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Sunday December 02, 2012
US$11.5M boat heist in Curacao…
‘Gold’ boat departed from Suriname As local authorities scramble to ascertain whether a multi-million-dollar shipment of gold stolen in a daring heist in Curacao on Friday came from Guyana, there are strong indications that the bulk of it is from Suriname. According to government sources, the vessel, the Summer Bliss, is indeed registered in Guyana to one Deo Shivpaul. The local address on the registration is given as Canal # 2, but checks by local officials found that the location is an empty lot, adding even more mystery to the incident. According to the sources, the vessel would normally be moored at the mouth of the Berbice River, between Guyana and Suriname. Sources have said now that boat never did left from Guyana but from Suriname. On Friday, gunmen disguised as police officers raided the fishing vessel which was moored at the port in Willemstad, Curacao, an Antillean island located off Venezuela.
In what appeared to be a well planned heist, the gunmen using three cars beat the Guyanese captain and held the three crewmen, also from Guyana, at bay with guns. They later escaped with 70 gold bars worth US$11.5M (G$2.3B) that had been on the boat. The boat had left four days before from Guyana, one crewman reportedly told investigators in Curacao. The Guyana government immediately denied knowledge of the gold, saying that it never gave permission for gold to be shipped by any boat. The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) also denied that it members may have been involved. Government yesterday convened an emergency meeting on the issue, warning a zero tolerance on smuggling. SURINAMEANGLE Kaieteur News was told that from all indications, the bulk of the gold belonged to traders in Suriname and to a Chinese mining outfit. A few ounces also
reportedly belonged to a Guyanese. Because Suriname’s royalties and taxes are lower than Guyana, traders have been trekking to the neighbouring country, at great risk of seizures from authorities there and from even robbers. The Guyana government has long admitted that some of its gold is being smuggled and not declared as the law demands. There are a number of licensed traders and even fewer authorized exporters of gold. According to one knowledgeable trader yesterday, government should issue more export licences to help reduce smuggling. President Donald Ramotar recently called for a common regional tax regime which would discourage smuggling. Friday’s incident would worry government because of the taxes that would have been lost if it is indeed ascertained that the gold was being smuggled from Guyana. Last year, gold
- Vessel registration leads to empty lot in Guyana declarations amounted to over 360,000 ounces. It is believed that the actual amount produced could more than double that. Guyana’s rough terrain has made it difficult for the regulator, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, to properly monitor miners. LEADS Yesterday, the Huffington Post website reported police in Curacao as saying that they have several leads, including the licence plate number of one of three cars used in Friday’s getaway. The police there have been asking for the public’s help in tracking the suspects, police spokesman Reggie Huggins told The Associated Press. “There is information coming in,” he said. “We are getting reactions from the public, but we still have to sort it out.” Police have said that at least six men were involved, but no one has been arrested
in a case that surprised authorities in the Dutch Caribbean Island. Huggins said police are still interviewing the ship’s captain and three crew members, who contacted officials in Curacao about the incoming gold shipment as part of regular security protocol. The gold bars weigh about 216 kilograms (476 pounds). Kaieteur News understands that the gold was heading to a buyer in Curacao. Police declined to say where the gold was being delivered, but one crew member, who identified himself to the AP as Raymond Emmanuel, said they were delivering the gold to an unidentified company in Curacao. Emmanuel said the crew left Guyana on Tuesday and arrived in Curacao early Friday. Officials reportedly said there is no record of the ship,
named “Summer Bliss,” leaving Guyana’s Port Georgetown Harbour, adding that it could have left from a pier at any of the country’s numerous rivers. DISGUISE Curacao’s main newspaper, the Amigoe, yesterday, gave the ages of the three Guyanese crew members as 53, 47 and 39 years, with the captain being 51. From the police investigation, a white car, an old model Mitsubishi Lancer, drove up to the Willemstad port early and honked at the gate. The guard thought the driver was a member of the Customs and let the man inside. The suspect parked near the fishing boat. A few seconds later, a red Mitsubishi Lancer and a gray Hyundai Elantra also drove through. Six masked and armed men came out from the three cars. They all wore ‘hoodies’ and had police jacks. The men stormed the fishing vessel and under gunpoint pushed the captain to the ground. One of the (Continued on page 3)
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
HIV-infected Amerindians among most discriminated - Nat’l AIDS Committee While all HIV-positive persons are vulnerable, the most at-risk groups in terms of discrimination in Guyana are HIV-positive Amerindians, women and people with disabilities whose access to jobs, education and HIV treatment are limited. At least this is according to a statement issued by the National AIDS Committee (NAC) on Friday, last, the eve of World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is observed the world over on December 1 on an annual basis and yesterday the observance embraced the theme “Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths”. Narrowing the discrimination even further to Amerindian women, the NAC has posited that due to the gold rush taking place in interior locations, large numbers of itinerant miners have ready access to Amerindian communities in remote areas. This state of affairs is compounded by the fact that young Amerindian girls are being trafficked into mining camps for sex work
purposes while doctors rarely visit communities, at most on a quarterly basis, the NAC has outlined. Nevertheless, the Committee said that it welcomes the reported reduction in new infections in Guyana in 2011, although this is not recorded along with other Caribbean territories in the UNAIDS Day Report 2012: Results. This reduction was reportedly achieved in 2011 despite the alarming drop in condom availability which apparently more than halved - by over 56 per cent - from 4,904,041 in 2010 to 2,761,981 in 2011, according to the 2012 Guyana UNGASS Report. NAC has observed that access to female condoms reduced even more dramatically from 33,000 in 2010 to a mere 1100 in 2011, which is equivalent to three per day for the entire female population in 2011. According to NAC, reliable and regular condom availability is vital to the central message of HIV prevention, namely the habitual use of condoms for safe sex, adding that ease of
access is an essential component to creating such habits. “Seen in the specific context of mining districts in remote areas, it is difficult to see how the falling rate of infections can be sustained with no condoms available at all,” the NAC missive outlines. An additional concern from the body, which continues to be at loggerheads with the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), is that there is an abysmal standard of midwifery prevailing even at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. This situation, it said, has resulted in unattended births and maternal deaths. “Expectant mothers delivering unattended by hostile personnel create an image which will deter expectant mothers from going to health facilities. This will jeopardize the good record Guyana has achieved with respect to PMTCT (Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission),” NAC has concluded. According to the
Committee, “Getting to zero deaths” in Guyana is hampered by the continued practice of non-recording of deaths due to AIDS out of regard for the virulent stigma still surrounding the virus. There is a perception that AIDS-related deaths are lessening, but without reliable statistics such impressions are hard to verify, the Committee has asserted. The statement adds, too, that several conclusions to be drawn from a brief consideration of the status of getting to zero include the need for a more integrated delivery of services, particularly in outlying areas. Added to this, NAC says that a number of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have been complaining about the number of doctors who are unfamiliar with treatment strategies. This is along with the practice of frequent rotation, which means that an individual doctor has little opportunity to familiarize him or herself with individual patient’s treatment regimes. The need for locating PMTCT within a more
‘Gold’ boat departed from... (From page 2) crewman was gun-butted after asking why his captain was being handled like that. He received injuries to his head and eye. According to the Amigoe, the robbers apparently knew their way around the ship and went directly to three metal boxes which contained the gold. ZERO TOLERANCE Yesterday, government reiterated its zero tolerance for gold smuggling during an emergency meeting with the
Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and licenced gold and diamond dealers. “The Minister (of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud) stated that the President of Guyana and the government are very concerned and are treating the report with a high level of seriousness. As such, the Government and law enforcement sector will work with concerned international authorities to ascertain the source of the gold.”
GGDMA’s President, Patrick Harding, noted that association members have been urged to sell gold to the Guyana Gold Board or authorised dealers. The Ministry has also been seeking to work with Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela to reduce all forms of illegal mineral trade and will continue to work with all stakeholders of the gold industry to ensure that more stringent measures are implemented and enforced to ensure the legal trade of
Guyana’s gold is maintained. As such, a special task force, which will include representatives from the GGDMA, law enforcement authorities, Customs and Trade Administration, among other stakeholders, has been put together to review the current regulations so as to prevent the smuggling of gold and other minerals. Guyana has now, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requested help from Curacao for more information.
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Editorial
A Forgotten War The defining scene of Africa in the western imagination is from Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”: Kurtz dies in the jungles of the Congo mumbling ‘The horror! The horror!” But the horror was not what Kurtz had seen; it was what he, as a European, had done to the peoples in the Congo. His papers, after all, were entitled, “Suppression of Savage Customs”. But sadly, the Congo has never stopped experiencing ‘horror’ and at this time, a two-decade war is again heating up. Unique in being the personal property of King Leopold of Belgium in the 19th century, what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo became a colony of Belgium between 19081960. By the time of independence, the Cold War was in full bloom and the names Moishe Tsombe, Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, are signposts in the west’s determination to control the mineral-rich country, almost the size of the entire Western Europe. War became endemic in the region, with 5.8 million dying since 1998. The latest onslaughts have at their base a mineral, as usual. The rebel group M23 seeks to overthrow the government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At issue is the mineral coltan, which is used in mobile phones. The eastern region of the DRC has been embroiled in war for the last decade and a half, with rebels and government soldiers alike, going on murderous rampages. The conflicts are partly triggered by the enmity between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, and partly by competition over land, natural resources, mines and huge sums of money. On November 21, M23 captured the DRC town of Goma, and defying an African Union deadline, they have refused to withdraw. The M23 rebels are trying to gain the support of the local population. They are portraying themselves as a peacekeeping power that will finally bring calm and security to the region. For them, the important eastern city of Goma is the bridgehead from which they intend to capture the entire country. But even if the group doesn’t succeed, the DRC could be split apart. DRC’s ongoing tragedy began in Rwanda, its neighbour to the east. In 1994, Hutu militias began attacking members of the Tutsi ethnic group, killing about 800,000 people in only 100 days. This genocide is Central Africa’s original catastrophe. A Tutsi army under current Rwandan President Paul Kagame drove the Hutu killers to the west and into the Congo jungles. With support from Uganda, the Rwandan army pursued the militias into Congo. The official justification for the incursion into Congolese territory was to protect Tutsi living in Congo. But once they were in Congo, Rwandan troops joined forces with Congolese rebels and advanced to Kinshasa, where they overthrew the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997. Laurent Désiré Kabila, the father of the current president, was named president in his place. Suffering guilt over what they had allowed in Rwanda, the west, especially the US, has given strong backing, including massive aid to Kagame since 1994. Unfortunately Kagame has continued interfering in the affairs of the DRC. Even after officially withdrawing its troops, Rwanda remained involved, supporting various rebel groups with weapons, money and logistics. In 2006, Rwanda cooperated with the rebel group headed by General Laurent Nkunda, whose troops went on a terrible rampage. International pressure eventually forced Rwanda to withdraw its support for Nkunda. He was arrested and, following a peace treaty in 2009, his troops were absorbed into the Congolese army. The UN has a peacekeeping operation in DRC: over 20,000 personnel and an annual budget of close to $1.5 billion However, last spring, several hundred former Nkunda men deserted and established the M23 group in the jungle, naming it after the date of the peace treaty, March 23, 2009. M23 maintained a camp on the border with Rwanda and the latter secretly supplied them with weapons, uniforms, radios and navigation equipment. While yesterday M23 retreated out of Goma, they still control eastern DRC. Only the US and Rwanda’s western backers can stop this unnecessary bloodletting.
Sunday December 02, 2012
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A question for Speaker Trotman and Opposition Leader, Granger DEAR EDITOR, During the last sitting of the National Assembly, members of the People’s Parliament stood outside the gate with their picket and were greeted with hostility by Commander Vyphuis. His anger was that the picketers went beyond the barricades. He sent for a truckload of policemen. They came armed to the teeth but before their arrival, the picketers were persuaded by other members of the People’s Parliament to move and go beyond the barriers This is nonsense. Parliament passed a motion
for the removal of these obstacles. Three Parliamentarians, two from APNU and one from AFC, came out and spoke with the picketers. But it was Opposition Leader, David Granger who walked over to Mr. Vyphuis. I walked beside Mr. Granger and witnessed the conversation. Mr. Granger enquired why the barriers were still up and Vyphuis assured him the barricade was retained after consultation with the Speaker and the Speaker agreed because security was the main issue. Mr. Granger then told Mr.
Vyphuis that he would talk to the Speaker Did the Speaker agree to the continuation of the blockade because of security? If that is so why then did the Speaker write the Police Commissioner asking for the blockade to be discontinued? It was the Speaker who sent a copy of his letter to the People’s Parliament. If the Speaker did not acquiesce to the security argument it means that he could not have told Commander Vyphuis so. Mr. Granger can testify that Mr. Vyphuis did say the Speaker
conceded to the continuation of the barriers. Can Mr. Granger indicate if he did have a word with the Speaker? When the Parliamentarians were driving in, some members of the People’s Parliament did exclaim in their presence that if the motion to remove the barriers is tossed aside then why should the opposition persist with the Rohee motion. Some of us in the People’s Parliament feel that is it a situation of crass opportunism. You pass a Continued on page 6
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Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox The rich as well as the poor are involved Constant in this unfriendly environmental practice trivialising of historical perceptions DEAR EDITOR, By training or career I am not a politician, and I have been told time and time again that most politicians are not interested in the ‘truth’ but rather in the consequences that lead to power or to powerful alliances. Thus I am forced to prospect and cross prospect to fulfill the need to be in a better position of understanding. Mike Persaud in his letter on Mon NOV. 12 “Burnham and Jagan bequeathed to us ethnic parties and ethnic voting” and the M. Maxwell group’s response on Wed. Nov.14 “The PNC grew out of Burnham’s quest for personal power” to my letter on Sunday Nov. 11 have respectively trivialized, and with M. Maxwell persist with the demonization of Burnham and the origin of the PNC. I will explore in this final letter on this subject what I thought I had already done convincingly in my last letter. I begin October 1993; I, with a group of other writers, was invited to French Guyana by Mitaraka; with us was Martin Carter. The PPP had just gotten into power and the full wrath of attitudes that were clearly based on racism were felt by Afro Guyanese across Guyana. I have already made public my experiences at GNNL in a letter Kaieteur News July 11. 2011. I Implored Martin Carter to give a brief outline on Dr. Jagan and the PPP during those early days which the poet had embraced and became disillusioned with, and departed from. Martin Carter related, alluding to Jagan as a man who embraced the radicalism of the socialist leaning post WW2 Creole society of British Guiana to legitimize himself as a socialist rather than the ethnic Folk leader he was, because he could not assume leadership over the Indo Guyanese professional and business class of the day. The Creole professional class were the peers of the latter, thus Jagan and Janet proceeded to use the Martin Carter’s etc. as his image builders, his stepping stone to liberate [justifiably] his Indentured sugar estate population. While with Burnham, he
stood before a colonial Afro and Africoid population that did not evolve from any philosophy or religious doctrines even before slavery that were based on racial hatred. Also against Burnham was the fact that by the 1950’s colonial academic and religious racism had conditioned the Creole population to loathe themselves while still seeking emancipation of i d e n t i t y. J a g a n s t o o d favourably before a population en masse that was enveloped by the estates; isolated in the majority, from the existing colonial society in an enclave of their original religious bigotries; the Hindu Caste system. Jagan’s political gift in the 1950s was a peasant support base almost completely obedient to the idea of ‘we and them’. To unmask Maxwell’s rabble rousing theme that “Barrington Braithwaite should stop distorting history. No matter how hard and how tirelessly he tries to distort history and undermine truth there’s nothing historic or great about the role of the PNC o r P P P i n G u y a n a ’s history.” This is a subtle slant away from Maxwell’s previous letter. The other quote “The PNC was created for Burnham’s power egoism and opportunism. It was not created as an alternative. It became as communist as the PPP wanted, look at Nationalism for a sound example.” By Maxwell’s own statement that “ Cheddi Jagan commanded Indian support. The PPP was assured of Indian support because of Cheddi Jagan. The PPP did not need to seek racial support.” Maxwell has contradicted himself. Then the PPP started on an ethnic platform which was inevitable in the context of British Guiana. This is indeed a queer fumbling in the reasoning as it attempts to convincingly define this subject. Let’s leave it to the records of the period and allow those who wish to explore it, do so objectively. Continued on page 6
DEAR EDITOR, Mr. Nazar Mohamed is quite right about the state of affairs of the city of Georgetown (The shocking extent of our indecency and desecration of the city of Georgetown KN/1/12/12). One would have thought that the interconnectedness of world would have encouraged all local communities to adopt practices that are reflective of certain high moral and environmental values, including the way we treat our environment and the city as a whole. Sadly, in spite of modern facilities to travel and advances in communication technologies which have
virtually turned our world into one shared social space, we in Georgetown, are still grappling with basic things like improper disposal of garbage and illegal dumping. Whatever steps we take to counter illegal dumping invariably end up looking like too little because of the enormity of the problem. It is not only visible in vulnerable and poor communities but also in rich ones. The rich as well as the poor are involved in this unfriendly environmental practice. Unfortunately, littering and bad environmental practices are structured deep into our lifestyles. Cleaning up exercises and other such
campaigns (we have had many) would not yield the desired result, which is a sustainable clean and healthy Georgetown. Not while there is no system in force to treat expeditiously with litterbugs, or there is no code of conduct with the ability to sanction companies that cannot account for the disposal of their waste. Every junkie arrested by the constabulary confessed that they were paid by some businessman to dump their stuff. Some businessmen even provide bail to get them out of the station. What is wrong with us? Solid waste management accounts for 11% of our total
income for 2012. We spend almost 1million dollars per day to clean up garbage. This is only one service we provide to the city. There are many more including: Maternal and Child Welfare, drainage, Roads, Street Lighting, Meat and Food Inspections, Markets, Environmental Health and allied services and law enforcement. As a result, our meager resources have been overstretched. This leads to the important point on the remittance of rates by property- owners. Mr. Mohamed stated in his letter that : “ Nevertheless, each year property owners and business establishments are Continued on page 6
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Constant trivialising of historical... The rich as well... From page 5 Daily Chronicle Thursday 20’1964. ‘Mann hits at hypocrisy of PPP’ Lawrence Mann; Parliamentary secretary. He alludes on the very front page nine points on departing from PPP-(7) has a desire for power so strong that it holds an unbending attitude against coalition b a s e d o n e q u a l i t y. [ 8 1 Sacrifices economic policy to immediate political gain. (9) Thinks B.G is the PPP and the PPP is B.G. This seems very current. Michael Swan related in his interesting book; ‘THE MARCHES OF EL DORADO’ “During the whole evening Mrs. Jagan lay in a hammock and contributed hardly a word to the discussion. Occasionally, when her husband’s eloquence was in spate, as in his remarks on the rise in the power of the East Indians, she would make a quick remark which stopped him short on the brink of indiscretion. Then she would lie back in her hammock, sphinge but always ready for the pounce. She has the reputation of being the organizer of the party, the theoretician who keeps well in the background, but to whom everything is referred. unquote: Evening POST,Tuesday June 23, 1964- He tells the truth to Dr. Williams [Eric Williams] JAGAN ADMITS RESPONSIBLE FOR TERROR CAMPAIGN. Insert on front page ‘The Governor must detain Dr. and Mrs. Jagan and other PPP leaders still at large.’
GUYANA DEMOCRACY BETRAYED a political history 1948-1993 Jai Narine Singh- “Jagan had by now lost his main militant supporters, and had himself become a kind of dictator governing the affairs of Guyana as lord and master of it all. He organized protest demonstrations in several parts of the country in the course of which Afro Guyanese were killed and murdered. This resulted in a chain reaction organized by the PNC and their supporters that led to mass killings. Unquote: The next quote defeats Maxwell’s assertion on Burnham’s splitting from the PPP for racist reasons. A HISTORY OF TRADE UNIONISM IN GUYANA 1900 to 1961; Ashton Chase: “ Confusion was made more confounded when Mr. Burnham[with the aid of Dr. Lachhmansingh] split the PPP in 1953. The Robertson commission had recommended a period of ‘marking time in this country. After an agonizing analysis of the situation they came to the conclusion that so long as the leadership and policies of the PPP continued as they were , there was no way in which any real measure of self governance could be restored to the country.” unquote: This is a period in our history that needs to be understood in the context of the world they lived in. The swift nationalization w a s indeed ideological emotionalism. Tyrone Ferguson’s book TO SURVIVE SENSIBLY OR TO COURT HEROIC
DEATH : management of Guyana’s political economy 1965-85 defined the time of the ideological PPP-PNC, and then President’s Burnham contemplation’s on policy change; ‘Burnham’s dilemma went beyond this evident internal wrangling in the party. He faced the firm hostility of opposition Political groups and the trade union movement against any move in the direction of ideological change and corresponding involvement with IMF and World Bank progranmmes. – the PPP argued that the institution’s “rescue’ operations include privatization, open-do o r free market economy, antiworking class, altering the terms of foreign trade to the benefit of the predator states..-Jagan stated [my highlight] “Carter would have allowed your vacillation and your meandering. But Reagan does not want that. You have to line up with them . And so the danger is that while you talk of socialism even the little gains that have been made in that direction will be lost” The PPP and the PNC evolved relevant to the era they lived in; as is the relevant evolution of APNU and the AFC in our time, with the surge of changes that must be made. B u r n h a m ’s G o v e r n a n c e was not perfect, but his challenge was tremendous; that of decolonizing pathetic religious and cultural colonials and turning them into world conscious citizens and
Guyanese, mistakes were made, little Caesars sprang up, innocent people were hurt. But for M. Maxwell to declare “The PNC is a failed and incompetent political organization” Kaieteur News July 26, 2012. Is to deny the NIS, the Demerara Harbour Bridge, The initiative of ‘ IWOKRAMA’ that Jagdeo ungraciously adopted. The Economic Recovery Programme, and the policy items I mentioned in my letter kaieteur News, Nov, 11, 2012 Is to plunge one’s own irrational hatreds into the public domain and expect to be applauded for it. But we must examine today where the politics has evolved and where the dinosaurs are, for we are still experiencing the urges of ‘natural selection’ to survive in the course of Nations. I will conclude by stating this experience. I provided a Media service to a prominent Indo-Guyanese business family. The patriarch of this family was a onetime Minister in the PPP; in a lighter moment he one afternoon explained to me that after the 1964 elections that brought the coalition OF and PNC to Governance, there was a rush to find Burnham who had dropped off the radar of his colleagues; while all the while he was at the home of this family sound asleep. If history is distorted by me, then the phantom M. Maxwell must declare the biographers of that period, orally and in print guilty of the same. Barrington Braithwaite
From page 5 forced to remit to City Hall large sums of money in dues, rates and taxes, while most of us would never witness our garbage or drains being cleared by employees of City Hall.” The uncomfortable truth is that the rates applied to properties in this city are in some cases ridiculously low. In fact, many businessesowners have said that much to us. This immediately put us at a serious disadvantage and constrains our ability to fulfill our mandate to citizens. Again, some propertyowners who have changed their places from residential to commercial are still paying residential rates. Of course City Hall must blame itself for that because it ought to have systems in place to capture such situations. Still, we are faced with that reality and it is affecting the way we perform. Add to that the fact that we have not have valuation of properties in Georgetown for more than two decades, the new types of waste the council must now treat with, including Styrofoam and plastic, the fragility of our drainage system exacerbated by certain events encouraged by climate change, and the financial plight of the city becomes clearer to all. We would reveal now that, while many corporations have been paying their rates to the Council others have not been honouring this social responsibility for years. As a result, we find Mr. Mohamed’s comments on rates paid by propertyowners and lack of service by the council a bit unfair. Nevertheless, he has brought to the fore the contentious
point of which comes firstthe chicken or the egg. If property- owners do not pay their rates then Council cannot provide services. If Council does not provide services then propertyowners would be reluctant to pay their rates. We believe that they way to approach it by cooperation and partnerships. If corporations, organizations and other stakeholders partner with the Council then they would be in a good position to see and to know exactly what the Council is doing with the monies it has been collecting. Further, they would be able to help the council by making suggestions and sharing ideas with the operatives at City Hall. Together we can overcome the challenges facing the city and advance the interests of Georgetown to make it a better place for us and the next generation. We wish to make one final point on Mr. Mohamed’s call for Local Government Elections. He is absolutely right and we agree with him fully. The last Local Government Elections were held in 1994. However, these elections must flow out of the context of reforms. Otherwise the problems extant in our city will spill over to the next Council and they too will be terribly affected in their efforts to lift Georgetown out of the economic, ecological and environmental doldrums it has been struggling in for decades. Remember together we can win. Cooperation is vital to achieving that victory. Royston King Public Relations Mayor and City Council
A question for Speaker...
From page 4 motion to remove the blockade around Parliament, the Government ignores it. You pass a motion against Mr. Rohee, the Government ignores it too but you stay over the barriers but raising hell over Rohee Is it because the Rohee battle will give the opposition more publicity, more mileage, but not the fight over the blockade? Aren’t principles at the heart of both issues? If the opposition is not interested in a war to end the blockade then why did they waste the taxpayers’ money by introducing and debating the blockade motion in the first place? I end with a little hilarious incident. I got locked inside my car last Friday. I couldn’t open the driver’s door from inside. I couldn’t push my hand through the driver’s window and open it from outside because a year now the driver’s window malfunctioned and remains in an upward position, meaning it cannot come down. I went to the electrical technicians at Camp and Princess Streets. They are always busy people so you have to wait. I saw a friend come in with car troubles too and he was immaculately dressed. I said to him, “You look like a Parliamentarian.” He replied; “Freddie, are you insulting me, I work for the money I earn.” If our opposition parliamentarians only know the widespread cynicism that exists out there for them. But poor people, they wouldn’t know about it because when they greet citizens, the Guyanese people are usually polite to them .and wouldn’t tell then their true feelings Frederick Kissoon
Sunday December 02, 2012
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
Cherish the friend who tells you a harsh truth DEAR EDITOR, I should be disturbed that my close friend of over 30 years, the Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Hamilton Green has chosen to personally attack my credibility in the press, but I’m not! Rather, I’m pleased that he is aware of my concerns for the shoddy way the city is being managed. A little known free-lance writer named Robert Brault, once wrote, “Cherish the friend who tells you a harsh truth, wanting ten times more to tell you a loving lie.” Editor, this is the creed I live by. It defines my values and my character, and principles I will never compromise. In response to a previous letter I had written about the garbage crisis in Georgetown: “Is this a joke” (Kaieteur News, November 23). Hammie sadly elected to play politics and the race card to justify the atrocious state of disorder and nastiness in the city he’s responsible for. In his letter: “Harry Gill and his distorted approach” (Kaieteur News, November 30) Hammie wrote, “... it’s so easy to say take the vendors off the streets; the truth is we wish to do that, but it needs to be done with some order and compassion.” These roadside vendors did not just appear overnight, they were there for years and the congestion they’re causing is getting worse by the day. The Mayor has had more than enough time to effect a compassionate relocation of these vendors and to prevent a resurgence if he really intended to do so. Unfortunately, the “compassion” he has shown these vendors, has everything to do with securing his political base rather than preserving the beauty and integrity of our city, which has now been reduced to an embarrassing eyesore. What is most troubling in his letter, is the following statement: “The problem is not so much the street vendor, but the need to accept vending as a way of life and to avoid them being treated as a nuisance.” Is this a sinister plan to persuade Guyanese into accepting this abomination? Must we accept disorder in our Capital City as “a way of life”? The vendors in Georgetown have taken over the sidewalks and roadsides, risking the safety of pedestrians by forcing them to walk on the streets, further impeding the smooth flow of vehicular traffic. Is the Mayor asking Guyanese to accept this as a new “way of life”? What about the garbage the
vendors discard in drains and waterways that contribute to regular flooding when it rains? Should this too be accepted as a “way of life”? In its present form, roadside vending is a total nuisance to society, and some reformed is necessary to restore order. Then the Mayor invokes the race card by adding, “...my friend Harry insults every Guyanese, but in particular the descendants of the martyred African slaves of 1823 by suggesting that the Parade Ground (now Independence Park) be used to accommodate vendors. Let me say categorically, I am the mouthpiece of no one but my conscience and the truth. Independence Park is unkempt and trampled on by youths playing football and other games. It is also used for political meetings and rallies, some inciting chaos against the Administration. But despite the Mayor’s perception, I firmly believe that relocating vendors to this location temporarily until a more appropriate solution is found, can be considered a fitting tribute to the martyred slaves. As their descendants, living in freedom, can now put better use to Independence Park to improve their economic wellbeing. Something that was a distant dream to those slaves in 1823. The martyred African slaves are a part of our dark history that must never be forgotten, nor repeated. But most Guyanese alive today have relatives and friends who are buried at the Le Repentir cemetery. My father, mother, two brothers and grandparents are all buried there. Yet for years, this sacred ground has been neglected, desecrated, and disrespected by the Mayor & City Council that indiscriminately dumped garbage in the cemetery as recent as November 3, 2011, as evident by an article: “City Council continues to dump garbage in Le Repentir Cemetery” (Kaieteur News). Should I not feel offended by the Mayor’s approval of this action? Or does this concern for the deceased only apply to the descendants of African slaves? Does he believe that Independence Park is more sacred than the resting place of our loved ones that we knew and cared for? Put to the vote, I’m sure most Guyanese would not agree. It is truly amazing how some groups and individuals show great concern for the descendants of African slaves to score political points and gain support. I vividly recall the ruckus from
the opposition camp a year ago, accusing the PPP/C Administration of denying passage of legislation that would regularize ancestral land in Buxton and other villages. Yet when Forbes Burnham and the governing PNC enjoyed a two-thirds majority in Parliament, none of those descendants of African slaves, strong supporters of the PNC, were given the land titles they’re demanding now of this government. What a travesty! In what could only be considered justifying corruption by City Constabulary, the Mayor had this to say, “The other issue of corrupt officers
is a serious matter – Every day I try to deal with this erosion of the fabric of our society, but Harry could it be that these Constabulary Ranks are merely following the example set by the ‘big ones’. Should I offer a list? Just look at the Auditor General Report – NCN, NICIL – the Drug contracts, the road contracts, the Marriott deal.” Instead of offering me “a list”, it is much preferred if the Mayor can produce hard evidence of corruption by the names on the list he’s so willing to offer. His party leader, David Granger and AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan had seven opportunities in seven
nationally televised debates to produce evidence of government corruption, but failed to do so. Rhetoric is simply that unless supported by the facts. Like him or not, my controversial friend, Hamilton Green has dedicated his entire life to the service Guyana. He has contributed immensely to his political party and his supporters, and continues to do so. But by being the Mayor for decades, and ultimately the one responsible for the growing demise of the city, he should now be concerned with the legacy he leaves behind? For all the good things Hamilton Green has
done in his long, distinguished career, he will sadly be remembered as the Mayor under whose watch, Georgetown was transformed from the ‘Garden City of the Caribbean‘ to what it has now become... an epidemic waiting to happen. The M&CC still has time to save the city, but they cannot do so catering to the needs of their supporters. Strong leadership is needed to reverse this trend. And knowing Hamilton Green the way I do, he has the ability to provide the strong leadership. But the question remains... Does he have the will? Harry Gill
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox After 20 years in office, the PPP regime has lost its way DEAR EDITOR, Of late, we have been witnessing a very distasteful and idiotic display of leadership by the ruling PPP regime. We had hoped that by now they would have responded to the waning popularity and the lack of confidence in their ability to perform and manage the country’s resources adequately. After almost a year in office, the government has not been able to implement and stick with a workable set of economic
policies, or for that matter, any policy that will reduce corruption, crimes, illegal trafficking of narcotics and improve the lives of the poor and the working class, including the mothers and children in Plastic City. Instead of focusing on the deepening social and economic crisis faced by the masses, the Jagdeo/Ramotar cabal has been indulging in a vulgar, irresponsible, disrespectful and obnoxious display in Parliament and elsewhere over the Rohee
affair. And for President Ramotar to say that the PPP has no confidence in Speaker Trotman and then allow the Attorney General to take the Speaker to court over the Rohee issue speaks volumes about his poor leadership. We remind Mr. Ramotar that Parliament is an independent body and must be allowed to function without constraints from him and his PPP cabal. It is time for commonsense prevail and for Mr. Ramotar and his cabal to make the people’s
business their highest priority. That and not the Rohee issue should be their primary focus. What is taking place is that the partisan politics being practiced by the minority PPP regime have trumped good governance and the proper management of the people’s affairs. This has led to the highest levels of corruption, crimes never seen before, and a social, political and economic dysfunctional system in which the rich and the
powerful are getting richer and the poor and the working class continues to suffer. After 20 years of PPP rule, the cycle of poverty continues unabated in Guyana as hundreds of homeless Guyanese make the streets their homes and the hard concrete pavement their beds. No money, no food, no water, no shower, no clothes and no medical check-ups for God’s less fortunate children. These homeless people rely on the mercy of passers-by for a meal and clothes and many die as a direct result of starvation and poor health. This highlights the demands for sustained economic initiatives to achieve the requisite levels of poverty reduction and homelessness if Guyana is to attain sustainable development for its people. In 1992 when the PPP took office, it promised a number of things including an end to corruption and power blackouts, adequate potable water for its citizens and transparency in governance. Twenty years later, corruption and power blackouts have gotten 1000 percent worst, water taps in homes and business and the fire hydrants in the city have all gone dry. And the minority PPP government has become far more secretive than the B u r n h a m / H o y t e administration. The Jagdeo/ Ramotar regime has failed the people and as a result deserved the failing “F” grade. Many Guyanese, including some diehard PPP supporters desperately wait for the day when the PPP cabal would present themselves as mature, disciplined and serious about safeguarding their rights and protecting their well-being. The regime must be blamed for the destitute situation the homeless, elderly, youths, the poor and the working class and the mothers and children of Plastic City found themselves. During the 2011 elections campaign, the PPP begged the voters to give them one more chance to make their lives better. But at this critical time in the country’s history, the people need politicians who can lead and not those who spread propaganda, distortions and untruths at
every opportunity. That is not what was told to the people and certainly not what the masses expected from the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime. After twenty years in office, the PPP regime has lost its way to govern the nation. We are convinced that those in the regime should be schooled on how to separate them- selves from their often crass propaganda campaign style and as ministers must act on behalf of all the people and not only for their friends and supporters. But we have a two face regime which tells its supporters one story at secret bottom house meetings and then in the public domain tell a completely different story. They have even blamed Kaieteur News and Stabroek News for their failures. The most recent example is Minister Robeson Benn blaming Kaieteur News for the sudden collapse of EZ Jet airline. Whatever their reasoning, it is both troubling and frightening to see how this minority PPP regime has descended to a new low. What a shame? This is sub-par politics and poor governance at best. Have the leaders of the PPP thought about what message this kind of two-face display sends to the masses? And have they not realized that the people are tired of their blame game, propaganda and distortions? The truth is, if Guyana is to progress as a nation and the lives of the poor and the working class improve, it needs leaders who are honest, decisive, responsible, mature and transformational. The people should not accept mediocre leadership that is currently offered by this cabal. They must speak out about the political, economic and social injustices being practiced by the Jagdeo/ Ramotar cabal. They must stand-up and demand their rights from this uncaring and corrupt PPP regime. The youths and the poor and the working class must tell the PPP cabal that they have had it; enough is enough. They must demand that the regime abandon its elementary and banal form of governance. Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
>>>> PNCR Column <<<<
Dem boys seh
Wrong man, wrong idea, wrong time The crisis that is simmering in the National Assembly, the Supreme Court and the Cabinet ostensibly seems to surround the fate of Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee. It is difficult to imagine that one man’s employment should affect all three branches of the state – the executive, legislative and judiciary – so seriously and simultaneously. It is wrong, however, to think that all of this is about Rohee. It is also wrong to think that the country’s security problems and the conduct of the Guyana Police Force have arisen out of the shooting of three Lindeners on 18th July. Everyone knows that public security is in a parlous state. Everyone expects that the executive, having consistently refused to remedy the problem over a period of several years, must be held accountable. The legislative branch, therefore, has been obliged to act to protect citizens from harm and to prevent damage to the state. The fact is that the last twelve years have witnessed the emergence of an elected ‘oligarchy’ which now controls the state, and this explains Rohee’s role in the order of things. Rohee’s continued tenure of office and the manner in which he performs his duty are precisely what the People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration requires of him. His removal would not be a personal loss or embarrassment, but will cause the PPP/C’s house of cards to come tumbling down. Rohee’s presence and performance, it should be understood, are essential to protecting Guyana’s deformed economy. The phenomenal rise of the oligarchy has been exhaustively examined and exposed by two economists – Clive Thomas and Tarron Khemraj. Thomas, in a series of articles on the Criminalisation of the State, critically analysed the way in which the state itself was seen as tolerant to transnational crimes and corruption. Tarron Khemraj, more recently, explained the emergence of an oligarchy in a series entitled The Elected Oligarchy and Economic Underdevelopment.” Both series were published during Bharrat Jagdeo’s 12-year presidency. An oligarchy, simply, refers to the rule of a country by a few persons. The PPP, having been awarded the single largest amount of votes – about 48.6 per cent – in the November 2011 general elections, can claim to have been ‘elected.’
The party, however, does not practice the same internal electoral democracy as the rest of the country does in the general elections. This fault facilitates the rule of ‘the few.’ It selects its presidential candidate through an opaque process and elects its leaders at its triennial congresses by a quaintly anachronistic method devised by the Bolshevik Communist Party of the Soviet Union – CPSU. Party rulers are not elected ‘directly’ by members but ‘indirectly’ through a series of delegates and committees. This electoral expedient enables those deemed to be ‘dissidents’ to be excluded from office while a few compliant ones can be effortlessly and repeatedly reelected. Rohee, for example, has been assured of re-election to the Central Committees of the PYO for the past 45 years! He was elected first to the PYO from 1967 and, afterwards, to the PPP, from 1979 and remains there. The guarantee of a stable membership, so essential to the emergence and evolution of the political element of the ‘elected oligarchy,’ became evident during Bharrat Jagdeo’s 12-year presidency. This period saw the blatant disregard of the National Assembly, where the PPP elected a member of its Central Committee as Speaker and where it enjoyed a majority. This was followed by the systematic subordination of the Police Force and the Public Service and the sidelining of the Guyana Public Service Union and the Guyana Trades Union Congress. The misuse of the state media for partisan political purposes and the disparagement of nongovernmental organisations – such as the Guyana Human Rights Association, the Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Press Association and the Amerindian People’s Association – were part of the
campaign of vilification to discredit and diminish the influence of civil society. The law-enforcement agencies, public service and criminal justice system having been weakened, could not cope with the eruption of criminal and other underground economic activities during the first decade of this millennium. The results are that assassinations (even of a cabinet minister) are not investigated, much less solved; culprits in executions are hardly ever brought to justice for these crimes; everyday armed robberies continue. Narco-trafficking and contraband smuggling, most of all, corrupted lawenforcement officers and public officials. These crimes introduced serious gunrunning and triggered a seven-year drug war as the death squads and phantom gangs battled for new turf. The prevailing contrived lawlessness led to the assassination of the deputy Head of the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit and, most recently, the execution of Ricardo ‘Fatman’ Rodrigues and others. The Minister of Home Affairs, strangely, in the face of the new waves of crime, failed to implement the essential elements of his own National Drug Strategy Master Plan which might have curbed narcotrafficking. He rejected British assistance in the form of the Security Sector Reform Action Plan, which could have improved the efficiency of the Police Force. He declined to investigate some of the bloodiest massacres – at Lusignan, Bartica and Lindo Creek – in this country’s criminal history! The oligarchy, on the one hand, made up of a few highranking party members and some selected government officials, has been able to use its control over the lawenforcement agencies to
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consolidate its control of the state and concentrate more power in its hands. It can now direct state contracts into the hands of its cronies who accumulate enormous amount of wealth. The common people, on the other hand, become poorer every year as can be seen by the growing army of addicts, beggars, destitute and homeless persons, some of them deranged by drug abuse. Guyana has become a country in which the gap between the super-rich and the ultra-poor is widening before our very eyes. It is an increasingly unequal country. The idea that Clement Rohee can continue to be the man to be in charge of public security is wrong! The notion that this country can continue to be run by an oligarchy is wrong! The thought that at this time, one year after the PPP/C lost its majority in the National Assembly, it can continue to behave as if it were a majority and can halt the march of democracy is wrong!
Dem Bees tek de cake wid cheapness DEAR SANTA, Dem boys want to write yuh early dis year, so we decide fuh pen yuh dis letter pun de fuss Sunday of December. Santa, dem boys seh dat dis is de season of goodwill and bliss and suh dem boys concern dat wid all de corruption dat Uncle Glenn and de Waterfalls paper exposing, yuh might not want fuh give dem Bees any Christmas gift. It gun look really bad if you don’t do dat and dem Bees might start giving demselves gifts from all dem thiefing things dem does do. Suh dem boys wan fuh beg yuh Santa, don’t forget dem. We gun watch fuh see wha yuh gun give dem. Remember dat dem already gat all de land, all de concessions and all de contracts. Suh you gat fuh think carefully, Ok Santa? Bye bye fuh now. Well dat’s dem boys letter to Santa. Dem boys not really tekkin holiday but dem decide fuh go easy pon de Bees. After all dis is de season fuh peace and joy and good tidings. While dem money washing machine gearing up fuh a big 2013, dis Christmas must still be fuh all to enjoy. Even Donald must get lil time off since he wuk suh hard during he fuss year. He can’t show any achievement fuh de year, but we gun still give he ah break. But dem boys wondering if de King Bee and he best friend gun be good for de rest of de year. Is an impossible dream, but everybody got to hope fuh something. Anyhow, if dey good dem must get a gift. Dem boys think that de pumpkin jumpsuit gun be appropriate. Uncle Glenn already distributing he Christmas card all around. It jus seh dat dis is all yuh gun get, Happy Christmas. Dem Bees more cheap. De staff at de Hard Times paper never get a proper bonus and dem at de TV deh wuss. And this is de season of giving. Talk half and keep watch pun dem Bees fuh de season!
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Kaieteur News
Drug charge against Victoria man dismissed Victoria, East Coast Demerara resident Roy Elias walked out the Wales Magistrate’s Court a free man after Magistrate Ann McLennan upheld a no case submission made on his behalf by Attorney-at-Law, Lyndon Amsterdam. The Police had charged Elias for possession of 1,135 grams of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, contrary to the Narcotics, Drug and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act 1988. The defendant had pleaded ‘not guilty’ when the charge was read to him. The allegation against Elias was that on the 26th May, 2012, acting on information received, a party of policemen went to a shop at Vriesland Public Road, West Bank Demerara ,and
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
saw a “male Rastafarian standing next to a gift bag on a shelf”. Constable Michael Clarke approached the man and enquired if the bag belonged to him and he replied ‘no.’ The policeman then took possession of the bag and after finding that it contained leaves, seeds and stems which appeared to be marijuana, he then arrested Elias and took him to the Wales Police Station. At the station, the Constable placed the bag and its contents on a scale and found that it weighed 1,135 grams. During the trial, Defence Counsel Amsterdam questioned the Police Officers on the fact that the Defendant, Roy Elias, was not shown to be in physical possession of the gift bag neither was he shown to be in constructive possession either. Additionally, Constable Clarke accepted that the gift bag has a weight by itself and the fact that the bag was placed on the scale along with the contents meant that the amount of marijuana in the
charge was more than the actual leaves, seeds and stems. The Prosecution also called Corporal Lakhram Gurdial and the Shopkeeper in an attempt to prove their case. But the Shopkeeper could not identify the Defendant in Court neither could she remember the colour of the gift bag. At the close of the Prosecution’s case, Defence Counsel made a No Case Submission, that the Prosecution had failed to establish a Prima Facie case against the Defendant and therefore he should not be called to lead a Defence. In upholding the No Case Submission, Magistrate McLennan observed that there are several grounds on which the submission could be upheld, but only highlighted the fact that the weight in the Charge could not be accurate based on the procedure followed by Constable Michael Clarke and therefore dismissed the charge against the defendant Elias, who walked out of the courtroom smiling.
Sunday December 02, 2012
Budget preparation…
AFC writes Finance Minister on areas of interest The Alliance For Change (AFC) has handed in proposals for the 2013 budget which reflect a reduction in the percentage of Value Added Tax (VAT), a decrease in Berbice Bridge rates, as well as a 10% raise in wages and salaries for public servants and increased old age pension. The aforementioned requests and others were put forward to Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh via a letter from the AFC. An AFC statement noted that the party acknowledges that it is the government’s role to prepare and propose the national budget and the party does not seek to interfere with that process. The party pointed out that as a political party with a growing constituency it seeks to ensure that the needs and interests of its constituents are not ignored in the preparation of the 2013 budget. The party said that its propositions are based on its
position that fundamental to Guyana’s development is the growth of a diversified economy capable of creating significantly better employment opportunities for the nation’s younger citizens “than currently exist.” In the letter to Singh, the AFC noted that in keeping with national priorities and given the fact that 85 per cent of Guyana’s foreign earnings still derive from the export of the same primary products which Guyana has been relying on since its independence, almost fifty years ago, specific budgetary measures must be taken to “achieve greater economic diversification and make education spending more relevant to a school curriculum that is designed to meet the developmental needs of Guyana.” No figures were set as amounts the party wants for either a new VAT rate or suitable fees for the Berbice Bridge. However, the party specified that it wishes to see
old age pension increased to $15,000 per month. The party also proposed that vehicle duties and taxes be decreased, with zero-taxes on all electric cars. Further, the AFC recommended the restored subvention of Critchlow Labour College and for the Lottery and NICIL funds to be paid into the Consolidated Fund “along with monies held in all special bank accounts as recommended by the Auditor General in his 2011 report”. It was also a request that the budget estimates be placed online. AFC also used the correspondence to reiterate its concern with “the nonestablishment of the Public Procurement Commission, the blatant misuse of Statemedia and the illegal activities of NICIL”. The party said that it considers these to be impediments to constructive engagement on the 2013 budget.
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 02, 2012
Guyana struggles with citizen security In comparison to six other Caribbean countries, Guyana is severely struggling with citizen security, notably in the area of domestic violence. This is according to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report concluded for the year 2011. Guyana was weighed against Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The country received poor ratings when an evaluation on the various forms of violent and nonviolent acts was conducted. The report showed that Guyana was among the poorest scoring countries where citizens did not trust the police or were not satisfied with their handling of matters. For domestic disputes, Guyana scored 28.1 percent;
the most reported cases of insults and persons being threatened. Antigua and Barbuda had the second most reported cases with 25.1 percent and Jamaica the lowest with 14.9 percent. Guyana had the highest reports of domestic violence cases, 16.5 percent. Antigua and Barbuda had the second highest number of cases, 13.4 percent and Jamaica had the lowest with 7.3 percent. Guyana had the highest incidences of persons being seriously injured in relation to domestic acts. Again Antigua and Barbuda had the second highest scores and Suriname had the lowest incidence of serious domestic related injuries. The report showed that Guyana was the fourth in relation to poor police
confidence. Saint Lucia had the lowest score of police contact in relation to domestic violence. Suriname had the second lowest score while Antigua and Barbuda showed that police acknowledgement was high. Guyana had the highest marking with respect to citizens being fearful of becoming a victim of domestic violence, 42.3 percent. Saint Lucia had the second highest score of 26.1 percent and Barbados had the lowest with 12.7 percent. Guyana had the highest score in relation to citizens being fearful of becoming victims of sexual assaults, 27.3 percent. Antigua and Barbuda had the second highest score of 20.1 percent and Barbados had the lowest score of 7.5 percent. Guyanese were second in
- UNDP report line for being most fearful of being murdered. Trinidad and Tobago had the highest score and Barbados had the lowest. In Trinidad and Tobago citizens had the most fear of becoming a victim of any sort of violence. Guyana was second where citizens are fearful of being a victim of violence in general. Barbados had the lowest rating. Within the country, 18.1 percent of the nation is satisfied with how police handle domestic violence. Less than half of the nation (47.5 percent) believes that when there is a domestic dispute, neighbours and community members would intervene in suspected cases of violence.
Motorcyclist dies after slamming into sand truck Leroy Adams, 22, of Little Red Village, Sandpit on the Essequibo Coast, died on the spot after he reportedly slammed into an oncoming sand truck with his motorcycle on the Cullen Public Road, yesterday afternoon. Adams was at the time towing Leandra Gudge, who sustained a broken leg and is presently a patient at the
Suddie Public Hospital. According to police information, Adams was proceeding in a northerly direction on motorcycle CC 5265, when he collided with a truck GLL 4915. Adams sustained severe head injuries and his skull was cracked open exposing a part of his brain, his mother Radha Adams tearfully related. Adams said she and her
daughter were standing on the Land Of Plenty Public Road moments after her son and Gudge passed them. The woman explained that she was subsequently told by a driver that her son was involved in an accident but it was not too serious. She was to subsequently learn of his tragic demise. Adams worked in the interior and had recently
purchased the motorcycle he was riding at the time of his death. His mother related that she had openly expressed her apprehension about him using the motorcycle. “I can’t believe this driver killed my son. Why it had to be my son? I was on the road. Why the driver didn’t hit me and leave my son?” Adams tearfully lamented.
According to the report, 28 percent of the population said that due to the situation, they would rather live in another country. On the issue of domestic violence, Salima BacchusHinds Counselor Advocate at Help and Shelter told Kaieteur News that there are mixed feelings toward security. She said that feedback from clients showed that there are various responses from the police, while other major factors may have influenced the report. There are at least 30 new cases of violent and nonviolent acts reported monthly. These situations include male and female victims and in some cases, these persons showed lack of confidence in the police or reluctance in approaching authorities, Hinds said. She noted that in her experience as a counselor, there are other issues such as victim withdrawal which may hinder productive results in relation to domestic violence and citizen security. Victims, she said, sometimes feel intimidation and are frustrated by the police. She attributed that to some police officers not being aware of the physiological effect of domestic violence.
“Sometimes women find it frustrating when it comes to making reports when they have to deal with an officer who doesn’t quite understand the dynamics of domestic violence.” The Counselor said although the officers might understand the law, they might not understand the physiology of a victim or an abuser.” Victims also consider their losses if their abusers are imprisoned, the Counselor said. Apart from that, the Shelter acknowledges reports of abuser intimidation, and Hinds highlighted that in most cases, victims relate their abuser’s affiliation with the police. “We have cases where victims say they do not wish to report the matter because the abuser says, ‘well it make no sense you report the matter because I gun just pay de police.’” There is the notion that an abuser can easily bribe an officer and this too causes a barrier in the delivery of justice. Hinds however noted that the police, too, have inconveniences, since victims sometime make complaints against an abuser but are not willing to have them prosecuted. She said that there is a high incidence of reports being made and victims begging that no charges be brought against the abuser.
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Strides made but HIV/AIDS fight Reoccupation of Queen’s far from over, says Dr. Mahadeo College further postponed Guyana has come a far way in the fight against HIV/ AIDS, according to Chief Executive Officer of the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA), Dr Vishwa Mahadeo. The BRHA organized a candlelight vigil in the compound of the N/A Regional Hospital on Friday evening, hours before the start of World Aids Day 2012. Several persons and organizations attended the event and lit diyas forming the HIV/Aids Ribbon on the hospital tarmac. A minute’s silence was also observed for all victims who have died as a result of HIV/Aids. Dr Mahadeo stated that Guyana has come a far way, “not because we have medicine…not because the Government has put a lot of emphasis on the disease; not because we have friends from other countries who support us in the fight, but because we have all stood and put our shoulders to the wheel and contributed towards the fight against this dreadful disease.” He alluded to a time when persons placed a death sentence on themselves whenever they found out that they had contracted HIV/ Aids. “A month…six months after, there is a funeral.” “As soon as they heard they were HIV positive, they wrote their wills and planned their funerals—people were so scared to share their homes, buildings, utensils, use the toilet—that was how bad we were. But today we can even deal with it somewhat like a chronic disease because you live until you die from
Dr Vishwa Mahadeo something like high blood pressure, etc.” Mahadeo, while speaking with Kaieteur News afterwards, said that the fight against Aids will not be won as easily as we think “but we have made strides.” Referring to the statistics, he said, “Region Six has shown the greatest drop in the numbers of new infections.” Last year, he said, there were 100 per cent pregnant women tested for the disease “and we continue to offer the treatment at the hospitals and health centers.” The CEO stated, though, that it could not be said that stigma and discrimination from the disease have been entirely removed, “but we have succeeded to a large measure, to reduce it drastically.” He urged victims of HIV/ Aids t o l i s t e n t o t h e i r counselor/tester and visit the centres across the country. “In Berbice, we have people from all over Guyana, and in Skeldon, we have a large clientele
Man dies after falling from roof A 53-year-old carpenter succumbed to his injuries after he fell from a two-storey house at Patentia, West Bank Demerara. Dead is Tulsiram Baichan, of Third Street, Patentia. According to reports, Baichan had only started working on the building on Friday. The dead man’s sister, Jankie Sookdeo, told Kaieteur News that her brother was working for the last three weeks at another location. Sookdeo said that he only went to the Patentia worksite on Friday. The woman further related that the owners for the house on which he was working called them on Friday and informed them of the accident. Sookdeo said her brother was taken to the Georgetown Hospital. According to the woman,
Dead: Tulsiram Baichan her brother suffered severe head injuries, a broken spine and foot. He died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Police are still investigating.
from Suriname—the testing is free, the treatment is free from the first line to the highest level of treatment we have. It’s not the end of the world once you maintain your diet and carry out all your instructions and make sure you follow the advice from your health provider.” Member of Parliament, Faizal Jaffarally stated that the government has been providing the resources to fight Aids. He lauded organisations such as the Pan American Health Organization as well as the National Aids Programme Secretariat, all of which pool resources to fight the dreaded disease in Guyana. Jaffarally alluded to the latest world statistics that reveal a 40 per cent drop in new cases of HIV/Aids in Guyana and made the call for more education- based programmes to sensitize the general public about the disease, “particular among our younger generation.” “We need to educate our children who are taking risks to have sex at an early age and this is something that we as parents are afraid to discuss with our children.” Commenting about the fact that in Guyana, the treatment for HIV/Aids is absolutely free of cost to the victim, the official stated “Guyanese are very fortunate because in many parts of the world, in the United States, you have to pay for that treatment but here in Guyana it is absolutely free.” World AIDS Day on 1 December brings together people from a r o u n d t h e world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high prevalence countries and around the world. Between 2011-2015, World AIDS Days will have the theme of “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths”. T h e Wo r l d A I D S Campaign’s focus on “Zero AIDS related deaths” signifies a push towards greater access to treatment for all; a call for governments to act now. It is a call to honour promises like the Abuja Declaration and for African governments to at least hit targets for domestic spending on health and HIV.
- Education Ministry
Moves towards the reoccupation of Queen’s College have been further postponed, according to a statement issued yesterday by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry in its statement sought to “advise teachers, students, parents and other stakeholders of the development as it relates to a
shift system arrangement which was instituted following a reported flea infestation at Queen’s College”. According to the statement, “based on the advice received from both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, the reoccupation of Queen’s College has been further
postponed to facilitate further treatment to the building and the compound.” As such the current arrangement, that is the shift system, will be extended, the statement said. Moreover, the Ministry of Education says it will continue to ensure that the (continued on page 15)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 02, 2012
DECAPITATED SLAVES, A BURIAL, JOHN WRAY AND THE EMANCIPATION OF SLAVERY IN GUYANA By Ralph Seeram “Neither widow nor her friend was to allow to follow the coffin…..orders of his Excellency to detain them … (.which they will not follow)…. until the burial was over.” It was February 7, 1824 “at half past three therefore in the morning of the 7th, the two left the jail (prison) to meet the coffin at the graveside.” “A free negro carrying a lantern went with them as it
was quite dark. At four the head constable called for the corpse: the Rev. W. S. Austin who had dared to vindicate the character of the deceased, attended and read and read the service, and so somewhere in the burial ground of St. Phillip’s Church now stands the remains of the interred.” The following day the government ordered the slaves to break and remove a fence and permanent head stone from the burial site. Thus ended the last
chapter in the Demerara slave rebellion, in 1823, but that burial was the beginning of the end for slavery in the British colonies. That secretive burial within 24 hours of his death was that of the Rev. John Smith. Smith was condemned to die for treason, resulting from the slave insurrection which occurred the August before. He was framed and found guilty by a highly influenced planter’s and slave owner’s court, he was vindicated by the British Home office, but the news arrived in the colony a few days after his death. Smith was deprived of, among
other things, medical attention and was treated even harsher than slaves. At an inquest into his death hours earlier, the medical doctor refused to sign his deposition as it was different from the answers he had given. The Government was trying to cover up the cause of his death. The news of his death was the impetus that helped sway the British public opinion of slavery and gave momentum to abolitionists in the British Parliament. His death reinvigorated William Wilberforce and his fellow abolitionists in parliament to push laws to abolish slavery.
By the next decade the British abolished slavery. Of course one cannot forget the work of the Rev. John Wray who, through his letters to the London Missionary Society, exposed the atrocities and cruelty meted out to slaves and to Missionaries like himself. In fact, he was told if he left Berbice to attend Rev. John Smith funeral, he himself would be imprisoned. Today I doubt many Guyanese, young and old, know anything much about the Rev. John Smith, Rev. John Wray and Le Ressouvenir estate and their connection to the slave rebellion of 1823 leading to the abolition of slavery. True some know dates like the Berbice slave rebellion and the 1823 insurrection, but I am sure they know very little details. I myself must confess I know more about American history than I know about Guyanese history in the 17th and 18th century. My education was based on textbooks written in the colonial era. While I recall learning about Smith and Wray, it was pretty general. One was never told the gruesome details of slavery and the inhuman treatment meted out to them. It was this quest for Guyanese history that led me by way of the Internet to the book “The Life and Labours of John Wray, Pioneer Missionary in British Guyana”. Now here’s a book every Guyanese should read or taught in schools as part of Guyanese history. The book is available on Amazon.com, but is available to read free on the Internet, as it is in public domain. It’s about 375 pages so naturally it would be difficult to cover in this article. I am sure there are accounts of the events written by historians but the beauty of this historical account of slavery in Guyana, is that it was not written by any particular historian (who sometimes revise and rewrite history) but compiled from the actual letters, diaries from Wray, Smith, their wives and children, people who were actually there to witness or experience the events. It was also based on reports to the London Missionary Society. This article is based mainly from information derived from the book. As we return to the Demerara slave insurrection of 1823, we learn firsthand the brutal and inhuman methods used by the colonial forces to put down the rebellion. Over 200 slaves were killed, basically murdered. The rebellion was due to
efforts by the Colonial Governor and slave owners suppressing news from British Government ameliorating the conditions of slavery, limiting their working hours, and abolishing flogging of women slaves etc. The Governor refused to enforce the conditions but house slaves overheard whites speaking about it. The house slaves interpreted it as if freedom had come for the slaves, and this misinformation spread rapidly among the slaves leading to the uprising. Retribution was swift and harsh by the colonial masters. “Not a single white soldier lost his life, yet shocking slaughter of the Negroes and a display of horrible brutality accompanied and followed these events”. “Many prisoners were wantonly shot by the militia for mere sport…Colonel Leahy stood on no ceremony as to trial……no less than twenty were put to death on his authority”. Martial Law continued for five months….trials, flogging and execution were going on incessantly…17 prisoners were sentenced to lashes from 200 to 1000 lashes… Some given all at once”. Within a month forty seven were executed…several being hung in chains along the East Coast Road, others DECAPITATED AND HAD THEIR HEAD STUCK ON POLES. Because of the outcry from the British public reaction to the atrocities, fifty prisoners that were under sentence of death were spared. The worst treatment was meted out to Quamina, the alleged leader of the insurrection, who was shot by a native Indian as a runaway. “His body as dragged to the front of Success estate, and there between two trees, he was gibbeted as a rebel, the corpse bound together with chains allowed to swing in the breeze for many months after, to the terror and disgust of every passerby” One of the ironic things in this rebellion was that the Rev. John Smith made efforts to the relevant authorities that there was going to be trouble. In Berbice, then a separate Colony, the Governor of Berbice asked the Rev. John Wray to break the news to the slaves, which resulted in a measure of peace among the slaves, but this did not go down well with the slave owners. One reaction by the white planters was to burn down his church, the Mission Chapel Church in New Amsterdam. Rev Wray had his (continued on page 15)
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
Criminal Hideout!
This dilapidated building in Evans Street, Charlestown, not only poses a danger to adjacent structures and residents in the area, but also attracts “junkies” and criminal elements who use the building as a hideout. From page 14 problems also. He was brought up on charges like Rev Smith, but was exonerated, yet attacks against him continued. Smith succeeded Wray at Le Ressouvenir; Wray moved to Sandvoort on the outskirts of New Amsterdam and started the Mission Chapel church. He was not without problems; his children were assaulted and thrown into a trench while on their way to visit the sick at Winkle. The authorities even stopped him from using the
Winkle bell used to remind slaves of church service (the bell was used as an alarm for the town of New Amsterdam. Whites frequently interrupted his services.) We are told that Berbice was then known as British Guiana before the merger of the three colonies. There is so much to tell that cannot be written in this column. Why the slave owners hated missionaries like Smith and Wray? It was because they dared to teach the slaves to read and write. An educated slave apparently
Reoccupation of Queen’s ... From page 13 inconvenience to the affected students of both Queen’s College and Richard Ishmael is minimized. An attempt to address the unusual situation had seen the Education Ministry securing the services of Rentokil. The pest control organization was early last week tasked with spraying the Camp Road, Georgetown, educational institution for the third time since the alleged infestation surfaced two weeks ago. This development had inherently forced the Ministry to institute the shift system arrangement which saw Queen’s College’s operation being diverted to Richard Ishmael Secondary School. The shift system was being touted as a means to help reduce the loss of school hours. Students and teachers of Richard Ishmael Secondary are currently operating from 07:30h – 12:15 hours while students and teachers of Queen’s College are accommodated between the hours of 12:30 and 16:30 hours Monday through Friday. It was initially anticipated that the arrangement would have lasted the remainder of
last week - an announcement that was made ahead of a meeting with parents of the affected students last Monday.
was a threat; missionaries were fined for teaching slaves at night. Trouble was the slaves worked long hours in the day and night was their only free time. Every Guyanese, especially those in New Amsterdam, and in particular members of the Mission Chapel C h u r c h i n N e w Amsterdam, should make it a must read book, which I said before, is available to read free online (Google, The Life and Labours of J o h n Wr a y ) o r c a n b e purchased at Amazon.com. If the Mission Chapel Church in New Amsterdam does not have a copy of this book, I will be happy to donate a copy to the church. Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com
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“Operations Safe Parks” initiative benefits from security vehicles
Mr. Azeem Baksh (left) presents Minister Robert Persaud with the keys for two security vehicles. Also in photo are Yolanda Vasconcellos and Mr. Joslyn McKenzie. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment received two vehicles to enhance security measures at the Botanical Gardens and the National Park. Managing Director of GStar Mining and Exploration Company, Mr. Azeem Baksh made the presentation to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud. Minister Persaud stated that the initiative is part of a larger effort by the Ministry under its “Operations Safe Parks” initiative to improve urban parks and recreational spaces, and provide quality services and a safe visitor experience for visitors and tourists. It is expected that
patrols will be increased and at the same time, logistics will improve for management of the National Parks. The Ministry through the National Parks Commission (NPC), which is in a state of transition to be managed by the Protected Areas Commission, is working to develop and implement a long-term security strategy that will focus on all of the areas under its management, including the Botanical Gardens and Guyana Zoo, he said. The Minister also welcomed the timely donation from Mr. Baksh and his company and at the same time called on corporate Guyana to follow suit in contributing and making a difference for a safe
and environmentally-friendly Guyana. Meanwhile, Mr. Baksh urged that the NPC utilize the vehicles to increase monitoring and management of the National Park. He mentioned that the vehicles are geared toward making the park safer for all users, since he and his family, among numerous Guyanese, are frequent users of the park. Also present were Mr. Joslyn McKenzie, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Ms. Yolanda Vasconcellos, General Manager, National Parks Commission, Mr. Soren Griffith, Deputy General Manager and other stakeholders.
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Sunday December 02, 2012
Sunday December 2, 2012
Kaieteur News
Mexico’s Pena Nieto takes power vowing to end violence MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Enrique Pena Nieto took over as Mexico’s president yesterday, promising to end years of violence and sluggish economic growth in a bid to redeem the party that shaped modern Mexico. Returning the centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, to power, the 46-year-old Pena Nieto said the people had been let down during his party’s 12year absence and pledged a raft of changes to boost growth, create jobs and fight poverty. “The state has lost ground in important areas. Lawlessness and violence have robbed various parts of the country of peace and freedom,” Pena Nieto said in his inaugural speech at a ceremonial palace in the old center of Mexico City. “My government’s first aim will be to bring peace to Mexico.” Pena Nieto takes command of a country that has been convulsed by the deaths of more than 60,000 people in violence between drug gangs and security forces during the sixyear term of his conservative predecessor Felipe Calderon. Calderon’s National Action Party (PAN) came to office in 2000, but it never had a congressional majority and struggled to push through legislation it wanted to create jobs in Latin America’s second biggest economy. Memories of the PRI’s unbroken 71-year rule are still vivid in Mexico, and the party was a byword for corruption, cronyism and vote-rigging by the time it left office. Demonstrators sought to take the shine off Pena Nieto’s swearing in, and several thousand protesters, mainly from leftist groups that supported Pena Nieto’s main rival and oppose his reform plans, earlier massed outside
Congress. Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, who rattled metal barriers in a bid to disrupt the upcoming ceremony. Elsewhere, small groups of protesters threw Molotov cocktails. “They have imposed an illegitimate president. There’s lots of us here, this struggle is just beginning,” said Frida, a 16-year-old student, her eyes stinging from the gas and wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the image of a guerrilla leader. Married to a popular actress, the telegenic former State of Mexico governor Pena Nieto won the July 1 election with about 38 percent of the vote, more than 6 points ahead of his combative leftist rival Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Pena Nieto says he is committed to fighting
organized crime, but has also stressed his main goal is to reduce the violence. Having helped shepherd a labor reform through Congress since his election victory, Pena Nieto now wants to pass legislation to strengthen Mexico’s tax base and allow more private investment in lumbering state oil giant P e m e x . “Mexico has not achieved the advances the people demand and deserve,” Pena Nieto said. “We are a country growing at two speeds. There’s a Mexico of progress and development. But there’s another one too that’s been left behind in poverty.” If he is successful, the reforms could help spur stronger growth and create jobs, blunting the allure of organized crime. (Continued on page 20)
Officials from Caribbean nations, that supply persons to work on the Canada/ Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Programme (CCSAWP), will meet with Canadian stakeholders in Barbados for the 2012 Annual Review Meeting of the CCSAWP. The meeting is scheduled to start tomorrow and will culminate on Friday. It will be held at the Accra Beach
Hotel and Spa, Rockley, Christ Church. It is expected that approximately 50 participants will attend the five-day event, including Canadian government representatives; CanAg Travel; members of the Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (FARMS); and farmers and employers participating on the CCSAWP. Caribbean delegates
will comprise Ministers, senior officials within the M i n i s t r i e s o f L a b o u r, Labour Officers or Commissioners, and Liaison Officers. Stakeholders will discuss the operations of the CCSAWP. The forum will also provide an opportunity for clarification on areas of concern. Barbados last hosted the Annual Review Meeting of the CCSAWP in 2006. (BGIS)
Mexico’s outgoing President Felipe Calderon (L) holds the national flag as Mexico’s new President Enrique Pena Nieto salutes during a handover ceremony at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City. REUTERS/Presidencia de Mexico/Handout
Canadian farm workers programme under review
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T&T ‘one of the worst energy efficient nations’ – World Bank Trinidad Express - The World Bank has ranked Trinidad and Tobago as one of the worst energy-efficient countries in the world, Minister of Energy Kevin Ramnarine has said. Speaking at Friday’s launch of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Ministry of Energy Sustainable Energy Programme at the Marriott Courtyard hotel, Invaders Bay, Ramnarine said: “The sad reality is World Bank has ranked Trinidad as one of the worst energy-efficient countries in the world, so we have to get our act together. “In a country like ours, this is very critical. The focus really has to be on renewable energy and energy efficiency. “It (energy) affects our everyday life and I think the culture has to change in Trinidad with regards to how we treat with energy. There has to be a culture of conservation in Trinidad and
Kevin Ramnarine Tobago.” Ramnarine said a lot of the inefficiency comes from the very old industrial plants operating in the country. He said in 2011 the Government entered into a policy agreement with the IDB for the development of a sustainable energy policy framework which is geared to support Government’s major efforts to transform T&T into a country that uses a more efficient combination of
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 2, 2012
Govt. to sell CLICO assets Works Minister meets Govt. responds to proposal to end highway stand-off...
Trinidad Express - Selling key CLICO assets, including Jamaica-based wine and spirit company Lascelles de Mercado, is how the Government plans to recoup some of the almost TT$20 billion it spent bailing out the company, Finance Minister Larry Howai said Friday. The Lascelles de Mercado sale, he said, should be completed in a couple weeks. The arbitration of Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Ltd (MTHL), another major asset, should also be determined by the end of December, he said, so by the end of January the Government will be in a better position having realised some recoupment of assets to work out a restructuring plan for the company. Howai added that the shareholders agreement signed between CLICO and the Government in June 2009 has been extended a further six months. The agreement was due to expire on December 12, but Howai, speaking at a function to mark the official opening of RBC Caribbean’s
Larry Howai Operations Centre on London Street, Port of Spain, said that over the last week, the ministry had been negotiating an extension with the CL Financial Group in order to allow (him) the required time to facilitate a phased recoup of the almost $20 billion in taxpayers’ money spent to bail out the company. “This extension will allow for a smoother transition that will not cause any disruption to the local economy… the
purpose of the six months is to give us time to plan the restructuring,” he said. This is the second time the agreement will have been extended, having already passed the original three-year deadline of June 2012. The Shareholders Agreement, which was signed on June 12, 2009, succeeded the Memorandum of Understanding of January 30, 2009 signed between the Government, CLF and the Central Bank, allowing the Government to have controlling interest of the CL Financial board. Howai said the Government had employed Ernst and Young, along with several international experts in restructuring and law to work out the detail of a plan. He added that despite suppositions otherwise, it was unlikely CLF would revert to the control of its former handlers, particularly former CEO Lawrence Duprey, based on the net assets of the company and the amount of money the government has had to spend.
with JCC tomorrow
Mas designer/producer Peter Minshall speaks to enviromental activist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh while paying a visit during the 16th day of Kublalsingh’s hunger strike opposite the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair Friday. Photo: ABRAHAM DIAZ Trinidad Guardian Works Minister Emmanuel George has responded to a proposal from civil-society groups to help end the standoff between the Government and hunger-striker Dr Wayne Kublalsingh. In a letter emailed to the Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry Friday afternoon, George replied to the letter that the groups delivered to the Prime Minister ’s Office on Wednesday. The groups’ November 26 letter asked for an independent review of the issues raised by Kublalsingh, saying if a review had already been done, then it should be published immediately. If not, it asked for one to be done by a committee headed by Independent Senator Dr James Armstrong. The November 26 letter
was addressed to the Prime Minister, and was delivered to her office in St Clair at 1.45 pm on Wednesday. In his three-paragraph response, George said it had been referred to him as line minister for the project. He told JCC president Afra Raymond, “I kindly invite you and representatives of your team to a meeting on Monday (tomorrow) at 11 am.” The meeting is scheduled to take place at George’s Ministry of Works and Infrastructure office on Richmond Street, Port-ofSpain. The JCC replied immediately by e-mail. Raymond told George, “In our view, your proposal does not reflect the sheer urgency now evident in this situation. “Please note that my colleagues and I remain ready, willing and able to meet with your team at short notice at
any prior time. The JCC remains committed to the timely, transparent and independent review of this section of this ongoing highway project, so we await your urgent response.” George’s letter was e-mailed at 4.43 pm Friday, just after the 48-hour deadline by which the civilsociety groups had asked for a reply from the PM. In a telephone interview Friday evening, Raymond commented that the reply from the Government was “very disappointing.” The situation, he said, warranted a response “of a particular quality and urgency.” He said the JCC and other civil-society groups stood ready to play their part and the Government should do the s a m e . The civil-society groups said in their November 26 letter that they made their proposal in view of “heightening public interest in this matter and the crisis conditions that threaten to engulf Dr Kublalsingh. The groups that signed the letter included the T&T Transparency Institute, the Federation independent Trade Unions and NGOs (Fitun) and Women Working for Social Progress (WorkingWomen). JCC member bodies include the Society of Professional Engineers, the Institute of Architects, the Institute of Surveyors, the Society of Planners, and the Contractors Association.
Sunday December 2, 2012
Kaieteur News
Colombia and Nicaragua want to avoid war over water rights dispute MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The presidents of Colombia and Nicaragua yesterday both said they hoped to avoid war and use dialogue instead to solve a dispute over a recent U.N. court ruling that shifted some of Colombia’s resource-rich water to the Central America country. The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier this month shocked Colombia by giving a large expanse of its fishing and potentially oil rich maritime territory to Nicaragua while handing
some disputed islands to Colombia in a binding ruling.Nicaragua’s economic exclusion zone in the Caribbean was expanded by the ruling, giving it access to potential offshore oil and gas deposits as well as fishing rights. Since the ruling, Colombia has withdrawn from a treaty that bounds the country to the U.N. court’s decisions, and both nations now have warships in the disputed waters. “We are totally discarding the use of force,” said Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, speaking on the sidelines of
Mexico’s Pena Nieto takes... From page 19 Annual economic growth averaged less than 2 percent under the PAN over the past 12 years, far behind many other Latin American countries. That record and the drug war violence opened the door for a PRI comeback under Pena Nieto. Still, inflation has been kept in check, debt levels are low and growth picked
up toward the end of Calderon’s term, with the economy outperforming Brazil’s in the past two years. Pena Nieto’s inner circle features several ambitious young economists and financial experts eager to prove the PRI can do a better job of managing Latin America’s second-biggest economy.
the inauguration of new Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City. He added that the country would use communication to achieve peace in the dispute. Colombia’s Santos echoed Ortega, but he did not take war off the table completely. “Of course no one wants a war, that is a last resort ... The way to fix these types of situations is by entering into dialogue,” said Santos. He also took pains to note that Colombia would keep seeking to “reestablish the rights that this decision violated,” through the international court itself and international diplomacy. The court decision angered Colombians who have staged marches nationwide in protest and called for Santos to defy the ruling and maintain the sovereign territory. Thousands of Colombians living on islands between the two nations rely on fishing rights in the Caribbean waters and are worried the ruling will ruin their livelihood.
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G2K says Phillips should resign if he misses IMF deadline Jamaica Observer Generation 2000 (G2K), the young professional arm of the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), says Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Peter Phillips should resign if he fails to meet the December deadline for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “If Dr Peter Phillips fails to honour any more promises, such as that of finalising the IMF deal by the end of the calendar year, he should do the honourable thing, admit that he just can’t manage the complexity of the portfolio and demit office,” G2K President Floyd Green told a press conference at the JLP’s Belmont Road office in Kingston on Thursday. Green said the minister has failed to keep too many deadlines that he has put forward, including his timelines for the tabling of the Tax Reform White Paper, which G2K claimed has cost him his credibility. He said that G2K has noted that Phillips has now brought the issue of a Letter of Intent into the timeline for
Dr Peter Phillips a December 31 agreement, but hoped that he still intends to keep his word on the deal. “We believe that, come January 1, if that is not done, he should do the honourable thing: he should reassess his position as minister of finance; he should reassess his credibility with the markets, and he should have a discussion with the prime minister as to whether he will continue in his capacity as minister of finance,” Green said. In the meantime, Green said with the demitting of
office yesterday by Contractor General Greg Christie, the Government should discuss with the Opposition a new process of appointment, which is more transparent and consultative than the current one. He said that Christie’s departure presented a unique opportunity for the Government and the Opposition to agree on a new process of selection. He said that in the current process, the appointment is made on the advice of the prime minister to the governor general, whether or not the leader of the Opposition is in agreement. He suggested, too, the new process should start with setting minimum qualification standard for appointment to the office, with the involvement of both Government and Opposition as well as representatives of civil society, in a transparent and open process. “We want a contractor general that everybody is satisfied with, because this is better for transparency and accountability,” Green said.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 2, 2012
Syria rebels bombed as opposition open to peacekeepers
BEIRUT (Reuters) Syrian jets bombed rebel-held areas of Damascus yesterday, residents said, as the opposition indicated it could accept an international peacekeeping force if President Bashar al-Assad is forced from power. Warplanes attacked the Damascus suburbs of Kafar Souseh and Darraya, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked group. The air strikes follow intensified rebel activity in the capital, Assad’s seat of power, as well as successful stormings of government military bases in recent weeks. “Syrian regular forces are trying to control the areas surrounding the capital,” the Observatory said. Bombings targeted a continuous arc of rebel presence in the capital’s outer districts from the northeast to the southwest. Activists reported clashes and air strikes in the provinces of Homs, Deir alZor, Idlib and in Aleppo, where they said 14 rebel fighters
were killed during an assault on an army base in the town of Khanasser early yesterday. It is difficult to verify such reports due to government restrictions on media access to Syria. Syria’s Internet connections began working again yesterday after a twoday blackout, the worst communications outage in the 20-month-old uprising against Assad in which 40,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee the country.Opposition umbrella group the Syrian National Coalition might allow an international peacekeeping force into Syria if Assad and his allies leave power, coalition spokesman Walid al-Bunni said yesterday. Some opposition members have argued against international troops, saying their arrival could serve as a rallying call for Assad loyalists in an area near the Mediterranean where many of his minority Alawite sect live. Assad, whose family has
ruled autocratically for four decades, draws much of his support from the sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam. Most of the rebels are Sunni Muslims. Bunni said the coalition was open to any proposal if Assad and his allies, including top officers in the military and security apparatus, were removed. “If this is the first condition then we can start discussing everything. There will be no political process until the ruling family and all those who underpin the regime leave,” he added. Bunni, a physician who spent most of the period after Assad inherited power from his father in 2000 in jail as a political prisoner, was speaking at a news conference marking the conclusion of the first full meeting of the 60-member opposition coalition in Cairo. Britain, France and Gulf countries have recognized the Syrian National Coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people.
Syrian rebel fighters prepare to fire a homemade rocket. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras) Most foreign powers have condemned Assad, who has relied on his allies to stay afloat, especially regional powerhouse Iran. Russia, Syria’s main arms supplier, and China have vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions condemning Assad and reject the idea of sanctioning his government. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western states on Saturday of trying to advance democracy abroad through
“iron and blood.” “Advancing democracy through iron and blood just does not work, and this has been made clear in recent months - the past year-anda-half,” Lavrov said, according to state-run news agency Itar-Tass. Russia repeated its opposition on Friday to NATO’s potential deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey, which wants them because of fears of a spillover from the war in Syria. Syrian state television
quoted a ministry of information statement saying Damascus international airport was open on Saturday and that the road leading to it was safe. Since Thursday, clashes have been reported near the Aqraba and Babilla districts on the southeastern outskirts of Damascus which lead to the airport, effectively closing the road and leading EgyptAir and Emirates to suspend flights.
UK and France pile censure on Israel’s new settlement plan
(Reuters) - Britain and France condemned yesterday a plan by Israel to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying international confidence in its desire to make peace with the Palestinians was at risk. Stung by a UN vote according de facto recognition to a Palestinian state, Israel on Friday said it would build thousands of new settler homes, including in a wedge zone between Jerusalem and the West Bank, known as E1, which Washington considers especially sensitive. The United States, one of just eight countries to vote alongside Israel against the Palestinians at the U.N. General Assembly, said the latest expansion plan was counterproductive to any resumption of direct peace talks stalled for two years. France, which voted with the Palestinians, and Britain, which abstained, had tougher censure for Israel, which wants to keep all of Jerusalem and swathes of West Bank settlements under any future peace accord. Most powers view the settlements as illegal for taking in land captured in the 1967 Middle East war. “If implemented, these plans would alter the situation on the ground on a scale that
William Hague makes the two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, increasingly difficult to achieve,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement. “They would undermine Israel’s international reputation and create doubts about its stated commitment to achieving peace with the Palestinians.” Hague’s French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, spoke of E1 as “the new colonisation zone” and said the Israeli expansion plan could “drain the confidence needed for a return to dialogue”. “I call upon the Israeli authorities to abstain from any decision in this direction and to manifest clearly their desire to restart negotiations,” Fabius said in a statement.
Israel says Thursday’s upgrade of the Palestinians’ status at the United Nations to “non-member state” from “entity” could allow them to sidestep disputes such as territorial demarcation that should be addressed in negotiations. The Israelis were further incensed by what they deemed an inflammatory U.N. speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and said the upgrade resolution neglected the Jewish state’s security and need for its own sovereignty to be recognised. Abbas also claims the Palestinian sovereignty in Gaza, but the coastal strip is ruled by rival Hamas Islamists who are deeply hostile to the Jewish state and fought an eight-day war against it last month. The Israeli settlement plan was disclosed to the media by officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative government who spoke on condition of anonymity, a reticence suggesting the expansion had not been formally finalised. Asked about the plan on Israel’s Channel 2 television on Saturday, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon denied it was in response to the Palestinians’ U.N. upgrade.
Sunday December 2, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Egypt’s Mursi calls December 15 referendum on constitution, as Islamists march CAIRO (Reuters) Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi called a December 15 referendum on a draft constitution yesterday as at least 200,000 Islamists demonstrated in Cairo to back him after opposition fury over his newly expanded powers. Speaking after receiving the final draft of the constitution from the Islamistdominated assembly, Mursi urged a national dialogue as the country nears the end of the transition from Hosni Mubarak’s rule. “I renew my call for opening a serious national dialogue over the concerns of the nation, with all honesty and impartiality, to end the transitional period as soon as possible, in a way that guarantees the newlyborn democracy,” Mursi said. Mursi plunged Egypt into a new crisis last week when he gave himself extensive powers and put his decisions beyond judicial challenge, saying this was a temporary measure to speed Egypt’s democratic transition until the new constitution is in place. His assertion of authority in a decree issued on November 22, a day after he won world praise for brokering a Gaza truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, dismayed his opponents and widened divisions among Egypt’s 83 million people. Two people have been killed and hundreds wounded in protests by disparate opposition forces drawn together and re-energized by
a decree they see as a dictatorial power grab. A demonstration in Cairo to back the president swelled through the afternoon, peaking in the early evening at least 200,000, said Reuters witnesses, basing their estimates on previous rallies in the capital. The authorities declined to give an estimate for the crowd size. “The people want the implementation of God’s law,” chanted flag-waving demonstrators, many of them bussed in from the countryside, who choked streets leading to Cairo University, where Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood had called the protest. Tens of thousands of Egyptians had protested against Mursi on Friday. “The people want to bring down the regime,” they chanted in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, echoing the trademark slogan of the revolts against Hosni Mubarak and Arab leaders elsewhere. Rival demonstrators threw stones after dark in the northern city of Alexandria and a town in the Nile Delta. Similar clashes erupted again briefly in Alexandria on Saturday, state TV said. Mohamed Noshi, 23, a pharmacist from Mansoura, north of Cairo, said he had joined the rally in Cairo to support Mursi and his decree. “Those in Tahrir don’t represent everyone. Most people support Mursi and aren’t against the decree,” he said. Mohamed Ibrahim, a
SEOUL (Reuters) North Korea is to carry out its second rocket launch this year in December as South Korea holds its presidential election in a move that will likely trigger diplomatic tensions between the two Koreas and censure from the United States and Japan. State news agency KCNA said yesterday that the launch of a rocket carrying a satellite would take place between December 10 and December 22. North Korea says its launches are for peaceful purposes, although Washington and Seoul believe the isolated, impoverished state is testing long-range missile
technology with the aim of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. North Korea undertook a similar launch in April that was aborted a few minutes into its mission. The North is banned from conducting missile or nuclear-related activities under United Nations resolutions. The coming launch will take place around the time of South K o r e a ’s presidential polls on December 19 and close to the first anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong-il. Kim died on December 17 last year and was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un.
North Korea plans second rocket launch in December
hardline Salafi Islamist scholar and a member of the constituent assembly, said secular-minded Egyptians had been in a losing battle from the start. “They will be sure of complete popular defeat today in a mass Egyptian protest that says ‘no to the conspiratorial minority, no to destructive directions and yes for stability and sharia (Islamic law)’,” he told Reuters. Mursi has alienated many of the judges who must supervise the referendum. His decree nullified the ability of the courts, many of them staffed by Mubarak-era appointees, to strike down his measures, although says he respects judicial independence. A source at the presidency said Mursi might rely on the minority of judges who support him to supervise the vote. “Oh Mursi, go ahead and cleanse the judiciary, we are behind you,” shouted Islamist demonstrators in Cairo. Mursi, once a senior Muslim Brotherhood figure, has put his liberal, leftist, Christian and other opponents in a bind. If they boycott the referendum, the constitution would pass anyway. If they secured a “no” vote to defeat the draft, the president could retain the powers he has unilaterally assumed. And Egypt’s quest to replace the basic law that
underpinned Mubarak’s 30 years of army-backed oneman rule would also return to square one, creating more uncertainty in a nation in dire economic straits and seeking a $4.8 billion loan from the IMF. Mursi’s well-organized Muslim Brotherhood and its ultra-orthodox Salafi allies, however, are convinced they can win the referendum by mobilizing their own supporters and the millions of Egyptians weary of political turmoil and disruption. “There is no place for dictatorship,” the president said on Thursday while the constituent assembly was still voting on a draft constitution which Islamists say enshrines Egypt’s new freedoms. Human rights groups have voiced misgivings, especially about articles related to women’s rights and freedom of speech. The text limits the president to two four-year terms, requires him to secure parliamentary approval for his choice of prime minister, and introduces a degree of civilian oversight over the military - though not enough for critics. The draft constitution also contains vague, Islamistflavored language that its opponents say could be used to whittle away human rights and stifle criticism. For example, it forbids blasphemy and “insults to any person”, does not explicitly uphold women’s rights and demands respect
Supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi rally. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh for “religion, traditions and family values”. The draft injects new Islamic references into Egypt’s system of government but retains the previous constitution’s reference to “the principles of sharia” as the main source of legislation. “We fundamentally reject the referendum and constituent assembly because the assembly does not represent all sections of society,” said Sayed el-Erian, 43, a protester in Tahrir and member of a party set up by opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei. Several independent newspapers said they would not publish on Tuesday in
protest. One of the papers also said three private satellite channels would halt broadcasts on Wednesday. Egypt cannot hold a new parliamentary election until a new constitution is passed. The country has been without an elected legislature since the Supreme Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated lower house in June. The court is due to meet on Sunday to discuss the legality of parliament’s upper house. “We want stability. Every time, the constitutional court tears down institutions we elect,” said Yasser Taha, a 30-year-old demonstrator at the Islamist rally in Cairo.
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Iran’s Ahmadinejad gives new job to aide seen as possible heir DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has moved his chief of staff, seen as a potential successor and a target of criticism from hardline conservatives, to another job, according to the president’s official website yesterday. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie has provoked the ire of Ahmadinejad’s conservative rivals, who accuse him of
trying to undermine Iran’s theocratic system. Ahmadinejad has defended his closest aide throughout the attacks. In a statement yesterday, Ahmadinejad thanked Mashaie for his service, appointing him to a position in the Non-Aligned Movement, the 120-member bloc of countries whose rotating chair is held by Iran. “I consider knowing and
working with you to be a divine gift and great honor,” Ahmadinejad wrote in the statement addressed to Mashaie. Ahmadinejad, who has faced criticism from conservative rivals in parliament over his economic performance, is finishing his last year in office and by law cannot run again in presidential elections due in June 2013. Some analysts, and Ahmadinejad’s rivals, believe
he has been grooming Mashaie to succeed him. Conservative politicians and allies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have accused Mashaie of leading a “deviant current” bent on undermining the political role of the clergy, the ultimate authorities in Iran. He has been criticized for emphasizing the nationalist strain of Iranian history and culture over religion.
Sunday December 2, 2012
Obama Accuses House GOP of Holding Middle Class Tax Cuts ‘Hostage’ President Barack Obama is urging Congress to extend tax breaks for the middle class, saying it’s “unacceptable for some Republicans in Congress to hold middle class tax cuts hostage simply because they refuse to let tax rates go up on the wealthiest Americans.” With the clock ticking toward the so-called “fiscal cliff,” Obama asked lawmakers in his weekly address to “begin by doing what we all agree on” and extend the middle class tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year. “With the issue behind us, we’ll have more time to work out a plan to bring down our deficits in a balanced way, including by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more, so we can still invest in the things that make our nation strong,” he said from a toy manufacturing facility in Hatfield, Pa., where he delivered a similar message to workers Friday. The president has launched a public campaign to try and force Republicans to sign on to his position on the expiring Bush tax cuts, asking them to pass a Senate bill that would maintain low middle class tax rates while allowing them to go up on the top income earners. “If we can just get a few House Republicans on board, I’ll sign this bill as soon as Congress sends it my way,”
he said. Earlier this week, the White House put forth a deficit reduction proposal to avert the looming tax increases and spending cuts set to kick in on Jan. 1, which included $1.6 trillion in tax increases over the next 10 years, $50 billion in new stimulus spending, $400 billion in unspecified Medicare cuts, and a measure to effectively end Congress’s ability to vote on the debt limit. T h e o ff e r, w h i c h closely mirrors the p r e s i d e n t ’s previous deficit-reduction plans, lacked concessions to Republicans, including detailed spending cuts, and was strongly rejected. Since then, as House Speaker John Boehner put it, negotiations between the White House and House Republicans have come to a “stalemate.” (ABC OTUS News)
(Reuters) - Kuwaitis voted yesterday in a divisive parliamentary election held under new polling rules that triggered an opposition boycott of the ballot and mass protests. The election is the second this year in the oil-rich Gulf Arab state, where a series of assemblies have collapsed due to a power struggle between elected MPs and the cabinet. Te n s o f t h o u s a n d s marched on Friday in what organisers said was the largest protest in Kuwaiti history, to urge people to shun the ballot box in protest at a rule change they say will skew the outcome in favour of progovernment candidates. Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, whose family has ruled for 250 years, used emergency powers in October to cut the number of votes per citizen to one from four, saying his
decree would fix a flawed system and ensure national unity. The opposition says the new one-vote system will prevent its candidates winning the majority they had in the last vote. In the past, its candidates have called on supporters to cast their additional ballots for allies. They say such informal affiliations are crucial due to a ban on political parties. “The old system was unfair for people in some areas of Kuwait,” 28-year-old Dalal al-Aboud said at a polling station in a suburb on the edge of Kuwait City, where there was a steady trickle of voters. “I think it will be better if we try this new method, then we judge if it is fair or not.” Polls opened at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT). About 423,000 Kuwaitis are eligible to cast ballots to choose the 50 members of parliament.
Barack Obama
Kuwaiti holds divisive vote after mass protest
Sunday December 2, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Cliff – what Cliff? By Sir Ronald Sanders It is not only the people of the United States that should be praying that their political leaders have enough sense not to push themselves off the so-called “fiscal cliff”, but the rest of the world as well. “Fiscal cliff” is a shorthand term used to describe the serious challenge that the US government will face at the end of 2012. In the US Congress, Republicans want to cut government spending and avoid raising taxes particularly on the wealthy who, they say, are the investors and job creators, while Democrats are looking for a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases, especially on the wealthy. The consequences of not reaching a compromise by year-end are far-reaching, including pushing the US into another period of recession. But it seems that the bitterness surrounding the Presidential election, in which Barack Obama was elected to a second term, continues to define the Republican attitude to negotiations, and if it doesn’t cause them all to go over the “fiscal cliff”, it will create so much uncertainty that investors – including those who are large purchasers of US bonds – would be reluctant to invest. Even families, faced with the uncertainty over new taxes or job losses, have begun to rein in their spending and this will have an effect on the economy, probably leading to no growth and higher unemployment. One would have thought the political leaders of the world’s largest economy and a super-power would have been capable of greater maturity than they have shown in negotiating sensible positions in the interest of their people. But, it appears that large size and big population are no more a summons to responsibility than are small size and small population. The quest for narrow political victory overrides wider national interest every time and everywhere. But that is not the only problem that the US faces. There is yet another hurdle to jump. If it is not met satisfactorily, it will also have an impact on the global economy and, especially, on countries for whom trade, investment and remittances are important. This hurdle is the limit on US debt. Congress set that limit at a staggering $16.4 trillion, but by the next three
months, the US is likely to hit that limit with a bang, requiring Congressional approval to increase it. Another set of political bickering will then begin which, at best, will lead only to stop-gap measures and not the comprehensive solution that is required. For countries in the Caribbean, if the US problems are not solved, they can expect fewer tourists, less investment and much reduced remittances. And while the US will have to wrangle itself out of its dreadful situation, the Eurozone area of the European Union (EU) countries has been facing one difficulty after another in relation to the level of debt among several of its membercountries. In the first quarter of 2012, combined EU economic activity was flat, and in the second quarter it actually contracted. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - the premier joint economic thinktank of both the US and the EU - warns in a report that Europe’s debt crisis is “a far bigger threat to the world’s economy” than the US ‘fiscal cliff’ and “could drag Europe into a deep recession in the next two years and the US along with it”. The OECD says that unemployment is high, with around 50 million jobless people in the entire OECD area. Worryingly, it also says unemployment is set to remain high, or even rise further, in many countries unless structural measures are used to boost near-term employment growth. But, so far, governments have mounted no programmes to deal with unemployment as aggressively and effectively as the situation warrants. So, while the US “fiscal cliff” is proving to be as precipitous to the Caribbean as it is to the US, events in Europe offer no golden parachute. Emerging markets do have some answers that appear to be eluding the US and many of the EU countries. According to the same OECD, “after softerthan-expected activity during 2012, growth has begun picking up in the emergingmarket economies, with increasingly supportive monetary and fiscal policies offsetting the drag exerted by weak external demand. China is expected to grow at 8.5% in 2013 and 8.9% in 2014, while GDP is also expected to gather steam in the coming years in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa”
The better situation in the emerging markets is good news. If they continue to grow and begin to promote consumption in their own economies through increased imports from the US and the EU, this will have the effect of boosting those economies, reducing their fiscal deficits and improving employment. The news is not so good for small countries that have tied themselves almost exclusively to the US and EU for trade and investment, and which, while some of them have developed relations with China in particular, have neglected the opportunities
that exist in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa. Even with regard to the Chinese, trade is largely one way in China’s favour and loans – mainly for construction that employs a majority of Chinese labour – makes very little immediate impact on the economies while increasing their debt levels. Of the 14 independent countries of the Caribbean that form the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the Dominican Republic (DR), only the Bahamas, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti and Suriname recorded
over 2 per cent growth in 2011. Of the others, four actually had negative growth, and growth in the rest was marginal. Guyana and Suriname are the two sole countries that have enjoyed an average growth rate of 4 per cent over the last five years. It may well be argued that many of the Caribbean countries have already fallen off their own fiscal cliff and are failing to rescue themselves through cooperation and integration in their regional and international arrangements that might be a more viable way of saving themselves,
Sir Ronald Sanders than limited national scrambling. But then, maybe it’s a case of “cliff – what cliff?” (The writer is a Consultant and former Caribbean diplomat) Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com
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Sunday December 2, 2012
Tears fall as GMSA awards Dennis Morgan posthumously - Lifetime Achievement accolade for L. Seepersaud Maraj & Sons By Leonard Gildarie It has become a fixture in the calendar year of the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA) but Thursday’s event at the Pegasus Hotel would go down in the annals of the private sector body as a special one, for a number of reasons. Several of the country’s top businesses were recognized for their contributions but two stood out.
Dennis Morgan who received the award from business executive, Dr. Leslie Chin, on behalf of her husband. The event was attended by a number of business leaders, Members of Parliament, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh. Morgan, 64, passed away suddenly a few weeks ago, shocking the business community. Not many persons are aware that almost all of Denmor ’s products are
Latin America. Since it began production in 1997, Denmor Garment Manufacturers has enjoyed dynamic growth, expanding from 300 employees to 1,000 (97 percent of whom are women). Denmor has the capacity to respond to orders of up to 50,000 dozens of garments per month, and can produce up to 15 different styles at the same time, GOInvest said. According to GMSA, Morgan, founder and CEO of Denmor Garment Factory
The family, according to Chairperson, Alex Graham, has been in business over 70 years, crafting gold jewellery of exceptional quality renowned around the world. The family is known especially for its staple for elaborate tilaries and exotic, multi-tiered bracelets. They crafted a golden tilari (necklace) for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II when she visited in the 1990s, and a golden multi-tiered bracelet for the Duchess of Kent when she came to Guyana
Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, Barbados, and to the highly competitive Trinidad and Tobago market. It was noted that the company’s Umda Phalka Ghee and Baker’s Pride Shortening in Trinidad and Barbados, respectively, indicate that these products ha v e superior functionality. The award was presented by Prime Minister Hinds to Sterling’s Dianne Yhann, Export Sales Manager.
Dennis Morgan and Farfan and Mendes/ Mines Services Ltd for “Extending the range of services to the Mining, Forestry and Wood Products industries, and introducing new and innovative technologies and methodologies”. The EMPRETECO Award went to Barbara
Mrs. Morgan receiving a special GMSA award for her late husband. Entrepreneur Dennis Morgan, who built a garment company, employing over 1,000 persons and securing a number of international markets, was posthumously honoured for pioneering and developing the textiles and sewn goods industry in Guyana. Then there was the Lifetime Achievement Award for L. Seepersaud Maraj and Sons Limited, one of Guyana’s oldest family of jewellers. Along with several persons in the audience, there were tears in the eyes of Mrs.
exported or that its customers include some of the world’s leading brands and department stores, including Russell Athletic, Victoria’s Secret, Paris Accessories, Van Heusen, JC Penny and WalMart. According to the Guyana Office For Investment (GOInvest), while Guyana is not known for having an apparel industry, Morgan and Denmor managed to show that companies can succeed amid global competition from leading manufacturers in locations such as China or
Heera Maraj, of L. Seepersaud Maraj Jewellers, receives the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of his family.
was, without doubt, the leading manufacturer of men’s, ladies and children’s outer and under garments in Guyana. LIFETIMEACHIEVEMENT Receiving the significant Lifetime Achievement Award was L. Seepersaud Maraj and Sons, which operates in the Stabroek Market.
with her husband for the Independence celebrations some years ago. It is unclear when the patriarch, L. Seepersaud Maraj, began selling from a showcase at that particular spot in the Stabroek Market, but there are records indicating that the shop was already in existence in 1935. “He trained his sons Sharma, Ram and Heera and today, they are designing and fashioning superior gold jewellery together with their spouses Molly, Savitri and Kamla.” The award was handed over to Heera Maraj, Managing Director, by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh. Meanwhile, Sterling Products Limited received the ‘President’s Award For Export Achievement’ for its consistent growth and export expansion in the demanding Caribbean markets. Sterling has recorded an exceptional 19% overall growth in export business in a single year, expanding to
Dianne Yhann, Export Sales Manager of Sterling Products, receiving the President’s Award for breaking new overseas markets. PLYWOOD PAYS Barama Company Limited, makers of plywood, also received recognition for “Attaining Verified Legal Origin (VLO) International Certification”. Barama is one of the oldest foreign companies in Guyana and said to be the largest investor in the forestry sector. Qualfon (Guyana) Inc, an international call centre on the East Coast of Demerara, was recognized too for “Improving and Expanding International Marketing Service and Involvement in Community Development” Since 1996, Qualfon has been ranked the top performing Business Processes Outsourcing (BPO) service provider. Qualfon has been in this business internationally for some 16 years now, beginning as an IVR provider for well known clients, including IBM and AT&T. Also awarded were Total Air Cargo (Amerijet) for “Breaking new grounds in Transportation Logistics”
D u b l i n - P e t e r k i n o f B ’s Beauty Circle and Naturopathic Centre, Vi s i o n s o f E x c e l l e n c e Personal Development Centre and B&D Farm C o m p l e x . The award is intended to foster the true spirit of entrepreneurship Camex Restaurants Ltd, which manages Church’s Chicken, Dairy Queen, Mario’s Pizza and Quiznos Restaurants, was also recognized for its input to the fast food business in Guyana. Superior Shingles and Wood Products, owned by the Bulkan family and located along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, also received an award for introducing new technologies in the wood business with their shingles and for breaking i n t o n e w, i n t e r n a t i o n a l markets. For its line of chutneys, essences and achar, Ecclesbased Prestige Manufacturing Bottling Enterprise was recognized for its contribution to the agroprocessing sector. concerned.
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
Nurses’ certification could hinge on CMEs Nurses may soon be subjected to mandatory Continuous Medical Education (CME) sessions as part of their registration process. Minister of Health, Dr Bheri Ramsaran, made reference to such a development on Friday when he addressed a Midwives’ Conference at the Regency Suites/Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown. According to him “I would like to see it become mandatory, like among the doctors, that you have legislation for continuing medical education...not two lectures now here and two lectures in another Region.” The Minister spoke of the need for a raft of actions similar to what obtains in the Medical profession adding that “continuous medical education will have to be a must.” “In other words you cannot say ‘I am a midwife and sit on my laurels and I will automatically get promotion or I will continue to be employed’...so that certification process should include mandatory Continuing Medical Education,” insisted the Minister. It is his expectation that the Midwives Association, which was formed out of the need for midwives to take responsibility for the development of the profession and the provision of quality midwifery services, would adopt a robust approach in this regard. Besides this, the Minister said that he is anxious to see efforts being engaged to actively review cases of maternal mortality this year and using them as the basis for teacher materials. “At the same time I would like to see you reaching beyond your immediate profession or circle in this regard. Talk to the doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation; bring them in, you have to have that group approach,” said the Minister. Friday’s conference saw efforts being made to underscore the importance of training midwives not merely to ensure that they were qualified but to ensure that they were a part of a team. It was with this in mind, the Minister said, that “I want to see a CME type review. We need to analyse mistakes that were made. The analysis is not that this year we had less deaths and last year we had more, but we have to look at the various cases vigorously” . Of importance, he asserted, is the need to examine closely, cases that professionals were delinquent in submitting since June of this year. The Minister
was at the time referring to maternal mortality cases that are gaining the attention of Cabinet. “We are somewhat alarmed at the level of Cabinet about the maternal mortality deaths. We have been agitated by this since around November 2010 and then there were two consecutive media reports of maternal deaths....” According to the Minister he still awaits reports on maternal deaths that were reported in the media “...Cabinet and I am displeased that since June of this year I have not received a single report concerning even those high profile maternal deaths.” The onus is on midwives, he stressed, to take pride in their conduct even as he reflected on the practice of a few old individuals within the profession. “In the old days I know midwives used to keep journals of how many deliveries they did and I have been told by the Chief Medical Officer that there is an old midwife in the Mabaruma area who still, up to recently, continues that practice.” Such actions, he intimated, will allow for midwives to follow their work and easily detect an interesting case when it occurs and even seek to uncover ways to embrace self-development. Elaborating on the notion of self-development, the Minister said that it is imperative that, particularly the young midwives learn about the use of various drugs that might have been recommended or issued by doctors. “These are things I want you to do to probably improve your Association and practice on the ward. Here you would actually be showing leadership, because when there is a contentious case, for example a maternal death and in some instances a near miss, you will be able to consult....” Embracing the motto “Midwives: making a difference in the lives of women, children, families and communities” the Midwives Association was officially launched on May 6, 2009. Since then, midwives have organised and conducted continuing education sessions and held yearly conferences which also provide an environment for fostering unity and networking. With a membership of 85, it was just recently accepted as a member of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) which supports, advises and strengthens associations of midwives across the world.
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NO MOORING, PLEASE! The Guyana Fertilizers Wharf has been declared unsafe for mooring by the Maritime Administration Department.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 02, 2012
US$840M Amaila Falls hydro…
APNU, AFC call for review in light of IMF’s concerns The two opposition parties in the National Assembly have called for a review of the multi-milliondollar Amaila Falls hydro project, amidst concerns expressed last week by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the project’s economic viability. Both A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday urged government to immediately make full disclosures of the financial arrangements regarding the project which could cost in excess of US$840M, making it the country’s most expensive infrastructural undertaking. On Friday, the IMF, following a routine assessment of the country’s finances, called on Government to take steps to ensure the venture’s economic viability. The IMF’s Executive Board also “recommended careful consideration of the risks and contingent liabilities arising from that project, and welcomed the authorities’ efforts to pursue international best practices in its management.” Yesterday, APNU’s Shadow Minister of Public Works, Joseph Harmon, said that following the General and
APNU MP, Joseph Harmon
AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan
Regional Elections of 2011, the government had made a presentation to the opposition, but things have changed dramatically now with new information. “We have no objection in principle to the project. What we are concerned about is what will be the cost per kilowatt.” The Parliamentarian noted that a study was conducted by a university in England earlier this year, which found the production by the 165-megawatt project, in all likelihood, will not be enough in the height of operations. This is in the face of ever-growing demands. With the power from the
Amaila Falls hydro to use transmission lines and infrastructure of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), it would be imperative that the state-owned company clean up its act to ensure that the power produced is not lost in leakages. “GPL must urgently bring its losses down to manageable level. We, as stakeholders, need to see figures. What are we paying? How much are we actually borrowing? What will it cost the Guyanese? We need details.” QUESTIONS According to Harmon, there are also other issues like the environmental ones
that need to be addressed. “What happens if there is a drought and obviously there is no water? We are saying that the opposition as representatives of the people and stakeholders must be taken into the confidence of the project and be convinced about the project. It can’t be a state secret. We are talking about mortgaging the future of our children.” Harmon also raised questions about Brazil’s proposal to help fund a major hydro project in the Mazaruni area which seems to have “fallen on the back burners”. The APNU official said that the mere fact that the issue has reached the attention and has raised the concerns of the IMF should ring alarm bells. “We are waiting to see what the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has to say now. They are supposed to be putting some money into the project.” Meanwhile, AFC’s Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, too, has called for a review. “As we have been saying, this is a project of immense magnitude and there are many unanswered questions. We are about to place a big chunk of our future on a project that still has
many questions marks. The fact that the IMF has recommended Guyana take steps to ensure this project is economically viable is cause for concern. The economists from that organization surely know what they are saying.” Ramjattan made it clear it clear that the party’s position has been vindicated. VALUE FOR MONEY “We want to stress that any hydro project that will lower our energy costs will have the full blessings of the AFC…what we want to know is how is the money going to be spent? That is all.” The Parliamentarian said that the financial figures as to the cost remain murky. “Yes, the deal is not fully closed. But there are delays with the road project leading to the site. Before we sign…before we do anything else…talk to the people. What is so hard about that? What are we hiding?” The IMF is a respected organization of 188 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. There have been critical
concerns over the costs of the Amaila Falls project, set to be built in Region Eight. The project, which will include creating a reservoir, building a station and running transmission lines to the coast, has been described as a key development, by government, to help reduce electricity costs and ensure a stable supply. Costs for financing the loans, interests and insurance push the final figure to around US$840M. Fluctuations of the dollar could see the costs rising even more. The IDB will be plugging in US$175M with US$100M in equity coming from the Guyana Government. The project has been dogged by delays ranging from financial closure to setbacks on the road leading to the project site. It will be recalled that in January, Government dismissed the contractor, Synergy Holdings, after delays and failure to acquire a performance bond in time. Government had to re-issue the road projects in four separate contracts. It is unlikely, given the weather and harsh terrain, that the mid-2013 deadline for the hydro project to start, will be met.
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
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ImmigrationTALK
What are my rights when dealing with Immigration? (Part 2 of 2) By Attorney Gail S. Seeram Last week, we started to explain your rights when confronted by law enforcement officers and immigration officers. This week, we continue the discussion by focusing on your rights when in immigration custody and in removal/deportation proceedings. Note, non-citizens who are in the United States—no matter what their immigration status— generally have the same constitutional rights as citizens when law enforcement officers stop, question, arrest, or search them or their homes. The term “law enforcement officer” refers to an officer enforcing state criminal laws, whereas “immigration officer” refers to an officer enforcing federal immigration laws. Q: What should I do if immigration officers arrest me? A: Assert your rights. Non-citizens have rights that are important for their immigration cases. You do not have to answer questions. You can tell the officer you want to speak with a lawyer. You do not have to sign anything giving up
Gail S. Seeram your rights, and should never sign anything without reading, understanding and knowing the consequences of signing it. If you do sign a waiver, immigration agents could try to deport you before you see a lawyer or a judge. The immigration laws are hard to understand. There may be options for you that the immigration officers will not explain to you. You should talk to a lawyer before signing anything or making a decision about your situation. If possible, carry with you the name and telephone number of a lawyer who will take your calls. Q: Do I have the right to talk to a lawyer before answering any law enforcement officers’ questions or signing any immigration papers?
A: Yes. You have the right to call a lawyer or your family if you are detained, and you have the right to be visited by a lawyer in detention. You have the right to have your attorney with you at any hearing before an immigration judge. You do not have the right to a government appointed attorney for immigration proceedings, but immigration officials must give you a list of free or lowcost legal service providers. You have the right to hire your own immigration attorney. Q: If I am arrested for immigration violations, do I have the right to a hearing before an immigration judge to defend myself against deportation charges? A: Yes. In most cases only an immigration judge can order you deported. But if you waive your rights, sign something called a “Stipulated Removal Order,” or take “voluntary departure,” agreeing to leave the country, you could be deported without a hearing. There are some reasons why a person might not have a right to see an immigration judge, but even if you are told that this is your situation, you should speak with a lawyer immediately—
immigration officers do not always know or tell you about exceptions that may apply to you; and you could have a right that you do not know about. Also, it is very important that you tell the officer (and contact a lawyer) immediately if you fear persecution or torture in your home country—you have additional rights if you have this fear, and you may be able to win the right to stay here. Q: Can I be detained while my immigration case is happening? A: In many cases, you will be detained, but most people are eligible to be released on bond or other reporting conditions. If you are denied release after you are arrested for an immigration violation, ask for a bond hearing before an immigration judge. In many cases, an immigration judge can order that you be released or that your bond be lowered. Q: Can I call my consulate if I am arrested? A: Yes. Non-citizens arrested in the U.S. have the right to call their consulate or to have the law enforcement officer tell the consulate of your arrest. Law enforcement must let your consulate visit
or speak with you if consular officials decide to do so. Your consulate might help you find a lawyer or offer other help. Q: What happens if I give up my right to a hearing or leave the U.S. before the hearing is over? A: If you are deported, you could lose your eligibility for certain immigration benefits, and you could be barred from returning to the U.S. for a number of years or, in some cases, permanently. The same is true if you do not go to your hearing and the immigration judge rules against you in your absence. If the government allows you to do “voluntary departure,” you may avoid some of the problems that come with having a deportation order and you may have a better chance at having a future opportunity to return to the U.S., but you should discuss your case with a lawyer because even with voluntary departure, there can be bars to returning, and you may be eligible for relief in immigration court. You should always talk to an immigration lawyer before you decide to give up your right to a hearing. Q: What should I do if I
want to contact immigration officials? A: Always try to talk to a lawyer before contacting immigration officials, even on the phone. Many immigration officials view “enforcement” as their primary job and will not explain all of your options to you, and you could have a problem with your immigration status without knowing it. Avoid making “InfoPass” appointments at the local immigration office if you are out of status or illegal in the U.S.- these officers do have the authority to detain illegal immigrants. Q: What if I am charged with a crime? A: Criminal convictions can make you deportable. You should always speak with your lawyer about the effect that a conviction or plea could have on your immigration status. Do not agree to a plea bargain without understanding if it could make you deportable or ineligible for relief or for citizenship. Also, if you are a permanent resident or “green card” holder, speak with an immigration lawyer before departing the U.S. if you have a criminal record as you may have issues with re-entry into the U.S.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 02, 2012
‘Corruption will not go with the click of a finger’ - Ramotar touts improved evaluation of bids
President Donald Ramotar
With persistent talk about corruption in high places and accusations that he has failed to act on the problem during the first year of his presidency, Donald Ramotar is scratching his head for ideas, but says he will not act rashly simply to look good. “We can’t say that one man can click a finger and stop it. We can probably make noise and try to make propaganda by going on the spot and those kinds of things, but the real way is to establish systems and close whatever gaps there are,” Ramotar told Kaieteur News.
He believes that one way is to strengthen the evaluation process by which multi-million-dollar contracts are handed out. In a shocking revelation in mid-2011, the former Minister of Education, in defending a contract to the education sector, said that bid evaluators “don’t go and look” to see if bidders “have the capacity or the capability” to execute contracts they are awarded. “I think probably we need a larger group of people to do evaluations when they are evaluating tenders,” Ramotar
said last week. “And you probably need a system of rotating people so that you do not have one set of people doing these things all the time,” he added. Just a month into his presidency, Ramotar’s government fired contractor Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall, in the midst of an ongoing controversy that he was incapable of executing a US$15.4 million contract to build the road to Amaila Falls, where the government intends to construct a hydropower plant. But while he accepts the
existence of corruption, Ramotar insists that it is not as bad as the opposition has been making it out to be. He said that one of the reasons that corruption has been a running headline is because it is a “potent political weapon in the hands of the opposition and they tend to magnify a lot of things.” Ramotar said that the annual Auditor General’s report on the handling of the public purse could be used by the opposition to help the government expose and fight corruption, but instead is “being used as a tool to fight against us (the government).” He said that what the media does not report are the
“very clear” indications in the reports of the Auditor General, of marked improvements in the managing of public accounts. “I am not trying to in any way belittle the problems that still exist; I don’t think you have a superman to come and stop it immediately, but we have to put in more systems in place.” Ramotar suggested that there is need for stronger supervision and enhanced competence in middle management. “To really bring an end to corruption, we have to not only have the system, but the system has to be managed and policed properly to ensure it works.”
HIV-infected Amerindians among... (From page 10) integrated approach to maternity through to delivery would seem to be a necessary precaution, given the prevailing standards of midwifery, NAC stated. The Commitee has also pointed out that generating reliable statistics about HIV and AIDS is a function of reducing the stigma associated with the virus. However it has noted with concern that persons living with HIV continue to be viewed as “morally decadent.” As such, the tendency for them to disguise, suppress, avoid and hide will frustrate the possibility of achieving a clear picture of current trends and future projections of HIV. It was outlined, too, that the inclination to condemn is prevalent at all levels of society, with families, religious leaders and health professionals often leading the charge.
“The fact that no HIVpositive person of any social class or status in Guyana has felt confident enough to publicly acknowledge his or her status, reflects both the strength of stigma surrounding HIV and the nature of the real challenge to getting to zero by 2015,” the NAC statement amplified. It further outlines that confronting stigma and discrimination is a social and political responsibility, which to date has been evaded largely by those best placed to give a lead to the rest of the society. Added to this, NAC said that Government continues to resist pressure to add sexual orientation to the list of categories protected by the Constitution. Moreover, the lack of leadership is also reflected in the absence of any legal steps to foster a sense of safety among PLWHA, the statement concluded.
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Sunday December 02, 2012
A strange case at Hog Island By Michael Jordan Hog Island, Essequibo, is home to close to 300 hardworking, peace-loving souls, but once in a while, to loosely quote Shakespeare, something wicked that way comes. The inhabitants of this farming community believe that something sinister passed their way in August 2010, when two men were found dead in a wrecked boat and a little boy who was with them simply vanished. The belief by many is that the trio fell prey to a group of rogue coast guards. But dead men tell no tales. And that case reminds some of the older folk of the fate of a farmer named Thakoor Persaud, whose relatives believe that he was the victim of an almost similar unsolved murder some 22 years ago. Thakoor Persaud, called ‘Coran’, was one of the inhabitants of the large but sparsely populated island. The 49-year-old farmer was separated from his wife, had no children, and lived alone on the western side of the 23 square-mile island. At around six o’clock on
the evening of December 12, 1990, Persaud boarded his small boat and travelled to Southern Hog Island to visit his mother. But he was not alone. He was accompanied by a dark-complexioned stranger of Indian ancestry, who was reportedly known as ‘Blackie’. As mothers often do, she offered her son and the stranger meals. The two men then visited a nearby shop where they consumed some alcohol and
‘limed’ until midnight. Persaud reportedly then climbed into his paddle-boat and proceeded on his twohour journey back to his Western Hog Island home. The following day, one of Persaud’s neighbours saw the farmer’s empty paddleboat in the river, with breadfruit floating nearby. Sensing that something was seriously amiss, the neighbour went to a brother of Persaud’s who lived a few
lots away and expressed his fears. The brother hurried over to Persaud’s house. The sibling observed that the grass around the house was trampled and the house was ransacked. Of the farmer, there was no sign. As word spread of his disappearance, Persaud’s relatives began to scour the Essequibo River for the missing farmer. Some of them suspected that his vessel might have collided with a tug during the night journey. They checked several other islands in the area, but still found no trace of Persaud. But for days after the farmer’s disappearance, a Hog Island resident passing near Liberty Island spotted the semi-nude body of a man floating nearby. From a scar on the right hand, relatives identified the decomposing body as that of Thakoor Persaud. According to a brother, the dead man appeared to have been chopped behind the neck. There were
reportedly similar wounds behind his feet. Relatives suspected that he was murdered for money that he had in his possession on the night he was drinking near his mother’s house. The brother said that ranks from the Wakenaam Police Station advised them to bury the decomposing corpse immediately. This was done in a sandy area near Hamburg Island, located opposite Wakenaam. According to the brother, the body was never exhumed for a post mortem and the police never returned to continue their investigation. Relatives said that persons who know the family have given them the nicknames of two suspects. Both suspects reportedly reside at Fort Island. There is also the third man in whose company the slain farmer was last seen. Nothing more was heard of this individual. But Persaud’s siblings are
so convinced that he was murdered, and so afraid that they, too, would be targeted, that those who had resided at Hog Island all moved, leaving the slain man’s home and ten-acre farm unoccupied. “We were scared to go back to the place where he was living,” one brother said. “The property was left like that. The entire family moved out. But every time December comes around, we remember…” If you have information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown offices. Our numbers are 2258465, 22-58473 and 2258458. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address: mjdragon@ hotmail.com.
SEEKING HELP TO LOCATE RELATIVES OF EIGHT CHILDREN KILLED BETWEEN 1969-1970 Michael Jordan is trying to contact relatives of eight children who were murdered between March 20, 1969 and June 1970, by Harrynauth Beharry, also known as Harry Rambarran, Charles Bissoon, Charles Pereira, Anant Persaud and Maka Anan. Some of the victims are Basmattie, an eight-year-old schoolgirl from Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara. David Bacchus, 15, of Tucville, 11-year-old Mohamed Fazil Nasir, of Number 78 Village, Corentyne, Mohamed Faizal, of Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Jagdeo Jagroop, Mohamed Nizam Ali; Paulton of Hogg Island, Essequibo; Orlando Guthrie, of Grove Village, East Bank Demerara. Please contact him via his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com., or on telephone numbers 22-58458, 2258465, or 22-58491. HeI can also be contacted on 645-2447.
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
Bernadette Persaud AA, inducted into Caribbean Hall of Fame Local Artist, Bernadette Indira Persaud, has been inducted into the Caribbean Hall of Fame for Excellence 2012. Mrs. Persaud received the Award for Excellence at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, on November 23, 2012. The award recognizes Persaud for her outstanding contribution and achievement in the field of Visual Arts. She was selected by the Committee of the Caribbean Development for the Arts, Sports and Culture Foundation in association with the Caribbean Community. The Foundation’s main aim is “to recognize the development of the Arts, Sports and Culture in the Caribbean, and to encourage the natural genius of our people to reach the highest level. This prestigious award, is made by the Foundation in recognition of the notable contribution made by those who have achieved excellence in Arts, Sports and Culture, and is not influenced nor determined by factors of race, colour, religion, sex or political affiliation.” Persaud, who has participated in workshops on art, as far off as Mauritius, has had a number of regional and international exhibitions and
Bernadette Persaud has her pieces in private collections overseas, including Russia, England and North America. Her previous awards and accolades include: The Distinguished Visiting Artist’s Award – awarded by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations with India, in 2005 Guest Artist – International Women’s month – Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Jamaica (1999) and the Arrow of Achievement, AA, 1997 (Guyana). Her regional and
international publications were featured in countries that include Germany, New York, India and in major mainstream media houses such as CNN and BBC. Previous inductee to the Caribbean Hall of Fame was National icon -- Guyanese artist, Philip Moore. The Editor and Advisory Board of THE ARTS JOURNAL salute Mrs. Bernadette Persaud on this remarkable achievement, recognizing that she is a part of the editorial board of this Journal.
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Sunday December 02, 2012
The Believers – An Intriguing Look into the World of the Occult
Book Review... Reviewer: GHK.Lall The Believers –The Hidden World of West Indian Spiritualism in New York by Dr. Glenville C. Ashby is a regular ‘jumbie story’ and then some more. This always intriguing effort focuses on the core beliefs of the West Indian immigrant in the most modern and hard-edged of metropolises. These are beliefs that operate in tandem-sometimes secretlywithin the hearts, and in the actions, of the West Indian migrant community. While this book has its share of the jolting and jaw dropping, there is little by
way of the spine tingling and macabre concoctions associated with Stephen King and his genre. This is about real people, with real problems, real fears, and who reach, somewhat tremblingly, for the relief and comfort of ancestral traditions and another outside-themainstream solution. In The Believers, Dr. Ashby provides readers with surprises and confirmations; and an appreciation of this other side-a hidden side-of individual and regional
religious beliefs and practices. This book is a collection of curious, fluid visitations-all somewhat loosely interconnected-in a continuing search for not only answers and solutions, but discernment, strength, and a different kind of comfort. New York City is the setting, and the characters are mainly Guyanese, Haitians, and ‘Trinis’ with a handful of Jamaicans and small Island denizens thrown in for good measure. It is a methodical, slow moving development
with context and color supplied by immigrant sketches, their embedded fears, and the grimness of gray winters. These are fused together to form a sobering, if not compelling picture; indeed, many pictures. Readers are treated to the names, language, and tools of these spiritual arts and a glimpse in their many forms in cold matter-of-fact prose. Here in the concrete jungle of New York City, one is afforded a look-sometimes no more than a fleeting peek-into the
mysteries of Kali, Obeah, Voodoo, and Orisha practices to name a few of the more robust streams of spiritualism and tradition bound folk worship. Here is the familiar talk of ‘spirit lash’ and an introduction to (perhaps a reiteration of) the powerful fruits of the graveyard along with the damage they can inflict. Here is disclosure of the significance of ‘mourning’ and access to the sanctum sanctorum of spirit worship; this same ‘mourning’ is described as “the greatest spiritual experience.” There is the occasional flash of flair, but this work is all about facts and circumstances in constant movement. In all of this, there are the unfamiliar names, the unintelligible words, and the unwavering principal characters. In this repeated journeying to the other and believed dark forbidding side, there is revealed the conflict between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ practitioners and practices. In the search for answers, seekers and believers traverse from house to church to cemetery. “You must know the depths and heights of wisdom to understand the mysteries of life” is a dominant philosophy of true Believers. It is the guiding philosophy. Dr. Ashby lays bare a different kind of world, one that is whispered of, frowned upon by many, feared by many others. There is the use of protective passwords and devices; the extreme physical contortions and convulsions; superhuman feats; trances, exorcism; and the presence of ‘evil eye.’ and curses and spirits. And while the doors are open to the uninitiated
public, it is still a world lathered in the clandestine and levels of murkiness. There are shades of the Masonic in some of the partial revelations. There is hesitancy on the part of some newcomers, sometimes trepidation, but never indifference or outright rejection of these fascinating belief systems and forms. Not surprisingly, readers would experience the layering and fusion of mainstream (and acceptable) religious involvement with the more earthy practices of voodoo and Kalbhairo and Kabballah. There is the mixture of occult elements with religious emblems; the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel comes in for special mention. Roman Catholicism and Hinduism are generously represented, with snippets from Islam. As for stalwarts and monikers in this pantheon try Bablawos, Pujaree, and Grandmaster; they make the listener and observer stand up and pay attention. The Believers: The Hidden World of West Indian Spirituality in New York is an eye opening, enthralling look into the reserved, sheltered world of the occult, as practiced by Caribbean folks while they pursue health, happiness, upward mobility, and the American Dream and dollar. The Believers: The Hidden World of West Indian Spiritualism in New York by Dr Glenville Ashby Hansib Publications, UK Available: Amazon.co.uk /For additional information: glenvilleashby@gmail.com/ info@hansib-books.com Rating: Highly recommended
Sunday December 02, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Ravi Dev Column
The Elephant in the Room Last week we wrote of the Ethnic Relations Committee being in limbo – but with the hope that it would soon be reconstituted to address the ‘ethnic-question’ which is the omnipresent subtext in our political conflict – but which our politicians seem determined to sweep under the rug. But the elephant in the room will not just disappear. There are no mono-causal explanations for the enduring conflict. Additionally, one has to distinguish between proximate and systemic factors. Even the systemic factors operate at different levels. For instance, we’re frantically emulating goals achieved only over centuries in the developed countries. They underwent sequentially, three massive macro-societal revolutions centred on national identity, political participation and economic distribution. Their goal was to expand the equitable distribution of power in their societies. Attempts to conflate these three revolutions have engendered severe
contradictions in Guyana – leading eventually, almost inevitably, to ethnic conflict. Inevitable, since institutional innovations sought to be introduced in one ‘revolutionary arena’ may require institutional precursors in other areas. Sequencing of institutional changes becomes critical because of this dynamic interaction. In Guyana, the “cultural question” implicit in ‘national identity” has been put on the back burner even though culture – narrowly defined as the value system of the people – provides the contexts for the success or failure of all institutions. Inappropriate institutions are the prime systemic causes of political tension and violence in Guyana. Our political system, for instance, based on the Westminster majoritarian form of democracy developed, practiced in Britain, was then applied in the colonies. Its Liberal premises assume that enough individuals vote for parties based on their stance on particular issues to produce
a pool of ‘swing votes”. This pool increases the probability that governments will be changed on a fairly regular basis, since it is highly unlikely that any one party will have the answers to all new exigencies year after year. However in severely divided plural societies such as Guyana, voting is almost invariably done on the basis of ethnicity, personified by the identity of the leadership of the particular party. The application of the Westminster majoritarian system in Guyana produced ethnic security dilemmas for the several competing groups, in a dynamic and selfreinforcing fashion if they played by the rules. In Guyana today, however, Indians have lost their inbuilt majority which created the African Security Dilemma: to wit that Africans could never capture the Executive in the majoritorian system. But while that is now resolved, the Indian Ethnic Security Dilemma has been further accentuated. The African/Mixed populace – which generally
THE BACCOO SPEAKS The Christmas season is upon us and with it should be peace and joy. Instead, there is a lot of anger in some quarters. A family is going to be warring all month and that war is going to climax in bloodshed. Police ranks who would expect to have a quiet time will be busy. The streets will be full of people, some of whom will be out to make their families happy, but there will be those who will be out to make themselves happy. These are some of the people who would be spending the holidays in custody. But not before they bring tears to the
eyes of some. Guns will come out and blood will flow. **** A drowning will rock a family. A young boy is going to go for a swim with friends. Although adults will be around no one will miss him until it is too late. ****
With the kind of weather that is going to prevail there will be another fire. Of course there will be the accusation of arson but in fact, carelessness will be the order of the day. Decorations and all will go up in flames because sleep will take precedence over cooking. Things that should be done during the daylight hours must not be attempted late at nights. **** An unnecessary investigation is underway because someone is worried that the person being investigated knows too much.
votes as one – will soon combine their domination of the state institutions, especially the Police, Army and Civil Service, with political power obtained through their numbers at the polls. This tenuous situation will leave Indian-Guyanese totally bereft of power. Sensationalised claims that they control ‘economic power’ heighten that risk, even as the reality is that wealth offers at best, influence, but not power. In the modern world, the goal of political life is seen as leading to increased standards of living. The economic improvements are expected to be equitably distributed amongst the people, which in the Western models, had been achieved after long and intense struggle and tinkering of institutional arrangements. Since this was the last “revolution’ achieved by the West (and is still in motion) economic equity is very much on the minds of the local politicians. Will it soon be ‘payback time”?
It is also on the economic question that many of the contradictions of inappropriate imported institutions have surfaced. With the installation of the PPP/C from 1992, the earlier complaints of Indians being discriminated against by the PNC and denied their equitable share of the economic pie have been echoed by African Guyanese. While, the figures show that there is no correlation between ethnicity and economic standing (with the notable exception of the Amerindians) they have confirmed that there is ethnic dominance in various sectors. The government’s policies in these sectors are rigorously scrutinised for possible ethnic discrimination. These charges of “racism”, ‘discrimination”, “marginalisation” and “ethnic cleansing” have, more than any other proximate factor, contributed to the present increased levels of tensions. However, equality of outcome is frequently
Ravi Dev
assumed with equality of opportunity. We have long advocated an “Ethnic Impact Statement” for all Government programs and policies, ethnic economic participation goals, and affirmative action for disadvantaged groups. Ethnic conflict is not unique to Guyana; in fact it has become the most prevalent form of conflict within States all across the globe in recent years. The approaches towards ameliorating such conflicts are all imbued with the principle that power, in all its forms, must be shared more equitably amongst the groups, as they identify themselves, in the various societies. Our politicians must not bury their heads in the sand.
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Sunday December 02, 2012
MY COLUMN
Queen’s College never had any flea infestation I am angry and not because I like losing my temper. In fact, for years I have tried my utmost to avoid becoming angry, and with good reason. I happened to be sitting in the office of Dr Frank Beckles when my eye happened upon a chart on the wall. That chart showed the effect of anger on the human body. I was shocked. That chart showed that anger affects the eyes, heart, kidneys, lungs, stomach and just about every major blood vessel. I will not attempt to explain how this happens although the reason is clearly expressed on the chart. Suffice it to say that I try desperately not to get angry. Some people see me going about my ordinary life and they conclude that I have an abundance of patience. Perhaps I do. However, I did get angry when my alma mater, Queen’s College, was forced to close its doors because of what people at the school claimed was a flea infestation. The school moved to its present location in 1952 and until then, nothing caused it
to close its doors except the holidays or when it had to be used for something. During the disturbances of the early 1960s the British soldiers bivouacked there; that did not close the school. When the people were running riot in the streets in those days that did not close the school. It took the major strikes that shutdown the country to close the doors to that hallowed institution. Now the people who manage the school claim that fleas caused them to close the school and place the children elsewhere. From my simple knowledge, fleas need a host; they are not known to live away from their hosts for a prolonged period. Surely, the children and the teachers were not the hosts, otherwise Richard Ishmael Secondary School would now have been infected. If indeed there were numerous dogs and cats, then these would have most certainly been disposed of a long time ago. Something else caused the school to be closed. QC students were the best in the sciences. From the
time the teachers opened their mouths to talk about flea infestation the students should have corrected them. This nonsense would not have been peddled. And the teachers who peddled the nonsense about fleas should not be teaching at the school. What really ticked me off was the reluctance of the administration to even discuss the issue. It was as if there would have been a security breach had they talked about this infestation. Then I heard that Rentokil fumigated the place twice and the ‘fleas’ remained. What were these fleas living on? Where were the hosts? It must be that Rentokil was only interested in making money and if the teachers said that there were fleas then there were fleas. However, assuming that these were mutant fleas, how did they get such a foothold on Queen’s College? Was it because this happened to be the physically largest school building in the country? My friend who once rode the East Demerara railroad with me to school, Laurence Clarke, made an interesting
observation in the wake of this situation. He recalled someone from the rich middle class looking at him in his school uniform and contending that Queen’s College had gone to the dogs. Poor black boys had no place there, I suppose. And I, too, was a poor black boy. Laurence holds the third highest position in the World Bank; I am still the poor boy, perhaps not as poor as I was way back then. Today, given the broadcast about fleas infesting a building without a host, the school has really gone to the dogs. Today, many of us still have pride in the school. We often left our pressing duties to ensure that the school continues its noble tradition but this time around, people who preside over the decline of the institution now try to keep whatever happens there a state secret. It must be a secret, because even the students failed to see any flea. Many of us have actually spoken with students who said that there were no fleas in their corner. One wag wants to
believe that the so-called infestation is some paranormal activity. The joke is spreading. A lot of nonsense is happening. For example, I am aware that cleaners empty waste through the windows, something unheard of in my day. We all had pride in that building and its surroundings. The playfield east of the building was never overtaken with vegetation; the groundsmen were there to see that it did not happen. I knew that school when the focus was on education and sports, because the lecturers knew that a healthy mind needed to be supported by a healthy body. But there was always this principle that the students of Queen’s College could not sell themselves short. That is why the competition could not be any and everybody. For example, the school had annual competitions with its sister school in Trinidad and Tobago, Queen’s Royal College. It was during one such competition that our own Terry Holder ran the 200 yards against Wendell Mottley who went on to win
Adam Harris an Olympic medal. The school played football for the Dias Cup against Saint Stanislaus College and cricket against Berbice High School and Saints at the school level. Outside the school it played cricket in the national first, second and third divisions, fielding teams for all. So serious did the school take its participation that when a class mate of mine, Ian McDavid, took part in an athletic event on the GCC Ground and was beaten in the 400 metres, he was suspended. His photograph had adorned the pages of the national newspapers and the administration saw a QC boy beaten by a fellow from Cambridge Academy.
Sunday December 02, 2012
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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
Returning to themes that disgrace and destroy a nation Every so often I return to lamentations that any Guyanese that loves his/her country would find depressing. I have constantly revisited abominations like clogged drains that cause unbearable floods even during light rains and the horror story of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) facility of the Georgetown Hospital. Here I am again because of what I have witnessed one more time On Wednesday morning, I parked my car on the parapet outside of the home of Mr. Harold Davis, who the younger folks would not know, but was in charge of GuySuCo for a long time under President Burnham. I needed to make a purchase at Medicare pharmacy directly opposite to where Mr. Davis lives on New Market Street, between Camp and Thomas Streets. As I locked the car, and began to walk, my eyes gazed at the gutter in front of Mr. Davis’ house. The mud was mountainous. The silt in this gutter is not near to the top but filled right up.
As I was about to cross the street into Medicare, its manager was crossing too and she enquired what I was looking at. I pointed her to the horrible sight in the gutter with the warning that should the rains come, no way the yards and houses on that street could be saved from a deluge. The next morning (Thursday) it rained heavily and New Market Street had its deluge. It is indeed sad and tragic that Guyanese have to live like this. A few years ago, I made the identical observation about another place not too far from what I saw last Wednesday. And I wrote about it. That time it was Shanta’s Puri Shop on New Market Street at Camp Street. The gutter was filled to the top with mud. I wrote then that should the rains come, that restaurant would be flooded and that did occur. The entrance was fitted out with sandbags. What happens in Georgetown is that when the rainy season comes it brings devastation unrelated to unusual thunderstorms because the
downpours have no outlet due to clogged gutters and alleyways. It is simply a nightmarish future for victims. How can citizens and small business people accept this permanent destruction for which they are not to be blamed? It is permanent because once the mountains of mud remain homes and business places will get flood waters. It is totally misleading to lay blame on the City Council. The municipality does not have the manpower and money to undertake that Herculean task. But PPP cynicism perpetuates the nightmare. My interpretation is that the PPP’s judgement is that the opposition controls the City Council, Georgetown is not the PPP’s constituency, so let the mud remain. And the devastation lives alongside an ocean of high rise buildings and a soon to be built Marriott Hotel. As we are on New Market Street let us travel east and visit the Georgetown Hospital. Are the Kaieteur News and Stabroek News on a vendetta against this institution? In the Thursday
edition of both papers, the hospital got poor coverage and the reporting was about the facts and nothing else. The Stabroek News quoted the wife of a robbery victim as saying that despite his terrible injuries he had to wait a long time before he was treated. He was attacked in the uncivilized hours of Tuesday morning and the paper reported that when its reporter went to A&E at 9am the next day on another incident, the victim was sitting in a wheelchair, “his face was so badly swollen his eyes were almost closed.” Ten years ago, the Guyanese nation read about
similar abominations. Six years ago, the daughter of my neighbour told me her father, the victim of a robbery, died of internal bleeding because A&E took too long to treat him. His restaurant was invaded by a lone gunman and he was shot. Six years ago, I wrote about that. We are into 2012 and look what the Stabroek News observed. The Kaieteur News carried two items on the hospital for that edition. In one, there is the opening line; “Two mothers reportedly experience ‘pure terror and horror’ at the Georgetown Hospital.” Then there is the report, quoting an official that
Frederick Kissoon the hospital lacks an important drug that prevents blindness and that has “caused a number of patients to lose sight.” Why is this country a tragedy? For two reasons among others. Amidst ostentatious wealth, look what happens to our poorer folks. And these human atrocities are never-ending. Is this a dead country?
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Elimination of Violence Against Women By Latchmin Punalall November 25th is a special day set aside when internationally, we examine the status of and re-commit to the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Within the Alliance For Change, we recognize the struggle of our women to overcome abuses one way or another and we salute them for being fearless and courageous. For the AFC, every day ought to be a day for the elimination of violence against women. No woman ought to be abused, tortured or made to suffer degrading or inhumane treatment. On Nov 25, 1960, the Mirabel sisters Patria, Minerva and Antonia were tortured and murdered in a sugar cane field in the Dominican Republic. These sisters were political activists whose assassinations were orchestrated by the then ruthless dictator Rafael Trujillo. Consequently on Dec 17, 1999, the UN General Assembly designated Nov 25 to be observed. In Guyana we often remember the female sugar worker Alice Kowsilla, who was crushed to death on March 6, 1964, when the management of Leonora Sugar Estate ordered a tractor to drive through a crowd of protesting sugar workers. This cruelty left four motherless children behind. During 2012 women and girls continue to be victims of domestic and other forms of violence across Guyana. We recall the recent case of a 58-year-old helpless victim of Devonshire Castle, Essequibo, who fled her home after she was raped and doused with kerosene. We recall the case of 35-year-old Sursatie Abdool of Newtown, Enmore who was chopped five times about her body and her daughter Christine who was chopped thrice as she tried to defend her mother. She had been experiencing thirteen years of abuse from her reputed husband. Then there was the case of Letucia Rodrigues who was knifed to death and Rohanie Terjwantie who died by strangulation. Why do many of our women return to or remain in abusive and violent relationships? It is mainly because they depend on the abusers for their necessities and that of their children. It is a situation where the powerless and injured depend on the powerful and evil. Therefore the AFC believes that one way we can alleviate this problem is by empowering these victims. Income-generating programmes should be initiated which will not only assist these victims financially, but which will eventually grow and benefit our communities and increase production levels nationally. Hillary Clinton rightly said “It’s not only the right thing to do. It’s clearly the smart thing as well”. Although Guyana has laws which offer legal protection to women who suffer abuse, we often hear of cases who never seek legal help. Mindie Lazarus, professor of criminal justice and anthropology – University of Illinois, notes three roadblocks. First victims are turned off from meaningfully exercising their rights through the courts because they are talked down to, humiliated, viewed as wasting the court’s time, or have their experiences distorted. They leave the courts feeling defeated and embarrassed. Secondly, they do not always have the available time to frequent the courts.
Latchmin Punalall They may have little children to attend to. If they are working they may suffer loss of income which they cannot afford, or sometimes even lose their job. Case backlogs, long adjournments, length of time taken by the police to serve a summons or bring charges all constitute to protraction and aggravation. Thirdly, culture and religious beliefs may stand in the way. Victims may come from families or religious systems which demand that the relationship be preserved regardless of the extent of abuse, or that going to court is only for the ungodly. They hope that the abused will be able to work things out in the process of time, rather than live with the stigma of being separated or divorced. Dr. Beth Feder, who is a domestic violence expert and who visited Guyana in Sept 2010 on behalf of US State Department, shared a practical recommendation which can deal with this three-fold roadblock. She advised that family justice centres be established where victims and their families can have their concerns speedily addressed. This is basically a centre where legal aid, counseling, child protection services and other related matters are offered under one roof. The AFC believes that this is a practical approach worth pursuing. Our women and girls need to understand that abuse is not always physical, but it can be psychological as well. If you are not allowed to handle your own money, personal things or property; if you are always being watched over in a way that is threatening; if you are not allowed to eat or sleep well; if your children are being manipulated, these all cause emotional agony. These things humiliate the victim and dishonour or lower their self-esteem. If you are suffering emotionally, your attacker must accept that damage done to your mind makes him guilty, even if he says “I never slapped you, not even once”. The AFC has always been willing to join forces with individuals, civil society, and the government to help bring an end to this pandemic of violence. Surely our women deserve a more just, peaceful and equitable society, and this can only be achieved if we harness our energy, ideas and resources. We are extending an invitation to the opposite sex to cooperate with us that together we have to strive to eliminate the Violence against Women in our homes, communities and towns across our beloved country.
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to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC.) He succumbed to his injuries while being prepared to undergo surgery.
Four members of the Linden Commission of Inquiry, (from left) Justice Claudette Singh, Justice Lensley Wolfe, Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal and Justice K.D. Knight. SUNDAY LINDEN COI CHAIRMAN GETS US$81,000 FOR ONE MONTH’S WORK The Guyana government is reportedly paying a whopping US$81,000 ($16M) for a month’s work to the Chairman of the Linden Commission of Inquiry, former Jamaican Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe. This is in addition to hotel fees and air travel to Guyana, along with personal security for the duration of his stay in Guyana. While Wolfe is earning the super salary, his four other colleagues, including two former local judges, are not too far behind at US$72,000 a piece. Information reaching this newspaper, indicates that Wolfe is reportedly being paid a professional fee calculated at “US$450 per hour working six hours per day. That works out to US$2,700 per day. According to a Memorandum from the Administrator of the Linden Commission of Inquiry to The Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Office of the President, and carbon copied to the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, dated November, 19, 2012, payment for the four other commissioners is calculated at US$400 per hour with them working six hours per day. That calculates at US$2,400 per day. The Guyana Government had budgeted a significant sum of money but a full disclosure of the fees each commissioner would be paid had been kept a secret. In addition to the fees the government is footing airfare for the three overseas- based commissioners to the tune of “US$8,000.00 x 1 trip x 3 persons”. Airfare for their security personnel is also included in the package to the tune of “US$2,000.00 x 1 trip x 2 persons.”
AVERAGE HALF-FULL OCCUPANCY …MARRIOTT PROJECT LACKS VIABILITY – SAY HOTELIERS While the government presses stubbornly ahead with the Marriott hotel project, occupancy rates across the sector seeks to suggest that the project lacks viability. President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association, Daniel Gajie, told Kaieteur News that the sector lacks high-end rooms, which he rated as the standard offered by hotels such as the Pegasus and Princess Hotels. Contacted, officials from those hotels put their average occupancy rates at just over 50 per cent. Other Georgetown hotels put their average occupancy at 60 per cent. These figures point to the fact the local hotel industry has excess capacity, except when there are major events in the country. Robert Badal, the owner of the Pegasus Hotel, which has been against the project mainly because he sees it as unfair competition, said that with “high end rooms” comes a certain cost which guests are not willing to pay in Guyana. He said most travelers to Georgetown who stay in the main hotels are business travelers and they are not willing to pay the US$300-US$400 for high end
LOCAL HOTELS
Dead: Omar Harper
rooms. “If we charge US$200 a room we wouldn’t get any guests,” Badal told Kaieteur News. Badal said that if the project was feasible, the private sector, including him, would have jumped at it. But he said increase in room supply without increase in demand would threaten local investors, and this should not happen. MONDAY TWO DETAINED FOR TAXI DRIVER’S MURDER Police have detained two men in connection with the murder of taxi driver Omar Harper who was stabbed to death in Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara last week Saturday night while going to the aid of a woman who was attacked by robbers. Kaieteur News understands that the suspects were apprehended shortly after Harper’s death. Reports are that the 32-yearold Trooper Taxi Service driver was outside his Cummings Lodge residence washing his car when a woman raised an alarm and indicated that she had been robbed. The incident occurred in Fifth Field, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara at around 18:30 hrs . This newspaper understands that she showed Harper the direction in which the robbers, who were on a bicycle, had fled, and he drove behind the men until he reached a bridge which he could not traverse. Harper then left his car and continued the chase on foot. However, reports are that the two robbers stopped after Harper indicated that he recognized them. The one who was being towed reportedly turned back and stabbed Harper in the abdomen. The Good Samaritan collapsed and was taken to Trooper Taxi Service by villagers. He was then rushed
TUESDAY COPS QUESTION STABROEK NEWS OVER CIA REPORT The Police are investigating how reporters of independent daily Stabroek News gained access to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in what Editor-in-chief Anand Persaud calls “a fishing expedition.” The Guyana Press Association (GPA) has said the move is an attempt to intimidate journalists. The investigation is being conducted at the behest of the Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon. Police have so far questioned Persaud and have asked for statements from the two reporters. In addition, the newspaper’s driver was held briefly Monday and his car was also impounded at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Mr Persaud said that the reporters were engaging in usual practices in journalism and did not breach security. The CIA building is located in the compound of Castellani House, which houses the National Art Gallery. The entrance to the CIA is the same entrance to the Art Gallery. Persaud said that the reporters used the regular entrance and proceeded to the CIA building. He said there were no signs dictating how one should access the building or what rules should be observed. As a result, he said that the reporters knocked on the door and entered the building. The reporters were trying to determine who the head of the CIA is. The government has said very little about the agency and who mans it.
WEDNESDAY GOVT. ASKS COURT TO QUASH SPEAKER’S RULING Government has taken Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman, and Opposition Leader, David Granger, to court over the recent ruling that stopped Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, from tabling any new Bills in the National Assembly. The Constitutional motion was filed by Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall and stemmed from the decision by Trotman two Thursdays ago, which also saw the Minister being ordered to appear before Parliament’s sanctioning body, the Committee of Privileges. The court action would again raise the issue whether the local courts have jurisdiction over Parliament. Government is arguing that the Constitution is what had established the Parliament of Guyana and therefore has authority. The motion to silence Minister Rohee was tabled by the Opposition Leader. ELECTRICITY THIEVES ATTEMPT TO HACK INTO GPL’S SYSTEM Attempts have been made to hack into the state-owned Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) system to steal electricity, a senior official has said. Speaking with reporters earlier this week, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bharat Dindyal, said the company had to seek external help and was able to identify one person. Five other individuals are on the radar, the senior executive said. The attempts to hack into GPL’s servers all had to do with the prepaid meters that the company is offering. The hackers were attempting to manipulate the internal systems at GPL for “free power”, Dindyal stated. THURSDAY HOUSE COLLAPSES, PINS STUDENT NURSE
HOUSE COLLAPSES, PINS STUDENT NURSE Eight persons are now homeless and a student nurse, Selwyn Semple, 18, of Lot 8 Timmers Dam, Angoy’s Avenue was on Wednesday seriously injured when their house that was being repaired collapsed and fell on the youngster, partially pinning him under the building. The young man who is the eldest of six children, was at the time assisting his father and a contractor to plumb the cottage. According to his father, Clarence Semple, who is a carpenter, he had hired a contractor, Allan Ally, to conduct repairs and plumb the house. Ally and his employee, with some help, were conducting repairs to the building. He said that his son, who is a student nurse, was in the process of writing his first year examination. He had written his first exams on Tuesday and had the day off on Wednesday and was scheduled to write the final exams Thursday. He said that his son decided to assist and was partially under the house at the front section. They had raised the house a considerable way and had another four inches to go when the house suddenly collapsed. His son heard the cracking noise and tried to escape, but was hit on his head by a beam. He fell and was struck on other parts of his body. He ended up being partially pinned under the fallen structure. “WE WANT TO BREAK THE GRIDLOCK” – MOSES NAGAMOOTOO Wednesday marked one year since Guyanese went to the polls and Alliance for Change (AFC) Executive Member Moses Nagamootoo said that his party still wants to break the gridlock and meet a consensus since there is the (Continued on page 40)
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From page 39 need for serious negotiations. On this first anniversary of “the people’s victory”, AFC strongly condemns “the PPP’s divisive tactics. We call on the administration to halt its campaign of racism and division; to stop its wanton attacks on Alliance For Change and our leaders.” According to Nagamootoo, one year ago, the triangle of political power in Guyana was turned upside down.
Kaieteur News
He said that the majority of Guyanese forming the base of that power, chose to be on top, and created history by forcing government to be accountable to them. “At the November 28, 2011 elections 342,126 voters, forming 65 per cent of the electorate, actually voted…the low voter turnout told its own story of rebellion by our people, fedup as they were with the dominant, old parties, their abuse of power principally
through racism and corruption,” Nagamootoo stated. He said that when the Alliance for Change (AFC) contested, it was the youngest party, with a brighter vision. Nagamootoo said that it inscribed on its banner the ambition and hopes of young people. FRIDAY AUDITOR GENERAL BEGINS PROBE INTO NDIA’S FRAUD ALLEGATIONS
The Auditor General’s Office has commenced investigations into fraud allegations against senior officials of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) that surfaced in the media via a leaked report compiled by the entity’s Field Auditor. According to the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, based on a conversation with the Chairman of NDIA Board Dharamkumar Seeraj and
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Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture George Jervis and because this is a topical issue in the press, he decided to begin his investigations. However, he is not in possession of the Field Auditor’s report and the head of NDIA’s response that were submitted to Seeraj. In mid-October 2012, NDIA’s Field Auditor in a report sent to President Donald Ramotar and Seeraj accused the entity’s Chief Executive Officer, Lionel Wordsworth and the Senior Section Engineer, Aneel Chowbay, of being involved in corrupt practices. The Field Auditor recommended the duo’s dismissal. The report speaks of conflict of interest and sole sourcing of services such as the supply of fuel and the awarding of contracts to relatives of senior NDIA operatives, in breach of national procurement procedures. NDIA deemed the report as “mischievous, misleading and aimed at damaging the image of the Authority for personal gains and aspirations”. PUBLIC SERVANTS TO GET 5% INCREASE Government on Thursday announced a five percent across-the-board increase for public servants. The increase to salaries and wages will be retroactive to January 1, 2012 for all public servants employed in ministries, departments not under ministerial control, regional administrations and those who are engaged on contracts “against positions reflected on the inventory of the traditional public service and also those who are contracted against positions that are not on the inventory of the traditional public service”. According to the government, this action has been taken to avoid the disappointment of workers who have expectations of a salary increase payout before Christmas. The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), the main bargaining union for workers, has been complaining that government for the last several years has been arbitrarily bypassing them and each year would announce the increases, in contravention of agreements and norms. However, government on Thursday said it is still aiming to arrive at a new “multi-year wages and salary agreement”. SATURDAY IMF WARNS GOVT. TO ENSURE HYDRO PROJECT MAKES
ECONOMIC SENSE The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called on Government to take steps to ensure the economic viability of the multi-milliondollar Amaila Falls hydropower project. The recommendations were noted in a statement from the fund Friday on the recently concluded Article IV consultations with Guyana, a member state. IMF’s examinations are carried out primarily through annual consultations between Fund staff and member governments and central banks. These meetings are known as Article IV consultations, as they form part of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement. On November 9, IMF’s Executive Board concluded these negotiations with Guyana. Speaking on the Amaila Falls project which is expected to cost upwards of US$840M and will become Guyana’s most expensive project ever, IMF said that based on findings they are recommending “steps to ensure that the Amaila Falls Hydropower project is economically viable.” For an operation to be economically viable, it simply means that it must be able to earn enough revenues to meet its expenditure. IMF’s Executive Board also “recommended careful consideration of the risks and contingent liabilities arising from that project, and welcomed the authorities’ efforts to pursue international best practices in its management.” There have been critical concerns over the costs of the Amaila Falls project, set to be built in Region Eight. The project which will include creating reservoir, building a station and running transmission lines to the coast, has been described as a key project, by government, to help reduce electricity costs and ensure a stable supply. The peak demand in Demerara for power is around 80 megawatts. Of special concern also is whether the costs of the project and the terms of repayment of the loans that would be financing it, would not see electricity costs soaring in Guyana… never mind the savings on imported fossil fuel for generators that would be made with the advent of the hydro. Costs for financing the loans, interests and insurance take a significant portion of loans pushing the final figure now around US$840M. Fluctuations of the dollar could see the costs rising even more.
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Proficient physio and care provider Hyacinth Massay is a ‘Special Person’ By Zena Henry The quality of selflessness can be rare. Some say it is embedded in the character of those willing and prepared to sacrifice the normal to play a vital role in offering positives in abnormal situations. If that is the case, then unselfish and dedicated would be the ideal expressions to describe expert physiotherapist and care provider Hyacinth ‘Cynthia’ Massay-Thomas. So passionate is Cynthia about her profession, she has offered up her career, and by extension her life, to working with persons with disabilities and has been instrumental in making available the specified health care needed. She has been diligent in offering innovative and practicable ideas in enhancing the provision of health care for the disabled - especially at the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre which she has been managing for a number of years. Hyacinth Massay was born and grew up in South Cummingsburg, Georgetown. She attended Bedford Methodist and Wedgewood Junior Primary Schools. Having been awarded a government county scholarship, she attended The Bishops’ High School in 1956. While there, she
developed a passion for athletics and sports in general. It was this, together with her interest in helping people, which guided her choice of career in physiotherapy. After completing ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels at Bishops’ in 1963, Massay spent one year teaching English Language and Literature at Central High School. Her desire to join the physiotherapy profession was achieved when her application for the position of
expansion of physiotherapy services to Linden and New Amsterdam. Along with two colleagues she formed the Guyana Wheelchair Association which later became the Guyana Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities. She was also a member of the National Rehabilitation and Education Committee, formed following the International Year for Persons with Disabilities in 1981. While in London, Massay spent two years working at
“Working at the Rehab Centre and especially with children, has made me a better person. Like I say to some people, when you work with persons with disabilities, you develop this sort of empathy and understanding that you’re there for the grace of God. You could be in that situation overnight.” physiotherapist trainee at the Georgetown Public Hospital was successful. One year after that, Massay was granted a Government of Guyana Scholarship, and went to Birmingham, England, where she qualified as a Physiotherapist in 1965. On her return to Guyana she continued work at the hospital. During a five-year period before returning to England, Cynthia assisted in the
the Croydon General and May Day Hospitals, then returned to Guyana to take up a position as Senior Physiotherapist and later Rehabilitation Officer at the Polio Rehab Centre, which was renamed the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre (PRRC). As Rehabilitation Officer, she was responsible for the administration of the facility, which had shifted its focus to providing rehab services for children with physical and
Voluntary Management’s annual team building workshop 2004. Massay is standing second from right
developmental disabilities. Following her acquisition of the post-graduate diploma in Health Management from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica, Massay was appointed Director of Rehabilitation Services, Ministry of Health. She was responsible for the further expansion of rehabilitation, beyond physiotherapy, to include the disciplines of occupational therapy, speech therapy, audiology and drug rehabilitation. However, PRRC was to become a life-long dedication for the therapist, and after serving as Director of Rehabilitation Services in the Ministry of Health, she returned to manage the institution. Massay was instrumental in recommending to the Ministry of Health for a change in status of PRRC to that of a non-governmental agency to be managed by a Voluntary Board of Directors. This request was approved in 1992 and the PRRC was to travel on a path of semi– independence, with a voluntary team working for its maximum growth. With the support of the new management board, Massay was responsible for the development of the Centre to become the only
Hyacinth “Cynthia” Massay recognized organization in Guyana where such a wide range of quality rehabilitation services are offered, with the aim of ensuring children receive the kind of therapy, education, vocational and life skills allowing them to achieve their maximum potential as meaningful participants in family and community life. Cynthia serves as a member of the boards of the Family Planning Association of Guyana, and the Veterans Rest Home, and the Step-byStep Foundation for children with Autism. She was also appointed to the Rights of the Child Commission and also assisted in establishing the National Commission on Disability and the National Policy on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which formed the underpinning for the Disability Act which was passed in the National Assembly (2010). Because of her immersion in disability issues, Massay’s vision for the future focuses on the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs). Despite these achievements and prestigious contributions, Cynthia Massay remains humble and steadfast at having her vision of equality for disabled persons realized. To her, the most meaningful contribution to the PRRC was being able to have the institute delinked from the Ministry of Health. She felt that with the detachment, the centre would be able to access funding from external agencies and donors. It was because of that one move, she noted, coupled with the assistance of a very strong management team, the centre was able to accomplish much of the expansion work, growth and development that has occurred. She highlighted the growth of the classrooms and the variety of disciplines now being taught. Massay related that now the centre has about 54 students in a classroom, while at least 80 children visit the centre’s clinic on a monthly basis. She said there is also a vocational unit at the centre that works with young adults in preparing them for the world of work or provides training in relevant areas. Coupled with that, Massay informed that there is an orthotic and prosthetic unit called the National Orthotic and Prostatic Appliance Workshop, which caters for persons with disabilities in Guyana who need that type of appliance. Massay pointed that while persons would assume that a detachment from the Health Ministry is beneficial, she sees the need for what she described as the privatepublic partnership. It is her belief that the centre would (continued on page 42)
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Proficient physio and care provider Hyacinth Massay is a ‘Special ... From page 41 not be in existence without the Government, although she realizes that without the contributions of the external agencies and a number of selfless individuals, the centre would not have extended and grown to its current magnitude. Massay said that she is passionate about the profession that she has been involved in for the past 30 years. She started off in the early ‘70s at the PRRC which was at the time the Polio Centre. It was then providing rehabilitative services for those children who had suffered residual paralysis following the 1960-1964 polio epidemics. After breaking off from the centre a few times for travel, Massay said that it was in the earlier 1980s when she really rooted herself to the PRRC. At the time, it was realized that there was a need for someone to directly manage the affairs of the centre, rather than having an official from the City hospital come over to manage the institute. There, she said, the post of rehabilitation officer was created, and she has been with the centre since then. Massay said that she Representing the Cheshire Home, Mahaica in London 1994 (Massay stands at centre with glasses)
always knew that she had an interest with the body and its mobility. In fact her first passion she emphasized was sports and athletics. When she noticed that she had an immense liking for physical education while attending school, she said she was looking for a career that would encompass her passion. But having the most impact on her choice of career, Massay reflected, was when her uncle had to visit the hospital for therapy after being involved in a vehicular accident. She said he was also into sports and she used to tag along on his hospital visits. It was there, she said, her “discovery” of physiotherapy was made and she later realized that it was a sort of profession where she could combine her interest in sports as well as her interest in working with people who needed physical assistance. She also related that her interest in children developed from the initial work that she started at the centre. It however developed when she had her own daughter. She said that addition to her life made a tremendous difference and she noticed the need for
those disabled children who needed people to work with them and give the assistance they so desperately needed, since they could not operate and develop like the normal child. “Working at the Rehab Centre and especially with children, has made me a better person. Like I say to some people, when you work with persons with disabilities, you develop this sort of empathy and understanding that you’re there for the grace of God. You could be in that situation overnight.” “There is more to life than material things and just looking out for one’s self. I have absolutely no regrets. My will to help people and love for sports has put me in a place where I feel right at home and at ease with my contribution to society.” Massay would, however, like to see a just and barrierfree society that promotes the development of People with Disabilities (PWDs), especially women with disabilities - allowing for their inclusion and equal participation in all areas of society. She firmly believes that a country is measured by the way it treats its PWDs.
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GABA gets commitment Fitness Express & Popeye’s Restaurant from St Lucia and Jamaica on board for today’s big showdown GAPF Seniors “Judgment Day’...
Fitness Express has continued their partnership, while Popeye’s Restaurant (Guyana) has added some much needed protein to the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) for their senior championships dubbed ‘Judgment Day’ which is set for today at the Saint Stanislaus College Auditorium from 11:00hrs. Jamie McDonald, Manager/Owner of Fitness Express, located at Sheriff & John Streets, Campbellville handed over a cheque to GAPF Executive Members Gordon Spencer to cement his entity’s continued partnership with the federation. McDonald said he was satisfied with the continued progress of the sport in Guyana and the dedication and discipline the athletes have been showing over the years which have seen Guyana creating waves at the Caribbean, Regional and International levels. Spencer offer words of gratitude to McDonald for his continued support which has aided in the federation and the athletes in excelling consistently. President of the federation Peter Green welcomed Popeye’s on board noting that they have joined with New GPC Inc. and Fitness Express supporting this marquee event which will attract the best athletes today, battling for supremacy. The GAPF’s, Green, stated he was very pleased that Popeye’s accepted their request to partner with the federation. “We want to welcome you on board with
The Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA), who has been forging good relations with its counterparts in the Caribbean with the aim of improving boxing, especially at home, but also in the region, has recently received commitments from St Lucia and Jamaica for exchange programmes. Guyana has this year sent fighters to Trinidad and Tobago after establishing ties there prior and just Friday T&T fighters reciprocated on the monthly Friday night fights card. GABA President Steve Ninvalle informed Kaieteur Sport that he recently spoke to and got positive responses from Stephen Jones of the Jamaica Amateur Boxing Association and David Christopher Shakes of the St Lucia Amateur Boxing Association. Jamaica, however, will not be able to send fighters this
Administration of local football... Fitness Express Manager/Owner Jamie McDonald (right) hands over the cheque to Gordon Spencer.
Tameshwar Prashad (left) doing a symbolic presentation of a Popeye’s box to Peter Green us and to let you know that as a federation we trust that this will be the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.” Popeye’s representative Tameshwar Prashad offered brief remarks: “We are very pleased and happy to be onboard for the Senior Nationals since we feel this fast growing and successful sport which has produced
two locally grown World Champions amongst others in such a short time shares a similarity as Popeye’s which started over 40 years ago in New Orleans, Louisana, from one small Restaurant and one big idea into a craze that swept the Nation and the World.” Weigh in time today is 09:30hrs with lifting time set for 11:00hrs.
GFF Super League continues today Play in the GFF Super League continues today with action at 3 venues. Up at the Blairmont Ground, BCC Rosignol United will come up against the East Coast League Leaders BV/Triumph at 15:30hrs. Both teams are on 5 points each and a win for any team will propel the team to 8 points as the 1st Rd comes to a close. Over at the Uitvlugt Ground at 13:30 hrs, 2nd place Uitvlugt Warriors, who are on 9 points from 5 games, will play host to 4th place Buxton United who are on 8 points from 6 games in a game which is expected to bring Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
year due to their National Championships this month. They have committed to do so next year. Arrangements with Barbados are also on the cards. Ninvalle said he was heartened by the responses and noted that this could only augur well for the development of the boxers in the future. Friday the Guyanese fighters made a clean sweep of the fights against their Trinidad counterparts. Ninvalle said that focus would now be placed on securing sponsors to assist with this reciprocal aspect of the programme, noting the benefits for the sport in the future. He called on sponsors to partner with them to aid the development push. The GABA Boss also thanked Minister of Sport Dr. Frank Anthony for his and the ministry’s help in facilitating the Trinidadian fighters over the weekend.
Teams Mt Pl BK Western Tigers 6 Uitvlugt Warriors 5 Pele 6 Buxton United 6 Alpha United 4 Amelia’s Ward 4 BCC Rosignol United 5 BV/ Triumph United 5 Den Amstel Porknockers 5 Milerock 6
excitement to the local supporters. In the Feature game at 15:30 hrs, 9th place Den Amstel Porknockers, who are on 5 points from 5 games, will attempt to slow down the pace of last year champions Alpha United, who have played less than all the other teams, they are on 7 points from 4 games. And at the GFC Ground from 19:00 hrs we will have the 2nd Georgetown Derby when Western Tigers and Pele will clash, the 1st Georgetown Derby was played to a nil all draw between Alpha United and Pele FC. W 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
D 2 0 3 2 1 3 2 2 2 1
L 1 2 1 2 1 0 2 2 2 4
GF 9 9 6 4 7 8 11 5 5 7
GA 7 7 4 8 2 7 10 9 7 10
GD Points +2 11 +2 9 +2 9 -4 8 +5 7 +1 6 +1 5 -4 5 -2 5 -3 4
From page 52 national club champions at all divisions/age limits. As an example: The National league by now should be expanded to 12 teams, while having a National First Division comprising of 18-20 teams, with Promotion and Relegation becoming automatic. Fifthly, clubs would provide the impetus for electing office bearers of the GFF, in addition to national
coaches, managers etc, based on proven performance(s) and track record(s), regionally and nationally. In the final analysis fostering more meaningful relationships with the government of the day; through the Ministries of Sports, Education and Regional Development and NDC’s with the relevant funding annually would go a far way towards achieving meaningful development.
Cronyism, lackeys and nepotism must become things of the past, while the days of carrying deadweight and baggage must also be over, especially at the decision making level of the nation’s football. And Chris Nurse, captain Golden Jaguars, should be petitioned by football clubs, as Male Sports Personality for 2012 whenever the NSC sits to deliberate. Concerned football fan
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Sunday December 2, 2012
=== Letters to the Sports Editor ===
Administration of local football A response to Kumar’s Sports view needs a complete metamorphosis DEAR SIR, With the Golden Jaguars being eliminated from the World Cup Qualifiers and the CFU Caribbean Cup, which in both instances saw Guyana, occupying the cellar in both instances, it was the latter of the two qualifiers that proved more disastrous for Guyana, failing to qualify for the competition’s finals, which enables the top four teams’ participation in the Gold Cup, the symbol of supremacy in CONCACAF. Meanwhile, Golden Jaguars captain, Chris Nurse spared no bones in advocating for whole sale changes in the manner how the game is being administered locally. He cited inefficient financial remunerations, dishonoring of previous agreements, and last but not least, the role of General Secretary and his Deputy, in the entire scenario. Additionally, a few days later the trio of Vurlon Mills, Water Moore and Gregory
“Jackie Chan” Richardson added their voices, with the latter even calling for the resignation of the entire executive. Sadly, advocating not representing Guyana again under the current administration. The GFF executive was as usual late with its press release; debunking the players claim and outlining its position. But this in no way would deter me from publicly advocating that the “Administration of local football needs a complete metamorphosis”, albeit a total rebirth. First and foremost the GFF must recognize that Chris Nurse and most of the players come from a senior professional background where the levels of administrative structures are vastly more concise and efficient! And definitely not the visionless and outdated structure that is obtained locally! Secondly, with
discrimination and favoritism rife among associations, dismantling the association structure must be a front burner issue. This must be replaced by a regional system, consisting of all ten (10) administrative regions; with an office; head and assistant coach; physical therapist/ physical trainer; administrative officer, website and a board of directors/ trustees. Thirdly, revamped club structures would entail each club in the respective regions to be fully constituted and must have its own training venue; coaching and managerial staff et al. Failing which, affiliation cannot be granted, while ensuring that each club must have the relevant players to participate, in all age-limit competitions regionally and nationally. Fourthly, competitions at inter-association level must be something of the past, in pursuit of establishing (Continued on page 51)
DEAR EDITOR, I was on study leave, but I am back in GT devouring the goodies that I missed so long. You guys remember me, that woman who was and still is a furious football fan, fed up with the ill things that are transpiring in the football world. I got plenty to write about, but I will write on the most recent and that is in response to a sports view by our BELOVED Director of Sports in the Guyana Chronicle dated 25th Nov 2012. Mr Kumar is the most inept Government Official that there is and will ever be, he has no vision when it comes to sports development. He is two mouthed and is untruthful in his presentation. In front of you he speaks with pride and pleasure and behind your back he ridicules you with disdain and scorn. Now getting back to Mr Kumar tantrums: Headline “GFF in serious trouble”; as a supposed learned journalist Mr Kumar wrote the entire article on hearsay and slander. Investigative Journalism is what separates the BOYS from the MEN. As far as I understand, he never investigated the matter, but he and the government have a beef with the GFF, for what reason I don’t know, probably they want to take
control so they can get their hand on the money, but FIFA ‘don’t mek’ them kind joke. See what turmoil they got Cricket in, and they saying that they are correct and will fix it quick. In his preamble he alluded to the fact that a number of our dedicated and patriotic national footballers, well! well! well!, Mr Kumar is saying those words, I wonder when he was writing such words or when he was dictating what to write to his author if his tongue or fingers were’nt burning. Since when is he interested in the welfare or well being of sports men (women). He treats sports and sports men and women as second class citizens, like if they are asking him a favour, he is duty bound by law to assist, but he only helps himself. Ask the Inter Guiana Games athletes and officials and you will get a broader picture of this guy, he really enjoys himself when the games come around. He went on to accuse the GFF of being delinquent, poor reputation, corrupt, weak financial position, lack of professional administration, nonexistent organisational culture and a total lack of accountability and transparency. Do I sense some libelous
statement coming out of the mouth of the Government Official or he is pressing a replay button of what was told to him and his Government by the opposition. I hold no brief for the GFF but, as far as I understand, many of his rumblings are farfetched, scandalous and irrelevant. If Mr Kumar and his Government want to help the situation they should act more professional and stop acting childish and irresponsible. They are too petty and self centered. The Government has a duty to build sports facilities for its citizens and he has the temerity to ask the GFF what about the Goal Project. Did the Government give the GFF Land to build it, every other Caribbean Island got land from their Government to build their Projects, but the GFF had to suck salt to get piece a land. You see how quick they find land to build a National Stadium for Cricket, Karate get land to build, Olympic Association got land to build, but football, the poor man sport, had to suffer and will continue to suffer once we have people like our beloved Sports Director in charge. Thank you for your time, more to come. Theresa
Natural raw talent and spike boots DEAR EDITOR, Natural raw talent was indeed just displayed by athletes from all ten administrative regions of Guyana at the just concluded 52nd National School Championships 2012. Having covered the events for my independent tourism photography project, it was well received and athletes should be very proud of themselves for qualifying and competing with their sterling performances at the highest level of sports of Guyana. Many new records were set and coaches should also be very proud of themselves for the guidance given with such accomplishments of their respective athletes. Sponsors should be applauded for their commitment towards this national event. 2012 could very well be the last showing of The National School Championships at the Providence Stadium and a new era is about to begin in 2013 with all and future
National Meets now been hosted at the Leonora Synthetic Track on the West Coast Demerara. That is, if the project is fully completed before November 2013. Very importantly to athletes: with the new era which is a matter of months away, it comes with major changes and adjustments. The most important is that many will have to make an effort to adjust to wearing “SPIKE FOOTWEAR” because with my best of knowledge, I don’t think that it is customary or allowed internationally for athletes to compete “BAREFEET” on a Synthetic Track. So, I believe it applies to Guyana because we do follow the international rule of the IAAF of one false start and you are out of a track race event. So, what’s next for Guyana’s athletes after Nationals 2012 and heading overseas? Un-officially, I understand that it might very well be the 2013 CARIFTA GAMES in THE BAHAMAS
and I am only guessing that Guyana will be represented with absolutely no setbacks. The moment athletes depart the shores of Guyana, they become sports ambassadors and from a Tourism approach, they are also a marketing tool/s of very importance and relevance. So, in my view, sports contribute significantly with The Development of Tourism. I personally believe that it is not the Government of the day sole responsibility for The Development of Sports, but rather an all inclusive package which should be made up of The Business Community, Health Specialists, Sports Consultants, Coaches, etc… Respectfully to Sports Fraternities: if you are not open to suggestions, opinions, innovative ideas, transformation, transparency, accountability etc., you will find it very difficult to grow in a much healthier manner...I am no professional or expert, but merely a sports enthusiast sharing my view. T. Pemberton.
Sunday December 2, 2012
Kaieteur News
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Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Futsal Competition...
Quarter-final matchups too close to call The massive crowd support for the Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ should continue tonight at the Banks DIH Car Park.
After being pushed back by a day to accommodate another activity, action in the Banks DIH-sponsored Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ Futsal Competition resumes tonight with quarter-final action, at Banks DIH Car Park. In the main end of the competition, defending champions Back Circle will go up against counterparts East Front Road and this matchup promises to provide fireworks not only for the cause of advancing further, but also a battle for bragging rights since both teams are based
in East Ruimveldt. East Front Road will rely on the services of star player Vashile Cantzlaar, while the champs possess a cadre of quality players capable of taking them over the line. Among them include Andy Duke, Dexter Bentick, Wayne Wilson, Vincent Thomas and Leon Murray, all worthy exponents of the shorter version of the game. Sophia ‘B’ versus Broad Street ‘B’ is another anticipated explosive game and fans will be afforded an opportunity to see some of
the best players of this format on show. For Sophia ‘B’, Joshua Kamal and Akeem Jaikissoon have been on fire throughout the tournament and they will no doubt have to replicate the form displayed in earlier rounds to get past a starstudded Broad Street ‘B’ lineup that included the likes of Daniel Favourite, the Gravesande brothers Jimmy and Rocky and Kevin Griffith. The remaining matches should all be thrilling to watch and football fans are being urged to be there early to
witness the excitement. The fixtures are as follows: 19:30 hrs Oasis v/s Media 20:00 hrs Sweet Hand v/s YMCA 20:30 hrs Upper Level v/s Banks DIH Ltd 21:00 hrs Guinness Bar v/ s Clippers Barber Shop 21:15 hrs Leopold Street v/s Hope Street - Tiger Bay 21:45 hrs Sophia B v/s Broad Street B 22:15 hrs East Front Road v/s Back Circle 21:45 hrs West Front Road v/s Queen Street - Tiger Bay
Banks DIH becomes major sponsor of Malta Supreme Christmas Basketball Beverage giants Banks DIH has thrown its support behind the Linden Amateur Basketball Association’s yearend Christmas Basketball Championship, which will be known as the Malta Supreme Magnificent Seven Championship, involving the seven Linden clubs affiliated to the Association. The championship, which tipped off last night when Wismar Pistons played Amelia’s Ward Jets in the lone game at the MSC hard court, continues this evening with a double header as Kashif and Shanghai Kings play Block 22 Flames in the first game at 19.00hrs, while the night cap brings together Retrieve Raiders and Victory Valley Royals. On Friday afternoon Outdoor Events Manager of Banks DIH, Mortimer Stewart, informed that his company was proud to support the development of basketball, which according to him, “…is a vehicle that can channel the energies of young players in the right direction with this kind of support.” Stewart was at the time giving his thoughts as he presented the trophies for the first second, third and fourth place teams along with
Kings play Flames and Raiders collide with Royals tonight
LABA Secretary Joseph Chapman receives one of the trophies from Mortimer Stewart, while at left is Clyde Brusche, Committee Member of LABA. replicas, Most Valuable Player, Best Defensive Player and Most Disciplined team trophies at Trophy Stall on Friday afternoon. He said Banks DIH was pleased with the efforts of the LABA to promote the sport in the town and as one of the key beverage companies in Guyana they felt it necessary to give back to the development of sports. Secretary of the LABA,
Joseph Chapman, thanked Banks DIH for their major support of this championship which comes at a time when very little is on offer for sports fans in the area particularly during the Christmas season. He promised a well executed tournament and one that fans will love because of the keen rivalry that has been seen recently among the contesting teams.
The tournament he said is being played on a round robin basis with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals on Boxing Day and the final is set for December 30 at the tournament venue the MSC hard court. The tournament is being played on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays with the first game at 19:00hrs and second at 21:00hrs.
Mayor Hamilton Green birthday football set to resume Wednesday at GFC Action in the Mayor Hamilton Green birthday 7-aside football tournament continues at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground on Wednesday. Pouderoyen will tackle Goed Fortuin in the first of several matches starting at 19:00hrs. In all, eight exciting matches are billed for the night including Stewartville up against Sara Lodge, Uitvlugt take on Eve Leary, while Den Amstel comes up against Kuru Kururu. Tucville will also play Alberttown moments before West Ruimveldt Estate tackle Grove. Tiger Bay will then oppose Newtown Kitty, while Sophia will cap the night when they oppose Kingston. Consequently, the qualifying teams will progress
to the next round for action in the quarterfinals, the semifinals and final. Among the players on show include Ernie Smith of Sophia, Delon Cadogan of Alberttown and Terrence Lewis of Newtown Kitty, who will play key roles for their respective teams. The winners of this tournament will be decided on Friday December 14 and will take home $200,000 and a trophy, while the runners up win half that amount, also with a trophy. Ricks and Sari has also donated several food hampers to be distributed to members of the winning team, while Retired Colonel, Laurie London has donated a set of footballs for the entire tournament.
Rampant England stun All Blacks England pulled off one of the great victories in their history as they destroyed world champions New Zealand at a rejoicing Twickenham. The All Blacks had been unbeaten in 20 matches but were completely outplayed as second-half tries from Brad Barritt, Chris Ashton and Manu Tuilagi snuffed out a brief comeback. Three penalties and a drop-goal from Owen Farrell gave England a 15-0 lead after 42 minutes, only for tries from Julian Savea and Kieran Read to make it 15-14. But there was no denying a hugely impressive England, who secured their first win over the All Blacks in nine years only their seventh in history. Stuart Lancaster’s men were superior in every department; their scrum excellent, their breakdown immense and their defence relentless. A late try from Savea was barely a consolation for the visitors, the final margin of 17 points a new record for the men in white. New Zealand’s squad had been hit by a debilitating virus during the week but there was nothing fortuitous about this win, achieved by an inexperienced team who began with just 206 caps between them to the world champions’ 788. England began brightly, showing attacking intent early on without looking like converting it into points. New Zealand, by contrast, were uncharacteristically muted. Dan Carter missed a kickable penalty and the All Blacks were then penalised for holding on in the England half. The Twickenham crowd were roaring their side on as England went wide at pace, only for Ashton to spill the ball. When Farrell stroked over his first penalty for a 3-0 lead after 25 minutes it was entirely deserved.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 2, 2012
GKC conducts successful end of year Grading Examinations The Guyana Karate College (GKC) on Friday afternoon last, held its end of year Grading Examinations, at its main Dojo located at the Malteenoes Sports Club, Thomas Lands. The event saw more than a 100 students from the GKC’s three Dojos - Marian Academy, Timehri Community Centre and Malteenoes - successfully undertaking the examinations that were conducted by the Senior Instructor and Vice Chairman of the College, Sensei Jeffrey Wong 6th Degree Black Belt. Successfully undertaking their exams and being promoted were 30 tenth KYU’s (White Belts), 7 ninth KYU’s (White Belts with Yellow Stripes), 19 eighth KYU’s (Yellow Belts), 4 seventh KYU’s (Orange Belts), 9 sixth KYU’s (Green Belts), 5 fifth KYU’s (Blue Belts), 10 fourth KYU’s (Purple Belts), 9 third KYU’s (Brown Belts), 7 second KYU’s (Brown Belts), and 2 first KYU’s (Brown). Performing exceptionally well were a number of Karatekas who skipped
Some of the Karatekas listening attentively to Sensei Dr. Guy Low. ranks. They included Adrian Persaud from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Ariel Miggins from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Ronald Persaud from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Jeremiah Poulis from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Aiden Singh from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Anish Sharma from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Dillion Persaud from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Jontierre Singh from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Sookraj Singh from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B), Joshua Zaman from 10th kyu to 8th kyu (B),
Daniel Lowe from 10th kyu to 8th kyu, Scott Habibullah from 10th kyu to 8th kyu, Yogendra Sookdeo from 10th kyu to 8th kyu, Deron Austin from 10th kyu to 7th kyu (B), Jennifer Singh from 10th kyu to 7th kyu (B), Nicholas Darry from 10th kyu to 7th kyu (B), Devendra Ramsundar from 10th kyu to 7th kyu (B), Garrett Da Silva from 9th kyu to 7th kyu (B), Michael Alphonso from 9th kyu to 7th kyu (B), Andrew Ally from 9th kyu to 7th (B), Alexander Ally from
9th kyu to 7th kyu (B), Brittney Bettencourt from 8th kyu to 6th kyu (B), Malika Persaud from 8th kyu to 6th kyu (B), Stefon Smith 8kyu to 6B, Eon Bollers from 8th kyu to 6th kyu (B), Shaquille Dalton from 8th kyu to 6th kyu (B), and Otto Harris from 6th kyu to 4th kyu (B). Headlining the examination was the successful elevation of Aftab Rahaman from 1st KYU (Brown Belt) to Shodan (Black Belt) and Wayne
Kendall from 1st KYU (Brown Belt) to Shodan (Black Belt), whilst other brown belts Khalid Adams, Anna Farinha, Britney Ramkissoon, and Dianand Dial were all elevated after putting in outstanding performances. Sensei Jeffrey Wong expressed his satisfaction with the improvement and standard that he has observed since the previous Grading that was held in August and credited the improvement to the dedication of the instructors
and application of the students. Of particular note were the high performances of the students of the Marian Academy Dojo, with whom he has been giving his individual attention with support from instructors including Phillip Ramalho, Claire Martelly, Aubrey Bettencourt and Jennifer Rameshwar. The next grading examination is due in March 2013, when Chairman of the World Karate Organization, the International Karate Daigaku Master Frank Woona-Tai is expected to visit Guyana on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Karate in Guyana. The GKC also proposes to commence preparatory training and selection of Karatekas that will form Team Guyana to participate in the Caribbean Karate Championships scheduled to be held in July 2013 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The GKC is working to maintain its outstanding record of extraordinary accomplishments at International tournaments.
Sunday December 2, 2012
Kaieteur News
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“2012 was good! 2013 could be a bumper year for West Indies senior men’s cricket team!” Colin E. H. Croft Even though there is still a month left in 2012, this has been a wonderful year for West Indies cricket! In 2012, West Indies won its fourth; some argue its most exciting world championship ever; to go with World Cup 1975, defending in 1979, before winning another cricket crown in 2004. It has been a very long time since September 2004, when West Indies won Champions Trophy in England, that West Indies could savor starting the succeeding year as World Champions. What a show! 2012 started with the entire world anticipating, salivating, as to who would feature and what would be the realities of London 2012 Olympics. To all, that event was also a truly magnificent spectacle! West Indies senior men, led by Coach Ottis Gibson and Captain Darren Sammy, after starting relatively badly against Australia, have emerged as one of 2012’s most exciting teams, winning ICC World T-20 Championship in
Sri Lanka along the way. This has indeed been a very good year! Having already beaten Bangladesh in Tests, still battling those erstwhile hosts now in 50 overs and T-20’s to close out the year, West Indies could look forward to a short break before 2013 starts, with more cricket and opportunities to elevate team and region back to full international leadership! Fortune continues to follow West Indies too, for even the cricket Gods have smiled on its scheduling. With the possible tours and tournaments of 2013, West Indies could feel that they have won the lottery! They start 2013 with a short 50-overs tour of Australia in February, followed by Zimbabwe touring West Indies later in February and March, followed by possibly India and Sri Lanka playing a three-team limited overs tournament in West Indies, then Pakistan touring West Indies in June and July. Sandwiched between
Darren Sammys shows off his biceps (WICB) those tours and tournaments would be regional tournaments – T-20, 4-day and 50-overs - and, internationally, the final Champions Trophy ever, in England’s summer 2013. All that West Indies needs to do would be to win that tournament in England too, to be holders of two championships at one time! What odds would anyone have gotten for that one year ago? Sammy has already suggested that he and his team have definite intentions to make sure that West Indies climbs the ladders of both 50overs and Test cricket, to be
at or near the apex in the near future. With that schedule, they have every opportunity to make some headway a reality! In Tests, West Indies languishes at No. 7, only ahead of Zimbabwe and New Zealand. In 50-overs rankings, West Indies also stands at No. 7. Very interestingly, West Indies is still only No. 2 in T-20’s! Ratings are one thing, being world champions is another altogether! It is not always that highest ranking person or team that wins a competition, but no-one can ever replace the tag of ‘world champion!’ As Bob Beamon suggested at Mexico 1968 Olympics, after winning that long jump competition with an unbelievable world record leap of twenty nine feet, two and one half inches; “Someone will eventually break this record some day, but no-one can take away the gold medal that I received here today!” Bob Beamon was not wrong! Little did he know that
his world record, along with lifelong legacy, would last for nearly twenty three years, until another American, Mike Powell, bettered that jump in IAAF World Athletics Championship, Tokyo 1991, with his own – twenty nine feet, four and one half inches! Who knows! Even as we see small, slow but sure germinations of Sammy’s team, that that team could not be starting, and presenting, its own legacy for years to come! Few expected that West Indies would have been such a powerful, world beating cricketing force for the twenty years that followed that first success in 1975! Winning always breeds greater winners! With the present longer game rankings, Sammy’s team has a tremendous assignment ahead of them to that “promised land”; to be rated, and known, as world champions in all three formats of the game! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! As things stand, we all hope that West Indies will only get better!
Without any disrespect, West Indies should beat Zimbabwe in all games of that tour – two Tests, several ODI and T-20’s. In recent years, ever after re-emerging from its own selfimposed exile, Zimbabwe has been quite stagnant, while West Indies have been upwardly mobile. More-ever, that tour could prepare West Indies for even more difficult assignments. Sri Lanka had said that they may prefer to play in West Indies, in ICC scheduled time frame – Future Tours Program - but not Tests, preferably in 50-overs games. While that schedule is not yet fully available, the tri-team series could include crowd pullers India, always a boon for West Indies cricket! Then comes the unpredictable, mercurial Pakistanis, who, on their day, not unlike West Indies, could produce such unbelievable cricket that they are always a good team to either play against or to watch! 2012 presented a smorgasbord of sport. For West Indies cricket, 2013 could be much better! Enjoy!
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 2, 2012
More sponsors on board for Bush Lot United Turf Club horserace meet next Sunday Over $7M up for grabs, 65 horses entered, more sponsors support More sponsors are finalizing their agreements to be part of the big one day horserace meet organised by the Bush Lot United Turf Club in collaboration with the Young Achievers Sports and Entertainment Group set for Sunday December 9 at the club’s facilities, Sea View Park, Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice. Preparations are well advance and with one week to go before race day entries are filling up at a rapid pace. Entries will close on Wednesday December 5 and so far over 65 of Guyana’s best thoroughbreds have been entered to compete in the various events. The meet, which is the final one for the club for the year, promises to be the biggest and the best. Eight races are carded for the day with prize monies totaling over $7M in incentives which includes cash and trophies up
for grabs in what is expected to be an enthralling day at the races. Last week, Business enterprise Rommel Jagroop and Sons Construction and Gas Station at Bush Lot West Coast Berbice handed a substantial sum to the organisers as sponsorship towards the successful staging of the meet. The cheque was presented by manager Sammy Rachpaul. Rachpaul in handing over the cheque on behalf of CEO, Rommel Jagroop, stated how pleased his boss was to be giving back to the community. He stated that they are particularly pleased to be associated with the activity which brings fun and joy to the thousands that attend. Accepting on behalf the club was Treasurer and Coordinator Lakeram “Buddy” Sookdeo who expressed their thanks and his
sincere appreciation on behalf of the club. He stated that the substantial sum will go a far way towards the successful staging of the mega horserace meet. There are a number of feature races on the day with the event for B, Three year old open, D and lower, two year old West Indies Bred, the two year old Guyana bred and the G being the main events. The full list of events are The Feature B and lower 1500M contest sponsored by Banks DIH Limited for a tantalizing $1M and trophy for the winner. The other races are the co-feature D3 and lower 1200M gallop and the Three year old race for Guyana and West Indies bred horses, which have similar winning purses of $450,000 and trophy over 1200M and 1500M respectively. The Guyana and West Indies Bred two year old event and the G and lower race are 1000M events with winners’ monies set at $350,000 and $300,000 with trophies respectively.
Manager of the Rommel Jagroop Construction and business establishment, Sammy Rachpaul (left) presents the cheque to Treasurer and Coordinator of The Bush Lot United Turf Club Lakeram “Buddy” Sookdeo. Club president, Rooparam Jagit (centre) and another employee share the moment. The two years old Guyana bred horses and the ‘I’ and lower animals are also 1000M races for first prizes of $200,000 and $170,000 and trophies also. The J &K and lower 1400M event is for a winner’s take of $150,000 and trophy. Among other sponsors on board are Banks DIH, Digicel, Mohammed “Nankoo” Shariff business establishment, Trophy Stall, Jumbo Jet Auto sales, Lakeram Sukdeo, Inshan
Bacchus, Phagoo General Store, Papie Supermarket, Guyana Tourism Authority, Shano Business establishment, Buddy Shivraj, Regency Suites, Balwant and Lenny Singh among others. The top individual performers including top jockey, stable and trainer will be presented with trophies compliments of The Trophy Stall Bourda market. Among some of the horses expected to be on show are the Score is Even, Who so
Ever, the Message, Mission King, Do Nut Prince, Diamond Dazzle, California strike, Marathon Man, War Craft, The Bailiff and Gold Plated. Interested persons can make enquiries with coordinator and Treasurer Lakeram B. Sukhdeo on Number 232-0558 or 672-0810 or President Rooparam Jagit (tel 232-0231), Dennis De Roop on number 609-9143, Annie on 613-1884 and Campton on 690-0569. Race time is 12:30 hrs.
Local Amateur boxers dominate Trinidadian counterparts The successful boxers just after the conclusion of their bouts L-R Khan, Bancroft, Thomas and Gouveia
Local amateur boxers avenged losses to their Trinidadian counterparts, suffered when they visited that Twin Island Republic earlier this year, by winning all of their bouts when they faced off in the second edition of that exchange programme, in the amateur segment of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC)/Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) Friday Night Fights, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) Friday evening last. Local welterweight double champion (Novice and Intermediate), Eon Bancroft wasted little time in disposing of Leon Nottingham (TNT), forcing him to retire in the second round. Bancroft was
especially harsh on his opponent slamming home several right crosses mixed with a few body blows. The Trinidadian demonstrated good courage, staying around for the first round despite being subjected to severe punishment. He crumbled in the second round after Bancroft turned up the heat forcing him to retire. Dennis Thomas (GUY) failed to replicate his countryman’s knockout feat in his middleweight bout against Declan Calliste (TNT) but convincingly clinched the 3-0 verdict after a sustained attack. Lightweight pugilist, Stefan Gouveia (GUY), was also in winners’ row earning a well deserved 2-1 verdict over
Michael Alexander (TNT), while Imran Khan survived a sustained attack from Ryan Jeffers (GDF) to clinch a lopsided 3-0 verdict in their bantamweight bout. The Khan/Jeffers bout was arranged after the Trinidadians failed to travel with an opponent for the Guyanese boxer. Meanwhile, coordinator of bouts (GABA), Terrence Poole extended gratitude to those that made the Trinidadian’s journey a possibility. “Let me thank all the persons that came out to give their support to the Guyanese boxers,” he said. He also hinted of similar exchange programmes with other Caricom countries in the near future.
Sunday December 2, 2012
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Steyn, Amla put South Africa in charge PERTH (Reuters) - South Africa, fired by a devastating spell of bowling from Dale Steyn and sustained by the batting of Hashim Amla, took a firm grip on the third and final test against Australia on Saturday to end day two with an imposing lead of 292. Amla finished the day one run short of his 18th test century with South Africa on 230 for two after paceman Steyn had taken four for 40 as the bowlers dismissed the hosts for 163 for a first-innings lead of 62. Skipper Graeme Smith put on a quickfire 178 for the second wicket with Amla before departing for 84 late in the day to leave Jacques Kallis, who had made 17 not out, to resume today with plenty of time to build an insurmountable lead. “Dale started well with the ball this morning,” fast bowler Vernon Philander told reporters. “And then the way Graeme and Hashim batted was just unbelievable, taking the game to them, and momentum’s on our side and hopefully we can keep it that way.” Australia had started
the day on 33 for two in front of a bumper WACA crowd hoping to see Ricky Ponting score a century in his penultimate innings and drive his country towards a series victory and the number one test ranking that would go with it. Their hopes lasted less than 40 minutes, however, as Steyn, who took three wickets at the cost of just four runs in the morning sun, and fellow quicks Philander (2-55) and Morne Morkel (1-19) unleashed the barrage the Australians had feared all series. “Not an ideal day,” said wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. “We had high hopes when we came in this morning but things didn’t go well.” The first ball of Steyn’s first over dispatched opener David Warner caught behind for 13 after a fruitless TV appeal, while his fourth sent nightwatchman Nathan Lyon back to the pavilion for seven. Ponting, welcomed by a standing ovation, managed just four runs when he was trapped lbw by Philander, his subsequent appeal to the TV
umpire having less merit than Warner’s but proving just as pointless. With their free-scoring captain Michael Clarke at the crease, Australia were still thinking about a first-innings lead but Steyn ended those thoughts with his best ball of the series. A fullish ball that moved away at the last moment induced Clarke into an edge that AB de Villiers caught behind the stumps. LITTLE RESISTANCE Only Wade, who scored a bright 68, and debutant pace bowler John Hastings, the last Australian out for 32, offered any real resistance to the South Africans. Wade built a partnership of 55 with Mike Hussey and brought up his second test half century from 51 balls by launching his third six over the deep midwicket boundary. Hussey was removed by Morkel having eked out 12 runs in 68 balls before Robbie Peterson, who finished with three for 44 after being recalled for his first test in four years, bowled Wade and mopped up the tail just before tea. South African opener
Dale Steyn
Hashim Amla
Graeme Smith
Alviro Petersen had ended the Australian innings with a brilliant catch to dismiss Hastings, flicking the ball into the air as he fell over the boundary rope and returning to the field to take the catch. After a bright start, his own innings was ended for 23 after tea by an even better effort when Mitchell Johnson, off his own bowling, flung himself down to his right to take the ball just above the
turf. Smith, who scored his 84 off just 100 balls with 13 fours, was victim of a third sensational catch when Lyon dived low to claim the ball at deep square leg with the end of the day in sight. It was a rare bright moment in a hard day for Australia, particularly for left-arm quick Mitchell Starc who ended up with figures of one for 76. “We don’t feel the series has slipped away,” Wade,
perhaps mindful that South Africa chased down 414 to win at the WACA four years ago, added. “Tomorrow we need to come out and execute, take eight wickets, get ourselves into a real scrap and chase whatever total they put up.” Scores: South Africa 225 and 2 for 230 (Amla 99*, Smith 84) lead Australia 163 (Wade 68, Hastings 32, Steyn 440, Peterson 3-44) by 292 runs.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 2, 2012
FIFA left red-faced after chaotic Confederations Cup draw SAO PAULO (Reuters) Hosts Brazil will face Japan in the opening match of next year’s Confederations Cup in Brasilia on June 15 although FIFA were left red-faced following a chaotic draw on Saturday. The draw should have been simple as hosts Brazil and world champions Spain were automatically placed at the head of the two Groups, A and B, with the six other contestants placed in the remaining slots. The only proviso was that Italy were kept apart from Spain, to separate the two European countries, and Uruguay kept apart from Brazil, to separate the two South American ones. Italy were to be in Group A with Brazil, while Uruguay were going to be placed in Group B with Spain. However when Uruguay’s name was drawn, Alex Atala, Brazil’s top chef who was helping FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke make the draw, put his hand in the Group A bowl and drew out
position A3. Valcke placed Uruguay in B3, but Tahiti were later paired in the same position. “That doesn’t go at all, Tahiti must be in B3,” said Valcke when he realised the mistake. Tahiti were then placed in position B3 and Uruguay moved to place B2, meaning they would face Spain in their opening match. “It was a bit of a chaotic draw, sorry for that,” Valcke told a packed auditorium which included Brazil president Dilma Rousseff and FIFA president Sepp Blatter. “It’s sad these things happen in life, this is my first time,” he said afterwards. The completed draw placed Brazil, who have won the last two tournaments, with Japan, CONCACAF champions Mexico and Italy, runners-up to Spain in this year’s European Championship. Spain, the world and European champions, will open their campaign against South American champions
Uruguay in Recife on June 16. Oceania champions Tahiti and the African champions, who will be decided on February 10, complete the quartet. The final takes place in Rio de Janeiro on June 30. WORLD CUP TEST Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador will host matches in the eight-team tournament, which is seen as a major organisational test ahead of the 2014 World Cup. Stadiums in Fortaleza and Belo Horizonte are scheduled to be ready this month, while the other four are expected to be ready in March. The six stadiums together cost $2 billion, making it the most expensive Confederations Cup since the tournament took its current shape in 1997. Brazil won the right to host the World Cup in 2007 but delayed a whole year before deciding which 12 cities would be chosen to hold matches. Most of the stadiums are on schedule although many
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke (C) holds up the name Mexico as he stands with Brazilian celebrity chef Alex Atala (L) and model Adriana Lima during the official draw for FIFA Confederations Cup are also over budget and the government’s own Court of Audits says at least four of the 12 will be white elephants after the tournament. A more worrying issue is transport infrastructure.
Brazil’s airports are old and rundown and few cities have adequate public transport networks. Authorities promised to modernise airports and build new bus and metro lines but so far little
work has been done. The Confederations Cup competition has already captured the public’s imagination with FIFA reporting 132,000 tickets sold before Saturday’s draw.
Misery for Benitez as West Ham beat Chelsea 3-1 LONDON (Reuters) Chelsea collapsed to a 3-1 Premier League defeat at West Ham United after leading at halftime yesterday as Rafael Benitez’s start as the club’s interim manager went from bad to worse. Juan Mata gave Benitez’s side a well-deserved halftime lead but the home side roared back after the break with former Chelsea striker Carlton Cole levelling just past the hour before substitutes Mohamed Diame and Modibo Maiga struck late on. Since the deeply unpopular decision to sack Champions League and FA Cup-winning manager Roberto Di Matteo and replace him with former Liverpool boss Benitez, Chelsea have managed just two points and are falling out of the title race. Benitez was booed in the 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City last Sunday, his first game in charge, and his side then produced a dismal performance in another 0-0 draw at home to west London rivals Fulham on Wednesday. Banners protesting about the managerial change were again in evidence at Upton Park, yet for the opening 45 minutes Chelsea were in complete control and heading for victory. However, the wheels came off after the break as Chelsea’s run without a league victory reached seven games. “In the first half we could have scored two or three goals,” Benitez, who is the first Chelsea manager in the era of Russian owner Roman Abramovich to fail to win any of his first three matches, told Sky Sports.
Chelsea’s interim manager Rafa Benitez reacts during his team’s English Premier League soccer match against West Ham United at Upton Park, London December 1, 2012. REUTERS/ Andrew Winning “But the second half they scored a controversial first goal and everything changed and they were on top and we couldn’t manage. I thought we had to do better in the second half.” Benitez added: “We need a win, simple.” Victory for Manchester United later on Saturday at Reading would leave Chelsea, who were leading the table and playing with verve a few weeks ago, 10 points behind in the title race. Chelsea have 26 points from 15 games with United on 33 from 14 and Manchester City, who were hosting Everton on Saturday, on 32. When Fernando Torres cut the ball back from the byline for Mata to shoot Chelsea in front after 13 minutes it seemed that Benitez could silence the critics for at least a day. Mata could have increased the lead but Jussi Jaaskelainen made a great save to keep the home side within touching distance. West Ham’s Kevin Nolan had a goal disallowed just
before halftime while Chelsea keeper Petr Cech made a fingertip save to keep out Nolan’s header from a corner. West Ham were far more adventurous after the break and deservedly drew level when Cole nodded past Cech from close range after appearing to climb over Branislav Ivanovic. Mata nearly restored Chelsea’s lead with a superb free kick that thudded against the woodwork and Chelsea looked the more likely winners as the game entered its closing stages. However, West Ham, who had not beaten Chelsea for nine years, roused themselves for a final surge. Ashley Cole had to head Winston Reid’s header off the line, and with four minutes of normal time remaining Diame smashed a low shot past Cech. Disgruntled Chelsea fans were already heading for the exit when Maiga converted a rebound for the third after Cech had saved Matt Taylor’s shot.
Sunday December 2, 2012
Kaieteur News
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IOC ready to take away Armstrong’s Olympic bronze
European Fitness champ Gisa ter Haar to guest pose at Flex Night Int.
LONDON, England (AP) — His seven Tour de France titles erased from cycling’s record books, Lance Armstrong still holds claim to one piece of sports silverware: an Olympic medal. But for how much longer? Twelve years after Armstrong won bronze in the road time trial at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants the medal back because of his involvement in a widereaching doping scandal. The fate of Armstrong’s medal will be addressed when the IOC executive board meets next week in Lausanne, Switzerland. The board could decide to strip the medal then and there, or wait another few weeks until cycling’s governing body has officially notified Armstrong of the loss of his Tour titles. IOC lawyers are studying whether the eight-year statute of limitations applies in this case, an issue that could push back a decision. But the IOC’s resolve to revoke the medal and wipe Armstrong from the Olympic records is clear; the only issue is the timing and procedure. “The board will consider this case,” IOC vice president Thomas Bach, a German lawyer who heads the body’s doping investigations, told The Associated Press yesterday. “The board is following a zero-tolerance policy on doping.” Craig Reedie, an IOC vice president from Britain, added: “We need to get this one behind us.” The IOC opened a disciplinary case last month after a US Anti-Doping Agency report detailed widespread doping by Armstrong and his teammates. The report called it the most sophisticated doping programme in sports. The international cycling federation, the UCI, ratified USADA’s decision to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour
Lance Armstrong titles from 1999-2005 and ban him for life. WADA and the UCI annulled all of Armstrong’s results since August 1, 1998. The IOC has an eight-year statute for changing Olympic results, but officials believe the decision by USADA and the cycling body to go back 14 years to disqualify Armstrong should clear the way for them to reach back to 2000. “I would hope we can deal with it because the evidence (against Armstrong) is overwhelming,” Australian IOC executive board member John Coates told The Australian newspaper. “USADA and the UCI went outside the eight-year limit on the basis that the statute simply doesn’t apply if you have broken the law, so I imagine our lawyer will see if that applies with us.” Two months after winning his second Tour de France title in 2000, Armstrong took bronze in Sydney behind winner and US Postal Service teammate Vyacheslav Ekimov of Russia and Jan Ullrich of Germany. The IOC has no plans to reallocate Armstrong’s bronze medal to any other rider, just as the UCI decided not to name any winners for the Tour de France titles once held by the American. That means Spanish rider Abraham Olano Manzano, who finished fourth in Sydney, would not be upgraded and the third-place
spot would be left vacant in the Olympic records. In August, the IOC stripped Tyler Hamilton, a former Armstrong teammate, of his time-trial gold medal from the 2004 Athens Olympics after he admitted to doping. In that case, Ekimov was upgraded to the gold. In a bid to head off any legal disputes, the IOC had considered writing to Armstrong requesting that he give up the Sydney medal on his own. But the committee discarded that idea and is now pursuing its own disciplinary action. The chances of Armstrong voluntarily returning the medal seem remote: He defiantly posted a photograph on Twitter last month showing him lying on a couch at his home in Texas with seven framed yellow Tour de France jerseys mounted on the wall. The UCI, which initially questioned how USADA could skirt the eight-year rule, has not yet formally notified Armstrong of its ruling but is expected to do so in the coming days. After that, Armstrong would have 21 days to appeal. The IOC could wait until that period expires, then revoke his third-place finish on the grounds that Armstrong had accepted his disqualification and should send back the medal. The IOC is also investigating Levi Leipheimer, a former Armstrong teammate who won the time-trial bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games. The American confessed to doping as part of his testimony against Armstrong in the USADA case. The IOC is looking into the details of his admitted doping, including when the cheating took place, before moving to strip his medal. Finishing fourth behind Leipheimer in 2008 was Alberto Contador, the Spaniard who was stripped of the 2010 Tour de France title after testing positive for clenbuterol.
Spain federation elects Contador meat supplier as president MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) has elected Jose Luis Lopez Cerron, the man who delivered the beef to Alberto Contador that the rider said led to him testing positive for clenbuterol in 2010, as its new president. Lopez Cerron, a former professional cyclist and organiser of Spain’s Tour of Castilla and Leon, was voted in at an assembly in Madrid on Saturday, the RFEC said on its website (www.rfec.com). The 56-year-old bought the allegedly
contaminated meat in Irun, a town on Spain’s north-west border, before taking it to Astana’s team hotel in Pau, France where it was eaten by Contador on the 2010 Tour de France’s second rest day. The rider, who has since switched to Team Saxo-Tinkoff, went on to win the race but his subsequent positive test for clenbuterol, a banned substance, led to him being stripped of the title, his third victory after triumphs in 2007 and 2009. He was banned for two years and returned in August to win the Tour of Spain.
The National Cultural Centre will be set on fire come next Saturday when reigning European Fitness champion, Holland based Gisa ter Haar graces the stage of the National Cultural Centre as the guest athlete at Flex Night International. The organizers, Flex Night Inc., have pulled out all the stops to ensure that patrons experience a night of quality in every regard. This Dutch Bodyfitness queen has Surinamese roots through her mother and is expected to woo the crowd on Saturday night when she struts her stuff on stage. Gisa ter Haar is a mother herself, she competes in the 58kg class and started weights training at age 13. She has also competed in kickboxing, judo, swimming and dancing (Brazilian and street dance). Gisa is a dedicated athlete who says that she loves to train and cannot imagine her life without sports and loves weight lifting, because besides muscles it gives her
Gisa ter Haar
a very good feeling of inner power. With such a distinguished and attractive guest in the form of Gisa ter Haar, Guyanese fans can look
forward to a quality and satisfying performance from the beautiful and confident ter Haar come December 8 at the National Cultural Centre.
t r o Sp Knockouts galore as Azore survives a stern test to retain local welterweight crown By Michael Benjamin On a night of fistic fury, when three boxers failed to make it to the final bell, Guyana’s welterweight champion, Iwan ‘Pure Gold’ Azore survived a stern test against a game contender, Mark Austin, to retain his title when the curtains came down on November edition of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) Friday Night Fights at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Friday evening last. Richard Williamson was in devastating form in the main supporting bout, disposing of Rudolph Fraser in 15secs of the 4th round of their featherweight duel, while Kishawn Simon forced the referee to halt his catchweight contest against Patrick Boston in 1:53secs of the 4th stanza. Gladwin Dorway was also in a no nonsense mood and needed just 1:20 of the 2nd round to convince Cassius Matthews that he was in the wrong place, taking their jnr/welterweight bout with relative ease. Austin defied the conventional views of ring rust and started the bout at a fast clip, a vastly different approach to Azore who took all but half of the round to assert himself. When he eventually did, he unleashed a volley that pushed Austin back into the blue corner. Azore lashed out and though the punches were poorly timed, he stayed ahead and after a fierce attack, sent Austin through the ropes and onto the apron. Though not seriously hurt, Austin received a mandatory 8 count from referee Eion Jardine. Both pugilists enjoyed bright moments even though the action slowed in round two. The fighters failed to replicate the fierce exchanges of the first round with each doing just enough to stay ahead in the third stanza. Azore began to take control in the fourth round with several stinging exchanges that forced Austin to cover up. He reasserted himself near the end of the round and stitched in several right crosses but though his
efforts might have closed the gap, he clearly dropped this round. Continuing where he had left off in the preceding round, Azore punched and was out of range before Austin retaliated. His punches were crisp but he faltered again when he allowed Austin to come back strongly near the bell and closed the gap. Azore changed tactics at the start of the sixth stanza, punching and moving but Austin blocked up shortly before surging forward with punches of his own. The effects of Azore’s punches began to take a toll on Austin and he sported bruises to his left eye. He upped the pace shortly after the start of the sixth round but just when he seemed to have his man in trouble, he inexplicably backed off giving Azore a welcome reprieve. Azore scored at will but Austin reasserted himself and the two engaged in a nice toe to toe confrontation that delighted the crowd. When the bell sounded Austin was on top after backing up Azore to the ropes with several ramrod offerings. Austin seemed to have found a second wind at the start of the 7th round, landing uppercuts and hooks that had his man blocking up. Azore squirmed out of trouble but not for long as a persistent Austin caught up with him and delivered some punishing blows just before the bell. Both boxers enjoyed fair exchanges in the eighth round with first Austin and then Azore enjoying the advantage. Azore then began to fade and Austin took advantage, reeling off several combinations that undoubtedly gave him the round. Austin stepped on the gas in round ten and though forced to peer through a swollen right eye, managed to stay ahead after landing several right crosses. Azore sought refuge behind high guards, all to no avail as Austin’s sharp punches breached his defence. Azore’s second wind kicked in around the penultimate round when he attacked with gusto. He landed several
Azore (white trunks) engages Austin in the early rounds of their contest at the Referee observes closely. volleys but Austin was also in full flow and matched his blows. Azore continued to attack and by the time the bell had sounded, had transformed Austin’s face to a bloody mess. Azore pummeled Austin early in the final round and when the blood started to flow once again, the referee summoned the doctor who, after a cursory inspection, gave the bout the green light. Thereafter both pugilists went after each other until the bell sounded. The crowd remained divided over the winner until the judges’ scores were announced. Francis Abraham and Clairmont DeSouza saw it 11 4 - 11 3 a n d 11 5 - 11 2 respectively in favour of Azore, while Carlton Hopkinson concurred with a score of 116-111. The crowd greeted the decision with mixed reactions with many once again questioning the authenticity of the judging system. Fraser spent most of the
first round blocking up from a sustained volley of punches from Williamson with the referee inexplicably allowing the bout on without administering the mandatory count. Williamson continued to pummel Fraser in round two and the former fighter held a high guard while crouching in the neutral corner. Fraser got his rhythm in the second round and served up a heaped portion of hooks and crosses that pushed his younger opponent backwards which clearly earned Fraser the round. Despite such aggression, Fraser was certainly experiencing problems getting a rhythm yet he managed to stay in contention with several jabs and crosses. The boxers engaged in stiff rivalry at the start of the fourth round but it was Williamson who appeared to be on top. Fraser then launched an attack but Williamson met him head and connected with
a ‘blinder’ to Frasers jaw and gravity took over. He crashed to the canvass and even before the referee commenced the count it was evident that he was in no shape to continue. To his credit Fraser did attempt to reenter the fray but his legs refused to cooperate and the referee waved it off at 15secs of the fourth stanza. Boston managed to add another loss to his career which suggested immaculate consistency. Simon, a professional of just two fights lacked proper timings but made up for that deficiency with guts and aggression. He pummeled Boston who started the bout aggressively with several crosses and uppercuts. Both boxers threw wild punches in the second stanza but kept the referee busy after engaging in clinches. The third round was a replica of the second with both boxers persistently holding and raising the ire of
the third man. Consequently, both received warnings for using rabbit punches in the initial part of the fourth round shortly before Simon surged ahead with a four punch volley that had his opponent covering up. The referee tore them apart and issued the command to resume; Simon waded in and landed several unanswered punches forcing the third man to halt the proceedings at 1:53secs of the 4th frame. Once again, the supporters showed their exasperation at the poor showing of some of the boxers and what they perceive to be biased officiating. The three knockouts might just have endorsed their claims while the mixed reactions and harsh comments after the Azore/Austin bout may just cause a bit of worry for the administrators who have been encountering enormous challenges wooing patrons to the cards.
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