Kaieteur News

Thursday Edition August 16, 2012 - Vol. 5 No. 32

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Leaked NCN report says…

p. 6

No evidence GT&T was billed for production of Jingle competition

East Coast Dem four lane extension… p.3

While the Ministry and the contractor are at odds, this is the state of a major roadway

Works Ministry to approach police with fraud allegations against contractor

Ramjattan cautions govt...

p.

3

“Stop dilly-dallying with Linden”

Page 02

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Businesswoman laments lack … after husband of police protection narrowly escapes death

A

Parika, East Bank Essequibo businesswoman is lambasting the police for their belated response to last Sunday's gun attack on her husband.

The woman, Shanta Kawall, known as 'Auntie Vanie' is fed up with the tardiness of the police at the Parika police station, whom she opined are paying scant regard to the safety of citizens in the community.

Kawall's husband, Lowknauth, narrowly escaped death last Sunday night when a gunman pounced on him and opened fire with a pump action shotgun in what appeared to be a robbery attempt.

Quick thinking by the businessman thwarted efforts by the carload of gun assailants.

He managed to drive his Canter truck to the safety of the Parika Police Station after one of the gunmen opened fire, boring huge holes in the driver side window of the vehicle.

Kawall operates Tony's Grocery Store at Parika, a relatively short distance from his home.

Recalling the incident, his wife Shanta said that just after 19:00 hours on Sunday, the businessman was about to turn into his yard when a car with a group of men pulled up in front of him.

One of the men came out of the car with a pumpaction shotgun and began firing indiscriminately at the truck in an effort to get the businessman to surrender.

But Kawall, sensing that the men were robbers, reversed his truck and sped towards the Parika Police Station with the men in hot pursuit.

The businessman managed to outdrive the bandits and made it safely to the station forcing the men to abandon their plans.

According to the woman, the same car with the men was spotted a few days earlier in front of their business place.

When asked why the earlier sighting of the men was not reported to the police, Shanta Kawall said that “it wouldn't make sense, because when you report it, the police wouldn't do anything.”

She substantiated her claim by explaining that following last Sunday night's robbery attempt, her

son's advice to the police to set up roadblocks in an effort to capture the suspects, who were obviously strangers to the area, was nonchalantly brushed aside.

“When he (my son) asked for a roadblock at Leonora…the answer was like, there was no police at the station to do that. They have a patrol on the road, they should have called that, but they did not do anything,” Shanta Kawall reasoned.

“I just want to know what protection we business people have,” she questioned.

Last Sunday's attack was the sixth time that the family has had encounters with bandits, dating back to 1989.

In 2006, Lowknauth Kawall was shot by bandits during a robbery, while in 2008, his father was attacked by bandits as he was transacting business at DOCOL on the East Bank of Demerara.

“The time when they shot my husband in 2006, the police said that they didn't

The businessman was lucky to escape unhurt after a blast from the bandit's shotgun shattered the window on the driver’s side of his Canter truck.

have transportation to come and they're just a minute drive away,” Mrs. Kawall recounted.

She said following last Sunday's incident, the entire family is scared.

“I mean we have to do

our business, we have to close in early. We losing a lot, because when you have to close your business so

early, you know what happens. I don't think it's fair for the business people,” Mrs. Kawall said.

Police, man’s relatives differ on latest shooting in Linden

A

Randy Tello

controversy is brewing over t h e circumstances surrounding the shooting of Lindener Randy Tello by members of the Joint Services on Tuesday night.

While the police are claiming that the man was part of a gang that had hurled missiles at the ranks, relatives are maintaining that he was just an innocent man on his way home.

The man is presently in hospital being treated for a gaping wound to the left side of his face.

Police in a statement issued yesterday said that at about 21:20 hours on Tuesday, a group of men threw missiles at the vehicle and ranks of a Joint Services mobile patrol at One Mile, Wismar.

The police said that the ranks pursued the men and caught up with one of them.

“During efforts to arrest him a rubber bullet was discharged by a police rank which struck the man to his left side face. A knife and a quantity of marijuana were found in his possession,” the

police statement said.

According to the police, the man, who was subsequently identified as Randy Tello, 25, of Half Mile, Wismar, was taken to the Mackenzie Hospital by the ranks where he was admitted.

But Rocklin Tello, the mother of the injured man, told this newspaper that her son, a former boxer, was on his way home when he was confronted by Joint Services personnel. The woman said that the ranks called on her son to come to them and he refused, prompting them to advance towards him.

Not wanting to be detained unnecessarily, Tello briskly walked away. It was then she said that the police shot him.

According to the woman, the ranks “dragged” her son off to the Mackenzie hospital where they “dumped” him. They subsequently drove away.

Rocklin Tello said that apart from the gunshot wound, her son sustained injuries to his back which suggest a beating with the use of guns. Although the police said that the man was

found with a knife and a quantity of marijuana, they are not treating him as a criminal suspect.

In fact, he is not under police guard at the hospital.

Tello’s shooting follows those of several persons last Sunday by the Joint Services. None of these persons are facing charges, although the actions that would have led to them being shot have been deemed by the police as unlawful.

There were no charges against those persons who were wounded on July 18 when police opened fire killing three protestors.

“Like dese police just shooting people fuh fun,” one Lindener told this newspaper. Young men in the mining town are claiming that they are being harassed by police ranks who order them of the roads even though there is no curfew in force.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force said that it is not aware of any other person being shot during Joint Services activities in Linden on Tuesday night.

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Ramjattan cautions govt. ...

“Stop dilly-dallying with Linden” The Alliance for Change (AFC) wants the government to stop “dilly-dallying” on issues that would lead to a resolution of the unrest in Linden.

The party’s leader Khemraj Ramjattan maintains that the issues which the Lindeners are agitating about are reasonable demands that could be met.

The government is insisting that “normalcy” be returned to the town.

“I don’t know what normalcy he (the President) is talking about. Has he defined that?” Ramjattan asked yesterday, responding to the suggestion coming from officials of President Donald Ramotar’s office.

Lindeners say they will persist with their protest until their demands are met, and as far as Ramjattan is concerned, the government is being stubborn and wants to drag out a resolution of the issue.

Ramjattan says Lindeners are the ones who are making just demands and not the government.

“The President and his government must budge,” Ramjattan stated yesterday.

Key among the demands for Lindeners are that the electricity rate hike, which sparked the protest, be withdrawn, that the town’s TV station be surrendered by the state, and that the President take his hands off land selection in Region Ten and put it in the hands of representatives of all the parliamentary political parties.

Important too is the setting up of the Commission of Inquiry into the deaths of three Lindeners on July 18, the first day of what was a planned five-day protest.

Ramjattan said that agreement on Terms of Reference and the naming of members to the Commission is taking too long. He said

that while the AFC maintains that the Commission should be made up of international experts, and has recently offered suggestions on who could constitute the commission, it is not a matter to be delayed.

He insisted “it is the government that has to make the call, and if it is that they want only a component of the Commission to be international then they should please proceed”.

He said that the right of protest is enshrined in the constitution.

“Even if Ramjattan went up there and organised the thing, what is wrong with that? It is the exercise of a constitutional right,” he stated.

Therefore, he said the exercise of a constitutional right should have no place in an inquiry into the death of the three Lindeners.

But even with the Commission not yet in place, Ramjattan expressed shock that the Police investigation has not progressed and that the Policemen who were at the scene at the time all continue in the Force, and no one has been arrested or interdicted from duty.

Another AFC executive, Dominic Gaskin, said that the party notes with concern the tone of the most recent condemnations, by members of the Governing party, of the criminal burning of buildings in the town of Linden, most notably the primary school at One Mile, Wismar.

“For the many citizens of Guyana whose access to information other than that being broadcast by NCN is fairly limited, there was an impression created that the burning of the school and

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan other buildings was being condoned by the people of Linden and their leaders, both spiritual and political.

“In this regard the AFC was also singled out and the party wishes to repeat, yet again, that we unreservedly and unequivocally condemn this and all other deliberate destruction of property. We urge NCN to visit the community of Linden to solicit the views of the people of Linden and to broadcast those views to the rest of Guyana,” Gaskin stated.

He said that what was disturbing was the suggestion by one Minister that leaders who do not condemn those acts of arson thereby lend their tacit support to the perpetrators, and may as well have struck the matches themselves.

“Did NCN up to the time of that broadcast on Sunday evening seek to obtain comments from anyone other than Government officials on the burning of the One Mile Primary School? The AFC notes yet again the contempt and disrespect shown by NCN not only towards the people of Linden but towards all Guyanese,” Gaskin stated.

Page 3

E.C.D. four-lane extension…

Works Ministry to approach police with fraud allegations against contractor The Public Works Ministry has disclosed that it will be approaching the police this week with evidence supporting its claims of fraud against the contractor, Falcon Transportation and Construction Services. This is in keeping with the advice of the Attorney General.

Although the Ministry had received the advice since late July, it waited until the contractor went public accusing Ministry’s officials of pressuring him for kickbacks. The contractor believes that his constant refusals to give gifts cost him the $468 million contract.

After denying that the Ministry was told of the demands for gifts, Transport Minister Robeson Benn changed his tune yesterday, during a press conference at his Kingston Office. The Minister admitted that the contractor had sent a letter to the Ministry making assertions that a Clerk of Works had requested a gift, possibly a minibus. He assured that the letter was forwarded to the Ministry’s Work Services Group for investigation.

Benn said, “I recollect now in hindsight that there was some letter, and that the Clerk of Works and some Engineers were very upset with the assertions that were being made, but we will investigate on all of these things.”

“I want to feel pretty sure that given the fractious relations that our Clerk of Works and Engineers have had with respect to this project, it (the termination of the contract) has nothing to do with any requests,” he

added.

Benn has invited the contractor to present the long list of demands for bribes to either the Ministry or the police to have the matter dealt with condignly.

He emphasized that the mere cancellation of a contract does not require aspersions.

“I have already instructed my people, the Permanent Secretary and the Work Services Group, to investigate the issues as it relates to the Ministry. I will invite an independent person, otherwise the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers. I will be making contact with them to pronounce on our actions and issues relating to the contract…the legal aspect and professional aspect,” the Minister said.

However, even with the instructions to investigate allegations at the Ministry, which involves staff, the Minister said, “Outside of any other issues with respect to professional, ethical or any other issue, I am standing by my engineers. The press is fully aware when I needed to make changes in this Ministry we have taken actions to improve, and we are improving.”

The Minister expressed his displeasure that the names of engineers who were involved in meetings were listed in the media.

“This is to sully their reputation and to get them

Public Works Minister Robeson Benn involved in issues which would either be otherwise slander or libelous, because a long list of Ministry’s Work Services Group officials, engineers and other people at lower levels are mentioned, and somehow there will be guilt by association,” Benn added.

According to Benn, corruption allegations by the contractor are not the issue.

In fact, he believes that the contractor made the allegations to hurt the image of the Ministry.

“It appears as though there were no problems until we cancelled the contract. It (continued on page 17)

Page 4

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 16, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

Is Ramotar condoning corruption?

Scarcely a day goes by without an accusation against the government about corruption. There are others who are also accused, but the number pales against the people in Government employ who are accused of being corrupt. And the government does not take kindly to being so accused.

Initially, the government, at the time headed by President Bharrat Jagdeo, simply said that anyone can make an accusation. He further said that many people make accusations but they do not come forward with facts to make the accusations stick.

On another occasion he said that his government is hamstrung, because sometimes the information provided is not enough to secure a criminal conviction. On other occasions, people would provide information but would not come forward to support the accusations.

We are familiar with the latter. We often get reports from people, some through the mail, who would ask to remain unidentified. In other instances, people would indicate a fear of being victimized and would prefer if the information could be used but the source of the information be kept a confidential matter.

However, recently, people have been making the allegations in increasing numbers and they have not been seeking anonymity. These are the people caught in the same situation as the bull heading to the proverbial slaughterhouse. Two of the most damning reports have come from a contractor and from a document secured by this newspaper about the operations of National Communications Network.

Had they not be so damning, people would have concluded that the accusers were merely disgruntled people seeking to eke out some vengeance against the government.

The contractor is firmly committed to the view that his contract on the East Coast Demerara Highway was terminated because he refused to pay graft to a senior Government official whom he named.

Of course, the government cited another reason for the termination of the contract. This is a matter that is being hotly debated albeit in the press. The other issue highlights what operated in NCN, an entity that has been spending as much as one billion dollars of taxpayers’ money per year.

To his credit, whatever that may mean, the head of the institution resigned. His deputy was suspended for eight weeks. The investigation has been completed and some damning comments have emerged. As can be expected, the government has said nary a word or taken any condign action following the exposure.

In any other country, except the most corrupt, people resign or face punishment for their corrupt activities. At one time in Guyana, senior officials were jailed despite charges that the then government was corrupt. In fact, one Minister was asked to resign and he died soon after. It was found that the Minister had procured material from a government source for personal gain.

Allegations against corrupt Government officials are nothing new. Also not new are the efforts by the government to brush these under the carpet. If a contractor can confront a government official about corruption then it is left for the government to act.

We have already noted the fierce drive to protect the corrupt and those who run afoul of the law. We have also stated that the rest of the society has become so dishonest because the members seem to be taking a cue from the government.

Donald Ramotar inherited a system so tarnished that even when he recycled his Ministers, the nation simply concluded that he was seeking to entrench corruption. For his part, Ramotar said that he campaigned on a platform of

NICIL, critical issues pushed to backburner by Opposition’s laziness DEAR EDITOR, What in heaven’s name is the AFC and APNU/PNCR doing? They are jumping purposelessly from branch to branch without any indication of any strategic planning or coordination and they are making a mockery of the new dispensation voters in this country granted them on November 28, 2011 to be a responsible, effective and dynamic opposition to keep a minority presidency in check.

One gets the sense these guys in the opposition do not know what they are doing.

We all know the PPP is famous for this kind of senseless tomfoolery but the opposition is quickly proving itself to be no different from the incompetent PPP. After the mighty brouhaha over NICIL with the back and forth sparring, we have heard of nothing of substance done by the opposition to bring NICIL and its PPP masters to account.

We have had not one peep since the initial madness. I have maintained and continue to maintain that the APNU/

PNC is the laziest political body in Guyana and it continues to be a massive disservice and letdown to the mostly Africans who support it. As the much larger opposition body/party, it should have continued to beat the drums on NICIL. We should have had a motion to reverse the APNU/ PNC’s foolishness which allowed Ashni Singh’s wife to be appointed as Audit Director. We should have had proper parliamentary motions forcing the PPP to bring NICIL’s information to the table and forcing an independent audit of NICIL. To date… nothing… nada… zilch. We are talking about an entity that has handled trillions of dollars of this nation’s assets. Yet we cannot hear from the opposition and there has been a gross dropping of the ball on NICIL. Do these opposition parties think the Guyanese nation is a pack of fools? Do they think the Guyanese voters will continue to support them if they continue

this grave incompetence?

Look at what the corruption and incompetence did to the PPP in the last election. While it is fine and dandy to support Lindeners over the loss of a $2.2 billion subsidy, we have a bigger elephant in the room with many billions more than $2.2 billion not accounted for and verified by NICIL. Where is the court action by the opposition over NICIL? The PPP is challenging the opposition at every turn over issues it knows it cannot win in court but wants to harass and fatigue the opposition yet the opposition has not brought a single court action against the PPP. Ramjattan, Backer, Bond, Hughes, Trotman and Corbin and others are lawyers.

Where are they when there is a desperate need to take the fight through the courts to the PPP to bring accountability and transparency to government?

Why has an opposition with all these prominent lawyers tabled only one single piece of legislation in

nearly nine months since the election?

If the opposition does not shape up in the near future, it will lead to serious political inertia in Guyana. We will see even worse apathy than the 2006 election in this country.

If this laziness continues hand in hand with the PPP’s corruption, we could see just around 60% of the electorate showing up to vote in the next election.

The PPP and PNC/APNU will definitely get less than the 48.6% and 40% they respectively secured in 2011.

The AFC will increase its vote share but it will be pointless when massive numbers of voters simply stay away from the election because of a corrupt and depraved PPP and a lazy opposition. Maybe this is what we need to kill racial voting in Guyana.

The only problem is while racial voting may be slaughtered in this sort of political environment, our country of newfound brotherly love gets flushed down the toilet.

M. Maxwell

President Ramotar should take example of George Washington DEAR EDITOR, Two months ago , at a meeting at Red House for all the candidates on the PPP/ ”Civic”, I spoke openly and forcefully and at the beginning of my delivery, I mentioned the fact that I lived at Red House during the terrible times of the sixties and I asked if we want to go back to that; I described how the police at that time laughed when my father came home from the Legislative (now Parliament) building where his Office of Premier was located, after he was physically threatened by mobs; after we had to have our own people guard Red House from the large demonstrations outside.

That was well before the current Linden problems surfaced -everyone in that room, including (President Donald) Ramotar cannot fail to forget that. It was obvious to me that, at that meeting, the PPP leadership were preparing for a snap general

election and I warned against that and called for local elections to be a more immediate concern - (they will still try to have general elections, probably early next year). They will remember that I mentioned that we should consider inclusive governance, maybe at local levels like Georgetown , especially with a minority government; that Mr. Granger and Mr. Ramjattan are not the Taliban or Al Qaeda and that we should approach them differently without a confrontational attitude, like was displayed when demonstrations led by “Fuzzy” Sattaur and certain Ministers in this government objected to the budget cuts.

Ironically, after the budget cuts, we all found out about “Fuzzy”’s penchant….

They all will rememberbecause all that Ramotar did was take notes all the time, hardly saying anything-that I told the gathering that

continuity. Surely, he could not be saying that he campaigned on a platform to continue corruption.

He has a duty to protect the government. He already has good reason to sack a number of tarnished people around him. And by sacking we do not mean having them removed from the present office and consigned to another location.

There are those who would want to say that the situation at Linden has been dominating the president’s attention.

We say that this should not be the case. Guyana’s development is stunted by the rampant corruption. We are sick and tired of being poor and developing when we know that we should have been so much better off.

President Cheddi would have cut the budget more that APNU and the AFC did if he was alive and in the same situation.

They will remember that I called on these rulers to keep (former President) Jagdeo quiet and I openly questioned his statements at that time in the press when he (Jagdeo) in the headlines was calling for a review of the contracts at the CJIA Airport when he is the one who signed them. I further argued that Jagdeo should keep quiet and even questioned why he went to Brazil.

They will remember when I talked about the state of affairs at Freedom House as a center of a ruling party and communist literature, some of it actually in the Russian language sold in the bookstore downstairs.

They will remember that I mentioned some the things which were not done for the people at the local levels and the weaknesses of the PPP grass roots and the consequences of those mistakes when the election was lost by the PPP. They will remember that I called for the arrest and trial of those who were corrupt and that resignation was not enough and I implored Ramotar to do something credible against corruption.

To this day, he has done nothing to investigate

corruption in government quarters.

Mr. Editor, along with all the letters and e-mails which I sent Mr. Ramotar, mentioning conciliation, compromise and some sort of shared governance, the fiasco at Linden was the result of Ramotar’s failure to hold to what he told me personally when he and Robert Persaud pleaded with me to join their cause.

He assured me at that time that there will be no Putin like situation (like in Russia) here and the first thing he did when he became President was to embrace all the mistakes of the past; his Cabinet selections showed no real promise, especially promoting Robert Persaud, an empty barrel.

Jagdeo did nothing much for Linden and PM Hinds did even less and that is why Ramotar should have fired Hinds as soon as the trouble began-that was the first step in solving this situation and would have shown goodwill and that of a resolute President.

Mr. Ramotar should have personally gone to Linden with Mr. Granger and Mr. Ramjattan and together they could have solved the problems along with the good graces of God and the citizens there. The police action is directly Mr. Ramotar’s (Continued on page 5)

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Letters... Where your views make the news

Why no State of Emergency declaration in Linden?

DEAR EDITOR, On August 23rd, 2011, the PPP/C-led Government of Guyana supported Trinidad and Tobago government for imposing a limited state of emergency to restore order and normalcy to the country due to criminal activities at the time.

A year later, the same PPP/C government has not called a state of emergency whether limited or fully to bring normalcy to the community of Linden.

The government has chosen confrontation and chaos in dealing with

the matter while pleading miles away for normalcy.

If the Mr. Ramotar-led government was serious about “thugs” and “extremists” causing destruction, then the best way to take control of these criminal activities that the PPP administration have been claiming are in Linden, would be to activate a state of emergency in Linden.

Maybe we could have prevented the bloodshed and burning of so many buildings.

Mr. Ramotar’s leadership begs reasoning.

Lindener

Local Government Ministry should revisit Kwakwani’s IMC DEAR EDITOR, The Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, visited the Kwakwani community, Region 10, and had a well attended public meeting with residents. I can say without a doubt persons were given chances to raise their issues.

The most contentious of the issues was the secret installation of the Interim Management Committee IMC) in the Kwakwani Neighbourhood Democratic Council by the Ministry of Local Government.

It was made quite clear to the Minister that the installation was secretly done as the Minister within the Ministry of Local Government did not meet with the residents.

One resident who was selected for the IMC also openly expressed her view that because Kwakwani is a closely-knitted community and it would have been fitting for the Ministry of Local Government to meet with the residents before the IMC. She also said that after reviewing the manner in which the installation was

done, the Minister of Local Government should revisit the process of Kwakwani’s IMC. Minister Persaud was informed the residents that he contacted and encouraged the Local Government Minister to visit Kwakwani.

He told residents that the Minister has promised to visit Kwakwani soon.

We are now awaiting the arrival of the Minister of Local Government. We trust he will give us a hearing in the same manner Minister Persaud conducted his.

Jocelyn Morian

President Ramotar should...

From page 4 responsibility and he should be man enough not to pass the buck, especially as head of a minority government.

Doesn’t Mr. Ramotar look at the news and see what’s happening in Syria when a government forces police action on peaceful demonstrators? Doesn’t he realize that extreme care has to be taken when confronting citizens who feel left out of the general development of this country, especially after the rule of Jagdeo?

Mr. Editor, the rule of Jagdeo left us with “Fuzzy” and who knows how many more “comrades” did the same. Without proper investigations which Ramotar is obviously not interested in, how can the public be reassured? And in the context of uncovering corruption, “squandermania” and ineptitude, we have to look first at the Ministry of Works and we have to examine the accomplishments of Robeson Benn, who in the opinion of many is totally unfit to hold such an important job.

Look at our roadways, especially our airport road and our bridge where he’s spent millions, not to mention the stelling at Supenaam and all our village roadways where millions were spent but many of these roads are falling apart.

Sam Hinds and his slumbering rhetoric have

enraged the people of Linden, running the mining and electricity sectors into the ground while enjoying 20 years of taxpayers largesse; Robert Persaud and his gross mismanagement, not only of the agricultural sector but his handling of the PPP electioneering campaign; Neil Kumar and his total confusion as to our sports future where the past administration never placed the Lotto money where it should have gone-to sports and culture.

Look at the results- no medals at the Olympics- if Kumar was in charge of sports in Jamaica, Usain Bolt would be running 100 meter dashes as a messenger for Fedex. I have been told that almost 50 persons have

resigned from the Ministry of Health since Ramsarran has become minister.

Editor, let us pause, take a deep breath, and wish Mr. Ramotar a “Putin-free” Presidency. Mr. Ramotar should study the Presidency of George Washington, the first and greatest President of the USA. He would learn about Washington’s humility and great leadership skills to make antagonists work brilliantly together (Hamilton and Jefferson), bringing young people to the forefront of politics and making the most of the worst circumstances to succeed beyond all expectations in elevating his nation .

Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr.)

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Page 6

Kaieteur News

Leaked NCN report says…

Investigations at the National Communications Network (NCN) by an appointed auditor in June to probe allegations of financial irregularities found that despite several weeks of production work on GT&T’s Jingle and Song Competition, the state-owned entity did not even bill their client and as a result did not receive millions of dollars owed.

NCN had been hired to record and edit the shows, broadcast them, and air the advertisements on both its radio and network of television channels.

It was these same production costs which the auditor found that Production Manager, Martin Goolsarran, submitted an invoice in his personal name and home address and collected $3,930,000 and later deposited to his personal bank account.

Goolsarran, following the report, was suspended for

Thursday August 16, 2012

No evidence GT&T was billed for production of Jingle competition

eight weeks while his boss, Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Sattaur, resigned in an embarrassing scandal that rocked the state-owned entity.

According to a report that was prepared by accountant, Harry Parmessar, and done at the request of the Office of the President (OP), the arrangements for NCN to do work for GT&T was all verbal and included no contract.

The accountant was tasked with investigating financial irregularities alleged to have occurred between September 2011 and February 2012 on the arrangement and payment for the aforementioned competition.

In his report to Dr. Roger Luncheon, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, the auditor explained that GT&T contracted NCN to provide production and broadcasting services for the competition during the

Former CEO, Mohamed ‘Fuzzy’ Sattaur period.

“Information was received by the Board of Directors of NCN that the Production Manager, Martin Goolsarran, may have misappropriated revenues

arising from these services,” the accountant said in his report which was leaked to a parliamentarian.

Between June 14 and June 18, last, several NCN staffers were interviewed and documents and records of the company were examined.

Personnel, including the Finance Manager, and those from the Production, Marketing and Internal Audit Departments were also questioned.

What the auditor found was shocking.

“No billing and no payment was received by NCN for production services,” Parmessar said in his report.

The report later slammed the actions of both Sattaur and Goolsarran.

“They have knowingly breached the company’s internal control procedures.

Their actions in dealing with the GT&T Jingle and Song

Suspended: Martin Goolsarran Competition clearly demonstrated conflict of interest.” The report also recommended that the Board of Directors take necessary actions, including legal ones, to recover loss of revenue for all amounts paid to any

individual.

The OP-ordered investigations found that poorly-kept records made it difficult to determine how much money NCN was actually raking in although Parliament was told earlier this year that over $500M was made last year.

The investigations revealed that no verification was done on a critical record, the Broadcast Log, to ensure “all billable broadcasts are being invoiced to the customer. This could result in loss of revenue to the NCN.” This suggested that ads were being aired, but clients were not being billed.

Opposition parties in Parliament have blocked millions of dollars in subsidies to NCN and a sister agency, the Government Information Agency (GINA), calling for reforms and claiming the two were heavily biased in favour of government.

Lake Mainstay tragedy…

Suddie Hospital maintains medical pros were on scene Patrons of the Lake Mainstay Regatta have claimed that no medical personnel were on the scene at the time of the boat collision last Sunday, but this claim is being denied by the manager of the Suddie Hospital.

Hospital Administrator, Boodnarine Ramnarine, told Kaieteur News that the management of the Resort did request the presence of

medical personnel and an ambulance, but given the fact that the health facility has only one ambulance, arrangements were made for the organizers to transport a doctor, a male Nurse, and an orthopedist to the Regatta.

He added that had he agreed to send the hospital’s only ambulance to the event, it would have hindered their response to the fatal Lima

Public Road accident which occurred just minutes before, in which two lives were lost, and several other persons were injured.

At the ill-fated 12th edition of the Lake Mainstay Regatta, prominent boat racer Orin ‘Monty’ Belle attempted to negotiate a turn during the second lap of the first race of the day, which catered for the 90 horse power vessels.

During this, the boat behind Belle, piloted by Dave Younge, clipped his and Younge and his vessel flew above the surface of the water, landing on Belle as he piloted the ‘Iron Charlie.’

He was severely lacerated by the propellers, sustaining injuries to his chest, hands and legs.

As patrons looked on anxiously at what was happening out in the water, it was observed that immediately after the accident, the race was still continuing.

However, it was Younge who, after realizing that his competitor had been seriously injured, turned his boat around to lend assistance. While doing so, he realized that his boat was damaged, and because he stopped, it sunk.

By that time, the racers lined along the lake’s shores, recognized the severity of the collision, and ventured out to help.

Belle was transported to the shore, and a call was subsequently made by the

Dead: Orin Belle Master of Ceremonies, Lyndon ‘Jumbie’ Jones for patrons who might be of the medical profession, to tend to Belle who had been bleeding profusely.

Even after this, there was no sign of a prepared medical team or lifeguard.

It was after several minutes that an injured Belle was transported in a pick-up to the Suddie Regional

Hospital. Many were of the opinion that had there been a more prompt response from a medical team, Belle would have survived.

The racer of Carabese Hill, Bartica, in Region Seven died while receiving medical attention at the Suddie Hospital shortly after the incident which occurred at a few minutes past noon.

And a post mortem conducted at the Georgetown Hospital yesterday revealed that he died of multiple incised wounds.

Commenting on the incident, Neil Kumar, Director of Sport at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport said that even though he was not at the regatta, and does not have all the details as to what occurred, he does see the sudden turn attempted by Belle as dangerous, especially since he was not wearing a helmet.

When asked about whom the tragic accident should be attributed to, Kumar noted that he does not believe that the management should be, or could be penalized for the incident.

However, he added that as per protocol, there was supposed to be a well prepared medical team on standby.

Mr. Kumar is of the stern view that s t r i c t e r r u l e s should be imposed for such risky events, and has promised to zero in on the safety aspects of such dangerous sports.

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Obama blasts ‘dishonest’ RomneyRyan attacks over Medicare President Barack Obama charged yesterday that Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan are looking to slash Medicare benefits while leveling “dishonest” attacks accusing him of doing the same thing.

“They are just throwing everything at the wall to see if it sticks,” Obama told a rowdy crowd of supporters in Dubuque on the third and final day of a bus tour through Iowa.

The president said his approach had “strengthened Medicare” and added 10 years to the program’s lifespan, even as it enacts “reforms that will not touch your Medicare benefits, not by a dime.”

“My plan’s already extended Medicare by nearly a decade. Their plan ends Medicare as we know it,” he charged. “My plan reduces the cost of Medicare by cracking down on fraud, and waste, and subsidies to insurance companies. Their plan makes seniors pay more so they can give another tax cut to millionaires and billionaires.”

“That’s the difference between our plans on Medicare. That’s an example of the choice in this election,” the president said. Romney’s camp has accused Obama of slashing Medicare by $716 billion, in part to pay for his landmark health care law, popularly known as Obamacare.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus charged in an op-ed published Wednesday that Obama “is the only candidate in this race willing to let Medicare die.”

Obama’s camp has countered that his cuts won’t shrink benefits but, rather, target waste.

(It notably cuts reimbursement rates for

hospitals, drugmakers and insurers, while predicting that an influx of new patients will make up for losses.) And it has underlined that the House Republicans’ budget, crafted

by Ryan, not only embraces those reductions but envisions shifting the popular program to a voucherlike system that could see elderly patients paying more out-of-pocket costs.

Both sides are grappling with Medicare’s ballooning share of federal spending, fueled by an aging population and costly advances in health care. Republicans have pointed out that Obama previously denounced political grandstanding on the issue—only to turn to it in the aftermath of Romney’s pick of Ryan as his running mate.

The issue has particular political resonance among elderly voters, who are critical to the outcome in vital battleground states like Florida.

The president also recalled how Iowans propelled his unlikely 2008 bid for the White House.

“Every stop, I’ve got fond memories of the last campaign,” he said. “This is where our movement for change happened.”

“I’ve come here to ask you to stand with me, just like you stood with me in 2008, to finish what we started,” he said, to cheers from the crowd of about 3,000. “Iowa, I’m gonna need your help one more time here.”

Obama began his day with breakfast at Riley’s Cafe and Catering in Cedar Rapids with three veterans, Amanda Irish, Jake Krapfl and Terry Philips. He also visited Cascade High School. (Yahoo! News)

Ecuador says UK threatens to raid embassy over Assange QUITO (Reuters) Ecuador said yesterday the British government had threatened to raid its embassy in London if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is not handed over, and that Quito would make its decision on his asylum request today.

“Today we’ve received a threat by the United Kingdom, a clear and written threat that they could storm our embassy in London if Ecuador refuses to hand in Julian Assange,” Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters.

“We are not a British colony,” he added in an angry statement after a meeting with President Rafael Correa.

Ecuador will announce its decision regarding Assange’s asylum request today at 7 a.m.

(1200 GMT), he added, amid media speculation that the government has already decided to grant Assange asylum.

Former computer hacker Assange, who enraged Washington in 2010 when his WikiLeaks website published

Julian Assange secret U.S. diplomatic cables, is wanted in Sweden to face trial for rape.

Assange has been taking refuge in the Ecuadorean

embassy in London since June 19. The Australian antisecrecy campaigner says he fears he could be bundled to the United States where his life would be at risk.

Even if Ecuador gives him asylum, it is difficult to see how the WikiLeaks boss could physically leave the closely watched embassy and head to an airport without being arrested by British police.

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Syrian government forces, rebels committing war crimes - UN

A Free Syrian Army fighter reacts after hearing news that his commander had been killed by tank shell. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) GENEVA (Reuters) Syrian government forces and allied shabbiha militia have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and torture in what appears to be statedirected policy, U.N. human rights investigators said yesterday.

Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar alAssad have also committed war crimes but these “did not reach the gravity, frequency and scale” of those carried out by the army and security forces, they said.

“The commission found reasonable grounds to believe that government forces and the shabbiha had committed the crimes against humanity of murder and of torture, war crimes and gross violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian

law, including unlawful killing, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, sexual violence, indiscriminate attack, pillaging and destruction of property,” said the 102-page report by the independent investigators led by Paulo Pinheiro.

Both government forces and armed insurgents had violated rights of children during the 17-month-old conflict, it said.

Karen AbuZayd, an American expert serving as senior investigator alongside Pinheiro, told Reuters: “We have identified both parties as guilty of war crimes and of course a greater number and of bigger variety from the government side.

“What happened on the government side appears to be a policy of the state. It is not just widespread but similar large-scale complex

operations, how they are carried out, the way the military and security work together,” she said.

Completing their inquiry into a massacre in Houla north of Homs in late May, the investigators said on Wednesday that government forces and Shabbiha fighters were responsible for the killings of more than 100 civilians, nearly half of them children.

The investigators said they would update their confidential list of suspects or units responsible for violations and hand it over to U.N. rights boss Navi Pillay next month.

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Kaieteur News

Regional countries to benefit from new OLADE sub-regional office in Jamaica

NY providing funds to aid undocumented Caribbean immigrants NEW YORK - CMC - The United States yesterday began accepting applications from young illegal Caribbean and other immigrants for temporary reprieve from deportation and New York State officials say they are providing US$450,000 in grants to groups that can help assist those immigrants.

In June, President Barack Obama announced the initiative, which grants twoyear deportation deferrals and work permits to illegal Caribbean and other immigrants brought here as children.

“It is critical that we get information out to our immigrant communities so that people will know who is eligible for deferred action and so that they can avoid being scammed,” said New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Silver said the grants would support clinics, workshops and legal services across the state, where an estimated 80,000 immigrants between the ages of 15 and 30 could currently benefit.

The Assembly Speaker said that the grants have also gone to the Legal Services NYC and to a new state task force run by the New York Immigration Coalition and the New York State Immigrant Action Fund.

Officials at the US Citizenship and immigration Services, the federal agency in charge of the initiative, said they anticipate a massive load of paperwork in the shortest amount of time for a new programme since 1986, when more than three million immigrants who were in the country illegally became legal residents under an amnesty programme.

Officials said eligible young illegal immigrants can obtain valid social security

numbers, and apply for driver’s licenses, professional certificates and financial aid for college.

The Washington-based Migration Institute, a nonpartisan research group, said about 1.2 million immigrants are eligible to apply now for the programme.

It said another 500,000 children will be able to apply when they reach the minimum eligibility age of 15 in coming years.

US officials said to be eligible for the reprieve, illegal immigrants must be in the country and under the age of 31 on June 15.

They must also have come to the US before they were 16 years and resided here continuously for at least five years.

In addition, officials said the illegal immigrants must be in school, or have graduated

Sheldon Silver from high school or honourably discharged from the US Armed Forces.

Officials said immigrants convicted of a felony, a serious misdemeanour (including a sexual abuse or drug violation), or three less serious misdemeanours will be rejected.

Anyone deemed to pose a threat to US national security will also not be granted the reprieve, they said. Officials said immigrants will not be allowed to appeal if their application is rejected, but they may re-apply and pay the US$465 fee again.

Argentina tries ex-president on bribery charges BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine prosecutors put a former president on trial for bribery Tuesday, accusing Fernando de la Rua of bribing senators for votes.

A three-judge panel already has ruled that $5 million was paid to a group of senators in exchange for their votes to remove worker protections in the year 2000, when the International Monetary Fund was making workforce flexibility a requirement for extending loans to Argentina. The law, which enabled companies to fire workers without cause or severance pay, was overturned in 2004.

Now prosecutors must prove the payments were ordered by De la Rua, who served from 1999 to December 2001, when the

Thursday August 16, 2012

IMF refused to extend more loans and the economy collapsed. Deadly riots followed, forcing de la Rua to flee by helicopter from the rooftop of the presidential palace.

De la Rua’s co-defendants include his liaison to Congress, former parliament secretary Mario Pontaquarto, who confessed a decade ago to delivering the money on the orders of De la Rua himself.

Pontaquarto said he picked up the $5 million from Argentina’s Intelligence Service, giving $4 million to one senator, Emilio Cantarero, and $1 million to another, Jose Genoud. Cantarero now suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and Genoud committed suicide, but Pontaquarto said he helped prosecutors compile solid evidence.

KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC - Caribbean countries are expected to benefit from a decision by the LatinAmerica Energy Organisation (OLADE) to establish a subregional office in Jamaica, Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell has said.

The Portia Simpson-Miller administration Tuesday signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OLADE for the office that will serve the needs of Barbados, Cuba, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Suriname.”The opening of this sub-regional office presents the Caribbean with additional technical expertise that will be integral to our development and will help to meet our development goals, particularly within the areas of energy security and

Phillip Paulwell efficiency,” Paulwell said.

He said he is pleased that Jamaica had been selected to host the sub-regional office, adding “in hosting this facility, Jamaica’s leadership role in the Caribbean will be enhanced significantly.

“Our dedicated team at the Ministry, departments,

agencies and institutional capacity will be boosted tremendously as a result of greater access to OLADE’s technical experts. It will also go a far way in improving Jamaica’s technical ability to influence the kinds of projects undertaken by OLADE,” he added.

Paulwell said the office “will also serve to bridge the language gap and the geological borders that sometimes seem to divide us” and that the partnership with OLADE will also establish an avenue for knowledge sharing among experts and specialists in the energy sector within Latin-America and the Caribbean.

There are 27 OLADE member states in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean with Jamaica being a member since its inception in 1973.

Brazil to invest $66 billion in roads, railways BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced a nearly $66 billion investment package yesterday to beef up the nation’s ailing road and rail systems, part of efforts to solve serious transportation bottlenecks and spur a sputtering economy.

The investment includes laying 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) of train tracks and building or widening 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles) of federal highways. Rousseff said the government would soon announce other packages aimed at airports, ports and transportation on waterways.

“We’re starting an initial stage from which Brazil will emerge richer and stronger,” Dilma said at a ceremony announcing the package.

“Brazil will finally have an infrastructure that’s compatible with its size.”

Brazil’s growth is slowing, but the nation has yet to feel the brunt of crises that have hit Europe and the U.S. since 2008. With the world’s sixth biggest economy, Brazil has

benefited from a rapidly expanded middle class that drives domestic consumption.

The government has also set aside $375 billion in foreign reserves, giving it further cushion against economic shocks.

The government will award private companies concessions for construction, maintenance and operation of the projects through a competitive bidding process. The announcement comes as Brazil gears up to host the 2014 soccer World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

Transportation bottlenecks have long made it difficult to move Brazil’s massive amounts of commodities from far-flung fields and mines to foreign markets, hurting the growth of important export sectors.

Although a great hope among emerging-market nations, Brazil ranks far behind other big nations when it comes to infrastructure. A recent global competitiveness report from the World Economic Forum

Dilma Rousseff ranked the country No. 104 out of 142 nations on the issue.

“Brazil still suffers from weaknesses that hinder its capacity to fulfill its tremendous competitive potential,” the report stated.

It added that the “lagging quality of its overall infrastructure” is an area of “increasing concern.”

Clesio Andrade, head of the industry group the National Transport Confederation, said it has called for at least $200 billion in new infrastructure funding.

“With these investments and those we’re expecting for ports and airports, we’ll approach that goal,” Andrade said, while forecasting Rousseff would soon announce $125 billion for other transport areas.

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 9

THE PRIVATE SECTOR CANNOT LEAD DEVELOPMENT IN GUYANA Forbes Burnham saw the private sector as a threat to his political power; so he marginalized it. The postJagan PPP sees the private sector as an ally and they are hoping that this PPP is going to build the new Guyana.

At one GUYEXPO, there was unveiled a vision of what Main Street in Georgetown would look like in the future.

It was quite an impressive depiction of high rises and modern buildings. It may happen, but not in the sort of organized way that the government may have been hoping, and certainly this task cannot be left up to private sector, both domestic and foreign.

The present private sector of Guyana cannot be entrusted with the development of Guyana. Sure enough they can and must play a part in the sort of society that the government envisions, but the private sector cannot be the ones to lead the government’s vision of what this country should be like in the next 20 years.

That task has to be the responsibility of government and it is for government to take the lead in deciding a vision for the country and for each region, and to bring those visions into reality.

During the talks between

the government and those with whom they were negotiating in Region 10, there was apparently a request for development projects.

The government however feels that what it has received from the region is not a developmental plan with ideas for development.

This is indeed surprising, given all the talk from the opposition both on the campaign trail and after the elections.

Against this background, one would have expected that all that it would have taken for the opposition to come up with a developmental plan for Region 10, would have been for it to go on a computer, open a file, and print the plans the opposition had for the development of that region had it won the elections.

It would be something of a shocker if it is now discovered that the opposition in fact has no detailed development blueprint for Linden, but merely has a potluck of ideas about what can be done to improve things in Region 10.

So is there an opposition development plan for Linden? If there is such a plan, where exactly can it be found and why did it take so long to

Dem boys seh ...

Uncle Donald system like a porous cast net Uncle Donald mek nuff people get vex. Some of dem want fuh know if he blind. Some want fuh know if he only talking fuh talk sake. Dem boys talk bout corruption and he seh that he been dealing wid it fuh 20 years.

He seh that since 1992 de party was putting system in place fuh deal wid corruption. De system didn’t include de Rat who put system in place fuh thief. Dem boys seh that wha Uncle Donald was actually doing was to mek sure that dem didn’t thief from de party. But de Rat had more sense than that. He tackle de Treasury.

Uncle Donald only talk because a contractor come out and call name. When de name meet Uncle Donald he claim how de man wasn’t a party man. Now Uncle Donald is government and party. He got to remove all dem system that Jagdeo had in place because all dem system allow people fuh thief and thief big.

Fuh sure, if Uncle Donald system was a cast net it had big hole because all who thief slip through. Nobody ain’t getting ketch. Brazzy had NICIL and de money disappear. Dem boys seh that it look like if Brazzy and all disappear. Uncle Donald system shoulda ketch he because he too big fuh pass through any hole.

But some people seh that Uncle Donald only talking because he got mouth. He seh that he know that dem engineer and dem contractor got runnings. Uncle Donald seh that he know that. Wha he do since he get in office?

Dem got two retire people who deh pun de tender board, Roopchand and Balgobin and dem two been there since he was putting de system in place fuh de party to cut out corruption. Dem got DeClou who declining everything. He even decline people tekking he and he friends photograph.

He and all decline Uncle Donald system.

Everything start and stop at you fingernail, Uncle Donald.

Move you hand, Uncle Donald.

Talk half and clean out de other half.

surface, if it did surface?

Instead of a plan, we are reading about a demand for a committee to examine plans for projects. This is really a plan for a planning committee.

A proposal for the composition of the land selection committees to reflect the division of votes in the elections is not a developmental plan or initiative. It is a plan about power-sharing not development.

It is not even a new idea, but the resurrection of one of Desmond Hoyte’s ideas, which never have and never will see the light of day, because the region simply does not have the administrative capacity to undertake such responsibilities.

Ironically, the opposition parties were not keen on parliamentary committees reflecting the popular will of the last elections. The opposition wanted to hog political power in parliament, but there is now a call for administrative power in Region 10 to be delegated in proportion to the votes received by the parties in the last elections.

The opposition cannot have it both ways. They cannot want to hog power in parliament and expect the government to grant them concessional powers in land selection committees. Further, they cannot ask to substitute developmental planning for power sharing.

The negotiations taking place are about development for Linden not power-sharing.

If the opposition wants power-sharing as part of the solution to the crisis in Linden, they should begin by reversing their stranglehold on the committees in parliament, respect the separation of powers, and stop trying to hijack the role of the executive in parliament by ending the stockpile of needless and futile motions.

The role of the opposition

is to provide oversight and to suggest alternative policies through critical debate. It is not to try to dictate governmental spending priorities; it is not to try to hijack the government’s legislative agenda, it is not to try to force the government to do the bidding of the opposition. And it is not, until a new power sharing constitution is passed, to try to impose on this nation the sharing of political power.

The people of Guyana did not vote for power-sharing.

They voted for their respective parties and somehow the result ended with the present configuration. It is for the opposition to not misread this new configuration and it does not give them any executive mandate.

As a major constituent in Region 10, the opposition will have a say in any developmental plan for the region. But in the end it is the government which has to

agree to the plan, and it would be nice if there is common agreement.

Unfortunately it is not certain whether the opposition has a development plan for Linden or whether what they have is a mere set of ideas. In the end it is the responsibility of the government to conceive of a vision for Linden, and for that matter for all regions and areas of Guyana.

For too long the government has been relying on the private sector to push development.

The government is fixated on infrastructural development to support private sector development.

Such a policy has limitations. The private sector in Guyana can only partner in development.

The government therefore has to come up with developmental plans for all regions of Guyana and they have to consult with the stakeholders within and outside the region

and when this is finished, develop the nuts and bolts to put these plans into action.

There have been many plans for the development of Guyana. These plans have been all overarching plans.

Missing are the plans from the bottom up that fit into this bigger plan.

The present dispensation offers an opportunity for the government to develop developmental plans for every region because the opposition parties, the private sector and the regional administrative bodies will be able to undertake this task.

This has to be the role of government.

To hope that real development is going to take place through private sector investments is to hope in vain.

It simply will not happen. The private sector is not up to such a big task.

Caribbean decision makers examine switchover to digital broadcasting ST JOHN’S, Antigua — Decision makers in the Caribbean region, led by ministers from Antigua and Barbud a , J a m a i c a a n d Montserrat, are deliberating various aspects of the transition from analog to digital broadcasting at the inaugural Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum (DBSF) Caribbean.

Jointly organised by the C o m m o n w e a l t h Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s Organisation (CTO), the C o m m o n w e a l t h Broadcasting Association (CBA) and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) with the support of the C a r i b b e a n Telecommunications Union (CTU), the event is modelled after the Digital

Broadcasting Switchover Forum (DBSF) Africa, which the CTO has held annually since 2006.

The combination of the two Commonwealth agencies and the two leading regional bodies for ICTs and broadcasting, promises to make the event a unique knowledge exchange and a place to form partnerships.

While thanking the

organising agencies for the timely intervention in his keynote address, Dr Edmond Mansoor, Minister of State, Ministry of Information, B r o a d c a s t i n g , Telecommunications, Science and Technology of the Office of Prime Minister, Antigua and Barbuda, alluded to both the opportunities and challenges of the digital broadcasting switchover.

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Kaieteur News

Thursday August 16, 2012

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

Normalcy, reality and strategy The shape of the battlefield can change overnight. A general can be seen marshalling his troops late into the evening then by the morning the tide has turned against him.

It is too early to tell how the Linden crisis will end, but if we listen to Gail Teixeira, she speaks like the person who has defeated the general alluded to above.

Ms. Teixeira has publicly said that the Government will not resume negotiations with the Linden group unless normalcy returns to Linden.

Either this is a sign of confusion in Teixeira’s mind or that she is advancing a strategy based on the changing shape of the battlefield.

Here are the facts. There was no normalcy in Linden, yet there have been four sessions of negotiations with the Linden team that had two APNU officials in it plus Mr. Sharma Solomon, Ms. Vanessa Kissoon and Mr. Aubrey Norton.

Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine told the media that a negotiated settlement was imminent.

That statement was given front page coverage. During the four sessions, the main arteries in Linden were still blocked. In other words, there was no normalcy.

The President, facing this abnormal situation, refused to go to Linden. Yet all this time, the dialogue was in full swing.

What has happened to the mind of Teixeira for her to say that there will not be further talks unless there is normalcy?

The answer to that question is absolutely nothing has happened to

either the head or mind of Teixeira. What has changed, according to Teixeira, is the battlefield. In the uncivilized hours of Sunday morning, the security forces moved the occupiers of the Wismar/ Mackenzie Bridge and began dismantling barricades.

During that operation, tear smoke was used, pellets struck the protestors and there were several arrests.

Since the July 18 gunning down of three protestors there were no mass arrests of demonstrators. Now police have hauled in eleven protestors, charged all and remanded one The position of the Government is no negotiation unless there is normalcy. The obvious question is that there has to be a reason for the changing attitude. This is beyond dispute, because the blockades were fully installed since July 18, and the two sides were fully engaged in talks.

The analyst has to offer an opinion. There has to be a reason for the shift? Could it be then that the Government feels that a strategic advantage has been realized, the reality has changed, and there is now more latitude for the Government to play catch me if you can?

Any trade unionist would tell you, normalcy is a word that brings nightmares. So far we haven’t defined what normalcy denotes.

One suspects that what Teixeira means is that all obstacles from the roadways be removed and Lindeners return to a routine of life as if there was no July 18. Simply put; life returns to normal.

In the history of trade unionism, the perennial fear is that once you call off a strike, the employer has fewer headaches, there is no tension on the ground and a more recalcitrant attitude is embraced by the employer.

The new watchword in trade

unionism is to negotiate from a position of strength, meaning, let’s talk while the strike is on.

Operation Rescue UG is now bitterly complaining that in calling off the industrial action at UG in March, they made a strategic mistake. The leaders in that movement complained that the roof of one of the classrooms was fixed in a patchy way and no other demands were met.

It was almost impossible to get the UG employees and students after June to be riled up again. There is another risk that trade unionists will talk to you about when normalcy returns.

The employer does not rush to get the talks going.

There is no urgency because calm has returned. Things get dragged out and the passage of time tends to wipe out any potential benefits for the employees.

Where we go from here is anyone’s guess, but the laws

Frederick Kissoon of battlefield operations are as old as time itself – fortunes can change very quickly.

At the time of writing (Wednesday afternoon), photos have been posted online of the badly damaged (by a gunshot) face of a young man who the police said pelted them, but whose mother said he ran away when the police stopped him and they shot at him.

There is also talk of protestors’ defiance in Wismar. In the middle of all of this, the Parliament’s Speaker has suggested a resumption of talks under the auspices of a third, neutral force. Not a bad idea.

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Suspect in botched robbery succumbs - Relatives claim friend set him up S

haine Hinds, one of the alleged suspects in a botched robbery in Thomas S t r e e t , N o r t h Cummingsburg, succumbed to his injuries early yesterday morning in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Hinds, 27, of Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, was shot multiple times about the body by police officers on Friday last. He died yesterday at 01:30hrs.

Police said that Hinds was involved in a botched robbery in Thomas Street but no other details were provided. It was also reported that two handguns were retrieved from the wounded man, one of which was found in his underwear.

Hinds's family yesterday insisted that their relative was not a bandit. They claimed that he was set-up by his best friend who was with him when he was shot, and whom police had labelled as his accomplice.

The relatives believe that the “friend” was getting back at Hinds over a problem that occurred some 10 years ago. “(The friend) tried to shoot him before because the two of them had some problem,” one of the dead man's aunts said.

It was explained that

Dead: Shaine Hinds Hinds was involved with “bad company” when he was a teenager, and was sent to the New Opportunity Corps, a place for juvenile delinquents. He was released one year after and migrated to another country, where he spent 10 years.

“He come back about two years now and he working, and then sometime last month he link up back with (the friend),” the man's aunt said.

The family claimed that the last time they saw him was around 06:30 hrs on Friday when he left with his friend.

“He went out with he baby first, and then he come home back with his friend

and the two of them gone out back and then couple minutes later we hear that he was shot,” another female relative related.

The man's family said that they strongly believed that the friend who they believe is closely acquainted with members of the police force, paid for him to be executed. “(The friend) does come by me and scrape my pot and he was the last person to see my son. He was the one with my son when he was shot, then how come he didn't come and tell me anything.

He was like a son to me,” the man's mother, Coilet Fraser said.

They pointed out that Hinds never went to prison, unlike his friend, who was a guest of the state on numerous occasions.

“He does always deh in some shooting problem and he does always go to jail. The last time he get three years and he de get sick and they take him to the hospital and he escape and about two months back they caught him and he was remanded to jail to serve back he time, but the next day we saw him walking free and he telling people that he is with the ruling party, so nobody can't do he anything,” Hinds's

aunt claimed.

A family member claimed that a medical source had informed them that the man had been shot a dozen times.

“Every morning when I go to the hospital I does go and ask the doctor how he doing and the doctor said he was shot 12 times and not five times,” the man's relative said.

On Friday, an armed motorcyclist, identified as Hinds, was shot by police during a botched robbery.

His accomplice managed to escape, Police said. They claimed to have retrieved two handguns from the wounded man and also impounded the CG motorcycle he was riding.

One of the handguns was reportedly stashed in the man's underwear.

A Thomas Street r e s i d e n t , Yo n e t t e Cummings, who was s t a n d i n g n e a r b y, w a s accidentally shot in her leg.

She was taken to GPHC and later discharged.

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Thursday August 16, 2012

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Kaieteur News

Picketers move to Education Ministry “We came here today because the Minister of Education, in the wake of the arson that was carried out on a school in Linden, promptly pointed fingers at the Linden protesters, when in fact the people of Linden were the ones who arrested the alleged arsonists and turned them over to the police,” said Working People's Alliance (WPA) executive David Hinds yesterday while explaining the reason that demonstrators mounted a protest at the office of the Education Minister.

The Protest was supported by Red Thread, social activists and politicians.

R e c e n t l y, L i n d e n suffered the fiery destruction of one of its schools.

On the day of the incident, Education Minister Priya Manickchand issued a statement denouncing the act and the demonstrators yesterday asserted that she essentially blamed it on the Linden protesters.

“A section of her statement read 'no person in their right mind can argue that to burn bridges, block roads and burn school constitute peaceful protest'.

Is that not blaming the protesters?”

Social activist Frederick Kissoon said that the Minister of Education has “unapologetically and shamefully attributed the burning of the One Mile Primary school to the protesters”.

“We have rejected that, and we are asking for her to provide the evidence that the protesters have done that,” Kissoon stated emphatically.

He added: “We believe that Minister Manickchand has now taken the lead in the sordid defence of the government's brutality and authoritarian handling of the Linden protest and we need to expose her.”

Kissoon also opined that Manickchand has taken on a

- offended by Minister's school arson statement

Yesterday's demonstration outside the Education Minister's office “vulgar defence” of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee in parliament.

This is following the no confidence motion filed against the Minister by the joint opposition following the fatal shooting of three protesters in Linden.

David Hinds said that “Minister Manickchand has to realize that as Education Minister, she is custodian of one of the most important sectors in any society and we feel that she should not get herself embroiled in this kind of political controversy”.

“She needs to decide if she wants to play dirty politics or if she wants to pay attention to the Education sector in this country which she herself said needs badly repairing.

We want to warn her that if she continues down the road she is going, she is going to suffer the same fate (no confidence motion) as Mr. Rohee. We are going to lobby our parliamentarians.

To go about the place accusing those people of arson is really a slap in the

face for Linden,” Hinds stated firmly.

“Minister Manickchand should be visiting Linden to make sure that those who will be turning out to school in a couple of weeks are prepared to do that.”

Asked whether he sees it possible for schools to reopen in the community come September, Hinds said “we are pushing for that, education is an absolute necessity.”

Michael Carrington

expressed concern that “so many Lind e n e r s w e r e arrested following various acts while no-one up to

today has been arrested for the murder of those three men”.

“Someone took the lives

of those children's father and today he walks free while people were arrested for arson and protesting.”

Page 14

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Linden crisis...

Pupils of gutted school to start classes on Sept. 3 An action plan has been developed even as arrangements take shape to put alternative measures in place to accommodate the displaced faculty and students of the One Mile Primary School in Linden, Region 10, which was gutted on Sunday.

This is according to Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam, as he commented on the matter Tuesday. He said that the Ministry has been in discussion with regional officials.

“We have some plans in place, but we will share them with the media soon.”

Sam spoke of plans to hold community meetings with residents.

He confidently assured, too, that the displaced students will be able to start school at the beginning of the new school year which is set to commence on September 3 for the entire public school system. “It is going to happen...alternative arrangements will be made and we will ensure that each child is accommodated.”

The Ministry of Education views the primary level of education as a key foundation thus making it a crucial factor in the edification of the nation’s children. This assertion was in fact made months ago to this publication by Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary) Marcel Hudson, even as students across the country prepared to undertake the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

On Sunday last it appeared that this very important role of the Ministry of Education would have been severely hampered following the work of arsonists in destroying the One Mile Primary School. A total of 10 buildings have been destroyed in Linden during the past few weeks.

The mining town has experienced unrest since July 18, last, when efforts, allegedly by police ranks, to put an end to protest action, left three persons dead and several others injured.

Residents were at the time protesting against a decision

by Government to introduce a hike in their electricity tariffs.

Following the gutting of the school, this newspaper was informed that intervening measures would

Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam be engaged by the Ministry of Education to cater to the 830 displaced students.

It was revealed even then that with school slated for a September 3 opening, the Ministry of Education and Regional Officials would have to assume an overdrive mode to ensure that students are able to resume classes at the start of the new school year.

Several parents, both from the mining town and other parts of the country, have since stated their disgust at the dilemma in the Region. Minister of Education Priya M a n i c k c h a n d understandably wasted no time in condemning the action which she stated has threatened the alleviation of poverty.

The Ministry of Education is now forced to record one less primary school having started off this year with a total of approximately 438 which cater to almost 90,000 pupils.

ACEO (Primary) Hudson during an interview with this newspaper had revealed that “the teacher/student ratio is always a work in progress.

We wish we could actually do like some other societies where we can have one teacher to about 15 children, but what we have is quite reasonable.”

The senior education officer had revealed too that although the ideal delivery of primary education should allow for 15 students per teacher, this does not obtain in Guyana’s public education system. However, he assured that research has shown that one teacher to 35 students is a reasonable ratio in this country, a state of affairs which some believe could be threatened with the recent development in Linden.

Thursday August 16, 2012

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Page 16

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 16, 2012

Hung jury in Bush Lot GTUC condemns “riotous - Accused to face assaults” at Linden murder trial court a second time The accused in a September 2009 murder at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, will have to face another trial.

Ramesh Sahadeo, 44, called ‘Bado’, a tractor driver, who was on trial for the murder of 17-year-old Darshanan Ramanan called ‘Tato’ of Bush Lot Housing Scheme which occurred on September 20, 2009 at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, will have to face a judge and jury again, after his trial ended in a hung jury (without a decision).

Sahadeo was on trial in the Berbice High Court before Justice James BovellDrakes and a mixed jury.

The court heard that on September 20, 2009 at Bush Lot, Sahadeo reportedly slashed the neck of Ramanan, killing him, following a misunderstanding between the two men.

During the trial, seven witnesses testified - the deceased man’s mother, Ceelena Ramanan, two eyewitnesses, Vishal Dayaram and Sahadeo Jailall, Daneshwar Persaud, police officers Stephen Mansell and Dwayne Harvey and Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan.

The eyewitnesses, Dayaram and Jailall, had recounted that on the day in question they had witnessed the accused inflicting the fatal chop to the neck of Darshanan Ramanan.

Dayaram had testified that the accused had handed him a bag with Parsad (sweet meat) before taking away his

A security guard employed at the East La Penitence night shelter will be spending the next month in the lock-ups after being found guilty of assaulting an inmate with a cutlass. Shawn Heyliger of Princes Street, Georgetown, committed the offence against Mark Deoraj on August 12.

Prosecutor Burgett Grant said that both men resided at the night shelter, and at around 20:00 hours on the day in question, the victim accused Heyilger of making noise at his bedside, and called the defendant a dog.

Grant said that the victim’s words enraged the defendant, and he picked up a cutlass with which he lashed the victim to the head and about the body, causing the man to receive injuries. As a result of the incident, the matter was reported to the East La Penitence Police Station. The victim was given a medical

The accused, Ramesh Sahadeo, leaving court yesterday cutlass and chopping Ramanan. He had stated that this was after an argument had ensued between the two men. Sahadeo was armed with the cutlass while Ramanan was had a brick.

Ceelena Ramanan testified of receiving information about her son’s demise. She testified that she had raced to the scene where she saw her son lying on the ground with a wound to his neck and with what appeared to be blood around him.

Daneshwar Persaud, a relative of the deceased, testified to identifying the body on the day of the post

certificate by the police to take to the doctor and that document was later completed and returned to the station.

Heyliger was subsequently contacted by the police, told of the offence and charged after admitting, the Prosecutor concluded.

The defendant denied the prosecutor’s information, stating that he does not live at the night shelter but works there. He told the court that while he was on duty he heard a noise coming from the inside of the building. He said he left his post and saw a man who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, making noise.

Heyliger said he approached the individual, who was already in a conflict with other inmates at the shelter, and asked him to behave himself. The security guard said the man became very disrespectful to him after calling him a “black dog”.

mortem. He witnessed the autopsy which was conducted by Dr. Brijmohan at the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Superintendent Stephen Mansell had told the court that on the day in question he was stationed at the Fort Wellington Police Station. He conducted investigations and subsequently arrested the accused.

Detective Corporal Dwayne Harvey in his testimony had stated that he went to the scene where he saw the accused in a pool of blood. He had a chop wound (continued on page 19)

Heyliger told the court that he went away and had to return inside the building after the victim continued to behave in a disorderly manner.

Heyliger explained that on that occasion the man threatened him by promising to cause him harm with a knife he had on his bed. The guard said Deoraj started to advance him, making threats, and he defended himself with a cutlass.

Heyliger said he concluded that Deoraj was a dangerous man as he had run–ins with him on more than one occasion.

The Magistrate questioned the use of the cutlass. She asked the defendant if as a security guard he is issued with a cutlass, and emphasised that carrying an offensive weapon is against the law. She opined that as a security guard, he should know how to handle such situations.

The accused was then sentenced.

Trade Unionists Lincoln Lewis and Norris Witter have strongly condemned the recent events that took place at Linden. The two at a press conference hosted by the Guyana Trades Union Congress yesterday called for all societal leaders to have courage and condemn the acts.

According to Lewis, the riotous assaults by the Guyana Police Force and men dressed in police uniform with no formal identification against the people of Linden must not be repeated. He said that “social organizations, civic society and societal leaders, must muster the courage to condemn government’s management of Linden and their response to the cries of Lindeners outrightly”.

“No one should deny that this government is responsible on both occasions for escalating a peaceful protest into a violent and deadly assault on life and human rights. Their recent predawn riotous assault on Wismar families was calculated to create mayhem and abandon negotiations in order to return to their original state.”

Lewis stated that “they were supported in their aggression against Linden by some sectors of society and interest groups concerned with their own self-interests.

This was evident”.

“Government bullyism and raw, naked violence must cease...the planting of agent provocateurs and burning of buildings strategic to

Linden’s welfare must cease,” Lewis stated insistently.

“Do not be fooled into thinking that the government is the victim and care sufficiently for the wellbeing of the 800-odd children now displaced educationally by the burning of the One Mile Primary School. If so they would have guaranteed their rights and the rights of their parents. They would have ensured adequate protection of State property.

Government has a responsibility to protect public property and if their intelligence told them that there is a risk of buildings being burnt then they should have preempted this by deploying the military as an additional boost to secure properties deemed to be targets.

“We have seen their Hitlerite strategy for decades, fires, orchestrated violence and nurturing of violence, tortures, death squads, corruption of the security forces, and misuse of the armed forces; rising fear and intimidation that quells the voices of dissent, and massive propaganda machinery,” Lewis stated.

“This was the work of people in authority who are prepared to violate the rights of everyone and anyone who stands in their way. Instead of deploying peace-keeping forces, they are instead deploying troops to combat.”

Lewis further stated that the government must be held accountable for misuse of community policing groups.

“The alleged use of forces

other than the recognized and legitimate national security forces to execute and instigate acts of violence under the guise of peacekeeping is unlawful.

The opposition in parliament must launch an investigation into the operations, arming, funding, and all matters related to the expansion and functioning of community policing groups.

The wanton arming and misuse of these groups are a cause of national concern for they seem to be more of a parallel force operating under the guise of community policing groups.

If this is so then these groups must be disbanded.”

Lewis noted that the leaders of Linden have acted with maturity indicating their willingness to continue talks.

“This is not the actions of people who want violence or who desire to reciprocate with violence. This is the behaviour of people who are looking for solutions, people who are prepared to negotiate but who believe that they must do so from a position of strength and not weakness.

The government clearly does not want this, but our national interest dictates that notwithstanding the recent developments, these negotiations must continue in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Lindeners have the right to determine who speaks for them and this tragedy must not be allowed to undermine their self determination.”

Carpenter shot in foot by cops A 40-year-old man, who police said is a suspect in a robbery, is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, nursing a gunshot wound to his right leg. James Emanuel Hutson, a carpenter of Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was shot at around 13: 30 hrs on Tuesday.

Hutson told Kaieteur News that he was going by a friend, when he noticed a car driving slowly next to him.

“I stop and when I turn back de police dem tell me to come in the vehicle, so I question them as to why, and then I hear a loud sound and when I look down I see blood running down my foot,” the man said.

The father of two said that “the police de going and put me in de trunk, but I argue with dem and dey put me in a car.”

Police in a statement said that Hutson was shot in his right foot after he attacked a police officer with an ice pick.

The statement further indicated that the officers responded to a report that the

- said to be robbery suspect James Emanuel Hutson

40-year-old man was in a shop and attempted to rob a customer. He was eventually confronted in a yard at Kaneville Access Road, EBD.

When the police tried to arrest him, he attacked the police officer with an ice pick, which resulted in him being shot, the Police stated.

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Diamond man on $350,000 bail for alleged $4M theft A 21-year-old man of Diamond Housing Scheme was yesterday placed on $350,000 bail on a charge that he stole articles worth more than $4M. Kadafi Prettipaul was accused of simple larceny when he made an appearance before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. It is alleged that the incident, which was committed against Monty Allen, occurred on August 12 at King Street.

The charge states that the defendant stole one AT 212 motorcar worth $3.5M, US$3,000 and G$163,000 in cash, and a Samsung cell phone. The items totaled $4,301,000.

Attorney–at–law Trenton Lake represented the defendant. He asked for reasonable bail to be granted his client. Lake asked the court to view the particulars of the charge with suspicion as he spoke about the “inflated sum attached to the articles.”

Prosecutor Burgett Grant did not object to bail, but asked for it to be a substantial amount.

The matter will be called again on September 27.

Kadafi Prettipaul being escorted to court

Works Ministry to approach ...

From page 3 appears this Ministry is being damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t. I am not prepared to be damned here when I know we are making genuine efforts to improve and to deliver to the Government and people of Guyana good engineering projects.”

Benn is adamant that fraudulent submissions and non-performance should be the focus.

He related that in April, a site visit showed numerous defects to the project and the contractor was asked to make corrections, but they were never done. But the fraudulent submissions of concrete testing results and purchase and provision of steel were the main bones of contention.

The Minister stressed that the contractor forged University of Guyana test result sheets and the signature of a Mr. Jackson.

Explaining why a Ministry’s official signature was on the testing certificate, Benn stated that it was an acknowledgment of receipt and not the acceptance of the result.

With respect to nonperformance, Benn said, “Significant portions of work have to be done. In spite of our supervisors and engineers rejecting work and saying they have to be reworked, we have been

ignored.”

The contractor’s claim that Ministry’s equipment for testing the strength of concrete was malfunctioning was debunked. According to Benn, the Ministry’s lab equipment has always been functional and if there are issues with the equipment, the University of Guyana, LINMINE lab or any private laboratory could be used as alternatives.

Even with the extended problems the Ministry claims it has been having with the contractor, a total of $207M was spent on the project. Apparently, the advance payment on the bond was $140M. “The works which were approved from April to June that relate to the issue were well short of the mobilization advance which he received, so the money was deductable with respect to it. So issues of balancing what he was advanced with respect to actual works done there were well behind…We couldn’t make additional payments given the fact that the mobilization advance itself wasn’t equal,” Benn stressed.

Painting a dim history of the contractor, Benn highlighted Guyana’s inefficiency in blacklisting defaulting contractors.

“There is no specific procedure with respect to blacklisting contractors… he

was prequalified, the lowest qualified tender.”

The Minister noted that this is not the first time the Ministry is encountering such a situation with the contractor.

He revealed that in 2005 the contractor presented a fraudulent Certificate of Compliance purported to have been issued by the Guyana Revenue Authority. In addition, a sea defence contract was pulled from the contractor because of non-performance.

Benn disclosed that the Ministry of Agriculture is currently encountering performance issues with the contractor.

Meanwhile, in an invited comment, the contractor said that 80 percent of contractors are encountering similar problems, in relation to bribery demands, but are afraid to come forward for fear of victimization by the Ministry. He is suggesting that a Complaints Authority be established with persons of integrity to end the situation once and for all.

He said that he will be moving to the courts to seek payment for the approved work already done.

“A court action will obviously cost the Guyanese taxpayers a lot of money, but this is the way the government is spending it,” the contractor asserted.

Page 17

GuyExpo plans gaining - More Int’l momentum participants on board Several Caribbean and North America countries are confirming their participation in GuyExpo 2012, according to Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Some of the international participants include Barbados, St. Lucia, Canada, USA, Trinidad, Suriname and French Guiana.

Under the theme “Strengthening the Traditional, Embracing the New” the highly anticipated trade fair and Exhibition will be staged from September 27th to 30th at the Sophia Exhibition Site.

According to GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh, the focus this year will be to attract even more international buyers as well as participants to the event.

“We are well on our way and we have made a lot of progress, as much as 180 persons have already registered and we are looking to target 350 this year in anticipation of the large overseas contingent of buyers and exhibitors,” he noted.

As to the benefits of this, he noted that this will add to the intended purpose of the trade fair, which is to provide a platform for businesses and entrepreneurs to showcase their products “This year we will also be creating linkages for small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) and so it is important that when buyers come, the linkages are made with local businesses, this is the type of networking that they need to find new markets.

It is a platform for business people, it is something that SMEs look forward to, it’s their chance to showcase their products,” the GTA Director said.

NEW FEATURES To facilitate this, the Planning Committee has introduced a new ‘Buyer’s time’ which will be two hours before the opening time; the opening ceremony is at 18:00 hours on Thursday September 27th, the gates will be opened to the public from 15:00hrs - 23:00hrs on Friday 28th , 13:00hrs 23:00hrs on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th.

Alluding to the advantage of this, Haralsingh said, “This is one more additional reason for persons from the region to attend the exhibition, to learn to improve food security and reduce the Caribbean’s dependence on imported

food.”

Another adjustment to the site plan will now see all the craft exhibitors and producers being shifted to a separate pavilion close to the Annex where they were previously housed; the annex will be providing more space for other businesses.

This year’s expo also promises to be more “visitor friendly” with information booths, quiet zones, controlled music levels,

international food courts, and a kids zone among other things.

“More sponsors are coming on board, and we would like to encourage persons to register early as booths are filling very fast.

This is the most anticipated event in Guyana so we are encouraging entrepreneurs to sign up, call 219-0086-88 or visit the GuyExpo website at www.guyexpo.net to register,” Haralsingh stated.

Page 18

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 16, 2012

Photo exhibition held in GWI clears air on observance of Int’l Youth Day fire-fighting mandate

Several children view and discuss some of the photos on display With the aim of celebrating positive achievements of youth all over the world, Youth Media Guyana (YMG) with the support of UNICEF Guyana, on Monday, hosted a photo exhibition under the theme, “Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth”, in observance of United Nations International Youth Day (IYD) 2012. The venue was the National Library Conference Room The display showcased the work of youth organizations, youth groups, and other individuals and entities working to foster youth development locally.

The photographs emphasised activities in priority areas of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Five-year Action Agenda and the development of a UN System Wide Action Plan on

Youth, namely: Employment; Entrepreneurship; Education, including on sexual and reproductive health; Political Inclusion; Citizenship; and Protection of rights.

“The activity is basically a call for persons to partner with young people to develop society towards building a better world; it can be a multistakeholder approach should the private and public sector support and encourage youths to get involved in the constructive things,” YMG Coordinator Andrea Bryan stated.

She added that YMG has been advocating for the rights of children and young people through the media, which also enables them to express themselves about issues that affect them.

Byran pointed out that while the organization has embarked on feeding

programmes and other philanthropic work they are aspiring to do much more.

Plans are being made for the group to host a stationery drive in support of the children living in the hinterland communities since there is difficulty for persons living in these areas to access school supplies.

“Youth Media Guyana could be a bridge to provide these children with simple things like pencils, books, markers, school bags, and even teaching aids for the teachers. This will go a long way in their development. Interested persons can partner with us on this initiative.”

This is the first year that an exhibition has been held to commemorate International Youth Day. The activity had been highlighted on the 2012 International Youth Day World Map of Events.

Catholic Church condemns violence in Linden - Calls for healing and nation building The Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of the Catholic Church has unequivocally condemned the recent descent into violence in Linden.

According to the church in a press release, it condemns, without qualification, the resort to fires and pre-dawn operations, regardless of the true sequence of events.

The JPC called for an immediate end to the political posturing, finger-pointing and grandstanding on all sides of the political divide.

The religious body noted that such actions are counterproductive and do more harm and realize no good

in the throes of the grave crisis. Instead, it said, “there is a crying need for the discipline of restraint from all involved; and for all the talking to move away from the streets, the virtual forums including anonymous blogs, and airwaves to the table of discussion”.

“Sanity, wisdom, and focus are sorely needed, if this tense, potentially dangerous, situation is to be defused; and a mutually satisfactory resolution achieved.

Now is the time for all leaders, especially representatives from Linden inclusive of political, religious, community, civil,

and other non-governmental leaders to act responsibly, and to manifest the appropriate interest and motivation to bring an end to this deeply troubling situation, which is affecting all Guyanese,” the religious body underscored.

The JPC lamented that as Linden burns and threatens to explode, leaders are called upon to stop fiddling with meaningless public exchanges.

“Now is the time for parliament to be reconvened on an emergency basis, where healing and authentic nation building will take precedence over narrow political interests.”

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has debunked reports that have questioned whether it is fully carrying out its mandate when it comes to its role to aid fire-fighting.

Public Relations Officer, Timothy Austin, recently told this publication that according to the Water and Sewerage Act, 2002, GWI is responsible for the provision of water and the management of the Georgetown Sewerage System.

Moreover, he said that the entity has been ensuring that there is always a sufficient supply of water during fires.

There have, however, been numerous questions related to the maintenance of hydrants, some of which have become damaged through vehicular accidents and other means.

Austin pointed to the fact that the Act makes no mention of any responsibilities regarding the country’s fire hydrants.

“GWI’s role does not extend beyond the provision of water as stated in the Act.” City Hall has also shielded itself from this responsibility with one official yesterday claiming that it was the role of GWI. However, in October 2009, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon, in removing blame from GWI, revealed that the care of hydrants was in fact Government’s responsibility. In making the revelation, Dr Luncheon even then questioned the logic of having good hydrants if there

is no working water main and vice versa revealing that “it’s a problem that has to be comprehensively addressed as a government undertaking as opposed to casting blame of obligations.”

This was expected to be completely addressed with scheduled repairs to the sewerage system which were reportedly concluded in 2010.

COLLABORATING WITH THE FIRE SERVICE Austin, in further defending the role of GWI, said that unlike some reports that the water authority has had limited collaboration with the Guyana Fire Service, the water company enjoys a strong partnership with that entity. This, he said, includes a joint-strategy on the correct procedures to follow in the event of a fire as well as joint training and exchanges of expertise.

According to Austin, ‘A Quick Response System’ was developed by the two agencies following a meeting regarding the issue of fire hydrants and the provision of water on October 23, 2009.

The system, he noted, is currently active and involves daily checks by the fire service to ensure that GWI’s hotline is operable. “This has been effective in combating several serious fires,” Austin asserted.

In addition, he disclosed that a specially dedicated telephone line was installed

by GWI for use by Fire Service

There have been numerous questions related to the maintenance of hydrants

GWI Public Relations Officer, Timothy Austin officials only.

“The (telephone) line allows the Fire Service to contact the utility at any time (24/7) in the event of a fire,” Austin disclosed, pointing out that calls from the fire service trigger an alarm within GWI’s Shelter-Belt Water Treatment Plant, which alerts operators to make necessary changes in order to provide water at full pressure.

Added to this reportedly effective system, Austin said that the Fire Service was presented with all mobile numbers of key GWI officials who can render urgent assistance in the event of a fire, including GWI’s Director of Operations.

The GWI, through the person of its Divisional Operations Manager, Curtis Niles, is currently part of the Fire Advisory Board, which according to Austin, has regular meetings at the Central Fire Station situated at Stabroek, Georgetown, or at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“This allows for regular interaction between the two agencies, including planning sessions for improved collaboration. In addition, the agencies will continue to work in partnership on joint training activities and exchange of expertise,” Austin said.

UNV programme promotes Guyana’s ecological welfare The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is seeking partnerships with the private sector and government agencies to endorse an art competition that it is anticipated will aid in funding International Volunteers’ Day which will in turn promote global awareness of Guyana’s natural beauty and highlight the importance of keeping the eco-system clean.

The “I love beautiful Guyana” art competition is part of highlighting the country’s unique beauty

while promoting recognition and appreciation for natural splendour of the eco-system.

According to UNV Programme Officer Michiru Ito, people’s lack of knowledge pertaining to the valuable eco-system in Guyana contributed to present state of the capital city which is overrun by garbage.

Thus the competition is an initial step to foster a healthy eco-system. Ito said that entities from all sectors of society are invited to join in the effort.

The competition, which is a collaborati v e e f f o r t between United Nations Development Programme, the Ministry of Culture’s volunteer support platform and other private sector enterprises, is open to schools and the general public.

Successful participants will receive monetary rewards. The sixmonth project will conclude in December.

A greeting card project and clean-up exercise is also scheduled for December as a component of the activity.

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

NTN CHANNEL 18/ CABLE 69 05:00h - Sign on with the Mahamrtunjaya Mantra 05:10h - Meditation 05:30h - Queenstown Masjid Presents Quran This Morning 06:00h - R. Gossai General Store Presents Krishna Bandhan 06:15h - Jettoo’s Lumber Yard Presents Krishna Bandhan 06:30h - Muneshwar Limited Presents Krishna Bandhan 06:45h - Double Standard Taxi Presents Krishna Bandhan 07:00h - RRT Enterprise

Presents Krishna Bandhan 07:15h - M & M Snackette Presents Raja Yoga Discourses 07:30h - Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc Presents Krishna Bandhan 07:45h - The Family of the Late Leila & David Persaud Presents Krishna Bhajan 08:00h - Timehri Maha Kali Shakti Devi Mandir Presents 08:15h - NTN This Morning Live with Reyaz Husein 09:30h - CARIBBEAN POT BBQ Pig Tails 09:45h - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 10:15h - Indian Soap - Rab Se Sohna Isshq

10:45h - Indian Soap Pavitra Rishta 11:15h - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 11:45h - Indian Soap - Punar Vivaah 12:15h - Islamic Documentary 13:15h - DVD Movie:- EK VIVAAH...AISA BHI (Eng: Sub:) *ing Sonu Sood & Isha Koppikar 15:15h - FRINGE 16:30h - Devotional Time 17:30h - Drying Tears Live with Pastor Edson 18:00h - Ganesh Parts Presents -BHAGAVAD GITA

Thursday August 16, 2012 ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 19): Intellectual pursuits like reading, writing and playing games give you great pleasure. A lover or business partner may be upset you’re not putting all of the focus on their needs. That’s a sign that you need to establish stronger personal boundaries. **************************** TAURUS (APR 20 - MAY 20): You’re able to sort through painful emotions, which will improve your job prospects. It’s important to take a few risks for the sake of something bigger. **************************** GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN 20): Getting involved with study, writing, and lecturing gives you a new lease on life.

You’ve been blessed with a fine mind; now is your chance to put it to work. Your new duties may require you to spend less time with a child or loving partner. Go ahead and cut the apron strings! **************************** CANCER (JUN 21 - JUL 22): Undergoing specialised training will increase your earning potential. Don’t be afraid to venture into unknown territory. You may discover some hidden talents along the way. **************************** LEO (JUL 23 - AUG 22): Your competitive spirit has come out in full force; this is a great day to enter a contest.

Alternatively, you may decide to join a sports team. Putting your skills to the test gives you a hint of your full potential. **************************** VIRGO (AUG 23 - SEP 22): A vivid dream gives you clues as to which direction you should take with a relationship. You have a strong sexual attraction to someone who is dynamic and forthright.

LIBRA (SEP 23 - OCT 22): You’re not as indispensable as you think, especially where a partner is concerned. Find other ways of realising your self worth. Painting, drawing or dancing can be enormously fulfilling today. Don’t be surprised if someone asks you to assume leadership of a large organisation. **************************** SCORPIO (OCT 23 - NOV 21): A talk with an authority figure could open the door to a promotion or high-powered job. That’s because you’ll be able to demonstrate grace under fire. **************************** SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 DEC 21): Taking an interest in a foreign culture can help you learn more about your own beliefs. If you feel as though you’ve been backed into a corner, you need to get some added perspective. **************************** CAPRICORN (DEC 22 JAN 19): Discussing taboo subjects can be really liberating right now. Beneath that smooth, sophisticated veneer of yours beats the heart of a true sensualist. Don’t be afraid to reveal your sexy side to a potential new lover. **************************** AQUARIUS (JAN 20 FEB 18): A lively conversation with a colleague or romantic partner lifts your spirits. If you’re on your own, you may have a meeting of minds with a friend or neighbour. Keep your eyes open for an energetic person who exudes animal magnetism. **************************** PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20): Finding clever solutions to tough work problems will be a snap today. The simple act of rearranging your work space could make all the difference in the world.

( Discourses in English) Serial 18:30h - Birthday Greetings / Deaths Announcement & In Memoriam 19:00h - Buddy’s Housing Development Project Live with Joel Ghansham 20:00h - INSIGHTS presented by the CIOG 21:00h - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 21:30h - Indian Soap - Rab Se Sohna Isshq 22:00h - Indian Soap Pavitra Rishta 22:30h - Indian Soap - Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 23:00h - Sign off with the Gayatri Mantra NCN CHANNEL 11 02:00 – NCN Late Edition (R/B) 02:30 – Late Nite with GINA 03:00 – Movie 05:00 – Inspiration 05:30 – Newtown Gospel 06:00 – NCN Late Edition News(r/b) 06:30 – CIOG Ramadan 07:00 – Guyana Today 08:00 – Feature 09:00 – Stop the Suffering 09:30 – Cartoons 10:00 – CCTV 11:00 – History 12:00 – CNN 12:30 – NCN Newsbreak 12:35 – Feature 13:05 – Revelation & Power 13:30 – Movie 16:00 – Cartoons 17:00 – Anderson 18:00 – NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30 – Farming Today 19:00 – Minister’s Forum 19:30 – NIS & YOU 20:00 – 3d/daily millions/ play de dream/lotto draw 20:05 – Changing Course 21:05 – Ravi D Show Essequibo 22:05 – NCN News Late Edition 22:35 – Caribbean Newsline 23:00 – Movie DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55hrs. Sign On 09:00hrs. Live! With Kelly 10:00hrs. House 11:00hrs. The View 12:00hrs. Prime News 12:30hrs. The Young and the Restless

Page 19

13:30hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 14:00hrs. The Talk 15:00hrs. Boy Meets World 16:00hrs. Beverly Hills, 90210 17:00hrs. MacGyver

18:00hrs. World News 18:30hrs. Nightly News 19:00hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:30hrs. DTV’s Summer Movie Fest 23:00hrs. Sign Off

Hung jury in Bush Lot ...

From page 16 on his neck. Harvey said he subsequently conducted investigations in the matter.

He also witnessed the post mortem Examination.

Dr Brijmohan in his testimony had given the cause of death as shock and haemorrhage due to an incise wound to the neck.

State Prosecutor Rhondel Weaver had set out to prove that it was the accused who

had inflicted the injuries on Darshanan Ramanan resulting in his death. She had submitted that when the injuries were inflicted, they were intended to cause grievous bodily harm and not done in self- defence or following provocation. The defence had put forward a case of self-defence.

Sahadeo was represented by state-appointed attorney Tanya Warren Clements.

Guides are subjected to change without notice

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Thursday August 16, 2012

Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport salutes the late Laurie Lewis SALON Make up courses, artist trained & certified in Trinidad: 660-5257,647-1773 Summer special Cosmetology, Nails & Make-up Call Abby 2161950,666-5241,619-7603

TOURS SUMMERTIME TRAVEL MANAUS-BRAZIL, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, SURINAME (4) days tours, 27A New Road , Vreed –enHoop WBD Tel: 592-264-2851, e m a i l : scoutkelly@yahoo.com 2 Tour/price Fort Island White Water $9,000 per person Joy 218-1285, 6499059, 692-3114, 657-0825 Orealla Overnight 24th 26th Joy 218-1285, 649-9059, 6923114, 657-0825

FOR RENT One top flat for rent at Diamond New Scheme E.B.D Call: 678-9835

Suriname Summer Vacation trip, Zoo Cinema Shopping Casino, 1 to 4 September Call: 644-0185, 639-2663, 665-5171, 227-8290

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has saluted former Commissioner of Police and Chairman of the

(From page 15) DATING SERVICE Immediate link-Singles 18-80 yrs.Confidential: Tel: 2238237,648-6098. 8:30am5:00pm Mon-Sun (Both phones same hours) NO TEXTING

Taxi Base rental at a popular West Side Hotel Call: 6381627 Booths for rent in hair salon $6,000 weekly Call: 227-3273 or 696-3037 in Albert town Georgetown.

Rental of machines : Excavator, Roller & Bobcat Call: 220-5580, 621-4786 Salon station to rent, nails and hair stations on Durban & Bishop Street Call: 6450489, 667-6619 1 Bottom flat at 121 Lindley Avenue Nandy Park, 2 bedrooms fully furnished Call: 233-5560, 619-4824 (Cindy) Apartments $50,000 monthly Call: 645-1208 House to rent in town, furnished ($35-40,000) Call: 225-4771 or 665-2110

DRESS MAKING VACANCY IT Manager must have degree in computer. Call: 220-0401- 3 or email: r e c u r u i t m e n t guyana@qualfon.com Hire Car Drivers wanted preferably from E.C.D Contact A-1 Taxi: 220-1000.

Yellow cars with drivers wanted 1 Driver salesman with lorry licence Call: 220-1500, 6144626 One live in nanny/maid, 3045 years, Location: Kuru Kururu Call: 656-1284

6-weeks course in designing/ dressmaking.

Call Sharmela: 225- 2598, 6410784

PROPERTY FOR SALE Beautiful middle income ranch style home in LaParfaite Harmonie W.B.D, Has chicken pen Call: 6821256, 622-8409, 611-3674 20X40 Two flat concrete building @ Kitty. Price $22M Negotiable to be seen Call: 668-9512, 223-2570 Bel Air Park $55M Negotiable Call: 619-4682

LAND FOR SALE TO LET Apartment to rent, 1 bedroom, Friendship E.B.D Call: 643-2934 1 Bedroom apartment at Plantation Versailles W.B.D Call: 618-5070 Alberttown (Business) US$500, Campbellville US$1,000, Nandy Park US$1,500, Bel Air US$1,000, Diana 227-2256, 626-9382 Fully furnished short term apartments, Eccles. Call: 679-7139 Fully furnished 1 & 2 bedrooms apartments AC, Hot water, internet US$40 nightly. Contact 231-6721 & 674-8300. Long & short term

1 ½ acre, 48ftx1300ft V/Hoop Call: 627-9351 Charlotte Street 35’’ x 110’’ $65M Call:619-4682 Soesdyke- Transported land 132x166 vacant $5.5M, B&G’s realty Call: 227-4125, 617-9717, 682-4094 Vreed-en-Hoop 3 acres Call: 658-0115 Nandy Park 100480 $15.5M, Diamond $3.5M, $4.5M, $4.8M, Samantha Point $3.5M. Call Steve: 699-5490 Large land Bogatville, 37’x732’, Great for poultry or greenhouse farming $6.5M Call: 223-1719 Vreed-en-Hoop House Lots, Call: 658-0115

Prime business spot Public Road McDoom Village, Land 200’x50’with front store & concrete bond 155’x30’Call: 233-0570 Diamond New Scheme two storey Call: 643-2934 Church St US$600,000, Mc Doom Public Road $53M, Continental Park $65M, Bel Air $35M Steve 699-5490 South $10M, Newtown $20M, Diamond $9.5M, Nandy Park $23M, Diana 227-2256, 626-9382 2 houses on one lot, transported land @ Lot 18 Parika Village E.B.E Call: 6503008 Agricola $19.5M, Anna Catherina $19.5M, Non Pariel $15M, Mon Repos $25M, Diamond $53M. Call Steve: 699-5490

National Sports Commission Laurie Lewis following his passing.

Here is the full text of the ministry’s statement: “Mr. Laurie Lewis, DSS, DSM, former Commissioner of Police passed on at his Home on Monday, August 13, 2012 at the age of 71 years. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport expressed sorrow over his passing.”

“Laurie, who dedicated his life to the Guyana Police Force, was also an ardent

Sports Person, since his days at Queen’s College. He was involved in many sports disciplines as a player and as an Administrator. Because of his enthusiasm and passion he held many executive offices in various National Associations. He also served as Chairman of the National Sports Commission where he demonstrated his capacity as a Leader who set superior standards, lived by firmly established principles and morals and acted in honesty

and truth.”

“His sociable personality afforded him the opportunity to win friends and positively influenced those he came into contact with. He lived a life of admiration and respect.

Laurie Lewis served his country with excellence. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport would like to extend profound condolences to his family and friends.

May his soul Rest in Eternal Peace.”

Maradona wants China job Reuters - The 51-year-old, Argentina’s head coach at the 2010 World Cup, was sacked by United Arab Emirates club Al Wasl last month but Diego Maradona appears keen on a job in the Far East. “I would like to coach in China,” Maradona told a news conference in Beijing, the China Daily reported. “I wish to contribute to the development of China’s youth football.”

One of Maradona’s coterie of agents had sounded out the Chinese earlier this year with a view of eventually

landing the national team job, the newspaper said.

During his visit, Maradona, who led his country to the 1986 World Cup as a player and is regarded as one of the game’s greatest ever, will holds talks with Chinese FA boss Wei Di. A controversial figure who has suffered serious health issues and overcome drug addiction, Maradona was fired as Argentina coach after losing 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals of the 2010 tournament.

Chinese football has seen

an influx of big-name foreign players and coaches, including Sergio Batista, the man who took over the Argentina job from Maradona, now coach of Shanghai Shenhua.

The big-spending Chinese Super League club boast former Chelsea strikers Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba, while other clubs have also been splashing the cash. Shanghai’s rivals Guangzhou Evergrande appointed Italy’s former World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi.

Italian player ends hunger strike after meeting promised

ROME (Reuters) - Emanuele Pesoli, the Italian footballer who went on hunger strike in response to his three-year ban in a match-fixing scandal, has ended his protest after being promised a meeting with the federation president.

Former Siena player Pesoli, now at Verona, chained himself to the gates of the Italian soccer federation (FIGC) headquarters in Rome on Saturday and went on hunger strike after being found guilty in the sporting courts last week. He has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in a wide ranging probe into illegal

betting in Italy which has led to Juventus coach Antonio Conte being banned for 10 months for not revealing match fixing while at Siena.

Pesoli, 31, told reporters on Wednesday that he has been promised a meeting with FIGC president Giancarlo Abete.

“I have interrupted my protest, a little because of the help of FIGC vice president Demetrio Albertini, a bit because of the interest of Abete who I will see on Friday at 10 at the federation and a bit on the advice of my doctor, who in the morning forced me to eat something,” he said.

Boyce addresses Baird, Pompey issue From page 23 “in my opinion, is the major reason Kadecia’s name was not submitted with the others to represent her country.”

DEPLORABLE The AAG President then referred to an ugly turn of events that has transpired, affecting other Guyanese athletes such as Aliann Pompey, who informed Boyce (during the lead up to the Olympics) of some “very nasty emails” that she was getting.

Pompey had qualified for the London Olympic Games a year earlier and was the clear choice for the AAG since she had done so before the March 23 requirement as opposed to Baird. Pompey released text messages she was getting, allegedly from the

Baird camp. “Good afternoon All,” Pompey had written to Boyce and others, “I hope this correspondence reaches you in better spirits than it leaves me. Over the last few days, I’ve received a series of deplorable text messages and obscene phone calls to my personal cell phone as a result of my (Olympic) selection.

As none of them posed a direct threat to my life, (quoting, for example a message: ‘I hope you die’ is not the same as saying I will kill you), and the fact that they’re being sent through the web and can’t be traced, I cannot take specific action at the moment.”

In response by e-mail, Boyce expressed his unease over the situation: “Aliann, I am very concerned about the

manner in which Guyanese track and field supporters are behaving. I thought that there was unity amongst the overseas athletes, coaches and supporters, but I am somehow thinking that it may not be so,” Boyce said.

“Yes, Kadecia’s performance is overwhelming to all and sundry, but unfortunately it was done after the accreditation deadline and it’s hard for those who are not aware of the process to accept; but that’s how life is.

Please accept our concern and sincerely hope that this ugly situation can be put to rest once and for all,” the AAG President concluded.

(By Anthony Gayle reprinted from www.caribbeantracklife.com)

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

German Restaurant on board with Tennis player Managing Director of German Restaurant provided timely sponsorship to top ranked female player Shawna Gentle who departed with her Guyanese counterparts to participate in the ITF St Vincent Invitational tournament which will feature players from around the world.

Gentle, who recently captured the Girl’s 18 GBTI title and was runner-up in the Ladies Singles, is competing in the Girl’s 18 category and will have Nicola Ramdyhan, Judah Stephney and Craig Campbell as her teammates in the tournament.

Mr. Clinton Urling in comments wished Gentle all the best in what will be her final tournament at the junior level and that the donation demonstrated German Restaurant’s strong commitment to development

Clinton Urling (left) hands over a cheque to President of the Guyana Tennis Association, Ramesh Seebarran in presence of Shawna Gentle (centre). of young local athletes. He promised to be involved in more initiatives with the

Guyana Tennis Association for the development of the sport here.

BCB boosted by $1.2M sponsorship from Tenelec Inc. The long standing and successful relationship between the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and Tenelec Inc. of Washington, United States of America, was renewed recently when the overseas based company handed over a cheque valued US$6,250 ($1,238,750) Board.

The simple presentation was done by senior Tenelec Inc. official Mr. Bobby Deonarine to Board Secretary Angela Haniff which represented the fifth successive year that the company was sponsoring the County’s First Division 50Over and Under-15 tournaments.

Secretary Angela Haniff accepting the sponsorship for the two tournaments praised Tenelec for their continued support at both the junior and senior levels.

Haniff noted that Berbice cricket over the last few years has undergone a remarkable transition due to the support of sponsors like Tenelec Inc. Ms. Haniff said that Narsingh Deonarine, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Devendra Bishoo, Brendon Bess, Keon Joseph, Shemaine Campbelle, Tremayne Smartt, Subrina Munroe, Erva Giddings, Veerasammy Permaul and Jonathan Foo had all represented the West Indies at various levels over the last five years, while numerous others have represented Guyana. She has committed the BCB to uphold its high standards in the future and

The Tenelec sponsorship being handed over to BCB Secretary Angela Haniff (lrft) also assured the Management of Tenelec Inc. and Mr. Bobby Deonarine that tournaments would be well organised and that new talent will be unearthed.

She has described Tenelec Inc. as one of the main pillars for the success of Berbice cricket and expressed the hope that the relationship would continue in the future.

Mr. Bobby Deonarine, who spoke on behalf of Tenelec Inc.,

expressed his appreciation for the state of Berbice cricket and noted that his company was pleased to be associated with the best organised Cricket Board in Guyana.

Deonarine stated that Tenelec Inc. would continue to support cricket in the Ancient County and expressed the hope that more test players would emerge in the footsteps of his nephew Narsingh Deonarine.

Enhanced tourism drive as President’s Cup Golf tournament launched Countries around the world are placing greater emphasis on sports tourism for the integral role it plays in the growth of their economy.

Consequently, officials of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) have latched on to the initiative and have partnered with officials of the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) to stage the inaugural President’s Cup Golf tournament at the Lusignan Golf Course on Saturday, September 16 next.

Minister of Water and Housing, Irfaan Ali attended the forum and delivered the keynote address, while accompanied by GTA Director, Indranauth Haralsingh and President of the LGC, Jerome Khan. The Minister said that his staff has adopted a bifurcated approach towards the development of the tourism sector and incorporating golf into the mix is an excellent idea. He said that the sport targets a special niche, attracting members of the celebrity clan. The Minister further said that the staff of the GTA is working assiduously to transform the impending tournament into a signature event on the local sports calendar.

Mr. Khan said that administrators are envisaging an annual tournament that would attract participation from countries across the world. He could not definitively say how many, or if any, of the entrants would be drawn from foreign countries since the registration process is yet to begin and only then will organisers be able to ascertain the composition. Touching

GYO ground and Saint Stanislaus College Vs Demerara CC “B” at the GNIC ground. GYO drew the bye.

The action continues tomorrow with Zone A matches: Ace Warriors Vs GYO at the GYO ground, Demerara CC Vs Malteenoes SC at the GNIC ground and

Minister, Irfaan Ali (extreme right), GTA Director, President of the LGC, Jerome Khan and Indranauth Haralsingh (left) just after the conclusion of the press brief. on the issue of enhanced support in the area of tourism, Mr. Khan pointed out that because of the nature of the sport, where golfers usually travel in large entourages, business activity would be greatly enhanced. He also underlined other benefits including support for hotel accommodation based on the influx of overseas guests attending the forum.

The Lusignan Golf Course comprises 9 holes and participants would be vying for lucrative prizes, including the player with the best gross, the nearest to the pin and the closest to the flagpole over a specified distance, among others. The players would be grouped in sets of four and Mr. Khan said that organisers could accommodate as much as 100 players.

Meanwhile, the organisers are anticipating international participation.

Mr. Khan said that they are currently eyeing involvement of players from right across the Caribbean, Europe, North America and other territories.

The Golf Club President is also optimistic that members of corporate Guyana, the diplomatic community and members of the CARICOM Secretariat would be a part of the activities.

Organisers have also considered the interests of patrons and have ensured that seating arrangement is in keeping with this objective.

They said that seating has been strategically arranged so that spectators could view several fairways without the inconvenience of leaving their seats.

Sponsorship is always welcome and the organisers are appealing for input from the corporate community to ensure the success of the event.

Seebaran to assist with Federation Referee course The World youngest referee and member of the Trinidad and Tobago Karate Federation (TTKF) Referee Council will be working with new candidates for the National referee exams. The emphasis will be on the

GCA U-19 David Persaud Investments trophy begins today The Georgetown Cricket Association’s Under-19 Competition, the David Persaud Trophy will begin today with three matches in Zone A. The scheduled games for today will see Everest CC Vs Malteenoes SC at the Everest ground, Transport Sports Club Vs Ace Warriors at the

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Transport SC Vs Everest CC at the Everest ground. Saint Stanislaus drew the bye.

Also tomorrow in Zone B: Georgetown CC Vs Queen’s College at the GCC ground, 3rd Class Vs Transport SC “B” at the Everest ground and Bel Air CC Vs Demerara CC “A” at the DCC ground.

written test.

Nicholas Seebaran at 18 is the youngest Continental Referee certified by the World United Karate Organization (WUKO). He recently graduated Magna Cum Laude for Evans High School in Orlando and will be staring college in the New Year. He already has twenty-seven college credits as a result of dual enrollment and college courses.

The US-based karate official will be assisting TTKF’s head referee Lex Springer in preparing candidates for the WUKO Continental course in November an s part of the WUKO Caribbean Cup Championships which will take place in Trinidad and

Nicholas Seebaran Tobago. Nicholas is a also is ‘AA ‘ referee with the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) National Karate Programme and a graduate of the American Sport Education Programme (ASEP) Coaching Principles course.

Over twelve countries will be sending officials to the course. Among them are USA, Guyana, St. Lucia, Grenada, Cayman Islands, Canada, Puerto Rico, Panama, Bahamas, and Jamaica.

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Kaieteur News

Digicel on board Goodwill Swimming, Regional Scrabble

By Rawle Welch Two sporting disciplines were able to breathe a little bit easier when cellular service giants Digicel confirmed support, during a simple ceremony that was conducted yesterday, at the Company’s Head Office.

The two beneficiaries were the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) who will be hosting the Caribbean Goodwill Swimming Championships and the Guyana Association for Scrabble Players (GASP) that will be staging the Regional Tournament shortly.

Representing GASA was Secretary Dee George, while Moen Gafoor, Abigail McDonald and Leon Belony acted on behalf of the Scrabble fraternity.

George in her remarks gave a brief synopsis of the event, informing that only Trinidad and Tobago of the four participating countries will be represented by a full contingent with 40 swimmers expected to arrive, while 36, 31 and 27 are anticipated to take to the pool for Suriname, Barbados and Guyana respectively.

Commenting on preparations, George

informed that the blocks from the 50 metres configuration has been removed by an expert from the manufacturer and every aspect with regards to the Pool’s readiness has been completed.

She added that because the facility is still under warranty the custodians decided that it was best to utilize the expertise of the manufacturing company.

George when quizzed about Guyana’s chances of upstaging the visitors said that Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname were usually strong teams and are still expected to do well, but the host has prepared thoroughly and is aiming to improve in the points standing.

She then thanked Digicel for its support, adding that she hopes it is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship.

The event starts tomorrow and run until Sunday, at the National Aquatic Centre, Lilliendaal.

Head of Finance and Fund Raising of GASP Meon Gafoor speaking at the occasion said that the locals have prepared the best they could and are looking forward to the challenges of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados on

August 23-26, at the Bank of Guyana Roof Garden.

Belong commenting on his preparation informed he is rounding into form and expects to do well, especially in light of the fact that this will be his third year at the tournament and over the period he has gained valuable experience.

Defending national champion McDonald, who has won the accolade back to back told the media that she too is extremely pleased with her progress and is rearing to face off against the best exponents in the Caribbean.

She said she has placed a lot of pressure on herself to do well and has prepared assiduously to do so and make Guyana proud.

The team comprises McDonald, Belony, Gafoor, James Krakowsky, Fred Collins and Ulric Harris, while Orlando Michael and Ruby Cummings are the standbys.

Collins was the first even Caribbean champion.

Meanwhile, Hope in his response said that Digicel was pleased to be on board, but urged GASP to do more to attract more players to the sport, especially children from schools across the country.

He wished them a successful tournament.

Thursday August 16, 2012

Taffin Khan wins Red Cherry Chess finals

Winners of the Red Cherry Café Chess tournament pose with their rewards following the presentation.

National Chess Champion Taffin Khan is the RED CHERRY Café Ladder Chess Champion, recording just one loss from six matches in the finals held at the Camp St. Georgetown avenue last Saturday.

In a seemingly easy struggle with his three other opponents, Khan conceded his only defeat to Ronuel Greenidge in the sixth and final match.

Berbician and former National Champion Kriskal Persaud took second place, Ronuel Greenidge placed third and Anthony Drayton finished fourth.

The scores at the end of the finals read: Taffin Khan 15 points (one loss, five wins), Kriskal Persaud 9 points (3 losses, 3 wins), Anthony Drayton and Ronuel

Greenidge six points apiece (four losses, two wins each).

Since Greenidge and Drayton were tied on six points apiece, the two then headed into a three-match blitz playoff with only five minutes each on the clock to determine the third place winner. Greenidge eventually prevailed.

During the earlier showdown, each player had only 10 minutes on the clock to accomplish victory and finally determine the Ladder Champion. The finals lasted for just about two hours.

The inaugural tournament began in July with six preliminary rounds. At the end of the preliminaries on August 8, the emerging top four faced off each other for the finals at the outdoor location.

Taffin Khan received $50,000 cash plus $50,000 in RED CHERRY vouchers, Kriskal Persaud received $10,000 cash plus $15,000 worth in RED CHERRY vouchers, Greenidge was awarded $5,000 cash plus $10,000 in RED CHERRY vouchers and Drayton received a RED CHERRY voucher worth $5,000.

In addition, the top four each received a trophy. The best female during the preliminaries was Sheriffa Ali, and her brother Saeed was adjudged the best junior. They were each awarded trophies, $10,000 cash and Red Cherry vouchers worth $10,000. The presentation was done by CEO of the Red Cherry cafés Loris Nathoo immediately after the finals on Saturday.

Exciting semi-final match ups expected Guyana on winners’ row in Regional after thrilling finish to preliminaries Women’s Twenty20 Tournament 6th round

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Guyana were one of the teams recording victories when the sixth round of matches in the Regional Women’s Twenty20 Tournament was played yesterday.

Guyana beat SVG by three wickets, while there were also wins for T&T, Jamaica and Barbados.

Results from the 6th round matches: At Kensington Park: Guyana beat St. Vincent & the Grenadines by three wickets.

ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES 87 off 19.2 overs (Cordel Jack 30, Juliana Nero 15, Sheree Ann John 10; Subrina Munroe 2-3, Shemaine Campbelle 2-7, Prudence Williams 2-15, Joann Vansertima 2-32).

GUYANA 90 for seven off 20 overs (June Ogle 44 not out; Roshelle John 2-15, Sheree Ann John 2-21).

At Kensington Park: Trinidad & Tobago beat Grenada by 117 runs.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 181 for four off 20 overs (Deandra Dottin 44, Amanda Samaroo 41, Britney Cooper 41, Stacy Ann King 18 not out; Afy Fletcher 2-39).

GRENADA 64 for eight off 20 overs (Debbie Ann Lewis 21, Afy Fletcher 19; Felicia Walters 3-10).

At Chedwin Park: Jamaica beat Dominica by 172 runs.

JAMAICA 201 for three off 20 overs (Stafanie Taylor 114 not out, Shanel Daley 39, Natasha McLean 16).

DOMINICA 29 off 16.2 overs (Roshana

Outar 4-4-0-4, Vanessa Watts 3-6).

At Chedwin Park: Barbados beat St. Lucia by 134 runs.

BARBADOS 179 for three off 20 overs (Kycia Knight 93, Kyshonna Knight 44 not out, Pamela Lavine 20; Marlene Preville 2-32).

ST. LUCIA 45 off 17.4 overs (Paulina Francis 11; Keila Elliott 4-14, Pamela Lavine 213).

Round 7 is set for tomorrow, August 17.

The fixtures: Dominica vs Trinidad & Tobago at Kensington Park – 10 a.m.

Umpires: Colin Alfred, Patrick Gustard Match referee: Michael Hylton Reserve umpire: Erickson Degalarie Barbados vs St. Vincent & the Grenadines at Kensington Park – 2 p.m.

Umpires: Erickson Degalarie, Verdayne Smith Match referee: Michael Hylton Reserve umpire: Patrick Gustard Guyana vs St. Lucia at Chedwin Park – 10 a.m.

Umpires: Christopher Taylor, Carl Tuckett Match referee: Donald McNaughton Reserve umpire: Athol Hamilton Jamaica vs Grenada at Chedwin Park – 2 p.m.

Umpires: Lyndon Rajkumar, Athol Hamilton Match referee: Donald McNaughton Reserve umpire: Christopher Taylor

After many twist and turns in the second leg of the Trade Wind Tankers ‘True Champions’ Volleyball Tournament, the final four spots have been decided after the completion of the preliminary phase which ended last Saturday, at the National Gymnasium.

On a day which saw also saw the completion of matches from the previous stage, the final result was by no means a surprise as defending champions Young Achievers clinched the number one spot going into the semi-finals with a total of 291 points after winning the 2’s format and placing second in the fours and sixes.

Port Mourant Training School (PMTS) qualified in second position with 266 points, having won the 6’s, placed third in the 4’s and fifth in the 2’s while the third place spot went to Rollers with a total of 263 points placing third in the 6’s, fifth in the 4’s and second in the 2’s format.

The last semi-final spot went to hosts Castrol Strikers, who accumulated 257 points

after winning the 4’s placing fifth in the 6’s and fourth in the 2’s. For winning the 2’s Achievers will receive $20,000 while Castrol will receive $20,000 for winning the 4’s and Young Achievers an additional $10,000 for placing second in the fours.

Finishing in fifth and sixth places were Port Mourant Jaguars and Lusignan teams that accumulated 252 and 167 points respectively.

This Saturday’s semi-final action will see Achievers and Castrol battle for a place in the

final, while second place PMTS will take on their Berbice counterparts Rollers to determine the other team for the gold medal match up and a chance to cart off the top monetary prize of $80,000.

Second place will receive $60,000, while third and fourth will receive $40,000 and $20,000 respectively.

The final will be played on the September 1 along with the third place playoff, at the National Gymnasium.

Meanwhile, action on Saturday commences at 15:00 hrs.

Golden Jaguars lose to Bolivia 2-0 The Guyana Golden Jaguars football team suffered a 2-0 loss to Bolivia in a friendly international match in Bolivia last night.

Both teams created chances, but the home side held the lion’s share of the possession and had the better chances.

They eventually made good in the dying stages of the game with a penalty and another goal when goalkeeper Richard Reynolds was forced off his line and the defence was caught napping, allowing the advancing striker to angle the ball into the net past the goalie and defence.

Both teams used the game as preparation for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Thursday August 16, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Boyce addresses Baird, Pompey issue I

n responding to the Kadecia Baird, Aliann Pompey controversy, Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) President, Colin Boyce has said that there is nothing he could have done to include young Kadecia Baird, Guyana’s junior 400m record holder and world junior silver medalist, on Guyana’s delegation to the 2012 London Olympics.

He explained that neither he nor anyone from the AAG received accreditation papers for Baird in time for her to represent Guyana at the Olympics.

In an exclusive interview

with Caribbean Track Life online magazine, Boyce noted that, “I have made available to Guyanese athletes residing outside of Guyana the requirements to represent Guyana through various sources.”

Boyce identified the three basic requirements: have a valid Guyanese passport; have a variable performance (FAT) time; and submit a registration form by March 23 of the year of the competition in which they intend to participate.

He then pointed out that up to the time of submitting accreditation papers to the IOC (International Olympic

Aliann Pompey Committee), AAG never received documentation from Baird, her parents or coaches.

Annual Franco Crawford cycle race pedals off Sunday

Selso Crawford (2nd right) hands over the sponsorship cheque to coordinator and club coach Randolph Roberts. Sponsors Franco Crawford, Leaton Beaton and another cyclist savor the moment.

C

yclists in Berbice will once again be involved in competitive cycling when the Flying Ace Cycling Club runs off the annual Franco Crawford road race. This is the seventh year for the event.

The race is being sponsored by overseasbased Guyanese Franco Crawford, his son Selso Crawford and British citizen Leaton Beaton.

The event starts from Springlands Police Station on the Upper Corentyne to Main and Alexander Streets, New Amsterdam, covering a distance of 46 miles. Start time is 09:00 hrs. There will be a number of prizes for the top finishers and eight sprint

prizes.

Prizes will be presented to the first six cyclists to cross the finishing line.

Rewards are to be presented to the first three juveniles, and first two females. There will be a reward for the top veteran rider.

The juveniles will journey a distance of 20 miles, while the females will cover a distance of 10 miles.

The differently able riders will start their journey immediately after the first bunch of cyclists would have past their starting point. Franco Crawford a former member of the Flying Ace Cycling Club, who now resides in England along with his son and club mate Beaton, ride in Europe

and North America. They compete for the Geoffrey Butler GB cycling club.

The GB cycling club has been in existence since the 1950s and was founded by Geoffrey Butler. The club has now blossomed in a full cycling establishment and business entity. It trades in cycles, parts, clothing and other equipment.

The trio stated the main aim is to establish a link between the two clubs, for Guyanese to benefit from the services and expertise of the British club and riders.

Franco Crawford stated that he is motivated to assist his fellow Guyanese because he feels happy to be able to return to Guyana and give back to his home country and community. He remembered his early upbringing when he hadn’t a proper bike and gear to participate.

The trio is impressed by the talent that is available in Guyana.

Selso Crawford said he is enjoying every bit of his stay in Guyana. This will be the second race that he will be participating in since his arrival in Guyana. He stated that he has only returned to competitive riding two months’ ago, having being off the saddle for over two years due to injuries.

The trio recently handed over the sponsorship cheque to coordinator of the event and club coach Randolph Roberts.

Crawford and his son will are expected to match pedals with their local counterparts, while Beaton, who is injured, will not be riding this year.

Kadecia Baird “In late April 2011, I came to America to attend the Penn Relays, and spent the following week after that meeting with various persons from the Guyanese

Diaspora, some as a group and others individually,” Boyce said.

“One of the persons I met was Nicola “Nikki” Martial, a Guyanese and current Head Coach of Medgar Evers College Prep High School Girls Track and Field, and Baird’s coach. I expressed AAG’s interest in having Kadecia represent Guyana in various junior international competitions, including the CARIFTA Games, for the 2012 Track and Field season. Her response to me among other things was, ‘Kadecia is not ready for that level of competition’,” Boyce said, adding that he was told that Kadecia needed to

Colin Boyce concentrate on the Penn Relays.

Boyce has said he finds the quotes attributed to Ms. Martial in the media (New York Daily News, article by Mitch Abramson, July 14, 2012) ‘disingenuous and disturbing.’ “Nikki,” he said, (Continued on page 20)

GDF Inter-Service Athletics Sports to run off in two weeks

Phase one of the ground preparation (slashing) in progress.

T

he Annual Inter-Service Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Athletics Sports, which was continually postponed over the past weeks, is set to be run off in two weeks at the Guyana Defence Force ground, Thomas Land.

The event which sees intense rivalry around the athletes from the Force will commence sometime this month end or early in September. This information was revealed by the Coach of the Guyana Defence Force athletic club, Robert Chisholm yesterday afternoon.

The Coach, who trains some of the top athletes in the region, disclosed to this publication that the first preparation on the ground for the upcoming track and field meet was done yesterday; this process would be the slashing of the field by lawn-mower.

He continued by saying that the inclement weather, which prevailed over the past weeks along with the crisis that flared-up in Guyana’s Mining Town, which is currently

happening, contributed to the postponement of the sports, “Most of the athletes are in Linden,” the coach stated during the interview.

Chisholm added that after the grass on the entire ground has been slashed by the machine, the ground will undergo the second process, “After the first process is concluded which is the grass cutting, the other process will be to roll the ground to get that level surface.”

At the conclusion of the second phase, the final one will commence which is the marking of the ground.

The Coach went on by saying that the weather did not only affect ground preparation for the event but it also hindered the athletes training sessions.

The athletes who are getting ready for the Games, which will be as a trial also for the Joint Services Athletics Sports, were only able to do strength work in the gym during their training sessions.

t r o Sp Saunders and Baker cook up superb stand for Leewards as Guyana stumble Bridgetown, Barbados — Leeward Islands enjoyed their best day of the West Indies Cricket Board’s Under-19 Three-Day Tournament as they batted into the record books yesterday, while Guyana stumbled badly and facing defeat by leaders Barbados.

Resuming the second day on 221-4, the Leewards made 423 against Trinidad and Tobago on a placid surface at Kensington Oval.

Captain Akeem Saunders made an outstanding 167, while Deno Baker made 109. The pair added 254 runs for the fifth wicket – a record at this level. Saunders started the day on 68 and reached his century with a superb six over long-on into the Sir Garfield Sobers Pavilion.

Overall, he batted for eight hours, faced 361 balls, and hit 16 fours and two sixes.

Baker started the day on 41 and was watchful throughout as he partnered his captain. He reached his maiden century with a glance to fine leg for a boundary. Overall his knock lasted 5 ¼ hours, came off 251 balls and included nine fours. Fast bowler Philton Williams took five wickets and was a livewire in the field to run out Saunders and Baker in the space of five overs.

Meanwhile, at Desmond Haynes Oval, leaders

Akeem Saunders drives for four during his century against T&T against Kensington Oval.

Barbados moved one step closer to capturing the title when they earned first innings lead over secondplaced Guyana. A 10thwicket stand of 61 between keeper Carlos Maynard and last man Chad Williams earned the Bajans a lead of 75. They pair batted well against left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who took 5-73. The Barbados fast

bowlers then dismissed the Guyana openers in the closing stages to put the Guyanese under pressure going into the final day today.

In the other match, Keone George made a determined 48 as he helped Windward Islands earn first innings lead over defending champs Jamaica at the Police Sports Complex. George batted for four hours and

Motie celebrates his 3rd Bdos Wicket.

Deno Baker of Leeward Islands smashes a short ball down the ground for four during his brilliant century against T&T.

faced 149 balls on a day cut short by bad weather.

Windwards closed the day with a one-run lead and seven wickets in hand.

Score summaries: At Desmond Haynes Oval: Barbados vs Guyana Guyana 136 all out (Shawn Pereira 33, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 25; Darnell Greenidge 3-28, Chad Williams 3-39, Akeem

Jordan 2-24, Chaim Holder 2-34) and 1-2. Barbados 211 all out (Shayne Moseley 65, Carlos Maynard 50, Gudakesh Motie 5-73, Romario Shepherd 3-34) At Weymouth: Jamaica vs Windward Islands Jamaica 116 all out (Delbert Gayle 38, Brandon King 20; Kenneth Dember 645, Preston McSween 2-14)

Windward Islands 117-3 (Keone George 48, Tarryck Gabriel 26 not out) At Kensington Oval: Trinidad and Tobago vs Leeward Islands Leewards 423 all out (Akeem Saunders 167, Deno Baker 109, Darren Hobson 53; Philton Williams 5-84).

Trinidad and Tobago 92-1 (Jeremy Solozano 57 not out, Andy Gobin 22).

Digicel on board Goodwill Swimming, Regional Scrabble P. 22

Digicel’s representatives PRO Shonnet Moore and Gavin Hope seen at the Head Table with GASA Secretary Dee George yesterday.

GASP representatives (from right) Moen Gafoor, Leon Belony and Abigail McDonald yesterday.

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