Guyana Times International

INTERNATIONAL

US author publishes adventure fiction novel based on Guyana Page 7

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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You can also read Guyana Times daily edition online at www.guyanatimesgy.com ISSUE NO. 226

week ending January 18, 2015

Rodrigues fires back: “Prorogation is a British legacy” Page 10

–over wild accusations about Amaila Falls Project

See story on page 3 Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

Guyanese to receive youth Page 21 leadership award from Queen Elizabeth

President Donald Ramotar gets a red carpet welcome on his arrival at the Valsad Sugar Factory in Gujarat, India. The president and his delegation were in India on a six-day official State visit.

British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre

Leroy Phillips

How to get the NYC municipal ID card See page 43

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Govt calls on Opposition to apologise to Norway, IDB –over wild accusations about Amaila Falls Project

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he following is a press statement issued late last Wednesday night by the Office of the President, calling on the Opposition to “immediately apologise” to the government of Norway and the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) for deigning to suggest that they are involved in a conspiracy to violate the Constitution of Guyana.

The following is the full text of the statement: “For several years, the Opposition has revelled in spreading lies and distortions about Guyana’s development initiatives. Their sole objective has been to destroy the results of hard work undertaken

by Guyanese over many years to advance our country.

“In its desperate attempts to destroy development projects, the Opposition frequently resorts to false accusations of corruption where none exists, in order to create a fog of mis-information that sows doubts and fears in the minds of the people of Guyana.

“In their latest foray this week, they have surpassed themselves by suggesting

An artist impression of the Amaila Falls project

that the Government of Norway and the InterAmerican Development Bank are “colluding with the Government of Guyana to violate the Constitution of Guyana”.

Even by the standards of the Opposition’s everincreasing wildness in their accusations, this is quite something.

“The Government does not intend to lower itself to engaging with such a preposterous assertion as has been made, but calls on the Opposition to immediately apologise to Norway and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Both have long been supporters of Guyana in the

global fight against poverty and the international community’s efforts to combat climate change. Their motivation in assisting the people of Guyana is purely honourable. Moreover, the idea that such a conspiracy could be concocted between the Government of Guyana, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Norway is simply ridiculous.

“The Government, instead, would like to repeat the following points: “On October 24, 2014, His Excellency President Donald Ramotar gave an address to the na-

tion, concerning Guyana’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy, with a specific focus on Amaila Falls.

“In his address, President Ramotar pointed out that of the US$150M received by Guyana to date in payments for forest carbon, US$80M would be invested as Guyana’s equity in the Amaila Falls project. This is the same position that has been repeated for years, and which the Opposition previously supported.

“The President pointed out that in August 2013, ‘self-serving political games attempted to destroy the project that

was about to benefit all Guyanese by providing them with affordable, reliable, clean energy.’

“His Excellency then proceeded to give the strong commitment that he would not give up in the face of such baseless attacks and that his Government would remain steadfast in pursuing this transformative project.

“The Opposition refuses to acknowledge that Government made more than four presentations to them on the Amaila Falls project, starting in March 2012 through August 2013. In addition, the Government shared the

principal confidential agreements in the project and requested comments / questions on these documents. No questions were received.

“Instead of constructive dialogue and engagement, the Opposition is now focusing on disparaging our reputable international partners such as the IDB and Government of Norway, an ill-advised strategy that assumes that the Guyanese people and the world will choose to believe the picture painted by the Opposition vs. the rigorous standards that these institutions abide by.

“The simple fact is the people of Guyana are paying too much for power that is too unreliable. The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project offers the opportunity to address this critical need. It seems that since the Government is committed to bringing the benefits of this project to the people, the Opposition’s intent is to prevent its development.

The Government will persevere despite these narrow-minded attacks and will continue to do what’s in the best interest of all Guyanese.”

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INTERNATIONAL To contact: Guyana Times International

New York Office 106-15 Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica NY 11435 Email: guyanatimesnyint@gmail.com Tel no: 718-658-6804 Preferred method of contact via EMAIL Guyana Office Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana.

Tel no: (592) 227-0704, 227-0709.

Fax (592) 225-8696, 227-0685 Email: guyanatimesint@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

To prorogue of dissolve?

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he British High Commissioner to Guyana on Monday threatened to have Guyana be sanctioned by the Commonwealth if the President does not end the Prorogation Order he issued last November.

This latest explicit threat followed a call a few days ago by the British Foreign Office for the prorogation to be ended “as soon as possible”. It is clear that the British are ratcheting up the pressure on the Guyana Government to end the prorogation.

What is also clear is that the British are threatening to impose sanctions unilaterally by simply invoking the “Commonwealth Charter” as if the Commonwealth is still its Empire on which the “sun never sets”.

Today, the Commonwealth is an organisation of independent states, and these states will have to come together and vote on whatever action Britain is contemplating. Long gone are the days when the British Prime Minister could tell the Queen, as Head of the Empire, to declare sanctions or expulsion unilaterally.

Each independent member of the Commonwealth has a Constitution that governs their political processes. In Guyana, as in most Commonwealth jurisdictions like England, the reserve power of the Head of State to prorogue Parliament is part of the Constitution.

Canadian Governments in the last decade have prorogued their Parliament on at least three occasions – through the Governor General who is the Queen’s direct representative.

The British High Commissioner to Canada did not warn the Canadian Governments of Commonwealth sanctions – even though the reason for prorogation in one instance was to prevent the passing of a No-Confidence Motion that would have dissolved Parliament and precipitated general elections, just as in Guyana.

The facts behind the prorogations were debated quite widely in Canada and the Queen’s Governor General offered his comments as to why he went along to order them on the advice of the Prime Minister. In each instance, it had to do with the fact that prorogation was a valid power of the Head of State.

However it was conceded that in the tradition of the parliamentary system to which all Commonwealth countries are heirs, the prorogation cannot be of infinite duration.

The Commonwealth Charter has not pronounced conclusively on the duration of a prorogation, even though the High Commissioner implies otherwise. As in trite law, one suspects it would be a period that reasonable peers would consider sufficient for the Government to deal with the immediate reasons for the prorogation.

In Guyana, the President made it pellucid that he accepts this tradition and declared he would end the prorogation and schedule general elections “early” this year. The President had announced very clearly, following precedent from other jurisdictions such as Canada, his reasons for prorogation.

Most specifically, against the background of the Opposition’s threat to go ahead with its Vote of No-Confidence, the President identified several pressing matters, such as the Telecommunications Bill and the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering of Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill, that they would have liked to be passed before elections, since they were critical to the development of the country.

The President offered to give the Opposition a breathing space so that possible saner and calmer heads might prevail. Now that the Opposition has definitively rejected any truce in their declared war to “depose” the Government, we also call upon the Government to call their bluff and announce the holding of General Elections as soon as possible. Not to do so, would offer countries such as Britain and the US, which have shown themselves to be firmly on the side of the Opposition, to raise the red herrings of sanctions and other threats.

When the PPP/C was winning elections by large majorities, the criticism of the Opposition, echoed by those countries was that for “real democracy” elections were not enough. Now that the last elections have shown that the PPP/C may be vulnerable, suddenly elections are the panacea for the salvation of Guyana.

President Donald Ramotar (centre), while on a six-day official State visit to India takes time out for a photo op. with Maharashtra's Governor, Vidyasagar Rao and his wife Vinoda. Also present were Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali, Managing Director of BK International Mr Brian Tiwarie and Chief Executive Officer of NEW GPC Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop along with other Indian government officials

Gender equality should be a cross-cutting issue on 2015 agenda

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he Post-2015 development agenda should not only include gender equality as a specific objective, but also as a cross-cutting perspective to increase women’s economic autonomy. This was the consensus of representatives of the Governments of Chile and Norway and senior officials from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) at a high-level dialogue held on January 12.

The meeting, which was held at the headquarters of this United Nations Commission in Santiago, Chile, was attended by the Minister of Chile’s National Women’s Service (SERNAM), Claudia Pascual; Norway’s Ambassador in Chile, Hege Araldsen; and Norway’s former Minister of Trade and Industry, Ansgar Gabrielsen.

Representing ECLAC were the Director of the Programme Planning and Operations Division, Raúl García-Buchaca, and Director of the Gender Affairs Division, Sonia Montaño.

The dialogue, “Challenges for Equality: Women’s economic autonomy on the post-2015 development agenda: building new responses from Latin America and Europe” is part of the debates on the new agenda that will be taking over from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) once the period set for achieving them expires this year. In this context, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been proposed, including one aimed at achieving gender equality and autonomy for all women and girls.

In his address, GarcíaBuchaca stated that “Gender equality and women’s economic autonomy should be at the heart of the development agen-

Gender parity

Chile’s National Women’s Service (SERNAM) Minister Claudia Pascual: “The post-2015 agenda faces the challenge not only of ensuring that more women enter the labour market, but also that they join sectors in the economy that have traditionally been male dominated”

da”, adding that almost one in three women (30.8 per cent) in Latin America did not have her own income. Of these women, 51.6 per cent attribute the situation to having to carry out domestic and care tasks. This results in high poverty rates among women: there are 117 poor women for every 100 men in the same situation.

Minister Pascual said that the female labour participation rate in Chile was 48.6 per cent in mid-2014, while the Latin American average according to ECLAC data was 52.8 per cent, and an average of 63.8 per cent in countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Furthermore, most female workers in Chile are employed in sectors that provide lower quality jobs with less social protection.

According to the Chilean Minister, “The post-2015 agenda faces the challenge not only of ensuring that more women enter the labour market, but also that they join sectors in the economy that have traditionally been male dominated.” She added that access to quality employment was one of the five cornerstones of the gender agenda devised by the Government of President Michelle Bachelet.

Norway’s Ambassador in Chile, Hege Araldsen, agreed that “women’s access to decent jobs, wage equity, equal distribution of domestic tasks, equal rights to property, land and inheritance, and the right to participate fully in politics and the economy are elements that should be priority items on the post-2015 agenda”.

As an example of public policies that promote parity, Norway’s former Minister of Trade and Industry, Ansgar Gabrielsen, described how in 2003 Norway became the first country to impose a gender quota to ensure that 40 per cent of the board of companies listed on the stock exchange were women. When the law was adopted, female participation at that level was around seven per cent.

In this regard, Director of the ECLAC Gender Affairs Division, Sonia Montaño, declared that many Latin American women (even welleducated and affluent ones) cannot enter the labour market because they have to carry out domestic work. This required such work to be shared out equitably, as well as a redistribution of social protection benefits.

She pointed out that unpaid domestic work can account for between 23 per cent and 36 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the region’s countries.

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UG law students say system used to pick top 25 lack transparency

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aw students of the University of Guyana (UG) are expressing concerns over the transparency and authenticity of the selection process which exists at the institution for determining who are automatically given places at the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS), in Trinidad and Tobago.

This is even as the Government of Guyana is working to secure an agreement with the Council of Legal Education for the continuation of the automatic placement of the UG’s top 25 law students at the HWLS. Speaking to Guyana Times International in a telephone interview on Wednesday, Legal Education Reform Advocate and former President of the UG Law Students’ Society, Sherrod Duncan indicated that he received reports from several students, stating that they were unhappy with what they deemed a “secretive” selection process at the institution.

Selection

He noted that they have indicated to him that even though they possessed higher Grade

The University of Guyana Library

Point Averages (GPAs) than some of their counterparts, it was their counterparts who were selected for entry at the HWLS to complete their Legal Education Certificate (LEC).

“I think the transparency of the list needs to be checked, because I do not believe it is the most transparent process … some students would have gotten a GPA of 3.1 or 3.2 while the student with a GPA of 2.7 or 2.8 was selected for entry at HWLS. “From what we know, the Council of Legal Education requires the top 25 students, so I

don’t know what is going on,” Duncan said.

Meanwhile, another student who said she was currently being targeted and requested that her name be withheld for fear of further victimisation indicated that she was tired of the “running around” which she was required to do just to clarify the situation.

According to the student, she has a GPA of 3.0 but her counterpart who has a GPA of 2.7 was favoured for entry.

She noted that they underwent the same programmes, wrote the same exams and were given the same opportu-

nities and as such, she was left to wonder what went wrong.

The young lady disclosed to this publication that after she was overlooked, she began to ask questions and was told that the selection process was no longer done as per the highest GPA but via a classification process.

“They said that they are working with the classification process and not by the highest GPA process.

“This was never done before, so I don’t know how it has suddenly become the selection process used,” the student

said.

She noted that after this concern was raised, it was then that the victimisation began.

“All of a sudden, my grades were being reviewed without any proper explanation or notice and then next thing you know, my GPA has dropped and keeps dropping. What does that say?

“The list has never been done like this before and when questions are raised, this is what happens,” she said in a frustrated tone.

Favouritism

She noted that there was no transparency in

the process and was of the strong belief that there was some amount of favouritism evident at the University.

“The sad reality is that the students who have parents in certain positions, regardless of their GPAs, are placed before us who do not have parents in the high places,” the student said.

Another student, who also asked for her identity to be kept secret, echoed similar sentiments. The HWLS hopeful conveyed that while she had no evidence to support her claims at this point, it was a known fact in the school that the process was biased.

“We have seen instances where students fail and are still promoted despite that. I know something is going on with the selection process, there are secretive happenings.

“I don’t have evidence, but, as students we know, we know what is going on. Out of 60 students, only 25 are chosen so all kinds of unscrupulous things happen. I can’t provide evidence, but I can’t sit here and deny it,” she said. continued on page 8

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There is no culture They can kill my body but they cannot kill my dream that is superior to any other Dear Editor, The brutal and coldblooded murder of 12 persons including the Editor of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris deserves the condemnation of all.

Regardless of the motives by the perpetrators, such actions can only be seen as an attack on freedom of expression and certainly have no place in a free and civilised world.

There is a saying that the pen is mightier than

the sword. Ideas must be countered by ideas and not by resort to brute force and ignorance. In the market place of ideas, let a million ideas bloom!

Sociologists have long debunked the concept of cultural superiority.

There is no culture that is superior to any other since every culture is relevant and appropriate to the society in which it exists at any given point in time.

This is why bigotry, fanaticism and ethnocen-

trism, in whatever shape or form, are so dangerous to society. It closes the mind to new ideas and thinking and sees the entire world in a fixed, pre-determined and unchanging way.

We need to accept that there is no single or universal truth when it comes to beliefs, religious or otherwise, and be tolerant and open to new ideas even if they may differ from what we embrace.

Hydar Ally

Dear Editor, “They can kill my body but they cannot kill my dream”. That was the poignant assertion

by Malala Yousafzai, the iconic teenager who defied her countrymen to the point of risking her own life in the pursuit of her dream for universal girls’ education.

Her firm and persistent resolve in her active campaigns as a human rights advocate in the face of entrenched opposition from diehards in her country earned her the respect of the world and, among other acclamations, the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Malala’s courageous actions and profound

statements such as the one above resonate with similar ones associated with change agents in the past as well as many in our contemporary world.

However, this week’s senseless shooting spree in Paris aimed at curtailing freedom of expression reminds us of the fact that our world still has many other obstacles to overcome.

Even in Guyana we are not insulated from the machinations of powerful forces that appear hell-bent on destroying the foundations of freedom and thwarting the dreams of decent, lawabiding, forward-looking and progressive citizens.

Witness for example the widespread indulgence in illegal, inexplicable enrichment, covert attempts to silence free expressions of thought and to curtail legitimate actions aimed at preventing further drifts away from the fundamental freedoms associated with a truly democratic society.

Clearly, all Guyanese need to be aware of overt and insidious attempts to further erode our inalienable rights and to take advantage of all current and future opportunities to safeguard our freedoms in order that our dreams for a better life can be realized.

Nowrang Persaud

India’s PBDs has Obsession is dangerous resulted in many benefits Dear Editor, The 13th global forum for interaction between resident (in India) and overseas Indians (PIOs and NRIs), and the Government of India (including state Governments) called Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), was held in Gandhinagar, the capital city of the prosperous state of Gujarat.

Indo-Caribbeans played a significant role in the launching of the PBD. A handful of IndoCaribbeans that included New York based Ramesh Kalicharran, Dharamdatt Sukhai and yours truly lobbied Indian politicians and leaders of Indian organizations in America (Dr Mukund Modi, among others) for such an event prior to the BJP coming to power in 1997.

The group met Atal Vajpayee for a luncheon at a restaurant in Manhattan in 1996. Ravi Dev, Vassan Ramracha, Baytoram Ramharack, yours truly and a few others had earlier interacted with BJP leader L K Advani in New York on strengthening relations between India and the Indo-Caribbean diaspora.

When the BJP came to power, it established a commission on the diaspora led by eminent jurist Dr L M Singhvi that held discussions with leaders of overseas Indian organizations on how to strengthen relations between India and her diaspora.

The group met Guyanese reps in New York and also traveled to Guyana, Trinidad and

Suriname interacting with prominent Indians.

It was suggested that a diaspora conference be held to address issues impacting Indians in the diaspora.

This led to the holding of the first PBD in January 2003 that has become an annual event.

It was Dharamdatt Sukhai who suggested that prominent overseas Indians be honored for their contributions to the diaspora.

India recognized the importance of the diaspora to her development and sought to bring the diaspora and India closer.

India initiated the celebration after awakening to the reality that the large numbers of Indians who are settled overseas can be an asset to India in various fields, especially in investing in the land of their foreparents and India can provide critical resources for the diaspora countries to experience development.

The Indian Government is courting diaspora Indians to invest in India and or promote trade with the countries where they are settled and Mother India. China had done the same with regards to her diaspora as did Ireland and Italy.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is held in recognition and appreciation of the constructive, economic and philanthropic role being played by the Indian diaspora (ethnic Indians living around the globe) in their host or home countries as well as for maintaining

their links with India.

This year, some IndoGuyanese from Guyana as well as other IndoCaribbean people (some from New York) are attending the conference.

A few of them are scheduled to make presentations that relate to the Indo-Caribbean diaspora.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the event on Thursday while President Donald Ramotar delivered the feature address.

Previous PBDs were a great experience with outstanding entertainment and lavish meals and this one was not much different. In addition to plenary sessions discussing issues impacting on the diaspora, various entertainments were lined up in the evenings and mega-dinners and luncheons with the Prime Minister, President, Opposition Leader and the Chief Guests – the most tasty Indian dishes were served.

A positive of PBD is the cultural and educational link with the diaspora and tracing roots.

Since the PBDs, the Indian Government has increased cultural links and scholarships to the poorer countries in the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa. A mechanism is in place to help overseas Indians (girmityas or descendants of indentured laborers) to find their ancestral relatives. So the diaspora has benefited enormously from the PBDs. Vishnu Bisram

Dear Editor, First, as a Muslim and a human being, my heart goes out to the relatives of the victims of the Paris media house massacre.

The perpetrators’ obsession clouded their ability to rationalise properly, as well as their judgment, hence their transgression; all

of which are prohibited in Islam, Christianity and Hinduism.

I find similar obsession by some members of the local media, at the top, the Kaieteur News. This is evident in their comparison with the AG’s remarks and the Paris incident.

I thought a better comparison would

be the slaughter of six pressmen at Kaieteur News and the Paris incident. This is the kind of extremism we have to endure when we have person/s with an obsession with certain people.

The truth will be sacrificed to satisfy their egos.

M Ikbal

CJIA welcomes feedback – positive or negative

Dear Editor, Let me first thank Devanand Bhagwan for bringing to Management’s attention his encounter/experience at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Departure security screening point on December 24, 2014.

I am advised that upon receipt of the report an immediate investigation was launched and the security staff removed from the airport forthwith.

I am also available to provide Mr Bhagwan with additional information on the investigation, and can be contacted on 592-261-2244 or cjiac@ cjairport-gy.com.

I take this opportu-

nity to assure the travelling public of our commitment to providing quality service to all users of the airport. In this regard, we have and continue to conduct extensive training to educate all internal security personnel on the airport’s procedures/policies.

These sessions have proven to be highly successful.

Passengers are reminded to keep their valuables secured at all times and be attentive when being processed. If any irregularities are noticed, they can immediately inform an Airport Security Officer (ASO), a Customer Service Representative (CSR) or an Airport Duty Officer

(ADO).

These staff are available to render assistance on a 24-hour basis.

Contact can be made via telephone on the following numbers: 261-2281, 600-7022 or 613-5117.

CJIA’s management continues to welcome all complaints, suggestions and recommendations as it relates to our overall operations.

Feedback, albeit positive or negative, will provide the Corporation with the necessary tools to deliver a high quality service as is mandated in the airport’s mission statement.

Ramesh Ghir Chief Executive Officer CJIA

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Guyanese authorities working to US author publishes adventure fiction stamp out vehicle smuggling - digital licence plates in the works novel based on Guyana I n an effort to rake in the “significant” amount of taxes being lost through vehicle smuggling and other related practices, Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur said steps have been taken to introduce digital number plates in Guyana.

However, the new move would require parliamentary approval as the law currently stipulates how the licence plate should look and digital plates were not catered for. He said that a decision has already been made for this technology to be utilised as the relevant amendment to the legislation has been drafted. He said once this was done, tenders would be advertised for persons to design and supply the plates.

In Guyana, vehicle owners purchase their own number plates and over the years, criminals have used the lax system to print false number plates to be used on vehicles in the commission of crimes.

Besides, the GRA has found that Surinamese and Brazilians who have

J

been allowed to cross the borders with their vehicles would eventually sell these to locals. In order to use the vehicles, the new owners would either bribe Customs officials to get them registered or in most cases fit them with false licence plates.

Sattaur had previously issued a stern warning to persons smuggling vehicles from Suriname and Brazil into Guyana, saying it was only a matter of time before they were caught and placed before the courts.

Speaking with the Guyana Times International in an interview, Sattaur said the GRA had been working with the Brazilian

and Surinamese authorities to arrest the illegal trade. In light of the thriving vehicle smuggling trade at their porous borders, Guyana and Suriname met several years ago to strengthen collaboration to put an end to the lucrative business.

Routinely, there are reports of motorbikes being smuggled into the country through Lethem.

Deterrent

Frequently, vehicles allowed across the border are later sold to Guyanese, who evade paying duty. According to reports, at least Gy$1 million in duty is charged per vehicle. In some instances, Guyanese themselves would purchase

the vehicles in the neighbouring countries, fit them with false licence plates, and bring them to Guyana.

Sattaur had said continued emphasis was being placed on vehicles smuggled into the country through the Suriname and Lethem routes, noting that there has been a significant reduction in vehicles smuggled from Suriname. He credited the reduction to a system adopted by the two countries, which requires persons to report all vehicles leaving Suriname to that country’s authorities and upon arrival in Guyana, report to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).

ess Eise just released her second novel Black River Redemption that is based on her travels in Guyana, South America.

The novel is a compelling adventure fiction story about a young woman who sets out to research malaria in the small country of Guyana but is met with a twist of fate and a life experience she will never forget.

Eise spent two months in Guyana, for a work project in January and February of 2014.

She was inspired to write her second novel by the people she met, the culture, and the remarkable diversity. “If people know Guyana at all, they know it because of the tragic Jonestown massacre.

However, it’s so much more than that,” the author said.

“The diversity and culture are remarkable – it’s an English-speaking, Caribbean culture in South America with an absolutely unique and stunning landscape.”

The novel captures many facets of the Guyanese culture and

geography. The unique black rivers that distinguish the country are a recurring theme. She integrates the many different ethnicities that form a part of the country. “I was so motivated by the many interesting and brilliant Guyanese people I met while I was living there. I confess, I actually integrated some of them loosely into the novel. They might even recognise themselves!” the author related.

Black River Redemption is available on Amazon in both paperback and for Kindle.

Jess Eise graduated from Saint Louis University with a Bachelors in Political Science, International Studies and Spanish.

She received her Masters from New York University in International Relations and Journalism. She has done extensive Communications work domestically and abroad.

Black River Redemption is her second novel. Her first novel, In A Wild Place is also available for sale on Amazon.

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Women, youths hungry for voice in policymaking – LEAD chief

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he United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Leadership and Democracy Programme (LEAD) is progressing smoothly, its Chief of Party Glen Bradbury has said.

The multimillion-

dollar programme, which is being executed by the International Republic Institute (IRI), is designed to boost the capacity of Guyana’s Parliament and simultaneously create greater involvement among youths and women in the political sphere.

Another component, seeks to increase the public’s knowledge on the importance of the Local Government System and its electoral process.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Times International, Bradbury said the IRI

LEAD Chief of Party Glen Bradbury engaging staff of Parliament during one of their consultations

was working closely with the National Youth Council (NYC) through the LEAD initiative.

Based on consultations done thus far, he said the young population of Guyana wanted to be more involved in the decision-making process.

“From what we have heard, youths wish to be more involved. They would like their voices to be heard both by the Government and Opposition, and by the society as a whole,” the Chief of Party explained.

He emphasised that their concerns, opinions, and recommendations should not be taken for granted, pointing out that based on the statistical data, over 60 per cent of the country’s population was under the age of 35.

Bradbury said too that “brain drain” remained a genuine concern, positing that a “country cannot afford to lose its best and brightest”. But this, he said, could be linked to the country’s high un-

employment and underemployment rates among youths.

Similarly, women aspire to be more involved, particularly in areas that directly or indirectly affect their lives.

Consultations with women groups have sought to have them more empowered in the political realm. “We are empowering them to be more active in political processes. We are encouraging them to run for office, to be more active in their communities and to bring the issues that affect them to the forefront.”

Turning his attention to sessions held at Parliament, the Chief of Party disclosed that since Parliament was prorogued by President Donald Ramotar in November 2014, the IRI team had been unable to consult with the 65 Members of Parliament.

However, before prorogation, many parliamentarians complained about the lack of resources. “Members do not have offices, they

do not have individual staff, they meet on a part-time basis, usually on a Thursday, and the various committees have a whole lot to do,” he explained.

However, despite the prorogation of Parliament, consultations are being held with staff in an effort to deduce ways in which they can better serve parliamentarians and, by extension, the rest of Guyana. The next meeting at the Parliament Building will focus on improving the work of parliamentary committees.

Thirst for knowledge

Additionally, the IRI team has been hosting a series of town-hall meetings on the Local Government System and its electoral process. Meetings were held in Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika, and Georgetown, with the last held on December 6 in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). It is estimated that over 600 persons attended these meetings.

UG law students say system used to pick top...

form page 5

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, when contacted to comment on the issue, told this publication that while he was aware of the allegations, having heard several complaints, there was nothing he could do to address the issue at this present time.

“The selection of the 25 students to enjoy automatic entry is done exclusively by the University of Guyana’s administration.

“It is complied and transmitted directly to the Registrar of the Hugh Wooding Law School from the University of Guyana. I

am not unaware of the allegation, but I cannot and do not speak for the University,” the Minister said.

Malicious

However, when UG’s Vice Chancellor Jacob Opadeyi, was contacted, he told GTI that he was not aware of any such matter at the school and suggested that the students were being malicious.

“This is not true. It is not true. I am not aware of this and if they have a complaint, they should file it to me with their names attached. The students are just being malicious,” Opadeyi related.

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

EBD-ECD Road Project not a “fly by night idea” T

he US$50 million East BankEast Coast Road project is not a “fly by night idea,” Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali said in response to anti-developmental comments made by Alliance for Change (AFC) Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo.

In Government’s defence, Minister Ali said the project was extensively planned but Opposition elements are bent on stymieing the nation’s development. According to him, Nagamootoo seems to be divorced from realities and national priorities.

“Is it that he is so caught up in political negativism that he ignores facts, available information and truth in a

spineless effort to denigrate the invaluable contributions public officials make in pushing forward the developmental agenda of our country?”

In a series of bilateral meetings held on the sidelines of 13th Pravasi Bharativa Divas at Gandhinagar, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Thursday agreed to provide US$50 million to fund the road project which will link East Bank Demerara with the East Coast Demerara.

However, since the announcement was made, Nagamootoo has been condemning the financial agreement, contending that Guyana will be plunged into further liabilities.

But Minister Ali ex-

Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali

AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo

plained that extensive consultations and feasibility studies were conducted before the agreement was reached. He pointed out that the project received the support of the National Assembly when it was present-

ed in the 2014 National Budget.

“As was outlined in debate presentations in the National Assembly and answering questions of the Opposition and also the countless articles in the nation-

al media on this subject, it was made clear that a detailed feasibility study was completed and submitted to the Indian Government for approval. It is very naïve for Mr Nagamootoo to believe that a project of this nature can just be approved without a detailed feasibility study.”

On that note, Ali concluded that Nagamootoo’s comments are baseless and are only aimed at discrediting the contributions of President Donald Ramotar in finalising the line of credit from the Government of India.

“What bothers me is that the details of this project through constant updates in the National Assembly and the media seem to have avoided the notice of Mr

Nagamootoo.”

Nevertheless, Housing and Water Minister acknowledged the hard work of the employees in the public sector who assisted with the finalisation of the project document and feasibility study that led to approval being granted.

According to him, the project will not only allow for the linkage of the two roadways, but it will also create many opportunities.

“There is an exciting future ahead for Guyana, but it requires maturity, vision and commitment to be realised. It is these characteristics that saw this major accomplishment between the Government of India and the Government of Guyana,” he emphasised.

Govt will be guided by the Constitution in presentation of 2015 budget – Finance Minister

A

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

s Guyana prepares for the tabling of the 2015 National Budget, many are not unmindful of the stance taken by the political Opposition with regard to their voting to disapprove critically needed allocations.

H o w e v e r , Government is prepared for any eventuality, and will be guided in its actions by the law. This point was reinforced when Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh was interviewed on the National Communications Network’s “Political Scope” programme on Saturday.

Referring to the political Opposition’s decision to cut the National Budget over the last three years, Minister Singh stated that the Constitution was “clear” on this issue. “The [acting] Chief Justice [Ian Chang] has ruled on this matter arising out of the 2012 budget cuts; that matter ended up before the court, and … [he] handed down the ruling with us in 2013. It was quite clear that the National Assembly acted outside its institutional remits in imposing cuts to the national budget.”

Government will continue to be guided by the Constitution, the relevant legislation and the Chief Justice’s ruling, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported as it detailed the Dr Singh’s interview.

The Finance Minister shared the view that has been expressed publicly by Attorney General Anil Nandlall on the current action brought before the court

by Opposition Leader David Granger as “frivolous and without merit”, because the issue has been ventilated in the court already, and the court has pronounced.

The Minister added that he was optimistic that the court would rule consistent to its previous decision, which stated that “Government acted entirely with the constitutional and legislative mandate and remit in managing the operations of Government” as it restored finances disapproved by the Opposition-led National Assembly.

With regard to the upcoming 2015 National Budget, it was noted by the Finance Minister that the Constitution prescribed the tabling

of the national budget within the first quarter of the year under “normal circumstances and, of course, the Constitution is also clear about what happens, in relation to the presentation of the budget and the event the Parliament is dissolved before in the exploration of the first quarter of the year”. Government, he said, would be guided by the Constitution, as, “once the parliamentary provisions exist, we will be ready to table a budget in keeping with the constitutional prescriptions”.

Familiar cry

Responding to claims that the parliamentary Opposition was not considered during prebudget consultations, Dr Singh said that cry about “no consultations is a familiar one”, noting that this year as in previous ones, “they refuse to make themselves available”.

The Opposition has historically shown a striking unwillingness to engage with Government despite extended invitations, he said, adding that he was not surprised by the current posture. Other stakeholders from the Private Sector, labour and other interest groups have offered their inputs, he revealed, and these have been of benefit.

“We have policies for each sector, all have benefited from stakeholders’ input with the highest level of integrity, feedback and input from non-governmental stakeholders with policymaking functions. We remain positive to continue receiving feedback to inform the policymak-

ing functions,” he said.

The actual budget will contain measures, which, the Finance Minister said, will continue to maintain the focus on preserving favourable economic conditions within a framework that will see continued growth. “Without preempting what is actually

contained in the budget, whenever it is presented in the Parliament, I would say that there are a few things that Guyanese can certainly look forward to. Our Government will continue to invest in our country’s infrastructure as we continue to believe that physical infrastruc-

ture is athletic to growth and prosperity. We will continue to place emphasis on things like hardto-reach areas and the social sector, particularly in improving quality, and these are some things that one can look forward to in going forward,” the Minister disclosed.

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Rodrigues fires back: “Prorogation is a British legacy” By: Jomo Paul

F

oreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has dismissed concerns mounted by outgoing British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre that Guyana may be the subject of future sanctions by Commonwealth if a date is not named for General and Regional Elections.

In a Facebook post the Foreign Affairs Minister explained that as far as she is aware Guyana is not the subject of any impending sanction by the commonwealth body. She explained that she is a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) under whose responsibility such an action would fall. CMAG is a group of representatives of members of the Commonwealth of Nations that is responsible for upholding the Harare Declaration.

That Declaration dictates the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values, and sets the core membership criteria of the organisation.

“I am advised that the Commonwealth Secretariat has no knowledge of any sanc-

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

tions being planned for Guyana. One Member of the Commonwealth cannot impose its individual wishes on all others and speak as if the Commonwealth has made such a decision. It is dishonest to do that. Further, I sit on the Commonwealth body (CMAG) that deals with such issues and Guyana is not on the agenda,” said Rodrigues-Birkett via her Facebook.

She was directly contradicting the British High Commissioner who, when asked about the UK lobbying for sanctions to be imposed on Guyana among Commonwealth Member States, posited that at present there

are “discussions” among Commonwealth countries with respect to the prevailing situation in Guyana. He pointed out that “Guyana is moving towards a category of concern for the Commonwealth that is quite clear from discussions that are taking place among them.”

Birkett went on to contend that the threat of sanction from the Western Superpower (ABC countries) is nothing new noting that similar threats were made for in an effort to force the administration to name a date for the hosting of local government polls sometime back.

“The threat of sanc-

British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre

tions from the High Commissioner is not new.

That very threat was made regarding Local Government Elections.

Yet when a date by which the elections was slated to be held was announced

by President Ramotar, it appeared no longer important enough to encourage the other parties to work together to see it materialize. That threat was also not that veiled when Guyana voted a particular way on an issue at the UN. Of course we were vindicated on the latter with recent developments” she declared.

It was also pointed out that twice in the past Canada has seen its parliament being prorogued however, Canada did not suffer a similar fate as is seen in the case of Guyana with the threat of sanctions being imposed.

She questioned “did you hear any Commonwealth country upbraiding them?

Guyana has diplomatic relations with most countries of the world and we work hard on developing good relations. However, mutual respect must be

the order of the day.”

According to Rodrigues-Birkett the comparison made by Ayre of Guyana to Fiji would be completely “off the mark” and “unkind” given that similar situations do not persist. She contended that “President Ramotar did not commit an illegality.

He acted in keeping with the Constitution and has already said a date for elections will be announced shortly. Guyana has already alerted the Commonwealth that we will be requesting an observer Mission. The HC cannot be so unaware.”

Ayre on Monday said that the continued prorogation of Parliament was against the Commonwealth Charter warning of possible sanctions for Guyana. The Commonwealth Charter, which was agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting [CHOGM] in Perth in 2011, is a single document which sets out the Commonwealth’s 16 core values and reflects the aspiration of Commonwealth members. It identifies development for poorer coun-

tries and improving human rights and democracy, as the key priorities for the Commonwealth.

He pointed to several key fundamentals outlined in this Charter and called on the President to honour the obligations and either resume Parliament or announce a date for General and Regional Elections. None of the “fundamentals” explicitly touch on the issue of prorogation which is a power allocated to the Head of State in most Commonwealth countries, including Britain.

According to Ayre, UK’s representatives have held meetings with the Government on the issue of prorogation, but have not received any positive response. “We made our views quite clear both in private meeting with the Government and in public statements … the reality is we have a Guyanese problem and we need a Guyanese solution … let’s be clear the President is the one that can end this impasse,” the British High Commissioner said.

When asked about funding for several projects underway in which the UK played the critical role of donor, it was noted that these projects may be in jeopardy, with some “reluctance” to provide developmental funds to Guyana from the UK. “Without the Parliament, there is no parliamentary oversight … clearly the appetite to send money to a country that has no parliamentary oversight is much reduced … there’s a reluctance to send development funds, how can we justify that to our own taxpayers?” Ayre questioned.

“We are not responsible for delayed EBD road project” – BK International

B

K International laid the blame at the feet of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company, as it debunked claims by the Public Works Ministry that it is responsible for the slow pace at which the East Bank Demerara (EBD) four-lane road is being built.

In a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), the Public Works Ministry Coordinator of the Work Services Group (WSG), Geoffrey Vaughn said the US$22 million InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) road project is experiencing significant delays due to poor

management on the part of the contracting company. According to him, the company is displaying poor organising skills and construction methodology even as it battles with a lack of human resources.

But on Wednesday, BK International debunked the claims made

by Vaughn, contending that he failed to address the root cause of the problem. The contracting company said while the WSG coordinator acknowledged that GT&T cables have been the primary reason for all the delays in Lot Three, he fell short of pointing out that it took the telephone company three years to re-

move all of the cables.

In a letter addressed to Vaughn on December 20, 2014, GT&T indicated that the exercise was completed on December 22, 2014.

“In the same letter…

GT&T indicated to the coordinator that there is still a buried cable (50 pairs) comprising of part of Demerara Distillers Limited’s (DDL’s) internal network cable that has to be removed,” BK International pointed out.

In the letter, the telephone company also indicated that there is “potential jeopardy” of the cable being damaged again.

“As of today’s date continued on page 17

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Sanasie execution… Relatives decide

to bury woman abroad

T

he rift between D e o n a r i n e Sanasie’s family and those of his now executed wife, Patricia “Patsy” Sanasie has widened following her execution on Monday night outside her home in the presence of her daughter. This newspaper has been informed that the man is now afraid of the woman’s relatives, fearing that they may want to harm him in retaliation for her execution.

The woman’s relatives have also reportedly expressed fear of the man and his family thinking that, that faction would continue to bring harm to their side.

Meanwhile, there have already been reports that the dead woman’s daughter who was with her at the time of her execution has since gone into hiding for fear of being harmed by her father or his agents.

Dead Patricia Sanasie called “Pasty”

The fear has grown so much that the relatives of the dead woman are reluctant to travel to this country for her funeral and as such, a decision was taken to have her cremated in the United States.

Deonarine Sanasie is also in the United States, but reportedly not in the same state as the relatives of the woman and the location where her funeral will be held.

On Thursday, a senior police source dispelled the notion that they would be seeking to have the man extradited to this country for questioning and/ or charges in relation to his wife’s murder. The police source said that such a move would have to be based on facts and the evidence available to them as they go along in the investigation.

This newspaper was told the pathologist was able to recover two warheads from her body.

In February 2014, Deonarine Sanasie had accused his wife and her brother of ordering a hit on him which had failed.

The man said that the information had been relayed to him by another relative of the woman, who was privy to the plan and they decided to inform him.

The woman and her brother had denied the

claims that they would ever want to hurt the man, even as the woman admitted that she and the man had not been having happy times. She had even stated that she moved in to live with him while she was still 16 years old.

Following the publicity about the alleged plan to have her husband executed, parents who had children attending a private school that the

woman operated began taking their children out of the school, forcing the woman to close the doors to her education facility.

“Patsy” Sanasie was reportedly getting ready to migrate, but was hoping to do so after securing someone to rent her building at Mc Doom, East Bank Demerara, where she operated the school; she had planned to rent the building after pressure-washing

the structure.

The intention of the gunman who carried out what is being considered a hit on Patricia “Patsy” Sanasie was never to have her remain alive.

This was evident given the parts of the body where she was shot. Crime Chief Leslie James on Tuesday afternoon confirmed that the woman was shot to the neck, chest and stomach.

The premises the woman was approaching to enter when she was shot

PPP/C meets GECOM on election readiness Party strongly believes were well-calculated and mostly against its interest, recalled the Herstelling case where 19 ballots were rejected with the official stamp.”

Strong actions should have been taken against that person who took away the democratic right of simple hardworking Guyanese, the Party’s General Secretary said. “It is expected that these persons will never be considered to work with GECOM again.”

The Party also called on GECOM to PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee and other members of his delegation in front of GECOM’s office

A

delegation of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), led by its General Secretary, Clement Rohee, on Monday paid a visit to the office of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as the Party had some “pressing issues” to raise with the election body.

Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha, PPP Member of Parliament Manzoor Nadir and Junior Minister of Finance Bishop Juan Edghill were also part of the team. Over the past couple of months, the Party has been raising issues that it said the Election Commission needed to pay attention to. Some of these issues were again raised at

the Party’s press conference on Monday.

“PPP has singlehandedly advocated for a voters list that will not disenfranchise any eligible Guyanese and one that is free of discrepancies, thereby eliminating the threat of confusion on Election Day,” Rohee said.

He added that the elections body must now do everything possible to ensure a clean list, which would edify voters of Election Day practices and procedures. “Significantly too, GECOM must be cognisant of the fact that there were many flaws in the practices and behaviour of polling day staff at the 2011 Regional and General Elections. The Party is wary of these inflated acts, which the

ensure that competent and qualified persons were recruited to work on Polling Day and that the requisite training and simulations be conducted to avoid what occurred in 2011.

He said the Party had already raised the issue of the information clerks, noting that it had serious reservations about the use of these persons in future elections since they were ineffective in their roles and served to create much confusion among voters on Election Day. “GECOM must re-

visit the roles of this position and should the decision be taken to continue with these information clerks, they must be trained to act in a neutral manner at all times.”

The Party called on all Guyanese in and out of Guyana to call on GECOM to deliver on its mandate and conduct a fair and transparent election, and ensure that the proper mechanisms were put in place to deliver accurate and speedy results to the nation so as to reduce anxiety and speculation.

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Single mother busted Surinamese Trade Mission with cocaine sentenced heading to Guyana to 3 years in jail T

T

wenty-fouryear-old, Althia Timmerman of Lot 1255 Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was sentenced to three years imprisonment after pleading guilty to trafficking in narcotics.

The mother of one appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on Monday morning.

It was alleged that on January 10, at Ogle International Airport, East Coast Demerara, she had in her possession 1.134kg of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

The unrepresented defendant accepted the charge. The City Magistrate explained that such a charge is accompanied with a mandatory penalty which is a minimum of three years imprisonment. The woman stood firm with the plea she initially entered.

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Oswald Massiah related the fact of the case to the court.

He started by telling the court that the ac-

Althia Timmerman

cused previously resided in Bartica and was employed at a city hotel as a Receptionist.

One day at Demico, she got to know a man of mixed race (no name given), whose address was unknown to her. A relationship soon developed and she was asked if she was prepared to take the illegal substance to Barbados to which she consented.

On January 9, she was contacted by the male and told where to meet him, where she collected a suitcase. She was knowledgeable that the suitcase contained the drug but was unaware as to which part of the suitcase the narcotic was con-

cealed.

She then took the suitcase home where she placed her personal travelling belongings inside.

The following day, she went to the Ogle International Airport with the said suitcase in an attempt to board a flight destined for Barbados. An undisclosed fee was promised to her after the execution of the plan but this never materialised.

As she was proceeding through the scanner, CANU ranks conducted a search on her suitcase and unearthed the drug. The defendant was subsequently arrested and taken to CANU headquarters for further questioning. Prosecutor Massiah told the court that she cooperated with the investigating ranks “to some extent”.

The tearful woman told the court that she is a single parent with a five-year-old daughter and begged the Chief Magistrate to be merciful.

Timmerman was then slapped with the threeyear sentence along with a fine of Gy$30,000.

he Government of Guyana, the Private Sector Commission and the Chambers of Commerce will be hosting a Surinamese Trade Mission/Delegation from the January 1517. It is expected that the Ministers of Trade and Tourism will be in attendance, along with other distinguished delegates, including representatives from the Surinamese Private Sector and Manufacturers Association.

In a statement, the Tourism Ministry said that the overall objective is to explore the opportunities for increased trade and investment between Guyana and Suriname, and the development of a strategy and plan of action to take advantage of the opportunities identified. The opening ceremony will be held on Thursday, January 15 at the Princess Hotel at 19:00h; a mini exhibition will also be held between the hours of 18:00h22:00h.

During their stay, members of the visiting delegation will participate in a series of meetings, workshops and

site visits – Suriname has chosen to act on recommendations coming from a study conducted on the Opportunities for Enhancing Export Trade between Guyana/ Suriname and Brazil and have planned the visit to assist in developing a strategy for enhancing trade between the two countries.

Guyana, Suriname and Brazil are independent states, who along with French Guiana collectively occupy the central and North-eastern portion of South America.

Each state shares similar borders, with Suriname to the East of Guyana, and Brazil to the South of both Suriname and Guyana.

There are many roads and bridges that link each state, where informal trade takes place. Guyana’s most recent link to Brazil came with the completion of the Takutu River Bridge in 2009, and the Surinamese Government signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese firms for the construction of a road and rail to Brazil.

Brazil, Guyana and Suriname possess low

population densities; with 60, 10, and eight persons per square mile, with the estimated average for South America being 22 persons.

These three states (including French Guiana) are also non Spanish speaking. There is also a significant population of Brazilians living in both Suriname (40,000) and Guyana (10,000), mostly involved in the mining industry. The economies of Brazil, Guyana and Suriname also concentrate significantly on the agriculture and extractive industries. Brazil has signed partial scope agreements with both Suriname (2005) and Guyana (2001) that give preferential access to a wide range of goods into the Brazilian market.

In his New Year’s address, President Donald Ramotar promised to deliver a bridge across the Corentyne River and a road linking Guyana and Brazil, saying “During the next term of office, my Government will work with our partners to bridge the Corentyne River and to complete the road from Brazil along with the accompanying deep water harbour.”

Sexual harassment in Guyana underreported

… some victims fear dismissal

BY DEVINA SAMAROO

W

ithin the last decade, more women have entered the workforce.

As their numbers increase, so does their vulnerability to harassment.

There are literally millions of documents defining what sexual harassment is and what sexual harassment in the workplace is.

There is no single definition of what constitutes the prohibited behaviour. All definitions, however, are in agreement that the prohibited behaviour is unwanted and causes harm to the victim, or makes the victim feel uncomfortable, particularly in a sexual way.

Many officials indicate that victims of sexual harassment in the workplace refrain from reporting such incidents as they fear losing their jobs and/or being victimised.

Sometimes, some are unaware that they are being sexually harassed because, quite often, these acts are considered a joke or treated as a mistake.

Rarely reports are made on such issues because of the sensitivity of the issue and the reputations that can be ruined as a result.

In 2008, the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) conducted a survey to address this issue. Their study on 500 respondents reveal that 54 per cent had experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment, of which 27 per cent experienced harassment by their colleague and 17 per cent by their superior.

Sixty-six per cent were not aware of any policies in the company that addressed these issues. Seventy-nine per cent were women while 21 per cent were men.

Twelve per cent had received threats of termination if they did not comply with the requests of sexual harassers.

In Guyana, Chairperson of the Women and Gender Equality Commission, Indra Chandarpal encourages victims to come forward to the Commission to make a report. If situations

worsen, she explained that victims sometimes leave their jobs, but rarely do they take the matter to court.

She further noted that there are other avenues which can be explored before the matter is taken before to court; for example, addressing the issue at the workplace beforehand.

Meanwhile, representative of Help and Shelter Danuta Radzik

explained that most times, victims do not know what their options are in such situations.

Implementing policies

She stated that companies need to implement a policy that deals with these situations and educate their workforce on the grounds of sexual harassment. “I think it needs to be addressed and workplaces need to agree on a definition of sexual harass-

ment… anything that has sexual innuendo should not be done or said, even if it’s meant as a joke.” Radzik explained that ground rules need to be set and workers should be aware of them, therefore, if there is a breach, the matter can be dealt with accordingly, as employees will clearly know their options as described in the policy.

However, she noted that since companies in Guyana do not have policies against sexual harassment, victims should seek advice from various authorities on their course of action, especially if the situation of sexual harassment is one that is physical. Radzik said these occurrences create a poisoned work environment that no one, men or women, should endure.

Recently, in February 2014, an 18year old Princess Hotel and Casino employee filed a report against the multimillion-dollar entity. The teenager alleged that while serving the overseas based Principal in the casino, he touched her breast

and attempted to kiss her. She claimed she was later instructed to “specially” take care of the man. The young lady said she was then taken to the room of the accused and was ordered to do whatever she was told. She stated that she quickly thought of using the washroom in an attempt to escape the situation. The matter was reported to the Human Resources Manager and then to the Police.

However, the Hotel has categorically denied the allegations.

Another incident that made the news in Guyana was the allegations against Region Three (EssequiboIslands West Demerara) Regional Executive Officer Donald Gajraj by a former female employee who claimed that the man sexually harassed her. However, Gajraj denied the allegations as he disclosed that the woman has been frequently absent which negatively impacted her department.

He stated that the allegations were likely made after the woman discovered she was going to be transferred.

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Granger to meet disgruntled Linden PNCR members soon

By Svetlana Marshall

L

indeners are gearing themselves up for a major showdown with People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader David Granger after the latter agreed to a meeting with a large number of disgruntled members over a range of issues.

High on the agenda of the meeting which

could happen this week are the suspension of Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon; the alleged rigging of last year’s Congress, which returned Granger as leader of the party; and a range of other issues, including the imposition of Sandra Adams as the party’s Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) Coordinator and the sidelining of

key figures such as Aubrey Norton, Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon and Kissoon, all of whom helped the party sweep the two seats in the region at the 2011 elections.

While Solomon has declined to disclose the agenda of the meeting with the Leader, Trade Unionist Leslie Gonsalves confirmed that issues surround-

PNCR member Leslie Gonsalves addressing media operatives in July 2014, in the presence of Latoya Williams and Maurice Butters on the Vanessa Kissoon saga

PNCR Region 10 Coordinator Sandra Adams

ing Kissoon and Adams would definitely be placed on top of the agenda.

Another key party official said that they would bring up the Congress fiasco as well at the meeting. Granger has so far managed to dodge from confronting the issues that have angered Lindeners since August last year.

However, observers believe that he has finally realised the importance of meeting the key constituency with General Elections on the horizon.

Over the weekend, Solomon dispatched a letter to the PNCR Leader inviting him to meet with supporters in the mining town.

PNCR Region 10 Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon

Although Granger has signalled his intention to meet with supporters in Linden, a date has not been set.

Burning issues

When contacted by the Guyana Times International on Tuesday, Solomon said he would only pronounce on the meeting after it was held, but Gonsalves said supporters would be calling on the Opposition Leader to address burning issues that have been placed on the table for more than a year.

The imposition of Adams has been a burning issue, since her appointment early last year was greeted with major objection. Having served

as the last Chairperson of the PNCR Linden arm in 2003, Adams was appointed by the Central Executive Committee (CEC) as the Regional Coordinator.

According to Gonsalves, Adams is an opportunist who will lead the regional arm of the party downhill. “No one is prepared to work with her because of her arrogance…she is bullish, always giving instructions and want to talk up to people. We will not allow that,” he said during a recent interview with this newspaper.

Gonsalves pointed out that the PNCR, which was the major partner in A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) won the region in the 2011 Elections in her absence. “Nothing she could say would make a difference. She returned after seven years and wants to rule people, let her return to the US. She cannot command a place in Linden, because nobody is in support of her,” he emphasised.

On Thursday last, ranks of the Mackenzie continued on page 20

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Govt spending more Children’s Competition to kick off Mash on citizens’ welfare celebrations in Region 2 – Dr Luncheon T C

abinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon said that because of work done by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration in stabilising and sustaining a growing economy, Guyanese have been able to enjoy several welfare interventions.

During an interview with the Government Information Agency, Neaz Subhan on Sunday, Dr Luncheon said that many of the interventions have been taken for granted, but these are different elements of welfare practices that occupy much of the Government’s attention.

“It is actually a response to social reality, and in many developing countries, and Guyana is no different, the social reality harkens on the past.”

The Cabinet Secretary stated that Guyana’s current day social reality has changed from what it was before 1992. “(In) 2015 Guyana’s social reality is quite different from what it was at the time of emancipation … or

Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon

even at the time of independence, but still they are lasting …”

He said poverty and the kind of social ills warrant and legitimise the interventions that are captured in the rubric of welfare interventions. While noting that in today’s society there is the reality, which he blames on the past, he did not shy away from the fact that there may still be current factors contributing.

“I’m not saying that contributions are not currently being made, but fundamentally it is

a persistence of what we inherited, what we have not yet adequately built with, but is our social reality today and that is what legitimises.”

Dr Luncheon added that “… any caring government would have great difficulty if it does not embark on programmes … aggressive programmes to deal with those aspects of the social reality.”

Speaking of some of the social realities which face the society, Dr Luncheon said that one simply needs to examine poverty and its origin, its perpetuations, and the culture of poverty and what it breeds.

The Cabinet Secretary said Guyana’s economy caters more for the interests that have been preserved in the economy than those that deal with the modern demands of the people and the society.

Notwithstanding all this, Dr Luncheon said that there is no question that when it comes to welfare, the state of the country’s economy therefore matters.

he Town of Anna Regina will come alive on Monday January 19 as the Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) Department of Education officially kicks off the Children’s Competition at the Anna Regina Community Centre Ground.

Leading off the programme of activities will be the dramatic poetry and calypso competition followed by the dance and masquerade contests on Wednesday, January 20.

The Department of Education’s competitions will conclude on Friday, January 22, with costume and physical display. The competitions will be held under the theme “One People, One culture, One Celebration”.

Nursery, primary and secondary children are expected to flock the Anna Regina Community Centre Ground to participate in the various categories of events. The winners of the various events will represent Region Two at the national competition in Georgetown.

According to

Flashback: A student of Region Two took to the stage in the dramatic poetry segment at the Anna Regina Community Centre Ground during the Children’s Competition last year

Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud, who is all excited over the planned Mashramani activities, this year’s celebration will be bigger – an explosion of colours.

Persaud said that it was his desire for all Essequibians to celebrate Mashramani in high spirits.

Giving a brief glimpse into the other activities planned in celebration of Guyana’s

Republic Anniversary, Persaud said the finals of the National Chutney Competition will take place on January 31 at the Anna Regina Community Centre Ground. The Chairman explained that Region Two was ready to host the event, which will feature several overseas artistes, some hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, the land where chutney was born.

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President Ramotar visits Valsad Sugar factory in India – impressed with operations have adopted.

President Ramotar was given a tour of the entire factory where he witnessed from testing, crystallisation and bagging of Valsad’s white crystal sugar. Before leaving Gujarat, he was entertained by Gujaratis in one of their traditional dances and was encouraged to join in by the colourfully attired dancers.

President Ramotar was the Chief Guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ceremony, which was held at Gandhinagar, India from January 8 to 9. Also during his visit, the President was be-

P

stowed with the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’ award, which is the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians and people of Indian origin (PIOs).

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on January 9 every year in India. The event is also known as ‘NonResident Indian Day’ as it marks the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in the year 1915 on January 9, and acknowledges the contribution of the Indian community living abroad in the development of India.

(GINA)

President Donald Ramotar engaging Gujarati dancers

resident Donald Ramotar, during his six-day official state visit to India to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebration, paid a visit to Valsad Sugar Factory in the state of Gujarat on

Friday last.

The Guyanese Head of State was given a red carpet welcome and was eagerly greeted by staff on arrival at the factory. He was impressed with the factory and lauded the officials there for the use of

state-of-the-art technology to crush the sugarcane in order to make the sugar crystals. Officials at the plant briefed the Guyanese President and his team of officials regarding the sugar production technology they

Public Works Minister reiterates need for airport expansion

An artist’s impression of the new Cheddi Jagan International Airport along with runway

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ransport Minister Robeson Benn has once again reaffirmed the importance of upgrading the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

Speaking on the National Communications Network’s “Political Scope” on Monday, Minister Benn yet again underscored that the upgrade was in response to the growth in international air travel.

With this rapid growth in the international aviation sector, the Minister pointed out that there was need for an expanded runway, more terminals and other structures.

He added that with larger aircraft now serving the local market, there was need for a longer runway, citing the incident of a Caribbean Airlines plane overshooting the runway at the CJIA in July 2011.

“Even though we spend monies on expanding outgoing areas that are now too small and inefficient, when you have two or more aircraft on the ground, we have to expand … it is important.”

Speaking of members of the Opposition’s criticism of the project, he said their proposed idea was not feasible. Former Alliance For Change (AFC) Member Gerhard Ramsaroop, while criticising the initiative, had suggested that the Government altogether abandon the CJIA project and begin construction on a new state-of-the-art airport, on the West Bank of the Demerara River.

The Minister rubbished this suggestion, stating that it would cost the Government more to start a new airport.

Minister Benn explained that given the location that Ramsaroop suggested, a new bridge would

have to be constructed across the Demerara River. Speaking of financing for the project, Minister Benn said the question of the loan revolved around those who were willing to grant Guyana ‘lines of credit’ at advantageous rates of interest.

“We had, just about that time in 2012, a China-Caricom summit, which was a time-bounded event, having to put project towards the delegation, to be able to access funds for projects – the level of financing required for this project only existed under the line of credit, which we were getting from China.”

Given the sums of money needed and the urgency, Minister Benn said using funding from China was the best option. Further, he said that it was ironic that the parliamentary Opposition parties were not lending their support to the project, given the fact that in 2013, they voted to release funding for initial works.

He also dismissed claims that details of the project were not made available to the Opposition parties.

At a recent function of the local aviation sector, at which A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon spoke, he too stressed the need for the expansion of the CJIA.

Workers of the Valsad Sugar Factory eagerly greeting President Donald Ramotar

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Professor Samad not optimistic about APNU/AFC coalition R ecently-inaugurated member of the Alliance For Change (AFC) and literature scholar, Professor Daizal Samad said while talks between the AFC and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) should take place, he did not believe they would be fruitful.

Samad told the Guyana Times International in an interview on Monday that while he saw no problem with the two parties engaging in talks to form a coalition, he did not foresee such a coalition coming to be.

The AFC and APNU are scheduled to engage each other in secret talks over the possibility of the two parties coalescing to contest the next general elections.

This move has been

met with generally mixed views from stakeholders and political commentators in Guyana, with some saying that it should not happen while others were for the two parties coalescing.

APNU Leader David Granger has already said that the prospects for talks between the AFC and APNU were good.

Specific details on the way forward for the proposed coalition will be unveiled after the party meets for its shadow Cabinet. He could not reveal the details of the AFC’s tabled non-disclosure agreement, which was presented for review and signature by the APNU. But, according to Samad who holds a Bachelors of Arts, Master of Arts, and a Doctorate in Philosophy and is the

are concerned, especially in Region Six, there’s no such thing…we are focused on winning.”

No harm in talking

Professor Daizal Samad

former Director of the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC), the coalition will not come into being.

“I do not see it happening,” he said when questioned by the GTI on Monday afternoon adding that “as far as we

The Professor explained that he believed the AFC would form Guyana’s next Government and would do so without the critical support of APNU, but pointed out that there was no harm in talking.

He said: “I don’t think there is ever any harm in Guyanese speaking to Guyanese, whether those talks are about cooperation after winning service (or before elections), we still need to talk.”

Despite his nay on the coalition between the two political parties, Samad is adamant that the AFC remains willing to join forces with any progressive individual in an effort to catapult Guyana

forward.

“We as a nation cannot afford to sideline anyone … especially people with talents,” Samad said, as he pointed out that as part of AFC’s “evolutionary” political culture, it was important that the “best and brightest” come forth to serve the nation.

“The AFC is going to win the next General Election, that’s my conviction,” the Professor declared.

The former UGBC head was introduced as a member of the AFC on December 6, 2014 during the party’s biennial National Conference in Georgetown.

APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon and his AFC counterpart, David Patterson, had held discussions last week and had decided

that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) from the AFC would be presented to APNU. The AFC had also called for “secret talks” on the way forward for the proposed coalition.

At his last press briefing at the beginning of the year, Granger had confirmed that talks between the coalition and the AFC on a possible coalition had not commenced.

He had said that the AFC had yet to state clearly what exactly its proposal for a pro-democracy alliance entailed.

He noted that while APNU remained open to dialogue between the two parties and civil society, it would like to know what exactly would be on the agenda when the parties did meet for dialogue.

TT-based Guyanese extradited to US for financial fraud

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avindranauth Roopnarine, a fugitive wanted in the United States for financial and fraud-related crimes, is the latest criminal to be extradited from Trinidad and Tobago, according to a release from the Office of the Attorney General.

Roopnarine, who was born in Guyana, is the third person to be extradited in three days.

Trinidadian Shazam Meighoo and Surinamese Edmund Muntslag were both extradited under differing circumstances last week. “The Central Authority Unit in the Ministry of the Attorney General has succeeded in extraditing yet anoth-

er criminal wanted by the US law enforcement agencies,” the release stated.

“Ravindranauth Roopnarine, a fugitive on the run from US authorities for financial and fraud-related crimes, was arrested on Tuesday January 6, 2015. The fugitive, who is 55 years old and is a Guyaneseborn Canadian citizen, had various addresses in south Trinidad,” it said.

In December 2010, the Federal Grand Jury of Florida issued an indictment charging Roopnarine and three other individuals with six counts of mail and wire fraud; four counts of money laundering; and

one count of conspiring to commit bank fraud.

“On November 12, 2014, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan SC signed the Authority to Proceed to commence the extradition proceedings and a warrant of arrest was obtained and handed over to the Interpol Bureau,” the release stated.

“Around 6.45 p.m. on Tuesday, the fugitive was observed on the premises of a restaurant and bar along Manahambre Road, Ste Madeleine.

Assistance was sought from the Senior Superintendent and police officers of the Southern Division and Roopnarine was apprehended.

“We are not responsible for...

from page 10

A section of the four-lane road in the vicinity of Diamond, EBD

the discovered DDL underground internal network cable, located from the Diamond bridge to DDL’s Administration Building, is delaying the completion of road, bridge, kerb and drain works that will facilitate the free flow of double lane traffic on the right hand side of the western

carriage way,” the construction company complained.

It was pointed out that there is an additional cable that is located across the road between one of DDL’s installations and GT&T tower. The cable is reportedly at a depth of 29 inches making work

in the area a “potential jeopardy,” of the cable being damaged again.

BK International said it has been registering its concerns on a weekly basis to the project consultants, contending that the Public Works Ministry and GT&T are fully aware of challenges faced.

“He appeared at the Port of Spain Eighth Magistrates Court before Magistrate Marcia Ayres-Caesar, who upheld submissions made by the head of the Central Authority to deny Roopnarine bail. He was remanded into custody and the matter was

adjourned to February 4, 2015.” The release added that the extraditions show this country’s commitment to international judicial cooperation.

“This case represents another noteworthy accomplishment, in light of the recent appointment of Attorney General

Ramlogan as vice-chair of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. “It exhibits our ongoing commitment to international judicial cooperation and our promise of swift action on cross-border money-laundering and financing of terrorism,” it stated.

(Trinidad Express)

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Women leaders driving success in businesses – ILO study W hile women are still under-represented in top management, the number of women in senior and middle management positions has increased over the last 20 years, a new study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Bureau for Employers’ Activities finds.

According to ‘Women in Business and Management: Gaining Momentum’, in 80 of the 108 countries for which ILO data is available, the proportion of women managers has increased during this period. “Our research is showing that women’s ever increasing participation in the labour market has been the biggest engine of global growth and competitiveness,” says Deborah France-Massin, Director of the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities.

“An increasing number of studies are also demonstrating positive links between women’s participation in top decision making teams and structures and business performance. But there is a long way to go before we achieve true gender equality in the workplace, especially when

it comes to top management positions.”

Only 5 per cent or less of the CEOs of the world’s largest corporations are women. The larger the company, the less likely the head will be a woman.

All-male company boards are still common but are decreasing in number, with women attaining 20 per cent or more of all board seats in a handful of countries.

A global survey quoted in the study shows that Norway has the highest global proportion of companies (13.3 per cent) with a woman as company board chairperson, followed by Turkey (11.1 per cent). “It is critical for more women to reach senior management positions in strategic areas to build a pool of potential candidates for top jobs such as CEO or company presidents,” explained France-Massin.

“However, ‘glass walls’ still exist with the concentration of women in certain types of management functions like HR, communications and administration,” she added.

Today, women own and manage over 30 per cent of all businesses,

but they are more likely to be found in micro and small enterprises.

Getting more women to grow their businesses is not only critical for equality but also for national development, underlines the report. The report provides statistics on women in management and in business for most countries from all regions and at all levels of development. It also contains data on the gender pay gap at manage-

ment and lower levels, as well as statistics on women’s achievements in education. It identifies the growing momentum building around the world to advance women to higher levels of management and lists a selection of the numerous initiatives from various sectors.

The report also provides the following recommendations to close the remaining gender gap: seeking “flexible solutions” to manage work

and family time commitments as an alternative to being subject to special treatment or quotas; providing maternity protection coverage and childcare support can bring added value to the company through the recruitment and retention of talented women; “changing mind-sets” to break cultural barriers and fight sexual harassment; addressing the socalled “leaky pipeline” whereby women fall behind despite their high level of education; implementing gender-sensitive human resources policies and measures and making sure women are given as challenging tasks as men from the very beginning of their career.

The authors underline that women and girls receive almost half of all educational resources, thus representing a significant proportion of the available talent pool.

Therefore, companies’ investment in attracting, retaining and promoting skilled women is likely to be good for business.

Finally, the report says national employers’ organizations can play a major role in increasing awareness of the business case for appoint-

ing women in leadership roles. “Unless action is taken, it could take 100 to 200 years to achieve parity at the top. It is time to smash the glass ceiling for good to avoid controversial mandatory quotas that are not always necessary or effective. Having women in top positions is simply good for business,” concluded France-Massin.

According to the report, Jamaica has the highest proportion of women managers at 59.3 per cent, while Yemen has the least with 2.1 per cent. The US is 15th in the list of 108 countries with 42.7 per cent women managers, the UK 41st (34.2 per cent) and the Russian Federation holds the 25th place (39.1 per cent). In Africa, Ghana occupies 26th place with 39 per cent, followed by Botswana ranking 28th (38.6 per cent). In Asia, the highest ranking country is the Philippines in 4th place (47.6 per cent), followed by Mongolia with 41.9 per cent in 17th place. With 53.1 per cent, Colombia holds the second place at the global level and ranks first in Latin America, followed

by Panama in fifth place (47.4 per cent).

Teachings of Prophet Muhammad very pertinent today – Islamic scholar

Brother Wazir Sheriff of International Muslim Organisation (IMO) Canada making brief remarks

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he teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (SAS) are very pertinent in the society that we live in today” was the message expounded on, as the Anna Catherina Islamic Complex (ACIC) held its annual Eid Milad un Nabi (Youman Nabi) Programme.

To a packed lecture hall on Wednesday, ACIC Imam Abdool Fazeel and President General Hakeem Khan, as well as all other speakers, explored the similarities between the teachings of Islam and the other major religions

with special references to their application in society today.

Imam Fazeel, in his well-researched speech, quoted from several historians and historic individuals, as well as the other religious scriptures. He stated that the values Islam lent to the society have been recognised throughout civilisation.

The Imam cautioned that these values brought to society by the Prophet Muhammad cannot be taken for granted and must be consistently taught to society and vigorously

protected or else they will be lost.

Citing Guyana’s multi-religious and multicultural society as reflective of some of the values, he charged the gathering to help protect the basic values from even persons purporting to be Muslims.

Referring to the atrocities committed by so-called Muslims under the banner of Islam, he called on the large audience (by far the largest crowd at the Mawlid celebrations in Guyana) to protect the religion from the perverted ideology of these corrupted few.

The programme, which was held under the theme “Celebrating Mercy –the universal Messenger of God – Prophet Muhammad (SAS), saw recitation of Quran passages, renditions of qaseedas by young and old, as well as short messages.

During the event, honorary membership to the ACIC was conferred on Brother Wazir Sheriff and Sister Sharon Sheriff of Toronto, Canada for their consistent support of the activities of the Complex.

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Works being done to strengthen EDWC dam – Dr Ramsammy

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy during a brief discussion with the Japanese Vice Foreign Affairs Minister and team during a visit to the Northern Relief Channel

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uyana’s ability to implement adaptation measures to deal with climate change were applauded by Japan’s Vice Foreign Affairs Minister, Takashi Uto, who along with Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy and National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Chief Executive Officer Lionel Wordsworth visited the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) on Friday.

The Japanese I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding the Guyana Conservancy Adaptation project which will aid in better management and operation of the conservancy, thus, tackling climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The project is being done in two phases. Under phase one, eight excavators and two pontoons were procured, while under phase two, US$3.8 million was provided for the rehabilitation of six structures within the EDWC, including at

Sarah Johanna, Nancy, Annandale, Hope, Shanks and Maduni.

These works will complement the Hope Canal project for which Government is investing some US$15 million.

According to Minister Ramsammy, the Ministry is currently engaging in a maintenance programme within the conservancy. He said that the equipment which was procured was being used on safeguarding of the 45-mile long dam and the inlets and outlets within the conservancy canal.

Gy$185M spent in 2014 to upgrade hinterland airstrips

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An aerial view of Ogle Airport

he Ministry of Public Works was able to carry out major rehabilitative work on four airstrips in 2014, despite the combined Opposition cut the ministry’s budgetary allocation.

These airstrips are in Region One; at Matthews Ridge (Gy$74 million) and Port Kaituma (Gy$50 million), and in Region Seven, at Kamarang (Gy$35 million) and Imbaimadai (Gy$26 million). Resident contractors, who were paid on a quarterly basis, did all routine maintenance works.

According to information from the Ministry, the Aerodrome Division was successful in achieving most of its objectives

for 2014, with regard to routine and corrective maintenance at hinterland airstrips for the year. Further the ministry noted that there were no adverse reports from aircraft operators, nor members of the various communities, in relation to works carried out on these airstrips.

Site visits by the aerodrome inspection team were done to ensure that all works were carried out, in keeping with the required standards of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority.

Meanwhile in going forward, normal routine and corrective maintenance to all 46 government aerodromes, in Regions One to Ten, and any other related works, which may be required

will continue.

With an estimated budget of Gy$205 million, in 2015, capital works will be undertaken for the rehabilitation of four airstrips in Regions Seven, Eight and Nine. These will include the airstrips at Eteringbang, Mahdia, Annai, and Kurupung.

In April of 2014, when Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh presented the National Budget, the Combined Opposition voted against funding for the rehabilitation of several hinterland airstrips.

This saw Amerindians, from some remote locations, staging protests, declaring that their developments were being stymied and it was a move to cut them off from the coastland.

However, in keeping with the constitution, some of the money was restored, and this was used for the hinterland airstrips, and other developmental projects.

Many remote communities in the hinterland depend heavily on domestic flights to shuttle food and other critical supplies to their communities, most of which are also hubs for gold operations.

The Minister explained that the conservancy was an important irrigation source for all the villages along the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara.

“This conservancy has never been in the condition it is in right now … it is well maintained and we are very proud of the works being done here with the support from the Japanese Government; the IDB [Inter-American Development Bank]; and the World Bank.”

Minister Ramsammy

further noted that under the Guyana Conservancy Adaptation project, which is supported by the World Bank, four pump stations will be constructed along the East Coast this year. During a visit to the Northern Relief Channel (Hope channel), Minister Ramsammy explained that the doors of the head regulator (a sluice system that allows water from the conservancy to enter into the relief channel), were completed.

He said that the

next step is to break the dam, which will be done in about two weeks.

Currently, the dam is being strengthened at both ends. “We want to make sure that the water level in our conservancy doesn’t go below 53 GD [Georgetown Datum], which is our dead space, because if it does so, the dam’s integrity is affected, and we want to make sure that it doesn’t get above 57, because if it does, the dam will be compromised with overtopping,” he further noted.

National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Chief Executive Officer Lionel Wordsworth explaining works ongoing at the Northern Relief Channel (Hope Canal), East Coast Demerara, to Japanese Foreign Affairs Vice Minister Takashi Uto and team during a visit

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Who has more political weight; APNU or AFC?

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Partnership For National Unity (APNU) has denied being led by its junior partner Alliance For Change (AFC), despite on numerous occasions the party with 26 Parliamentary seats had been forced to go along with the one with seven.

The issue of AFC’s supposed influence over the David Granger-led coalition has come to the fore with the AFC recently declaring that it wants any negotiations for a possible alliance to be done in secret.

Already the decision by the AFC to force APNU to agree to talks in secret, as a prerequisite for moving negotiations forward on its proposed pro-democracy alliance, is being seen as a slap in the face of internal party democracy.

The move is also being widely viewed as an attempt to deprive the grassroots supporters of both parties of the right to know what deals are being struck, and to also criticize the path chosen by their elected representatives to move negotiations forward as far as the coalition is con-

APNU Leader David Granger

APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

AFC General Secretary David Patterson

cerned.

A sitting AFC Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) Councillor Erwin Abdulla said that he was not in support of any talks under secrecy.

He claimed when contacted by the Guyana Times International on Saturday that he was not informed as what talks were taking place amongst the Executive members of his party and the APNU. “How can I support talks under secrecy? The talks are under secrecy so I do not know what they are talking about,” he stated before declining to comment further.

Pressed as to whether the Executive mem-

bers of the party had discussed the pro-democracy alliance with other stakeholders and leaders in the Region, Abdulla responded in the negative. He reiterated that he is unable to say anything further until he receives clarity from his party.

“The AFC understands that it cannot negotiate the terms and conditions of any alliance with the PNC-led APNU in the public domain. It is too risky. It knows fully-well that it is bound to lose critical support from its membership across the country especially if they are in disagreement with aspects of the proposal,” a

political analyst told this newspaper on Saturday during an interview.

Commentators have pointed out that in several other occasions, the AFC was able to force the hand of APNU. The minority opposition demanded the Speakership at the commencement of the 10th Parliament and got it despite APNU had wanted the late Debra Backer as the Speaker.

Secondly, in 2012 after meeting with the administration and agreeing on several measures including a hike in tariff for electricity in Linden, APNU reneged and followed the AFC in rejecting the proposal.

The AFC later called protest actions in Linden and received the support of APNU. Three people were killed in the demonstrations and several others injured. A number of government buildings and a school were also destroyed by fire.

Then last year without consulting with its

constituency APNU went along with the AFC – sponsored No-Confidence Motion against the Government. It turned out that President Donald Ramotar prorogued Parliament, killing the motion in the process. APNU in reacting to the President’s action launched a series of marches, but the AFC boycotted them, saying that it does not want to be seen with APNU supporters and that it will protest by “issuing hard hitting press statements”.

The issue had become so glaring that the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) – a key partner in the APNU coalition – issued a statement condemning the AFC’s non-support of the protest. The AFC as recent as last month was the one to propose the “pro democracy alliance” with APNU, but made it clear it has to lead the coalition.

Not following AFC

Granger was previously asked about APNU’s tendency to “follow AFC” but he denied this. “We are not following the AFC, we have taken a line to support the No-Confidence Motion. There were four courses of action and the No-Confidence Motion was only one. The matter of the Financial Paper One of 2014 was responded to by APNU by having a motion brought in the National Assembly for the Finance Minister to be taken to Committee of Privileges and we did take action due to the financial papers,” Granger told GTI. According to him, the third course of action was to have the NoConfidence Motion, and that was agreed upon by the two sides. He pointed out that the motion belongs to the AFC, but APNU will maintain its commitment to the Motion.

Asked if his coalition had ever before on its own, consider such a motion against the current Government, Granger responded in the negative, however, he was sure to point out that the party had taken its own actions in the National Assembly.

These actions included the No-Confidence Motion set against Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee in 2012 and the case against Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh…”

Granger to meet...

from page 13

Police Station were called in after Adams alleged that sections of the PNCR Linden Office were vandalised. It is alleged that Gonsalves and other disgruntled members broke into the office after removing a padlock from the door.

But this allegation was shot down by Gonsalves who said Adams was attempting to create further strife in the region.

In addition to the imposition of Adams, Gonsalves said the issues surrounding APNU Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon remained unsolved.

Kissoon’s relationship with the PNCR deteriorated following an altercation with General Secretary Oscar Clarke at the party’s Sophia Headquarters early last year. She was immediately suspended – a decision which was rejected not only by Kissoon

but many of her Linden supporters.

Subsequent to the PNCR’s 18th Biennial Congress in July 2014, Kissoon was instructed to apologise for misconduct; however, this order, which was given by the party’s Disciplinary Committee, was ignored.

In September 2014, another letter was dispatched to Kissoon by the Opposition Leader regarding her membership in the party.

It is unclear whether Kissoon has responded to Granger’s letter, but the GTI confirmed on Tuesday that her suspension was never lifted.

Another longstanding PNCR member Maurice Butters confirmed that issues surrounding Kissoon and Adams would be addressed during the meeting with the Opposition Leader.

“We need the matter involving Ms Kissoon to be addressed, in addition to that, you cannot make a decision that will affect the region without our input, so he (Granger) must address the imposition of Sandra Adams on the people of Linden,” Butters said.

He said too that the region wrote the PNCR Secretariat requesting a date for the holding of its long overdue regional conference, but to date the response was still pending. He said the conference would allow for new regional representatives to be elected for the party.

While outlining those three main issues, Butters said meetings would be held with the various groups within the region before the agenda for the meeting was finalised (svetlanam@guyanatimesgy. com).

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Mentally-ill man bludgeons bedridden dad to death

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The home in which the two men lived with other family members

ighty-yearold Mohamed Suleiman died on Tuesday evening at the Georgetown Public Hospital, two hours after he was beaten to his head and other parts of his body by his mentally unstable son, 53-yearold Ali Mohamed. This publication was informed that Suleiman who had been bedridden for nearly 10 years was in his bed when he was attacked by his son with a piece of wood. Suleiman first had a stroke at the age of 34 years and had never recovered from that illness.

Mohamed on the oth-

er hand was first diagnosed as mentally unstable 13 years ago when he “tripped out” and had to seek medical attention.

The man however never “tripped out” again until last November, when again he began displaying real signs of mental instability, which culminated in the attack on his father. Mohamed was however receiving medical attention for his illness.

When this newspaper visited the family’s Lot 38 Parker Street, Providence, EBD residence on Wednesday morning, they refused to speak on the issue.

However, a neighbour explained that she was inside her house when she heard one of the dead man’s daughters calling at her gate. She said that when she went out, the woman related what was happening.

The neighbour said that when she looked over from her yard to the window situated in the room of the elderly man, she saw from the shadows that Mohamed was armed with a piece of wood, with which he was inflicting blows on his father.

The woman further explained that she could

not hear any noise or sound coming from the house, because there was a birthday celebration in progress nearby, and the music was loud.

After the incident, the relatives with assistance from persons in the area were able to restrain the mentally unstable man, while his father was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. At the hospital the injured man was examined and treated, but he died shortly after.

The police have since taken the mentally unstable man into their custody and up to press time he was being held in isolation from other prisoners.

Ali Mohamed has been described as a patient of Dr. Bhiro Harry.

This is the second patient of Dr. Harry to have acted in a very strange way within the last three weeks. On Christmas Eve, a woman who is also a patient of the doctor’s clinic, jumped to her death from the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

Guyanese to receive youth leadership award from Queen Elizabeth

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Leroy Phillips

he British High Commission on Thursday announced that Leroy Phillips from Guyana is one of 60 young people from across the Commonwealth who are being recognised as exceptional leaders in their community. These 60 young people are the first ever to receive a prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award, the release said.

Leroy became blind at the age of six and faced intense discrimination at school, the citation says. He now

works hard to improve access to education for all. Leroy’s achievements include speaking about this issue at a conference in Brussels, where he shared the platform with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The Award, which will be presented in London

by Queen Elizabeth in June, and is part of The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme, celebrates the achievements of young people who are taking the lead to transform the lives of others and make a lasting difference in their communities.

This year’s Award winners, aged between 18 and 29 and who come from all over the Commonwealth, are working to support others, raise awareness and inspire change on a variety of different issues including; education, climate change, gender equality, mental health and disability equality.

Gy$126.5M Hare Krishna Temple to be opened in 2016

The ISKCON Centre located at Sri Gaura Nitai Ashirvad Mandir, Lot B, Nauville Flanders (Crane Old Road), West Coast Demerara

By Devina Samaroo

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he International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ (ISKCON) Hare Krishna Movement is currently constructing a three-storey Temple at Lot 1 First Street, University of Guyana Road, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara to the tune of Gy$126.5 Million.

The Temple, NimaiPandit and Study Centre, will in fact be more than just a place of worship for Guyanese.

Since the Hare Krishna movement is not a Hindu-centered association, but a movement to unite all Guyanese and promote the message of peace, unity, national wellbeing and God consciousness, the building

will be a representation of that idea.

“It will be one that everyone can relate with,” representative of the Hare Krishna Movement, Krishna Davenand said.

The structure will be 140 by 140 feet, making it the largest temple in all of South America.

Work is currently being done to construct the first floor of the building which will house a restaurant, multipurpose hall, a cultural centre and a kitchen.

The second floor will have a temple hall, an academic library, conference rooms and a gift shop while the top floor will house (4) four guest rooms, a Brashmachari Ashram, students’ dormitory and ZARA Learning and Research

Centre.

The project is being funded by generous donations from well-wishers.

Since there is a great decline in morality and God consciousness in the population at large, the mission of the temple would be to assist all Guyanese in their spiritual training and development and to enhance the society through the promotion of spiritual education, high moral values and strong personal development.

ISKCON in New York.

At the time, he had one small storefront on New York’s Lower East-Side, and a handful of students.

Today, there are nearly four hundred ISKCON centers all over

the world, and thousands of ISKCON devotees.

ISKCON is behind some prestigious educational institutions, such as Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium, ISKCON charities such as Food for Life and ISKCON Food Relief Foundation have fed millions of needy and starving people all over the world.

Many highly influential people are now ISKCON devotees, and ISKCON itself is wellrespected by governments of some countries.

In Guyana, ISKCON centers are located on the Essequibo Coast, in Berbice, West Coast, Williamsburg and Georgetown.

Free access to wide variety of academic resources The temple will provide free access to all

50th Anniversary

The Temple will be officially opened on July 11, 2016, commemorating with the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON. On July 11, 1966, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada officially registered his

ISKCON Temple Hall

Vedic literatures, free access to a wide variety of academic resources; provide facilities where religious conferences and meetings can be held, present the rich Vedic heritage of ancient India, and much more.

Meanwhile, the dormitory facilities will be primarily for male students who wish to continue to be trained in or practice God consciousness while pursuing or continuing their University studies at the University of Guyana.

In a nutshell, the vision is to create a complete Vedic cultural and spiritual house under one roof with workshops, philosophy lectures, chanting, yoga, meditation, art, music, cuisine, ancient spiritual traditions, personality development, character building, counseling and most of all God consciousness.

22 NEWS

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

The foundation of major projects will be laid this year – Nandlall

L

egal Affairs Minister and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall has reaffirmed the PPP/C administration’s commitment to continued development in spite of challenges faced under the new political dispensation.

Referring to President Donald Ramotar’s New Year’s message to the nation about 2015 being a year of continued development, Minister Nandlall said the message ought to be viewed from a holistic perspective.

“It seeks to outline a plan which is a continuation of a developmental trajectory started under this administration several years ago, and the going forward of this plan towards the attainment of set objectives.”

Nandlall said 2015 is a link in that chain of development as President Ramotar had pointed out the consistency of economic growth over the years. In 2014, Guyana

experienced its ninth consecutive year of economic growth.

Minister Nandlall noted it is a fact that Guyana has continued along a positive growth path as it has been able to keep inflation rate in single digit figure, and interest rates at the bank stable; all of which speak to sound macro-economic factors which the administration has worked hard to achieve.

“Once we have these mechanisms in place then we can move forward to advance the developmental trajectory of our country, and it is in that context that the president’s speech ought to be situated in my respectful view.”

Reiterating some of the developmental plans for 2015, the Attorney General spoke of several new modern highways on which works are expected to commence shortly. Some of these will include the continuation of the East Bank and East

Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General Anil Nandlall

Coast four-lane road, the West Coast of Demerara, the East Bank of Berbice and the new highway into the city from Diamond to Eccles.

On January 8, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed President Donald Ramotar that his country has approved a US$50 Million line of credit for the East Bank

Demerara road development, US$8 Million to assist in the acquisition of an ocean ferry vessel, and the establishment of an Information technology centre. “…Having achieved the important macroeconomic stability we now have to look at the other aspect of development so the linking of roadways

is a significant step in that direction,” Minister Nandlall said.

He added that the administration has recognised this aspect of development, and how important it is to make available, quick access from production sites to market, and having modern roadways for the country.

Speaking of other investment plans for 2015, he pointed to construction of the bridge over the Corentyne River linking Guyana and Suriname, a paved highway to Brazil and a new modern deep water harbour.

These, the Minister reiterated are significant transformational projects which may not all materialise in 2015, but this is the year where the foundational works will begin.

“Work indeed has already commenced at Crabwood Creek where the bridge across the Corentyne is expected to fall, a Memorandum

of Understanding exists between the government and a consortium in Brazil in relation to the road from Lethem to Linden, and then from Linden we have to determine how you move to reach the deep water harbour.”

The intention, he explained, is to provide for a deep-water harbour and access to the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil.

“For years now we have been speaking about South to South trade and development, and for years we have recognised that that is where we have to go; Brazil is the fifth largest economy in the world.”

With these developments coming on stream and Guyana being opened to the south and new possibilities, Minister Nandlall noted that the administration has to ensure that it is ready and qualified to access the type of assistance that will be offered.

(GINA extract)

Rohee concerned PNCR wrangling 19 mining equipment suppliers could harm electoral process getting duty-free waivers

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PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee

he ongoing internal conflict of the A partnership for National Unity (APNU) and its mother party, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), could not only harm the parties themselves, but the electoral process.

APNU and PNCR Leader David Granger has reportedly come under severe criticism from grassroots supporters for imposing a militarised structure on the leadership of the coalition, drawing a wide crosssection of former military personnel to serve at its helm. Concerns grew also over the alleged increasing isolation of party stalwarts from leadership within the APNU. These among other issues, including the recent announcement by the party leader that he was foregoing a previous decision to use the primaries model for the selection of a Presidential

Candidate for the party, have reportedly stirred up trouble within the PNCR, the major player within the APNU coalition.

General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Clement Rohee on Monday said that his party is very much concerned about these issues. “We are not like the others, we operate differently, we believe in multi party democracy and the PNCR has been one of the main players in the democratic and electoral processes since 1992.

We are firm believers and adherers to political stability… we don’t want the kind of instability that will flow from the wrangling we see taking place in the PNCR. If there is political stability that means that we will go to the elections in good stead and that is what we would like to see,” Rohee told reporters on Monday.

The General Secretary cited the recent clash in Linden reportedly between supporters of Granger and one time leadership contender Sharma Solomon.

That clash saw Solomon’s supporters confronting supporters of the party leader, in matters relating to the PNCR’s Linden Office.

That matter is seemingly unresolved. Rohee opined too that the decision by APNU to enter secret talks with the AFC on moves toward a coalition, without consulting with the electorate, puts the party at a desperate point at the political crossroad.

Party faithful are fearful that in a horse trading and bargaining process between the PNCR and the AFC, the PNCR could very well end up sealing the Presidential Candidate and key positions to outsiders, who made no contribution to the struggles nor strengthening of the PNCR. Rohee said many party stalwarts have indicated that there is a growing sense of alienation, dissolution and demoralisation among the PNCR/APNU membership. According to him, all these could prove harmful to the political fortune for the party at the upcoming General and Regional Elections.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud

A

mid criticisms that it is not doing enough to cushion the impacts of the slump in gold prices on local miners, the Guyana Government has disclosed that it has implemented a range of measures, including the granting of tax waivers to mining equipment suppliers.

In a statement, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said that Guyana’s gold mining sector has a sound footing and continues to grow.

However, it noted that the sector is vulnerable to international market conditions. Noting that the gold mining sector has been the catalyst for economic growth and has improved the economic well-being of citizens, the ministry said

this has been achieved because of the consistently rising levels of gold declaration over the last decade. “The importance of the gold mining sector to our economy cannot be over emphasized since gold has been the largest earner of foreign revenue for the last seven years.”

It is in this light that given the low gold prices on the international markets and the resulting impact on the mining operations and the mining sector, the Government of Guyana (GoG), through the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), engaged the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and identified areas of concern and implemented measures aimed at ensuring that the sector remains viable.

In this regard, specific interventions were made and are continuing, to support the sector and ensure its survival, continued growth and contribution to national development.

According to the ministry significant progress has been made through constructive dialogue at the level of the InterMinisterial Task Force that was formed to undertake specific interventions aimed at supporting and streamlining the sector.

To date, the Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment have succeeded in completing several interventions in support of the sector.

Among them, the ministry said is duty free waivers on spares and equipment.

The ministry said it continued on page 24

The adoption and use of mercury free and improved recovery technologies are even more critical now given the low gold pricesexperienced by the sector

NEWS 23

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyanese businesses seek level playing field on tax system H

ead of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Khurshid Sattaur has said the tax body is currently in talks with the Chinese Association in Guyana to work around a system which will enable the unregistered businesses to begin remitting Value Added Tax (VAT).

Some Chinese businesses operating in Guyana, Sattaur said, are not registered and thereby cannot include VAT in their selling price, neither are they required to remit taxes to the GRA. The situation has not surprisingly placed a damper on smaller businesses, which have been complaining that things are “not too bright” for them.

Local businesses, particularly over the recent Christmas season, have complained about the drop in sales. They had attributed that decline to the high presence of Chinese businesses and their low price tags because of exemption from charging VAT. Branch Manager

of National Hardware on Water Street, Georgetown Ganesh Niranjam had told Guyana Times International that Christmas shopping at the Water Street location had seen a massive downfall when compared to previous years.

Exemption?

He said Guyanese seem to be rushing to find more affordable items from the Chineseowned stores which are at an advantage because goods are being sold with the exemption of VAT. Similar sentiments were expressed

by Ashmin’s Trading on High Street, Georgetown. A spokesperson for the business related that sale decline within the company was probably caused because of the number of Chinese stores around that are creating “unfair competition”.

GTI had visited several Chinese businesses in downtown Georgetown over the last two weeks to make observations on business operations and find out from them

Commissioner General of GRA Kurshid Sattaur

President of the Association of Chinese Enterprises, Andrew Chin

if they were indeed paying VAT. The Chinese nationals all responded in the negative. While concerns mount over the drop in sales, businesses are equally peeved that the Chinese entities have obtained all rights to operate without being registered.

The GRA boss had defied the cries of the local businesses over the nonremittance of VAT by these entities, positing that they have failed to understand the benefits available.

Meanwhile, speaking with GTI, Chairman

of the Trade and Investment SubCommittee of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Ramesh Dookhoo said that the organisation has been receiving numerous complaints from local businesses about the major losses because the Chinese businesses are not paying taxes.

He revealed too that the Asian nationals are also exempt from paying insurance with the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). The situation can only be remedied when the relevant authority intervenes,

Dookhoo said, pointing out that the PSC has already filed an official complaint with the body.

Addressing the nonregistration issue of the Chinese businesses, Dukhoo said there is a voluntary registration system that is open to all businesses. It is however compulsory for a business to become registered if it is making in excess of Gy$10 million per year.

The onus is therefore on the GRA to ensure that all businesses are appropriately registered, Dukhoo said.

Dukhoo said the PSC has nothing against the Chinese nationals, only that they comply with the law, and added that if the freedom was being given to any other nationality, the organisation would have been just as vigilant and concerned.

Suriname

He noted that the PSC has always come under fire from the Chinese nationals for raising the issue which has removed “a level playing field” for all businesses.

However, while the PSC awaits action from the authority, it will not sit on the “wayside and see” this level of unfairness against local businesses. He pointed out that many of the Chinese businesses in Guyana have come across from neighbouring Suriname, because the authority there took actions that officials in Guyana have failed to take.

The VAT system, which was introduced in Guyana in January 2007, is part of Government’s plan to modernise and streamline the taxation system. It was introduced on several local consumption items together with an Excise Tax (ET) on motor vehicles, petroleum, tobacco products and alcohol.

Sattuar told GTI that the non-remittance of tax was among the major concerns highlighted when VAT was being promoted. The underlying issue is that if a business is not registered then it cannot include VAT in its selling price.

Local Chinese businesses fall under this continued on page 24

24 NEWS

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

New school, hospital for Region 2 this year

By Indrawattie Natram

M

ajor plans are in store for Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), the Regional Chairman Parmanand Persaud has said.

Speaking with Guyana Times International during a recent interview, Persaud said emphasis will be placed on the health, education and energy sectors, as the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) works closely with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration to move the region forward in 2015.

He pointed out that in the health sector, a state-of-the-art hospital will be constructed within the compound of the Suddie Public Hospital.

Additionally, a new wing will be added to the Charity Oscar Joseph

Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud

Hospital to facilitate surgeries.

As the RDC works to improve regional health facilities, he said provisions will be made to have another batch of residential doctors and surgeons deployed to the region.

Meanwhile, in the education sector, a new building will be constructed for the Abrams

Zuil Secondary School while a secondary school programme will be implemented in Upper Pomeroon. Maintenance work will also be executed on other schools within the district.

The regional chairman further disclosed, Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL’s) intention to install three new Wartsila power plants in

the region, in an effort to boost the supply of electricity.

He pointed out that in the field of agriculture, a Rice Cereal Factory will be constructed. Local farmers, he said will be encouraged to supply the factory with their paddies.

But Persaud made it clear that the RDC’s plans would materialise if they are approved by the National Assembly.

Reflecting on 2014, Persaud said though the region was confronted with several challenges; the RDC was successful in completing its capital and current work programmes. The council completed 100 per cent of the projects that were outlined under the 2014 capital work programme while it achieved 99.6 per cent of the plans outlined under the current programme.

19 mining equipment suppliers getting... supported the request for the waiver of tariffs and duties on equipment and spares and this was granted by the Government and implemented by the Guyana Revenue Authority. “A list of nineteen (19) suppliers of mining equipment and spares was approved for tax waivers on the importation of said equipment. This will reduce the cost of spares and critical supplies for miners and is an addition to the items that are currently imported duty free, such as Pumps, Flexes, and Matting etc.”

Additionally, the ministry said given the request and appeals of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association regarding the high cost of fuel as a main input into the production process, a fuel importation Licence was granted to allow for the cheaper importation of fuel.

Development Fund

The statement said too that Government,

from page 22

Ministry and stakeholders of the sector, most importantly GGDMA, are aware of the need to increase gold recoveries and eliminate the use of mercury in the gold extraction process.

The adoption and use of mercury free and improved recovery technologies is even more critical now given the low gold prices experienced by the sector. In this regard, the Government and GGDMA agreed and established a Mercury Free Mining Development Fund of GYD1B aimed at promoting the use of mercury free and improved recovery technologies.

Collaborative work between GGDMA and GGMC are ongoing to identify and test the various technology available so that these processes can be adopted by mining operations and thus ensure greater recoveries, reduced costs, increased revenues and ultimately a sustainable gold mining sector.

Opposition display lack of regard for PPP/C supporters – Teixeira

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residential Advisor and Political Scientist Gail Teixeira says if any of the opposition political parties become Government they would lack regard for the supporters of the ruling People’s Progressive Part/Civic administration.

Speaking during a televised interview, she said that the behavioural pattern of these opposi-

tion parties suggests a lack of patriotism and respect for the democratic norms and traditions of the country.

Teixeira explained that these trends are dangerous.

“If you’re in the opposition, you speak for all Guyanese, you speak for all the people, obviously you have supporters in different groups, the opposition have, every time in parliament on major

issues…they speak about their constituency, therefore are they saying to the people that voted for the PPP/C that they don’t count? That if they were to get into Government then they don’t count?”

She further stated that actions from members of the Opposition clearly depict that Guyana will be governed by dictators if they were to be elected Government in the upcoming elec-

tions.

“The Opposition, I believe, are the ones that are dictatorial. They’re the ones; you have a rather unusual situation in Guyana where the opposition are in fact the dictatorship.”

Teixeira explained that the Opposition had abused their one-seat majority in parliament to rule Guyana outside of government, by shutting down major projects that could have benefited the nation.

“They feel that they can run the government from outside of government, they feel that they can run the government from parliament, they can cut the budget…”

She said the Opposition, over the past (3) three years, axed some G$90 Billion from the country’s bud-

Presidential Advisor and Political Scientist Gail Teixeira

get therefore forcing the Government to become unpopular since they cannot deliver the goods.

“So basically, the Opposition have been misbehaving and I say to the Guyanese public, do not take lightly the behaviour of the opposition…because they’re casting their shadow as to what could happen if they were to ever get into government.”

Considering the opposition members are taking “anti-national and dictatorial positions” outside of Government, Teixeira noted that one would “hate” to think what would happen if they become the ruling administration.

On the topic of dictatorship, Teixeira highlighted that the accusation of the PPP/C being a nondemocratic party is absolutely incorrect.

She pointed out that if Guyana was indeed under dictatorial rule, then freedom of speech, press freedom, the right to protest, among other human rights would be nonexistent.

Given the fact APNU/ PNC’s history came out of a background of dictatorship, the chances of them becoming dictatorial again are high.

Guyanese businesses seek...

from page 25

category, the GRA boss explained. Sattaur said that he is not concerned that the Chinese businesses are not paying VAT, since, while they may not have a commitment with the revenue body, they are still required by law to pay import tax on their goods.

Unlike other businesses, the unregistered Chinese companies do not benefit from GRA. This includes the billions of dollars that are refunded to local businesses. The GRA head related that many businesses even escape scot-

free after filing “fictitious” claims for refund.

This could get pass GRA because the organisation lacks the necessary monitoring systems in this regard.

Sattaur reiterated that the VAT system, which exists in more than 150 countries around the world, was designed for societies that have highly credible businesses.

He couldn’t say the same for Guyana, since many businesses are cheating the system. The revenue body repays in excess of Gy$4 billion annually to businesses, the

GRA head said.

Meanwhile, President of the Association of Chinese Enterprises in Guyana Andrew Chin said he could not comment on the issue since the recently established organisation does not represent the smaller Chinese retail businesses across Guyana.

He reiterated that the Association was formed to assist largescale entrepreneurs in Guyana. These include the Baishanlin, China Trading and China Harbour and China Railway.

NEWS 25

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Tuschen triple murder: More questions than answers A

lthough a father and his son have been charged for the gruesome murder of three people in Tuschen, Region Three (Essequibo Island-West Demerara), residents are still at a loss as to what may caused the perpetrators to resort to such cruelty.

On the night of December 18, 2014, Joshua Franklin allegedly hacked three persons to death: his former reputed wife’s lover, Floyd Drakes; her nine-yearold daughter, Ashley Boodhoo; and her mother, Bibi Zalina Khan, 55.

Franklin’s reputed wife, Geeta Boodhoo managed to escape, despite being severely chopped.

Franklin and his 21-year-old son Jimmy Franklin were subsequently remanded for the heinous crime.

Franklin’s son was identified by the Police as an accomplice.

Close to a month later, residents remain baffled. Some say they cannot fathom what may have led such a quiet and easygoing man to commit such a heinous act while others are contending that the couple (Franklin and Boodhoo) shared a

Joshua Franklin

violent relationship.

According to a resident who operates a shop in the area, Boodhoo might have pushed the cane cutter to commit the act. She contended that while the man was hard at work, the woman “flirted out the money”.

The woman said she was concerned for the well-being of Boodhoo’s six young children when Franklin was given a restraining order and instructed to leave the home.

“Sometimes for days she kept the children away from school and she would send them to different shops to buy

cigarettes for the man when he comes over to visit,” the woman said.

Another resident added that Franklin, who rarely consumed alcohol, may have committed the act because of the alleged infidelity of his spouse.

“No one expected that, but people used to tell him about the man. He used to hear but he never used to believe,” the resident said. The man emphasised that Franklin was a quiet individual.

Others said the alleged murderer was “controlling.” One resident said there were times when he forbade Boodhoo from talking to persons he disliked.

There was talk of constant arguments in the home by other residents.

Reference was made to the bitter argument that resulted in Franklin being arrested, taken to court and jailed for three months before being placed on a restraining order.

Some residents dismissed the allegation that Boodhoo was unfaithful, contending that she and Drakes shared a relationship after Franklin was given the restraining order.

Nevertheless, on the night of the gruesome murder, Franklin allegedly broke several louver window panes in his quest to gain access to Boodhoo’s house. The occupants were chopped indiscriminately.

Ashley was in the bedroom with her five siblings (two of the children are the suspect’s) when she heard the commotion and went to the aid of her mother, but

not before instructing her brothers and sisters to hide under a bed. As she ventured to the living room area, she was chopped several times

by Franklin. In a bid to escape, she ran towards the kitchen area where she collapsed and later died.

Khan reportedly died in the living room while Drakes was found next to a toilet in the yard.

Boodhoo managed to es-

cape and hid at a neighbour’s home.

After committing the gruesome act, Franklin went into hiding. He was subsequently arrested on Boxing Day by Police ranks in Tuschen’s backlands.

Franklin and his son were later charged with four counts of murder.

They are currently on remand, awaiting a second court hearing set for March 11.

The house in which the heinous crime was commited

26 NEWS

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Badal not serious with offer to invest US$8M in Marriott – AHI

A

tlantic Hotel Inc (AHI), owner of the Marriott Hotel in Guyana, has said that Robert Badal, Chairman and Managing Director of Guyana Stockfeeds and owner of the Pegasus Hotel, is not serious with his offer to invest US$8M in the Marriott Hotel development in order to become a majority shareholder.

In a statement, AHI said advertisements inviting investors’ expressions of interest to participate in the Marriott Hotel Project’s private equity were widely published since 2009, both

locally and internationally, and were placed in all of Guyana’s Embassies and Consulates abroad.

“Yet not a single local investor, including Badal, had expressed an interest in investing in the Marriott Project. On the contrary he has vehemently opposed this project,” AHI said.

According to AHI, in 2013, it announced it had secured an investor.

However, it was not until May last year that AHI and Republic Bank were able to release the name of the investor.

“AHI wishes to make it clear that it has not,

The Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown

at any time prior to or since Badal’s statement, received any expression of interest from Badal or any of his representatives in investing in

AHI’s Marriott Hotel Project private equity,” the release said.

AHI added: “It is perhaps worth pointing out that both the Stabroek

News and Kaieteur News, in October 2013, reported extensively on a statement issued

by Badal attacking the Feasibility Study (major portions were released

by AHI to the media) as “unrealistic assumptions”.

In his statement, Badal predicted “crippling operating losses” for the hotel, “with no cash flow being available to cover interest rate payments, as this outfit would not even realise 15 per cent occupancy”.

Badal went on to say that the hotel “would rapidly lead to bankrupt-

cy”. He said that “it is no surprise that no credible investor showed any interest in this project”.

AHI pointed out that the terms and conditions for the investment and the incentives offered, including those which Badal is now reported to be finding so attractive, were a matter of public record since 2012 and have not changed from the inception of the project up to the time of the closing date of the publicly advertised “Expressions of Interest” for private investors for the US$8M on March 12, 2012.

Male gang-raped teen critical … identified suspects before admission to hospital

By Bhisham Mohamed

T

he mother of the 18-year-old boy who was reportedly gang-raped by several men, including his best friend, at a house in Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara on Old Year’s Night is hoping for her son to recover so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice.

The teenager, an employee of a supermarket on the WBD, remains in critical condition at

the Georgetown Public Hospital. After several days of running to and from the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) to receive treatment, he was finally admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital after the intervention of a senior staff at the medical facility.

Night of the incident

She recalled her son leaving home on the night of the incident to attend a party, but after time elapsed and he did not return home, she

got worried. In the act of picking up her phone to call the young man, it rang and a friend of her son was on the other end. He informed her that her son would be spending the night at his place.

The woman added some time later, her phone rang again and this time, it was her daughter who asked her to come to her home immediately. “She tell me, come see what dem do to mi brother”. Upon receiving the call, she pan-

icked but eventually went to her daughter’s place where she saw her son trembling and bleeding. “When I reach like he went hysterical and saying people coming to shoot me… and they say dem coming to kill he family, but he nah go allow dah.”

The next day, she took him home and he started to cry out for abdominal pain, so she took him to use the washroom and it was then she realised the extent of the injuries her

son sustained.

She took him to the Police Station at Wales and one of the officers accompanied them to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was examined and it was confirmed that he was raped by not one but several persons. He was given tablets and other medication and sent away.

“After he start vomit slime and blood… then stuff start come out he mouth so I tek he back to the hospital but they

refer he to town and was then after I behave lil bad, they admit he.”

To date, she said her son’s friend has not told them what occurred on the night except that they were at a party after which, they went to his house. The suspect’s relatives reportedly offered the victim’s family compensation and vented their anger that they had involved the Police in the issue claiming that it was “a little matter that can be worked out”.

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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India-funded ferry for North West … MV Kimbia to be dispatched to Berbice River

By Vahnu Manikchand

T

he ferry to be acquired with the Gy$1.6 billion (US$8 million) loan recently approved by the Indian Government will service the GeorgetownNorth-West District (NWD) route, Transport Minister Robeson Benn has said.

Benn, on Friday, explained that the Guyana Government had written to India requesting funding for the ferry. He noted that there were prior discussions between the two Governments on the matter.

President Donald Ramotar is currently in India where he is attending the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Gandhinagar, Gujrat, India. On Wednesday, a meeting was held on the sidelines between India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and President Ramotar during which it was revealed that the Indian Government would grant a line of credit to purchase an ocean ferry.

“India has also agreed to concessional credit to supply a passenger ferry to help Guyana overcome transportation problems in the northern region,” a release published on the Press Information Bureau website stated.

Questioned about whether the ferry will

The MV Kimbia is likely to be relocated to service the New Amsterdam-Berbice River route in the near future

be built in Guyana or sourced from India since that is the country providing the finances, Minister Benn told the Guyana Times International that he could not say at this time, since he was not aware of what arrangements were made in India and would have to await the return of President Ramotar to get details of the agreement.

New, improved services

Nevertheless, the Minister disclosed that on the arrival of the new ferry, residents of the North-West region can expect new and im-

proved services.

According to the Minister, there are currently two ferries that operate the NorthWest route. MV Kimbia runs the Georgetown to Mabaruma and Komaka routes in Region One (Barima-Waini) while MV Lady Northcote plies the Georgetown to Port Kaituma route.

He further stated that after the new vessel was in place, Government would remove the two existing ferries, one of which will be put out of service while the other would be sent to Region Six ( East Berbice-Corentyne) to

service the Berbice River route. The Minister stated that MV Kimbia would most likely be the vessel transferred to the Berbice River, since it was initially built to operate there; however, this was not confirmed since plans were still being made.

Over the years, there have been calls for the re-introduction of the ferry service in the Berbice River.

Currently, farmers and residents from villages along the Berbice River use small boats to travel and get produce out.

The MV Kimbia is a passenger and cargo

Moray House hosts discussions on race – can Guyana’s multi-ethnic society provide a positive example?

“R

Floor open for discussion among attendees

ace: A Guided Discussion” is a knowledge-sharing platform event facilitated by Dr. Paloma Mohamed, social psychologist on sabbatical from the University of Guyana and hosted by the Moray House Trust, Camp and Quamina Streets Georgetown.

The discussion on the topic will be spilt in five sessions where all Guyanese can participate to share their personal experiences, their own conceptions of ‘race’ and the implications of scientific findings of a common genetic basis for all humanity upon culture, history and life.

The first of the five

sessions, which took place at Moray House Trust on Thursday last, focused on the question of whether or not there is a scientific basis for the notion of ‘race’.

After viewing the prize winning geographic film “Journey of Man”, the floor was open for discussion among approximately

40 persons which lasted for more than one hour.

The documentary is based on a book by Spencer Wells which points out, on the basis of genetic evidence, that all human beings in existence now descend from one single man who lived in Africa some 60,000 years ago.

The earliest groups of humans are believed to find their present-day descendants among the San people, a group that is now found in western southern Africa.

The next session, entitled Race: Burning the Illusion” will be held on Thursday 22 at Moray House Trust at 5:30pm.

Future sessions will examine the representation of race in Guyanese writing, issues of racism, tribalism and discrimination and whether Guyana’s multi-ethnic society can provide a positive example for the world.

vessel that has the capacity to transport 200 passengers. It is said to be one of the oldest vessels in the maritime public transport system and has served the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) for more than 70 years.

Back in 2009, it had undergone repairs in the Vieira drydock facility located at Houston, Greater Georgetown. It was reported that some Gy$35 million in Capital Expenditure was budgeted for repairs on the vessel, but a Gy$53 million contract was signed.

While repair works were being done additional problems were discovered and another Gy$30 million had to be expended.

Then in 2013, MV Kimbia found itself back in a dockyard, this time at the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC), where it was for several months undergoing painstaking repairs. During the repair process, maintenance workers once again discovered a series of mechanical problems. A Gy$118 million contract was signed for the vessel to be docked at the GNIC facility.

Meanwhile in 2012, Minister Benn had told the National Assembly that MV Lady Northcote would have been put out of service due to obsolescence of its parts be-

cause of the vessel’s age.

Lady Northcote is said to be about 77 years old, making it the oldest vessel of the T&HD fleet.

In March 2012, the ferry was docked for about two weeks after it caught fire while on its way to Georgetown from the North West. The fire was said to have been caused by an oil leak in its engine room. The Captain and crew members took swift action, following the necessary regulations to extinguish the flames. While none of the 49 passengers on board were injured, a vehicle that was parked near the engine room sustained damage. Following this incident, engineers worked round-the-clock to repair the vessel and within 20 days it was back in operation.

A few years ago, the Governments of Guyana and China entered into an agreement to provide Guyana with two roll-on/roll-off ferries valued some US$14.4 million. The two vessels, The Sabanto and The Kanawan, arrived in January 2012, and were handed over to Government. The ferries contain modern facilities such as a VIP Lounge and have the capacity to seat some 800 passengers and ferry 20 lorries or 44 cars. They are currently operating in the Essequibo River.

Falling oil prices…

LIAT reduces fuel surcharge on tickets

R

egional Airline LIAT on Friday announced that it is reducing the fuel surcharge on tickets.

Chief Executive Officer David Evans said effective January 15, 2015 the fuel surcharge will be reduced by 50 per cent for all new bookings.

LIAT first introduced a fuel surcharge in 2003, in the wake of increasing fuel prices. In 2009 when the prices went down, the company took a decision to remove the fuel

surcharge.

However, in 2011, LIAT re-introduced the fuel surcharge in response to months of spiraling jet fuel prices.

That year alone, LIAT spent US$22 million on fuel, or 18 per cent of total costs. The price of both jet fuel (the fuel used by airlines), and crude oil have been falling recently. Mr. Evans said, being fully aware of the impact rising fuel prices have had on customers, it is only fitting that they benefit from the decreased prices.

Arts & culture 29

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

ER Burrowes

E

dward Rupert Burrowes was a renowned artist, art teacher (1903 – 1966) and founder of the Working People’s Art Class (WPAC). He is popularly known as the ‘Father of Guyanese art’.

Well-known local artist Stanley Greaves has stated of Burrowes, “... the picture that emerges of Burrowes was really that of an intellectual who used art to express his feelings and thoughts about aspects of his life and experiences. In his way he was doing what AJ Seymour was doing in literature”.

Greaves noted that at the end of Burrowes’ career, persons often wondered what would have become of him had he 'The Spirit of Kaieteur' n.d.

'Pamona' n.d.

'Guyana Land of Dolorous Garde' c.1951

elected to pursue occupations other than that of artist and teacher.

“Because of the quality of his innate gifts there is no doubt that he would have excelled and that the nature of his contribution would have enjoyed wider recognition.

On the other hand, the work he did to bring the meaning of art to those interested, and to focus some on the production of art did function to create the beginnings of what Dennis Williams calls the ‘Guyana School’. In this sense the emergence of every generation artists in Guyana serves to widen and maintain his presence among us. His contribution and that of the other pioneers therefore become our living heritage.”

The E R Burrowes School of Art was established in September

1975 with the objective of providing aspiring artists with formal art training and education in an environment in which their talents could develop. The Burrowes School of Art was first housed at the Exhibition Site Sophia, but in 1976, after its accommodation became inadequate, was moved to the more spacious building which was formerly the District Doctor’s

residence, in Old Road, Eccles.

Subsequent moves were made to the former Lillian Dewar College building and later to Carmichael Street.

In 1999 the school was moved to the former History and Arts Council building at 15 Carifesta Avenue, where it is still housed.

To quote former Principal, Keith Agard: “The purpose of this institution, therefore is not

merely the preparation of students for artistic callings but also to supplement other educational institutions in Guyana by offering to young men and women opportunities for special work that shall equip them for life’s problems and for making meaningful contributions to the development of their country through specialized areas of work.” (Photos courtesy of Castellani House)

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View of Aishalton Village

by James Broscombe

A

ishalton Village is about 60 miles southeast of Lethem in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region, in the Rupununi savannah of southern Guyana. With a population of more than 1,200, it is the home of mostly Wapisiana Amerindians.

Its famous petroglyphs can be found near the village, where acclaimed Guyanese anthropologist Denis Williams did extensive studies and theses on them. “The Aishalton Petroglyph Complex in the Prehistory of the Rupununi Savannas” authored by Williams, was submitted to the

University of Guyana in 1979.

The drink of choice is ‘parakari’, a local drink made from fer-

Petroglyph on rocks found in Aishalton

mented cassava in a complicated process involving up to thirty different stages. The result is a thick, greyish-brown brew, widely varying in strength and quality.

If it is sweet, it can be drunk almost like water; if it is bitter, then it is a sign that the sugars have been turned into alcohol. It is commonly served out of a bucket, and traditionally drunk by the bowlful. According to custom, the “sharer”, whose job it is to replenish empty vessels, should return a shot for everyone he distributes.

The National Library service established a library in Aishalton in 1976. A hospital was

The engravings are fading as the rains cause erosion and the sun weakens the rock surfaces, but locals come out to trace chalk or paint the engravings so that they’re still visible built in the 1980s, with support from The

Netherlands.

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, stated in a past interview that Guyana is home to some 70,000 indigenous people, approximately 10% of its total population.

She added that the Amerindians continue to play an essential role in the development of Guyana as their contributions in various areas such as education, economic and social development, culture, health and human rights are exemplary.

Despite the remote geographical location, Amerindians have bet-

ter access to education through the construction of schools in their villages, granting of local and international scholarships for Amerindian students to pursue tertiary and secondary education in various disciplines and health care services via the construction of health centres in almost all the villages, and trained Community Health Workers, doctors and other medical personnel.

Aishalton has been one of those Amerindian villages which has benefited from what was stated by Minister Sukhai.

Travel & Tourism 31

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T

he Rewa river emanates in southern Guyana and runs north through primary rainforest to meet the white waters of the Rupununi River.

The river runs black, and the lower part of the river is wide with high, white sand beaches. About 60 miles upriver, the river changes and gets narrower with rocky bars interspersed with sandy beaches. Camping on the beaches is an exciting experience.

One of the fun activities at Rewa is fishing. Peacock bass, arawana, swordfish, payara, large catfish and pacu thrive in these waters. Rewa is also known for

One of the many beaches on the crystal water of the Rewa river

Camping on the beach Guides portaging a boat through the river rapids

Thunderstorm at Rewa river beach its healthy populations of arapaima, the largest scaled fresh water fish in the world, which can be observed surfacing in many of the oxbow lakes and ponds.

Due to the remoteness of the Rewa river, wildlife viewing is excellent. Numerous species may be observed: tapir, capybara, brocket deer, peccaries, ocelot, jaguar, and seven of the eight species of Guyana’s monkeys. Giant otters, black and spectacled caiman and giant river turtles patrol the waters and bask on the sandbanks.

With its rich biodiversity and white sand beaches, Rewa is a beauty to behold. (Photos by David Johnstone)

32 feature

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The Shaping of Guyanese Literature

The Prize within the Prize

By Petamber Persaud

T

he recent announcement by the Guyana Prize for Literature caused me to revisit my writings on the Prize; amazed at the amount of scholarship I have produced over the years. And yet there is much more to be said about the Prize, good and bad.

While there are writers who have won the Prize three times, and are still writing with a chance to win the Prize for a fourth time, there are many writers hoping to mark-up their first win. Despite the fact that one writer has won the Prize an unprecedented four times, there is still room at the top as revealed by the last awarding of the Prize, which brought to the fore little known writers who won in various categories: Chaitram Singh (fiction), Cassia Alphonso (poetry) and Mosa Telford (drama).

Literally, the Guyana Prize for Literature is one of the best machinations to have happened on the landscape of Guyanese literature. It has provided “a focus for the rec-

ognition of the creative writing of Guyanese at home and abroad” and has stimulated “interest in, and provide encouragement for, the development of good creative among Guyanese”.

Since the first awarding of the Prize in 1987, there were more than 100 entries on shortlists, works authored by some 60 writers. If each entry on the shortlists has the potential to be a winner, then the Prize was responsible for bringing to the fore more than 100 outstanding books/manuscripts.

Additionally, of those 60-odd writers, the Prize was responsible for refocusing attention on the established writers and opening a world of opportunities for emerging writers. So the Guyanese bibliography has been extended and the who’s who of men and women of letters enhanced.

The Guyana Prize for Literature, established in 1987 by the then President of Guyana Hugh Desmond Hoyte, who, when making the original announcement on 23 February 1987, said, “The flowering of the intellect, the appre-

The 2012 Guyana Prize for Literature winners

ciation of man’s creative imagination are important.” He further stated that “there is a long tradition of outstanding writers in Guyana’s history.

We should seek to nurture and extend that tradition. More than that, however, the encouragement of good writing has valuable spin-offs in society. It encourages clear thinking and clear expression is vital if success in solving problems is to be achieved…we must give stature and status

to our makers of words as we do to our makers of things”.

Subsequent governments have continued the Guyana Prize for Literature to present day. Endorsing the Prize, former President Dr Cheddi Jagan declared at the Guyana Prize for Literature Award Ceremony on 6 November 1992, “The Guyanese writer has a major role to play in the rebuilding of our society…people engaged in

the arts must see themselves as part of the development process.”

Writing is an ongoing process. While some writers write to win prizes, others write to share/ communicate, to entertain, to guide, to elucidate, to mirror society, to be a barometer to society, to satisfy a basic need, and to write well.

What will this round of the Prize reveal? Who will be a first time winner, a fourth time winner, a fifth time winner?

Who will make only to the short list, again? Will the locals run away with all the top places? Oh, and will I get a special prize?

Among the uncertainties, one thing is assured: Guyana will be the eventual winner as submissions of books and manuscripts serve to preserve and to enhance Guyanese literature.

Responses to this author: telephone (592) 2260065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

News 33

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No more PNM to consider TT Govt’s hanging bill zero days P

By Anu Dev

“I think we judge talent wrong. What do we see as talent? I think I have made the same mistake myself. We judge talent by people’s ability to strike a cricket ball. The sweetness, the timing. That’s the only thing we see as talent. Things like determination, courage, discipline, temperament, these are also talent”― Rahul Dravid.

I

’ve already mentioned that I’d be using what’s left of my holidays to readjust my game-plan for 2015. After some introspection, I realised that one of the areas that I needed to work on was discipline.

I’m nowhere near as disciplined as I should be and I guess that’s why I have so much trouble with procrastination. So, I decided to read up on discipline and different ways that other people managed to stay disciplined.

I stumbled upon r/getdisciplined, a subreddit focused on people trying to get disciplined. And I read a comment by a user (u/ryans01) that was pretty incredible. They brought up a concept called “No more zero days”.

Basically they talked about not having anymore “zero days” ― days that you didn’t do a single thing towards your goals. So, if it’s 23:58 that night, and you didn’t manage to do anything―read one paragraph or do one push-up, whatever your goal is, do a little something towards achieving that goal.

Just don’t have anymore “zero days”. Those “non-zero” days will add up and gradually it’ll be easier to get up and do something.

Lots of people talk about the importance of motivation and getting motivated. And I used to think that I needed to get motivated before I can get something done. But the thing with motivation is that it’s based on you feeling like getting something done- and feelings can be so unreliable.

If something upsets you, or if you’re feeling a little rundown or in a bit of a bad mood, the chances that you’ll feel like getting through a Powerpoint on the Pituitary Gland instead of curling up in bed with an episode of 30 Rock are pretty slim.

I used to wait around for that feeling of motivation, but most times, I could never really muster enough of that feeling to actually get things done. And then the deadlines would inch nearer and nearer, and driven by panic and the desire to not fail, I would burst into a flurry of activity, getting things done at a manic pace, just in time to hand in the assignment.

But now I’ve realised that all this time, people have been putting the cart before the horse.

Motivation isn’t the key ― action is. You need action to get motivated, not the opposite way around.

So what if you’re not feeling motivated? That’s fine. The key is to just make a start. Don’t look at the fact that you have 500 more pages to read through. Just say that you’ll read one sentence or just a paragraph. And more often than not, you’ll want to keep going.

And even if you don’t? At least you still chalk up another “non-zero day”.

It feels good to get things done, to know that you’re that much closer to achieving your goal.

And the more you do, the more you’ll be inspired or motivated to keep going.

Here’s to no more zero days!

ORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Public relations officer of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Faris Al Rawi on Saturday said the party will consider the concerns of the Government relating to the reintroduction of legislation in the Parliament to resume hangings in TT. This follows a letter sent by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, dated January 9, calling on the party to offer its considerations for the legislation.

Copies of the letter were issued to media houses on Satruday.

As of Monday, Al Rawi claimed the PNM had not yet received the letter.

“If and when we receive a copy of the letter, we will certainly address it with sincerity,” he told the TT media.

Al Rawi said there has been no difficulty in carrying out hangings in the past as it relates to the constitutionality of

Public relations officer of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Faris Al Rawi (TT Guardian file photo)

the prescribed penalty.

“There is a problem in the administration of justice and the delays in moving from the Assizes through all levels of appeal,” he said.

“The wheels of justice need to be better oiled and, in particular, the State prosecutorial arms of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions need to be given urgent assistance and funding.”

Al Rawi, an attorney, said tinkering with the Constitution will only in-

vite fresh rounds of appeal for persons on Death Row as to the constitutionality of moving away from what he called the “saved present law”.

“This appears to be yet another public relations gimmick of a desperate government willing to try anything to cling to office because it is simply incapable of explaining how a Government could have spent nearly TT$300 billion being nearly the equivalent of nearly 15 budgets added together in five years without any

form of improvement in the criminal justice system,” he said.

In his letter to Rowley, Ramlogan noted he had written to the Opposition Leader on two occasions to solicit proposals from the Opposition that supports the execution of convicted murderers who are sentenced to death.

‘To date I have not received any response from your Office and I, therefore, renew my invitation from you to either indicate your support for the Constitution (Amendment) (Capital Offences) Bill, 2015, or provide a counter proposal for the Government’s consideration,” Ramlogan said.

“Having regard to the PNM’s public declaration of support for the implementation of the death penalty, I write to ask whether the Opposition would be minded to support the Government’s proposed bill to allow the sentence of death to be carried out.” (TT Newsday)

Eddie Murphy talks about his latest reggae song

K

INGSTON, JAMAICA: Remember Eddie Murphy's first scene in the 1982 hit movie 48 Hrs? As Nick Nolte approaches his prison cell, he's belting out Roxanne, a classic reggae song by The Police.

Thirty-three years later, and the comic/actor/ singer is once again trying out his reggae pipes, this time on Oh Jah Jah. The song will be released January 27 by VPAL, a subsidiary of VP Records.

Murphy, 54, spoke to the Jamaican media on Friday. He said Oh Jah Jah was inspired by events that made international headlines last year, such as controversial police shootings in the United States, and the Ebola epidemic that emanated from west Africa.

"I started writing the track about the time those things were going down. I just think the lyric lent itself to reggae because the topics are so serious," he said.

This is not Murphy's first reggae song. In 1993, he did 'I Was a King' with deejay Shabba Ranks; two years ago, he teamed with rapper Snoop Lion on Red Light.

He came to Jamaica 20 years ago to film the video for 'I Was a King in Portland'.

Though Murphy made his name on the weekly television sketch show Saturday Night Live, and movies such as 48 Hrs, Coming to America, Trading Places, Beverly

Hills Cop and The Nutty Professor, he has some music chops.

In 1985, he teamed with Rick James for his first album, How Could it Be, which yielded the hit song, 'Party All The Time'.

That album sold gold (500,000 copies) but Murphy chose not to record a follow-up.

"That was a time when it was like every actor wanted to put out an album and I didn't want to be seen like that," he explained. "For me, music is like a passion. I write different types of music. I've

got hours and hours of music that have not been released."

Born in New York, Murphy was exposed to different sounds in the 1970s. He recalls listening to The Beatles (his favourite act), Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone and Bob Marley on WBLS radio station.

Some of the skits that made him famous on Saturday Night Live were humorous, spot-on impersonations of Wonder and soul legend James Brown.

Murphy stressed that

Eddie Murphy

he has always been serious about music. Songs like 'Oh Jah Jah' are not commercial ventures.

"I'm not trying to make money off it, nothing like that. I might do an album this year but we'll see what the reaction is like to this song," he said.

(Jamaica Observer)

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Precious Landmarks, Monuments of Region Two L

andmarks and monuments narrate the rich history of our nation, and in Essequibo, Region Two, is where many of these are located.

In the south of the Essequibo Coast is the Danielstown Anglican Church. According to Historian Isahack Basir, CCH, in the post indentureship period (18381860) the slaves brought two prominent villages: Queenstown in 1840 and Danielstown.

Danielstown had one of the first two post offices in Essequibo and the first Barclays bank.

Then there is the Devonshire Castle 1872 monument. The monument is located at Cabbage Dam where four sugar workers were killed in 1872. It was the first time when indentured Indian sugar workers were killed in Guyana.

In Cotton Field, approximately a village away from Devonshire Castle, is the Dearoop Maharaj Building Coffee Grove.

This historical building dates back

to 1860s and was formerly owned by a colonial sugar planter, Peter Rose. It was then sold to Santos together with Danielstown.

Later in 1890 it was sold to Dearoop Maharaj, a wealthy man from India.

By 1985 it was purchased by Ivor Allen, and is presently owned

by Ramesh Roopam.

In Anna Regina, another precious landmark is the Anna Regina Chimney. This chimney was one of several chimneys built by the ‘British landlords’.

While Hampton Court Chimney was blast down in 1934, markings on Aurora Chimney reveal its origin in 1908. Anna Regina sugar factory was abandoned in the 1920s as rice industry emerged. By 1950 the Colonials Development Co. CD converted the factory to a rice mill, then GRDB by 1964. It was later sold to Caricom Co in 1991.

Located three miles west of Anna Regina and parallel to the Tapacoma main canal is the Cheddi Jagan Bio Diversity

The three parallel kokers in Hampton Court

Park Lima Sands. The site encounters a high sand dam built by slave labour in the early 17th century to facilitate water supply to several sugar estates from Richmond to Walton Hall. The original canal blocked by an iron punt is noticeable. The Lima Sands, first elevated area from the coast land, was a hiding place for runaway slaves.

The Chinese Lock is located three miles inland of Anna Regina, alongside the road leading to Lake Mainstay.

This structure was made in the period of 1860 by the white plantocracy replacing a Dutch-made bypass prior to 1980.

Anna Regina Chimney

This waterway was the only available inland route to the Pomeroom River, since there was no road from Darthmouth to Charity. Travellers and government officials had to use canoe, paddling for 10 hours to reach the Pomeroon River, passing the police check point at St. Deney’s mission, Tapacoma. Loading and discharging commuters was done in the exiting canal alongside the Anna Regina Chimney.

In Bush Lot, the Settlement Monument is a landmark that was made in 2008 in memory of 75 families who were displaced in 1920 when Anna Regina Sugar Estate closed down simultaneously. The existing logies were broken down and the area was flooded by the landlords.

It was a human disaster of unthinkable proportion, resulting in suicide by hanging and human torch. Some of the mango trees used for suicide are still visible. Abdool Raymon, Mc Doom Khan and Bongawan of Lima witnessed those incidents. The existing Governor Guges Burg came to Essequibo and donated a 20-acre abandoned sugarcane land and allowed the displaced workers to collect all remaining materials to build sheds and mud floor houses. The pres-

ent site was donated by Brother Ramdial, also known as ‘Soap’. The settlement quarters disappeared in 1960.

The history of Damon’s Cross in La Belle Alliance dates back to the uprising of 1834 by Damon and his hundreds of followers.

On the day of the uprising, the long line of protestors was confronted with “white police killers”. There was an existing church in the area and protestors took shelter there, and that was where they were shot and the church burnt down.

In Henrietta, the Red Top Colonial House is approximately 10 decades old. It was used

by Junior Familiar Staff who owned Anna Regina Sugar Estate; at the time when about 50 sugar estates went bankrupt on Essequibo. The manager’s house, a nearby building where Dr Souza once occupied, was built

by Nizam Barakat.

The Henrietta Catholic Church was rebuilt in 1980 and was one of four oldest Catholic churches built under British colonial rule and plantocracy domination.

In Anna Regina, the Damon Monument is a historic monument dominating the landscape of the Anna Regina car park. This masterpiece,

made of bronze, is the icon of Essequibo’s history. The revolution slave of Devonshire Castle sugar estate, Damon, commenced organising his group in the late 1820s, when they heard that the British Parliament in 1807 called for an end to slavery on their “colonial dominion”. The estate owners had a constant eye on him as a group leader.

He would usually escape at night to adjoining estate to garner support for protest. Traditional “hand drums”, which could have relayed messages for miles, were banned on his final assault on the system of slavery in 1834. Damon was caught and taken to Georgetown, where he was hanged in the public view, in the presence of the Parliament Buildings.

Part of the Iron Over Head Bridge (Sowiya Sq.) is still noticeable and is located at the Children Park in Anna Regina. Under slavery and indentureship, movement of workers was restricted. With indentureship, written permission was needed to travel to adjoining estate. Garden cultivation and fishing were prohibited. The existing mud roadways were used by mules to haul cane punts. continued on page 35

TT opera singers wow London audience

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ORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Opera lovers were treated to a grand night of song as TT dramatic soprano Anne Fridal and tenor Ronald Samm performed to a packed house at the Opera Singers and Actors Church in Covent Garden, London.

The performance began with the lieder of Strauss and Schumann sung by Fridal, followed

by Samm singing Wolf and Faure. The dramatic duet from Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria Rusticana, brought with it tremendous applause and the outstanding accompanist Anthony Ingham mastered the operatic duet

and continued on to doing a piano solo titled Melodie, opus Three, No Three by Rackmininov, which was also performed with solid technique.

Wintersturme, the challenging lieder of Wagner, was sung with precision by Samm and the first half ended with a rousing arrangement of the spiritual ‘You can tell the World’, which was done as a duet by the celebrated singers Samm and Fridal.

The second half of the programme included many Broadway and West End numbers and Samm’s version of 'There’s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon for New

York' from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess excited the audience. Soon to follow was Fridal’s performance of 'Hello Dolly' from the award-winning musical of the same title.

The audience joined in the chorus while Fridal flirted coquettishly with the audience, bringing thunderous applause in the packed venue. Samm continued towards the end of the second half with the Christmas favourite ‘O Holy Night’, which the audience loved, and Fridal soon followed with 'The Christmas Waltz'.

The end of the evening came with the duet 'Libiamo (Brindisi,

Ronald Samm and Anne Fridal, TT opera stars, perform in London

The Drinking Song)' from Verdi’s opera La Traviata. The audience cheered, sang and gave

thunderous applause and a standing ovation, winning an encore performance of ‘Con Te Partiro

(Time To Say Goodbye)’.

Ronald Samm will next sing a principal role in the new contemporary opera Between Worlds with the English National Opera later this year while Fridal returns to TT to launch her Calypsopera CD at Fiesta Plaza, MovieTowne on February 28. Fridal’s CD launch will include special guests Marvin Smith and Guinness World Record holder Charles Brunner.

Fridal will return to London in March to perform with Pegasus Opera at the Opera Singers and Actors Church of Covent Garden, London. (TT Guardian)

News 35

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Jamaicans in Canada to invest in stock market Roots and riches… …in India resident Ramotar’s certainly bringing home the “loot” from India…What with over US$60 million in soft loans to fund much needed infrastructural works, Guyana’s certainly getting a much-needed shot in the arm.

At a time when the Opposition’s moved to the courts to bring development to a grinding halt.

What else would happen if the Courts reverse themselves and go along with the Opposition’s ridiculous claim that it’s OK for THEM to craft the Government’s budget!!

Anyhow, this Eyewitness is mighty pleased that Prezzie isn’t returning with nothing more than a firm handshake and a smile. Some of these meets have a habit of tapering off into banalities and platitudes. The first IT Centre by India in the Western Hemisphere is certainly not a “banality” – cause we know where India stands in the world where IT is concerned. Second to none, that’s where!!

This Pravasi Divas (PD) annual meet can also serve to tie us closer together right here in Guyana – all of us. And not just with the developmental projects we’ll be receiving. It would surprise many to learn that at the PD, there were delegates from at least 50 countries – including more than a dozen in Africa. South Africa was there – there are more than one million persons of Indian descent living there.

And they have an even stronger link with PD, since the date for the meet is always around Jan 9 – the date that fella who spent his 20 most formative years in South Africa, returned to India: Mohandas Gandhi!! In addition to meeting our Prezzie on the sidelines, India’s Modi also had intensive meetings with Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was the dynamo behind the PD meet, is set to visit South Africa in the first quarter of this year to pursue further opportunities for economic ties with their BRICS partner - particularly in infrastructure and mining. Modi also discussed the need for UN Security Council reforms in which South Africa and India can play larger roles.

This Eyewitness believes that the greatest benefits these meetings can have is to expose Guyanese who’ve been locked in a deadly internecine warfare for the last five decades to the fact that the world’s passing them by – by cooperating. And unless we get our act together and do the same, we’ll never be able to catch up.

And so we inevitably return to the Opposition and their dystopian, no-win vision (nightmare?) of politics. Can persons who want to lead this nation actually vote against the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLCFT) Bill???

Just to show the President “who’s man”??

Wankers!! …and relatives??

Now let’s be honest. What’s the first thing you thought when you saw all those pics of India’s Modi and our Pressie Ramotar?? That they’re so similar, no?? But when you think of it, that’s not too far-fetched.

They’re both of humble background – without all those fancy letters that some like to attach to their names – to make themselves “somebody”.

Modi and Ramotar are doers not talkers. Go simplicity!!!

P

K

INGSTON, JAMAICA: Beginning April 1, Jamaicans residing in Canada will be able to participate in trading and other related activities, on the local stock exchange.

This, as the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) is set to receive authorization (designation) from the Canadian administration, which will facilitate this arrangement, via the Internet, for the over 300,000 persons of Jamaican descent and origin, currently residing in that North American country.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Arnaldo Brown, said the arrangement will also afford native Canadians the opportunity to participate in the local stock market, which will enable them to receive tax credits in that country.

A tax credit is a sum subtracted from the total amount a taxpayer owes the state, and directly reduces taxes.

The State Minister made the disclosure on Monday, while addressing the launch of the Jamaica Association for the Resettlement of Returning Residents’ (JARRR) website, at the

State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Arnaldo Brown (standing), greets resettled residents and other persons attending Monday’s launch of the Jamaica Association for the Resettlement of Returning Residents’ (JARRR) revamped website, at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston. Brown was the guest speaker.

Jamaica Conference, downtown Kingston.

Brown, who has responsibility for Diaspora affairs, said the JSE is pursuing similar arrangements for Jamaicans in the United States (US), and United Kingdom (UK).

“So…Jamaicans, who are looking for outlets to invest, to buy shares, to buy stocks (and) to own companies that are traded on our stock exchange, can do so from (their) particular location,” he noted.

“The…advent of technology gives us the oppor-

tunity to have what we consider to be a borderless Jamaica. Jamaicans in the UK, Canada, (and) Jamaicans in the U.S. can participate in the activities in Jamaica, without setting foot on Jamaican soil,’ he added.

The revamped website, which JARRR President, Percival LaTouché, described as “rebranded, refreshed, and retooled,” will cater to returned residents, persons in the Diaspora, businesses, among other stakeholders, by providing direct linkages to products and services of-

fered locally.

The site can be accessed at www.ja-rrr. com.

In commending the JARRR’s initiative, Brown described the website as a “very important… (and) critical tool of communication,” for persons living in and operating businesses in the Diaspora, as well as in Jamaica.

It is estimated that upwards of three million Jamaicans reside in the Diaspora, with the majority of these located in the US, Canada, and the UK. (Jis)

from page 34

Precious Landmarks, Monuments...

In Anna Regina, no one was allowed to enter the managers’ square. This bridge was used to check workers movements and also to allow cane punts to pass under. It was in the very canal where the two daughters of a white landlord drowned. Their names were Anna and Regina.

The Premier Park Damon Outpost is located at Walton Hall Seawall.

In 1942, Gafforan, 80 years old, Jam Batasa, 88 years old, and Gerald Lawson, Joseph Trapp and Jocoob Garaway, all of whom were in their 90s, claimed that Damon and his slave colleagues used the one mile foreshore to organise his historical 1834 march.

In Hampton Court lies the St Lawrence Anglican School, which was built around 1908 with help from the sugar estate owner and other members of the Anglican community. The zinc roof was damaged in 1945 when a German floating bomb exploded in the foreshore during World War II. Additionally, in Hampton Court you can find the three parallel

Dearoop Maharaj building

kokers that were built during the Dutch and British rule. Flooding of estates and a massive siltation in Devonshire Castle and Windsor Castle warranted these structures; since Hampton Court Estate was the largest and lowest at ground level.

The Police Station in Anna Regina was made of European pine wood and is more than 153 years old. It was a former senior staff building with two upper flat, while the lower was considered

a pay office for sugar workers. Essequibo has five police stations, one of which at Capoey was closed in 1948.

Also in Anna Regina is the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, which emerged out of the obsession of a burning down of a church where revolting slaves took shelter at La Belle Alliance.

This has served as the beacon of Christianity in Essequibo. Up to 1956, the church supported an annex hall where junior and senior Cambridge

exams were taught to enter the matriculation exams for university entry overseas.

The Anna Regina High Bridge was constructed by the mid 19th century. It was used to allow sugar, molasses and cargo wooden punts enter and exit Georgetown, but was used by the Dutch to load ships at sea en route to Holland in the 1760s. (Information provided by Isahack Basir, CCH. Photos by Marco Basir)

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

J k es

It’s classified

This week's Crossword

Just because the items in these classified ads are free doesn’t mean they’re worth it: • Free: Piano with matching bench seat, very good condition, all keys work probably.

• Free: 5 kitchen drawers, all matching naughty pine fronts.

• Free Vain Screening.

• Free rent in exchange for elderly woman.

Photographic evidence

A customer walked up to a bank window and asked the teller to cash a cheque “Of course,” the teller said. “But I’ll need to see ID.” She dug though her purse and handed the teller a snapshot.

“That’s me in the middle.”

In Canadian

Scene: A gas station in Canada.

Customer: Excuse me. Why won’t my debit card work on the pump?

Owner: Are you using an American card?

Customer: Yes. Owner: American cards don’t work at the pump.

Customer: You should put up a sign.

Owner: We did, above the card slot.

Customer: Oh. Well, I don’t read Canadian.

The right tie

While working at a men’s clothing store, a customer asked a staff to help her pick out a tie that would make her husband’s blue eyes stand out.

“Ma’am,” the staff explained, “any tie will make blue eyes stand out if you tie it tight enough.”

Self serve

This week's Puzzle

A man in a wheelchair showed up at his eye doctor’s for an appointment. The receptionist checked the schedule, then said, "The nurse will call you in a moment. Have a seat."

The man smiled. "Done."

Personal problems

After being on the phone forever with a customer who had been having difficulties with a computer program, a support technician turned in his report: "The problem resides between the keyboard and the chair."

One stinky promise

On the back of a septic-service company truck reads: “Satisfaction guaranteed, or your merchandise cheerfully refunded.”

A dog goes into…

A dog goes into a bar and orders a martini. The bartender says, “You don’t see a dog in here drinking a martini very often.”

The dog says, “At these prices, I’m not surprised.”

The Engineer, the Physicist, and the Mathematician

An engineer, a physicist and a mathematician are staying in a hotel. The engineer wakes up and smells smoke. He goes out into the hallway and sees a fire, so he fills a trashcan from his room with water and douses the fire. He goes back to bed.

Later, the physicist wakes up and smells smoke. He opens his door and sees a fire in the hallway. He walks down the hall to a fire hose and after calculating the flame velocity, distance, water pressure, trajectory, etc. extinguishes the fire with the minimum amount of water and energy needed.

Later, the mathematician wakes up and smells smoke. He goes to the hall, sees the fire and then the fire hose. He thinks for a moment and then exclaims, “Ah, a solution exists!” and then goes back to bed. see solution on page 46

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

37

38 feature

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Teenage pregnancy: Boys are affected too

BY DEVINA SAMAROO

T

eenage pregnancy is all too common in Guyana.

When one thinks of teenage pregnancy, images of young girls with growing bellies usually come to mind.

The way society is structured to think, hardly ever does it immediately register that teenage pregnancy includes boys too.

According to Pastor Diego Alphonso, Administrator of the Men’s Affairs Bureau, one of the challenges boys usually face is the fact that they are viewed as villains while the girl is treated as the victim.

Entering fatherhood during the teenage years is just as terrifying for young boys as it is for teenage girls. “The boys are not mentally or in any way prepared to effectively take on the enormous responsibility of being a parent,” Alphonso said.

Of course, consequences of early parenthood depend on the circumstances in which they occur. In most cases, the pregnancy is unexpected or unwanted.

When such is the situation, most of the trouble appears to fall on the one bearing the child, the

one who has to face the public stereotyping but there is the teenager in the sideline who also has to face the music and accept responsibility for the child he too contributed in bringing into this world.

Uncertainty about his future arises; the male teen may feel he does not have enough knowledge to be a father. He may feel pressured to leave school, which in turn can result in financial difficulties during the future.

Additionally, the teenager’s education and career

goals may be put on hold as most of their time and attention will be focused on raising the infant child. “Providing for the material needs of the child may become priority to the young father rather than pursing his education, because both are important and so this becomes a dilemma as the young man tries to balance both or forced to choose one over the other,” Alphonso pointed out.

Another challenge, as highlighted by Alphonso, is that very often, the

family of the girl would seek to prevent the young father from getting close to the girl or baby, or even seeing the child.

The Men’s Affairs Bureau is actively involved in outreach programmes throughout the country where teenage pregnancy is one of the major topics addressed when visiting both primary and secondary schools to interact with the children and young adults.

Like most global issues, the first and most effective method in reducing or resolving them, is through extensive and effective education.

Success in preventing teenage pregnancies and births requires a sustained commitment to meet the complex challenges facing the nation’s youth. In Guyana, the wide range of cultural tendency contributes to teenage pregnancy.

In some cultures, it can be observed that young females are pressured or expected to enter marriage and bear children at a young age.

The males, especially if they are unproductive in school, are forced to drop out, resulting in them often loitering, or in some cases they feel manly and empowered,

and this sometimes leads them to sexual relationships where a young lady becomes pregnant.

In these cases, education is a major preventative factor for early pregnancy, meaning the more years of schooling, the fewer early pregnancies. According to the Administrator of the Bureau, they have partnerships with other organisations as they seek to address the roles of males in family planning.

The Bureau also offers individual counselling to young males who find themselves in the inevitably confusing situation when they realise they have impregnated a young lady. “We seek to equip them with the coping skills that would be required.”

Abstinence

While, in this modern generation, abstinence until marriage seems impracticable, the Bureau works closely with faithbased organisations in reaching out to youths, both males and females, in promoting abstinence.

Sex is a powerful drive, and for most of human history, it has been firmly linked to marriage and childbearing.

In modern history, sexual revolution accelerated the separation of sex

from marriage and procreation. The development of contraceptives and the legalisation of abortion also make it more acceptable and people are more prompted to have sex outside the marriage boundary.

According to Alphonso, to nationally deal with the problem of teenage pregnancy, all stakeholders need to continuously and aggressively educate youths.

“Everyone must get involved and do their part.”

In 2013, the State of the World Population Report, which puts the spotlight on girls who become mothers before their 18th birthday, listed Guyana at second in the Region.

More than seven million girls in poor countries give birth before the age of 18 every year, with two million of them being 14 years old or younger. Every day in developing countries, 20,000 girls below age 18 give birth. Girls under the age of 15 account for two million of the annual total of 7.3 million new adolescent mothers. If current trends continue, the number of births to girls under 15 could rise to three million a year in continued on page 39

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Oil spill training for energy companies in TT

P

ORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: In the aftermath of 2014’s destructive oil spills, public and private energy companies are being schooled by US consulting company Mattison Jaxon on dealing with industrial and environmental disasters.

However, Energy and Energy Affairs Minister Kevin Ramnarine said the four day workshop on Incident Command Systems (ICS), organised by his ministry, had nothing to do with Petrotrin’s major spillages into the Gulf of Paria in December 2013 and the Guaracara River last

August.

He added the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved workshop was a requirement of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan aimed at bringing energy companies up to international standards.

Speaking at the launch of the workshop on Monday at Petrotrin’s Staff Club at its Pointe-aPierre Refinery, the minister explained that ICS was a uniformed reporting system used in incidents such as oil spills and major accidents. He said the training would allow companies to efficiently manage those

Joyce Moyer, CEO of Jaxon Mattison Consulting LLC, addresses participants during a workshop on Incident Command System at Petrotrin Staff Club in Pointe-a-Pierre

emergencies.

“The course is being attended by state enterprises, ministries and the

private sector, and we see it as part of a thrust of the ministry in 2015, in addition to our national

facilities audit of the energy sector to strengthen the overall Health Safety and Environment side of

the business,” he said.

“It is an international standard and it is a standard we want to have introduced to Trinidad and Tobago for better management of incident and accidents.”

The course is being facilitated by Mattison Jaxon’s CEO Joyce M Moyes and included participants from Petrotrin, Repsol, bpTT, National Petroleum, EOS Resources, Coast Guard, the Maritime Division of the Ministry of Transport, Environmental Management Authority and Occupational Health and Safety Authority.

(TT Guardian)

Jamaican graduates urged to get involved in transformation process

K

INGSTON, JAMAICA: Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, has urged graduates of tertiary institutions to become actively involved in the education and transformation process, to advance their communities and the country.

Addressing Master of Science (MSc) graduates from Central Connecticut State University, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James, on Sunday, the minister said by undertaking and completing the course of study, the graduates would have already signalled that they intend to be serious transformational players.

The 43 graduates are from Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St. James (14); Moneague College in St. Ann (seven) and the Mico University College in Kingston (22).

They earned their degrees in Educational Leadership.

“Your course of study is crucial to my country and your country’s development. As educators, you are committed to this process by your decision to pursue and further your own professional development,” the minister added.

Miss Hanna congratulated the graduates on their achievement, noting that they “have already

are able to collaborate, you become more deliberate and you actually get more done, because more people have the information,” the

Members of the graduating batch of 2014 from Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, The Mico University and Moneague College, who graduated with Master of Science degrees from the Central Connecticut State University, take part in the ceremony, held on January 11 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, in St. James.

prepared themselves to be counted among the cadre of transformatives.”

Meanwhile, the minister said the collaboration between the three local tertiary institutions and Central Connecticut State University, must be commended.

She emphasised that at this time, Jamaica needs more collaboration among all sectors, in order to meet the country’s goals and objectives.

“For some reason, we do not necessarily like to collaborate, but we have to …we must. When you

Teenage pregnancy: Boys are... from page 38

2030.

About 70,000 adolescents in developing countries die annually of causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The report also places particular emphasis on girls 14 years and younger who are at double the risk of maternal death and obstetric fistula – a medical condition in which a hole develops between either the rectum and the vagina or between the bladder and the vagina after severe

failed childbirth when adequate medical care is not provided.

In many cases, especially in girls under the age of 15, such pregnancies are not the result of a deliberate choice but rather an absence of choices, and of circumstances beyond a girl’s control. The report reminds us that early pregnancies reflect powerlessness, poverty and pressures – from partners, peers, families and communities.

minister said.

Citing her ministry’s success in meeting its goals, she added this was made possible as a result of

immense collaboration between all the stakeholders.

“I am very happy to say that we have been able to achieve our objectives of

2014 going into 2015 as a ministry. We could have only done this by really having cooperation,” she noted. (Jis)

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

K

INGSTON, JAMAICA: Jamaican-born health-care practitioner Dr Rosemary Moodie is a recipient of Canada's 2014 Constance Hamilton Award.

Established in 1979 by the Toronto City Council in honour of its first female member, who was elected in 1920, the award commemorates the 1929 Privy Council decision which requires the federal government to recognise women as "persons".

As president and board chair of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Toronto since 2011, Moodie has expanded the organisation's affordable and supportive housing options for

Dr Rosemarie Moodie (left), recipient of Canada’s 2014 Constance Hamilton Award, with Premier Kathleen Wynne at the luncheon (Jamaica Observer)

young women living with mental health and addiction issues, as well as low-income single women and those fleeing domestic violence.

A graduate of St Hugh's High School in Kingston and the University of the West Indies, Moodie went to Canada nearly three decades ago to complete her paediatrics training at the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC).

She successfully pursued an Executive Master's in Business Administration at the University of Toronto's Rotman School and is currently completing her Master's in Public Policy and Administration at Queen's University.

Moodie, who has provided medical care for

critically ill newborn infants and children while working to improve medical service delivery needs in the field of obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics, sits on Food For the Poor's advisory board and is a director of the Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education.

The HSC paediatrician and neonatologist was honoured with a Harry Jerome Award last April.

'Rosie', as she is often called, is the daughter of former Jamaica Conference Centre Managing Director Gloria Moodie and sister of attorney Margaret Moodie Jervis and management specialist Andrea Chin See. (Jamaica Observer)

Stephen (left) and Ziggy Marley wearing the John Varvatos Spring 2015 collection.

K

INGSTON, JAMAICA: G r a m m y winning recording artistes Ziggy and Stephen Marley have added fashion model to their resumes.

According to an article posted on www.mirror.co.uk, the brothers were chosen by fashion designer John Varvatos for his Spring 2015 collection. In the ad campaign, shot by Danny Clinch, the Marleys are seen wearing John Varvatos tailored suits.

The designer was more than happy to have the Marleys on his team.

"The Marley family is legendary. Ziggy

Marley and Stephen Marley are carrying on this legacy in their own authentic way. Working with them has been incredibly inspiring. They are truly a magical family," Varvatos was quoted as saying.

John Varvatos fashion house, which was started in 1999, offers men's designer clothing, shoes, accessories, and fragrances.

The Marley brothers also in a Danny Clinchdirected short film. The production will make its debut on johnvarvatos.com on February 5, which would have been their father's, Bob Marley's, 70th birthday.

(Jamaica Observer)

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WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Miss Guyana Niketa Barker strikes a pose in her official Miss Universe photo

A mix of art & recipes in TT -stories & more from ‘The Indian Dancer’...

P

ORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: Retired teacher Carolyn Ali is renowned as the widow of the late artist/television personality Ian Ali, who hosted the children’s magazine programme Rikki Tikki. But she is also an author of the book Stories and Recipes from The Egg Lady (2011).

For Christmas, she wrote another recipe book, Stories and Recipes from the Indian Dancer. It was launched at St Joseph Presbyterian Church Hall, Eastern Main Road, St Joseph, on December 20.

The artwork and creativity of her late spouse, Ali, dots the book and is featured most prominently on the cover—“The Indian Dancer”. The artist died on August 16, 2007 of heart failure at the Westshore Medical Centre, Cocorite.

During her remarks, Ali said she hoped the stories and recipes would dance their ways into the heart and mind of the reader, stimulating the senses with fascinating Caribbean short stories, glorious original artwork and range of unique and delicious international recipes.

Ali said, “Stories and Recipes from the Egg Lady have grown out of love.

Love of family, reading, cooking and love of art.

Author Carolyn Ali signs a copy of her book, Stories and Recipes from the Indian Dance

This sequel is peopled with compelling characters in some of my most moving and thought-provoking stories. Once more shared by family members and friends from around the world, the recipes themselves are treasures to savour, while the stories linger in your mind.”

Ali paid homage to her husband’s legacy. She added, “Stories and Recipes from the Egg Lady featured some of his most breathtaking pieces. In this sequel, Stories and Recipes from the Indian Dancer, Ali’s work is once again featured, enlivening each story with lyrical and powerful images, once more bringing my work to vivid life.”

The stories carry names including Dulahin, The Statue of Sans Souci, The

Magic Chulha, Follow The Red-Dirt Road, Personally, this is one Ugly Bird, The Senator’s Wife and Polly.

The recipes are the indigenous Vegetable Curry, Mango Chutney, Roseanna’s Breadfruit Pie, kurma and Johnny Bake. They are joined by exotic fare like Lizzi’s Winter Soup (Holland), Margaret’s Lemon Drizzle Cake (Australia) and Lee’s Cowsway (Mumbai, India).

Among the collage of technicolour photographs are Ali’s Tassa Drummers, Pulling Seine, Poui at Quarry Road, Buenos Ayres, Carnival, The Potter and The Last Carib.

An excerpt from The Magic Chulha on Christmas Day reads: “It was Christmas Day. The brothers had a little flour and some ‘fry dry’ fish.

They decided to make a sada roti and to fry the fish.

They lighted the fireplace, better known as a chulha, to cook their food and the blazing fire warmed their frail bodies and their sorrowful hearts. As they sat by the chulha, admiring the colourful flames, they heard a strange sound.

It was a weird haunting sound, “Too-hoo, too-hoo.”

They became afraid. Ali said it was a bad omen and Singh said it was good luck.

While the brothers were debating the meaning of the strange sound, a Jumbie Bird emerged from the flames. They were astonished when the bird began to speak. “What day is today?” It CCCC..

Christmas Day,” stammered Ali.” Ali has been teaching and writing in her native TT for over 40 years. Her publications include Four Pairs of Hands, Comforting Words Project, Island Garden (2007) a collection of children’s stories from the Tourism Development Company’s Tourism Park (2005), The Adventures of Mr Frog (2004), Front Seat (1994) and 101 Quotations (1988).

Ali dedicated her book to her children, Jo-Ann, Tammy, Patti and Judi, for all their love and support.

(TT Express)

42 feature

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

A cosmetologist aims to help school dropouts and single parents on the path of becoming entrepreneurs

By Indrawattie Natram

“D

o what you love, develop a passion and work towards that dream; you will never regret”, those are the words echoed by entrepreneur and cosmetologist Sharada Persaud, who is doing her part to empower others to become entrepreneurs.

Persaud is an established cosmetologist from Reliance village in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam). In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, Persaud recalled she was inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s makeover shows to start her own business in cosmetology.

After completing secondary school, Persaud pursued several courses in computer. She worked for private entities, but was not “comfortable”.

“Yes I was employed, but I had a great love for

Sharada (centre) with the last batch of students who graduated in cosmetology

shoes, bags and makeup.

I wanted to be my own boss and drive behind my own wheels,” she mentioned.

Her passion for fashion propelled her to quit her job and open a boutique in Cotton Field, Essequibo.

During her time spent in the boutique and interacting with a wide cross-section of clients, Persaud was convinced she wanted to pursue a

career in cosmetology.

Consequently, in 2004, she enrolled at Nayelli School of Cosmetology in Georgetown. After six months of training, Persaud worked with Nayelli’s salon for two years – garnering invaluable experience.

With sufficient savings, Persaud purchased office equipment, which was the beginning of acquiring her own salon.

After two years of working in Georgetown, she returned to the Essequibo Coast where her entire life changed.

Equipped with handson experience in cosmetology, Persaud rented part of a room from a Cotton Field businessman to open her salon. Initially, business was “dull”, but the determined cosmetologist endured. However, in “the twinkling of an eye”, her business started to thrive.

Persaud has established herself as a professional and now imparts her knowledge to help school dropouts and single parents on the path of becoming entrepreneurs. To date, Persaud has trained over 60 persons through the Ministry of Labour’s Board of Industrial Training. Those classes were specifically designed to help single parents and

school dropouts learn a life skill, helping them to become earners.

With a focus on clients, Persaud teaches her students to always be kind and make customers feel comfortable and special. Additionally, advice is given to students on appropriate usage of hair colour techniques, nails, and shampoos. Notably, Persaud also motivates the young women in her class to become role models.

“When I left Essequibo my hair was like a bush.

But when I finished my course and my look was changed, I started to receive tons of compliments.

This made me feel good inside and out and this is what I wanted for every woman to experience.

Everyone is beautiful in some way, whether inside or out, but enhancing your physical appear-

ance will help you to be more confident and a confident person achieves more,” the cosmetologist declared.

Persaud’s advice to women and youths is that in every downfall there is an opportunity to become someone better, an opportunity to aim higher and achieve great things. She added that life is full of surprises; therefore one must be prepared to pedal the challenges smoothly and confidently.

In the next five years Persaud would like to open a cosmetology school and a massage parlour.

She also aims to continue helping many more school dropouts and single parents.

Persaud enjoys travelling, and is using her time on her travels to seek out ways in developing her business and enhancing her skills in cosmetology.

news 43

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

U.S. rolls out new Cuba rules on trade, travel A ccording to a Reuters report, the United States rolled out a sweeping set of measures on Thursday to significantly ease the half-centuryold embargo against Cuba, opening up the country to expanded travel, trade and financial activities.

Defying hardline critics in Congress, President Barack Obama made good on a commitment he made a month ago to begin loosening some U.S. economic sanctions against the communist-ruled island as part of an effort to end decades of hostility.

The Treasury and Commerce Departments issued a package of new rules that will allow U.S. exports of telecommunications, agricultural and construction equipment, permit expanded travel to Cuba and authorize some kinds of banking relations.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew

It was the first tangible U.S. step to implement the changes Obama pledged on Dec. 17 when he and Cuban President Raul Castro announced plans to restore diplomatic relations between the old Cold War foes.

“Today’s announcement takes us one step closer to replacing out-of-date policies that were not working and puts in place a policy that helps promote political and economic freedom for the Cuban people,” U.S.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said in a statement.

Reuters reports that the new regulations, which take effect on Friday, will allow Americans to travel to Cuba for any of a dozen specific reasons, including family visits, education and religion, without first obtaining a special license from the U.S. government as was previously the case.

Though general tourism will still be banned, those U.S. travelers who do visit will be allow bring home small amounts of the Cuban cigars that are highly rated by aficionados.

The revamped rules will also make it easier for U.S. companies to export mobile phone devices and software as well as to provide Internet services in Cuba.

U.S. airlines will be permitted to expand flights to the Caribbean island.

In an expansion of remit-

tances allowed, Americans will now be able to send up to $8,000 to Cuba a year, up from the $2,000 previously permitted, and bring $10,000 with them when they travel to the country.

They will also be able to use credit and debit cards in Cuba.

In addition, there will be a change in the definition of “cash in advance” payment required by Cuban buyers, which could help a variety of business interests, most notably U.S. agriculture, in gaining greater access to Cuban markets.

The announcement was made after the Obama administration said on Monday that Castro’s government had fulfilled its promise to free 53 political prisoners as agreed with the U.S. government. It also comes a week before high-level U.S.-Cuba talks in Havana aimed at starting to normalize ties.

How to get the NYC municipal ID card the City of New York, Staten Island Children's Museum Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Bronx Zoo, and many others.

To qualify for the card, which is called IDNYC, you must show other documentation proving who you are and that you live in New York

M

y Foxny.com has reported that New York City has launched its municipal identification program, which allows most city residents -- regardless of immigration status -- to obtain a pho-

to ID. The program is designed to help New Yorkers get access to services and programs that are otherwise hard to do if you do not have a government-issued photo card.

Having the card has an added benefit: you can get free membership to several cultural institutions for one year if you sign up in 2015.

Among them are The Public Theater, Flushing Town hall, Museum of

City (Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island). These include a U.S. or foreign passport, bills, a lease, a property tax statement, and more. You can see if you qualify by using the interactive document calculator.

Download and fill out

the application form, which you will bring to any of the 12 enrollment centers located in all five boroughs. Due to the high demand, city officials say anyone wanting a card will need to make an appointment at the enrollment centers.

44

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Freedie had start to wine

F

reedie de man kisser dance fuh de first time in he life de other day. Now de reason fuh that is that Freedie grow up very gyurly. De people who used to look after Freedie never used to want people know he was who pickney.

So de people who used to look after Freedie used to lock he away in de house whole day and in he room whole night. Due to that Freedie never getta chance to hang out and run around like boys when he was growin up.

That is why Freedie ain’t grow up like a boy and end up not bein a boy. Up to today he still can’t behave like a man. So he had

start to turn he back and then he turn out to be a man kisser. Now he does even get vex when people call he man kisser.

Freedie read a news article earlier this week and he jump up and wine like winin goin outta style. Freedie musta tink he was by de Cathedral when he start winin.

If Freedie wine like that fuh a livin he gon mek plenty money.

Freedie do de bubble wine, de backball wine, de dollar wine, de jump and wine, de tempted-to-touch wine, and then he try de walkie-dip wine. When Freedie done that he do de stookie wine, de skip-to-mylou wine and de Jim Screechie wine.

By that time, Freedie try de rubber

waist wine like Jomo, then he move to de dutty wine and de bruk-it-down wine.

A neighbour who live next to Freedie neighbour seh Freedie bottom was winin till de top start shakin.

But then he start to tremble. De neighbour neighbour seh people thought Freedie was doin de tremble wine. But whah really happen was that Freedie had start to feel cold after he read de other news whah come out just after de first one that mek he start to wine.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend… mattie tell mattie! But de neighbour neighbour seh Freedie could wine better than nuff women. After all, what is Freedie?

News 45

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Bosai workers go on strike Camp St waiting fuh a Dr Dr Dr

… after colleague detained over missing bauxite mixer bowl

I

n de days of de Pee-and-See, a lotta tings used to be short. De whole country used to be short of almost every ting. It had water shortage, power shortage and even people shortage after every body start to cut and run. It hadda short man in charge of de economy in dem Pee-an-See times and he used to keep every ting short. Some body seh he was short and like he had believe every ting had to be short too. A old woman who was a young woman back then seh every ting was short fuh de short man. Nowadays every ting still short fuh he, except he gotta long tongue wid how much he does talk. But de old woman seh she ain’t blame he fuh havin a long tongue wid every ting else short. It also hadda money shortage. Foreign money and local money was short. De Pee-an-See even shorten de sugar people money and fatten dem party people.

Thank de Almighty de short man who runnin de economy nowadays is de opposite of de previous short man. And talkin bout money shortage, when people run outta money dem does start to look fuh friends and family or start to beg. Some does start to wuk more hard, but some people does start to thief.

Some like Rum Jhaat and de Nagga Man does run to FUCOP. Lalloo start doin free lawyer wuk hopin that he gon get plenty more wuk. Some does try to beat de tax system and bring in Lexus. Not one but two. And even use old people to do dutty wuk.

Dr Dr Dr Flip MoFart gotta different kinda money shortage. He try to fool people wid a fancy cheque.

And now de people who supposed to bail he out turn dem back pun he. Soon MoFart gon have to getta different kinda bail. Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! And if he still got money shortage, MoFart ain’t gon even be able to fart when dem fellas at Camp Street don wid he!

I

n the early morning rain, workers at the Bosai Minerals Group (Guyana), Inc downed tools on Tuesday and remained outside the compound because they said that they did not feel safe working at the company.

“We have a situation whereby an employee is in the lockups right now, because the company lost a “bowl”, which is quite costly that mixes the bauxite. The employees are feeling unsafe, because there is no security at the department where this equipment is

located,” a workers’ representative said.

He added that the workers have complained several times about the lack of lights and proper security.

He stated that the worker was in custody at the Mackenzie Police Station as a result of what a review of surveillance tapes revealed.

Workers said they saw when the individual responsible for the theft entered the compound and they recognised that he was not an employee.

They added that the Bosai worker being ac-

cused was not responsible for the missing equipment. “The workers are annoyed, because this is not the first time a worker has been put in the lockups. Last Saturday, an employee from the bauxite mining company was locked up and then subsequently released.”

This publication was told that initially a number of employees were taken into Police custody for questioning, following the disappearance of the bowl from the company’s laboratory.

This newspaper understands that ‘sluica-

ble substances’ valued at over a million dollars, four of which were reportedly stolen on Saturday.

According to a senior official attached to the company, the employees alleged that an armed individual entered the company and stole the items, and, as such, expressed dissatisfaction over employees being questioned by Police.

The incident resulted in a number of employees resorting to strike action at the north gate of the company on Monday evening.

46 feature

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

History of the Botanical Gardens’ Bandstand

O

ne of the most beautiful green spaces in Georgetown is the Botanical Gardens.

When visiting the garden, the Kissing Bridge and Seven Ponds fascinate us. But have you ever wondered about the history of the gardens’ Bandstand?

Although information on the Bandstand is limited, the inscription on it provides details as to its purpose. James Rodway in his book “The Story of Georgetown” stated that Bandstand in the Botanical Gardens has the following inscription: “Erected as a Memorial of John Brumell, Esquire, died 1st December, 1881: Aged 66 years. ‘An old and faithful servant.’

He was for 27 years a Stipendiary Magistrate of this colony, and 22 years Police Magistrate of Georgetown, and Sheriff of the County of Demerara. He was also Managing Director of the Orphan Asylum, and one

Intricate details on the Bandstand's roof (Photo by Nigel Durrant)

of the original Directors of these Gardens.”

Botanical Gardens

The idea of the Botanical Gardens was conceived by the Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society when in 1877 it passed a resolution for a letter to be sent to the governor and Court of Policy for the organisation of a Botanical and

Horticultural Garden in the city of Georgetown.

The government purchased 185 acres of the old coffee Estate Vlissingen from Joseph Bourda for the purpose of establishing a botanical garden and station.

A loan of $50,000 was raised for the purpose of laying out the gardens and to purchase the site.

At first a board of directors was appointed to ad-

The picturesque Bandstand in the Botanical Gardens (Photo by Amanda Richards 2009)

vise on the proceedings, but this board was soon dissolved in 1893 and the

the superintendent.

John Frederick Waby, a botanist from Trinidad,

day to take photos on the Kissing Bridge. Crossing over the bridge is a rite

Trees in the gardens provide the perfect shade for picnics (Photo by Nigel Durrant)

One of the Kissing Bridges in the gardens

supervision devolved on

came to British Guiana in 1878 to serve as head gardener.

Firstly, the land was drained. Trenches were excavated and the land was raised to a higher level with soil taken from the area where the lakes now exist. Another botanist, GS Jenman, travelled to British Guiana in 1880 to assist Waby.

It is a tradition for couples on their wedding

of passage for the newlyweds. The Kissing Bridge was one of two curved iron bridges imported in 1884 to span both lakes in the gardens. By January 1885 the green and white bridges had been erected.

The Botanical Gardens continue to be a retreat for families, enjoying a quiet day together in the cool shade provided by the towering trees.

CROSSWORD SOLUTION

Seawall looking west, Georgetown 1900s (Photo by J Siza)

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

News 47

TT MPs: We need Health care for hundreds in Jamaica better salaries K

P

O R T - O F S P A I N , TRINIDAD: Leader of Government Business Dr Roodal Moonilal has said he agrees with House Speaker Wade Mark’s position that MPs should be full-time but they must also be paid well.

Moonilal was responding to questions from the TT media with respect to House Speaker Wade Mark’s comments that there should be no part-time parliamentarians in the next session of Parliament.

Mark said if oversight is to be rigorous and robust, parliamentarians must devote 95 per cent of their time to parliamentary work. But in order to have a proper functioning Committee system, MPs must be full-time, not part-time.

He also added that parliamentarians need to be properly remunerated.

Moonilal, the Member of Parliament for Oropouche East, also noted that there was more work for MPs under the Parliament’s new standing orders.

Oropouche West MP and Minister in the Ministry of Works Stacy Roopnarine said being an elected MP is a full-

House Speaker Wade Mark (TT Newsday file photo)

time job.

“The role of an MP is a very demanding portfolio. You have the work in the Parliament where sometimes one session goes beyond 16 hours as we saw in the Parliament last Friday.

There are also several committees that you serve on as parliamentarians,” she said.

She added that elected representatives also have to service constituents, meet with them and treat to their needs, as well as to participate in social activities and

events in the constituency.Diego Martin Central MP Dr Amery Browne also agreed that parliamentarians should be better compensated as well as workers in other sectors who feel that the rising cost of living has left them behind.

He added that at the end of the day the duties of a true representative will always be full-time, but with dwindling resources sacrifices could not only be asked from those they serve, but also from themselves as MPs. (TT Express)

G-Pee-Hell bring more hell

E

very time yuh read de news bout G-Pee-Hell, is another sub-station dem gettin some where. Or another generator some where. Or another tour some where fuh Din Dhaal de See-Hee-Haw. When is not East Coast is Berbice. When is not Wakanaam is Leguan.

Din Dhall got de Prime Minister on tour. Din Dhaal got de Finance Minister on tour. Din Dhaal got he staff on tour. Din Dhaal deh on tour more than a Guvament Minister. Two more tours and Din Dhaal gon cover more miles right in Guyana than whah de Prezzi do all de way to India.

Every photo show Din Dhal showin some ting to some body at some sub station or some generator some where. No body in dem photo ain’t know nutten bout power or current or electricity or whah ever term Din Dhaal use.

Din Dhaal like to talk bout voltage and cycle and conversion. But Din Dhaal does use some more fancy terms because he wanna cumfuffle de people. All de people know is that Din Dhaal talkin bout power, but he ain’t sendin power.

So after all dem sub station, it just look as though every ting fuh G-Pee-Hell is still at de sub level. Every ting below par than whah it supposed to be. When dem turn on Wakenaam, Leguan turn off. And when dem turn on East Coast, Berbice turn off.

So when yuh add up all de hours fuh whah dem villages get power, it mek 24. That is whah G-Pee-Hell mean by 24-hour supply.

De other day G-Pee-Hell was runnin out outta power and Din Dhaal was runnin outta poles. And when Din Dhaal run outta pole, he does feel power less. He even ask Har-K to use he pole at G-Tea & Tea. Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! De other day when de mini-bus knock de pole on de East Bank, no body was sure if was Har-K pole or Din Dhaal pole get mash up. But some body seh is both a dem pole mash up.

INGSTON, JAMAICA: T w e l v e hundred residents in deep rural St Elizabeth and Westmoreland were beneficiaries of free health care provided by the recent Jamaica Medical Mission.

The mission, which features volunteer medical professionals Medical student at NSU Samuel Harris interacts with a patient from Florida-based at the Woodlands Pentecostal Church in St Elizabeth.

Nova Southeastern Foundation adopt- “We knew that ChikV University, in parted school Whitehouse had made its way to nership with Sandals Early Childhood western and central Resorts International Institution.

Jamaica and the team and the Sandals Established 14 years was prepared to deal Foundation, saw docago, the programme with the cases. We tors and medical stuwas started by Don helped the best way we dents hosting 15 clinics Daly, a Jamaican radio could by providing ointover a five-day period host in Florida and Dr ments for rashes and treating respiratory illPaula Anderson-Worts, pain medication.” nesses, hypertension, Daly thanked the a Jamaica-born doctor diabetes, aches and and associate professor doctors “for giving pains, vision impairof family medicine at of their time to the ments, skin conditions the Nova Southeastern cause” and the Sandals and allergies in both University. To date, the Whitehouse and adults and children. mission has supplied Sandals Foundation In addition to free over 72,000 Jamaicans teams for “always partmedical checks, memwith free medical assis- nering with us and bers of the community tance and medication, a helping us to make it also had prescriptions news release said. happen”. filled by pharmacists According to Don He also thanked othand received readDaly, the highest per- er key sponsors including glasses from opcentage of persons came ing Grace Kennedy and tometrists. Paediatric in with symptoms of the Co., Nova Southeastern healthcare was also isChikungunya Virus es- School of Medicine sued to over 60 chilpecially at the various and Women of HOPE. dren at the Sandals clinics in St. Elizabeth, (Jamaica Observer)

48 Hollywood

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Beyonce not pregnant, says former bandmate T he former Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams has denied rumours that her friend Beyonce Knowles is pregnant.

Beyonce sparked rumours she is expecting her second child with husband Jay Z Sunday after she posted the photograph of a baby bump sculpted out of sand, but now Michelle has shot down the speculation saying it’s a silly conclusion to jump to.

Speaking on the TV show “The View”, Williams said: “First of all, if you look at the picture, the baby bump is probably where her knees probably really are… Just stop it, stop it.”

The 34-year-old singer also mentioned how Beyonce is always secretive with her personal life, with ru-

T

he cast of upcoming movie “Entourage” has shot scenes on the red carpet at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards in addition to attending the ceremony.

Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Adrian Grenier and Jeremy Piven arrived early as the movie

mours suggesting she wasn’t pregnant circulating when she was expecting her first child, Blue Ivy, who was born three years ago.

She added: “You know, when she was pregnant, people said that she wasn’t pregnant. There’s just no truth to it. Sorry!”

(Indian Express)

My daughters won’t be actresses: Nicole Kidman

N

icole Kidman says she doesn’t see her daughters becoming actresses.

The Australian star, who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2002 for her role in ‘The Hours’, said whilst acting is her passion, she doesn’t think

her daughters Sunday Rose, six, and Faith Margaret, four, will follow in her footsteps, reported Hello! magazine.

“I think they would actually run the other way!” said Kidman when quizzed on whether her youngsters would

be interested in acting. “(Acting) was just my desire and my motivation, and I don’t see that in Sunday or Faith. They’re like, ‘Nope, we’re not interested’,” she said.

Kidman, 47, who also has two adopted children called Conor and Isabella from her 11-year marriage to Tom Cruise, said she has already heard Rose voice her desire for a multitude of other careers. “Sunday wants to be a vet right now. And a party planner. Then she says she wants to be a stay-at-home mom and have eight children.

I think that’s her way of saying to me, ‘Stay at home!’,” she added.

(Indian Express)

I like Indian jewellery: Jennifer Aniston

‘C

ake’ star J e n n i f e r Aniston has revealed that her eightcarat diamond ring from fiance Justin Theroux is not of her kind.

Aniston, 45, who has been engaged to Theroux for two years, said she is not a diamond girl and might not have picked it for herself, reported the New York Post.

“It’s a rock, I know.

He rocked it up. It took me a while to get used to it. I’m not a diamond girl.

I’m more Indian jewelry and stuff,” she said.

Aniston said she considers Theroux a blessing sent to her by her first love, who died of a brain tumour when they

‘Entourage’ cast film scenes on Golden Globes red carpet

shot a scene showing a fake interview between their fellow cast members with Carson Daly.

Based on an HBO series of the same name which ended in 2011 after eight seasons, “Entourage” tells the story of a group of guys who enjoy Hollywood lives.

Set to take place

about a year after the events on the series, “Entourage” sees Grenier’s character Vincent making a film.

Billy Bob Thornton, Mark Wahlberg, Ronda Rousey, Alice Eve and Emily Ratajkowski are expected to make cameo appearances in the movie. (Indian Express)

Couldn’t be prouder to be your husband: George Clooney tells wife Amal Alamuddin

A

ctor George Clooney, who was at the 72nd Golden Globe awards ceremony to receive the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement honour, was uninhibited in professing his love for wife Amal Alamuddin while on stage.

While concluding his speech, Clooney could not help but make a mention of human rights lawyer Alamuddin, who sat in the audience and blushed at her husband’s compliments.

“It’s a humbling thing to find someone to love.

Amal, I couldn’t be prouder to be your husband,” he said.

Earlier on during the ceremony, hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler had joked about the couple, who got married in Venice September 2014.

“George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year,” said Fey, and added: “Amal is a human rights lawyer, who worked on the Enron case, was an adviser to Kofi Annan regarding Syria and was selected for a three-person UN commission investigating

rules of war violations in the Gaza strip.

“So tonight her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award.”

In his speech, the 53-year-old thanked his film fraternity for keeping “small films alive” and also referred to last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris.

“Today was an extraordinary day, there were millions of people who marched not just in Paris but around the world, and they were Christians and Jews and Muslims, they were leaders of countries all over the world and they didn’t march in protest,” he said.

“They marched in support of the idea that we will not walk in fear. So Je suis Charlie.”

Clooney, a four-time

Golden Globe winner, is also a two-time Oscar winner. During his career, he has appeared in over 40 films and TV shows. He attained star status with the 1990s TV drama “ER” before moving on to pursue a career in films.

As a director, he has five features to his credit. These include “Good Night and Good Luck,” “The Ides of March” and “The Monuments Men”.

Apart from his contribution to the world of cinema, Clooney was chosen for the honour because of his humanitarian work, particularly in Darfur and Sudan.

The actor was introduced to the stage by his “ER” co-star Julianna Marguiles.

(Indian Express)

Jennifer Lopez goes topless for film

S

were young.

“He would have been the one. But I was 25, and I was stupid.

He must have sent me Justin to make up for it all,” she said. (Indian Express)

inger-actress Jennifer Lopez is showing off her body in her new thriller ‘The Boy Next Door’. In the film, the 45-year-old mother of two plays a high school teacher being terrorised at home and work by a much younger guy (Ryan Guzman) who is obsessed with her, reported E!Online.

Lopez said she never thought of using a body double as they needed things as close to real as possible. “It was all me. And all Ryan, by the way… Those scenes are embarrassing.

They are uncomfortable, but your job as an actress or an actor is to make it believable and this movie in particular… hinges on if that was believable, that it was enough to make this guy go

insane,” she said. (Indian Express)

bollywood 49

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Amitabh Bachchan awarded as Social Media Person of the Year

I

n a career spanning more than 20 years, Akshay Kumar‘s resume boasts of films of different genres – be it comedy, action or drama, and he says rather than running after superstardom, his focus has always been to be known as an actor.

“I don’t want to be typecast in any particular genre… I think no one can ask me this question that why I only do the same kind of films because I have never done that in my career. I would like to be known as an actor and not a superstar. I don’t like the tag of superstar,” Akshay said in an interview here.

Akshay says his upcoming multi-starrer ‘Baby‘ will talk about how to combat the serious issue of terrorism.

Akshay, who has teamed up again with director Neeraj Pandey for the film after ‘Special 26′, is playing an undercover agent.

“In today’s time terrorism is a big issue.

Every nation is facing this problem and we should all take this seriously and try to fight with it. The story of ‘Baby’ is about that.

“There is a group of

27-28 people and their only mission is to finish terrorism from everywhere. And this group is still immature and the code name of their mission is ‘Baby’,” Akshay said.

The 47-year-old actor said unlike his previous films, which also dealt with the issue of terrorism, ‘Baby’ deals with the subject in an interesting way. “‘Baby’ is not a preachy film, it’s normal. People will get bored otherwise. We wanted to convey the message to the young generation in an interesting manner,” he added.

‘Baby’, also starring Anupam Kher, Tapsee Pannu, Rana Daggubati, Danny Denzongpa, releases on January 23.

Akshay said that the subject is very close to his heart.

“Every film I do that is special for me. My father was in army. So, I know many things about the services and I find myself quite close to the army men. I feel very good and proud whenever I do an army based film,” he added.

Akshay, who is known for his brilliant comic timing, recently opted out of the third installment of the ‘Hera Pheri’ franchise, which now stars Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham.

“I did not like the story, that’s why I have not done it,” he said.

Akshay has his kitty full this year with many interesting films lined up. (Indian Express)

B

ollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been honoured with the Social Media Person of the Year award by Internet and Mobile Association of India.

The 72-year-old actor, who is an active social media user and online blogger, took the opportunity to thank his online fans, whom he affectionately calls ‘extended family’ for their support.

“There is an association of social

media for India the IAMAI, and they reward me with the ‘Social Media Person of the Year’ award and it is time really to reward the extended family for this… you are the ones that have made it possible for me to be given this recognition,” he posted in his blog.

IAMAI presented him with the award at his home as he will not be able to attend the ceremony in Delhi.

“The ceremony is in Delhi, and since I cannot be there, they came over to present to me and play a video of it at the function to be held in a few days,” he said.

Bachchan, who has more than 10 million followers on Twitter, the maximum for any Bollywood celebrity, complimented social media for becoming a powerful tool of communication.

“What a medium this has become and what a massive element of connectivity it is proving to be, not just for the times of today, but for the years ahead.

“The association was telling me that the Twitter account or its activities are conducted by those on this medium, to almost 90 per cent through their mobiles! I must be archaic. I still use my lap top,” Bachchan said. (Indian Express)

Screen Awards: Shraddha Kapoor’s scintillating performance sets stage on fire

‘I met Shah Rukh Khan; he was very kind,’ says Mahira

2

I

n what can be called as the grandest entry of a Pakistani actor into Bollywood, Mahira Khan will be making her debut in Ritesh Sidwani and Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Raees‘ opposite superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The pretty actress is upbeat about it as she says she “was neither waiting for a perfect script from Bollywood nor had she read many.”

In an interview to the Express Tribune, Mahira Khan, who got instant fame in India with her Pakistani show ‘Humsafar’ opposite Fawad Khan with her portrayal of Khirad, further states, “I got a call for an audition and wasn’t told the exact details of the film, except the names of the producers and the director (Rahul Dholakia), both of whom I liked. Once I read the scenes, I found them to be interesting and went ahead and auditioned for the role.”

Media reports had suggested that SRK landed up at Mahira’s audition.

She says, “I was nervous before the audition and thought I’d forget all my

lines. I did meet Shah Rukh. He was very kind.”

Last it was Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma who debuted opposite SRK in ‘Om Shanti Om’ and ‘Rab Ne Banaa Di Jodi’, so chances are that Mahira Khan will follow suit. And there are chances too that one can get overshadowed by the superstar in such a movie. “I don’t worry about such things. If my co-actor shines, it means I have shone as well and vice versa.

These are not the kind of thoughts I focus on. I read a script, meet my director and go with my instinct,” Mahira says.

She further expresses her elation over working with SRK and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays a cop in the movie. “I’m a fan of both Shah Rukh and Nawaz. Luckily, I’ve had the chance to perform with some of the best actors in Pakistan, who helped me out a lot on set. I also learnt a lot from them and hope for the same with Shah Rukh and Nawazuddin,” says she.

(Indian Express)

1st Life Ok Screen Awards is getting hotter by the minute – after some smashing performances by Jacqueline Fernandez and Malaika Arora Khan, it was Shraddha Kapoor’s turn to burn the stage.

Looking pretty in a

red top and black tights she made her way to the stage in a lotus right from top.

The actress, who was on a roll last year with two hits – Ek villain and Haider, began her performance with hit number ‘Teri Galiyan.

And then came the killer item song – Dance Basanti from Ungli.

You can’t miss her red bangles and aviators as she dances to the catchy beats.

She literally set the stage on fire with her cracking performance.

(Indian Express)

John Abraham is Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘favourite co-star’

T

heir ‘chemistry’ in ‘Dostana’ was there for all to see. Now, Abhishek Bachchan, who is set to reunite on screen with John Abraham for ‘Hera Pheri 3’, is looking forward to working again with his “favourite costar”.

Before ‘Dostana’, in which the duo played friends, they had come together portraying foes

in ‘Dhoom’.

Abhishek was present at the announcement of the 60th Filmfare Awards in Mumbai Monday, when he was asked about his thoughts on working with John in ‘Hera Pheri 3′.

“I’m very excited.

I call him John baba.

He is one of my favourite co-stars. We were both in search of a good

script because we wanted to work together after ‘Dhoom’ and ‘Dostana’… so we were happy with the new script of ‘Hera Pheri 3′,” he said.

To be directed by Neeraj Vora, ‘Hera Pheri 3′, also stars Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty in key roles. The film’ shooting is slated to begin in March this year.

(Indian Express)

50 sport

WEEK ENDING January 18, 2015 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Our ultimate aim is to return West Indies cricket on top of the world – Lloyd

By Avenash Ramzan

C

hief Selector of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Clive Lloyd, has outlined his panel’s vision for West Indies cricket, noting that the ultimate aim is to return the Caribbean side to the pinnacle of world cricket.

During a wide-ranging interview with ESPNCricinfo earlier this week, the 70-yearold Lloyd was forthright about his panel’s desire to lift West Indies cricket from the “bottom rung” of world cricket’s ladder.

“My vision is to get our team right back up that ladder in ODIs and Test cricket. Getting people interested in playing for West Indies and who want to show their loyalty there,” Lloyd mentioned.

“I want to see a better West Indies performance all around. West Indies cricket means quite a lot to me. I love it dearly. And I want people to do the same thing.

Now cricketers are being well paid, very well paid.

I only want those people to make our cricket important.”

The former West Indies Captain pointed

Chief Selector of the WICB, Clive Lloyd

out that while the panel, which also comprises former fast bowler and world record-holder Courtney Walsh and former wicketkeeper Courtney Browne, was not against players plying their trade in overseas-based T20 franchises, priority must be given to West Indies cricket.

Play for West Indies

“We have been in the same place with the same players. We want players interested in West Indies cricket and make sure West Indies cricket is important. West Indies cricket is important to me – it has given me my upward mobility. These guys are doing well. We are not stopping anybody from

Dwayne Bravo

Jason Holder

Kieron Pollard

playing anywhere. The point is, we want you to play for West Indies as often as possible, to make yourself available. I don’t think it is right for any captain to be deprived of the best players at all times. It is not fair on a captain. We don’t want to stop you going to different parts to earn money, but you must be ready to play for us whenever we have our cricket. And I don’t see that as difficult.”

West Indies players have gone for big sums at auction in almost all of the domestic T20 leagues that have been popping up across the globe, chief among them the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Big Bash in Australia.

Very often, the West

Indies team have suffered due to the absence of these players, with the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine giving priority to franchise duties rather than international commitments.

“We were champions for 18 years or more.

And we haven’t moved [from] that bottom rung other than having won that Twenty20 [World Twenty20]. We want people now to be interested in our cricket. We want them to watch our cricket, more people to play it. And you will not be encouraged to play cricket if you are way down at the bottom. That is our batting aim. We have been given a job to try and change West Indies cricket and change all aspects of it and that is what we are trying to do,” Lloyd explained.

Notable changes Among the notable changes of Lloyd’s tenure so far are the omissions of seasoned campaigners, all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, from the upcoming ODI series against South Africa and the 50-over World Cup next month, and the appointment of Jason Holder as ODI skipper, replacing Bravo.

While Lloyd pointed out that the sacking of Bravo and Pollard were due to a lack of “exceptional performances” while in West Indies colours, he highlighted that Holder has shown “leadership qualities”, hence his appointment as captain.

“This was something that happened before in the sense that I have spoken to him when he was quite young. And I liked his vision and what he stood for. This guy has

left IPL and come and played for West Indies, and Barbados. So, he is a dedicated sort of a player. Not saying that the others are not, but he is an intelligent young man. And I think he has leadership qualities that will show soon. It is not Clive Lloyd thinking so.

It is the selectors thinking so,” Lloyd, who led the Windies to World Cup success in 1975 and 1979, divulged.

When quizzed on the possibility of handing the captaincy to a more senior player, like Gayle or Marlon Samuels, Lloyd said, “They have had their chance.”

He added, “Marlon has just come back into the side. We started about five months ago. We are picking up the pieces from the last set of selectors.

Marlon Samuels is the Vice Captain to Jason Holder. It is quite all right. I do not think they find it any difficult because most of the players do like Jason and the way he approaches his game. He is a very likeable young man. And that is what you need as a leader.”

Holder’s first assignment will be the five-match ODI series against South Africa, starting on Friday in Durban, followed by the World Cup, beginning on February 14 in Australia and New Zealand.

GRFU setting plans for successful 2015

By Treiston Joseph

T

he Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) will be hoping for another successful year in 2015 after their stellar 2014 showcase.

While all plans are not entirely set in stone, GRFU President Peter Green related to Guyana Times International Sport that the national seven’s programme will kick off next week following a meeting with the Union’s executive on Monday evening.

The seven’s programme will also jumpstart training for the national side expected to participate in Hong Kong from March 2729 in an effort to get the team in top form for the Pan American Games in July. The overseasbased players will be expected to arrive two weeks before the Hong Kong trip.

Players failing to ar-

GRFU President Peter Green

rive two weeks before the team depart will be considered ineligible for selection to the national squad. Green also highlighted that a Technical Director and a Head Coach will be named at a press conference to be announced in due time.

Meanwhile, the Olympic qualifiers are set for June as Guyana will be fielding both a male and female team to the event set for the USA.

When asked about funds to help the team during their busy schedule for a 2015 year that can see the team creating even more history, once they qualify for the Olympics, Green was rather optimistic.

“The Union has prepared budgets and is approaching the Government, Private and Corporate sectors along with support from the GOA to make this a national success story with unity as the watchword.

“Fundraisers have already been planned as the Union goes all out to fulfil its mandate by both male and female ruggers to the nation,” Green noted.

With all the international competitions set for the national ruggers, local competition will begin in February with 15’s action in an effort to select a national side for the NACRA 15’s tournament slated for March.

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Mullings wants to beat “Six Heads” in his own backyard – title fight set for February 21 at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

By Avenash Ramzan

S

akima Mullings is determined to defeat former world champion and Guyanese pugilist Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis as he seeks to successfully defend his WBC CABOFE Welterweight title next month, and the Jamaican is leaving no stone unturned in his effort to do so.

This publication was able to confirm from a reliable source on Tuesday that Mullings has asked for a switch in the venue for the contest.

Initially, the fight was billed for Kingston, Jamaica, on February 28, but so confident is Mullings about his chances that he requested the fight be held in Guyana, as according to him, he wants to beat Lewis in his own backyard.

This newspaper was also able to authenticate that authorities in Guyana have acceded to Mullings’ request and the bout will be held on February 21 at the Cliff

Sakima Mullings

Anderson Sports Hall.

Both fighters have been intensifying their preparations for the marquee fight, which is expected to attract a large crowd, given Lewis’ profile as a former world champion and Mullings’ tag as a potential world title holder.

The other fights to make up the undercard will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the source.

Lewis, who turned 44 on December 14 last, has a record of 30 fights, 23 wins, 20 by way of knockout, with four losses and two drawn encounters. He defeated James Page in 2001 to capture the vacant WBA Welterweight Title. Due to his exciting style and power in both hands, Lewis quickly became a popular fighter on HBO. After successfully defending the title against

Larry Marks, he took on Ricardo Mayorga and the bout ended in the second round and was ruled a No-Contest due to a nasty cut on Lewis, caused by an accidental headbutt.

Lewis lost the title in a rematch to Mayorga in 2002 via fifth round TKO. In 2003, “Six Heads” challenged WBO Welterweight champion, Mexican Antonio Margarito, but was knocked out in round two.

From 2005 to 2007, Lewis battled Denny Dalton in a series of three fights for Guyana’s Light Middleweight title. These fights are most notable due to the controversial and bizarre nature of the ending of the second fight.

Ahead on points in the seventh round, Lewis retired from the fight due to an extreme need to defecate blamed on consumption of a prefight milkshake.

Lewis returned to the ring almost 12 months after to defeat Dalton

Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis

and claim Guyana’s Light Middleweight title. This would prove to be the final victory of his career, which ended in October 2008 when he dropped a split decision to Howard Eastman.

On the flip side, Mullings is an up and coming fighter, enjoying tremendous success that culminated in victory in the Contender Series in Jamaica last year.

After 18 fights, the 32-year-old Mullings has an enviable record of 17 wins with 12 knockouts and one defeat.

A point to note, Mullings has never lost to a Guyanese fighter, defeating Winston Pompey, Howard Eastman, Revlon Lake and Dereck Richmond within the last three years.

TT cycling trio grabs gold in Canada

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ORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: National cycling trio Keron Bramble, Njisane Phillip and Kwesi Browne won gold in the men’s team sprint event at the Milton International Challenge in Ontario, Canada, on Friday.

The TT cyclists were on fire on the new track at the Mattamy Cycling Centre, which was hosting its first international meet. Bramble, Phillip and Browne blew their competitors away winning gold in a time of 46.356 seconds. TT’s time in the final was .554 seconds faster than its qualifying time, after the trio clocked 46.910.

Host team Canada, which included Joel Archambault, Evan Carey and Joakim Albert was a distant second in 47.617. Rounding off the top three was the Sprinters Edge team of Nate Coch, James Mellen and Edward Horvet in 48.239.

This is Browne’s second medal in the past two months, after the TT cyclist won bronze in the men’s keirin at the Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Mexico, last November. The men’s sprint team is using the Milton International Challenge as preparation for the third leg of the UCI (International

Cycling Union) Cycling World Cup in Cali, Colombia, on January 17 and 18.

The TT women’s sprint team of Aziza Browne and Jodi Goodridge could not repeat the success of their male counterparts, finishing fifth overall in a time of 37.949.

TT’s Keiana Lester couldn't get into the quarterfinals of the women’s sprint on her first attempt after losing to American Danielle Mullins. Lester had a second chance to advance to the quarterfinal round when she lined up in the repechage round.

Aziza Browne (TT) wasn't able to get past

Njisane Phillip, from left, Keron Bramble and Kwesi Browne after winning gold for T&T in the men’s team sprint at the Milton International Challenge in Ontario, Canada last Friday

newly crowned national Canadian champion Monique Sullivan in the early stages of the women’s sprint, but got another chance to advance through the repechage

round last night.

In the men’s sprint, Phillip advanced to the semifinal to face Hugo Barette, another recently crowned national Canadian cham-

pion. Bramble lost to Phillip and failed to advance to the quarterfinals. Also representing TT in Canada are Akil Campbell and Kollyn St George. (TT Guardian)

Jamaica: Sunshine Girls whip England

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Sunshine Girls celebrate at the end of the match.

INGSTON, JAMAICA: An outstanding fourth-quarter show propelled Jamaica to a 57-47 hammering of England last night at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston and a 2-1 win in the Supreme Ventures Sunshine series.

Goal-shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid came off the bench to lead Jamaica with 28 goals from 34 attempts. Romelda Aiken,

who started in the shooting position, was 15 from 19. The England Roses top goal-shooter Jo Harten was 35 from 38, while goal-attack Pamela Cookey was 10 from 15.

The teams were tied 37-37 at the end of the third quarter, but the Sunshine Girls, riding on the energy of the vociferous home support, dug deep and put in a scintillating effort to stun thirdranked England.

The fourth-ranked hosts held a narrow 1412 goal-lead at the end of the first quarter, but the scores were locked 24-24 at the half-time break.

The series was tied 1-1 after the teams shared the opening two games played on Saturday and Sunday.

Both countries are preparing for the Netball World Cup to be held in Australia in August.

(Jamaica Observer)

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Golden Jaguars game against Barbados…

Nurse among overseas trio to join squad

By Avenash Ramzan

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olden Jaguars skipper at the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers, Christopher Nurse, is among a group of three overseas-based players who are being considered for selection for the Jaguars game against hosts Barbados on February 1.

Head Coach for the game, Jamaal Shabazz announced at a press conference on Monday that the trio have been invited to join the squad and have all indicated their availability. They are expected to join with the 26 locally-based players for the one-week encampment, set to commence on January 22.

The other two players are centre back Jamaal Smith, who played for the Golden Jaguars during the latter part of the World Cup campaign, and newcomer Emery Welshman, whose parents are Guyanese.

“Because we want to

Jamaal Shabazz

Emery Welshman

Jamaal Smith

Christopher Nurse

put the best foot forward for this game, we’ve asked and invited Chris Nurse, who captained the team when we [Shabazz and Wayne Dover] were in charge, and he’s available. As you know, he got the big humanitarian award in the North American Soccer League and he is very enthusiastic about coming [to play for Guyana],” Shabazz announced.

He added, “We’ve also invited Jamaal Smith; he’s another centre back, who played with the Golden Jaguars at the last two matches of the campaign for the World

Cup, and also a player from Canada, who has shown interest. Both his parents are Guyanese and his name is Emery Welshman.”

Welshman, according to Shabazz, will be here on trial as he seeks to make the final cut to travel with the team to Barbados.

“He is actually coming on a trial; he is paying his way to come on a trial to see if he can make the squad and he’s been playing with the Toronto team in the MLS [Major League Soccer] for two seasons,” Shabazz divulged.

While pointing out that other overseas players based in different territories were also available, Shabazz outlined that those players who have been selected as part of the preliminary squad will be given priority in terms of selection.

“Of course, there are a couple of other boys in Trinidad, but what we’ve decided as a staff is based on how we see this group operate; as we’ve done on the occasions before, we give the first bit of the cherry to the players that are before us,” he explained.

Shabazz continued, “It makes more sense because they’re available and we see them every day and we know what they’re doing. But we cannot discount what the players bring who play at a higher level, because we know a lot of football is not going on in Guyana right now.”

Meanwhile, the squad for the Barbados game will be encamped from January 22 under Shabazz, Technical Director Claude Bolton and Assistant Coach Wayne Dover.

Other members of the Technical Team in-

Hart targets intense 2018 World Cup prep for TT Soca Warriors

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Members of the senior men’s Soca Warriors team go through a fun drill during a practice session in 2014.

O R T - O F S P A I N , TRINIDAD: Soca Warriors coach Stephen Hart says that his team will need intense preparations inclusive of international games to be a part of the national team’s programme between now and the start of its 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign to be fully ready.

TT will begin qualification play in November after being seeded among the top six teams in the region by Concacaf.

Based on its ranking in August 2014, TT, runners-up to Jamaica at the recent Caribbean Football Union Cup after a loss on penalty-kicks, will join the USA, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama

and Honduras as the Confederation’s top six teams for Round Four.

For Round Four, the six Round Three winners will join six top seeds and the 12 teams will be grouped into three round-robin, home-andaway groups of four teams.

The six group winners and runner-ups will then advance to Round Five which is the final round of Concacaf qualification for the Russia 2018 World Cup Finals.

Round Four, TT’s opening round in the campaign, will run from November 2015 to September 2016 and the Final Round will be staged between November 2016 and October 2017, qualifying three nations direct-

ly to the Fifa World Cup and providing a further intercontinental playoff spot for the fourthplaced team.

The match-ups and groupings for Rounds Three, Four and Five of Concacaf World Cup qualifying will be determined at the Fifa World Cup Qualifying Draw in St Petersburg, Russia, on July 25, 2015.

TT Football Association president, Raymond Tim Kee said he was extremely pleased to be ranked among the top six of the confederation as this was evidence of the progress made by the Soca Warriors under Hart, who was introduced as coach in June 2013 under his leadership of the association.

(TT Guardian)

clude Trevor Burnett (Manager – Equipment); Faizal Khan (Manager – Commercial and Administrative); Mark Xavier (Manager – Operations); Anson Ambrose (Trainer); Andrew Hazel (Goalkeeping Coach); and Debita Harriprashad (Physiotherapist).

The 26-member preliminary squad reads: O’Neil Carter, Oswald Cornett, Omallo Williams, Travis Henry, Solomon Austin, Kris Camacho, Quincy Madramootoo, Trevon Lithcott, Dwain Jacobs, Amos Ramsey, Daniel Wilson, Keron Solomon, Sheldon Holder, Clive DeNobrega, Colin Nelson, Dwight Peters, Tishard Joseph, Dwayne Lawrence, Domini Garnett, Travis Hillman, Rawle Gittins, Denver Dennis, Calvin Sheppard, Joshua Brown, Eusi Phillips and Vurlon Mills.

A return game will be played later in the year.

Brown, Frazer sound warnings with record-breaking performances in Jamaica

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INGSTON, JAMAICA: Clayton Brown of Jamaica College and Rochelle Frazer of Edwin Allen opened their season with record-breaking performances at the Jamaica College/PureWater Invitational Track & Field development meet at Old Hope Road on Saturday.

Frazer showed good form to win the girls’ Class One shot put event with a throw of 14.96 metres to better the old mark of 14.82 metres set in 2012.

Janell Fullerton (14.35m) of Edwin Allen took second, while Ayesha Champagnie (14.29m) of St Andrew Technical was third.

Brown then placed his name in the record books, when he leapt to 2.07 metres to win the boys’ Class One high jump, erasing the 15-year-old mark of 2.06 metres set back in 2000. He won ahead of teammate Romaldo Rodney and Kingston College’s Shavaun Dawson, both with leaps of 1.90 metres.

Brown, who has a personal best of 2.17 metres, also bettered his height of 2.05 metres at the start of his season last year.

“I am happy about it, but not so happy because I expected to go higher. But it is a fair start to the season,” he told reporters after failing in his attempt to clear 2.08 metres.

The 16-year-old sent out a warning as he pointed out that he intends to tweak a few things in training.

The meet, which was the first of the season, gave schools the chance to qualify athletes for the Intersecondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships in March.

What stood out most at the meet was the various athletes representing different schools. One such athlete was Hanifah Abdulqadir, formerly of Excelsior High school, who now sports the colours of St Jago High.

Abdulqadir achieved a new personal best of 1.70 metres to win the girls’ Class One high jump event. Rene Meadley (1.65m) of Vere Technical and

Edwin Allen’s Rochelle Frazer during her record-breaking throw of 14.96 metres in the girls’ Class One shot put event.

Danique Bryan (1.60m) of Edwin Allen were second and third, respectively.

The 18-year-old Abdulqadir, now in her final year, said the leap demonstrates her readiness for the season ahead.

Former Clarendon College standout, Warren Barrett, was also on top of his game in getting his season off to a positive start. Barrett, now sporting the green and black of Calabar High, threw 53.19 metres to win the boys’ Class One discus event. Andre Beckford and Ronald Hastings both threw 51.12 metres to complete a clean sweep for the Red Hills Road-based school.

The 16-year-old Barrett had to settle for second in the shot put event; however, with 16.91 metres. Demar Gayle of Edwin Allen took the event with a throw of 18.44 metres, while Caesar Kemp (16.29m) of Calabar was third.

Barrett was again beaten into second position in the open event with 16.08 metres, behind University of the West Indies representative Fredrick Dacres, who threw 17.51 metres.

Jamaica College's Vashon McCarthy (15.85m) was third.

(Jamaica Observer)

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Guyana begin quest for 10th regional one-day title

By Rajiv Bisnauth

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uyana’s senior cricketers will begin their hunt for a 10th regional oneday title when they play the Windward Islands Volcanoes in game two of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) NAGICO Super50 Tournament today (Thursday).

The day-night encounter will be played at the Queen’s Park Oval from 13:00h. Under the leadership of all-rounder Christopher Barnwell, Guyana come into today’s opening game as a well-oiled unit.

The Guyanese are still a formidable force despite the absence of batsmen Ramnaresh Sarwan, Leon

Johnson, Assad Fudadin, and Narsingh Deonarine.

They have a capable batting line-up led by the veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who is a proven match-winner; openers Rajendra Chandrika and Trevon Griffith; middle-order batsman Vishaul Singh; the hard-hitting Jonathan Foo; and Barnwell, along with his fellow all-round-

ers Royston Crandon and Barbadian Raymon Reifer are expected to play crucial roles should Guyana land the title.

Wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble is also expected to play a crucial role with the bat. Guyana’s bowling will be spearheaded by leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, and pacers Ronsford Beaton and Paul Wintz.

Bowling all-rounder Steven Jacobs is also a key player in both departments.

Guyana’s last title at this level was back in 2005 when they defeated Barbados in near darkness in the KFC Cup final at the

Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Ground, Bourda, on the strength of Sewnarine Chattergoon’s careerbest hundred.

On the other hand, Windward Islands Volcanoes have stepped up their competitiveness in regional competitions over the last decade, shaking off the perennial Cinderella tag that had been their calling card.

The sub-regional side,

Christopher Barnwell

which will play alongside the Combined Campuses & Colleges, Guyana Jaguars and reigning champions Barbados Pride in Group A, are strong as a bowling unit but batting depth will be critical for them to succeed in this year’s tournament.

The bulk of Guyana’s runs are expected from Devon Smith, Keddy Lesporis and Sunil Ambris, along with the likes of Miles Bascombe, Craig Emmanuel, Liam Sebastien and lower-order hitters like Shane Shillingford, Mervin Matthew and Delorn Johnson.

Matches will be played at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and the National Cricket Centre as the teams vie for the coveted Clive Lloyd Trophy, named after the revered batsman and former West Indies skipper.

Broadcast live

The first stage of the Tournament will be the group stage comprising a series of non-elimination

matches in each group – each team will play every other team in its group – with two matches being contested daily.

Following the group stage, the top two teams in each group will progress to the semi-finals at the Oval, where the group winners play the runners-up from the opposite group in a one-off match for a place in the Grand Final on Sunday, January 25 at the same venue.

Caribbean Super Station (CSS) will broadcast live radio coverage for the entire tournament. All 15 matches

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Ronsford Beaton

in the tournament will be broadcast live by the CSS/GEM Radio network of stations, as well as independent broadcasters in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin

Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and US Virgin Islands, and stations in the host country.

Liam Sebastien

Devon Smith

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