The Big Issues programme on

Sunday, Dr St Jean said, “We should not leave that to speculation.” The Dominican-born criminologist is adamant that the empirical evidence garnered from the research will be vital in the anticrime struggle.

And he proposed a three-phase solution to

combat crime. He said phase one is to get a good understanding of the causes and consequences of crime. This involves understanding “the extent, the nature, the quality, and quantity of victimisation in Antigua and Barbuda.”

Dr St Jean described phase two as the imple-

mentation stage, which includes “supporting some of the things that are already working… almost re-launch them or to expand them because there are things in Antigua and Barbuda that are working that do not get a lot of attention.” (Excerpt from Antigua Observer )

Jamaica’s Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Dr Wykeham McNeill

Taliban five arrive in Qatar after swap deal

the threat they may pose to the US can be mitigated”

Five Taliban leaders have arrived in Qatar after being freed from Guantanamo Bay in a swap deal for a US soldier held in Afghanistan for nearly five years.

The prisoners were flown by US military C-17 aircraft into the Gulf on Sunday. They were named on Saturday as Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi, Khairullah Khairkhwa, and Abdul Haq Wasiq.

The Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Omar, on Sunday hailed their release as a “big victory”.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation, all the mujahideen and to the families and relatives of the prisoners for this big victory,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

“I thank the Government of Qatar, especially its Emir,

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad [Al Thani], who made sincere efforts for release of these leaders and for their mediation and for hosting them.”

The men were swapped for Bowe Bergdahl, a 28-year-old army sergeant who had been held by the Taliban since June 30, 2009.

The Qatari Foreign Minister, Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, said his country’s role was purely humanitarian.

“When Qatar takes the role of intermediary, it plays this role on a humanitarian basis which is the whole concept of Qatar foreign relations,” he said.

The five Taliban are understood to be limited to living in Qatar for their first year of freedom, a condition that the Afghan Government on Sunday said was against “international law” and called for their immediate release. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Deadly blast targets Nigerian football fans

Abombing in a bar in Nigeria’s north-east has killed at least 14 people and injured another 14 in the second attack targeting football fans in a fortnight.

The blast on Sunday hit the town of Mubi in Adamawa state, one of three in the northeast which has been under a state of emergency for more than a year as Nigeria’s military has tried to crush Boko Haram’s five-year uprising.

Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idriss said residents in Mubi town had told him dozens were

killed in the attack.

“The Police are confirming, so far, 14 people have died in the blast, but locals are telling us at least 40 people may have died in that attack at the moment.”

The bomb exploded around 18:30h (1730 GMT) in Gavan in the Mubi area of Adamawa and reportedly targeted fans who were watching a local club match.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Last week, a botched suicide bombing that was meant

to target an open air viewing of a football match in the central Nigerian city of Jos killed three people.

Adamawa has been hit by far fewer Boko Haram attacks than other parts of the northeast, but the area was the site of a gruesome October 2012 massacre at a post-secondary technical college.

Scores of students were killed in their dorms, including many whose throats were slit. Mubi is just a few kilometres from Nigeria’s border with Cameroon. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Snubs, harsh words at Asia security meet as US and Japan rile China

When Japan’s Defence Minister greeted the Deputy Chief of Staff of China’s army at a regional security forum this weekend, he was undiplomatically snubbed.

Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong said he was incensed by comments from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe implicitly holding China responsible for territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas and later by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel’s accusations

that Beijing was destabilising the region.

“When Mr Abe spoke just now, there was veiled criticism targeted at China,” Wang told Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera, according to the semi-official China News Service. “These accusations are wrong and go against the standards of international relations.”

The exchange between the world’s three biggest economies at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, a security forum for Government of-

Sudan woman on death sentence: Husband “not informed of release”

The husband of a woman sentenced to death in Sudan for abandoning Islam has told the BBC he has not been informed that his wife will be released.

Reports on Saturday said a Sudanese official had confirmed that Meriam Ibrahim, who gave birth in custody, would be freed in a few days.But the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday Ibrahim could only be released after a successful judicial appeal.

Her death sentence has sparked international outrage. Ibrahim was brought up as an Orthodox Christian,

but a judge ruled last month that she should be regarded as Muslim because that had been her father’s faith. She refused to renounce her Christianity and now faces hanging for apostasy.

Abdullahi al-Azreg, an Under-secretary at the Foreign Ministry, told the BBC on Saturday that Ibrahim, 27, would be freed because Sudan guaranteed religious freedom and was committed to protecting her.

Ibrahim’s husband, Daniel Wani said he had only heard media reports about his wife’s release, which he described as rumours.

“No Sudanese or foreign mediator contacted me. Maybe there are contacts between the Sudanese Government and foreign sides that I’m not aware of,” Wani told Mohammad Osman, the BBC’s correspondent in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

“As far as I’m concerned. I will wait for the appeal which my lawyer submitted and I hope that my wife will be released.”

Last Wednesday, Ibrahim gave birth to a daughter in her prison cell - the second child from her marriage in 2011 to Wani, a US citizen. (Excerpt from BBC News)

New state of Telangana is born in southern India

K Chandrasekhar Rao of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which spearheaded the protest for a new state, becomes Chief Minister for Telangana

India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh has formally split in two, with its northern area carved out to create a new state called Telangana. The move followed prolonged protests by residents of Telangana, who felt the region had long been neglected.

ficials, military officers and defence experts, were among the most caustic in years at diplomatic gatherings, and could be a setback to efforts to bring ties back on track.

It was the first such major conference since tensions have surged in the South China Sea, one of Asia’s most intractable disputes and a possible flashpoint for conflict.

Tellingly, despite around 100 bilateral and trilateral meetings taking place over the week, officials from China and Japan did not sit down together.

China’s Wang had rejected an offer of talks with Japan and said: “This will hinge on whether the Japanese side is willing to amend the erroneous policy towards China and improve relations between China and Japan. Japan should correct its mistakes as soon as possible to improve ChinaJapan ties.”

Despite the heated words, analysts do not believe relations have deteriorated beyond reach. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Telangana, which officially came into existence at midnight local time, will become the country’s 29th

state. With a population of 35 million, it comprises 10 former districts of Andhra Pradesh and the city of Hyderabad.

The city, which forms the joint capital of the two states for the next 10 years, was covered with pink balloons, banners and flags on Sunday to mark Telangana’s statehood.

Pink is the colour of the Telangana Rashtra

Samithi party (TRS), which for 14 years spearheaded the movement for separation and will form the new state’s first Government.

Correspondents say the large state of Andhra Pradesh is deeply divided economically, with people in the less-developed Telangana region feeling largely neglected.

The people of the new state say they hope its creation will bring them prosperity.

India’s upper house approved a bill to carve out the new state in February, despite opposition from lawmakers in the Congress Party, which governed Andhra Pradesh.

The then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh state, Kiran Kumar Reddy, resigned after Parliament approved the bill.

Opponents are unhappy that Hyderabad, which is home to many major information technology and pharmaceutical companies, would become a shared state capital for both states. (Excerpt from BBC News)

NATO to discuss reinforcing troops in Poland-German Defence Ministry

NATO Defence Ministers will discuss temporarily reinforcing forces in Poland when they meet in Brussels this week, a spokesman for the German Defence Ministry said on Sunday, a move that would be aimed at reassuring countries nervous about Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.

The spokesman said the 28-member alliance would consider reinforcing its Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin.

In Brussels, NATO Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said NATO Defence Ministers would on

Tuesday review measures the alliance had taken given Russia’s actions towards Ukraine.

She said this could include “enhanced air patrols over the Baltic states, AWACS surveillance planes over Poland and Romania, more exercises, and an enhanced naval presence by NATO allies from the Baltic to the Black Sea.”

“Defence Ministers will also discuss the longerterm implications of the crisis and consider a readiness action plan in preparation for the Wales summit in September,” she added.

In April Poland’s Defence

Minister said Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula made it vital that NATO station significant numbers of troops in eastern Europe and ignore any objections Russia might have.

Russia says deployment of significant NATO forces close to Russia would violate the 1997 Founding Act, an agreement between Moscow and the alliance.

Eastern European states are nervous about Russia after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region and massed 40,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders. (Excerpt from Reuters)

A White House official said the US Administration would not have transferred prisoners from Guantanamo “unless

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel (left) talks with Japan’s Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera as they wait for South Korea’s Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin to arrive to begin their meeting in Singapore on Saturday

monday, june 2, 2014 |

Put working people first, support AML/CFT Bill – Duncan urges

rade Unionist Carvil

TDuncan said he is disappointed over the non-passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill, and decried the use of the legislation as a means of gaining political leverage.

He is calling on the members of the combined Opposition to put Guyana’s working people’s interest at the forefront, and support the passage of the Bill.

Guyana has again been sanctioned by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), which has referred it for review by its

parent body, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Duncan said the Opposition needs to realise that the Bill is not for any particular party, as it involves Guyana and all Guyanese.

“So any filibustering by the politicians will only hurt Guyanese, and to be more specific, the working people. I have been following the developments, and I must say that I am disappointed because you cannot use this Bill as a means of gaining political leverage, it ought to be used in the context of whether the Bill is good for Guyana or bad.”

Duncan said he has spoken to a wide crosssection of people and all have reached the consen -

Trade Unionist Carvil Duncan

sus that the Bill is meant for the good of Guyana, its people and its image.

According to Duncan, the demands being made by the Opposition is return

Soesdyke man killed in hit-and-run accident

Ahandyman was found dead on Sunday morning along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway in the vicinity of Young Achievers Academy, suspected to have been the victim of a hit-and-run accident.

Bridgelall Jhaman, 38, of Lot 84 Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara was discovered on the parapet along the highway about 08:00h with injuries to his head and upper body.

The driver of a motor vehicle later turned himself in to Police in connection with the accident, and is in custody assisting with the investigation.

“Tash”, as Jhaman was commonly called, was last seen at a wedding house at First Hill Soesdyke/Linden Highway and might have been under the influence of alcohol when he met his demise.

According to informa-

tion received, the man who did odd jobs for people in the community might have been struck down in the wee hours of Sunday.

Dolly Jhaman, a relative of the dead man, told Guyana Times that one of her aunts left the wedding house after 05:00h and had to pass the same area where the man’s body was found, but did not notice his body which causes relatives to believe that he was struck down afterwards. The man was found lying face down.

Swerved

The woman said the driver met with her relatives and related that he was on his way down from the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway when he came into contact with the man after swerving from a pool of water, the result of a blocked drain in the area. The driver, she noted, has offered his assistance to the family.

Guyana Times under-

stands that due to the blocked drain, water would normally pool on the public road which makes it very risky for drivers traversing the area at the night.

Michael Jhaman, the elder brother of the dead man, reportedly told the family that “Tash” was with him at the wedding house, but disappeared after collecting the shirt he was wearing. He said that when he was ready to leave, he looked for his brother but he was nowhere to be found.

He said he received the news of his brother’s death, moments after his body was discovered. The deceased was clad in a pair of denim jeans and black shirt. He leaves to mourn his mother and five siblings.

His body was taken to the Lyken Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortem examination today. Police are continuing their investigation.

for their support to the Bill are absurd since the President has given his commitment towards dealing with the demands.

“I’m saying that the two are separate, and I very seldom agree with the President, but on this occasion, I agree with him in that we must look at the thing as separate issues.”

Impact being felt

Speaking on the negative impact the non-passage of this Bill will have, Duncan said the private sector has already started to feel the impact and with complete blacklisting, the impact will be more severe.

“They have started hemorrhaging already because it will take them longer to

get business transactions to go through for them to pay for goods and services, and as a consequence their profit margin will reduce.” Compounding that, Duncan said citizens who rely on remittances will also be severely affected.

“There are some workers in this country, based on arrangement, they have with family overseas, they may be conducting business here, and may have to remit money here if it is for some reason that money is delayed they will have to pay interest for the non-payment and they will have to pay more for the transfer. In the final analysis, Guyanese workers will suffer.”

Speaking directly to

APNU Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge, Duncan called on him to do what is right for the further development of this nation and its people.

“This is serious and I would say to Mr Greenidge that if he was Finance Minister, he would have wanted the Bill to be passed, so he can put his differences aside and have the Bill passed in the interest of the working people.”

In spite of regional, international and local voices, the Opposition stubbornly refuses to support the passage of a CFATF compliant Bill. In so doing, they have now put in danger the country’s financial system.

Guyanese con woman jailed for 10 years in UK

AGuyanese woman who posed as a witchdoctor to con a string of affluent victims out of almost £1 million has been jailed for 10 years after a Judge described her scam as the “worst case of confidence fraud” he had ever heard of.

Juliette D’Souza masqueraded as a shaman for more than 12 years, convincing 11 of her middle class “clients” to hand over thousands of pounds to solve issues such as curing terminal illnesses or problems conceiving a baby.

The 59-year-old, from Hampstead, an upmarket part of north London, told her victims the money was a “sacrifice” which would be used as a spiritual offering and hung off a sacred tree in the Amazonian rainforest.

Two other shamans in South America would perform rituals around the mon-

ey before it was sent back and their problems would be resolved, she claimed. But in fact, she used the proceeds to fund an extravagant lifestyle including splashing out on £3000 designer hand-

bags, holidays and a property portfolio. She told victims she was an orphan born on a plane with the amniotic sac over her face – a lucky symbol, but was in fact born Maryan Persaud in Guyana. Far from having a university education, she was a former cleaner, receptionist and temp. Her trial at Blackfriars Crown Court in London heard wild claims, including that Princess Diana was on her client-list and how she warned the late Princess of Wales that she “would never see her sons again after she went to Paris”.

Jurors heard the fake witchdoctor also boasted about treating Prince Andrew and Robert Redford, the actor, and to have cured Monty Python star John Cleese’s daughter of cancer.

continues on page 17

Guyana still awaiting report from TT

– almost two months after Guyanese died tragically there

Almost two months after a Guyanese tourist died after he was reportedly refused medical attention from a Trinidad hospital, the Trinidadian authorities are yet to provide Guyana with a report on an investigation that was conducted into the allegations.

Jeetindra Sookram, 35, died earlier this year while he was being transported to another medical facility after he was allegedly denied treatment at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Trinidad, because he was not a Trinidad national.

According to Foreign

Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, her Trinidadian counterpart had promised to probe the matter and have a report presented to her; however, she has not received any such document to date.

However, she pointed out that she did not miss what she called “off the cuff” comments made by the Trinidad Health Minister on the issue that medical insurance is needed upon entry into the country.

Rodrigues-Birkett noted that she had raised the issue with Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque since it is counter to the Caricom Single Market and

Economy movement.

“The issue there was emergency care and all of our countries subscribed that we would provide emergency care whether or not this is a skilled national… what took place was not congruent with what we had agreed as a region,” the Minister stated.

The Foreign Affairs Minister pointed out that if it were a foreign national seeking medical attention in Guyana, a situation like what occurred in Trinadad would not have happened. She even opinioned that the person would have probably been treated before Guyanese.

Sookram and his wife, Vidya Baichu, were on a twoweek holiday in Trinidad in April when the man took ill and began complaining about chest pain. Officials at the EWMSC said Sookram did undergo an electrocardiogram (ECG), which showed he had a heart attack; however, when the nurses went looking for him to administer treatment, he was nowhere to be found.

“Pink form” North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) Chairman, Dr Shehenaz Mohammed was reported to have said that the issue occurred out of confusion over

“the pink form”, a financial obligation statement to be signed on accessing emergency care.

The woman had refuted reports that she was given documents to sign.

“The things that the Minister is saying about me, it is not so. They didn’t give me anything to fill out. The Health Minister just take one side of the story. He just listened to the hospital to hear their side. I did not get any ‘pink form’ or anything to sign,” Baichu told the Trinidad Guardian.

Baichu had initially told the Trinidadian Guardian that when she took her husband to the hospital,

“…I went in with him and they took him straight to the place where they took blood and did tests. When I went to register him now, they asked for ID and I gave them his passport. They told me he is not a Trinidadian resident and so all the services we would have to pay for it…. We asked them how much was the cost, they said they were not able to say, but whatever service they do we would have to pay for it.”

This issue comes as the Caribbean Community is making headway in its free movement policy under the Caricom Single Market and Economy initiative.

Juliette D’Souza

Kwayana remains firm on equality of races

... sees parallel in the way PNC, PPP treat Police brutality

BY ALEXIS RODNEY

Political activist and Co-Founder of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Eusi Kwayana said his staunch opposition against human rights abuses and the need for equality of races under the People’s National Congress (PNC) Administration remain the same today.

Kwayana said too that there is in fact some parallel in attitude between the governments of the 1970s and 80s and the current Government, as it relates to effective investigation and justice.

He made the comment while being cross-examined by PNC Legal Counsel Basil Williams and Counsel representing the Rodney’s family, Andrew Pilgrim on Friday, at the Walter Rodney Inquiry, being held at the Supreme Court building, Georgetown.

Earlier in his testimony to the Commission investigating the death of Historian, Dr Rodney, Kwayana had related that several persons under the PNC regime of the late 70s and 80s were killed, with little or nothing coming out of these deaths. He mentioned Father Bernarde Darke, Editor of the Catholic Standard Newspaper who was savagely murdered

WPA Co-Founder Eusi Kwayana

in 1979. He spoke too of Education Minister Vincent Teeka who was killed in October of 1979.

Alleged order

According to his book

“The Assassination of Dr Walter Rodney”, Kwayana noted that the Guyana Police Force was ordered to discontinue its investigation into the murder. He spoke too of a teenager, Keith Caesar, who was shot by Police while crawling out of a manhole.

“His death apparently was not wholesome enough to warrant an investigation by the State through the Police.”

When asked if the situ-

ation is the same now, but by far, with greater numbers, Kwayana said: “I was dealing with the principles from my observation that these killings were roughly treated the same way in both regimes. What I am dealing with is the attitude when people get killed. I am trying to show that there is no inquest. Williams submitted that it is no different now, and Kwayana responded: “I will not dispute that.”

The former WPA Leader spoke of Ohene Koama who was killed on the anniversary of Jonestown on November18, 1979. He said the Police had claimed that they were shooting in

2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season commences

The 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season began on Sunday with a warning that the there is no way of knowing what the true impact of the season will be.

Dennis Feltgen of the National Hurricane Centre in Miami says notwithstanding predictions of a “slow” season, “It only takes one storm hitting your area for it to make it a bad year, regardless of the number of storms that are forecast in the seasonal outlook.”

He cited, as an example, the year 1992, for which there were only seven named storms, but one of which was Category 5 Hurricane Andrew, which caused more than US$25 billion in damage in Florida.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast eight to 13 named storms and three to six hurricanes. One or

two of these could strengthen into a major storm, in what the US-based agency is predicting to be near-normal or below-normal season.

In Jamaica, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will host a press conference on Monday to provide details on its public education campaign for the month of June, which is observed annually as Disaster Preparedness Month, coinciding with the start of the Hurricane Season.

Jamaica has seen an increase in the number of hurricanes affecting the island in recent decades, stretching back to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Gilbert in September 1988.

The Hurricane Season continues through to November 30.

self-defence. According to Kwayana, the Police stated that Koama had pointed a gun at them and they retaliated by shooting him. But according to Kwayana, there was no way the WPA member could have pointed a gun at them, since, according to the evidence given by the Police, “the weapon” that Koama allegedly used to “point at them”, would have taken a while to be assembled, and then to be pointed to them. More than that, Kwayana noted, the weapon that was presented in court as that belonging to Koama could not, by any way possible, fit in his “small car”.

Shaka Blair

“When you looked at the rifles in court, because those rifles were in court, it was a question whether they could hold in the trunk of that car. There was an inquest, but it was never completed, although the Coroner declared no one criminally responsible. In my way of speaking, I see that also as a denial of a right to life, because when I tried to find out how the Government tries to secure the right to life, we have inquests and investigations and neither of these took place in any of the cases,” he said.

Under the current administration, Kwayana

mentioned the killing of Buxtonian, Shaka Blair, who was gunned down at his home by members of the now disbanded Target Special Squad in 2002. Blair’s killing had set off the violence that would later erupt in that East Coast Demerara community.

Kwayana further noted that fealty being paid to any President is against the Constitution. He had related that leaders of the security forces under the Burnham regime were frequent in their visits to Congress Place to pay allegiance to the Head of State himself. But Williams on Friday, informed that fealty to the President did not just happen under the Burnham regime, but also under the current administration. Kwayana said he

could not contend since he is not currently living in the country. However, if it continues, then he remains unyielding in his position that it should not be happening.

“It is something I strongly disapprove of and expressed it at the time”. Citing his reasons, Kwayana said the Defence Act said the oath of office must be taken to the State and not the President. He said there is “no oath of loyalty to the President in the law”.

He noted too, that his position on the equality of races remains the same. He had earlier in his evidence pointed out that his passion on this issue had caused him to be ousted from the two main political parties.

He said he had an innate interest in multi-ethnicity and was driven by his hope of seeing it becoming a reality. However, both the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the PNC surmised that he was racist and had him thrown out of the respective parties.

He said too that his position on Police harassment and brutality, which had a free pass under the Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham regime, is the same and had registered his condemnation of the act by those responsible for the safety of citizens.

Guyanese con woman jailed...

from page 16

She also told clients her sister was a Personnel Assistant to Prime Minister David Cameron.

Jailing D’Souza, Judge Ian Karsten QC said she had cast a “spell” over her victims and persuaded them to hand over the money or they would face “terrifying” consequences.

He told the court: “It is the worst case of confidence fraud I have ever had to deal with or indeed that I have ever heard of.

“The most serious aspect of this case is that you wrecked the lives of a number of your victims and you have done it out of pure greed.” He said an aggravating feature was that she spent the money on “high living” in the UK and abroad, which included owning expensive cars, jewellery and antique furniture, and even keeping a pet monkey called Joey, which she kept in a cage at one of her Hampstead flats.

D’Souza persuaded people to part with sums of £30,000 or £40,000 at a time, telling them she had supernatural powers, before the cash was flown to Suriname to be hung from a magical tree. During her trial, the court heard how one woman was persuaded to have an abortion by D’Souza after she paid her £170,000 to help her get pregnant. The con woman told the victim, who cannot be named, that she should abort the child because it would be born seriously deformed.

Another victim was the mother of a 10 -year-old boy with Down’s Syndrome who was tricked out of £42,000 when D’Souza claimed she could cure his behavioural problems. Ruth Fillingham paid

£169,000 from 1998 to 2004 to ward off the evil spirit of her deceased brother, save her partner from a non-existent tumour and ensure her eye surgery would be a success – which was not.

Her boyfriend, Geoff Wheeler, handed over £195,000 in the same period, the court heard. Much of the money was supposed to secure his job, but he was still made redundant. The court also heard Sylvia Eaves, an 83-year-old former opera singer, hoping to help her terminally ill sister and a friend suffering from cancer, handed over more than £350,000.

Outside court, Eaves, who was commended for her ability to put a “brave face” on events by the Judge, said she would be “a bit more careful” in future.

“I agree with it [the sentence] because she won’t be doing it to anyone else but I just feel terribly sad that somebody so clever should resort to that,” she said. “I just feel terribly let down that she could behave like that but she couldn’t help it, obviously.”

She said she lost “a lot of money” to D’Souza and joked otherwise she would be spending her retirement taking her friends to the Ritz. Her friend, Guy Oldman, who Eaves had known for 50 years, also became a victim, after she convinced him to pay D’Souza £57,000 to release nearly half a million pounds “held” by the taxman. But instead of taking it to South America, she went to Bond Street on shopping sprees, spending thousands on Hermes and Louis Vuitton handbags and Cartier

jewellery.

The elaborate hoax lasted for more than a decade, resulting in one of her clients losing her home and another left on the brink of suicide. Outside court, Keith Bender, an osteopath and former friend who referred many of his clients to D’Souza, appeared in tears after the judgement was read.

“I am just absolutely shattered,” he said, “I am tired and not in a good state. I mean I am happy but it’s been such a long time -- it brings it all back to you.” D’Souza was convicted of 23 counts of obtaining property by deception and fraud, relating to victims she targeted between January 1998 and June 2010. Judge took just an hour to convict D’Souza, who had previous convictions for dishonesty and deception, after a four-week trial.

The total amount she defrauded in relation to the charges on the indictment was £908,400, but on the evidence given by victims. the final sum was closer to £1 million. Karsten added: “You were telling people that you were a shaman, that is to say a spiritual healer in touch with the spiritual world. You told your victims that you had contacts with other shamans... and persuaded them that these were powerful figures who could exercise their power to solve the problems which they were concerned about. In each case you promised them that you would be able to resolve the problems by using your powers of communication with two shamans in Suriname, provided they paid a sacrifice.” (UK Telegraph)

PNC Legal Counsel Basil Williams

SUDOKU

By Bernice Bede Osol

Prepare to jettison your affinity for old means and methods. It’s time to update the way you think and become more in step with the times. A successful new beginning looks promising. Do what’s necessary to reach your goals. Trying to keep up with a friend, peer or neighbour will result in dissatisfaction and missed opportunities. Embrace change instead of rejecting the inevitable.

You’ll be tempted to stretch the truth. If you exaggerate about your qualifications, you will face consequences. Stick to the facts and don’t make promises you cannot honour.

(June 21July 22) (Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

(July 23Aug. 22)

Your sensitivity and compassion for the underdog will add to your popularity. If you give all you can, you will gain respect and personal satisfaction. Participate instead of being a spectator.

20-March 20)

Close the door on the past. Previous setbacks helped pave the way to where you are now. Dust yourself off and move forward with pride and a positive attitude.

21-April 19)

Take time to rest and relax. You may not have as many allies as you think. Be willing to compromise if it will help you avoid a sticky situation.

(April 20-May 20)

A question that has been plaguing you can finally be resolved. Becoming preoccupied with minor issues will prevent you from seeing the big picture and recognising an interesting prospect.

(May 21June 20)

Unexpected changes may cause uncertainty, making you feel uneasy. Think positively, and the end result will be beneficial. Put your needs first and refuse to let anyone deter you.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

You will have questions about the domestic situations you face. Be observant, and if any issue is unclear, make it your business to ferret out the information you require.

23Oct. 23)

Getting involved in community events will raise your profile. You will also make influential business connections if you are prepared to take a position of leadership. Speak up.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Helping others is a nice gesture, but now it’s time to further your own position. Concentrate on your goals and the preparation necessary to ensure your success.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

You will be the victor today. Put your best foot forward. Your confidence and ability will help you excel, and will impress onlookers who can contribute to your game plan.

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

arCHie

dilbert

Pandey guns KKR to second title

In a high-intensity final played in flawless spirit between two teams full of top-billed cricketers, the five headlining performances came from Indian players without international Twenty20 experience. Four of those efforts were for Kings XI Punjab, in search of their maiden IPL title in seven seasons, but the defining one was played by Manish Pandey and he ensured Kolkata Knight Riders' victorious run of eight matches leading into the final culminated in their second championship.

Pandey's 94 off 50 balls, an innings fuelled by an urgency that did not abate, pulled off the highest successful chase in any Twenty20 final. He lit up the Chinnaswamy Stadium, as Kings XI legspinner Karanveer Singh picked off three of his team-mates, and as left-arm spinner Akshar Patel displayed outstanding composure to concede 5.25 an over, while most bowlers on both sides bled at more than 10. Pandey's gutsy salvo came in response to Wriddhiman Saha scoring the first hundred in an IPL final, and Manan Vohra compiling a half-century, to lead Kings XI to 199. Knight Riders were left needing to achieve their highest score of the season; they did it with three balls to spare.

Pandey, however, did not see the chase through. He was Karanveer's fourth wicket and when he walked off the field, raising his bat to acknowledge cheers at a venue he calls home in the Ranji Trophy, Knight Riders needed 21 off 18 balls. Through

singles the equation came down to 11 off seven, and Mitchell Johnson, who had bowled a succession of yorkers in his final over, signed off with a half-tracker.

Piyush Chawla hooked it for six. Kings XI captain George Bailey was out of options and had to give the final over to Parwinder Awana, who had conceded 38 in three previous overs. His third ball was a full toss outside off stump, and Chawla carved it to the backward-point boundary, triggering off a Knight Rider pitch invasion.

At no stage during the chase of a daunting target did Knight Riders fall far behind the asking rate, which was 10 per over at the

start. Pandey watched Robin Uthappa drive the first ball of the innings to the extra-cover boundary and then perish off the fourth, and when he took strike for the next delivery, Pandey whipped a short of a length offering from Johnson through midwicket with perfect timing. Knight Riders took 10 off the first over and Pandey said later, after the game, that he had realised then how to go about the challenge.

Knight Riders did not hit a six during the Powerplay, and yet they scored 59. Pandey and Gautam Gambhir placed several drives through the infield but the highlight of their 53-run stand was the run-

ning between the wickets, which allowed Kings XI only eight dot balls in the first six overs - the fewest of the season. Gambhir then holed out to Karanveer's first ball off the seventh over; Pandey responded to that setback by driving the next over cover for the innings' first six.

With Yusuf Pathan at the crease, the sixes began to flow. He carved Karanveer over extra cover and longoff off consecutive deliveries, and punished a long-hop and a full toss from L Balaji over the leg-side boundary. In between those sixes, Pandey tore into Awana's shoddy lengths, pulling repeatedly to help take 18 off the 11th over. Patel began to bowl during this acceleration and dried up one end, conceding only five runs in his first two overs.

After adding 71 in 43 balls for the third wicket, Yusuf skied Karanveer to Maxwell at long-on. Pandey countered by clouting the next ball over the same fielder's head. When Ryan ten Doeschate also holed out to long-on, leaving Knight Riders with 32 to get off 21, Pandey once again smashed the next ball for six in that same direction. Only after he fell did the chase get nervy for Knight Riders, but Chawla held it together to thwart a spirited Kings XI campaign.

Unlike the Knight Riders' chase, which motored along at a nearly constant pace, the Kings XI innings was a story of two unbelievably different halves. The first half was a blur of flailing arms and aimless bats as the Knight Riders bowlers - fast

WICB has assumed arrogance...

The press release indicated that at 18.54hrs, the Minister received an e-mail from Mr. Cameron, indicating that the response was “unacceptable” and that the response which he requires” must be done under the Seal of the President”. The email then reportedly informed that the WICB would proceed with its decision to move the match from Guyana.

“It is hoped, that the arrogance and contempt assumed by the WICB, as it purports to give directions to a sovereign Government of a CARICOM member state, is noted. That aside, the statement issued by the WICB was clearly structured to convey a very jaundiced impression of their exchang-

es with the Government on this matter,” the Government release stated.

The WICB had said in its statement that it has serious reservations that the Cricket Administration Bill, which was passed in the Guyana National Assembly, thrusts the administration of cricket in Guyana from an independent body to the Government of Guyana. This, the WICB views, as undesirable and inconsistent with International Cricket Council (ICC) tenets, said the statement.

But, according to Government, it does not discount that the West Indies Cricket Board may be looking for a scapegoat in this matter,

since their agents in Guyana were restrained by a Court Order from acting or holding themselves out as officers of the Guyana Cricket Board and as agents of the WICB. “The net result being that WICB has no agents in Guyana to act on their behalf in relation to hosting of the Third Test between West Indies and New Zealand. One cannot help but wonder, whose interests the WICB really represent, is it that of cricket or some unknown vested agenda.”

Government said the Bill, which was found so offensive, seeks to bring transparency, accountability, and good governance to the administration of cricket in Guyana and to address the pleth-

From page 24

and spin - exerted control. Sehwag failed against the extra pace of Umesh Yadav and George Bailey's promotion to No.3 lasted two balls. After six overs, Kings XI had made 32, their lowest Powerplay score of the season. They were only 58 after ten.

Just when it seemed Kings XI had blundered by holding Glenn Maxwell and David Miller back to Nos. 5 and 6, Saha and Vohra orchestrated a jaw-dropping turnaround in tempo. Saha hit 35 runs off the 18 balls he faced from Narine - mostly on the leg side - and took 32 off 13 balls from Chawla. Morkel suffered too, as Vohra's one-handed carve carried over the third-man boundary and Saha hooked

for six to take 20 runs off the 15th over. Vohra got to his 50 off 42 balls; Saha needed only 29 and did not let up. They added 129 in 12 overs. By the time Saha lofted Narine to long-on, where the boundary rider parried the ball for six, to bring up his century off 49 balls, the clamour of wanting to see Maxwell and Miller had long died down. Kings XI's previous best in three innings against Knight Riders this season had been 149. They got to 199 tonight, despite their three overseas guns and Sehwag contributing only nine runs. In their last ten overs, Kings XI had scored 141 runs. Those first ten overs cost them in the end. (ESPN Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Punjab T20 innings (20 overs maximum)

V Sehwag c Gambhir b UT Yadav 7

M Vohra c & b Chawla 67

GJ Bailey* b Narine 1

WP Saha† not out 115

GJ Maxwell c Morkel b Chawla 0

DA Miller not out 1

Extras: (lb 4, w 3, nb 1) 8

Total: (4 wickets; 20 overs) 199

Did not bat: AR Patel, MG Johnson, L Balaji, Karanveer Singh, P Awana

Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Sehwag, 3.4 ov), 2-30 (Bailey, 5.1 ov), 3-159 (Vohra, 17.1 ov), 4-170 (Maxwell, 17.6 ov)

Bowling: M Morkel 4-0-40-0, UT Yadav 4-0-39-1, SP Narine

4-0-46-1, Shakib Al Hasan 4-026-0, PP Chawla 4-0-44-2

Kolkata T20 innings (target: 200 runs from 20 overs)

RV Uthappa† c Patel b Johnson 5 G Gambhir* c Miller b Karanveer

ora of allegations of rigged and fraudulent elections, financial irregularities and lack of accountability in respect of cricket administration, inter alia, because of the absence of legal personification in its structure. “This Bill does not, in any way whatsoever, allow or permit, directly or indirectly, Government’s involvement in the administration of cricket in Guyana, save and except a singular instance, where the Minister is ascribed a function when the Act comes into operation. After that initiating act, the Minister’s role disappears.”

The press release stated that Government, therefore, rejects all or any contention or insinuation

Singh 23

MK Pandey c Bailey b Karanveer

Singh 94 YK Pathan c Maxwell b Karanveer Singh 36 Shakib Al Hasan run out (Bailey) 12 RN ten Doeschate c Miller b Karanveer Singh 4 SA Yadav c Vohra b Johnson 5 PP Chawla not out 13 SP Narine not out 2 Extras: (w 6) 6 Total: (7 wickets; 19.3 overs)200 Did not bat: M Morkel, UT Yadav Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Uthappa, 0.4 ov), 2-59 (Gambhir, 6.1 ov), 3-130 (Pathan, 13.3 ov), 4-156 (Shakib Al Hasan, 15.3 ov), 5-168 (ten Doeschate, 16.3 ov), 6-179 (Pandey, 16.6 ov), 7-187 (SA Yadav, 18.2 ov) Bowling: MG Johnson 4-0-412, L Balaji 4-0-41-0 P Awana 3.3-0-43-0, Karanveer Singh 4-0-54-4, AR Patel 4-0-21-0

that the Cricket Administration Bill presents an opportunity for Governmental intrusion into the administration of cricket in Guyana. “It is recognized that these charges are emanating from a particular grouping and their sponsors who perceive this Bill as an end to their dominance over administration of cricket, and who many feel, are the architects of the chaos which the Bill is designed to arrest.”

Meanwhile, the new venue of the Third Test between West Indies and New Zealand will be announced today (June 2). The dates of the Test – June 26 to 30 – remain.

Manish Pandey slammed 94 off 50 to lead Knight Riders to their second IPL title in three years (BCCI)

Federer hits 10-year low, Djokovic eases through

Roger Federer suffered his earliest defeat at the French Open for a decade on Sunday when he lost to Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the fourth round but Novak Djokovic made light work of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the quarterfinals in a flash.

The Swiss fourth seed, who won the title in 2009, seemed to have the match in his grasp against the unpredictable Gulbis but faded badly to lose 6-7(5) 7-6(3) 6-2 4-6 6-3.

World No.2 Djokovic destroyed local favorite Tsonga 6-1 6-4 6-1 to set up a meeting with eighth seed Milos Raonic of Canada, who advanced with an emphatic 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory over Spain's Marcel Granollers.

Last year's runner-up Maria Sharapova, the seventh seed, survived a shaky start to beat Australian Sam Stosur 3-6 6-4 6-0, winning the last nine games to set up a quarter-final against Spanish sensation Garbine Muguruza, who rounded off a bad day for the host nation with a 6-4 6-2 win against France's Pauline Parmentier.

Another fast-rising talent, Canadian Eugenie Bouchard thrashed German eighth seed Angelique Kerber 6-1 6-2 to claim a quarter-final spot, crunching 30 winners in 52 dazzling minutes to stretch her winning run on clay to nine matches.

Andy Murray lived to fight another day after a five-set thriller against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round.

While Djokovic made it to his 20th consecutive grand slam quarter-final, it was the first time since 2004 that 32-year-old father of four Federer failed to reach the last eight in Paris. He has now fallen before that stage in three of his last four grand slam tournaments.

"Mentally I have already switched to the grass, to be quite honest," said Federer. "For me, it's like, okay, claycourt season was fun, but we are moving on. Clay doesn't

Maria Sharapov

need me anymore, I got flushed out here."

Former world No.1 Federer, who became father to a second set of twins recently, looked a slightly forlorn figure as Gulbis turned around the match and the days when he was a near certainty to reach semi-finals appear to be over.

The 17-times grand slam champion was beaten in the second round at Wimbledon last year and the last 16 at the U.S. Open although he did enjoy a semi-final run in Australia.

On yet another gloomy day in Paris after some welcome sunshine on Saturday, Federer never looked comfortable against Gulbis, who said earlier this week he was hoping to catch the "last-chance train" after under-achieving since reaching the quarter-finals of the Frecnh Open in 2008.

"It is the biggest win of my career. I had to win, I know how all of you love Roger but that's sport," world No.17 Gulbis said on the court as the stunned fans looked on.

"I won tournaments in Marseille and Nice so hopefully Paris is the next one. I win, I win over some fans," he added, looking ahead to his next match against sixth seeded Czech Tomas Berdych who ended U.S. interest in the men's singles with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 trouncing of towering John Isner.

Federer, who squandered two set points for a two-set lead, left court Philippe Chatrier head bowed after allowing Gulbis to come back and dominate with some relentless attacking tennis.

At 5-2 in the fourth set Gulbis took a medical timeout and he came back with all guns blazing to break Federer's serve immediately, on the way to winning 10 of the next 11 points against a visibly rattled opponent.

Federer still managed to take the set but he was never the same again and Gulbis controlled his own suspect temperament to claim victory when a Federer backhand went wide.

Moto GP Italy: Marc Marquez claims sixth successive win

The French crowd were hoping that 13th seed Tsonga would cheer them up, but Djokovic had other ideas.

It took him 89 minutes to tear Tsonga apart, opening a 5-0 lead and never looking back, ending the ordeal on the first match point.

Seventh seed Murray reached the fourth round, winning 3-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 12-10 against Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber having re-started the match on Sunday locked at 7-7 in the fifth after bad light stopped play the previous evening.

He will play Spain's Fernando Verdasco next after he also returned to finish off Frenchman Richard Gasquet with ease.

With so many top seeds gone from the women's draw, 20-year-old Bouchard is now looking like a serious title contender, but so is crowd favorite Sharapova, who once again showed her resilience on court Suzanne Lenglen.

The 18th seeded Bouchard, who reached the Australian Open semi-final this year, completely outclassed Kerber and after her first WTA title last week in Nuremberg she is flying high.

"I feel like since the beginning of the year I have been improving my game, since Australia I'm at a different level from there," Bouchard said.

"I have confidence in myself. I can play like this and play even better."

She will face 14th seed Carla Suarez Navarro after the Spaniard used her onehanded backhand to great effect to end the run of upand-coming Croatian Ajla Tomljanovic with a 6-3 6-3 win.

Sharapova was outfought by Stosur in the first set but the Russian began to build a remorseless momentum to grind down Stosur with her accuracy from the baseline.

Sharapova broke for a 5-4 lead to take the second set and raced to a 3-0 lead in the third after winning 17 of 20 points. Stosur never recovered.

Defending champion Marc Marquez saw off the challenge of Jorge Lorenzo to claim a sixth successive win of the MotoGP season at the Italian Grand Prix.

Spaniard Marquez started on pole but exchanged first place several times with Lorenzo before finally edging his compatriots by 0.121s on the final lap.

The 21-year-old now leads the world champi-

onship by 53 points from Italian Valentino Rossi, who finished third.

Britain's Bradley Smith and Cal Crutchlow did not complete the race.

Smith, 23, crashed out on lap four, before Crutchlow, 28, collided with Germany's Stefan Bradl, with neither rider injured.

Six-time world champion Rossi was cheered on by home support in the 300th Grand Prix of his career as he fought back from 10th on

the starting grid.

The 35-year-old moved into second place in the championship standings ahead of Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, who finished fourth.

However, Marquez maintained his 100 per cent start to the season after previously winning in Qatar, the Americas, Argentina, Spain and France. He becomes the first rider since Rossi in 2002 to win six successive races.

Pele's son sentenced to 33 years in prison

The son of former Brazil striker Pele has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for laundering money earned from drug trafficking, Brazilian media reported.

Edinho, who played as a goalkeeper for his father's former club Santos, served a jail sentence for drug trafficking between 2005 and 2006. At the time, he admitted to being a drug addict but denied trafficking charg-

es. He was found guilty of money-laundering on Friday by a judge in the beachside city of Praia Grande. Four other men accused of being part of the same gang received similar sentences.

Edinho, whose real name is Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, is expected to appeal against the judge's decision but must hand over his passport to the authorities. He may be pre-

ventively arrested while a higher court considers his appeal.

Edinho, 43, currently works as a goalkeeping coach for Santos. His lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

Pele, widely regarded as the best footballer of all time, helped Brazil win the World Cup three times.

Brazil is hosting this year's World Cup from June 12-July 13. (Reuters)

World Cup 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo misses Portugal match

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo watched from the sidelines as Portugal were held to a 0-0 draw by Greece in a World Cup warm-up match in Lisbon.

The Real Madrid forward, 29, was left out of the team on Saturday as he recovers from a thigh injury.

Ronaldo's Real teammate Pepe also sat out the friendly, as did Fenerbahce midfielder Raul Meireles.

Eder and Ricardo Costa had the hosts' best chances but both were foiled

by

"In the first half we clearly deserved to be ahead and, apart from the last few minutes when we were worn out, we always had control of the game," said Portugal coach Paulo Bento.

"We have to be prepared and we have to be able to play without players who are our first choices."

Germany,

and Ghana in their World Cup group, while Greece meet Colombia, Ivory Coast and Japan. (BBC Sport)

Greece keeper Orestis Karnezis.

Portugal face

United States

Cristiano Ronaldo

(BBC Sport)

Roger Federer

Marc Marquez continued his dominance of the MotoGP World Championship with victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, his sixth successive win

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Skipper ramdin wants bigger effort from batsmen

Newly appointed West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin has expressed concern over his side’s batting, and wants to see a bigger effort in that department before the first Test against New Zealand which bowls off in eight days.

The Windies batsmen generally struggled in a threeday match against a Barbados Select XI which ended on Wednesday.

Darren Bravo got 124 and Kirk Edwards, 50, in the first innings of the fixture at 3Ws Oval but no other batsman got a half-century.

“All the guys are putting in the work that is required leading up to the first Test match. We had the threeday practice match… our batters didn’t get their time out in the middle that they would have liked.

The bowlers had a good outing, they bowled out the opposition quite cheaply,” Ramdin said here. “In the second innings (our batsmen) had poor selection of shots.

I would like to see the guys settle down and bat a bit longer. In the build-up to the first Test… we would like the guys to put in the extra work.

“We have a two-day practice match and hopefully they can put in that work and try and bat some time in the middle as we get prepared for the first Test in Jamaica, which is a very crucial first match.”

Of concern will be strokemaker Marlon Samuels who gathered scores of nine and four, and left-handed opener Kieran Powell who got nine

and 22. Samuels struggled this year in the Twenty20 World Cup and in the limited overs series against England. He also looked out of touch against New Zealand last year, managing just 117 runs from six innings and in the previous two-Test series against India, scoring a mere 99 runs from four innings.

Injury doubts remain over talismanic opener Chris Gayle who was to seek advice from a specialist in Germany last week over a persistent back problem that hampered his form in the Indian Premier League. Ramdin said there were some bright spots, however, pointing to the fit-again fast bowling pair of Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach,

and the return of off-spinner Shane Shillingford and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.

“All these guys are very excited. They want to do well. I believe once they get the opportunity they will (do well) and put the team first,” Ramdin said. The wicketkeeper batsman is leading the regional side in his first-ever series as skipper, after taking over from Windward Islands allrounder Darren Sammy earlier this month.

West Indies take on New Zealand in the first Test in Jamaica starting June 8, before following up with matches in Port of Spain from June 16-20 and in Georgetown from June 2630. (CMC)

US golfer Mickelson denies insider trading wrongdoing

US golfer Phil Mickelson has denied any wrongdoing after the FBI launched an insider trading investigation.

The golfer, one of the US's richest and most-admired sportsmen, said he was co-operating with the government inquiry.

Mr Mickelson, investor Carl Icahn and William Walters, a high-profile gambler, are being investigated for possible illegal share sales, using information given by Mr Icahn.

Mr Icahn has also denied doing anything wrong. Mr Walters has yet to comment.

A source familiar with the investigation, quoted by the Reuters news agency, said none of the men had so far been accused of any wrongdoing. The FBI, along with the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors in Manhattan, are said to be looking into trading in two different stocks.

One line of inquiry is focusing on trades in cleaning products company Clorox.

Mr Icahn, a billionaire investor and prominent activist, was mounting a takeover bid for Clorox around the time that Mr Mickelson and Mr Walters placed their trades, the New York Times reports.

Mr Icahn's offer to buy the company caused the value of its stock to rise.

According to reports in several US newspapers, investigators are examining whether Mr Icahn discussed his bid with Mr Walters, and whether Mr Walters relayed that information to Mr Mickelson.

A lawyer for Mr Mickelson, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, said the golfer was not the target of the probe.

The statement from Mr Mickelson, denying wrongdoing, said he could not fully discuss the matter "under the current circumstances".

Practising before a tournament on Saturday, Mr Mickelson made a jovial reference to the investigation in a conversation with fellow US golfer, Robert Garrigus.

"It's been an interesting evening," the Reuters news

agency quoted him as saying. "I don't have much to say about it."

After his round, Mr Mickelson confirmed he had been approached by FBI agents and said: "It's not going to change the way I carry myself. Honestly, I've done nothing wrong. I'm not going to walk around any other way."

Mr Mickelson, 43, has won five major championships and is one of the most popular figures in US golf.

Investigators are also reportedly looking into trades that Mr Mickelson and Mr Walters made relating to Dean Foods, the Wall Street Journal reports (pay wall).

The New York Times quotes sources saying federal authorities are looking into trades placed in August 2012 just before the company announced quarterly results. Those trades appeared to have no connection to Mr Icahn, the newspaper added. The FBI and other federal agencies have not commented publicly on the allegations. (BBC Sport)

West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin

Lara’s quintuple fable

– six weeks after smashing 375, then the highest Test score, Brian Lara became the

By Martin WilliaMson

Less than a fortnight after his recordbreaking 375 against England, Brian Lara had arrived in England to begin his summer at Edgbaston. Warwickshire had initially lined up Manoj Prabhakar as a one-season replacement for Allan Donald, but when he got injured they signed Lara. That was done during the Barbados Test, days before that record innings.

It proved an inspirational signing. In the days before the start of the county season, Warwickshire sold hundreds of new memberships on the back of Lara being their overseas player and media interest was high.

“In advance of his first game, the publicity was amazing,” team-mate Gladstone Small recalled.

“I’ve never played county cricket with a player attracting this kind of interest.

More than 4000 spectators came to watch the first day against Glamorgan.”

Unfortunately, they had to watch Lara in the field as Warwickshire captain Dermot Reeve lost the toss.

Nonetheless, he made a hundred against Glamorgan in his first knock since his record, and with a bat he only picked up the day before. “The one I used in Antigua has been signed by all the players and is now a memento,” he told the press. He followed that with 106 and 120 not out against Leicester, 136 against Somerset, and 26 and 140 against Middlesex. The only hiccup was his one-day form where he had managed only 64 runs in four outings.

When Durham visited

Warwickshire at the start of June there was no reason to think Lara’s run would end, especially when on a perfect batting track Durham scored 556-8. In reply, Warwickshire closed the second day on 210-2, Lara recording his seventh hundred in eight innings late in the afternoon, the first man to reach that landmark.

But it was a far from convincing hundred. He had two let-offs. The first when he was bowled off a no-ball from Anderson Cummins when on 12, the second six runs later when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Chris Scott.

‘It was his worst start of the summer,” said Warwickshire opener Roger Twose. “Apart from being bowled behind his legs from a no-ball and nearly dragging on a few times, I even managed to outscore him. He was clearly annoyed with the way he was playing. At tea, he went straight into the indoor nets for 15 minutes.”

Rain washed out the third day, and on the Sunday Lara’s poor limited-overs form continued as he made only six against Durham.

When the Championship game resumed on Monday, the lost day meant unless the captains reached an agreement as to declarations and Warwickshire were set a target, the final three sessions were going to be little more than a glorified net. The presence of Lara allied to the excellent pitch gave Durham skipper Phil Bainbridge little incentive to enter into any negotiations, and so Warwickshire batted on.

Despite the rest, Lara still seemed out of sorts. In

AAG names Commonwealth team

Guyana will be a part of the 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games and has officially named its track team for the event set to be held in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to August 3. The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) has named a three-member team that will consist of all males namely Olympians Adam Harris and Winston George, along with South American under-23 bronze medalist Stephan James.

World junior Silver medalist Kadecia Baird who was shortlisted for the event opted not to attend due to the World Junior championships being around the same time, according to President of the AAG Aubrey Hutson. Harris will be featuring in the 100 metres while both George and James are expected to participate in both

the 200 and 400 metres. All three of the members are overseas preparing for the meet with both Harris and George recording extremely good times in their latest competitions.

The scoreboard says it all

the indoor nets, before the start, Bob Woolmer, the county’s director of cricket, said he “looked shocking by his standards, not moving well at all.”

But from the start Lara took on the bowlers, scoring 174 runs in the first session to reach lunch on 285, with one more reprieve when he was dropped at mid-off by Cummins when on 238. He smashed boundaries to all corners of a nearly deserted Edgbaston.

Trevor Penney, who contributed 44 to a third-wicket stand of 314, watched in awe. “He just smashed Simon Brown, who’d

changed ends. He hit him for 20 in one over.

I’d just faced the bloke and thought he’s bowling well. You can’t imagine how he hits it like that. When he decides to whack a six, it’s gone. It wasn’t slogging, just clean hitting. The opposition were speechless and in awe of him.”

During the interval the crowd grew as word spread Lara was hitting out. “I thought about declaring at lunchtime to make a game of it, “Reeve told the Daily Express. “But Brian said, ‘Let me go for 500’. It shows how confident he was.”

Three overs into the af-

ternoon Lara brought up his triple-hundred, made in 280 minutes off 278 deliveries. And all the time people kept arriving. By tea he was on 418 but had enjoyed another life five runs earlier when dropped at square leg by substitute fielder Michael Burns. The oddity was Burns was Warwickshire’s reserve wicketkeeper, on the field because Durham’s 12th man was already being used.

The final session was played out in glorious sunshine with the crowd swollen to around 3000. Lara, clearly tiring, ploughed on, all the time records tumbling, although he survived two close run-out calls. “I was very tired, but my partner Keith Piper helped me through,” he said afterwards.

Piper’s own hundred was almost entirely overlooked. “He never looked like flagging,” Piper said. “Also, he never once asked me to give him the strike. He just told me to keep going and get myself a big one.”

Eventually Durham, whose bowlers had gamely plugged away all day, turned to the part-timers Wayne Larkins and John Morris. It was Morris who bowled the last over of the match, but Lara was unaware of that.

“I was on 497 and didn’t realise the over from Morris would be the last,” Lara said. “So I didn’t score off three and then was hit on the helmet.” Groundsman Steve Rouse laughed out loud as Lara swung and missed the slowest of bouncers. “He’s seeing the ball as big as a balloon, he’s almost got 500 and a part-time bowler hits him on the head,” he said.

“Keith came down the

wicket and told me I had two balls to get the 500,” Lara said. “That was panic. Three runs in two balls is never easy.”

Lara cracked the next delivery through the covers for four and raised his arms aloft in triumph. His 501* had been made in seven hours and 54 minutes off 427 balls and contained 62 fours and ten sixes.

Modest He was typically modest afterwards. “This is a moment I will cherish forever… the first man to score 500 runs. But I don’t think I’m a great player yet. I am still only 25 and my aim is to keep up this consistency. When I get to a ripe old age then talk of me as a great cricketer.”

It was only later that Trevor Jesty, one of the umpires, confirmed that play could have continued for another half hour if both captains had agreed, but Bainbridge had not realised that at the time, and nor had the batsmen.

In the Durham dressing room there were some weary bowlers. Four of them had gone for more than 150, with David Cox, a left-arm spinner making his debut, finishing with 0-163 from 35 overs.

“He got an inside edge past his stumps in my first over and at that stage I fancied my chances of getting into him,” Cox said. “I only bowled about ten bad balls but he’s impossible to bowl at because he walks across his stumps. The ball turned but he has such quick feet and hands that half the time I didn’t see him coming down the wicket.” (Cricinfo)

Wilson attends CONCACAF Five A Side Committee Meeting

Guyana to participate Futsal Club C/ship

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Council

Member and Secretary of the East Bank Football Association recently attended the CONCACAF Five A Side Committee Meeting that took place in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

This is the second meeting that Wilson has attended and has reported that the development of Futsal within CONCACAF in a holistic way dominated the meeting was chaired by Committee Chairman Mr. Eduardo Li. CONCACAF President Mr. Jeff Webb also attended the meeting.

Chairman Li reported that CONCACAF which has 41 associations and divided into three regions (the North Region, the CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Union Centro Americana de Futbol) will be focusing

and investing in the development of Futsal.

While Futsal is played on a regular basis in other parts of CONCACAF, the Caribbean has a lot of catching up to do, Wilson noted.

In this regard, CONCACAF is implementing an extensive programme to develop Futsal in the Confederation. This new

strategy will bring more courses and competitions to the Member Associations.

The programme started in March 2014 with the CONCACAF Elite Futsal Referees Course held in Guatemala and will continue with the First Edition of the CONCACAF Futsal Club Championship scheduled for August this year in

Guatemala.

Wilson has reported that the Committee agreed that Guyana will be one of the countries invited to participate in this competition to be held in Guatemala City at the Domo Polideportivo, August 19 – 23, 2014. Since it is a Club competition, the top club in Guyana would be the representative team. The GFF was duly briefed by Wilson on this development with Wilson disclosing that he is in the process of finalizing a proposal for submission to the GFF. Eight teams will participate and will be placed into two groups of four each. CONCACAF will also be doing a Pilot project in the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago which would be reviewed and then done in five other National Associations.

Stephan James

CONCACAF President Jeff Webb (right) and Franklin Wilson in Grand Cayman

Linden declared champs as rain spoils Inter-Association final day

– Hinds presents BABA with shot clock

Linden can arguably be deemed as the top basketball community in Guyana after both their male and female teams were declared the official winners of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Inter-Association tournament

which culminated on Saturday in Linden at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court. While many left the court in disappointment due the inclement weather that caused no games to be played, both Linden teams were deemed winners based on point

differential.

The males, who already knew they were winners, were heavy favourites to beat Berbice especially since Georgetown routed the Ancient County men 116-42.

The mining town females only played one game as Linden’s 5944 win in the first encounter was enough to seal the deal despite the second match being cancelled due to the bad weather.

Meanwhile, the Berbice Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) received an outdoor shot clock along with basketballs and sneakers.

President of the GABF Nigel Hinds noted that while the rained spoilt the evening’s proceedings he was still pleased with the tournament.

"It is a disappointment but I still feel happy we had the faith to come up here knowing that I was warned by the president of the Linden association that we are having bad weather in Linden. For this historic occasion we thought that we really wanted to have Berbice in Linden and we managed to do so.

Even though we didn’t get to

play games we hope that this is just the beginning and that we would get an enclosed facility so that will allow play to occur regardless if rain falls or otherwise,” Hinds stated at the simple presentation ceremony.

The tournament marked the first time that Berbice would have

Durant leads Bishops to win

– Marian survives in double overtime

By Treiston Joseph

Marvin Durant is having a stellar Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) regional conference tournament having registered yet another 20-point performance to lead Bishops High School to a 52-33 win over Charlestown Secondary on Saturday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

Durant played lights out and had an impact on both ends of the floor by making big steals and either starting the break or finishing while shooting lights out from the field to end the game with 20 points.

Charlestown showed a bit of a fight in the first by half hitting some big three pointers to stay in the game but soon fell to the big advantage that Bishops have as Daniel Haynes out rebounded the entire Bishops team combined with 13 rebounds.

Amoniki John had a team high 13 points while Kevin Austin had 10 points as well for Charlestown in the losing effort.

Marian Academy survived a close game to come out on top against Brickdam Secondary with a 35-30 win in double overtime.

Both teams struggled to score the ball in the game that saw them making unforced errors that resulted in a scrappy affair. Both teams also had their chances to put the game away but Marian was able to hold Brickdam scoreless in the second period of overtime while going on a 5-0 run to win the game.

Judah Stephney was the high point man for Marian Academy with a game high 12 points while Jonathan Mangral had 10 points.

Sabastian Luke was the top scorer for Brickdam Secondary with a team high 12 points in the loss.

University of Guyana (UG) got its best game from floor general Jonathan Pooran thus far in the tournament. Pooran led them to a blowout 50-37 win over President’s College (PC).

Pooran was a driving force in the paint, getting to the rim while hitting some smooth mid-range floaters to end the game with 19 points and adding another W to UG’s win column.

Rondel Holder was big in the paint with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds while Lashawn Hooper was one rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Shakeel Garnett scored a team high 14 points while Shaquille Adonis had 11 points for PC in the game.

St. Roses High School defeated a much bigger Government Technical Institute 38-30 to come out with a win in the tournament.

Nathan Haul was the only player in double digits for the entire game with 14 points for St. Roses.

In the under-16 category, Plaisance

Academy defeated Bishop’s High School 26-25 in a nail biter of a game.

While Timothy Thompson was a beast for Bishop’s, scoring a game high 17 points and grabbing 12 boards for a double-double, it was the balanced scoring of Plaisance that kept them in the game and their ball movement that gave them victory. Ronaldo Teixeria was the leading scorer for Plaisance with nine points.

The under-14 category saw Marian Academy outplaying St. Roses High School for a 27-13 win with Jaleel Young leading the way for Marian with a game high eight points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, action in the conferences will continue on June 8 while action will also tip off in Linden on the same date.

played basketball in Linden both at the junior and senior level. In addition, the tournament will be used as a yardstick to select the national side for the upcoming Caribbean Basketball Championships (CBC) set for the British Virgin Islands in July.

Harris clocks wind aided 9.90s

By Treiston Joseph

US-based Guyanese sprinter

Adam Harris clocked a wind aided 9.90s on Saturday at the Pure Athletics Last Chance Meet in Florida.

It was the first time Harris recorded a sub 10s performance in his budding career and, while the time was above the legal wind of 2.2 with a 4.5 wind, Harris was proud of the first time performance.

“Well despite the wind, it was actually a technically good race, I had a pretty good start but my transition could have been better.

“When I got into full stride I managed to stay relaxed even though everyone was so close and that’s been my downfall in the past, so to get over that this year has been truly helping a lot,” Harris told Guyana Times Sport.

Further, Harris believes he can clock under the 10s barrier with legal wind as he related what needs to be done for him to legally achieve that feat.

“I know I can run under 10 with legal wind, it’s just a matter of when… already this year I have run a legal 10.12s with practically no wind and in that race I had a bad start and just ran a really comfortable race.

“So if I get my start down and still get in better shape which I will, nine is definitely in reach,” the chiseled sprinter told this publication.

Meanwhile, Harris revealed that he is look-

Adam Harris

ing forward to the rest of the season especially the Commonwealth Games where he will be representing Guyana in the 100 metres.

“The next big thing is Commonwealth but I have plenty of races before then, I have a new agent this year so I’m actually getting a good amount of meets unlike my past seasons, I will be competing in the British Virgin Islands this weekend then in Nigeria the following weekend, so it should be some good timing,” Harris noted.

Harris finished in second place with the wind aided 9.90s losing to 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago, who clocked 9.74s to win the event.

Marvin Durant Jonathon Pooran

Robert Essaboom (right) receives the donations from Coach Mark Agard (left) and Nigel Hinds (centre)

Berbice inspects the rained out court in Linden

WICB has assumed arrogance, contempt for Guyana

Responding to the recent decision by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to relocate the Third Test between West Indies and New Zealand from Guyana and “certain assertions” made by the WICB regarding the matter, Government yesterday issued a release in which it accused the WICB of assuming arrogance and contempt towards a sovereign Government of a CARICOM member state.

The Third Test between West Indies and New Zealand were slated for June 26 to 30 at the National Stadium, Providence, however, the WICB in a statement issued on Saturday

said it is currently considering alternative venues.

The WICB advised that following engagement with the Government of Guyana

on matters pertaining to the Cricket Administration Bill in Guyana, the parties were not able to find a mutually agreeable resolution hence its decision.

Government said it “notes with deep regret the decision of the West Indies Cricket Board to relocate the Third Test between West Indies and New Zealand, from Guyana. We observe with even greater concern, certain assertions made by the WICB regarding this matter and we feel compelled to respond.”

According to a statement from the Government, on May 30, 2014 at about 14:35h President of WICB Dave Cameron wrote to

His Excellency President Donald Ramotar raising certain concerns in respect of the Guyana Cricket

Administration Bill. In that letter, the release stated, Cameron requested an opportunity to study the Bill and the Constitution, in order to be able to provide more detailed comments at a later stage. “In the interim, he requested that the President not assent to the Bill until there is agreement in relation to the matters raised. The letter requested a response by 6 pm that day,” the release stated.

It was also noted in the press release that at or about 18:22hrs that day, the Honourable Minister of Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony responded via e-mail and also explained that the President was out of Georgetown and that he was duly instructed to respond on the President’s behalf.

Kolkata Knight Riders celebrate their second IPL triumph, after completing a highly efficient chase of 200 against Kings XI Punjab (BCCI)

President of WICB Dave Cameron

Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

President Donald Ramotar

Winston George Adam Harris