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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial
Corruption thrives in secret places “Government ought to be all outside and no inside…Everybody knows that corruption thrives in secret places, and avoids public places, and we believe it’s a fair presumption that secrecy means impropriety.” - Woodrow Wilson, former US president, 1913 The openness that Wilson spoke of in the early 1900s is being actively sought after even 10 decades later. The concept of open data has been gaining momentum among local governments in recent years, but cities in India stubbornly cling onto their culture of opacity. Open data refers to the process by which governments disclose information that is relevant to citizens and stakeholders in the public domain. This is crucial as it injects more transparency into governance, thereby making administrators more accountable. Opening up documents, budgets and decisions also helps spread awareness about government processes among citizens, thus giving them a sense of ownership and participation towards their city. India has taken some strides towards openness by enacting the Right to Information Act, 2005 and also by launching the open data portal www.data.gov.in by the National Informatics Centre. But such transparency has largely been restricted to the national and state levels, not percolating to the working of local governments which determine the day-to-day life of ordinary citizens. India’s lack of openness came to the fore recently. The Open Data Index created by the Open Knowledge Foundation in 2013 to evaluate the availability and accessibility of information ranked India a lowly 63rd out of 70 countries. Political leaders who should be leading by example too prefer to hide behind closed doors. Municipal councillors do not disclose related party interests, making it near impossible for citizens to grasp whether political decisions are influenced by conflict of interest. In Guyana, every councilor is a politician elected on a political ticket. Contrast this with London where the pecuniary interests of each councillor are openly available on the website of the Greater London Authority, with a detailed break-up of contracts and corporate ties they may hold or sponsorship they may have received. A lack of information isn’t the only hurdle towards building effective citizen-government ties. Community participation too is seriously wanting. In India, while 16 large cities have passed the community participation law, no city except Hyderabad has constituted area sabhas to involve citizens in policymaking at the neighbourhood level. Citizens rarely know where or how their city government spends the money it collects by way of taxes. Pune is the only city where citizens are involved in the budgeting process, that too on the initiative of NGOs like Janwani. This is despite laws mandating public disclosure and despite citizen participation being a reform condition under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. This opacity is dismal at a time when cities across the world are investing all energies in open government practices. Participatory budgeting in municipal budgets was initiated as way back as 1989 in Porto Alegre, Brazil and nearly 1,000 cities including Montreal, Seville, Chicago and NYC have used it since. Chicago was one of the first municipalities to appoint a chief data officer in 2012 and discloses useful data including boundaries of beat police officials, the status of pothole repairs, and cityowned land inventory. “The city will post online and in easyto-use formats the information that Chicagoans need most. For example, complete budget documents will be available in straightforward and searchable formats. The city’s website will allow anyone to track and find information on lobbyists and what they are lobbying for as well as which government officials they have lobbied,” promised mayor Rahm Emanuel in his elaborately laid out Chicago transition plan of 2011. New York took a similar step with the council approving a local law that required agencies to open up all their data by 2018. Whether India will follow the global trail of openness only time will tell. (The Times of India)
Sunday April 05, 2015
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
It is time we the people be prepared to hold all leaders accountable
DEAR EDITOR, T h e A P N U + A F C ’s campaign theme “It is time” is appropriate at this juncture of the nation’s development for all Guyanese to take note and say it is time for change. GTUC embraces “It is time” not only in the concept of opposition sloganeering and PPP counter-sloganeering but as a rallying call for the people of Guyana to recognise that it is time for each and every person to become involved in helping to charter the course and
direction of this country. It is time to stop the lies and propaganda that keep our people divided. It is time to save Guyana. It is time we the people of Guyana tell the government and opposition politicians what we need for Guyana’s development. It is time for we the people to hold all political leaders accountable for good governance. Our political leaders must be held responsible for the promises they make as well as the public pronouncements on
issues that affect Guyanese. It is time to do more than pay lip service to statements that there will be respect for citizens and organisation’s rights and the nation’s principal political objective of inclusionary democracy. Starting in 2015 in this election period, it is time the public pronouncements made by political leaders that they are prepared to respect the rights of every citizen and empower the community to elect their leaders be practiced. It is time
politicians operating from central offices respect the knowledge, opinion and advice of regional and local politicians and the people, in order to give true meaning to representative leadership and community decisionmaking. It is time that we the people bring change that would recognise more political representation in our gender and youth demographics. In excess of 60 percent of the population (Continued on page 6)
Sunday April 05, 2015
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox Let us give Carl Greenidge his jacket DEAR EDITOR, The history of the debt relief effort for Guyana goes back to at least 1987 when the G-7 countries at their annual meeting actively began the process to cancel some of the debts of low-income countries (LICs). A year after, at the 14th G7 summit from June 19-23, 1988 at the Toronto Convention Center in Canada, the rich countries concluded that rescheduling of these debts cannot be the only solution for the LICs like Guyana and therefore a more complex mechanism was put in place to reduce the stock of debt outstanding. Where was Bharat Jagdeo in 1988 and who was the then Minister of Finance of Guyana? Carl Greenidge, the then Minister of Finance, immediately presented to the international community a farreaching Economic Recovery Program (ERP) that was harmonized with this G-7 initiative. The ERP had four main interrelated objectives:
restore economic growth, merge the underground economy into the official one, arrest the balance of payment crisis and return Guyana to a state of creditworthiness. A Globe and Mail (Toronto) newspaper article captioned “Canada stagemanages Rescue Package for Guyana” revealed that in 1990 a “support group” of rich countries pooled millions of dollars to pay off Guyana’s arrears to the World Bank and IMF, which restored Guyana’s good creditworthy standing with both institutions. Again I ask, where was Bharat Jagdeo in 1990 and who was the then Minister of Finance? Guyana’s creditworthiness was restored in 1990, not in 1999 as the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal continues to proclaim. Guyana’s economy turned around in 1991, not post 1992 as the Jagdeo/Ramotar gang continue to cunningly declare. Guyana started to arrest its balance of payment problem in 1991, not post 1992 as speaker after speaker at the
PPP Kitty Rally deceptively affirmed. Some honesty from the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal will serve them well. As Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding father of America said, “Honestly is the first chapter of wisdom”. But without a good education, the roots of honestly can never prosper and that is why the PPP leaders will continue to be strangers to the truth. Desmond Hoyte and Carl Greenidge laid the foundation for Guyana’s economic turnaround in 1988 and when Dr. Cheddi Jagan won the 1992 elections, he continued to water the roots of the ERP upon very sound advice from his Minister of Finance, Asgar Ally. Credit also has to go to Bharat Jagdeo who took up this baton from his predecessors to complete this relay that allow for more than US$611 million of Guyana stock of debt to be lifted from the back of the Guyanese people. But this project was not a one man effort and was (Continued on page 6)
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Kaieteur M@ilbox Eusi Kwayana: A Guyanese Political Legend turns 90 DEAR EDITOR, Today, April 4, 2015, Eusi Kwayana turns 90. It is difficult to properly analyze modern Guyanese politics without taking into consideration Eusi Kwayana’s wide ranging contributions. His political career has spanned the seven decades, which mirrors the period normally referred to as the modern phase of Guyanese and Caribbean politics. This article pays tribute to Kwayana by offering an overview of his political life and work. Eusi Kwayana, formerly Sydney King, was born 1925 and has been involved in Guyana’s national politics since 1947.He has been referred to as the “Sage of Buxton,””Renaissance Man”and “Guyana’s Gandhi,” among other descriptions. He is multi-faceted– political activist, educator, writer, journalist, dramatist, folklorist and historian. But it is as a political activist that Kwayana has made his most
telling contribution. He has become one of Guyana’s most distinguished political leaders. Ironically, he has also been one of the most controversial and misunderstood public personalities He entered the political arena asa supporter of Cheddi Jagan in his successful bid for a seat in the Legislative Council in 1947. He soon joined the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), a small left wing group that was the precursor to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), the country’s first mass-based political party. He served as Assistant General Secretary of the PPP and Minister of Communication and Works in the PPP government following the party’s victory at the April 1953 elections. After British troops invaded Guyana and the constitution
was suspended, Kwayana was among several PPP members placed in detention. When, in 1955, the PPP split generally along ethnic lines, Kwayana was one of a small group of Africans that remained with the Cheddi Jagan faction. However, he left the Jagan faction in 1956 and joined the newly- formed People’s National Congress (PNC) led by Forbes Burnham and served as General Secretary and editor of the party’s organ, New Nation until he was expelled from the party in 1961 for publicly engaging the ethnic problem. He co-founded in 1961 the African Society for Racial Equality (ASRE),which was dedicated primarily to raising cultural consciousness among African Guyanese. As ethnic insecurity by both groups became more (Continued on page 66)
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David Granger is the people’s expectation for what a President embodies DEAR EDITOR, In this election campaign, David Granger finds himself on the front line of the most brutal attacks from the PPP, especially from Jagdeo who said he would do everything in his power to thwart the retired Brigadier’s ambition to be President. But the only power Jagdeo has is the power to abusive and cuss-down his opponents, raped the treasury and attempt to divide the races. Guyanese are fedup with this ugliness, vulgar and race-bait statements and are of the opinion that David Granger is their expectation for what a President embodies. He is the Champion of Guyana and not the CHAMPION OF DIRT. In addition to being the head of the Guyana Defense Force, David Granger had three years as the Leader of the majority opposition in Parliament, and during this time the people have seen him on his feet arguing passionately for causes that affect the poor and the working class, such as higher
wages and better working conditions, increased pension for senior citizens and lowering of the toll on the Berbice Bridge, to name a few. They have seen him put the minority PPP Government on its back foot for the mismanagement of the state resources and finances, the pawning of the Guyana’s pristine forests to foreigners and the raping of the treasury by the Freedom House gang, among others. They have also seen him scolding the President for proroguing Parliament and rule by decree, which in essence is dictatorship. Then there was his relentless calls for Local Government elections, which were last held in 1994 and the no confident motion. In the end, he challenged the President to set a date for general election and he won. David Granger is a force to be reckoned with, and Jagdeo and the PPP cabal know it. He is as solid as a rock and will move mountains to defeat the PPP on May 11. Once the APNU and the
Let us give Carl... From page 5 not conceived by Bharat Jagdeo. Actually, when he took over, the debt-write off plans under the HIPC Initiatives were already a foregone conclusion. All the PPP administration had to do was implement the IMF conditionalities, including passing the laws for the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission and they were going to cross the tape and they finally did. So if there is anyone Guyana has to thank for our debt write off package it was two men - Michael Wilson,
the Minister of Finance of Canada in 1988 and James Baker who was the then Treasury Secretary to the US President Ronald Regan after who the famous Baker Plan was named. Also, we must never forget that it was Carl Greenidge who led the charge locally in those challenging days to prepare the foundation to turn around Guyana economically. The nation cannot divorce itself from the good work of our predecessors. Let us give Carl Greenidge his jacket. Sase Singh
AFC Alliance was formed on February 14, there was an abnormally high tension and nervousness from the desperate PPP cabal, especially from Ramotar, Jagdeo Rohee and Luncheon. Their bashing of the coalition was outdone by Jagdeo’s vicious and baseless attacks on Granger who he claimed would be a dangerous president if elected on May 11. The attacks were rife with racial undertones as if they were from the text of the American South before the civil rights. Jagdeo also attacked Moses Nagamootoo depicting him as a betrayer of Dr. Jagan’s philosophy but his comparison of his lavish lifestyle with that of the Jagans modest way of living was damaging to the PPP so much so that some of the leaders are repulsed. His attacks on Nagamootoo were nasty and unbecoming of a former head of state. Jagdeo sunk to the lowest level in society when he fooled the nation that he was married and except for Minister Jennifer Webster, who is in serious denial, the majority of the population, especially women were disgusted with his abuse of the former first lady. Jagdeo has done his utmost to create an ethnic
divide in the society at Babu Jaan where he rudely said the PPP is the “coolie people party” to win over East Indian support. This is a colossal insult to the Afro-Guyanese supporters, MP’s, ministers and the Prime Minister who did not utter a single word. He has never showed an enlightened understanding of love, decency, integrity and good governance and what they stand for. Jagdeo’s sinister statements are a culmination of a well-defined strategy that seeks to place Afro-Guyanese in a social stratum that is even lower than the lowest strata in society from which they can never be redeemed. It is no secret that the PPP is badly wounded and is on the verge of collapsing and there is nothing the politically inexperienced Mrs. Elizabeth Harper can do. Jagdeo’s racial statements are meant to distract the people from state thievery, the corrupt practices of the PPP, his $600 million mansion and his $3 million a month pension. The people are beginning to realize that the PPP cabal is hollow and crooked and should no longer be trusted with the nation’s purse. Asquith Rose, Chandra Deolall, Dr. Merle SpencerMarks.
It is time we the people be prepared to hold all... From page 4 is under the age of 40 years and more than half of the population are women and these demographics should play greater role in shaping the nation’s destiny. It is time we join hands as one people to stop corruption, nepotism, cronyism, violations of human rights and laws and raping of govern-
ment coffers. It is time that we stop compromising workers’ rights and environmental safeguards to appease questionable foreign investors. It is time we the people recognise that politicians are not given power through over vote to preside over us as masters but to serve the people. It is time Guyana stop being a heaven for narco trafficking and crimes. It is time we the people be prepared on May 12th to hold all leaders accountable. Let us hold the new government and opposition accountable for good stewardship of our invested political capital. It is time that we restore dignity to the Office of the President and the National Assembly. It is time for Guyana. Lincoln Lewis General Secretary
GHL Lall wants to know who are my friends; why? DEAR EDITOR, This is my second reply to the second letter of GHL Lall who has made three accusations against me which I honestly thought I have answered satisfactorily but Mr. Lall persists for reasons I will state below. According to this gentlemen, reliable sources told him that in 2006 when I was building my home in Turkeyen, I received financial help from businessmen whose character and deportment are infamous (my choice of words) therefore I have compromised my independent mind, have become contaminated and I have deteriorated in my character In his second missive, Mr. Lall refused to name just one manifestation of my contamination, one instance of my compromised pen, one example of my character deterioration. Mr. Lall did not name his source. Then Mr. Lall became pompous and arrogant. He arrogates to himself the right not to answer my questions, makes me the subject and says he doesn’t have to answer me. He says I have to answer him because I am the subject In this second letter of mine, I will reduce things to simple forms. Before I do so let me quote Lall in his second dig at me. He wrote, “The American in me cries out there is no free lunch?” To that I say, “The Guyanese in me cries that there is nasty propaganda afoot.” Now for my simplification process. I hereby make GHL Lall the subject just as how he made me the subject. And the subject has to answer the following questions. Who are his sources? What infamous conduct are these particular business people known for. Thirdly and fourthly, again I ask in what ways I am compromised; what forms my contamination takes and where are the displays of my deteriorated character In fairness to Lall, I will have to answer his question. I will agree to a mutual disclosure either directly to the editors of SN and KN or we can do so publicly. I will await Mr. Lall’s reply. But there are further things to be said. I will look at some more pathetic and absurd features of his second letter I quote Lall; “He is not in a position to question, he
ought to be furnishing answers.” I will leave it to readers to decide if that is not pomposity and arrogance. Lall goes on; “(My action) smacks of evasion of the ruling party machinations.” Between me and Lall, I would think his methodology appears more like the PPP’s machinations. It is Lall who decides in the vein of the PPP’s leadership that he doesn’t have to answers questions. Lall becomes bizarre and borders on the absurd and the comical when he says; “(Kissoon) grantors may not be part of corporate Guyana but could be part of commercial Guyana or official Guyana.” I plead ignorance. I don’t know what is official Guyana but I take umbrage at GHK Lall telling me he wants to know my friends in the commercial community in Guyana I am married into a commercial family. My journalistic and academic colleagues have friends in commercial Guyana. I have long-standing friends in commercial Guyana some of whom I trust with my security. I would think countless engineers, media operatives, lawyers, doctors and other sectors in this country have friends in commercial Guyana. Media operatives in both the Stabroek News and Kaieteur News have friends in commercial Guyana and I know that for a fact. I saw Mr. GHK Lall walking into German’s in Tiger Bay with a very wealthy man from commercial Guyana. What business it is of GHK Lall as to who my friends in commercial Guyana are? Mr. Lall’s only genuine concern is whether questionable business people gave me money to build my home and they have restricted my criticism of them. I wrote that this is not so. It is up to Lall to prove me a liar. That now becomes an obligation he has to carry through with. Mr. Lall ends his letter with hubris and hauteur that is simply disgusting and I promise him in my next correspondence on this subject, should one be accepted by this newspaper, the style will not be sophisticated and diplomatic. Here is Lall in his own words in his last paragraph, “I don’t have to prove, parse, or submit anything.” Lall’s style resembles the PPP’s particularly Rohee and Jagdeo. Lall is in good company. Will he be joining the PPP’s campaign? Frederick Kissoon
Sunday April 05, 2015
Kaieteur News
Kenyatta vows tough response to Garissa attack
Relatives have been viewing the bodies of victims of the attack at a funeral home in Nairobi Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to respond “in the severest ways possible” to the alShabab militant attack on Garissa university in which 148 people died. In an address to the nation, Mr Kenyatta said the Islamist group posed an “existential threat” to Kenya. He also said the government would take steps to crack down on those who planned and financed terrorist attacks. Mr Kenyatta also declared three days of mourning for the victims. Almost all the dead were students. Another people 79 were injured. Four militant gunmen were killed, and officials say they
are holding five people for questioning - one of whom is believed to be a university security guard. Buses are transporting more than 600 students and about 50 staff who survived the attacks to their home areas, Garissa governor Nathif Jama Adam told Reuters news agency. ‘JUSTICE’ Mr Kenyatta vowed to “fight terrorism to the end” and said the militants would not succeed in their aim of creating an Islamic caliphate in Kenya. “I want you to know that our security forces are pursuing the remaining accomplices. We will bring all of them to justice,” he said. “Our forefathers bled and
died for this nation, and we will do everything to defend our way of life.” He called on political and religious leaders to “speak in a united voice” and give “weightiest consideration” to national security. The task of combating terrorism had been complicated by the fact that “the planners and financiers of this brutality are deeply embedded in our communities”, Mr Kenyatta added. “We will not allow them to continue their lives as normal,” he said. The president’s address came as the relatives of victims queued at a morgue in the capital Nairobi to identify their loved ones.
Yemen crisis: Red Cross calls for 24-hour ceasefire The Red Cross has called for a 24-hour ceasefire in Yemen to bring in desperately needed medical supplies after fierce fighting. It says medical teams and rescuers must access Aden, a stronghold of those loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, or more civilians will die. Fighting in the southern port city has intensified with Saudi-led airstrikes aiming to push back Shia Houthi rebels. Russia, too, has called at the United Nations for a truce. It presented a draft resolution to an emergency session of the Security Council in New York, calling for a “humanitarian pause” in air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition to allow the evacuation of foreigners. The draft, however, makes no mention of a halt to fighting by the Houthis. It also demands “rapid, safe and unhindered
humanitarian access to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need”. Jordan’s ambassador to the UN and current Council chairman Dina Kawar said members would need time to consider the draft. ‘MORE WILL DIE’ The Red Cross said the streets of Aden were “strewn with dead bodies” and the wounded were “streaming” into hospitals and clinics. Over the past two weeks, fighting in Yemen has left more than 500 people dead and some 1,700 wounded, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has said. Saudi warplanes and ships have bombarded rebel positions for 10 days. “Our relief supplies and surgical personnel must be allowed to enter the country and safely reach the worstaffected places to provide help,” said Robert Mardini
head of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Middle East. “Otherwise, put starkly, many more people will die. “For the wounded, their chances of survival depend on action within hours, not days,” he added. The Red Cross said it had 48 tonnes of medical equipment to treat up to 3,000 people ready to leave, pending clearance. Britain’s deputy UN ambassador Peter Wilson expressed regret for civilian casualties but said Britain would carry on supporting Saudi-led military action against the Houthi rebels. President Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia on 25 March after the rebel forces advanced on Aden. He faces opposition from troops loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, ousted in the Arab Spring protests, and the Houthis.
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Dem boys seh... Ex-cops, ex-soldier paid to murder GGMC engineer PPP tek PNC no-teeth pit bulls, Furious over the loss of a lucrative claim, a businessman with ties to the mining sector, recruited a former army Intelligence rank and two ex-policemen to kill Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) engineer, Trevor Abrams. This is according to top police sources, who say they now have a clear motive for the brazen execution-style killing that occurred last February on the East Bank Demerara public road. This information reportedly came to investigators following the recent arrest of two men with a .32 pistol during a raid at Diamond Housing Scheme. Ballistic tests linked the firearm to Abrams’s death as well as to the murder of security guard, Wilfred Stewart, who was shot dead on December 8, 2014, at the Sterling Products Limited, Providence, East Bank Demerara. One of the detained men is a former soldier and the other an ex-policeman. Another ex-policeman, who is believed to be the gangleader, escaped during the Diamond raid. One of the suspects appears to be cooperating with investigators and has reportedly provided them with a motive as well as telling them how much the gang was paid. Trevor Abrams, of Lot 131 Samatta Point, East Bank Demerara, was employed with the GGMC for over two years. He was last stationed in the North West District.
Trevor Abrams His relatives have repeatedly insisted that he had no enemies and was an individual of integrity. Eyewitnesses to the February 26 attack had said that Abrams was driving past the Demerara Distilleries Limited (DDL) compound around 10:00hrs, when a Toyota 212 stopped in the middle of the road. Two men, dressed in dark clothing, and armed with “a long gun” and a handgun emerged and opened fire on the Toyota Allion which Abrams was driving. The wounded man managed to drive away from the scene, but ended up in a canal. He was already dead when residents and police pulled him from the vehicle. One report suggested that Abrams had slowed down near the DDL compound after being flagged down by one
of the gunmen, whom he mistook for a policeman. Kaieteur News was told that the only thing police recovered from Abrams’s car was a bag containing a flash drive, his national identification card and other personal documents. A day after Abrams was slain, police seized a grey Toyota AT 212 from a residence in Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara. A fake number plate was reportedly found next to the vehicle, which reportedly had a number of bullet holes. Police said that a woman who owns the vehicle claimed she had given the car to someone to take to a mechanic. The woman and her husband were detained briefly but were not charged. Investigators have also linked the suspects in Abrams’ murder to a recent heist at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, in which three men, posing as policemen, robbed the occupants of a truck at a bogus roadblock. Rayon Paddy, 26, of 278 South Ruimveldt Park, and Orin Arthur, 25, of Block X Diamond, East Bank Demerara, were remanded on eight charges pertaining to that incident. Paddy was also charged separately with escaping from custody on January 27. That occurred while he was under guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, after he was shot in the buttock during an attempted robbery at a Popeye’s outlet.
Specialty Hospital to be completed within 30 months if PPP is re-elected - Ramsammy - Vows to approach project “differently” The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is saying that it will ensure the completion of the controversial Specialty Hospital project once it is reelected. In fact, the incumbent party is planning to do all it takes to ensure the project is completed within 30 months after it is re-elected. This is according to former Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who admitted that a few things need to be done “differently.” The project, which was rejected by the opposition because the contract landed in what was described as the “wrong hands”, was placed
on hold ever since. The fallout between Government and Surendra Engineering was said to be the cause. Surendra Engineering is the company that was awarded the contract to build the hospital. Fedders Lloyd Corporation Ltd of India was the lowest bidder for the contract but it was passed over in favour of Surendra Engineering. Cabinet had “no objection” to the award of the contract to the value of $18.1 million even though Fedders Lloyd had put in a bid of US$23.2 million with a 23 per cent discount. That put its
Former Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy final bid cost at US$17.6 million. The hospital is being funded with a US$18 million line of credit from India. Continued on page 16
PNC got PPP smiling tigers Today and tomorrow everybody from all walks of life gun be celebrating. Some gun fly Uncle Donald and some gun fly Granger. Others gun fly kite because is Easter. Donald wake up soon dis morning and he and he wife eye mek four. She tun and ask he what is he plan fuh Easter. He tell she that he plan is same as Jesus—He intend to disappear and tun up back Monday. He security had to rush he to Woodlands which deh next door. Priya is another one. She had a good response fuh de scholarship fuh de two top students wha she seh Donald did promise. But then she start cuss down; she claim that dem hungry fuh power. Dem boys want to know who nah want power. She fuh one think she must deh in power till she dead. She adopting Jagdeo greedy tactics. She didn’t cuss Jagdeo when he seh that he gun use all he strength in he body fuh mek sure that Donald stay as president. Is who more hungry. Then she went along and seh that opposition cut de budget and this is why Government ain’t got money fuh pay fuh dem two pickney scholarship. Dem boys seh that dem love de response wha she get from Carl Greenidge. He tell she that dem can find US$60 million fuh build hotel fuh dem fare in; Dem spend tons of millions pun de unfinished Hope Canal; dem can spend $46 million fuh build a $10 million magistrate court wha li’l bigger than a fowl pen; among other things but can’t find couple penny fuh pay de children scholarship fee wha Donald promise de kids Dem boys seh “Shame on all-you—Priya,
solid waste and Donald. Is de same Donald who seh that only scamps does change dem name and clothes. He was cussing but not as bad as Jagdeo. He was giving de opposition a good dress down at de rally in Kitty last week. He tell de crowd anybody who like change dem name, watch dem. Is only scamps does change dem name. He seh was PNC, then it tun PNCR, now is APNU+AFC. Dem boys call de opposition and ask dem fuh respond to de fact that de PPP call dem scamps. This is wha dem seh. “If that is de measuring stick dem use fuh describe us as scamps then dem in de same boat wid us. Dem change dem name first from PPP to PPP/ C. Dem choose ‘C’ because ‘C’ stand fuh corruption and some of dem can’t ‘C’. That is how dem PM tun Sam Blind. De cussing nah even done. Donald cuss back. He seh how Moses, Khemraj and so on join up wid PNC and how if PNC come back dem guh wreck up de country. Dem boys ask de opposition fuh another comment. “Dem start that thing fuss. Dem tek all de PNC people, Odinga (who change he name), Joe Hamilton, Gillian Burton, Lis Harper, that big woman Kwame, Priya, Steve Ninvalle, Africo Selman, and de most important and unforgettable luna-tick, de Pee Are Hoe (pronounced whore) Nastimento. Suh in short is PNC running de country. All of dem was PNC Pit-bull. Dem is now de Pee Pee Pee rice eater without teeth. Moses and Khemraj and de rest of dem wha gone over to APNU+AFC got all dem teeth and dem sharp. Talk half and wait fuh de bite.
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Management review on GGMC filled with inaccuracies - used to sack two top GGMC officials Based on the directive from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, three officials were invited to conduct a detailed review of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). A report was then made and submitted to the Board of Commissioners. That document points to a number of suspicious acts under the mining body which would suggest that senior officials were perhaps lax when it came to ensuring that certain rules and regulations were observed. It also speaks to a number of missing reports, historical data that went missing, dismissed officers, missing officials and unavailable data for review all indicating that top persons within the entity may have something to hide. This newspaper
confirmed, however, that several aspects of the report done by stakeholders hired by the Natural Resources Ministry are inaccurate. That same report with the glaring inconsistencies was then used to recommend that two top GGMC officials be sent on administrative leave pending certain clarifications. Further, there are glaring contradictions in the report senior management at the Commission explained that the Systems Review Inception report which was conducted by Grantley Walrond, L.J.L Heesterman, and J. Goolsarran, was expected to help identify loopholes which need to be closed. They stress that the manner in which it was done (in the absence of proper consultations), gives the impression that it is nothing
more than a “witch-hunt.” They sought to make clear that they are not opposed to, but rather, welcome any fair and transparent intervention that would improve the functioning of Commission. The said report outlined that at the time the review of the Commission was being done, there was a strike by GGMC personnel last year into early January in relation to increased wages and salaries. This, it said, affected the timely completion of the assessment. Additionally, the document said that it was never the intention of the Mining Act to allow nonGuyanese to own medium and small scale properties and had mentioned Bai Shin Lin as such a company. However, a review of the application revealed that more than 50 percent of the shares
was owned by Guyanese and as such, the company was considered local and had satisfied the regulatory requirements. Senior staffers at the Commission also disagreed with the insensitivity of the report in highlighting the disabilities of persons along with their names as well as the personal relationships of some staffers. They found some aspects to be irrelevant and said that it strayed from the primary purpose of the assessment. The report said, “…The other Guyanese senior geologist in the Geoservices Division is Unata DeFreitas. She started as a geotech (useful in the field and helpful in collating data), did a degree at UG, and also went to Australia to do an MSc. She spent some time as a mother, and some time working with
No. 51 Village gets $46M Court house (From page 3) charged with committing serious offences or are repeat offenders. The consequence has been that many of those on bail, commit similar and even more serious offences or they threaten witnesses who then are fearful to testify and the cases fall apart. ”In those instances, the complainants claim that they are denied justice. It is difficult to disagree with them...While I recognise that I cannot interfere with how bail is granted, I feel compelled to draw these matters to the attention of the judiciary. These are some of the issues that lead to a loss of confidence in the judicial system. When the public loses confidence in the justice system, we will have major problems in our country,” the President said. A survey, which was conducted by the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) in keeping with the Caribbean Human Development Report 2102, showed that the justice system was among the least trusted institutions in Guyana. The said survey also indicated that confidence in judicial institutions as well as the police declined sharply between 2012 and 2014. Further addressing the issue of efficiency within the judiciary, the President said, “Billions of dollars of state revenue as taxes are also the subject of pending litigation. The impact of all this is that economic progress and financial activities are severely affected. “The judiciary must continue to strive therefore to ensure that there is greater efficiency in the way that the
system functions...we invest billions of dollars annually into the judicial sector because we recognise a connection between access to justice and the economic development of our country and the social progress of our people.” The President spoke too of the independence of the judiciary. “You will never see the PPP flag flying at any court building or any judicial area. It will remain independent of any political influence,” he stressed, adding that the judiciary is the place to which citizens can resort if they feel violated by anyone, including those in authority. The Head of State also urged members of the judicary to work effectively and expeditiously to reduce the backlog of cases. He acknowledged that even though significant strides have been made, “the truth is that where ever I go, I receive complaints of cases pending in the system for years. This is
unacceptable...we will continue to encourage the judicary to embark upon new initiatives that will foster greater speed in the system in order to minimise the delay we often hear about and the reduction of the backlog of cases.” Attorney General Nandlall also underscored the many developments facilitated for the judiciary to improve its efficiency and remain independent. He too noted that the Courts must provide redress for everyone, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged. He said that the history of Guyana and the world is one marred by struggle for freedom and justice, and once these liberties are secured there is economic and social development and the entire country progresses. ”There is economic and social progress when there is a well-functioning justice system. The thrust of our justice system is accessibility for every citizen to justice.
The AG offered assurance that the judicial system will “forever remain independent, free of Government dictate.” Both Justice B.S. Roy and Chancellor Singh said that the new building is a much needed replacement that will not only improve the working conditions of members of the judicary, but the environment of those seeking justice. The Chancellor also spoke of the independence of the judiciary. He noted that magistrates are often encouraged to be effective, fair and efficient. “In any country where there is a functioning and effective court system, that is perhaps one of, but a good indicator of a strong democratic culture and an adherence to the rule of law and that is what this building we are about to open demonstrate.”
her husband at the Bartica Mines Office, where they admitted to some sort of dishonesty. “Her (ex?) husband was a Mines Officer (fired?), but is now a miner. These two geologists probably do most of the work for the budgeted “technical assistance to miners”, but although Unata is probably technically stronger, there are concerns about having her involved in sensitive work.” It continued, “…The person in charge is the one Senior Geological Technician (Paul Welch), who does not engage in field work (he limps significantly).” GGMC staffers said that the authors of the report owe the named persons an apology for their inaccurate information and tactlessness. In another instance, the assessment said that there are many accusations relating to the disposal of historical company reports “for high prices.” It said that the final report for the Goldstone/Migrate PGGS can no longer be found in GGMC, having been traced from Kampta Persaud to Serge Nadeau, to Jimmy Reece and then to the Commissioner’s Office in mid 2014. Kaieteur News confronted GGMC personnel about this and they insisted that the document was very much in place and can be easily located. Kaieteur News visited GGMC and saw that the said report is intact. The Systems Review also pointed to the lack of trust in Closed Area Committees (CAC). The main role of this body is to deal with matters pertaining to State Lands that were closed to mining or issuance of mineral titles for
various reasons. The functions of the CAC are essentially to augment the general functions of the Commission, which is the agency with the overall legal authority with respect to monitoring and regulating the mining industry. The CAC provides support and integrity to the process of releasing lands through a fair and organized mechanism. Essentially, instead of an individual making recommendations to the Minister, they are made by a committee composed of individuals, from both within and outside of the GGMC. But while this is the case, some GGMC officials believe that the report was not thorough enough in this regard as it highlighted nothing of the fact that Muri Brasil Ventures Inc. was granted Permission for Geographical and Geophysical Survey (PGGS) by Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud. That location was said to be closed prime lands in the South. A huge debate was sparked over this matter when it was released to the media as the PGGS granted the company the right to apply for a number of prospecting licences, if it found that the 2.2 million acres of land it was allowed to survey in the controversial New River Triangle location was indeed rich with minerals. The report has so far attracted scathing criticisms from leading members of the GGMC management team considering that it was made for public examination without allowing senior officers to peruse and it and correct certain inaccuracies.
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APNU+AFC will install unused IFMAS modules immediately A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Shadow Minister of Finance, Carl Greenidge recently gave the commitment that while the joint opposition is in the final stages of fine-tuning its plan to improve accountability and transparency, included in that regiment will be the implementation of all the modules comprising the Integrated Financial Management and Accountability System (IFMAS). Last year, this newspaper carried a series of articles showing how liability for assets and monies could be improved if all the modules belonging to the IFMAS system were operable. The foolproof international accounting system uses seven modules, two of which were never implemented by government even though the IFMAS has been in operation for over ten years. The two modules are the Purchasing Module and the Assets Inventory Module. B u t e v en after harsh criticisms from the opposition and several accountants indicating that the two modules were not used because it was perhaps, part of government’s scheme to
rob the Treasury, the Ministry of Finance maintained that this was not the case. Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh had said that while the entire $132M IFMAS package was not being used, the functions of the two unused modules were incorporated in the others and as such there was no loophole for unaccountability to occur. When Guyana got the IFMAS system, it was specially tailored to suit the country’s needs; however Dr. Singh had argued that the two unimplemented modules are for a more mature environment. Senior officers of the Canadian company that designed the IFMAS had even stated that they were not aware of any case where a government bought the system and did not use all of the modules. They had stated too that the Purchasing module is important because it allows you to automate everything. They said that if, for example, a government wants to buy a computer for a ministry, it would have to budget for it. The IFMAS then issues a purchasing order and when you pay for the computer, you collect a receipt and that can be scanned into the IFMAS.
So, there is absolutely no need to keep the physical receipt. They had said, too, “The Assets module is very helpful for asset management. It is important because it helps the government to manage the value of state assets. It ensures that you don’t sell something for less than it is worth and it also helps governments to manage the assets to ensure the country is not being robbed.” The Canadian firm stressed as well that the modules provide better control over what was spent, how it was spent, who is
assigned to, the asset acquired and what has become of its value and stressed that all the modules are important and should be implemented. Though Dr. Singh had opined that Guyana is not mature enough for the two modules, the country’s Auditor General Deodat Sharma continues to recommend that they be implemented. Greenidge who served as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during the Tenth Parliament articulated that the two modules are part and parcel of
the system of ensuring that accountability and transparency at the highest level is achieved. He said, too, that the APNU+AFC is committed to ensuring that the modules are in place as part of restoring the electorate’s faith in the country’s systems of checks and balances. “These two modules will form part of our menu of things to be done to close up a number of the loopholes in the system which encouraged corrupt acts. This is not the time to make excuses and deceive the nation any longer about what
is really in place to protect their monies. I wish to reiterate this other point, it is very important that the electorate is reminded of the fact that the People’s Progressive Party regime during its time in office has in several cases embarked on a series of extensive fraud hidden by a careful and cynical set of actions. The non-implementation of the two IFMAS modules were part of that scheme and we will bring that to an end under an APNU+AFC government,” Greenidge expressed.
Bourda multi-million dollar robbery…
Police confident of capturing - “There are a lot of loopholes in the robbers story being told” - police source Investigators probing the multi-million-dollar robbery which occurred outside the Bourda Post Office, last Wednesday, are confident that they are on the right path in solving this case. They also believe that they have their eyes on the “right set of people.” Kaieteur News was told that investigators are working with information that the robbery might have been a conspiracy between a group of people known to the Guyana Police Force. A senior investigator said on Friday that the heist may have been planned a few hours before the actual attack was carried out. He also confirmed that the police escort remains under close arrest while the driver attached to the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) is in police custody. The two individuals were allegedly dumped on
The Bourda Post Office, where the robbery took place
Cemetery Road along with the Post Office van. This was after three armed men jumped into the van while it was outside the Bourda Post Office and drove off with the money, police escort and the driver. The cop was allegedly relieved of his rifle. The incident occurred as unsuspecting pensioners were lined up waiting for their monthly allowance. Yesterday, the police source said that they believed that while the three gunmen jumped into the van and escaped, there might have been other suspects around the area. “There were people in the line informing the suspects when to approach and we are sure of that. We are getting information that a call was made by a known individual, and this was seconds before the bandits carried out their brazen attack,” the source said. He added, “This is a strange robbery. No one made any sounds. No one saw any weapons. This thing
happened and a man, who was standing right next to the vehicle, didn’t know it was a robbery. There are a lot of loopholes in the story being told.” The police in a release said that three men armed with handguns held up a police escort and the driver of a GPOC motor vehicle. According to the police, they were in the vehicle outside the Bourda Post Office located on Regent Street, while in the process of delivering money to the entity. “The perpetrators took away the policeman’s G3 rifle with 20 rounds and then entered the vehicle and forced the driver to drive away, with the police rank inside,” the police stated. The men, the police said, abandoned the vehicle along Cemetery Road, Georgetown and took away $90M that was in the vehicle and escaped, along with the policeman’s firearm. At the scene on Wednesday, two street
dwellers said that they noticed two well dressed men standing on the northern side of Regent Street. The eyewitnesses said that another was in the line standing among the pensioners who were waiting to collect their cash. “The two was over there watching over. After, the bus pull up and the escort and the money man carry in the two bag” one of the eyewitnesses said, it was then that the bandits pounced. They said the bus driver had left his door open and the well dressed bandit came and stood by the bus. Shortly after, the accomplice jumped in the passenger seat and the well dressed bandit hopped into the driver’s seat and drove off. The eyewitnesses told this publication that the third bandit hopped into the bus and they sped off through Orange Walk, Bourda. Divisional Commander, Clifton Hicken could not be reached for a comment yesterday.
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Jagdeo’s resurrection will be PPP’s gravest mistake A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Shadow Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, strongly believes that the “resurrection” of former President Bharrat Jagdeo during the election campaign of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) “will turn out to be its gravest mistake.” Since Jagdeo surfaced to support the government in the upcoming polls, he has held two press conferences and delivered remarks at the PPP’s rally in Kitty. On each occasion, he wasted no time in bashing members of the political opposition such as APNU’s Leader, David Granger; APNU Shadow Minister of Finance, Carl Greenidge, the APNU+AFC’s Prime Ministerial Candidate, Moses Nagamootoo and even Raphael Trotman. Jagdeo’s arguments, in most cases, paint a picture that portrays some members of the opposition as “power hungry, hypocritical” and having a poor record under the People’s National Congress (PNC). He has been calling on members of the opposition to face their record. One such person Jagdeo has
- Dr. Roopnaraine
APNU’s Shadow Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine challenged to do so is APNU Executive member, Carl Greenidge, whose actions he recalled from 25 years ago to be at the core of unaccountability. Dr. Roopnaraine has said that quite frankly, he believes that Jagdeo’s presence in the PPP/C’s election campaign will only prove to be the undoing of the current administration and it will be made to pay for it come May 11, next. “We are not the least bit intimidated by Jagdeo who seems obsessed with going back to a past that he
fabricates. In fact, we in the opposition are really very happy that he is very visible; he will flounce around talking nonsense. But little does Jagdeo know that the people are tired of his old and wicked tricks. We think that he will be an easy beat and I don’t think we could pay for better comedy. It is sad as well as sickening that he believes the electorate can be persuaded by his empty words because his poor track record has left behind some deep wounds on this nation. So trust me when I say that his presence will only prove to be to our advantage. Every time Jagdeo opens his mouth he sinks the PPP/C further into the trenches. With every appearance he proves to the electorate that he is a malicious and toxic person,” Dr. Roopnaraine asserted. His colleague, Carl Greenidge, called on the former President earlier this week to face his “real nasty record”. Greenidge had said that the former President also needs to stop trying to take
credit for things that never occurred under his watch like major declines in the overall debt rate and improved measures of transparency and accountability. “That is a fabricated record Jagdeo is trying to paint for himself. “ He said, too, that Jagdeo needs to be a “big boy” and talk about his “history of corruption, failed projects, gifting extravagant parts of Guyana to your friends and cronies, the giveaway of the radio licences, the Skeldon “white elephant” factory, the failed Guyana/Brazil cable project and the tax-funded Marriott Hotel.” The politician also said that Jagdeo must speak about the Sanata Complex giveaway, the sale of the GPC, the Amaila Falls road project, the Specialty Hospital, the Surendra pumps, the Enmore Packaging Plant and the CJIA Expansion project.” APNU+AFC had also said that Jagdeo’s actions are simply characteristic of a dying regime. Along this same line, Dr. Roopnaraine said that the opposition also
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo believes that after all the years the current administration spent in office; it has failed miserably to create the kind of environment or life for Guyanese that is really their due. “And my own feeling is that a lot of governments when they are in power for too long, you start to detect certain behaviours like that of the PPP and you find that it is not dissimilar from the ones coming to the end of its days. The PPP is exhausted and it does not have fresh ideas for the modern times and the
new questions and it is stuck in the past hence Jagdeo’s resurrection. This government is fighting ghosts and it is not interested in facing anything of the present,” the Shadow Minister explained. Additionally, there have also been a number of concerns from the major political parties on issues relating to transparency and the holding of free and fair elections by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). There have also been a number of international reports on the said matter where it had also offered recommendations to the elections body. Dr. Roopnaraine said that he could not say, definitively, whether either side raised the observations of those reports during discussions with GECOM. He did note, however, that to the best of his knowledge, GECOM “does not really attend to the recommendations of those reports and my view is that it should pay more attention to the suggestions offered by observer groups and implement where necessary so as to strengthen the election process.”
Manslaughter case takes 25 years to be heard In one of the two Manslaughter cases heard in Berbice this session, the accused died. In the other manslaughter case which came up before Justice Brassington Reynolds, neither the accused nor the witnesses were located. This matter happened 25 years ago. A total of 11 matters were presented and completed during the January sessions of the Demerara Criminal Assizes. The session, which commenced on January 13, 2015 was presided over by three judges, Justice Franklyn Holder, Justice Navindra Singh and Justice James Bovell-Drakes. According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, (DPP) 213 cases were listed to be heard during the Assizes but only eleven matters were presented at the High Court. Of these, eight of them were for murder, one each for rape, assault and forcible abduction of a female for carnal knowledge, another one for the offence of rape and one for the offence of rape of a child under 16 years. There were convictions in five of them and five acquittals. However, the outcome of one matter is still pending.
Justice Navindra Singh completed four matters among them that of Jarvis Small and Bibi Shareema Gopaul who were sentenced to 96 years and 106 years respectively for the murder of Neesa Gopaul. Popular party promoter, Colin Mack, was found not guilty of rape and forcible abduction of a female for carnal knowledge. Justice Singh also presided over the murder trial of Randy Isaac and Devon Thomas who were tried and sentenced to 75 years each for murder of East Coast Demerara businessman, Kumar Mohabir. The accused, Troy Greene, was freed of West Coast hairdresser, Bibi Rafeena Saymar’s murder. Justice Franklyn Holder completed four matters, two for Murder and one each for the offences of pape and rape of a child under 16 years. Vinod Balgobin was sentenced to 43 years’ imprisonment after the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict for the murder of his reputed wife, Mary Ann Nauth. The incident took place at K&VC hotel in May 11, 2013. The other accused, Rudolph London pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. He was
sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for the unlawful killing of his wife Shaunell Warrick. Leroy Deonarine who was indicted for rape was acquitted after the Virtual Complainant (VC) testified that she did not wish to give evidence. Justice Holder, in turn directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty. Justice Holder sentenced Leyrone Sandiford to 18 years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the offence of rape of a child under 16 years. Justice James BovellDrakes presided over two Murder trials. In the first matter Shawn Thom and Orin David were jointly indicted for the murder of Mahaica Farmer Lakram Bihundial. They were released after the judge upheld a no case submission presented by Thom’s lawyer and the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty for the number two accused, Orin David. Edward Skeete was also acquitted of killing businessman Bedi Ramjewan after a jury found him not guilty of the offence. A third murder trial is currently ongoing. Justice Brassington Reynolds sat at the Berbice Criminal Assizes. He
continued the October 2014 Criminal Assizes in January. This ended on February 2. The session which will continue until June 15, 2015 has 61 cases listed to be heard. Fourteen cases received attention during the past three months. Of these 14 matters, nine were disposed of by Justice Reynolds while five matters were nolle prosequi by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The nine matters presented before Justice Reynolds were for the offences of murder, incest and sexual activity with a child family member. Six were for murder, two for sexual activity with a child family member and one matter for the offence of incest. In one matter for the offence of murder in which two accused were indicted, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty for both accused. In another trial for the offence of murder, the two accused had their committals and indictment quashed after the defence submitted to the court that the Magistrate did not comply with a section of the law as it relates to Section 71 Chapter 10:01 of the Law Procedure Act. In the other matter for the
offence of murder, the two accused were acquitted after the trial Judge upheld a no case submission and directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty. In three separate murder trials, the accused persons all pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter. Two were respectively sentenced to 13 years and 12 years imprisonment while the accused in the third matter is expected to be sentenced on Monday. The accused charged with incest was discharged after the complainant testified that she did not wish to proceed with the evidence. Other matters include sexual activity with a child family member in which one person was sentenced to ten years imprisonment after pleading guilty. The other matter was found guilty by a majority verdict of 11 guilty to one not guilty. This accused, too, will be sentenced on Monday April 13, 20L5. Of the five matters that were nolle prosequi by the DPP, two were for the offence of manslaughter, one for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, one for falsification of accounts, embezzlement by public officer and larceny of Judicial Document and one for carnal
knowledge of a girl under 13 years Meanwhile, the Essequibo Criminal Assizes continued in January until February 16 before Justice Sandra Kurtzious. Justice Kurtzious disposed of four matters during January, February and March. Of these four matters, two were presented to the judge while another two matters were nolle prosequi by the DPP’ The two matters presented were for the offences of attempt to commit murder and alternatively, for the offences of wounding with intent and unlawful wounding. In the first matter for attempt to commit murder, the accused was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment. The accused in the other matter for the offence of Attempt to Commit Murder and Unlawful Wounding was acquitted on both counts after the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty. There are 230 cases listed to be heard during the Demerara April Assizes before Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire, Justice Navindra Singh and Justice Brassington Reynolds. The session is scheduled to commence on Tuesday.
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BANDITS KILL WISMAR WOMAN Bandits shot a 45-year-old Wismar businesswoman dead and wounded her son before escaping with a bag of cash at around 19.30 hrs yesterday. Murders for the year have now climbed to 41.
Police said that Shevon Gordon, of Block 22, Wismar, and her husband, Elon Gordon, 48, were about to enter their yard when two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, confronted Shevon Gordon, who had stepped out of the
couple’s vehicle. “The men demanded a bag with cash that Shevon Gordon had in her possession and she resisted and was shot to her body. The men then took away the bag and ran away,” a police release stated.
“They were pursued by Elon Gordon and his son, Devon Gordon, 23. Devon Gordon managed to catch up with the perpetrators and a scuffle ensued during which he was shot to his left thigh and the men then escaped with the bag and money.
Shevon and Devon Gordon were taken to the Mackenzie Hospital where Mrs. Gordon was pronounced dead on arrival. Devon Gordon has been admitted to hospital for medical treatment.
Boy, 9, bound, found floating naked
DEAD: Nine-year-old Shaquan Gittens The bound and partially decomposed body of nineyear-old Shaquan Gittens was yesterday fished out of a trench in the backlands at South Ruimveldt, three days after he went missing. His bloated body, minus his trousers, was found floating in the trench around
15:35 hrs. He was clad only in a green jersey. The shocking discovery was made by a farmer who was heading into the backlands. When his body was pulled from the trench, a strip of cloth was seen hanging from both hands. Investigators believed
that the lad was bound and sodomized by persons who lured him into the lonely area, which is approximately half a mile from the nearest house in South Ruimveldt. Due to its decomposed state, police were unable to detect any marks of violence. They are awaiting a post mortem examination to determine how the lad met his demise. At the scene yesterday, Gittens’ mother, Doysha, collapsed when a relative positively identified the victim as her son. He was identified by the green Ninja Turtles T-Shirt he was last seen wearing. Dozens of relatives who flocked the scene were heard screaming and questioning what he was doing there and who could have killed him. “Oh meh baby gone… What he doing here. My baby gone, my baby gone… I want my baby,” his mother cried. The child’s relatives were too distraught to speak to reporters. Relatives said they last saw Shaquan alive around noon on April Fool’s Day, when he went home to have lunch after flying kites near his parents’ North Ruimveldt home. His mother, a teacher, had told the media that she left
The lad’s mother (2nd left) and other relatives. him in the care of his 15-yearold brother and went to work. When she returned home later that day and did not see the lad, she asked his sibling who then informed her that he had left to go on the streets and play. According to the woman, her neighbours had informed her that they had seen the youngster flying a kite. The older Gittens said
that after a few hours passed and her son failed to return, she went out into the community and searched for him. The following day, she made a missing person report and shared flyers, hoping that she would find the young man alive. “He never disappeared before,” she had told this newspaper. When the mother of two
received the call yesterday that a body was found, she was in Crane, West Coast Demerara (WCD), searching for him after someone had called and informed her that he was seen walking on the roadway. Yesterday, after the body was pulled out, investigators left the scene to go into his neighbourhood to question his friends.
Curious onlookers at the scene.
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Dismembered body… The killers of US-based Guyanese, Samantha Benjamin, were trying to buy time by dismembering her to delay her identification. This piece of information was given to investigators by the prime suspect in Benjamin’s murder. The man detailed how the woman was bludgeoned to death for her money when she put up a fight. The suspect reportedly detailed how he and his two accomplices first cut off the woman’s limbs and then carried her body to the Annandale foreshore where they decapitated it. The suspect who is expected to make a court appearance early next week was holding out that he had no knowledge of the crime until he was taken back to the house at Middle Walk, Buxton and shown the evidence of his savagery. The suspect was taken into custody last Tuesday when investigators led by the woman’s family members went into the house where Benjamin was staying and discovered bloodstained sheets and pieces of what appeared to be human flesh splattered on a wall. There were also signs that
Kaieteur News
Sunday April 05, 2015
Suspect admits beheading woman at seawall someone had attempted to clean up the gory scene, but the efforts were not enough. “When we took him back to the house and he saw the blood in the creases of the floor, he could’a drop dead,” a police source who is a part of the investigation said. It was then that the suspect broke down and gave a detailed account of what transpired in the house on the night of March 25, last. According to a source, the suspect reported that after Benjamin broke up with her estranged husband, she came and took up residence in the Buxton Middle Walk house. It was while she was there that she confided in him about her business plans, including the plan to purchase a car. He admitted that he plotted with two other men to kill her for her money. According to the suspect, they first struck the woman a devastating blow to her head with a piece of wood and rendered her motionless. Almost certain that the blow was fatal, the suspect and his accomplices hatched a plan to get rid of her body and conceal their crime and buy time to relocate to avoid capture. They decided to cut off
- says he only got $20,000
The mastermind of Benjamin’s murder the woman’s limbs, apparently to make the body easier to fetch in a wheelbarrow. This was done in the house, accounting for all the blood at the scene. Benjamin’s body was then taken to the seawall about 400 metres away where the men
Samantha Benjamin
cut off her head and threw everything into the ocean. This corroborated investigators’ theory that some dismembering occurred at the foreshore since they had observed marks on the concrete seawall that suggested that chopping had taken place there. The killers had hoped that the high tide would have carried the body parts away. But they did not cater for the body and its severed parts getting stuck between some huge boulders on the foreshore. The killers’ plan might have worked because no one immediately missed the woman, even though the
body was discovered a few hours later. But they stuck around and eventually relatives began asking questions. Even neighbours did not link the body recovered on the foreshore to the “visitor” from the US-who had moved into the house about a month ago. One neighbour told this newspaper that he is in a total state of shock that something like that could have occurred so close to his house. He said that he had seen Benjamin from time to time but would only greet her with the customary “Good morning” or “Good evening”, since he knew she was visiting from
overseas. According to the neighbour, who lives alone, on Thursday last he observed all the commotion surrounding the discovery of a body on the foreshore but did not venture to the scene. He too had no clue that the body had anything to do with his overseas neighbour. It was only after he saw a number of police ranks outside the house on Tuesday night that he became interested in what was taking place. At first he thought that something had happened to the labourer he had seen tending to the chickens. “But then I see police hold he up and I see a man with a camera, and I say, ‘Oh s*#t, is wha dis man do?’” Even up to then he still did not link the situation to the discovery of the body on the foreshore. It was only later that he made the connection. “Is de morning when I see police, den I start to pick up, and I say, ‘wha?’ I see people coming and start to look, look; then I say man something happen. But I sorry though,” the neighbor said. He claimed that he did not know the young labourer personally, but he maintained that the suspect had to know something about the woman’s death. He was right! The suspect in custody also claimed that for all their troubles, he only got $20,000. He led detectives to a house on Bent Street, Georgetown, where he had sold the dead woman’s laptop and her cellular phone for drugs.
Specialty Hospital to be completed... From page 9 During a recent interview, Dr. Ramsammy told Kaieteur News that when government goes about resuming the project, it will put out an open tender. Even as he committed to a 30-month finish, Dr. Ramsammy said that the government knows it now has to go back and examine the way it approached the project and determine what is needed to be done differently. “We will examine what we did, yes, there were some things that could have been done differently and so we are going to do them differently,” Dr. Ramsammy added. Last January, judgment was granted in favour of the government in its case against Surendra Engineering. On September 14, 2012, the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Health entered into a contract with Surendra Engineering Corporation Limited. On December 27, 2012, Surendra Engineering was given an Advance Payment of 20 percent of the contract price, which amounted to US$3.6M and on November 18, 2013, an additional payment of US$649,440. But the company eventually failed to submit payment receipts to account for the advanced payment which amounted to just over US$4.2M Government claimed that instead, the company submitted fabricated, unsigned and
inflated invoices with no evidence of actual payments made to support the expenditure claimed. In addition, the Advance Payment Guarantee expired on March 11, 2014, and the company failed to renew it in accordance with the terms of the contract. Consequently, Government terminated the contract on the grounds that Surendra Engineering Corporation Limited failed to renew/provide the Advance Payment Guarantee; engaged in fraudulent practices; and failed to satisfactorily perform its obligations under the terms of the contract. G o v e r n m e n t t h e n f i l e d a Wr i t o f Summons in the Commercial Division of the High Court naming Surendra Engineering Corporation Limited as the Defendant and claiming Damages in excess of G$100M; Special damages for over US$4.2M; Interest at the rate of six percent per annum from the date of filing to the date of judgment and at the rate of four percent until fully paid; Costs in the sum of US$10,714.50. After no representative from Surendra appeared at any of the scheduled court hearings, Government was awarded judgment in its favour. The announcement for construction was made in February 2011 by former President Bharrat Jagdeo when he returned from India after securing a US$18M line of credit.
Sunday April 05, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Dealing with snake bites By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Guyana being in the tropics is well known for the various species of snakes that inhabit it. Snakes like every other animal have to survive. They will eat to live and will defend themselves once they feel threatened. They are not as devious as sometimes portrayed and we should respect them and their habitats. When snakes do bite humans, we most likely would have invaded their territory and they were feeling threatened. There are over 200 snake bites annually in Guyana, and each has the potential of becoming complicated if not managed properly. Snake venom acts differently according to the species of snake and the outcome has to do with the size of the snake, the amount of bites, and how agitated the snake was at the time of the bite. Today we will discuss aspect of snake bites that we think are important for you to be aware of. HEMOTOXIC SNAKE BITES Most venomous snakes in Guyana cause death via this means. Hemotoxic means that the venom from the snake prevents our blood from clotting. Patients that are bitten by a hemotoxic snake are at risk of bleeding to death. They have the potential to bleed from anywhere in their body and may have undetected internal bleeding. Snakes that are hemotoxic include the infamous Labaria, the rattlesnake, and the bushmaster. NEUROTOXIC SNAKE BITES The venom from these snakes acts on our nervous system causing a paralyzing
effect. We slowly start to feel numb and lose function in our body. The venom can paralyze our heart and breathing, causing death. The coral snake is the main species of neurotoxic snakes found in Guyana. The venom of the rattlesnake can also have a varying neurotoxic effect. INFECTIVE SNAKE BITES Almost all venomous snake bites in Guyana have the potential to cause infection. Infection occurs from the bacteria and enzymes present in the snake venom. These can break down our tissues and can lead to serious infections which can cause loss of limbs or even loss of life from sepsis. WHATTODOIFYOUARE BITTEN - Remain calm: The more you panic, the faster your heart will beat and circulate the venom around your body. The calmer you are, the lesser the chance of this happening, the better the chance of you surviving - Get to the nearest Hospital: The longer you wait to get treatment, the more you are putting yourself at risk of complications, including death. - Lessen your physical activity: The more you do the more you will increase your heart rate and increase the venom circulation. Get others to work for you, including lifting you if possible. -Keepyourlimbdown:Ifyou were bitten on a limb, then keep the affected limb down to decrease the amount of blood flowing upwards. This will decrease the rate of flow of the venom to the rest of your body. - Let the wound bleed for shallow bites: This may help to get some venom out of your body.
The Baccoo Speaks Holidays are synonymous with road accidents. It is as if madness overcomes people. The next few hours are going to be traumatic for some people as a speeding vehicle collides with another. The wreck would attract people who would have to use force to extricate some of the victims. And as usual, the police would not prosecute the errant driver simply because they would conclude that he has suffered enough. ** Another scandal is brewing. Plans are afoot to torpedo the senior management of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and all because of greed. The drive to get money from the entity was not supposed to be known but it was, so the
government is retaliating because this money has been put on hold. ** The political rallies continue and increasingly there are people who would want to provoke violence because of the signs. A woman would be violently attacked in her home by a man supposed to be a vagrant. Unfortunately that would not be accepted because this woman was a political leader.
- Compress squirting wounds: In cases where the bite causes blood to squirt from the wound, you should compress the wound and wrap a tight band around it. - Clean with soap and water around the wound: Do not excessively wash the wound as this can cause other complications by itself. WHATYOU SHOULDN’T DO - Do not tie off/ tourniquet the affected limb. This will prevent blood from reaching the limb and can worsen the situation. - Do not try to suck the
poison out. This will only compound the infection and can put the person sucking the venom out at risk of becoming sick from ingesting it. - Do not ice the wound. This can decrease circulation leading to more tissue death and infection - Do not use your own antivenom. Anti-venom varies according to each species and can be dangerous to you, especially if it’s the wrong species of snake. Let your doctor decide on choice of anti-venom. - Do not explore the wound for snake fangs. This
increases the risk of venom spread and infection. Snakes like Human beings will do what’s necessary to survive. We should avoid interfering with them if we can, and avoid areas where they may be prevalent. If you are bitten, you should remain calm and get to the nearest health facility. (Dr Zulfikar Bux is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Vanderbilt University and Medical Center and holds the position of Head of the Georgetown Public
Dr. Zulfikar Bux Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.)
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Sunday April 05, 2015
THE ORPHAN’S DEADLY GUARDIANS By Michael Jordan On the morning of Tuesday, December 17, 2002, residents of the Greater Georgetown area known as ‘Sophia Front’ made a horrifying find. Lying in a drain near the Liliendaal Railway Embankment was the body of teenage boy. The lad, of East Indian ancestry, was dressed in a blue, longsleeved shirt, green long pants, and a pair of badly torn desert boots. Police who examined the body observed black and blue welts and lacerations on the boy’s back. There were also bruises on his chest, a small hole near his left rib cage and a cut on his chin. A post mortem would reveal that he had died of trauma to the head. But who was this unknown child? Who had inflicted this brutal assault on him? How had his body ended up there? One resident recalled seeing a navy-blue pickup in the area at around midnight. This led residents to surmise that the victim was killed elsewhere and then dumped at Liliendaal. Days passed, and still the murdered child remained unidentified. Police issued a detailed description of the victim and his clothing, while appealing for information about his identity. But it would be a week before a breakthrough came. On Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25,
2002, a man, Khanai Bipat, saw a photograph of the murdered child in the Guyana Chronicle. He immediately realised that the victim bore a disturbing resemblance to one of his nephews. A visit to the Newburg Funeral Parlour confirmed that the slain lad was indeed Bipat’s nephew; 14-year-old Raheem Abdool, who was living at the Shaheed (Sad’r) Boys’ Orphanage in Kitty. From newspaper reports, the orphanage’s house mother, Bibi Nazz Hakim, claimed that Raheem was last seen asleep on the night of Monday, December 16. The officials allegedly realised that he had disappeared at 4:00 o’clock the next morning when prayers were being said. The house mother claimed that a search of the building revealed that all the doors were still bolted, but a window overlooking an exterior staircase was open. This suggested that the boy had slipped out via that route. Ms Hakim claimed that Raheem had never spent a night away from the orphanage, and that she had made a report to the Kitty Police Station after 24 hours had elapsed. But the teen’s relatives said that they had checked at the station and were told that there was no record of such a report between December 16 and Christmas Day. What was also troubling to the victim’s relatives was that they were only told of the
Yusuf Rahaman (left) and Nazir Hamid lad’s disappearance on December 22, when his grandmother visited the institution. But in January 2003, a significant development occurred that shocked the local Islamic community. Detectives arrested 37-yearold Nazir Hamid, the former acting CEO of the Boys Orphanage and Yusuf Rahaman, 26, called ‘Kenneth. Police suggested that Raheem had been beaten to death while he was being questioned about the disappearance of a sum of money. On January 22, 2003, the duo appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on charges of murder.
According to the charges leveled against the men, on December 16, 2002, at about 4.30 pm, they had accused Raheem Abdool of stealing a quantity of cash. Using a belt from a pair of pants and a canvas fan-belt they allegedly beat him in a spare parts store until he died. Attorneys Simone Bullen and Paula Gilford, who worked in the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), were appointed to represent the State, while the defendants hired Attorney Vic Puran to represent them. It was determined that a prima facie case had been established against the accused, and the matter was transferred to the High Court before Justice Claudette Singh. During the High Court trial, Bibi Nazz Hakim, house mother of the orphanage, testified that acting on instructions from murder accused Nazir Hamid, who was her boss at the time, she had lied to the police and claimed that Raheem Abdool had run away from the institution. According to the house mother, she had last seen the lad alive on December 16, 2002, when he and the other residents of the orphanage had their morning bath and later ate their breakfast. Ms. Hakim said Abdool and another resident, Ramo Duke, had left the institution that morning and had gone to K. Rahaman and Sons, a store located at Russell and Evans Streets, Charlestown. She said she had made telephone contact with Rahaman, the number two accused, after Abdool and Duke failed to arrive by 5:30 p.m. for prayers. According to the house mother, Rahaman told her that
Abdool and Duke were packing some items. She stated that she had telephoned again at around 9pm., and Rahaman had again told her that the lads were packing items. But she alleged that an hour later, Hamid telephoned her and said “Aunty Bibi, Raheem run away from the store this morning.” She said Hamid also warned her not to say that the boy had run away from the store, but to say instead that he had run away from the orphanage. Hamid, she said, had suggested that the personnel of the store would get into “big problem with child labour if the Welfare Department intervenes”. The house mother stated that on December 17, 2002, she told ranks at the Kitty Police Station that Raheem Abdool had run away from the orphanage. According to the witness, she never saw Abdool alive again, but Ramo Duke, the other boy who had left the orphanage in Abdool’s company, had returned at 5:30 pm on December 17. She claimed that Duke was subsequently removed from the orphanage by an attorney. Responding to questions from the defence, who now included Attorney Hukumchand, Hakim admitted that her statement to the police was entirely different to her High Court statement and the one she made during the preliminary inquiry. She told the court she had regretted lying after she had discovered that Abdool was dead, and so had decided to tell the truth. But she was unable to explain why she had continued to lie to police in separate statements some 14 days after Abdool’s disappearance. In caution statements to the police, the defendants had claimed that they were victims of a ‘set-up’, which was triggered by a “power struggle” between the Anjuman faction of the Muslim community and the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG). Hamid, the number one accused, also alleged that the individuals had threatened to put him in trouble. During cross-examination by defence attorney Hukumchand, two police ranks acknowledged that they had not attempted to investigate the allegations that the defendants had made, in which they had named persons in high office as being part of the alleged conspiracy against them.. Under cross-examination
by Hukumchand, one rank said that although he took the statement in which the accused called the names of individuals who were allegedly waging a war of hate and factionalism against the Anjuman, he (the witness) did not carry out an investigation to ascertain whether the allegation was true or false. One of the policemen also said that he did not recommend to his superiors that the allegations should be investigated, and, as a consequence, he could not tell whether or not the accused was speaking the truth. The state’s case had collapsed. FREED On Wednesday, August 4, 2004, a jury took just an hour to find the two accused not guilty of murdering Raheem Abdool. “I wish you all the best in your future life…go in peace,” Justice Claudette Singh said, while also telling Hamid and Rahman to thank their God. But the reputation of the orphanage had been badly damaged. An investigation by the Human Services Ministry allegedly uncovered several instances of child labour and child abuse at the institution. It was alleged by the Ministry that children in the orphanage were being abused and used for labour outside the institution. MISSING KEY WITNESS But what of Ramo Duke, the lad who had reportedly accompanied Raheem Abdool on that fateful day of December 16, 2002? Kaieteur News has confirmed that after Abdool’s murder, Ramo Duke was subsequently interviewed by an attorney, on behalf of Legal Aid. In the presence of that attorney, Duke alleged that he was present when Abdool was slain. In a statement, also made to police, the boy claimed that he was forced to hold Abdool down while the victim was viciously beaten. “He told me that he (Abdool) was beaten with a chain…they (the assailants) made him (Duke) hold him (Abdool) down,” the attorney told me. In his statement, the lad claimed that when the dying boy had pleaded for water, his attackers made him drink water that was dripping from an air condition unit. According to the attorney, the ‘eyewitness’ was subsequently taken to the Office of the Director of Public (continued on page 48)
Sunday April 05, 2015
Kaieteur News
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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
Elisabeth Harper is an unmitigated hypocrite No one like Elisabeth Harper has the right to become the Prime Minister of Guyana. Our elected officials must be people of such standards that their values not only preserve the essential fulcrums on which rest the civilization of the country, but such standards are preserved in the present generation that take them into the future. Elisabeth Harper, the socalled saving face of the PPP’s twenty-three-year-old bankrupt bandwagon, has made the topic of domestic abuse one of her election platform subjects. There are two repellant aspects of Mrs. Harper’s fiery hypocrisy. One is that she enunciated a denunciation of domestic abuse while sitting next to a former president who abused his wife. Secondly, she barefacedly avoided the concatenation of horrific treatment documented by the common-law wife of Mr. Jagdeo. And the documentation should have caused the public humiliation of Jagdeo with the ignominious fall from power. That Jagdeo remained in office after his mistreatment demonstrated the descent into moral miasma that has canopied this country since 1999 and has gone on unabated. In this context we can cite the incident at a party where President Ramotar back-balled with a lady of the night from Leopold Street who Ramotar ordered drinks for only to discover that she was a gate-crasher and was later evicted by management. By then the damage was done –the back-balling photo
went viral on the internet. And it was a terrible image for which most wives would have hit the roof. Mrs. Ramotar, interviewed by INews, said she saw nothing wrong with the President’s action. Back to another backballing president, Mr. Jagdeo (who was publicly photographed by the media back-balling on two occasions - at a GDF Old Year’s Night party and with a male Chronicle journalist at the Lusignan 2011 PPP election rally). There isn’t one official word of rejection from Mr. Jagdeo to date on the mountainous allegations of abuse by his common-law wife, Varshnie. Why then should one dismiss the accusations which include the eviction from the marital bedroom one week after the Hindu wedding? Her sleeping quarters were on the sofa in the living room where she contended the mosquitoes became a problem. There were the refusal of President Jagdeo to assign her a vehicle and Mr. Jagdeo’s intervention to prevent a contractor from lending her a car. Here are the words of Ms. Singh; “He decided that to punish me he would withhold all resources, financial and otherwise and line my path with a multitude of cruel, selfish obstacles.” Here is a heart-breaking section of Ms. Singh’s condemnation of Jagdeo; “I have been begging our President for financial assistance so I can live, for the past ten years and have not received it. I have had to
depend on my parents who are pensioners and my family to support me. It is shameful at this stage of my life to regress to having my parents support me. For two years (2003-2004) I was denied access to the Presidential apartment at State House. If I was not home by 6pm the apartment door would be locked with the latch from the inside so my key could not open it. Even if I was home at 6pm I would be in my room by myself, where all I could do was read and listen to music. We were two people living separately under one
roof. When I was locked out, I would have to spend the night on a sofa on the first floor, without a sheet, get murdered by mosquitoes, praying for the night to pass quickly so I could get into my room, bathe and get to office, or to my public engagements etc. I got no sleep at all during the period I was locked out. Eventually I would walk with a change of clothes, just in case and then go to my Aunt’s house nearby to bathe the next morning.” Is this the man Elisabeth Harper is happy to lead her
party’s campaign for the 2015 election? But more importantly, does Harper see anything immoral or depraved or uncivilized in what Varshnie Singh has accused Bharrat Jagdeo of? If Mrs. Harper cannot bring herself to offer to least a terse condemnatory comment on the traumas that Ms. Singh suffered not by a labourer or a cane-cutter or a mangoseller but by the President of the country, then she is an abominable hypocrite unfit for the prime ministerial slot in this country. And should she continue
Frederick Kissoon on the campaign trail, she should spare the nation her inflammatory hypocrisy by avoiding the subject of domestic violence. She’s not fit to comment on it.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday April 05, 2015
The rulers of the darkness of the world President Donald Ramotar has dismissed suggestions that Courtney Crum-Ewing was “assassinated.” Ramotar, addressing a West Berbice Chamber of Commerce meeting on Saturday 21st March, claimed that the People’s Progressive Party Civic had nothing to gain from the killing and described Crum-Ewing as merely a “nuisance.” Crum-Ewing was executed on Tuesday 10th March in the Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, while urging residents to vote against the PPP. Ramotar said of the dead man, casually, “He was no threat to the PPP…he was no threat to the government…he was a [sic] nuisance value more than anything else. He was spreading a lot of racist talk on his Facebook and all kind of things of that nature he was doing.” Ramotar went further, contemptuously comparing Crum-Ewing to a wanted man, Linden ‘Blackie’ London, who was executed by the Guyana Police Force in 2000. He said,
“They put the Guyana flag on Blackie’s coffin and now they put the flag on this man CrumEwing too who they claimed, I don’t know the motive, but they claimed that he was assassinated…political assassination.” Crum-Ewing, indeed, had been a thorn in the side of the PPP for several months prior to his execution. He came to public prominence last year when he began protesting in front of the office of Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, demanding the Minister’s removal. This followed abusive and repulsive statements attributed to the Minister during a recorded telephone conversation with a Kaieteur News reporter. Ramotar’s remarks were echoed by former President Bharrat Jagdeo who, on 29th March, suggested that Courtney Crum-Ewing might have been killed to give life to what he called the opposition’s “whisper campaign.” Jagdeo said, rather stupidly, that the murder seemed to be “a military thing”
since Crum-Ewing was an exsoldier and “they want exsoldiers and policemen to get angry with us [the PPP].” The comments of the present and past Presidents about a citizen’s execution explain official attitudes to the rate of murders, the state of human safety and the low level of public security in Guyana. The entire nation is alarmed at the rising rate of murders of which there have been over 2,100 over the past 15 years during the two deadly Jagdeo and Ramotar presidencies. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime lists Guyana’s 2010 homicide rate as 18.4 per 100,000 people – the fourth highest murder rate in South America behind Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil. Guyana’s murder rate is three times higher than that of the United States. There has always been a ‘dark’ side to the PPP’s style of governance. Public alarm arose several years ago when the extraordinary relationship existing between an expoliceman and the then PPP
Minister of Home Affairs was uncovered. The subsequent Presidential Commission of Inquiry into allegations that the Minister had been engaged in “activities which involved the extra-judicial killing of persons” in 2005, did not receive credible evidence to enable a finding of ministerial involvement in the killings. The Commission’s Report concluded, however, that the ex-policeman had been actively involved in certain under-cover activities on the Minister’s behalf and that the “close association” which developed between the two was “unhealthy.” We, the Guyanese people, have become the victims of the “close association” and the “unhealthy” relationship between our rulers and the ‘dark’ forces of the underworld. We are fed up with the PPP and with wickedness of crime. We wrestle against a party that is driving talented citizens to migrate to other countries because of the high rate of crime. It is written in the Holy Bible, indeed (Ephesians
6:12): “…we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world; against spiritual wickedness in high places...” Numerous allegations have been made of the “close association” between criminals and the administration. The evidence suggests that some expolicemen had been employed to use their enforcement talents to commit serious crimes, including unlawful killing. Human life has become cheap under the PPP, the consequence of its chronic failure to enforce laws which protect life, or to ensure that executions, such as that of Courtney Crum-Ewing, are investigated. The Government, which should do most to protect life, unfortunately, has done much to endanger it. Blame for Guyana’s high level of insecurity, soaring murder rate and escalating ‘emigration’ lies squarely with
the nearly 23-year long People’s Progressive Party administration which has failed consistently to implement a comprehensive counter-crime strategy. Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, rather than tackling the causes of murders and criminal violence, has become obsessed with his status as general secretary of the PPP and preoccupied with his Party’s elections campaign. The 12-year Bharrat Jagdeo presidency, most particularly, will be remembered in this country’s history for the extraordinary number of murders which occurred when “the rulers of the darkness” were rampant. The trend has continued to rise in the three-year Donald Ramotar presidency. The words so easily expressed by Ramotar and Jagdeo of Courtney CrumEwing’s murder eloquently express their party’s philosophy. Those ‘dark’ attitudes are likely to persist as long as the PPP remains in, or if it returns to, office.
Sunday April 05, 2015
Kaieteur News
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My column
Guyana really changed for the worse There was a time when Guyana was a garden of happy people. In fact, the world described us as the most hospitable people in the world. And indeed we were. We opened our doors to strangers. Those of us still around would remember that we walked the streets and asked for directions and people readily gave it. In the villages a stranger would enter and ask for somebody. If the elder felt that the direction was inadequate, he or she would call a young child and demand that the child take the stranger to the location he wanted to visit. All that has changed; we rarely talk to strangers except in the countryside and as for opening doors, we stay from our windows with the stranger at the gate and conduct whatever conversation there needs to be. We have become distrustful, largely because of the crime situation. And the crime is of recent vintage. It started when disrespect crept in and when the police were slow to act. Of course, people now always remind me that the police are products of the same society. I remember asking if the police would be involved in the crime spree too, and some asked me to stop smoking whatever I was, be it bizzy-bizzy or cow dung. I learnt of the robbery outside the Bourda Post Office and I was stunned. It was one of the largest in the history of the country. I remember a large one many, many years ago when the Prince brothers hit the Guyana Rice Board for some $98,000. That money would be worth about $200 million today. It was so much that they couldn’t spend it and they were caught. Years later when I became
an adult and was visiting the Mazaruni Prisons, I met the last of the Prince Brothers. He was about to complete his twelve-year jail term. We talked about the crime and I remember saying that they made mistakes. Guns were not around in the numbers we have today and houses did not have grills and the kind of security that causes people to be trapped in their own homes in times of disasters. I remember Burnham revoking every gun licence in the wake of the violence in the early 1960s. That worked. Today we tend to share weapons like people sharing food in a soup kitchen. Just this past week, I learnt of a man getting shot in the back because he refused to submit to some home invaders who believed that they had the right to anything someone else earned. But there was something even more gruesome. There was a dismembered body on the Annandale foreshore. Whenever I read of such things I thought of the developed world where there are very sick people. There was Jeffrey Dahmer who killed people and ate them. Then there was the serial killer Wayne Williams. He killed twenty-seven black youths from 1979-1981 in Atlanta. He was 23 years old when arrested in June 1981. In this recent case there was this woman who reportedly opted to come back home from the United States. Perhaps she talked about buying a car and therefore had about $2 million. So someone killed her and proceeded to cut every limb from her body. That wasn’t all; the person also beheaded her. In this beautiful country where did we go wrong? Just days earlier, someone had killed a fourteen-year-old girl
on the Kitty foreshore. The child was left naked. Some say that the government must accept blame for such depraved behavior. They say that there has been less attention to people in recent times; that the leaders are more interested in getting rich beyond their wildest dreams. They get bountiful salaries but the people who are expected to protect the society are left to their own devices, often having to collect additional money at roadblocks. I couldn’t help notice the promises on the election
campaign trail. The government did say that it is concerned that the leader of APNU+AFC has military connections. Then Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon said that APNU in the National Assembly always supported increases for the joint services. He made it seem like a bad thing, but looking at what is happening in the society, one can only conclude that it made sense, because they are the people who can put a lid on this madness that is going on. The other day I had a look
at the salary scales of the Ministers in the previous administration. In fact, there was never such a wide gap in salaries between the top and the bottom. The result was that corruption was not endemic. Today it is ubiquitous, and all this because everyone thinks that state funds are there for the taking. The opposition is talking about reducing certain things like tolls and increasing others like pensions and things like that. It is not surprising that the government is now
Adam Harris offering to match those promises, but I must ask, “Why only now?”
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Kaieteur News
Sunday April 05, 2015
A STEADY DIET OF ELECTION-TIME PROMISES As is their wont during election season, the PPP/C continues to demonstrate an appalling lack of imagination and creativity. For the fifth consecutive campaign season, the party and its acolytes continue to parrot the same old promises to implement institutions and programmes for the people’s benefit. Arguably, about 90 percent of those promises never see the light of day when the elections are over and the party members resettle into their cocoons to continue business as usual, devising schemes to rape the treasury for personal gain. Guyanese people are understandably tired of hearing the regurgitated promises for a better education system, for the holding of Local Government Elections, for an improved pension scheme for our senior citizens, for institutions that offer succor to domestically abused women and children. This list of failures (to implement effective social institutions) goes on ad infinitum. Let’s take a step back just three years to the run-up to the 2011 elections. Then PPP/ C General Secretary Donald Ramotar made this statement: “Development for us is an allencompassing process, and while over the years significant progress has been made in deepening and entrenching an inclusive constitutional democracy, the PPP/C remains open to working with all stakeholders,
including political parties, civil society and labour.” What inclusive democracy? The PPP has spent an inordinate amount of time and resources discrediting the value of private enterprise and injecting itself into the business arena to compete for revenue with entrepreneurs in the media, agriculture, building and construction. They embarked over a decade ago on a dedicated programme to retard the well established trade unions, showing preference for the unions affiliated with their FITUG pro-government movement. The PPP, originally dubbed the ‘Working Class’ party, has robbed public sector workers of years of earnings by unilaterally handing out 5 percent increases every year that are: 1) out of step with the rise of inflation; 2) a deliberate strategy to castrate the unions which continuously beg for the chance to negotiate on those workers’ behalf; 3) returned to the government’s coffers in the form of taxes; and 4) inadequate to meet the expanding needs of our workers with families and growing children to feed and clothe and educate. This constant promise of theirs to work with stakeholders is nothing but empty words. Producers of forest products – both raw timber and processed woods – had to establish tenuous
partnerships with the likes of Bai Shan Lin (China) and Vaitarna (India) in order to earn revenue from their forest concessions. Too many of the indigenous peoples living in or near to the forest concessions in the hinterland have lost control over large swathes of their titled land which the government awarded to the aforementioned investors and a few others for timber harvesting, gold and diamond mining. The true owners of the parcels of land in dispute cannot harvest timber and other products from the land. Their food supply is dwindling because the miners and loggers hunt for the same food. These people are stakeholders, very valuable ones who are experiencing strange water- and mosquitoborne ailments, because little or no operating or environmental standards and controls have been applied to the hinterland business ventures. The people’s social problems are mounting. Their young ones are hardly educated since the parents could ill afford to send them to schools that are miles away. Since their accustomed revenue stream has been cut off, the Village Councils are forced to allow teenagers to work on nearby mining dredges, the same ones that pollute their waterways with dangerous chemicals and human waste. And just as there are no schools, there are
no medical facilities sufficiently equipped to treat the rising incidence of malaria, typhoid, chikungunya, gastroenteritis and other paediatric and adult diseases. This is an extremely high price to pay for a near criminal absence of consultation with stakeholders. It is no longer ironic, neither is it strange that just following the 2011 elections, after all the promises to “create opportunities for all Guyanese”, the state launched an attack on the bauxite mining town of Linden (just another in the long string of poorly treated depressed communities). In his inaugural address in December 2011, President Ramotar spoke of the “exciting task” of providing those opportunities. In March 2012, just 3 months later, he imposed a huge increase on electricity tariffs, without stakeholder consultation, on a community where 70 percent of the people are unemployed or severely under-employed due to a debilitating absence of employment opportunities. The people, their Regional leaders and the parliamentary opposition repeatedly called on the President to meet with them to hear first-hand about their economic problems and to offer alternative solutions, but he refused. The fallout from the Linden fiasco is now common knowledge – three dead and the town that was prosperous in the 1980’s continues to wallow in despair.
REDUCEVAT AND OTHER TAXES This promise was trumpeted throughout the 2011 campaign and ended with a false start. In December 2011, soon after his inauguration, Ramotar disclosed the names of three people to comprise a special panel to review the tax regime and examine options to transform it into one that is more ‘family friendly’, i.e. one that would include conditional tax relief on personal income. This panel was also expected to identify strategies to address the conditions of the poor and disadvantaged. The public has not yet been informed of the outcome of this review, i.e. if it did indeed take place. There is ample reason to question the government’s commitment to this review of the tax regime. The President on several occasions had stated rather pointedly that in his opinion, the VAT was not a burden on consumers and that he would work to erase this ‘misconception’. His intention, he said, was to broaden the tax net to capture the ‘big professionals who hardly pay any taxes’. Three years have since elapsed and the onerous 16% VAT on almost every consumable item continues to keep the ordinary Guyanese man and woman living on or below the poverty line. LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS It is now 20 years since our people were last able to choose their own community leaders, select the people who were familiar with their circumstances and who would be able to represent them at the national level. The PPP/C’s 2011 Election Manifesto stated: “In the area of local government and governance, the next PPP/C government will ensure, within one year of the 2011 general elections, that local government elections are held bringing much-needed reinvigoration into local government entities.” This is just another in the long list of empty elections promises. Since 1997 after the passing of the party’s leader and while the PPP/C enjoyed a house majority, they repeatedly passed amendments (over 12 consecutive years) deferring the holding of Local Government Elections (LGE). The excuse was that the Local Government system needed to be reformed. They have continuously demonstrated a marked unwillingness to introduce the Local
Government reform that they touted as their reason for deferring the LGE. Outside of parliament the President repeatedly told the populace that he was yet to decide when he would issue the order to GECOM to prepare for LGE. In the meantime, the PPP set about installing hand-picked Interim Committees made up of party faithful who barefacedly usurped the functions of elected neighbourhood council officials. While they were posturing, the Chairman of GECOM informed the nation several times that the Commission was ready even for snap elections. “Anyone who asks me if I am ready for local government elections does not understand the process,” he was reported to have said. The idiocy and delay tactics were taken to a new low in 2014 when Local Government Minister, Norman Whittaker, declared that voters were not ready for local polls. The pundits would call this prevarication and rank deception. So here’s the conundrum. The PPP/C proclaimed in its 2011 manifesto that reinvigorating local government by holding elections is a “necessary part of development”. Over the next three years they have used every excuse to postpone Local Government Elections while accusing the opposition of being antidevelopment! One prominent member of the APNU+AFC Alliance had this to say: “I have truly searched for something complimentary to say about this period (2011–2015), but all I could find is controversy and conflict. In a country where most of the people would be classified as poor, the Ramotar government celebrates things and calibrates its development based on big buildings, poorly conceived roads and brand name hotels rather than human development. “The level of unemployment in this country is unsustainable; the undereducation of our children and the school dropout rate nationally is unsustainable; the crime situation and the lawlessness of our law enforcement agencies is unsustainable, yet this President has failed to lead on all of these important issues facing our nation. Even if one graded on a curve it would be difficult to give this President anything but a failing grade”. (To be continued)
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SUNDAY SPECIAL A scene from APNU + AFC rally at Whim
JAGDEO DODGES QUESTIONS ON HIS WEALTH – LIMITS QUESTIONS FROM PRESS As he hosted a press conference at Freedom House last week Saturday, former President Bharrat Jagdeo refused to answer questions on his accumulation of wealth. He was also unwilling to allow more than two questions directed to him from reporters attached to Kaieteur News. Instead of giving the nation, through the media, an explanation of how he became one of the richest men in the Caribbean overnight, Jagdeo chose to swiftly navigate himself away from accountability. A reporter asked him to explain how he was able to build his mansion on his presidential salary. He was also asked how he could not have given much money to his wife—Varshnie Singh—when they spilt on the grounds that he did not have, but soon after, he could afford to build a seaside mansion, probably the most extravagant house in Guyana. But, the man who professed Saturday to be a transparent individual sidestepped the question. ”I am prepared (to answer) but not to Stabroek News and anyone else. I am prepared because that is what I said.” When Jagdeo and his wife split in 2007 it was hell for her to get her benefits. Up to 2009, there could have been no amicable settlement as Jagdeo kept saying he could not afford to give her much. In January 2009, Singh told the media that “the President told me that if I don’t agree to his settlement figure of $5M, he and his government would not deal with me.” ESCAPEE, 16 OTHERS NABBED DURING DIAMOND HOUSING SCHEME RAIDS - GUN, AMMO, EQUIPMENT FOR FALSE NUMBER PLATES SEIZED Police appear to have smashed a criminal gang following the capture of wounded Popeye’s robbery suspect Rayon Paddy and the arrest of 16 others during raids in Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. Investigators are also looking for a former policeman who reportedly slipped the dragnet, during which time the suspects and the police squad exchanged gunfire. A release stated that police recovered a .32 semi-automatic pistol with 12 rounds along with 17 rounds 5.56 calibre ammunition (used in M 16
assault rifles) and a quantity of cocaine and marijuana. A police official said that a hood and pieces of metal used to make false number plates were also found during the operation conducted over two days. The official said that police captured Paddy and another man during the first day of the operation, which was conducted in the vicinity of Twenty-First Street, Diamond Housing Scheme. A former policeman, who was reportedly with the two suspects, managed to flee during the brief shootout. Paddy, 26, also identified as Nicholas James, of South Ruimveldt Park, Georgetown, was shot in the buttocks last January by a plainclothes rank during a foiled robbery at the Popeye’s restaurant on Vlissengen Road. He subsequently escaped from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. MONDAYEDITION GRANGER PLEDGES SAFER CORENTYNE IF ELECTED The Ancient County came alive last Sunday as leaders and thousands of party supporters for the recently formed coalition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) made their way to an East Coast Corentyne community ground for a grand rally. Even though the official motorcade started from the Square of the Revolution in Georgetown, thousands of eager Berbicians lined the streets decked out in yellow and green. Supporters from East Bank of Berbice, New Amsterdam and villages on the Corentyne stood waiting long before the entourage arrived. It was clear that the scores of vehicles with patrons brandishing Guyana flags as well as yellow and green flags were heading in one direction: to-
wards the Whim Community Centre Ground; the place where the Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo were set to take the stage to tell them just what they would do if given a chance to govern Guyana. Granger said that the PPP had failed Corentyne and the coalition would help to realize the change the people deserve. Granger told supporters, “Don’t panic, we have clean hands. We are going to clean up this mess. I am going to make Corentyne safe for fishermen, businessmen, women and children, for investors”. “The Guyana Police Force is not capable of doing its job because the Minister of Home Affairs is not capable of doing his job,” he said. PPP/C KITTY RALLY…PARTY PROMISES SPECIALTY HOSPITAL,AMAILAFALLS HYDRO, ICT PARK, IMPROVED UG Attractive election promises and wounding criticisms of the Opposition characterized the presentations delivered to a massive crowd last Sunday during the political rally of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) at the Kitty Market Square. The barricaded section of Alexander Street Kitty was decorated with red, yellow and black flags and banners encouraging the faithful PPP/ C supporters to vote for its Presidential Candidate, Donald Ramotar and Prime Ministerial Candidate, Elisabeth Harper. The relatively younger members of the current administration such as Charles Ramson jnr. and its latest addition, Africo Selman were also some of the feature presenters at the event. Ramotar, during his almost hour-long presentation described the strenuous task he faced in dealing with the joint opposition during the Tenth
Parliament on several matters. These he said included the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the financing of Terrorism Bill, the Budget, the Amaila Falls Hydro Project and the sugar and rice industry. He sent a strong message to the APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate, David Granger that come May 11, “It’s game over.” The President promised that under the PPP/C there are going to be more innovative plans to propel the development of the country. These include an Information and Communication Technology Park at Providence in the near future, Guyana becoming an oil and gas producing nation, the construction of a Specialty Hospital, improvement of the University of Guyana and the building of the Amaila Falls Hydro Plant. TUESDAYEDITION OPPOSITION COALITION WILL INCREASE PENSION, SALARIES…TO CUT BERBICE BRIDGE TOLL The opposition coalition, A Partnership for a National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) has revealed plans to increase Old Age Pensions and the salaries of public servants should it be elected to govern Guyana. Addressing what he described as the largest multiethnic gathering he had ever seen in the 54 years of his political life, the coalition’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Moses Nagamootoo, on Sunday, also promised to alleviate the burden of the Berbice Bridge tolls. This was at the party’s Whim, Corentyne Unity Rally where thousands poured in from near and far to show support for the coalition which hopes to form the next unity government, after the upcoming May 11, General Elections.
Standing on a stage that was erected in front of AFC Executive Member, Dr. Veerasammy Ramayya’s home in Whim, Nagamootoo told the crowd that after a “thorough investigation” of the Berbice Bridge Company is conducted the tolls would be reduced. The Berbice Bridge toll has been a source of complaint by many Berbicians who use the facility on a daily basis. Nagamootoo told several thousands at his home-village of Whim, Corentyne, that within the first 100 days of being elected in office old age pensions would be increased to $15,000 per month. He said there would also be a 10 percent hike in salaries for Government employees. CURRENT EXTERNAL DEBT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN PAST PNC, PPP GOVTS Former President Bharrat Jagdeo lambasted the record of former PNC Finance Minister Carl Greenidge during that party’s reign and dubbed him the country’s worst Finance Minister ever, after the largest external debt was accumulated while he was in office. Today, the former President has himself been accused of helping to take the country’s current external debt significantly higher than that attained by both past PNC and PPP governments. Jagdeo during a press conference at Freedom House on Saturday spoke extensively about financial decay under Greenidge. He spoke of Greenidge presiding over an economic recession, growth in debt, the worst economic strategy and making the country uncreditworthy. Greenidge on the said matter noted that currently, Guyana within an eight-year period accumulated a higher external debt than both the PNC and PPP Governments. He high-
lighted that during his time as Finance Minister, there were several issues which contributed to the high external debt; and not “irresponsible borrowing.” He said that Guyana experienced its debt being written off since the 1990s. The InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) in later years was one of the last institutions to make a major write-off to the country. He said that while Jagdeo was President, US$500M was also written off, “but already we have borrowed in the space of eight years (2006 to 2014) the debt is a multiple of what the PPP and PNC had borrowed in the 1960s and 70s.” WEDNESDAYEDITION GUN FOUND ON FAKE COPS LINKED TO MURDERS Police are in possession of a .32 pistol that appears to have been used to kill Sterling Products Limited security guard Wilfred Stewart and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) engineer Trevor Abrams. An official told Kaieteur News that ballistic tests on shells recovered from the murder scenes linked the firearm to the two slayings, which occurred in December 2014 and February 2015 on the East Bank of Demerara. Police reportedly recovered the handgun and matching ammunition last Friday during a raid in Diamond Housing Scheme, in which two men were detained and a third fled. The suspects, Rayon Paddy, 26, of 278 South Ruimveldt Park, and Orin Arthur, 25, of Block X Diamond, East Bank Demerara, have since been accused of carrying out a recent robbery at Mahaicony, while setting up a bogus roadblock and posing as policemen. They were remanded on several charges last Monday, A source said that it was too early to link the suspects to the killing of Stewart and Abrams, even though the murder weapon was allegedly found in their possession. DISMEMBERED WOMAN ID’D AS BUXTON TRADER - SUSPECTED ‘BUTCHER’ HELD; VICTIM’S COUSIN LEADS COPS TO BLOODSTAINED HOUSE Police have identified the woman whose dismembered body was found at the Annandale, East Coast Demerara foreshore last Thursday. The victim is 40-year-old (Continued on page 49)
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Guyana wants judicial settlement of the border issue with Venezuela By Odeen Ishmael On March 3, the Guyana government announced its intention to opt out of the United Nations Good Offices process-a mechanism anticipated to assist in resolving the renewed claim Venezuela made on a portion of the Essequibo region of Guyana. In explaining the country’s decision and its desire to request a judicial settlement, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn RodriguesBirkett pointed out that the Good Offices process yielded little results over the last past twenty-five years. She added that Guyana was examining other options while at the same time suggesting that Venezuela remained comfortable with the current process “because it suits their purpose - no movement.” These “other options”
will eventually have to be decided by the UN Secretary General. According to Article 33 of the UN Charter, they include, in addition to “Good Offices,” the resort to mediation, facilitation, dialogue processes, arbitration and judicial settlement. However, all, except judicial settlement, have already been tried. THE UN GOOD OFFICES PROCESS Since 1990, when Dr. Alister McIntyre was appointed as the UN special representative, the two countries have been obliged to keep within the ambit of the Good Offices process, which ended when the last special representative, Dr. Norman Girvan, died in April 2014. This decision by Guyana to inform the UN that it has opted to no longer participate in the Good Offices process will, no doubt, push the Secretary General to act.
It was clear since early in 2014 that the Secretary General himself was becoming concerned that the process was going nowhere, since he has not bothered to name a new representative. This most recent development in the territorial controversy arose just after the Venezuelan foreign minister at the beginning of March objected to the exploratory drilling for oil by the American company, Exxon Mobil, in the concession granted by Guyana. Venezuela claimed that the area is its “territory” despite the fact that the drilling area is deep within Guyana’s maritime economic zone. In response, Guyana’s foreign affairs ministry stated that it requested the Venezuelan government to desist from taking any actions that could only result in hindering the development of Guyana. In a rebuttal, Venezuela in a communiqué in mid-March, labeled as “unjust and false” claims that it was deliberately obstructing Guyana’s development and pointed to instances of collaboration and support between the two states as evidence to the contrary. At the same time, the communiqué insisted that Venezuela remained committed to the Good Offices process “as an optimal and convenient methodology to assume bilateral and amicable, without the irritating interference of foreign factors, negotiations in order to achieve a practical and satisfactory solution for both sides.” Some observers feel that the Venezuelan objection arose because of the involvement of Exxon Mobil in the drilling at the time when
the United States has imposed a series of political sanctions on Venezuela. Significantly, Venezuela was ordered by an international arbitration panel in October 2014 to pay Exxon Mobil $1.6 billion for the company’s oil assets nationalized in 2007. The Guyana government’s decision has received support across the national political spectrum, and wider afield from Caricom and Commonwealth governments. The former opposition spokesman on international affairs, Aubrey Norton, noted that little progress was recorded in the UN Good Offices process and proposed that the government and opposition should set up a joint committee to come up with a way forward. He insisted that territorial issues should transcend partisan political interest. And the former foreign minister, Shridath Ramphal, who was the country’s top negotiator of the Protocol of Port of Spain in 1970, said that Venezuela has “abused” the Good Offices process while it lasted. He explained that all other modes of settlement such as arbitration were already explored and the only available option remaining would be a judicial settlement. THE GENESIS OF THE CONTROVERSY The boundary between Venezuela and Guyana (formerly British Guiana) was settled in 1899 by an international arbitration tribunal which, in its award regarded as a “full, perfect and final settlement,” described in detail the boundary between the two countries. Venezuela willingly accepted this decision and fully honoured it. However, in
1944, forty-five years after the arbitral award, Severo MalletPrevost, one of the four lawyers who had appeared for Venezuela before the arbitration tribunal, wrote a memorandum in which, for the first time, he attacked the award on the alleged grounds that it was the result of a political deal between Great Britain and Russia. This formed the basis of a claim the administration of President Romulo Betancourt, for reasons unrelated to legality, raised in the UN in 1962, when it unilaterally declared that the 1899 arbitral award was “null and void” and resuscitated the claim to almost all the area west of the Essequibo River-comprising about 50,000 square miles representing nearly twothirds of the territory of British Guiana. According to declassified US State Department documents, the Venezuelan government of that period was worried about an independent British Guiana with the socialist Cheddi Jagan as prime minister, a concern he shared with the American government. President Betancourt felt that if the claimed area came under Venezuelan sovereignty, it would stop “the danger of infiltration of Venezuela from British Guiana if a Castro-type government ever were established”. Both the governments of the Great Britain (the colonial sovereign) and British Guiana rejected the Venezuelan claim. Nevertheless, records were again examined, and although Venezuela could not locate any document to prove its assertion, the governments of Venezuela, Great Britain, and British Guiana, in February 1966, signed an agreement at
Odeen Ishmael Geneva, Switzerland, by which a Mixed Commission (of Venezuelan and Guyanese representatives) was appointed to seek satisfactory solutions for the practical settlement of the controversy arising from the Venezuelan contention that the arbitral award was “null and void.” But while this commission was in existence, Venezuela, on a number of occasions, carried out military incursions over the border and shortly after British Guiana became the independent nation of Guyana in May 1966, occupied the Guyanese half of the tiny border Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River. Venezuela was also accused by the government of Guyana of interfering in Guyanese internal affairs. This state of affairs dragged on until June 1970 when, by the Protocol of Port of Spain, both Venezuela and Guyana agreed to shelve the search for a solution to the controversy (as directed by the Geneva Agreement) for a period of at least twelve years. This protocol came to an end in 1982 when Venezuela refused to renew it. Subsequent discussions by the two governments under the terms of the Geneva Agreement, which was now again fully operational, (Continued on page 47)
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COUNTRYMAN - STORIES ABOUT LIFE, IN AND OUT OF GUYANA, FROM A GUYANESE PERSPECTIVE
Essequibo Coast Ramble Charity, on the Pomeroon in Essequibo, is being transformed (youtube.com)
By Dennis Nichols This week’s ‘Countryman’ takes a rest from the lunacy that has over the past few weeks, been defined in part by senseless violence, mordant mudslinging, and the rising elections temperature. It turns to Cinderella for solace and recreation, where the anticipated pumpkin-tocoach transformation that so many Guyanese yearn for, will hopefully materialize. Cinderella is of course, the vast, mysterious, and bountifully-blessed county of Essequibo. Its relatively uncharted landscape, sprawls across Guyana’s western two-thirds expanse and holds what many think is a key to our country’s economic future, and success. It is our treasure chest of barely-garnered riches including minerals, precious and semi-precious stones, timber, stone and manganese, as well as the potential for turnaround tourism and hydropower industries. It would take several articles to begin to plumb the depth of riches and enormous potential the entire county holds, which would certainly reveal a good deal of ignorance on my part. Instead, I will play on its most wellknown and easily-accessible district, the Essequibo Coast, stretching from the mouth of the Supenaam Creek to the village of Charity on the Pomeroon River. (Incidentally, I don’t understand why the area round Supenaam is described as part of the Essequibo Coast when it seems to lie more along the western bank of the river than along the Atlantic
shoreline) My life and my past are inextricably intertwined with the Essequibo Coast, and by association, the mighty Essequibo River, (South America’s fourth largest) its myriad tributaries, and the county itself. It started over 100 years ago with a patriarchal lineage that included my grandfather, a master carpenter of Bush Lot Village, and his son, my father, who was born in Henrietta, and who began his teaching career as a teenager in the village of Queenstown. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a police sergeant-major at Anna Regina in charge of the Immigration Depot there in the early part of the last century. I began my teaching career in the North West District (part of Essequibo) and later taught for two years at the Anna Regina Multilateral School. My wife hails from Devonshire Castle, and my eldest son is buried in the school churchyard in the neighbouring village of Hampton Court. I am as much Essequibian as I am Guyanese. My first visit as an adult to the Essequibo Coast was in 1975 when my friend hauled me off to his cousin’s wedding on the Pomeroon River. We stayed at the bride’s home. There were a few unforgettable things about that trip: the mosquitoes, my first cup of river ‘black’ water and wedding party, Pomeroon-style. The area I was in, a few miles upriver from Charity, had its own breed of mosquitos, at least 40 years ago, vicious, whining swarms that attacked all areas of my body, exposed or covered, from all angles
simultaneously. I quickly learned the hitherto underappreciated value of a mosquito net. The river water had an understandably disagreeable taste, but it’s remarkable how quickly you can get used to something, lacking the more accustomed-to alternative. I drank it, brushed my teeth with it, downed cups of coffee made with it, ate food cooked with it, and used it as chaser for a swig of El Dorado FiveYear-Old. Those were the ‘bad old days’ before technology and popular businessman Alfro Alphonso struck. From what I’d heard, no Essequibo/Pomeroon wedding would be complete without a brawl or two. And there was. A couple of the stockiest and most muscular men I’d ever seen had been drinking, eating, and laughing.
Suddenly two of them were fighting, swinging wildly at each other as only drunken men can; these were quickly joined by a few more in a seeming free-for-all. It didn’t last long, and I was struck by how easily it was taken in stride, just a few hours before the marriage ceremony. I will never forget the sight, on the day of the wedding, of the bride hastily and nervously hurrying down to the riverside to throw some water on her face and freshen up when the news came that the bridegroom and his entourage were just a few hundred yards away, coming by boat from Charity, en route from Anna Regina. By the time the grooms-people arrived, she was blushingly and beautifully ready. I returned to the coast the next year to meet, and
‘negotiate’ with, my future mother-in-law for her daughter’s hand in marriage. Travelling at night by bus from Adventure, was indeed one of the lasting memories. The roadway was mostly undulating and cratered red loam, and as the packed bus rolled and lurched along smelling of fruit and fowl, the conductor announced in rapid vernacular, the names of the various villages the bus was approaching. It sounded like a foreign language to me. “Andaneemin-Marias Ladge-J.C-Zaarg, Gol’n Fleece!” he barked out in about two seconds. I looked around, bewildered. I got Onderneeming because of my acquaintance with the name of the Boys’ School there. The rest was gibberish. The bus rumbled on. As I got closer to my future wife’s village I
Dennis Nichols began to panic, just a little. It was pitch-black outside and all I remembered was ‘Devonshire Castle’ and some ‘Judge’ sign to identify my destination. The conductor reassured me that he knew (Continued on page 46)
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Sunday April 05, 2015
The Fulvous Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) Interesting Creatures...
The fulvous whistling duck or fulvous tree duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) is a whistling duck that breeds across the world’s tropical regions in much of Central and South America, the West Indies, the southern US, sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. It has mainly reddish brown plumage, long legs and a long grey bill, and shows a distinctive white band across its black tail in flight. Like other members of its ancient lineage, it has a whistling call which is given in flight or on the ground. The preferred habitat is shallow lakes, paddy fields or other wetlands with plentiful vegetation. The nest, built from plant
material and unlined, is placed among dense vegetation or in a tree hole. The typical clutch is around ten whitish eggs. The breeding adults, which pair for life, take turns to incubate, and the eggs hatch in 24–29 days. The downy grey ducklings leave the nest within a day or so of hatching, but the parents continue to protect them until they fledge around nine weeks later. The fulvous whistling duck feeds in wetlands by day or night on seeds and other parts of plants. It is sometimes regarded as a pest of rice cultivation, and is also shot for food in parts of its range. Despite hunting, poisoning by pesticides and natural predation by
mammals, birds and reptiles, the large numbers and huge range of this duck mean that it is classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The fulvous whistling duck is 45–53 cm (18–21 in) long; the male weighs 748– 1,050 g (26.4–37.0 oz), and the female averages marginally lighter at 712–1,000 g (25.1– 35.3 oz). It is a long-legged duck, mainly golden-brown with a darker back and an obvious blackish line down the back of its neck. It has whitish stripes on its flanks, a long grey bill and grey legs. In flight, the wings are brown above and black below, with no white markings, and a
white crescent on the rump contrasts with the black tail. All plumages are fairly similar, but the female is slightly smaller and dullerplumaged than the male. The juvenile has paler under parts, and appears generally duller, especially on the flanks. There is a complete wing moult after breeding, and birds then seek the cover of dense wetland vegetation while they are flightless. Body feathers may be moulted throughout the year, although each feather is replaced only once annually. These are noisy birds with a clear whistling kee-weeooo call given on the ground or in flight. Quarrelling birds also have a harsh repeated kee. In flight, the beating wings produce a dull sound. The calls of males and females show differences in structure and an acoustic analysis on 59 captive birds demonstrated 100 percent accuracy in sexing when compared with molecular methods. Adult birds in Asia can be confused with the similar lesser whistling duck, although that species is
smaller, has a blackish crown and lacks an obvious dark stripe down the back of the neck. Juvenile fulvous whistling ducks are very like young lesser whistling ducks, but the crown colour is still a distinction. Juvenile comb ducks are bulkier than whistling ducks and have a dark cap to the head. In South America and Africa, juvenile white-faced whistling ducks are separable from fulvous by their dark crowns, barred flanks and chestnut breasts. The fulvous whistling duck feeds in wetlands by day or night, often in mixed flocks with relatives such as white-faced or black-bellied whistling ducks. Its food is generally plant material, including seeds, bulbs, grasses and stems, but females may include animal items such as aquatic worms, molluscs and insects
as they prepare for egglaying, which may then comprise up to 4 percent of their diet. Ducklings may also eat a few insects. Foraging is by picking plant items while walking or swimming, by upending, or occasionally by diving to a depth of up to 1 m (3 ft). Favoured plants include water snowflake, aquatic ragweeds, bourgou millet, shama grass, Cape blue water lily, waxyleaf nightshade, beakrush, flatsedge and polygonums. Rice is normally a small part of the diet, and a survey in Cuban rice fields found that the plants taken were mainly weeds growing with the crop. However, in a study in Louisiana, 25 percent of the diet of incubating females consisted of the cereal. (SOURCE: Wikipedia - The Free Online Encyclopedia)
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What answers can we give to our rice farmers?
The Story within the Story…
The farmers are producing, but their compensation is less than encouraging
By Leonard Gildarie Rice remains an integral part of our diet. It is loved. It is a necessity. We have been talking about rice in the last few weeks and its impact on the economy. There is anger among farmers over the prices. This is nothing new. I can’t recall when farmers were ever happy with their prices. It is a natural thing. As I mentioned before, the farmers had no protection against millers who took their paddy on credit and paid them weeks or months later, sometimes never. The millers virtually used the farmers to finance their operations. For the millers it was business. That was until a few years ago, when the Government passed laws mandating that millers pay farmers at least part of the money prior to delivery and the rest on delivery. For the farmers, the cycle of awaiting the monies is a vicious one, every single crop. Despite the laws, some millers still owe farmers - the major cause of discontent among the farmers. Some millers are just refusing to buy the paddy if they have to pay upfront. I have heard legitimate complaints from persons I know well from Black Bush Polder, a farming area located aback of Corentyne, in East Berbice. They are being paid $37,000 per ton for paddy. This translates to around $2500 per bag. Government is asking millers to pay $3000. Some millers are not taking the paddy, so farmers are forced to sell for whatever they are being offered. Farmers will definitely lose
on $2500 per bag. A more realistic price will be $3200. The significance of rice for the elections in May cannot be understated. It is known that political parties are courting the farmers. They are crucial…just like sugar workers. Recently, it was disclosed that under the 8th annual rice agreement that was signed between Guyana and Venezuela, this country has to supply 74,000 tons of white rice and 120,000 tons of paddy. Some 48 individuals and companies have been greenlighted to export rice to Venezuela under the deal. Guyana, as in 2014, is set to produce more than 600,000 tons of rice this year. The extra rice from highyielding crops and more lands coming under cultivation in recent years have been proving a dilemma for Government and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). We have been pushing, prodding, and granting incentives to farmers to increase production and efficiency. The production has happened. The price is not happening. Since acquiring that Venezuela deal, in which this country supplies rice in exchange for rice, Guyana has been unable to clinch a similarly lucrative one. It is unlikely that will happen, as the competitiveness with quality and price on the world market will demand we up our game. A recent attempt in Africa reportedly did not fare so well, as Government has not come out and said what has been the outcome. Guyana has been hoping to sell amounts, similar to the Venezuela quota, to Africa.
Export to Panama started, but there were problems with the payments. That issue is being corrected, according to Government. THAT DEAL The 2015 value for paddy is expected to be $45-$50B, with Government forecasting paddy production to surpass one million tons for the first time this year. Which brings me to that Venezuela deal. We don’t have access to the actual details of the arrangements in the deal. I don’t see why not. We don’t know the details of how much freight is being paid, inspection fees and other pertinent details. We don’t know if the farmers are getting a good deal or if the participating millers are making a killing. I do know that we have asked for details. But everything is a secret in this country. We will be recording another excellent year, better than the record-breaking 2014. It is a fact that rice can be sold for any low price. How we negotiate will determine the trickle-down profits to farmers. It is a fact that Venezuela will not stop taking Guyana rice anytime soon. It is from all appearances a good deal. We are nearby. And Venezuela needs rice. Economic woes will persuade that nation to take the rice. Conversely, there will be fallout if Venezuela pulls the deal. What is known is that we are receiving less from Venezuela for our rice and paddy, and this is bound to affect the prices that farmers will receive. What answers can we give to the farmers? Maybe, we need to look at what some
millers are up to. Are they sharing the profits? Rice is business, but GRDB and Rice Producers’ Association will have to be more forceful. The cries of the farmers
are too much. The ball is essentially in the court of the political parties hoping to win the elections. In my opinion, whichever one talks the talk will get the edge. Essequibo
and Berbice are crucial areas. Enjoy the Easter folks. Please do continue to send your comments to gildarie@yahoo.com or call weekdays on 225-8491.
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Corruption and the Guyana Police Force (cont’d) By Dale Andrews The excuse when officialdom is confronted with substantiated allegations of police corruption is the timeworn response which refers to a few deviants or “bad apples” as not representative of the majority of police members. This is no different in
Guyana. However that argument cannot be sustained if the authorities will not outright condemn publicly, the apparent widespread acts of misconduct while pointing to established standards and codes of conduct that are generally complied with. Moreover, the ‘bad apple theory’ of police corruption
has, at least as far as official inquiries are concerned, now effectively been discredited. The 1976 U.S. Knapp Commission found that corruption existed extensively in drugs enforcement, criminal investigation and in uniformed patrol and effectively debunked the “few rotten apples” by advocating that “…A high command unwilling to acknowledge that the problem of corruption is extensive cannot very well argue that drastic changes are necessary to deal with the problem.” (Knapp, 1972:67). Knapp’s conclusion was supported by reform Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy’s view that “… the task of corruption control is to examine the barrel, not just the apples – the organisation, not just the individuals in it – because corrupt police are made, not born.” (quoted in Barker and Carter, 1986: 10) Furthermore, the situation is certainly not helped by an “us and them” attitude which the Wood Royal Commission
in New South Wales found ‘encourages (the) police to adopt an adversarial position to anyone who is not a police officer or who challenges police activity’. (1997a) In a similar vein, the Mollen Commission of 1994 which was mandated to inter alia determine ways for the New York City Police Department to maximize its ability to identify and deter misconduct and corruption through the introduction of proactive measures at all levels, found that the police culture allowed corruption to ‘flourish’ ‘because of willfully blind supervisors who fear the consequences of a corruption scandal more than corruption itself’, and was one reason for the virtual collapse of the anti-corruption systems (1994:1). To speak vaguely of force policies without presenting them for public scrutiny is equivalent to a con game. The current evidence suggests the policies where they exist are failing due to poor dissemination. Government through its Ministry of Home Affairs needs to take stock of the persistent criticisms, and take steps to counter the weaknesses in the GPF’s implementation of any anticorruption policy. Moreover, although it is not unlikely that the GPF
might be able to detect examples of corruption, the public is unaware if examples of organised corruption have been found. This is partly so because the attractiveness of the “bad orange’ notion is supported by the unavoidable visibility of individual cases of corruption. This is reinforced by the reluctance on the part of many police administrations to admit that corrupt activities are entrenched. Based upon his review of several factors, including definitions of police corruption and typologies of corrupt practices Newburn (op cit) gives some definitive conclusions including: (i) police corruption is pervasive, continuing and not bounded by rank; (ii) any definition of corruption should cover both ‘financial’ and ‘process’ corruption, and should acknowledge the varying means, ends and motives of corrupt activities; (iii) the boundary between ‘corrupt’ and ‘noncorrupt’ activities is difficult to define, primarily because this is at heart an ethical problem; (iv) police corruption cannot simply be explained as the product of a few ‘bad apples’;
(v) the ‘causes’ of corruption include: factors that are intrinsic to policing as a job; the nature of police organisations; the nature of ‘police culture’; the opportunities for corruption presented by the ‘political’ and ‘task’ environments; and, the nature and extent of the effort put in to controlling corruption; (vi) some areas of policing are more prone to corruption than others; (vii) although there are many barriers to successful corruption control, there is evidence that police agencies can be reformed; (viii) reform needs to go beyond the immediately identified problem; (ix) reform must look at the political and task environments as well as the organisation itself; (x) reform tends not to be durable; and (xi) continued vigilance and scepticism is vital. Valuable perceptions when studying police corruption could be gleaned from in-service and former members to determine how members feel about the established rules and standards of conduct with respect to corrupt practices; the various forms of police corruption; how corruption in the organisation should be addressed. The South African Police Service Code of Conduct is considered the best known example of an attempt to improve professional conduct in the police service and every police force should equip their members with the necessary knowledge related to inter alia the abuse of power and State assets, corruption, and discrimination. This discussion would be incomplete without outlining some of the measures which have been combined to provide support to police leadership and frontline managers. These include a code of ethical behaviour, anti-corruption education, targeted recruitment strategies, progressive development, proactive investigation of suspect officers and support to whistleblowers. Among the list of privative measures produced by Frik and Walek (2001:15) we found: (i) introduction of stricter recruitment criteria; (ii) the drafting and introduction of a Police Code of Ethics; (iii) the introduction of compulsory training to raise the legal awareness of the police; (iv) the permanent integrity testing of members; (v) the introduction of a (Continued on page 48)
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$20B expended to provide water services countrywide - GWI Over the past 15 years the water sector has seen significant transformation in the different regions where more persons are receiving improved service across the country, inclusive of the Hinterland regions, according to the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI). Some of the main focuses were on construction of new water treatment plants, drilling of wells, upgrading of distribution networks and service connections and installation of photovoltaic systems and gravity feed systems in the Hinterland. According to the utility company, in excess of $20 billion has been invested in this sector with a per capita investment of nearly $30,000 per person over the period. These investments resulted in the following: Construction of seven new water treatment plants; Drilling of more than 25 new wells; distribution and transmission networks; Rehabilitated sewer system rehabilitation in Georgetown; Hinterland development inclusive of the construction of gravity feed systems, installation of photo voltaic systems and drilling of
- 30,000 households enjoy service for the first time medium depth wells. GWI noted that the commissioning of seven new water treatment plants, at a cost in excess of G$5 billion, has resulted in the improvement in water quality to in excess of 150,000 persons and increase in the levels of service. New water treatment plants have been successfully completed in Lima – Essequibo Coast, Vergenoegen – East Bank Essequibo, Central Ruimveldt and Sophia – Georgetown, Cotton Tree - West Coast Berbice and No 56 Village and Queenstown – East Berbice. A number of new wells have been drilled, to a value in excess of G$1.5 billion, to increase the water supply coverage and replace some of the deteriorated wells. These investments have resulted in the improvement in the level of service across the country. Some of the areas where new wells have been drilled are: Somerset, Good Hope and Onderneeming – Region 2; Vergenoegen, La
Parfaite Harmony, Cornelia Ida, Meten Meer-Zorg, Belle Vue; Tuschen, La Grange – Region 3; Diamond, Kingston, Lusignan, De Hoop, Enmore, Cummings Lodge - Region 4; Canefield, No 47 Village, Rose Hall, Manchester - Region 6; Amelia’s Ward – Region 10; Onderneeming (Little Red Village), Region 2. In addition to the above, nearly 30,000 households were issued with water supply service for the first time. At present, works are ongoing on the construction of two new treatment plants in Linden which are scheduled for completion in 2014. In addition, works have been completed on the rehabilitation of the sewer system in Georgetown which has targeted improvement in sewage disposal efficiency. New wells are being drilled at Eccles, Hope, Providence, Cotton Tree and Uitvlugt which will result in improvement of service to customers. GWI noted that in excess of $5.5B has been invested in Region 4 over the past years, of which in excess of $3B has been invested in Georgetown and $2.5B on the East Coast and East Bank. Over the past years the government has contributed nearly $1B in capital investments in Region five. Works have commenced on the drilling of a new well in Cotton Tree to provide redundancy and security of supply for the Cotton Tree Water Treatment Plant. This will ensure that there is no disruption of service in the event a problem develops with the well supplying the plant. (Rabindra Rooplall)
(FLASHBACK) One of the many projects around the city, executed under GWI supervision
Essequibo Coast Ramble From page 33 what I was talking about. A few minutes later he yelled, “Winza Castle-Hamtan CourtDevsa Castle-Wattn Hall.” This time I immediately got the two ‘Castles’ and smiled. Later I got the others – Hampton Court and Walton Hall. The ‘Judge’ sign turned out to be a billboard advertising XM Rum (or El Dorado) with the slogan, ‘Judge for Yourself’. It was only later that I found out my wife’s mother used to operate
a small shop and what was euphemistically called a club, which helped refresh and rekindle a special kind of thirst satisfaction for many villagers. In the days that followed I was introduced to some of the residents of ‘Castle’ including a few unforgettable characters. One was ‘Sands’ Duncan, a loud, hard-drinking neighbour. (Nicknamed for his constant references to former British Secretary of State Edwin Duncan Sandys of 1963 elections/P.R notoriety) Another was ‘Mosquito Giant’, an angular, thin-limbed, long-striding young woman whose moniker, I thought, suited her to a ‘T’. Country humour! I also became familiar with the apparent conviviality of the villagers despite ethnic differences, although I was told things could become testy around general elections time. East Indians, Blacks and ‘Mixed’ people helped each other, borrowed household items, incurred credit from shops, looked out for each other’s children, and at least tolerated inter-racial relationships, including
marriage. Over the past year I’ve returned thrice to the Essequibo Coast. Things have obviously changed, though apparently not much in Devonshire Castle, apart from the improved road. However, Cinderella is gradually shedding her old kitchen clothes for more modern garb. With improvements in transportation, greater commercial access, and infrastructural works related to housing, the transition is on. Nowhere was this more evident to me than at Charity on the Pomeroon River, especially on a Monday market day. Colourful, crowded and chaotic, it is a far cry from the languorous locale I first saw 40 years ago. A business complex, commercial bank, hotels, malls, a police station, magistrate’s court and what one person called the ‘Alfro Alphonso touch’, are changing the riverine community. And if ‘Charity’ truly begins at home, then Essequibo may be poised for a Cinderella-like transformation.
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Guyana wants judicial settlement of the... From page 32 eventually led to both governments agreeing to request the UN Secretary General to find a method, based on Article 33 of the UN Charter, for reaching a settlement. Subsequently, the UN secretary general in 1990 appointed a “good officer” to meet with representatives of Guyana and Venezuela to examine various proposals. Meetings involving the UN and both governments continued at regular intervals but reached no decision as to the method to be applied to reach a solution. By the end of 2003, there was a marked cooling down of the belligerent voices on the border issue. President Hugo Chavez, who at first was adamant in asserting Venezuela’s claim to Guyanese territory, during a visit to Guyana in February 2004, announced that “the Venezuelan government will not be an obstacle to any project to be implemented in the Essequibo territory aimed at benefiting the population of that area. This includes projects such as access to water for human consumption, new roads, energy programs and agricultural activities.” He added, “The issues over the Essequibo territory will be dismissed from the context of social, political and economic relations between both countries.” In March 2005, Chavez also took the position that the border issue was the result of an “imperialist” legacy, and at the same time expanded economic and political cooperation with Guyana. On his nationally televised program, Aló Presidente, he stated for the first time that the United States intended to use Venezuela in 1962 to overthrow Cheddi Jagan, allegedly “out of fear that Guyana could become a communist government along the lines of Cuba.” This statement induced attacks from his political opponents who accused him of agreeing with the Guyana government’s position that the border issue was stirred up through connivance between the American and Venezuelan governments in 1962 with the aim of destabilizing the socialist government of Cheddi Jagan in Guyana. Chavez maintained close friendly relations with Guyana and the border issue was kept out of the spotlight. After his death, President Nicolas Maduro continued the policy of his predecessor toward Guyana. PROPOSALS CONSIDERED IN 1970 Going back to 1970, long before the involvement of the
UN, proposals were tabled by both Venezuela and Guyana during bilateral official discussions to work out the terms of the report of the Mixed Commission (set up by the Geneva Agreement of 1966) but mutual agreement was never reached. Guyana, from a logical point of view, insisted that Venezuela should prove its case of the nullity of the arbitral award of 1899 since that was the prime reason for the existing controversy. Surprisingly, the Venezuelan delegation felt that the question of nullity of the arbitral award was not a matter with which the Mixed Commission should concern itself, and that the only issue before the commission was how much land Guyana was prepared to make over to Venezuela. In other words, Venezuela was making the assumption that nullity of the award was a foregone conclusion. Guyana, not unnaturally, declined to proceed in that way. The Venezuelan team then sought to circumvent argument about the contention of nullity by putting forward proposals for the “joint development” of the western Essequibo area claimed under an arrangement which would have effectively transferred to Venezuela substantial elements of sovereignty over the area. These “joint development” proposals were consequently unacceptable to Guyana. By this time, negotiations had commenced on a moratorium arrangement (later to become known as the Protocol of Port of Spain) during which programs of economic cooperation would be discussed and implemented where possible. At the official level meetings three other proposals were made for reaching a resolution on the boundary controversy. These were: (A) NEUTRAL OBSERVER PRESENCE - PROPOSAL BY GUYANA Guyana’s unabated fears of possible Venezuelan military intervention during that period moved the Guyana government to insist that Venezuela’s acceptance of a neutral observer presence was an essential condition to its acceptance of any proposals for economic cooperation. Guyanese officials were at pains to explain that the government’s proposal for a neutral observer presence did not necessarily mean the existence of a permanent physical presence on the border but rather that there should be agreement on the need for such a team to visit the border area at agreed intervals and to be on call should any incidents occur in
that area. The added advantage of having such a team would be that any hostility on the frontier would be immediately investigated. This would serve to localize the area of conflict and prevent its escalation to the point of frustrating the moratorium and the programs of economic cooperation. Despite these assurances, Venezuela rejected this proposal. (B) ARBITRATION PROPOSAL BY VENEZUELA In an attempt to break the ensued deadlock, the government of Venezuela proposed that the issue of Venezuela’s claim to western Essequibo should be settled by arbitration under the principle of ex aequo et bono [according to what is right and good]. Under this proposal, the arbitrators would be given full scope to determine their own terms of reference as practiced under customary international law relating to arbitral proceedings. It was further contended that should the government of Guyana agree to this proposal, Venezuela would regard the existence of the controversy with Guyana as having been settled and in this regard would formally undertake at the June 1970 meeting of OAS foreign ministers to propose and support the entry of Guyana into the hemispheric
organization. However, Guyana saw little merit in recourse to a second arbitral tribunal since Venezuela was discrediting the work of the previous arbitral tribunal of 1899. Guyana further indicated that the very objections which Venezuela was raising with respect to the 1899 arbitral tribunal might conceivably be equally raised with respect to any subsequent arbitral tribunal. (C) RECOURSE TO THE ICJ FOR A JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT - COUNTER PROPOSAL BY GUYANA Guyana then counterproposed that recourse to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) would be a more practical and definitive means of resolving the issue. A formal proposal for a reference to the ICJ was therefore made by the government of Guyana at a meeting of officials in Georgetown on May 10, 1970, on the basis that the court should decide whether the existing boundary between Guyana and Venezuela as demarcated by the arbitral award of 1899 was binding on both parties. However, the government of Venezuela rejected this counter-proposal. UN SECRETARY GENERAL TO DECIDE With the recent announcement that Guyana will opt out from the Good Offices process and support a judicial settlement,
Venezuelan experts, on the other hand, are insisting that their government should not abandon the current mechanism. According to the Venezuelan newspaper, El Universal, retired Colonel Pompeyo Torrealba, the head of the Essequibo advisory unit of the Venezuelan foreign ministry, stated on March 4: “Venezuela should continue the procedure of the Good Offices because it enables us to hold a direct negotiation, without middlemen. We already know about the results where we have negotiated with intermediaries: we have lost valuable territory.” El Universal reported that experts it consulted agreed that Venezuela’s approval would be always necessary for the case to be settled at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, or in any other court of competent jurisdiction, as determined by the Secretary General. They, therefore, felt that Guyana’s decision to move away from the Good Offices process “is irrelevant.” However, contrary to this “expert” view, the Secretary General, under the terms of the Geneva Agreement of 1966, has the sole option of deciding on a method of
solution to the long-standing controversy, in the same manner as he decided on the Good Offices mechanism back in 1990. Both parties had empowered him to take such action under the terms of the Geneva Agreement of 1966 but, no doubt, he will have to consult with both governments before he makes his decision. (Dr. Odeen Ishmael, Ambassador Emeritus and historian, served as Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela from 2003 to 2011. He is a premier researcher on Guyana-Venezuela relations and has already published two volumes of his three-part history of the border issue under the title, The Trail of Diplomacy.)
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The different malaria tests and why they are important (From the desk of the Vector Control Director, Dr. Reyaud Rahman) Malaria is among Guyana’s major infectious diseases. It accounts for thousands of cases per year. Treating this disease can cost approximately US$20 per patient. This however excludes treatment of a
severely ill malaria patient who requires hospital admission with the use of expensive anti-malaria medication in addition to physician and nursing care. Guyana is plagued by three types of malaria parasites - Plasmodium falciparum (P.f), Plasmodium vivax (P.v) and Plasmodium malariae (P.m.). The most
dangerous type remains P. falciparum which if left untreated will kill 90 per cent of individuals who are infected. P. vivax and P. malariae are the lesser of the three evils and patients mostly exhibit very bad symptoms with them. One of the major reasons why we have malaria problems in Guyana remains
the bad practice of some individuals who contract the disease as well as the conditions in the hinterland regions which are perfect for the mosquitoes to thrive and multiply. It is noted that many miners or dredge owners, especially in these locations, would buy anti-malaria drugs and take it to the camps where malaria is being transmitted or
Corruption and the Guyana Police... From page 36 system to routinely inform members about crimes committed by their colleagues. The two collaborators went on to list a set of repressive measures that could be combined with the preventative including: (i) the introduction of a stricter punishment regime for corrupt behaviour; (ii) the introduction of a separate body to combat corruption; (iii) the introduction of improved methods of supervising police activities; (iv) the introduction of corrupt behaviour indicators (expensive lifestyle, indebtedness, complaints, etc.) and the creation of an early warning system; (v) the introduction of an ‘agent provocateur’; (vi) the introduction of a camera system within the agency; (vii) the introduction of
stronger powers to audit bodies (access to the bank statements of members, and their family members etc.). For varying reasons, some of these may not be accommodated locally, but for President Ramotar’s 15-point plan presented at the 2015 Officers’ Conference to have any realistic chance of succeeding, the GPF would need to emulate the Association of Chief Police Officers Taskforce on Corruption which - after its formation in 1998, put “in place preventive strategies more robust than those previously introduced.” Rhetoric will not carry the day, because what members of the public really need to witness is the police administration taking a providing positive symbolic leadership, by being visibly active in tackling police corruption, and putting in place strategies to detect, investigate and eliminate
corruption within its ranks. Punch (1994) posits that the ‘positive symbolic leadership’ must send an unambivalent message to the rest of the organisation and to those outside the organisation. This form of leadership requires that senior officers “state explicitly and openly that: (i) the ends never justify the means; (ii) they are running a ‘clean’ organisation even if this weakens their ostensible effectiveness; (iii) they will be as open as possible about internal deviance and will co-operate fully with external agencies; and (iv) they will personally serve as role models for integrity (Punch, 1994:34). For the Guyana Police Force to be taken seriously, any zero tolerance anticorruption culture rhetoric must be backed up with a comprehensive policy on corruption prevention. This
is the initial step where the tone of full commitment for a culture of integrity is set at the very top. The administration should ensure that the anti-corruption policy is clearly disseminated throughout the force. Moreover, the policy should not be left to languish as a dead document, but must be applied by way of a corruption prevention plan which provides a strategic approach for the GPF to analyse, plan and implement its anti-corruption framework. The ultimate aim should be improved systems and procedures, change attitudes of ranks, and improve the overall integrity and performance of the force. These offerings are intended to generate wide debate in the hope that citizens could contribute ideas on addressing issues that affect the professional police service delivery.
where they assume malaria is being transmitted. This practice is seen as being reckless in some cases as the individual will not be aware of the type of malaria he or she has, neither will he/she know what tablets to drink and what duration he/she should drink it. It is understood that some individuals who work in deep dense jungle far away from civilization find it extremely difficult to access a health facility because it takes very long to reach the health facility (maybe days or even hours) and the terrain may even be unforgiving. But for persons in such scenarios, I would like to reassure you that we are working on bold initiatives to ensure you are covered and access the same high quality drugs and diagnostics methods available to persons in Central Georgetown. There are two types of diagnostic methods available in Guyana, but the most reliable and efficient method is malaria microscopy. It the absolute best way of making a malaria diagnosis as it will detect parasites even at a low number. For this reason it is known as the Gold Standard of malaria diagnosis. Another diagnostic method is the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). It is less reliable as it does not pick up parasites if the concentration is very low. However, it remains a versatile and easy to use testing
Dr. Reyaud Rahman method. RDTs are extremely easy to use for persons who do not have a lot of training. It is easy to carry around as it is light in comparison to malaria microscopy where a microscope as well as different stains and materials are essential to do a good quality test. It is strongly advised that persons in endemic regions or who have visited endemic regions (One, Seven, Eight and Nine) and present with symptoms (fever, headache, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, chills and rigors, loss of appetite or even signs of sever malaria such as difficulty breathing, dizziness, severe weakness, confusion, coma, fits, jaundice and severe dehydration) should take a malaria smear or reliable RDT to confirm the type of malaria they are infected with and then treat with the appropriate anti-malaria medication.
THE ORPHAN’S... From page 26 Prosecutions. Kaieteur News was told that the teen was later placed on a plane, reportedly to be placed in safe keeping. But Ramo Duke never testified, and his whereabouts are unknown. To this day, the attorney worries about his possible fate. “He was the only witness to say that he saw (the murder); the other evidence (for the prosecution) was hearsay,” the attorney said. “I really need someone to
inquire as to what happened to this child…” If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 2258458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or 225-8473. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address: mjdragon@ hotmail.com
Sunday April 5, 2015
Kaieteur News
Murdered: Samantha Benjamin
(From page 31) Samantha Benjamin of Buxton, East Coast Demerara, who is also a Vendor’s Arcade stallholder. Police cracked the case Tuesday night after a cousin of the slain woman led detectives to Benjamin’s home. Inside, detectives found a blood-spattered floor, pieces of flesh and two bloodstained sheets. There were also signs that someone had attempted to clean up the gory scene. They subsequently detained a labourer who was in the house. Kaieteur News understands that the man had been employed some six weeks ago to rear poultry. THURSDAY EDITION GUNMEN HIJACK POST OFFICE VAN WITH COPS, $$M …STEAL RIFLE, DUMP COP AND VEHICLE IN CEMETERY Three armed bandits on Wednesday snatched some $42M from a vehicle transporting old age pension after driving off with a policeman escorting the cash and the driver. They reportedly relieved the rank of a rifle and dumped him and the Post Office van on Cemetery Road. The incident occurred as unsuspecting pensioners were lined up waiting for their monthly allowance. The police said that about 08:15 hours Wednesday, three men armed with handguns held up a police escort and the
driver of a General Post Office Corporation (GPOC) motor vehicle. According to the police, they were in the vehicle outside the Bourda Post Office located on Regent Street, while in the process of delivering money to the entity. ”The perpetrators took away the policeman’s G3 Rifle with 20 rounds and then entered the vehicle and forced the driver to drive away, with the police rank inside,” the police stated. The men, the police said, abandoned the vehicle along Cemetery Road, Georgetown and took away the money that was in the vehicle and escaped, along with the policeman’s firearm. The policeman, who was providing armed escort for the cash and the GPO driver were detained for questioning. SCHOLARSHIP FOR TOP CSEC STUDENT MAY BE IN LIMBO DUE TO ABSENCE OFAPPROPRIATIONACT –LUNCHEON Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon expressed Wednesday that the absence of an Appropriation Act may very well be the reason why government has not been able to honour its promise of granting a scholarship to a top performer at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). Elisa Hamilton has expressed much dissatisfaction with the manner in which gov-
ernment is dealing with the matter and had told the media that at least if there are changes, students should be informed. The Queen’s College student who earned 19 Grade One passes and a Grade Two pass at the CSEC examinations last year was promised a government scholarship which would allow her to attend a University of her choice. She desired to pursue studies in medicine at Yale University but Hamilton was later served with some sad news. The amb i t i o u s young woman, who was recognized as the most outstanding candidate in the Caribbean region, received a notice from Permanent Secretary o f t h e P u b l i c Service Ministry Hydar Ally, informing her that she can apply to pursue studies in engineering, dentistry and human medicine in Guyana, China or Cuba. This is of course in stark contrast with what Minister of Education , Priya Manickchand had said in May 2013 that “President Donald Ramotar informed that the two top performers at CSEC and the two top performers at CAPE would be beneficiaries of government scholarships to pursue studies at universities of their choice in any field.” But Dr. Luncheon has promised to look into the matter in order to determine why government did not follow through on its commitment to
the top CSEC student. FRIDAYEDITION DISMEMBERED BUXTON WOMAN…LABOURER PLOTTED MURDER WITH TWO OTHERS -VICTIM’S LAPTOP, PHONE FOUND IN BENT ST. HOUSE Detectives on the East Coast of Demerara are making further inroads into the mystery of how United States of America-based Guyanese businesswoman Samantha Benjamin’s dismembered body ended up on the Annandale foreshore. Detectives are convinced that the man who was residing in the Buxton Middle Walk house where Benjamin was killed had orchestrated the plot to murder her, but they are still trying to establish a clear motive. They are basing their conviction on the fact that he has admitted to organising the murder but did not actually participate in it. According to a source, the suspect reported that after Benjamin broke up with her estranged husband, she came and took up residence in the middle walk house. It was while she was there that she confided in him about her business plans, including the plan to purchase a car. He admitted that he plotted with two other men to kill her for her money. The suspect reportedly claimed that Benjamin put up a fierce fight and was
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hacked to death. Her body was then dismembered and taken away in an effort to conceal the crime. Investigators were also able to recover Benjamin’s laptop computer and her cellular phone from a house in Bent Street, Georgetown, on Thursday. GUYANAPRODUCES SUGAR AT US$800 PER TON, SELLS FOR US$300 The local sugar industry is facing an even bleaker future with prices sliding to their lowest levels since February 2009. The dismally low prices come at a time when the country failed over the last three years to lock in a multi-year agreement with its biggest customer in Europe – Tate & Lyle – leaving the country at the mercy of the international markets. Last week, the price for a pound of sugar on the world market went down to US$0.12. This simply means that should the prices on the world market remain on course – and there are not any immediate indications of significant movements upwards in the immediate future – Guyana would be selling sugar in the vicinity of a highly uncompetitive US$265 per ton. At the most, according to industry experts, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) would only be able to rake in
around US$325 per ton for its premium Demerara Gold from the Enmore Packaging Plant. This is extremely significant if taken into account is the fact that GuySuCo’s top officials told Parliament last year that the entity is producing sugar for more than US$0.35 per pound. In effect this means that GuySuCo is producing sugar at almost US$800 per ton, selling back at a highly unprofitable US$300 per ton. FATHER OF 29 REMANDED FOR COKE IN CHARCOAL Fifty-eight year-old Linden businessman Colin Prescod, a timber exporter, was on Thursday remanded to prison on a charge of trafficking in narcotics, when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The charge is related to the discovery of a large amount of cocaine in bags of charcoal secured in two 40-ft. containers that Prescod attempted to ship to the United States. Prescod, a father of 29, denied the accusation which alleged that on March 30, at Silver Hill, Linden Highway, he had in his possession 178 kg of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The defendant was refused bail and remanded. The matter was transferred to the Linden Magistrate’s Court for April 15.
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Pesticides on fruits, veggies Massive tea consumption linked to kidney failure linked with poorer semen quality The puzzling case of a 56year-old U.S. man who suddenly developed weakness, fatigue and body aches is leading doctors to warn that massive consumption of tea may be responsible for some unexplained cases of kidney failure. It’s being called iced-tea nephropathy by the New England Journal of Medicine, which published a letter describing the case. The source of the problem was an excessive amount of oxalate, a compound found in many foods. Excessive amounts can also come from “juicing,” having gastric bypass surgery, and by consuming foods with a lot of ascorbic acid such as beets, spinach, nuts and strawberries. But in this case, the man reported that he was drinking 16 nine-ounce glasses of iced tea each day, giving him more than 1,500 milligrams of oxalate per day. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics advises consuming no more than 4050 mg of oxalate per day, the authors note. “If you drink tea once or twice a day, it probably wouldn’t exceed what is the normal range for Americans. But this patient was taking 10 times that amount,” said Dr. Umbar Ghaffa of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, a co-
author of the letter. Consuming too much oxalate can lead to kidney stones, which can damage the kidney by blocking the flow of urine. “But in this case there were oxalate crystals inside the kidney, and that generates an inflammatory reaction,” Ghaffar told Reuters Health. “If that’s not resolved it will cause scarring and loss of the kidney tissue. So that’s what probably was happening in this patient.” He ultimately needed dialysis and remained on it because his kidney damage was so extensive. “Usually if they’re at the stage where they need dialysis, it would be unusual for it to reverse,” said Dr. Gary Curhan, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who was not involved
with the case. The irony is that previous research has suggested that “people who take tea in the usual amounts actually have a lower risk of kidney stones,” Curhan said. “But in this case, the person was drinking huge amounts of oxalate,” he said. “I would caution people against drinking that much, but drinking a glass or two would not concern me.” Ghaffar and her colleagues speculated that such regular excessive consumption of oxalate “may be an underrecognized cause of renal failure.” “The summer season is coming and a lot of people use a lot of iced tea in this season,” she said. “We just want to make patients aware that too much of anything is bad.” (Reuters)
Men who eat more fruits and vegetables with pesticide residue have lower sperm counts and a lower percentage of normal sperm, according to a new study. The researchers studied sperm samples from 155 men who were attending a fertility clinic between 2007 and 2012 because they and their partners were having trouble conceiving. The men also answered 131 questions about the food they ate, including how often and in what quantities they ate 38 fruits and vegetables like apples, avocadoes or cantaloupe. The researchers compared their answers to annual U.S. epartment of Agriculture data on average pesticide residue in types of produce. For example, peppers, spinach, strawberries, apples, and pears tend to have high levels of pesticide residue, whereas peas, beans, grapefruit, and onions have low-tomoderate amounts. Half the men ate at least 3.5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The total amount of fruits and veggies in the diet was not associated with semen quality. But men who ate at least 1.5 servings of highpesticide produce per day had about half as many sperm in their semen, and two-thirds as many normal-appearing
sperm, as men who ate less than half a serving of highpesticide produce per day, according to results in Human Reproduction. “This does not necessarily imply reduced fertility,” said senior author Jorge Chavarro of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “We will continue our work to try to figure out to what extent these effects in semen quality may ultimately impact fertility.” Pesticide-laden produce was linked to poorer semen quality even when the authors accounted for smoking status and the men’s weight in relation to their height, which can both affect sperm quality. In fact, men who ate more high-
pesticide fruits and vegetables tended to exercise more and have a healthier diet overall, Chavarro said. Other studies had tied poorer semen quality to occupational and environmental exposure to pesticide chemicals, and the latest results indicate the same is true for pesticides in the diet. Given that pesticides are designed to kill and harm pest reproduction, it is not surprising that they are harmful to human reproduction, said Dr. Hagai Levine of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and the Hebrew University-Hadassah in Jerusalem , who coauthored an editorial published with the findings.
Measure kids’ medicines in metric units, not spoonfuls, doctors say Children’s liquid medicines should only be measured in metric units to avoid overdoses common with teaspoons and tablespoons, U.S. pediatricians say. Tens of thousands of kids wind up in emergency rooms after unintentional medicine overdoses each year, and the cause is often badly labeled containers or unclear directions, said Dr. Ian Paul, a pediatrician at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Children’s Hospital and lead author of new metric dosing guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “Even though we know metric units are safer and more accurate, too many healthcare providers are still writing that prescription using spoon-based dosing,” said Paul. “Some parents use household spoons to administer it, which can lead to dangerous mistakes.” For example, he said, accidentally using a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon would
triple the dose. To avoid errors associated with common kitchen spoons, the guidelines urge that liquid medicines being taken by mouth should be dosed using milliliters (abbreviated as “mL”). Also, prescriptions should include so-called leading zeros, such as 0.5 for a half mL dose, and exclude socalled trailing zeroes, such as 0.50, to reduce the potential for parents to misunderstand the dosing. While the AAP has been pushing for more accurate dosing of children’s medicines since the 1970s, the new guidelines are the most extensive call for metric dosing to date and are intended to reach drug manufacturers, retailers, pharmacists, prescribers and caregivers. “For this to be effective, we need not just the parents and families to make the switch to metric, we need providers and pharmacists too,” said Paul.
Manufacturers should eliminate labeling, instructions and dosing devices that contain non-metric units, the guidelines suggest. Cups or syringes provided with medicines should be labeled in metric units, and not be much larger than the maximum dose. Ideally, the drugs should be dispensed with syringes that have a flow meter because that’s the most accurate way to measure liquid, said Robert Poole, director of
the pharmacy at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. Parents can put the syringe in the side of the child’s mouth and release the medicine slowly. “It’s easier for the child to swallow and you know the dose you get into the child is accurate,” said Poole, who wasn’t an author of the guidelines. “Those little cups that come with the medicine should really only be used to pour out liquid that you then draw into an oral
syringe.” In addition, electronic health records should make it impossible for non-metric doses to be prescribed by clinicians or processed at pharmacies, the guidelines suggest. To avoid overdoses and errors, weight and body temperatures should also be recorded in kilograms and degrees Celsius rather than in pounds and Fahrenheit, said Lois Parker, a pediatric pharmacist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Weight is a source of medication errors because if the parent reports the weight in pounds and we base the dosing on kilograms that can lead to the wrong dose,” said Parker, who wasn’t involved in the AAP guidelines. Among prescription drugs, narcotics present the biggest overdose dangers, said Dr. Brian Smith, a pediatrician at Duke University who wasn’t involved in writing the AAP guidelines. Kids who
are the sickest, who go home from the hospital with numerous medicines, are often the most vulnerable to errors as parents struggle to keep track of the dosing and timing for all of the drugs. For over-the-counter drugs, Smith worries the most about acetaminophen (Tylenol), because overdoses can lead to liver failure. It’s also dangerous to give children a wide variety of nonprescription drugs at the same time, because they might accidentally get more than one medicine with the same ingredient, leading to unintended overdoses. “Kids do get overdosed; it happens in the hospital with all of these safeguards in place and it happens at home,” said Smith. “Kids come to the emergency room with unintentional overdoses and they get sick and some kids die. Anything we do to reduce errors by making the dosing clearer will save lives.” (Reuters)
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Malik quits ‘One Direction’, Vin Diesel cements says wants normal life place in Hollywood
Singer Zayn Malik said on Wednesday he was quitting the best-selling pop band One Direction because he wanted to live a normal life and apologized to fans of the hugely popular British-Irish group for doing so. The decision by Malik to quit came after he dropped out of an Asian tour due to what he said was stress when pictures of the singer, who is engaged to Perrie Edwards of Little Mix, were published showing him partying with another woman in Thailand. “I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what
feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight,” Malik said in a statement on One Direction’sFacebook page. The announcement said Malik’s decision had come after five years with the band, which came to prominence for its performance on the popular televised singing competition “The X Factor” in 2010. One Direction’s biggest hits include “Best Song Ever”, “Kiss You”, “What Makes You Beautiful” and
“Story of My Life”. The remaining band members, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, will continue on their current world tour as a foursome and will release their fifth album later this year, the statement said. “We’re really sad to see Zayn go, but we totallyrespect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we’ve gone through so much together, so we will always be friends,” the band members said. Simon Cowell, the British music and television impresario who launched the band, said: “I would like to say thank you to Zayn for everything he has done for One Direction. Since I first met Zayn in 2010, I have grown very, very fond — and immensely proud — of him. “I have seen him grow in confidence and I am truly sorry to see him leave. As for One Direction, fans can rest assured that Niall, Liam, Harry and Louis are hugely excited about the future of the band.” The announcement instantly made Malik’s name one of the top trends on Twitter and produced anguished reactions from fans.
Actor Vin Diesel sank his hands and feet into cement in the forecourt of the Chinese Theater, marking his place in Hollywood history days before the release of his latest film “Furious 7”. The film is the latest in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, which turned the actor into an action star. It is also the first to be released since the death of co-star Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013
Chris Martin, Rihanna back new Jay Z streaming music service
Some of the world’s biggest names in music including Beyonce, Cold Play’s Chris Martin and Rihanna are backing Jay Z’s new global streaming music service Tidal, which launched on Monday, and is billing itself as the first of its kind owned by artists. Co-owners Kanye West, Daft Punk, Alicia Keys, Madonna and other musicians were in New York on Monday to sign a declaration of a “whole new era.” Still, Tidal is entering a crowded space, with stiff competition from Spotify, Pandora Media Inc and Clear Channel’s I Heart Radio. But Jay Z’s deep music ties could help distinguish Tidal from its rivals. Musicians complain they are not being properly
compensated for digital music rights. Additionally, music downloads have been shrinking as streaming services boom in popularity. The Beatles’ Ringo Starr addressed the issue with Reuters TV on Monday: “All I ever hear is that your record has been streamed 17 million times and they give you a check for 12 bucks. I don’t understand that.” Last year, Taylor Swift
pulled her entire catalog from Spotify in a shocking move. Swift’s catalog is available on Tidal but her latest “1989” is not. Tidal has deals for rights with all the major record labels, a representative with the company said. While the glitzy line-up on Monday did not directly address compensation, Alicia Keys said, “We believe it’s in everyone’s interest ... to
preserve music.” Tidal is offering a mix of stock and cash to its owners for promotional support, which does not include rights to the music, the Financial Times reported. One partner was offered $3 million for a 3 percent stake, the report said. Tidal is an offspring of Jay Z’s company Project Panther Bidco, which acquired more than 90 percent of the Swedish streaming music company Aspiro AB for $54 million earlier this month. For $19.99 a month, subscribers have access to millions of songs and videos in high fidelity. A $9.99 option offers regular sound quality. Tidal is available in 35 countries and subscribers can listen offline to as many songs as their device will hold.
before filming finished. Vin Diesel’s “Furious” costars joined him at the ceremony on Wednesday, alongside his companion, Paloma Jimenez, and the couple’s children. The 47-year old, who was born Mark Sinclair Vincent, made his off-Broadway stage debut as a child. His first film role was an uncredited appearance in the 1990 drama “Awakenings”.
His 1994 independent short film “Multi-Facial”, which he wrote, produced, directed and starred in, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, grabbing the attention of director Steven Spielberg who cast Vin Diesel in the 1998 World War II drama “Saving Private Ryan”. Vin Diesel’s other acting credits include “The Chronicles of Riddick” trilogy and “Babylon A.D.”.
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Mayor and Council are being ‘sabotaged’ Work on the falling Stabroek wharf appears to be moving slothful and remains unclear when the commencement will begin. However the reasons for the procrastination are yet controversial as responses within the Municipality differ. The dilapidated structure began falling late last year, when it was struck by high winds. Last month another section of the structure collapsed, crushing stalls below. Thankfully no one was hurt in those incidents. The structure which is likely to further collapse at any given time, is still posing a possible death threat to those plying trades in the vicinity of the hazardous structure. This, in the commonsense of any individual, would be an issue that should be addressed sooner than later. For a prolonged period, there has been some blame throwing and bickering within
the City Council to ascertain when the falling wharf will be addressed but officials have since been unable to make a decision. This was insinuated after Town Clerk, Carol Sooba, indicated to a Kaieteur News reporter that she would be meeting with the City Engineer, Colvert Venture, on several occasions to make a decision on executing the demolition of the structure. However both parties have since been unable to ascertain when and how the works on the wharf would begin and further be completed. Georgetown Mayor, Hamilton Green, at a press conference last week, said that he and the Town Clerk rarely have a “civilized” conversation. It could be implied that the two may not have had formal discussions on the issue, which is of concern to citizens. A few weeks ago, the Mayor also stated that “the
“Municipality does not have the funds to facilitate works to the Stabroek wharf” - Hamilton Green decisions of the Mayor and Councillors are being challenged by the Town Clerk and Local Government.” Green has since given a synopsis of why the commencement of works at the wharf has been procrastinated for such a long period. He said that the Municipality does not have the funds to facilitate works to the Stabroek wharf, due to the Local Government Ministry’s denial of funds to maintain various facilities. He said that the government continuously denies the Council every opportunity to raise money. No organization can be effective without management. He explained that the monies that would have been earned by these
Granger distributes kites
Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform and Presidential Candidate of A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition, David Granger, yesterday took time off from the campaign trail to distribute kites to more than 200 children on the lower East Coast Demerara. The presidential hopeful distributed kites to children in Industry, Plaisance, Better Hope and Pigeon Island. He then departed for the APNU+AFC National Rally planned for Anna Regina
yesterday afternoon. While Granger acknowledged that kiteflying during this time of year is a much-loved Guyanese family tradition, enjoyed by all, he pointed to the fact that Easter is an important festival on the Christian calendar. He said that Guyanese must respect the traditions of all faiths that are practiced in this land of diversity. Granger had also shared kites to more than 100 children in Friendship on Thursday.
fundraisers would have contributed to not only the maintenance of the Stabroek market but other municipalityrelated facilities. “The present Town Clerk Carol Sooba, with the connivance of the Minister of Local Government, Norman Whittaker, has been ignoring every decision and proposal made by the Mayor and Councillors,” lamented Green. “Unbelievable but true.” He said that “years ago, to deal with the financial squeeze imposed on the Council by the government, we initiated the collection of fees from the speedboat operators who docked their boats and discharged passengers at the Stabroek wharf. The idea was to use those funds to maintain and repair the said wharf.”
A government Ministry stepped in to stop the exercise, an initiative of the former Clerk of the Market and the Mayor, and shift the operation further south to the government-controlled Transport and Harbours Department. The fees are now being collected by the Ministry of Works and Hydraulics, the same ministry that without notice closed down the money making car park, east of Stabroek Market, according to Green. He said, “it is the very Ministry that when the Council collected fees from certain companies to put up their signs on our parapets, broke the signs down.” This again prevented the Council from raising revenues. “This has been the pattern of the improper
“bullyism” by the PPP\C administration.” Mayor Green said that the “sabotage” has now exacerbated with the improbation of the “diabolical, deceitful and wicked” Town Clerk, Carol Sooba. The Mayor is of the opinion that if the “sabotage” does not cease, the infrastructural development in the city will be crippled. Many things are already in a deteriorating state. The Mayor said that he recently instructed the Clerk of the Market not to allow anyone to operate in and around the area, which poses threat to life and limb. Meanwhile vendors have continued their trade at the wharf area. Because of need, vendors are psychologically forced to remain under the life threatening conditions. When a Kaieteur News reporter visited the area, business was in full swing.
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Sunday April 05, 2015
Catholics in Berbice Kaieteur M@ilbox re-enact the Crucifixion Eusi Kwayana: A Guyanese...
The re- enactment of the Crucifixion of Jesus yesterday by Catholics on the Corentyne Catholics at St. Francis Xavier R.C. Church yesterday re-enacted the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The annual activity, now in its second year, moved off from the church at Portuguese Quarters, Port Mourant, onto the Rose Hall Public Road and attracted the attention as well as curiosity of scores of onlookers. All of the actors wore authentic costumes, including Jesus played by Keeon Playter and Mary, played by Mrs. Hanoman. The event was organized by the priest, Fr. Ramesh Vanan, SJ, youths and priests of the church. It was held as Christians around the world commemorated the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The event had all the actors in the Biblical accounts of the Crucifixion, including Pontius Pilate, the women of Jerusalem, Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, Peter, the Roman Soldiers as well as the mob who mocked Jesus. The procession moved off from the church and onto the streets, while the traffic had to be controlled by the traffic ranks of ‘B’ Division. The procession made 14 stops along the way, replicating the ‘Stations of the Cross’, where prayers and special meditations were pondered upon. Good Friday is the second day of the Easter Triduum; it is the day that Catholics and
Jesus hanging on the Cross yesterday other Christians throughout the world commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. For Catholics, Good Friday is a day of strict fasting and abstinence. Catholics over the age of 18 and under the age of 60 are required to fast. They can eat only one complete meal and two smaller ones during the day, with no
Arau man shot to neck during argument - Suspect on the run The police are investigating a shooting incident which occurred at Arau Landing, Wenamu River early yesterday and has left one person nursing a gunshot wound to the neck. The shooting occurred around 05:30 hrs. The injured person has been identified as 32-year-old Romel Mendonca of Arau Landing. According
to reports, Mendonca was involved in an argument with another man at his home village during which he was shot to the neck. He has been admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The suspect escaped after wounding the 32-yearold man.Investigations are ongoing.
food in between. Catholics who are over the age of 14 are required to refrain from eating any meat, or any food made with meat, on Good Friday Many Christians across Guyana also attended traditional Good Friday services across the country, meditating and praying about the Biblical accounts of the death of Jesus. The Good Friday liturgy has three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and the Service of Communion. Christians will return to church on Sunday to celebrate the resurrection. Catholics return tonight to celebrate Midnight Mass as Easter Sunday dawns. During Good Friday services you might see Catholics go up to the front of the church and bow before or even kiss a cross. This act is called Veneration of the Cross and in which Catholics honor the great sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.
From page 5 manifest, Kwayana, on behalf of ASRE, proposed a power sharing arrangement or “joint premiership” between the leaders of the two ethnic parties with partition of the country into three zones - African, Indian and Mixed as a last resort. Both leaders rejected the proposal. ASRE was disbanded a year later, amidst fears of dividing the African-Guyanese community and the country descended into open ethnic conflict that lasted from 1961 to 1964. Amidst the ethnic violence, Kwayana,in 1964, co-founded the African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (ASCRIA), which, like ASRE,committed itself to the promotion of Africanpride, dignity, and culture among African-Guyanese. He served as Coordinating Elder of ASCRIA and changed his name to Eusi Kwayana, which, in Swahili, means Black Man of Guyana. Although he never rejoined the PNC he supported the party, which rose to power in 1964 as part of a coalition with another small party, the United Force (UF).He held several influential positions in the government- head of the National Land Settlement Committee; chairman of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC); chairman of the Cooperative Insurance Committee; and chairman of a committee charged with converting the Guyana Cooperative Credit Society into a Cooperative Bank. In 1971 he broke with the PNC over the issue government corruption and became one of its severest critics. In the process Kwayana and ASCRIA began to develop relations with other anti-government organizations which in 1974 merged into the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). Hehas been a 1eading member of party and was its presidential candidate in 1985 and parliamentarian in the years 1986-90. Critically, during this period he directly and indirectly mentored an entire group of political activists who have continued to serve in public life in Guyana and beyond. There are five aspects of Kwayana’s political life that stands out...First, for him politics is not a path to power but a medium for service and collective liberation. Second, while he has held strong ideological positions, he has not been dogmatic. He preferred to be guided by fairness rather than political correctness. Third, although he has held leadership positions in three major political parties, he has never sought the top position. He turned down such positions several times. Fourth, he is perhaps the only major Caribbean politician who has publicly admitted to mistakes on important issues. Fifth, his political practice has been grounded in political morality. POLITICAL PRAXIS An important aspect of Kwayana’s political life has been his ability to influence politics outside of formal political office. There are two major factors that contributed to this. First, he has taken on issues of fairness and justice, even when it is not politically correct to do so. In this regard, his concern is always whether it is fair or just. Second, he has been fiercely independent; his bottom line has always been what best for the people and the country rather than for the party or leader. This independent thought and action have contributed to carving out an independent or third space in a political process that is generally dominated by duality. His independence was manifested not only by actions outside of the two major parties but when he functioned inside the parties. This independent or third space accommodated ASCRIA in the 1960s, the WPA from the 1970s and more recent organizations such as the Alliance for Change (AFC).
The importance of this independent space is its ability to constantly provide a critique of the dominant tendencies that has had both radicalizing and democratizing effect on the political process. Walter Rodney’s direct impact on the politics of the 1970s was facilitated by this third space. Although Kwayana functioned in the executive branch for just 133 days and in the legislature for a little over five years, he has had a major impact on every major political episode in Guyana. Kwayana has been a strong believer in organization and movements. From his entry into national life in the late 1940s to the present he has always belonged to at least one major national organization. He is the only major political leader in Guyana to play leading roles in the three defining movements of the last seven decades-the Independence, Black Power and Pro-Democracy movements. Another important aspect Kwayana’s political praxis is his engagement of the concrete. Although he was ideologically grounded in the left wing of Caribbean politics, he avoided the dogmatism that has sometimes immobilized his fellow travelers. Because his point of departure has always been the concrete conditions he drew lessons from them rather than imposing lessons on them. This in turn has contributed to Kwayana’s broad praxis which is sometimes projected as changes in his approach. While Marxists generally avoided the issue of race and ethnicity, Kwayana did not.No public person since 1961 has written and spoken more on Guyana’s persistent ethnic problems than Kwayana. He was the first political leader to raise the issue of race as a central problem on the political process and offered a solution. Since then he has functioned simultaneously as the foremost messenger of African cultural pride and regeneration in Guyana and an advocate of multiracial working class solidarity and unity. He is as committed to the working class liberation as he is to African progress and freedom. This engagement of ethnicity and race in an ethnically divided country has earned him the status of both hero and villain. But in the final analysis, his political life reflects the persistent dilemma of race, ethnicity and class. Perhaps, more than any other political person of his generation, he has managed to synthesize the three. Kwayana has a long trail of writings, beginning with his writings in the PPP’s Thunder in the early 1950s during which time he wrote many articles and editorials that did not carry his byline. He would later serve as editor of the PNC’s New Nation, ASCRIA’s ASCRIA Drums and WPA’s Dayclean and Open Word. In addition to his journalistic writings, Kwayana has written many other academic and policy papers. Most of his writings have addressed the concrete issues of the particular time, but others have addressed broad issues such as race and ethnicity, governance and culture. He has also written the party songs of the PPP, PNC and WPA. I end this overview of Kwayana’s work with a personal note. I have had the good fortune of working with and learning from some of the best intellectuals and political minds in Guyana. My experience as a member of the WPA for the last four decades has been the finest education in politics and public engagement. I love the WPA family undyingly. In all of this, the persistent example of Eusi Kwayana has been pivotal. He is the finest human being I have encountered in my life’s journey. Thanks Brother Eusi. Happy birthday. David Hinds
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DID MOSES DISRESPECT HARPER? By Ralph Seeram The horses are out the gates; the 2015 elections campaign is now in overdrive for the next few weeks leading to the May 11 elections. Since the launching of their campaigns last Sunday, both the PPP and the PNC led APNU-AFC have set out their position and themes that will govern the campaign, The APNU-AFC of which the PNC is the majority partner has been placing emphasis on UNITY and CHANGE in its message to voters. I am not too sure what the main theme of the PPP campaign is so far. If it’s there, the party is certainly not doing a good job of getting it across. By “change” I assume that APNU-AFC means that it time for voters to replace the PPP with the coalition. The party is telling the voters that it can do a better job than the PPP, and there are some who would question that, but that’s a subject for another day. What is getting my curiosity is APNU+AFC claims that by the coalition the two parties have achieved some sort of “national unity’ one could get the impression that by their merger they have succeeded in having both major races under one umbrella. At least that’s the impression one get gets if one is to believe the APNU-AFC speakers and supporters. But is it really so? The basic premise of the coalition is that they hope to do a repeat performance of the 2011 elections where APNU whose majority partner is the PNC and the AFC will again win a 51% of the votes to form the next government and at the same time achieve some sort of national unity. Much is being made by the coalition of Moses Nagamootoo’s promise to deliver “11% of the Indian votes”. In fact the coalition is depending on those Indian votes dearly to win the coming elections. But the facts do not support the coalition or Moses Nagamootoo’s contention that he can deliver “11 percent of Indian votes”. He and the AFC never got that in the first place. The record will show that the AFC received just fewer than 11 per cent of the electoral votes cast in the 2011 elections. Most of it was indeed siphoned off the PPP supporters in Berbice but certainly not all of those votes. At most probable six to seven per cent of those votes
were probably Indian votes. Merging those seven per cent of Indo Guyanese votes to the mainly Afro Guyanese supported APNU could hardly be considered as achieving unity. How are we defining this unity? I mean everyone has been throwing the word around, unity, unity. Are we talking about unity in terms of racial unity because as far as I am concerned there is racial unity in Guyana, despite what some may feel? Are we talking of unity in the political sense of moving away from racial voting? So if a major political party draws substantial votes from both major races to win an election, would we define that as achieving ‘unity”? I would tend to agree more with the latter, and it would be a welcome change if the voting populace can move away from the current voting pattern. Coming back to APNUAFC hopes of attaining that magical 51 per cent in the coming election thus achieving “unity”, if we are to accept that logic, and from all appearances that seems to be the contention, then we can safely say the PPP has achieved that distinction since 1992. Yes the type of unity the coalition has been talking about, the PPP has as I said since Guyana had its first free election in 1992 after 28 years of PNC dictatorship. Except for the last
elections where the PPP fell narrowly under the 50 per cent mark, they have been winning over 51 per cent of the electoral votes, at one time winning over 55 per cent of the votes cast. Some may not want to accept this fact, but no one party can win an election in Guyana based on racial voting. That party has to get votes from other races to win an election, and the PPP has been doing that, to win elections. It’s the area that the PNC and now major partner in the APNU+AFC coalition failed to achieve, hence this desperation by the opposition for Nagamootoo to deliver on his promised 11 per cent Indian votes. Now that the AFC has merged with the PNC led APNU, will those “Indians” still vote for the coalition? I personally doubt that very much. Speaking about Nagamootoo, I was amused watching a video of him trying to attack the PPP candidate for
Prime Minister, Liz Harper. The PPP placed the opposition in a “tough” position to attack Harper who obviously has an unblemished record. She has made domestic abuse one of her platform issues, so Nagamootoo thought he “saw “ an opening by attacking her for sharing the same platform with former President Bharrat Jagdeo (over allegations of how Jagdeo treated his exwife). First he disrespected her by referring to her as “dis lady Harper” but completely forgot that he shared the same party with Bharrat Jagdeo for years before he defected and never said a word (that I know of) about the alleged abuse. This notion of a few top PPP officials crossing over to the PNC to give some resemblance of racial balance has been tried before. When the PNC was in office, three notable top PPP officials that went over to the PNC included Harry Lall who was President of GAWU,
Ranji Chandisingh who became a PNC Minister and Vincent Teekah, who was murdered (some say assassinated) while as a Minister in the PNC government. His murder remains unsolved, even though some felt that his murderer is still around. In fact the suspected murderer of Vincent Teekah spoke over the coffin of Courtney Crum-Ewing who himself was assassinated. How ironic. Ideal unity would for a PPP-APNU government. At that point one could without doubt say political unity has been achieved, but then again
that will also have its downside. If the only two main political parties form the government, who is going to watch over them? It’s not good for democracy if you do not have an opposition. If the PPP and APNU (this will bury the AFC) ever merged you will then hear cries of a one party state; you see where this is going. In politics you can’t please everyone. Even if you solve the unity issue, you create another problem. Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com and Facebook.
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SALON Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
VACANCY Work from home: Earn $5,000 - $20,000 daily, 9am - 5pm, Monday to Saturday - Call: 233-6517/ 638-0595 or www.jobfairworldwide.com One live in maid, must be from country, know to cook Indian dishes – Tel: 662-1124; 611-0200 SECURITY GUARDS, CANTER DRIVERS, SALESMEN, MARKETING ASSISTANT with Drivers Licence. Accommodation Available. Tel. 266 4427 Floor Supervisor, Bond Supervisor, Delivery Clerk, apply with written application & passport size picture @ Survival, 173 Sheriff St., Campbellville –Tel: 227-5286-9 Cashier @ Shell Service Station Providence E.B.D shift work – (6am-3pm & 3pm12pm) email:shellramsburg@gmail.com; submit to name above International Cruiselines, receptionists, cooks, waitresses, carpenters, cleaners, storekeepers, electricians, welders Contact Professional Recruitment Agency - 231-6296, 650-9880 Experienced Cleaner & bartenders – Call: 225-8572 between 7am-9am Salesgirl + porter boys, apply in person with application @ Daswaney’s (Sharon’s Building) 154 King Street Lacytown – Tel: 225-8036 Salesgirl, apply @ D. Singh & Sons, 95 King Street Georgetown – Tel:226-1316
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 -DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YAHOO.COM/WWW. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL. COM PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM
WANTED Senior Accounts Clerk, 5yrs experienced, CAT or equivalent. Email: snow198390@hotmail.com Business/Economics Writer, email application to snow198390@hotmail.com Office clerk: CXC English, mathematics. Live in, live out babysitter/domestic - Call: 219-5354 Salesgirls & porters, apply with written application @ Best Buy Food Supplies, Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellville. 1 OFFICE ASSISTANT: Must have motorcycle, car/ van license, able to work flexible hours, from E.B.D. Email: snow198390@hotmail.com
PROPERTY FOR SALE Parfaite Harmonie, West Minister, Onderneeming, Cornela Ida, Tushcen, etc Contact: Pacific Development Inc # 223-6035; 231-8480 Houses & land available for sale in Non- Pariel, Enmore, Providence & Diamond Contact: Pacific Development Inc # 223-6035; 231-8480 Two storied concrete house, two bedrooms upstairs, two bedrooms downstairs $20Million @ Block “8” Mon Repos, E.C.D- Tel:625-1514 Property situated in East La penitence, Georgetown, 2 storied concrete buildings in need of repairs, price negotiable –Tel: 662-6173 Prime commercial property, located on corner of Cummings & Middle Streets, Alberttown, Georgetown, 2 Lots, 2 Buildings - $105M negotiable – Phone: 621-4000 Concrete house on corner lot, located lot 19 Zeelugt, W.C.D - $8M – Tel: 621-4000 One concrete and wooden house and land in Pigeon Island - $3.5M –Tel: 621-4000 Concrete and wooden house, new, plus extra lot @ Pigeon Island- $7M – (seawall view) Tel: 621-4000
Tug captain, engineer, must gave knowledge of Quarry areas - Tel: 227-2027; 227-5500 One handy boy to work in interior - Tel: 691-6260
EDUCATIONAL Phonics, Reading, Spelling Classes for children of all ages, limited space available – Tel: 675-4379 First AID/CPR course, St. John Headquarters, 110 Cowan Street, Kingston, Georgetown. Tel: 225-9082
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel:644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997
Live in domestic or couple to in Mahaicony River – Tel:225-6571; 644-6905 1 mechanic to work in the interior must know about 6BT Cummings and Perkins –Tel: 691-6260 Live in domestic must know to cook Indian dishes, salary $60,000 monthly, boarding & lodging free – Tel: 610-3974
Blankenburg, 3 lots 75X76 each, $15M, all 3 lots, Parika, Peter Street, lot size 38’X150' - $7.9M-Contact # 650-0402/ 260-4988 Parfaite Harmonie -$1.3M (80ftX45ft), $1.5M (80ftX50ft) –Tel: 675-7292
Porters to work in Grocery Stall, experienced is an asset @ Stabroek Market – Tel: 2269800
50 Acres titled farm land @ The Belle, Upper Dem, River Front $100M negotiable, serious enquiries only! – Tel: 669-8152
Diesel mechanic to work in Georgetown, accommodation provided –Tel: 218-5105
Canaan semi-gated 42x80 $3.6M, 54x90 $4.3M, Charity Housing Scheme $2.8M, Kuru Kuru residential 100x200 $2.6M Call: 623-4790,222-5116 Transported land @ Lot 20 Adventure Essequibo near sea side, suitable for wharf – Call: 261-6018; 657-1082
Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 1 Male cook to work in the interior - $100,000 monthly – Tel: 694-2310
LAND FOR SALE
Sunday April 05, 2015
SERVICES
FOR SALE
VEHICLE FOR SALE
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.–CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Advertisements; Guyana Passport & Visa Forms Application, USA, Canada and England. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves. Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call Sabita: 225-6496, 6626045
LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc -Call: 225-9032, 647-2943
Toyota Prado, Price$4.7M Neg. Call: 643-2403 Smart Choice Auto: Premio, Allion, Bluebird, Spacio, Fielder, Carina 212, Sienta, IST – Call: 652-3820/665-4529
Mahadeo Construction for all construction, carpentry, masonry, pluming, painting etc. Free estimates and plan Contact # 669-7376
Great Deals on video games and all gaming consoles – Call: 672-2566; 265-3232 1 Mitsubishi Canter GNN 722 Tel: 228-5655 or 628-1756, Good working condition Bridal and mini bridal dresses. For more information call: (592) 6216120 White Dachshund pups for sale @ Barr Street Kitty – Tel:2269548; 618-1706, 670-2653
Accounting & Taxation Services: tax returns, compliances, financial statements. Avinash Persaud Tax Consultancy, 163 Parika, EBE - Call: 260-4762.
Fluffy pups. Call: 642-6664
Exchange your empty HP & Canon printer ink cartridges for a full one & pay only $2,000 & $2,500 - Call:6507699 Your Dream Yard Today! Stunning designs, Assortment, colourful plant choices, Professional Landscapers Tel: 219-0468/ 648-1821 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer Call Omar: 2310655, 683-8734 Balloon decorating for birthdays, weddings, anniversary etc, make your event extra special! Tel Maya: 642-6664 Mukesh Plastic Welding & Crack Wind Screen repairs: water tanks, bumper, side m i r r o r, d o o r l o c k & radiators etc. Call: 6822893; 692-9813 For the best deals on tents – Call Vicky Rocky: 276-0548; 276-0299. Enjoy our special prices for weddings Eagle’s fridge re-gas - $8,000 & washing machine repairs. Phone: 697-2969, 646-0966
1 Dyna Canter Truck GJJ series - $2M negotiable, serious inquiries only – Contact: 690-9051
BrianMoe@642-3543; Computer Technician; FB:Brian.Moe.165; Home and office visits at your comfort!! GIVE YOUR RIDE THAT SHOWROOM FINISH! PAINT CORRECTION TO REMOVE SWIRLS, SCRATCHES, WATER SPOTS, WAX – TEL: 6107108 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES, AIRCONDITIONERS, WASHING MACHINES, TVS, MICROWAVES, FREEZERS- CALL:6294946 OR 225-4822
Three storied building @ South Road, established business on Third Floor, 12 offices, brand new – Tel:6013369; 218-2029
10 Acres of front line, Road Side, for hotel, housing, farming, Ressort Kuru Kururu Soesdyke Linden Highway – Tel:601-3369; 218-2029 1 Toyoto Passo (Green) & 1 Toyoto Premio (White). Excellent condition. Owner leaving country. Tel: 645-5056 1 Dark 150 cc motor cycle – Contact: 220-5851; 682-6294 Lot 1, 2 bathtubs, bathroom fittings & fixtures & toilet set, shower fittings -$150,000 & 1 Dell Desktop, computer & HP Scanner - $25,000 – Call: 6015285 Invertertec Automatic back up power home/businesses batteries included & remote alarm systems that will call owner. Call: 226-2646 Ice makers, 800lb, working $180,000 and 100lb - $95,000 –Phone: 621-4000 SDMO Generator – 28 KVA, super silent, used John Deere, engine missing, fuel pump, electrical panel & AVR- $75,000- Tel: 621-4000 1 Miller Bob Cat, Welding generator 225 amps –Tel: 6165424; 680-0378 Bunn Coffee maker with 3 draw flasks, donut machine, alarm systems, microwave, water filter system, books – Tel: 683-5234 1 Leging machine, 1 Front binding machine, all heavy duty, 1 generator - 5,000 watts – Tel: 220-4670
We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma - Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 One Noah Van - $1.4M negotiable – Tel:641-2763; HL2 Hilux - $6.4M negotiable – 641-2763 First Class Auto: Allion, Premio, Bluebird, Sienta, Runx, Axio, Verossa, Mark 2-Call : 609-8188; 638-3045 Toyota Avensis $2.550M negotiable – Tel:645-0078; 603-0078 1 Dyna Canter GPP - $2M, 1 Mitsubishi GNN - $1.5M, both vehicles are in excellent condition – Tel: 680-3863 Toyota Hilux Vigo GSS series – Tel:656-3561; 6976510 New Model Allion $3.300, 2004 Spacio $2.050, Registered Spacio $1.7M Call: 655-3400 Toyota Voxy to be registered in “B” series - $2.1M & ‘G’ series - $1.7M – Tel: 617-2891 Unregistered Posh, Toyota IST –Tel: 657-1796 Unregistered Corolla Fielder, 2003, body kit, fog, TV/ navigation, dark interior, rear spoiler, roof rack. Call: 617-5536 RAV 4, excellent condition, teacher driven, very reasonable price – Tel: 618-5592 Unregistered 2008 Nissan XTrail fully loaded -$5,550,000 negotiable- Tel: 611-1833 Blow Out Sales @ Star Cars Auto Sale- Premio, Spacio, Bluebird, IST, Benz, Alteeza, free alarm- Tel: 679-3140 L-Touring with original skirts, excellent condition, 15" rims, DVD, Alarm Call: 694-6609/233-2538 2-20 Ton Dump Truck, American- Tel: 661-6161 Blow Out Sale!!! Unregistered Toyota IST $2,150,000- Bodykit, TV, Spoiler, Fogs, Alloy Wheels, Crystal Lights & Alarm – Call: 643-6565, 226-9931 1 Mini bus 2 RZ BPP series $1M negotiable –Tel: 615-3904 One Three (3) Ton Canter, $ 600,000- Contact # 650-0402/ 2604988 Continued on page 69
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Kaieteur News
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Lions Club distributes kites to underprivileged kids (From page 68)
FOR SALE Taylor (Triple head) soft cone machine, electric oven, stove, dryer, restaurant, tables, Hamilton Beach Blender –Tel: 683-5234
The Lions Club of Georgetown Stabroek members sharing bird kites to children in the Werk-en-Rust community. The Lions Club of Georgetown Stabroek yesterday distributed 160 kites to less fortunate children within the community of Werk-En-Rust. The club, which is no stranger to doing service activities, makes it an annual feature to share kites during
the Easter season to children who would otherwise not been able to fly kites. According to President of the Lions Club, Odessa De Barros, as a signatory project the club would usually receive donations and they would put the additional resources needed to
purchase the kites for the children and distribute it on the Saturday before Easter. The organization, in addition to the activities mentioned, usually conducts feeding programmes for the drop-in centre at Hadfield Street where they provide a hot meal or breakfast to the
orphaned children living there. Present at the event were President Odessa De Barros, Vice President Horice Haroon Hallin, Secretary Maranda Marcus Xavier and Immediate Past President Metilda Rajaram who was coordinator of the programme.
Hot N’ Spicy Creole Corner celebrates 10th Anniversary To mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of Hot N’ Spicy Creole Corner, located at 112 Third and Albert Streets, Alberttown, owners Vanessa and Ken Singh celebrated with their valued customers. In recognition of the restaurant’s opening date on March 16, 2005, during the week of March 16 to March 20, last, customers who filled out coupons and dropped them into the entry box had a chance to win 10 consolation prizes and $10,000 daily. The restaurant is the brainchild of Vanessa Singh. She joined the workforce at Salt and Pepper Restaurant at the tender age of sixteen when proprietor Eric Nicholas took her under his wings. She was given the opportunity to learn and experience all areas of the business. After working for nine years, mostly in supervisory positions, Vanessa became pregnant with her first child. Returning to work after her maternity leave she encountered several challenges that forced her to
IRIDIUM SATELLITE PHONE, MOTOROLLA 9505, WATER AND DUST RESISTANCE. 800+MINS, MAKE CALLSANYWHERE -$300,000 – CALL: 6485281 250 Rebel Motorcycle, one 250 nighthawk motorcycle, one Toyota 4X4 pickup for more information contact: 662-8715; 680-1198; 7715388-87 WOOD: USED T-SHORE AND 3/8 PLYWOOD, TO CAST DECKING, ONLY USED ONCE @ HALF PRICE – CALL: 648-5281 XBOX360 4 GB + Kinect and 2 games- $80,000, PS3, XBOX games – Tel Ray: 627-6215
VEHICLE FOR SALE 3000GT sports car, 3000cc 5 speed, 18 mag wheel & alarm. All $1.2M cash- Call: 621-4000 Toyota BB 2007, 40,000km only, auto start, 18" rims, triple TV system, back-up camera $2.2M- Call:621-4000 Dodge stealth sports car, 3000cc, automatic, fully powered $1.1M neg- Call: 621-4000 Mercedes Benz S300, fully armored, fully powered, leather, 19"rims & more $1.3M- Call: 621-4000 New Hollingsworth Tractor, in good condition - $2.5M – Tel:618-1129; 699-1711 Outboard Engines, Yamaha, Honda 15, 25, 75, 125, 200 HP at giveaway prices –Tel: 6181129; 699-1711; 660-5271 One Kawasaki Ninja, Motor Cycle 600CC in good condition –Tel: 618-1129; 699-1711; 660-5271
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
leave the job. She used this opportunity to return to school and upgrade her skills. However, her love of cooking and for the food service industry generally, fed her desire to own and operating her own restaurant. A casual conversation with a friend about her dream of starting her own restaurant, led to discussions of a primary location available for rental. After exploring the location, Vanessa was given the opportunity to rent the building.
This was the start of Hot N’ Spicy Creole Corner. After a few months she renovated the building. A few months later she was given the golden opportunity to purchase the property. Vanessa managed the business until 2011 when her husband, who had worked in the business on a part-time basis, came on board fulltime. As a result of his involvement, this dynamic couple who are not afraid of hard work, was able to expand Hot & Spicy to other
locations. Vanessa and Ken expressed heartfelt gratitude to their customers who have continuously supported them through the years. “Our business growth and success was not possible without the loyalty of our customers. It is because of them that we still exist today. Ninety percent of our customers came through word of mouth from other customers, and for that we are truly humble and grateful,” stated Vanessa.
Record breaking turnout at Freedom Life Ministries... (From page 64) overarching aim of nurturing, educating and developing the spiritual awareness of its members geared towards enhancing their welfare and relationship to each other, while bringing relief to various communities as deemed fit. More than a decade later this vision has realized momentous fruition. Three local churches, three outstations and one overseas based church have been established and are all fulfilling the mandate of the Ministry, and by
extension the Almighty God, in an effectual and dynamic way. Two of the local churches are located in the Ancient County of Berbice; at Numbers 9 and 35 villages, while the three outstations are situated at Paradise, East Coast Demerara, New Amsterdam Berbice and Bayrock, Linden. The sanctuary in the capital city is located at Princes and Lyng Streets Charlestown while the New York branch is located in Jamaica, Queens.
Wash bay and snackette @ 15 Good Hope E.B.E – Call: 680-4990; 277-3033 Business spaces for rent @ West Shore Plaza Building, Ruimzeight, W.C.D, Public Road – Tel:269-1524; 6563561 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, , JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE - CALL: 675-0767, 627-5098 2 Bedrooms to rent located at D5 Wallers Delight W.C.D Tel: 674-4929; 662-0187 Concrete 3 bedrooms upper flat house fully grilled, parking available @ Agricultural road Mon Repos, E.C.D- Call:687-1050
One (1) Flat Bed Leyland Truck, One (1) Cement Mixer Truck- Contact # 650-0402/ 260-4988 2008 Hilux Toyota Vigo smart Cab with accessories $6.2M negotiable –Tel: 6954510
TO LET Furnished 2 bedroom apartment with AC Available for long/short term rentalCall: 665-2548 Spacious semi furnished 2 bedrooms house at Parfaite Harmonie –Tel: 680-6137; 6283889
VEHICLE FOR SALE
DRESSMAKING
Toyota AT212, AT192, AE100 Sprinter, EP-71 Starlet, Hilux 4 Runner, RZ Mini bus, Yamaha R6-Tel:644-5096; 697-1453
Designing & Sewing classes, ladies wear, curtains etc. (CanadianTrained Tutor), Schoon-Ord, W.B.DTel:626-2629, 676-6312
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12 COPS IN HOT WATER Diaspora comments on US ...charged with burning suspect in police station Trinidad Express - The 12 police officers allegedly involved in pouring hot water on a detained suspect at Sangre Grande Police Station in late February, and arrested by officers of the Professional Standards Bureau, last Sunday were charged Friday night following instructions issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, according to reliable police sources. The Professional Standards Bureau is charged with the responsibility of investigating allegations of misconduct against officers in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. Among the officers charged are an acting inspector, a sergeant, an SRP sergeant, three acting corporals and six constables
(including one WPC). Some of the charges the officers allegedly involved in the incident could face include occasioning actual bodily harm, beating by assault, misbehaviour in public office, and perverting the course of justice. The story was exclusively reported by CCN TV6 and the Express two days after the incident occurred. The majority of the police officers charged were held at Sangre Grande Police Station, while others were arrested at their homes in Sangre Grande, Biche and Rio Claro. One police officer was found hiding in the ceiling of the dormitory at Mayaro Police Station. The arrests stemmed from an incident involving Andrew Lewis, the victim, from
Boystown, Sangre Grande, who gave himself up to police at the Sangre Grande station on February 25 for questioning in a housebreaking and larceny matter. Present during his interrogation were an acting inspector, an acting corporal, two police constables and a woman constable. The Express was told Lewis refused to budge when questioned about the alleged crime involving the theft of a weed whacker. Certain police officers then allegedly stripped Lewis naked, heated a bowl of water in the microwave oven and then threw the boiling water on his lower extremities and stomach. Sources say Lewis’s injury may have been aggravated by something he had on his body-a small piece of metal inserted in the foreskin of his penis known as a domino, a sex enhancemen-t device.
Obama and Raul Castro to ‘interact’ at Americas summit: US OFFICIAL
President’s visit to Jamaica The Gleaner - The highly anticipated visit of United States President Barack Obama to Jamaica in the coming days is creating marked interest among Jamaicans within the US Diaspora. President Obama will make a two-day official visit to Jamaica on April 8-9, while on his way to the Summit of the Americas in Panama. Former Jamaican ambassador to the United States and counsellor for Jamaica at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Dr. Richard Bernal, in reacting to the president’s visit said, “The visit of President Obama is a very positive development for Jamaica.” The IDB executive pointed out that “the visit is a critically important opportunity to convey to the president and his foreign policy advisors, the issues of concern to Jamaica, and to reiterate the Government’s commitment to continue to implement a very challenging
Dr. Richard Bernal economic programme”. Bernal, Jamaica’s longest serving ambassador to Washington, explained that when a president visits a country or region, the engagement is preceded by an intense inter-agency process, which focuses on every aspect of the relationship with the US. This augurs well for the president’s meeting with CARICOM leaders on economic, security and energy issues. Former Diaspora Board Advisory member for the
Northeast USA, Patrick Beckford said that he was not surprised that the president would be visiting Jamaica. He said having visited the White House during Obama’s first term, he was pleasantly surprised at the number of Jamaicans who had important roles in the administration. Beckford said he hoped that on the agenda for discussion would be the issue of trade imbalance between the USA and the Caribbean as well as the expansion of the ‘Guest Worker Program’. He said he hoped Prime Minister Simpson Miller, as promised, would forcefully press the issue of having Marcus Garvey’s criminal record expunged within a specific timeline. In addition, it was his wish that President Obama’s visit would have the added economic benefit to Jamaica by way of a reduction in the high rate of interest on Jamaica’s loans or some form of debt forgiveness.
Fidel Castro makes first public appearance in 14 months
Barack Obama and Raul Castro Washington (AFP) President Barack Obama and Cuban counterpart Raul Castro will have an “interaction” when they attend this week’s Summit of the Americas in Panama, a US official said weekend. It will be the first between the two leaders since the historic rapprochement between Havana and Washington. “Clearly President Obama knew when he made the decision to go to the summit, and he knew that Cuba had been invited to the summit... that there would be an interaction,” US State Department official Roberta Jacobson said at the Brookings Institution. “The leaders are together
a lot of the time. And so there will be an interaction with Raul Castro,” she added, declining to speculate about the nature of any possible meeting between the two leaders. But she added Obama’s only confirmed meeting was with Panama leader Juan Carlos Varela. “None of the president’s meetings are scheduled other than his bilateral with President Varela as the host,” she said. “So I don’t know exactly what kind of an interaction that will be. But they’ve obviously already spoken on the phone... and there’s been a lot of interaction since then at a lower level.” In separate remarks, State Department spokeswoman
Marie Harf expressed skepticism that the thaw in US-Cuba relations may lead to the opening of embassies in Havana and Washington before next week’s summit, which takes place on April 1011. Asked to give an assessment of the likelihood of embassies being opened before the summit, Harf replied: “It’s not a lot of time, let’s put it that way.” The United States and Cuba have already held three rounds of talks since January on restoration of diplomatic relations and the reopening of their embassies. Washington had initially targeted a reopening of the embassies in time for the Summit of the Americas.
Handout picture released Friday by Cuban official website www. cubadebate.cu, showing former Cuban president Fidel Castro (AFP Photo) Havana (AFP) - Cuba’s former president and revolutionary icon Fidel Castro has made his first public appearance in 14 months, local media reported yesterday. The state-run newspaper Granma said Castro had last week met with a Venezuelan delegation that had been invited to the communist island. Granma published four photographs on its website of the 88-year-old Castro seated inside a bus or van and shaking the hands of supporters leaning in through the vehicle’s windows.
The bearded leader was wearing a blue-and-white tracksuit, a black cap and a hearing aid. Since leaving office in 2006 for health reasons, the father of the Cuban revolution has kept a low public profile. He last appeared on January 8, 2014 when he attended a gallery opening for a Cuban artist. Granma said Castro “greeted, one by one and without any difficulties, the Venezuelans,” who were left impressed “by Castro’s lucidity and his attention to the details of what is happening in Venezuela.”
Castro was particularly close to the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who provided Havana with a steady supply of cut-rate oil and brought in thousands of Cuban advisers. Venezuela is in the grips of a profound economic crisis triggered partly by plunging oil prices. Cuba and the United States late last year announced a historic bilateral rapprochement, decades after severing diplomatic relations. Castro was succeeded as president by his brother Raul Castro in 2006.
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Alabama inmate freed after nearly 30 years on death row
Pat Turner, left, hugs Anthony Ray Hinton as he leaves the Jefferson County jail in Birmingham. Photograph: Hal Yeager/AP (CNN)Anthony Ray Hinton is thankful to be free after nearly 30 years on Alabama’s death row for murders he says he didn’t commit. And incredulous that it took so long. Hinton, 58, looked up, took in the sunshine and thanked God and his lawyers Friday morning outside the county jail in Birmingham, minutes after taking his first steps as a free man since 1985. He spoke of unjustly losing three decades of his life, under fear of execution, for something he didn’t do. “All they had to do was to test the gun, but when you think you’re high and mighty and you’re above the law, you don’t have to answer to nobody,” Hinton told reporters. “But I’ve got news for you — everybody that played a part in sending me to death row, you will answer to God.” Jefferson County Circuit
Court Judge Laura Petro had ordered Hinton released after granting the State’s motion to dismiss charges against him. Hinton was convicted of murder in the 1985 deaths of two Birmingham-area, fastfood restaurant managers, John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason. But a new trial was ordered in 2014 after firearms experts testified 12 years earlier that the revolver Hinton was said to have used in the crimes could not be matched to evidence in either case, and the two killings couldn’t be linked to each other. The state then declined to re-prosecute the case. Hinton was 29 at the time of the killings and had always maintained his innocence, said the Equal Justice Initiative, a group that helped win his release. “Race, poverty, inadequate legal assistance, and prosecutorial indifference to innocence conspired to
create a textbook example of injustice,” Bryan Stevenson, the group’s executive director and Hinton’s lead attorney, said of his African-American client. “I can’t think of a case that more urgently dramatizes the need for reform than what has happened to Anthony Ray Hinton.” Stevenson said the “refusal of state prosecutors to re-examine this case despite persuasive and reliable evidence of innocence is disappointing and troubling.” Dressed in a dark suit and blue shirt, Hinton praised God for his release, saying he was sent “not just a lawyer, but the best lawyers.” He said he will continue to pray for the families of the murder victims. Both he and those families have suffered a miscarriage of justice, he said. “For all of us that say that we believe in justice, this is the case to start showing, because I shouldn’t have (sat) on death row for 30 years,” he said. Hinton was accompanied Friday by two of his sisters, one of whom still lives in the Birmingham area. Other siblings will fly to the area to see him soon, Stevenson said. His mother, with whom he lived at the time of his arrest, is no longer living, according to the lawyer. Hinton planned to spend at least this weekend at the home of a close friend. He will meet with his attorneys Monday to start planning for his immediate needs, such as obtaining identification and getting a health checkup, Stevenson said. The plan now is to spend a few weeks to get oriented with freedom and “sort out what he wants to do,” Stevenson said.
Sunday April 05, 2015
Kaieteur News
Tourism leading Jamaica’s economic recovery, says minister
Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Dr Wykeham McNeill (left), with former Minister of Health, John Junor (centre) and former Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett (right), at the media launch and reception for the 60th Anniversary of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) on April 1 in Kingston KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Tourism and entertainment minister, Dr Wykeham McNeill, has again cited the significant contribution of the sector, noting that it is currently leading Jamaica’s economic recovery. “From April 2013 to March 2014, we had 2,007,175 stay over visitors (and) 1,240,484 cruise ship visitors, which earned in excess of US$2.1 billion in gross foreign exchange earnings for Jamaica,” the minister said. He pointed out that the industry contributed seven percent growth in the economy last year. “No other sector offers the possibility of successful investment to entrepreneurs at all levels. It is truly an inclusive industry,” he asserted. McNeill was addressing a media launch and reception hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) on April 1 in Kingston to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year. The minister said that given the vibrancy of Brand Jamaica, through sports and popular culture, the country expects the JTB to create the appropriate marketing strategies to increase Jamaica’s market share in this highly competitive global industry. “We cannot take continued progress for granted. We are competing against the world in the most competitive industry. We also have our local problems, which can create a negative social impact on the industry… Given this reality, the JTB intends to celebrate its 60th anniversary in a discussion with the Jamaican
people about charting a way forward, as we seek to continue to diversify our product, improve our competitiveness and broaden the base of ownership to make the tourist industry even more inclusive,” he said. For the period April to December 2015, the JTB will be staging a series of celebratory activities across the island as well as in the major source markets of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, to mark the milestone. Director of tourism, Paul Pennicook, who also spoke at the launch, praised the work of the tour group operators and other stakeholders who contribute to the success of the tourist industry. “These are the persons who sell travel on behalf of Jamaica. Many persons marvel that despite our challenges, Jamaica remains a top destination in the region. The event (awards ceremony) is our way of showing appreciation to the largest producers of tourism business for the destination,” he said. Other commemorative activities will focus on raising awareness about the role that the JTB has played in national development. These include a roving exhibition which will be launched on May 7 in Montego Bay. There will also be a lecture
series aimed at highlighting the history of tourism in Jamaica, and an academic seminar to discuss the future of tourism. A long service awards ceremony will be held for the staff of the JTB, at which 80 members who have served for between 10 and 40 years will be honoured. Meanwhile, Pennicook said that the Meet the People programme of the JTB will be redesigned to make it more meaningful to visitors and to highlight aspects of Jamaica’s heritage that contribute to the success of the tourism industry. This programme connects visitors of similar interests and professions with resident Jamaicans. The JTB will also be participating in the Caribbean Tourism Organization Week to be held in New York from June 1 – 5 and in Canada during the month of October. This event showcases the Caribbean’s diverse product offerings and offers networking opportunities for Caribbean government officials, private sector executives and industry partners. The JTB will wind down its 60th anniversary activities by participating in the annual World Travel Market trade show, to be held in London from November 2 to 5 of this year.
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Obama presses case for Iran nuclear deal in weekly address (Reuters) - President Barack Obama assured Americans on Saturday that a newly negotiated framework for a nuclear pact with Iran was a “good deal” as he sought public support for a diplomatic breakthrough that many in Congress oppose. A day after placing calls to top U.S. lawmakers to urge support for the agreement, Obama pressed his case that the deal would ensure Washington’s longtime foe would not be able to build a nuclear weapon. “It’s a good deal, a deal that meets our core objectives, including strict limitations on Iran’s program and cutting off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address, broadcast on Saturday. “This deal denies Iran the plutonium necessary to build
a bomb. It shuts down Iran’s path to a bomb using enriched uranium,” he said. The White House hopes support from the U.S. public for its negotiating efforts will help sway skeptical lawmakers. The president and administration officials will be engaged in a difficult sales pitch in the coming weeks and months. Obama completed calls to John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, by Friday afternoon, the White House said. In his address, the president noted that the deal would commit Iran to inspections and transparency for many years. “This is a long-term deal,
with strict limits on Iran’s program for more than a decade and unprecedented transparency measures that will last for 20 years or more,” he said. The framework, which was agreed on Thursday after eight days of talks between Iran and six world powers in Switzerland, clears the way for a final agreement to allay Western fears that Iran could build an atomic bomb. It would include lifting economic sanctions on Tehran in return. Negotiators will seek to seal a final deal by the end of June. Obama noted that it could still come apart. “Success is not guaranteed,” he said. “But today we have an historic opportunity to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in Iran, and to do so peacefully, with the international community firmly behind us.”
IRAQ TIKRIT: looting and lawlessness follow recapture Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi posted a picture online of himself raising an Iraqi flag in central Tikrit
Iraqi Shia militia, who helped recapture Tikrit from Islamic State (IS), are being pulled out of the city amid reports of violence and looting. The militia made up the vast majority of progovernment forces that retook the city over the past week. But people in Tikrit say the city’s liberators have since stolen cars and ransacked government buildings. Tikrit was captured by Islamic State in June last year in what was an important strategic victory for the group. The city was ravaged by the fighting that followed and now sits largely empty. MOB ACTION Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered the arrest of anyone caught looting, but reports suggest
the actions of the progovernment paramilitaries have gone beyond theft. A correspondent for Reuters reported seeing an Islamic State fighter surrounded by a mob and stabbed to death, as well as the corpse of another being dragged by a car. Ahmed al-Kraim, head of the city’s Salahuddin Province council, told the news agency that mobs had burned down “hundreds of houses”. Government officials have attempted to distance the army from the reports, blaming the violence and looting on local Sunni tribal fighters. Ahmed Salim Noreldin, an Iraqi soldier, told the BBC that IS militants had boobytrapped the streets with IEDs as they retreated, leaving the
doors of homes and shops open on their way. Mahmoud Al-Sadi, a captain in Iraq’s federal police command, said that soldiers were attempting to defuse the bombs to allow residents to return. Iraqi army officials say Tikrit is now completely free of IS. “The nearest IS position is 45km (27 miles) away,” said Captain Al-Sadi. “There are no resistance pockets inside Tikrit.” The offensive launched on 2 March to take back Tikrit involved some 30,000 fighters, two-thirds of them from the Popular Mobilisation (Hasid Shaabi) - a force comprising dozens of Iranianbacked Shia militia. The operation was initially co-ordinated by Iranian military advisers led by Gen Qasem Soleimani.
Sunday April 5, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Red hot action promised today... Mixed Martial Arts ... (From page 82) watering A1 and lower special, again the talk of the day with a whopping winner’s take of $1.2M compliments of the Shariff Business entity and racing stable and the Jumbo Jet Truck and Auto Sales trophy up for grabs from a total purse of $2.250M. The event is expected to be a spectacle. For the first time in a very long time the horses will be required to run 1800M (9 furlong) a tall ask. Will the powerful and muscular built, undisputed only ‘A’ class animal Score Even be able to do it again with a whopping 136 pounds on its back? The recently imported Diplomatic Cat has settled in and rearing to go, burning up the track at practice over the past week and will be looking to start its career in Guyana on a winning note. The animal is fast and will be expected to go out early alongside the speedy Curfew Tower which is touted
as one of the fastest horses in Guyana at the moment. Just Call Me Boss is also capable of running any distance. Then there are the fast finishers in C.P Got Even, Jack in My Style and Run Nana Run. But according to Dennis DeRoop, his horse, Score Even, is capable of doing anything. It can run any distance, it can go forward and take them out. “It can go out early or it can run from the back and still win convincingly.” He is not saying what method it will take today, but assures that they will all be roasted at the end of the day. However he is urging all to come out for a grand time and see the spectacle that will be unfold. The likes of Spit Fire will be ready to burn up the track, but will first have to get the better of the speedy Tiz a Holiday, Swing Easy, Captain Crook, Unsettled, Settling Jet Dullahan, Passion for Song and Goodwill Boy Red
and Lovely, Bridle Stone Corner and Lady Budapest in the co-feature D3 and lower and 4 years 1600M event for a wining take of $800,000 and trophy. The F1 and lower 1200M event for animals classified three year old, West Indies and Guyana bred for a winning pocket of $500,000 and trophy will see those entered and looking to spring some surprises include Appealing Harvest, Settling Jet, Rosetta, Caisse, Super Bowl, Marathon Man and Weekend Surprise. A full gate has been assembled for the G3 and lower event which will also feature West Indies and Guyana bred 3yrs old animals over 1200M for a combined first prize of 400,000 and trophy with the likes of Release the Beast, Country Girl, Princess Alisha, She So Special, Royal Empire, Comprador, Caisse, Anfield, Send From Above, Another Jet, Super Bowl, Bird Man and
Sunday April 05, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Financial benefits may come your way through channels you've never dreamed of. This could have to do with investments, settlements, or insurance benefits.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your hard work is finally paying off, Libra. A phone call bring good news to you. You should be filled with a new sense of optimism, enthusiasm, and hope.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) A friend might approach you with the idea of forming a partnership, and even propose drawing up a tentative agreement. This is definitely something worth looking into, Taurus, although you should consider all the facts before committing.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Business and personal communication of all kinds should come to you during this auspicious period.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You can look forward to a new sense of purpose and higher morale. Ambition, diligence, and a lot of hard work could pay off now.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Some strange phone calls might come your way, perhaps from people you don't know. Investments in real estate, particularly the home, should pay off now.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) If you've been thinking about going back to school for a degree of some kind, Cancer, this is the time to start the process.
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) A long-awaited and very welcome call from an older friend might finally come your way today, Capricorn. News that a goal you've been working toward has finally been reached could come as well.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) If you've been thinking of buying a new home, Leo, this is an excellent time to do it. Surprising developments might clear the way for you.
AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) The near future looks great for you, with auspicious omens for success and good fortune regarding career and money.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You may feel a little out of sorts today, Virgo. Perhaps you indulged a bit too much last night.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today's celestial energy could find you making plans to travel for pleasure or possibly business.
Marathon Man all in the running. There is an event for West Indies and Guyana bred three year old animals also for a winners money of $400,000 and trophy over 1500M with Strom Bird, It’s MY Choice, Chelsea, Keep On Swinging, Settling Star and Bird Man among the lot looking to fly away with the takings. Cat Messiah, Slim Shady, Amazon Warrior, Secret Escape, Cat Messiah, Mary Ann, Little, Savion, and Noble Import are among those lined up in the event for Guyana Bred three year old ‘I’ class and lower horses 1200M event for a winning prize of $300,000 and trophy. The race for animals classified J2 and lower over 1 2 0 0 M h a s a w i n n e r ’s purse of $225,000 and trophy. A heated contest is in store with the likes of Red Jet, Lady Secret, Prince Maya, Secret Escape, Speed Vision, DE Gump, Amazon Warrior, Affinity and Miss Messiah among others set to compete. A number of added attractions, giveaways and incentives including free kites will be given away today. Free programmes will be made available to patrons and fans while Banks DIH Limited will be having on the spot promotions. Musical a compliment will be by Slingerz Entertainment family which will be on hand for the grand after party and wash down. The event will be held under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority. Nazrudeen “Jumbo Jet” Mohammed Junior is the coordinator. Race time is 12:30hrs.
(From page 83) Eagle Martial Arts Academy, Black Hawks Martial Arts Management Network Association and Guyana Amateur Karate Association. All the clubs turned in good performances with Black Cobra Karate club emerging the top performers, while Westminster Black Hawks finished second and Harpy Eagle third. Master Lloyd Ramnarine expressed thanks to all their sponsors; Mr. Jed from Hawks Hollow blocks in Providence, C. Persaud (Anand) from Dental Technician in Peter’s Hall, S. Narine
(Andy) in Peter’s Hall back street Dental Technician, from Dr. Lionel Da Silva from optician Vision Care Technician at 316 Middle St. Georgetown, the management of K&VC Company Limited on south road, Neelnarine Sukhram from Prem’s Electrical Store at 177 Alexander ST., Chine man Grocery Store in Great Diamond and the Grocery stall in Stabroek Market among others. The association is extending the invitation to anyone wanting to join them; they can make contact them on 698-6727, 673-0823 or 681-7062.
Serena Williams beats Carla Suarez Navarro to win Miami Open BBC Sport - World number one Serena Williams thrashed Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro to win her eighth Miami Open title. The 33-year-old raced to a 6-2 6-0 victory in 56 minutes to secure her third straight title at Crandon Park. The American won the final 10 games as she outclassed Suarez Navarro, who will make her top-10 debut next week. Williams said: “It feels really good to have eight under my belt. I’d like to believe the older I get, the better I get.” Suarez Navarro, 26, went into the biggest final of her career having won just 10 games in four previous meetings with the younger Williams sister, and the 12th seed could add only two more. TWilliams will now head to Europe for the clay-court season unbeaten in 2015 on a 21-match winning streak.
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Sunday April 5, 2015
Alpha United and Bakewell Slingerz Parbattie Jaggai Memorial Inter Secondary school U-17 ready for an unforgettable finale Skeldon High crowned champions, defeat Skeldon Line Path
Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United versus Bakewell Slingerz; a match that has more than just $2M at stake, will be contested tonight at the Guyana National Stadium, as the curtains come down on the 25th Kashif and Shanghai football tournament. Described as two of the country’s biggest clubs, the two sides will meet for the fourth time in two years and so far it’s the ‘Hammers’ who hold a 3 – 0 record in the matchups. The Vergenoegen based club on debut in the tournament, defeated Victoria Kings and Fruta Conquerors by a 2 – 1 margins, while running rampage on Riddim Squad, winning 4 – 0 to book their place in tonight’s finals. For Alpha United, the country’s number one club, a 2 – 0 victory over Agricola Red Triangle followed by a 5 – 0 swamping of the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) and 1 – 0 win over Pele saw them through to face their most potent foes. The last time the two sides met, Alpha United came away 5 – 0 winners but much has changed, according to Slingerz FC captain Vurlon Mills. Speaking at a Press Conference yesterday at the 704 Sports Bar, one of the tournament’s sponsor, Mills pointed out that, “This time around, we’ve got a more discipline bunch of players and we’re very disciplined going into the finals. We’re not looking out to any big expectation, just going out and get the job done on the night because a lot of people are looking forward to this final.”
Wensley Christoph, the Surinamese International winger will once again be at a forefront for the ‘West Side’ team, joining Mills, Devon Millington (scored three goals in three matches), Dominican striker Julian Wade, Anthony Abrams, Colin Nelson, King Solomon Austin and Joshua Brown. For the ‘Hammers’, their Captain Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson is by far one of the best the country has to offer and along with Daniel Wilson, Manasseh Primo, goalkeeper Ronson Williams, Sheldon Holder, Calvin Shepherd and Chris Camacho, they will play part of the cast that will be responsible for getting Alpha United their third title (having won in 2007 and 2010). “Alpha United take every game serious regardless of its a big club like Slingerz or a minnow because on the football field, it is not names that win games, but it’s the good performance and who capitalise on their chances so every game we take very serious,” said Alpha United’s head coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover. According to Dover, things are different now with the Bakewell sponsored team, noting “The previous encounters, we got the better of them from a tactical stand point and I think on the night the team that comes being the more tactical based on the preparation they’ve put in.” With Alpha United set to participate in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship, Dover said that the tournament has so far provided his charges with the preparation needed for the
regional completion but tonight’s final will be their ultimate test. “This would be one of our biggest games when it comes to local football,” Richardson said, adding, “This game is worth more than what people think to Alpha because we don’t prove no point, we play the football that we always do and we do the right things what the coach say and this a test towards the CFU.” For Slingerz FC, one would believe that the pressure must be high on Coach Joseph ‘Bill’ Wilson and his troops, but the team’s captain is of the opinion that, “Alpha will have the pressure, trying to maintain their record against us and we’re coming looking for the win, putting in 100% and ready for the game.” Wilson said that he refuses to let his team fall prey to public pressure or that of any form and encourages his players to stay focused on only executing what was taught during training and the victory will fall into place. “We’re just happy to know that we’ve come a long way as a club and as a team and we know that Alpha has been the number one team for a number of years and they should be the more pressured team because we feel no pressure we’re just going out their looking for the win. No coach can determine results we can only hope that the work we’ve put in the players can do,” Wilson said. Riddim Squad and Pele will face each other in the third place play-off where the winner of that game will pocket $750,000 and the loser $500,000. Kick off time is 6:30 pm.
Mr. Steven Seeraj (right), son of the late Parbattie Jaggai hands over the winner trophy and Stationery Voucher to Captain of Skeldon High. Also in photo are UCCA President Mr. Dennis De Andrade (far right) and other executives of the UCCA. The Skeldon High (Lutheran) School was crowned champions of the Parbattie Jaggai Memorial Inter Secondary School U-17 cricket competition for schools in the Central to Upper Corentyne area. In this the second edition of the competition, five secondary schools participated, namely; Central Corentyne Secondary, Black Bush Polder Secondary, Tagore Memorial Secondary, Skeldon Line Path Secondary and Skeldon High (Lutheran). The competition was played on a round robin basis, two innings format in one day format. Points were awarded as follows: win 12, first innings 6, draw 3. The standings on completion of the preliminary rounds were: Skeldon High (Lutheran) 39 points
Skeldon Line Path Second30 points Central Corentyne Secondary 21 points Tagore Memorial Secondary 21 points Black Bush Polder Secondary 0 points Played at the Crabwood Sprots Complex, Skeldon High batted first in the final which was played on a limited overs format of 25 overs per side. Skeldon High were bowled out for 133 runs in 22.2 overs. Torend Shiwamber 35, L. Roberts 26 and R. Gordon 13 were the main run scorers for Skeldon High. Bowling for Skeldon Line Path, Mahendra Chaitnarine took 4 for 54 and G. Chatterpaul 4 for 32 doing the damage. In reply Skeldon Line Path were bowled out for 128 runs in 23.5 overs with A. Burnett ary
47 and S. Kumar 14 doing it with the bat for Skeldon Line Path. Bowling for Skeldon High, Kameshwar Chatterpaul took 6 for 51. A. Burnett was judged man of the match for a fighting 47 and being the last wicket to fall. He received trophy. The winner received a trophy and a stationery voucher value $15,000 whilst the runner up received a trophy and a stationery voucher value $10,000. This competition was sponsored by Mr. Steven Seeraj in memory of his late mother Parbattie Jaggai who was a big cricket fan and was organized by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association. Both Skeldon High and Skeldon Line Path now will advance to the Berbice Cricket Board/A. Ally and Sons Berbice playoff.
Stephens cops King title as GDA Int’l tourney commences Gordon Stephens of local team Mix Up claimed the King title when the Georgetown Dominoes Association (GDA) International tournament commenced on Friday night last the National Gymnasium. Mix Up and fellow Guyanese team Spartons made it through to the third round when the team competition commenced last night. Three teams from Barbados and one from Antigua are competing with 17 Guyanese teams for the first prize of G$1M and a trophy. The runner up will take home a trophy and $500,000, third place a trophy and $300,000 and fourth a trophy and $200,000. The competition continues tonight at the said venue.
Intl Dominoes- Part of the action last night at the National Gymnasium
Gordon Stephens- King Dominoes Guyanese Gordon Stephens with his prize
Sunday April 5, 2015
Kaieteur News
Alpha United versus Bakewell Slingerz; a promoter’s dream “We’re happy to have the Mayweather and Pacquiao of local football in the final” Muhammad “To have Alpha United and Bakewell Slingerz, two of the biggest clubs in the country play in the final of your tournament, is a promoter’s dream” said CoDirector of Kashif Muhammad. The two ‘Big Money’ teams will collide in tonight’s final of the Kashif and Shanghai Football Tournament at the Guyana National Stadium where the winner will pocket $2M and the loser $1M. “I think that this could probably be the biggest team versus team in our finals being that they are the two top teams” Muhammad said at a Press Conference yesterday. This year marks 25 years for the Kashif and Shanghai tournament and Muhammad said that by the standards the two have set, tonight’s finale will be an unforgettable one. According to Muhammad, who along with Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major are responsible for the tournament, every year since 1990 there are always two outstanding teams in the country and every year they’ve been able to have them pitted against each other. “The difference is, these two teams have taken football to a next level in terms of the investment being made.
Kashif Muhammad The owners of these teams put millions of dollars into them, trying to make them better, getting the better players and making them understand that this is their job.” “The whole football structure right now for these two clubs is of a next level and we’re happy to know that we can have these particular two teams in the country in the final and it is not by no cakewalk for them, they had to fight and play hard to reach the final,” Muhammad said. However, the long time football promoter believes that should some other clubs get the financial backing and corporate support like the two finalists, football will be more competitive. Muhammad listed the
Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) as institutions that can have a s o l i d f o o t b a l l structure since their players are already employees of state, while foundation clubs like Fruta Conquerors and Pele if given the adequate funding, football in Guyana would be better off. “The Slingerz and Alpha United players and staff have in excess of over 30 players each being paid on a monthly basis and we’re talking handsome salaries because I don’t think anyone gets a minimum wage and I think it’s an excellent model to follow,” Muhammad noted. He added, “We’re happy to have the (Floyd) Mayweather and (Manny) Pacquiao of local football in the final, it doesn’t get bigger than this and anyone would want to see them play and play in the final, but I think that there’s much more than the money at stake here. These guys got something for each other and I’m glad they can settle it in our tournament.” Asked who the Mayweather is and who is the Pacquiao between the two, Muhammad held his tongue, only stating, “I have my favourite, but I wouldn’t say”. The battle promises to be grand.
Everest thump USCA U13 by four wickets Everest defeated the touring United States Cricket Academy (USCA) by four wickets in their U13 fixture yesterday at the Gandhi Youth Organisation ground. Batting first, USCA posted 144-6 off their allotted 40 overs. Opener Sai Teja fine form on tour continued as he struck a fluent 52 before he was run out in the latter stages of the innings. He faced 177 balls and hit two fours. Extras assisted with 48; Yash Khangura chipped in with 18 and Akhil Kumar 10. Sachin Premchand took 2-14. Led by a fine 63 from Yeudistir Persaud, Everest replied with 145-6 in 38.3 overs. Persaud smashed ten fours and one six off 58 balls and got support from Laksmana Ramroop who made 11 and
Yeudistir Persaud
Sai Teja
Vishal Persaud 10 not out. Extras contributed 51 as leg spin-
ner Vatsal Patel snared 3-20 and Ibadat Haditwa 2-10.
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Sanjay’s Jewelry Golf tourney to be contested today Owner of Sanjay’s Jewelry, Mr Sanjay Persaud, is pleased to sponsor another tournament at the Lusignan Golf Club. Billed for today, tee-off with is fixed for 9:00a.m., this Golf Tournament offers to provide some very competitive play as the prizes are always enterprising. Last October Mr Sanjay put up three souvenir golden Golf Clubs for the 1st to 3rd place Best Net winners. He also indicated that he hoped to do even better for his this tournament. While last October’s tournament was played on the Flight format, this year’s competition is the simple Medal-Play system. Prizes will be awarded to 1st to 3rdBest Net, the Best Gross and Nearest to the Pin (NTP). According to Club President David Mohamad, “We at the Lusignan Golf Club continue to be extremely appreciative
for the support that Sanjay’s Jewelry gives to the LGC and golfing in Guyana.” He noted that the LGC is in great shape, and golfers will find the outfield well cut. The greens are hard and fast. He expects that many of the winners from last October’s tournament will again compete this year. Included in the winners row last October were Mahendra Bhagwandin (1st Best Net), David Mohamad (2nd Best Net), Rishi Sukhram, DeosarranSookram, Kevin Budram, Fazil Haniff, Christine Sukhram, Brian Hackett and Kalyan Tiwari (3rd Best Net and NTP). Sanjay’s Jewelry, which has over 1000 jewelry pieces on display to choose from, offers also a wide variety of watches, colognes and perfumes for men, women and children. In the jewelry section, Sanjay’s has religious jewelry, wedding
bands, rings, chains, necklaces, earrings, bangles and bracelets in 12,14,18 and 22 karat gold jewelry as well as a variety of diamonds. Alternatively a customer can simply make an order with their design and Sanjay’s will make it in 24 hours. In the March 2014 Sanjay’s two-person partner tournament, which combined scores using 3/4 of the handicap, Club Captain Chatterpaul Deo and Joaan Deo (a father-anddaughter team) won the closely fought tournament with brothers Haresh Tiwari and Ravi Persaud, second, followed by brothers Roy and Andre Cummings. Closest to the pin went to Alfred Mentore and Best Gross was taken by Mohanlall Dinanauth. The public is invited to come and view (free of cost) the exciting tournament today.
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Sunday April 5, 2015
“Hopefully, ‘Simmo’ will help West Indies!” Colin E. Croft New West Indies headcoach Philip Verant Simmons, 52 years old on April 18, must hit the ground sprinting, with a plan of trying to instill attitudes and applications which he successfully used, from 2007, to drive Cricket Ireland and its players forward in his spell there as head-coach. However, while most are optimistic, after Ottis Gibson’s chaotic tenure, just appreciate that there are no guarantees that Simmons will be successful here. One can only hope for positive results. As suggested to me; “If Simmons really wants success in his new job, he had better bring some Irish players with him too, because present WI cricketers have no discipline and adhere to none!” Of course, “Simmo” was born in Arima, Trinidad & Tobago, so he must know that there are two main, continuing obstacles to achieving any real progress in these parts, even before he can think
about using skills to assist players - (a) polarizing insularity and (b) incessant, direct victimization. It really would be some achievement if Simmons could even slightly dent those dastardly aberrations which continue to permeate almost universally in our cricket. Having regularly experienced both, with documented and telephone-recorded proof too, I know that those two elements still openly exist in WI’s cricket façade, from the top right down to the open savannahs where youths play, even if few are prepared to acknowledge that it is indeed so. I would even challenge anyone to go, as I have regularly done, to cricket grounds and arenas in the Caribbean, and, un-noticed or un-recognized, take stock of what transpires at coaching sessions. If one is objective in thought, hopeful and open in mind, then that experience would make you cringe. Just try it, then please report back
honestly! But Phil is nobody’s fool. Having taken Ireland as far as possible but disappointingly and quite unfortunately not sufficiently forward in ICC’s minds to achieve Test status, an honor long overdue, he must know exactly what he is getting into here in the Caribbean. I have known him since 1994 when he played for WI v touring England, so I am sure that he must have told his interviewing panel that while he really wanted this assignment and to badly help WI’s cricket, he would not allow any interruptions or intrusions whatsoever into his work. Those developments will have to be seen to be believed, but this is a tough, worldly, no-nonsense guy who walked away with head held high when Zimbabwe’s cricket, where he was head-coach; 2008/2009; fell into disrepair, a cricketing entity in well publicized political and financial disarray. Urgent, if not immediate,
on Simmons’ plans must be to eliminate dead-wood embarrassingly masquerading as international cricketers now inhabiting especially WI’s senior ODI cricket team. Fortunately for him, he has only Tests in the next few months; three Tests starting next week, against England, then two Tests in June against Australia. Therefore, ODI players can wait, as he will not have to assist in selecting those for some time. Johnson Charles, Andre Russell, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Chris Gayle, Suleiman Benn, Lendl Simmons, Darren Sammy, passengers Nakita Millar and Sheldon Cottrell, all corpses to ambitions WI may have for future ODI’s, especially for CWC 2019, should all be entombed now! None of those can get better or help WI further in ODI’s. Newer players could not do worse and would be better groomed for future ODI’s. Only Denesh Ramdin, wicketkeeper-Test captain, and Jason Holder, ODI captain-bowling all-rounder, should be retained for future ODI’s. Simply, have a team built around those two for the next ODI tour, starting “from
fresh!” Almost! In reviewing WI at CWC 2015, two quite distasteful, nonsensical cricket situations occurred in which WI seemed cranially dead or at least comatose; games v India and v United Arab Emirates. There should be investigations into these situations, but I doubt that would happen! I first listened to international cricket, aged 7, in 1960/ 1, saw my first Test aged 12, when Australia toured WI in 1965, followed by playing for WI, then to Sports Journalism. Yet, I have never experienced a team so thoroughly inflexible and lacking in game-sense as was evident v India. Needing 50 to win, six wickets down, with only Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the crease of any batting consequence, WI’s best bowlers were, for some reason, removed from the attack, eventually allowing part-timers Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith to be bowling at the death. Unbelievably, Taylor, Holder, Russell and Roach collectively still had nine overs remaining! Similarly, WI looked so uninterested when they
played UAE. Tortoises running backwards would have moved quicker, as UAE somehow made 175 after being 466 at one stage! Former fast bowling partner Michael Holding reacted angrily, verbal guns firing, suggesting that if WI did not want to play, then they should have just gone home. What a terribly shambolic effort that was by WI! So, we are set for “Simmo Time”. If WI could even draw that Test series v England, not to mention win it, then Phil Simmons could celebrate his 52nd birthday with some aplomb. Enjoy! (E-mail address = c.e.h.croft@gmail.com)
GAPF hosts inaugural Clash of Champions on May 1 -AGM fixed for April 19 Powerlifters in Guyana are currently undergoing intense training ahead of the inaugural Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) Three Lift Equipped Clash of Champions championship which will be held on Friday May 1st, 2015. This Invitational competition which will see the current top three ranked lifters in each weight class in the Open categories (male and female) along with a fourth lifter in reserve who will also be vying to make the qualifying marks for selection to the Pan American as well as the South American Championships in Ribeirao
Brazil in September. There will also be bonus incentives for lifters who set national records in those age categories listed apart from the Open. Current local and International records are being updated and will be made available at the AGM. Lifters listed in order of highest totals officially achieved to date along with the best recorded fourth placed in reserve are encouraged to confirm participation by the date of, and or at the GAPF’s AGM at latest in order for a smooth registration and completion of the championships. Failure to confirm
participation will result in wild cards being drawn at the AGM to replace any of the top ranked lifters. Attractive prizes including monetary rewards will be at stake for the top lifters. Meanwhile, the federation’s Annual General Meeting is scheduled to take place on Sunday April 19th at the National Resource Centre, Woolford Avenue. Items on the agenda will include elections of office bearers along with Annual reports for the year 2014. Meeting time is 11:00hrs. Following is the list of top female and male lifters in the respective categories.
Sunday April 5, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Golden Jaguars rapidly becoming a force in CFU! By Santokie Nagulendran A lot can happen in the world of football, and the recent fortunes of the National Team are a testament to that. A year ago, if you spoke to any football fan in Guyana, they would declare both outrage and sadness at the inactivity of the Men’s senior team, who went almost two years without playing a game. Speak to fans now however, and their opinion had dramatically changed: a remarkably fast action-plan by FIFA’s Normalisation Committee means that there is clear optimism and belief in the National programme once again. Two efficient wins in the past two weeks have proven that the Golden Jaguars are a team with high quality, and once they gain more experience of playing together as a unit, they will inevitably improve as a team. What impressed in the games, against St Lucia and Grenada, was the discipline in the team: after letting go of a two-goal lead against Barbados in February, it is clear that Jamaal
The Guyana Golden Jaguars following one of their recent victories. Shabazz has made defensive stability a focus. In 180 minutes of football, the Golden Jaguars did not concede a single goal: defenders Colin Nelson and Jamaal Smith featured in both games and must therefore be commended for their defensive roles. Both victories mean that Guyana can expect to climb up a few spots in April’s FIFA Rankings which are pub-
lished this Thursday. The acquisition of UK-based players Matthew Briggs and Neil Danns is a move that has added even more quality to the side, and given the team players who have experience of playing at the top level. Both Briggs and D a n n s made their debut against Grenada last Sunday and slotted into the team as if they had been playing for
Guyana for the past few years. Briggs was assured in his role as left-back, whilst Danns provided a creative outlet for strikers Emery Welshman and Pernell Schultz, eventually playing in a role in both the goals. With young talent such as Pernell Schultz, Sheldon Holder, Daniel Wilson, Trayon Bobb, Emery Welshman, Vurlon Mills, Colin Nelson and Briggs working alongside and learning from more experienced players such as Walter Moore, Neil Danns and skipper Christopher Nurse, Jamaal Shabazz has assembled a squad which could dominate the region for years to come if the right resources are utilised. The fact that Shabazz only started five of the same players from the St Lucia game for the Grenada tie reveals the squad’s depth that is gradually become available to the National Team. The Normalisation Committee installed by FIFA have been a credit to the game in Guyana: they have made sure the best possible back-room staff are working with the team and allowed coach Shabazz to utilise
overseas-based players to help the team. Crucially, the NC has also arranged regular International fixtures for the squad to play: having played three games in the space of two months, the GFF announced this week that the Golden Jaguars will travel to Suriname on 30th April for a game against Suriname, which promises to be a very interesting match. Despite the tie against Suriname being played outside of the FIFA Internat i o n a l W i n d o w, a n d therefore meaning overseas-based players will not feature, the fixture will allow domestic-based players to stake their claim in t h e f i r s t X I . Wi t h t h e Kashif and Shanghai finals taking place tonight between Alpha United and Slingerz FC, it will be interesting to see if veteran striker Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams, who has been in fine form throughout the competition, makes the Golden Jaguars squad for the Suriname game, as well as Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, who scored the goal which took Alpha United
Santokie Nagulendran to tonight’s final. Jamaal Shabazz has quite possibly built the best Golden Jaguars side of all time in his third stint as coach; there is talent in all positions and a vast amount of depth to the squad, which bodes well for the future. All these factors mean that the Golden Jaguars should be heading to their Wo r l d C u p Q u a l i f i e r a g a i n s t St Vi n c e n t a n d the Grenadines in June feeling confident of progressing to the next round.
USACA Guyana cricket tour
Persaud leads USACA U-18s to victory East Coast U-18 lose by 6-Wkts By Sean Devers A fine all-round performance from Guyanese-born Skipper Chetram Persaud spearheaded the USACA under-18 team to a commanding six-wicket win against the East Coast U-18s at the picturesque Enmore Community Centre ground yesterday in a game that started 60 minutes late and was reduced to a 45over affair. East Coast won the toss and elected to bat on a slow track that kept low and a heavy outfield and led a by a 49-run opening partnership between Baskar Yadram (27) and Vishwanauth Ramlakhan (18) and a late order rally from pacer Gavin Moriah, who hit an unbeaten 34, reached 1589 from their allotted 45 overs.
Persaud snatched 4-31 and got support from Sahil Patel who had 2-3 but they were not aided by the worst fielding display from the North American teenagers on their tour here so far. The left-handed Persaud returned with the bat in a responsible unbeaten 44 and put together 62 for the fourth wicket with Neil Tagore who was run out for 42 before the Captain shared in an unfinished fifth wicket stand with the pugnacious Derrick Narine (16) to see the North Americans to 159-4 in 39.2 overs, to give them their fourth win in five matches. Yadram and Ramlakhan took 18 overs to put together 49 for the first wicket for the home team as they struggled
Neil Tagore slaps one through the off-side.
Gavin Moriah strokes one back past left-arm spinner Jash Patel.
to pick the gaps despite playing several attractive drives. When Yadram was bowled cutting at one that spun prodigiously from Persaud, two wickets tumbled with the score on 77 as Ramlakhan was bowled playing an injudicious sweep at Persaud and Gavin Bodwha (14) edged a catch to the keeper off Sahil Patel. Ramnarine Chatura (12) and Vivian Albert (12) were both removed by Persaud who bowled slowly and give the ball generous flight as East Coast slipped to 103-5 but stepped on the gas towards to end to help his team to a respectable total.
When the tourists began their run-chase both openers,
Chetram Persaud
Gauranshu Sharma (10) and Sagar Patel who looked accomplished and effortlessly dumped Albert for six, fell with the score on 24. Jash Patel continued his good Guyana tour with a 28ball 20 before he gifted his wicket by pulling a long hop from Steve Mangal to backward square leg to leave the visitors on 64-3 for Tagore and Persaud to join forces to repair the damage with sensible batting before Tagore was eventually run out when well set for his first half-century of the tour at 126-4. Persaud, who encountered some problems with his
running between the wickets on the large ground, found an able aid in the left-handed Narine and took their team home with 5.4 overs to spare. Persaud collected the trophies for Best Batsman, Best Bowler and Man-of-the-Match. The USACA U-18s play their final game at DCC when they face-off with the East Bank U-18s today in a 50-over match-up from 09:00hrs.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday April 5, 2015
From Sabina to the ARG, England in the West Indies 1986 Twenty-nine years ago, England led by the flamboyant David Gower toured the Caribbean for a five match test series. The West Indies led by the indomitable Vivian Richards swept the series five nil. This was the second time England led by David Gower succumbed to the West Indies five nil in a test series. Clive Lloyd’s men achieved this feat in 1984 in the Englishmen own backyard. Today Statistician Charwayne Walker journeys back 29 years starting with the First Test at Sabina Park which resulted in West Indies winning by 10 wickets. Here’s the highlights of the scores back then. Scores: England first innings, 159 all out, Graham Coach 51, Allan Lamb 49. Bowling for West Indies: Debutant Patrick (lambo) Patterson snared 4 for 30 from 11 overs, Malcolm Marshall 2 for 30 from 11 overs, Michael Holding 2 for 36 from 7 overs and Joel Garner 2 for 56 from 14.3 overs. West Indies first innings 307 all out: Gordon Greenidge 58, Larry Gomes 56, Jeffrey Dujon 54, Debutant Carlisle Best 35 and Desmond Haynes 32. Bowling for England, Richard Ellison captured 5 for 78 from 33 overs, Ian Botham 2 for 67 from 19 overs and Greg Thomas 2 for 82 from 28.5 overs. England second innings 152 all out: Peter Willey 71, Ian Botham 29. Bowling for West Indies, Joel Garnel took 3 for 22 from 9 overs, Malcom Marshall 3
for 29 from 11 overs, Man of the Match Patrick Patterson 3 for 44 from 10.4 overs. West Indies set five for victory; Desmond Haynes 4 not out and Richie Richardson 0 not out. One no ball as bowled by the Englishmen. Second test match at Queens Park, Oval: West Indies won by 7 wickets. Scores: England first innings 176 all out. Skipper David Gower 66, Allan Lamb 62. Bowling for West Indies, Malcolm Marshall captured 4 for 38 from 15 overs, Joel Garner 3 for 45 from 15 overs, Patrick Patterson 2 for 60 from 8.4 overs. West Indies First Innings: 399 all out. Richie Richardson 102, Desmond Haynes 67, Malcolm Marshall 62 not out, Gordon Greenidge 37, Skipper Vivian Richards 34, Larry Gomes 30. Bowling for England, off Spinner John Emburey took 5 for 78 from 27 overs, Grey Thomas 2 for 86 from 20 overs, Phil Edmonds 2 for 98 from 30 overs. England Second Innings: 315 All Out. David Gower 47, Graham Cooch 43, Allan Lamb 40, Richard Ellison 36, Peter Willey 25. Bowling for West Indies, Courtney Walsh took 4 for 74 from 27 overs, Malcolm Marshall 4 for 94 from 32.2 overs. West Indies set 95 for victory, lost 3 wickets in reaching the target. Gordon Greenidge made 45 and Desmond Haynes 39 not out; John Emburey took 2 for 36 from 10 overs bowling for England.
Sir Vivian Richards Third Test, Kensington Oval West Indies won by an innings and 30 runs. Scores: West Indies 418 All Out. Richie Richardson 160, Desmond Haynes 84, Vivian Richards 51, Larry Gomes 33. Bowling for England: Grey Thomas took 4 for 70 from 16.1 overs, Neil Foster 3 for 76 from 19 overs. England First Innings: 189 All Out, Skipper David Gower 66, and Graham Cooch 53. Bowling for West Indies: Malcolm Marshall took 4 for 42 from 14 overs. Patrick Patterson 3 for 54 from 15 overs, Michael Holding 2 for 37 from 13 overs. England following on 199 All Out: Tim Robinson 43, John Emburey 35, Paul Downtown 26, David Gower 23, Ian
Botham 21. Bowling for the West Indies: Joel Garner took 4 for 69 from 17 overs, Patrick Patterson 3 for 28 from 8.4 overs, Michael Holding 3 for 47 from 10 overs. Fourth Test, Queens Park Oval. West Indies won by 10 wickets. Scores: England first innings 200 All Out. David Smith 47, Ian Botham 38, Allan Lamb 36. Bowling for West Indies: Joel Garner captured 4 for 43 from 18 overs, Michael Holding supported the Big Bird with 3 for 52 from 14.4 overs, Malcolm Marshall finished with 2 for 71 from 23 overs. West Indies first innings: 312 All Out. Skipper Vivian Richards led from the front with a brutal 87, Larry Gomes
48, Gordon Greenidge 42, Richie Richardson 32, Desmond Haynes 25, Michael Holding 25, and Roger Harper 21. Bowling for England: Ian Botham took 5 for 71 from 24.1 overs, John Emburey 3 for 62 from 27 overs, Neil Foster 2 for 68 from 24 overs. England second Innings: 150 All Out. David Smith 32, Ian Botham 25, Skipper David Gower 22. Bowling for the West Indies: Joel Garner took 3 for 15 from 9 overs, Malcolm Marshall 3 for 42 from 10 overs, Patrick Patterson 2 for 36 from 9 overs, Michael Holding 2 for 45 from 10 overs. West Indies Second Innings target 39. Richie Richardson 22 not out, Desmond Haynes 17 not out. Fifth Test: Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John’s. Result: West Indies won by 240 runs. Scores: West Indies First Innings: 474 All Out. Desmond Haynes 131, Michael Holding 73, Malcolm Marshall 76, Roger Harper 60. Bowling for England: Neil Foster took 2 for 86 from 28 overs. John Emburey 2 for 93 from 37 overs, Richard Ellison 2 for 114 from 24.3 overs, Ian Botham 2 for 147 from 40 overs. England First Innings: 310 All Out. Skipper David Gower 90, Wilfred Slack 52, Graham Cooch 51. Bowling for the West Indies: Joel (Big Bird) Garner snared 4 for 67 from 21.4 overs, Malcom Marshall 3 for 64 from 24 overs, Roger Harper 1 for 45 from 26 overs, Patrick Patterson 1 for
49 from 14 overs, Michael Holding 1 for 71 from 20 overs. West Indies Second Innings: 246 for 2 declared, Skipper Vivian Richards went berserk scoring 110 unbeaten, Desmond Haynes 70, Richie Richardson 31, Roger Harper 19 not out. Off spinner John Emburey took 1 for 83 from 14 overs. England Second Innings: 170 All Out. Graham Cooch 51, Skipper David Gower 21, Richard Ellison 16, Ian Botham 13, Paul Downtown 13. Bowling for West Indies: Roger Harper captured 3 for 10 from 12 overs, Malcolm Marshall 2 for 25 from 116.1 overs, Joel Garner 2 for 38 from 17 overs, Michael Holding 2 for 45 from 16 overs. The Majestic 1986 West Indies Team that Black Washed England in the Caribbean: Vivian Richards – Captain, Leeward Richie Richardson- Leeward Joel Garner- Barbados Malcolm Marshall ( deceased) – Barbados Desmond Haynes – Barbados Gordon Greenidge- Barbados Carlisle Best – Barbados Thelston Payne- Barbados Roger Harper-Guyana Michael Holding-Jamaica Patrick Patterson-Jamaica Jeffrey Dujon-Jamaica Courtney Walsh-Jamaica Larry Gomes- Trinidad and Tobago
Knight Riders relent as Narine appears for retest ESPNcricinfo - West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine underwent a fresh testing process on his bowling action at the Sri Ramachandra Universtity, an ICC-accredited centre, in Chennai on Thursday. The reports from the test are likely to be submitted on Saturday, and by Monday, the BCCI’s sub-committee dealing with suspect bowling actions will finalise its decision on whether Narine would be available to play for Kolkata Knight Riders this IPL. This means Knight Riders were forced to grudgingly accept the BCCI diktat which stated that Narine had to undergo tests at the Chennai centre despite him having got a clearance from the University of Loughborough in March.
It is understood that Narine appeared in front of the BCCI’s sub-committee which deals with suspect bowling actions. Former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath is head of the three-man panel which comprises former India captain S Venkataraghavan and ex-international umpire AV Jayaprakash. Srinath’s panel observed Narine in real time and also put him through various tests with the entire process lasting for less than two hours. Apparently the panel did not study the results from the Loughborough centre. Knight Riders had lodged a protest with BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya questioning the necessity of a separate test when Narine had got himself cleared from an ICC-
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
accredited testing centre in Loughborough. But Dalmiya informed the team management that he was helpless and instead of giving an explanation, he suggested it would only benefit the franchise if Narine traveled to Chennai. Narine remains the most valuable player for Knight Riders, the defending IPL champions, who will play Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener on April 9 at Eden Gardens. After he was called in successive matches during last year’s Champions League Twenty20, Narine made a comeback to competitive cricket with Trinidad & Tobago in the Nagico Super50, including a career-best 6 for 9 in the final to overwhelm Guyana. More importantly, Narine achieved that feat with a new bowling action, which he has been working extensively on in the company of experts like former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq.
Sunil Narine returned to competitive cricket in January in the Nagico Super50, and picked up 6 for 9 in the final to help Trinidad & Tobago clinch the title © WICB